Intelligence is a Curse

[Erinome]

I don't know anything about your education

I'll bet there is a religious school somewhere in that pipeline.

No doubt. Classic indoctrination. Tragic, but still no excuse. I was indoctrinated by Catholics, so I would know. Plain ol' logic, FTW!

[Justtristo]

[Erinome]

The header of that embarrassing but hilarious website is the most interesting part.

An old, naked, homeless man reaching out to touch what is either a garland of party balloons, or a strand of DNA. Then for some reason it says "Evidence For God".

I didn't find any evidence for god, but I did find some disturbing fan fiction.

[Justtristo]

The header of that embarrassing but hilarious website is the most interesting part.

An old, naked, homeless man reaching out to touch what is either a garland of party balloons, or a strand of DNA. Then for some reason it says "Evidence For God".

I didn't find any evidence for god, but I did find some disturbing fan fiction.

Indeed and I have read some quite disturbing fan fiction in my time.

[ElDinero]

Salty, a few of us have partially defended you to some of the more aggressive respondents on the basis of your courtesy and apparent sincerity. Since then, you've become substantially less impressive to me. You've spent a lot of time basically preaching, dedicating a lot of time to my fairly flippant question about heaven and ignoring the far more pertinent questions about evidence against a young Earth. When will you actually be getting round to addressing the quite simply undeniable evidence that the Earth is far older than you believe and the flood and Exodus never happened?

You've also shown how flimsy your faith is by invoking Pascal's Wager, which Rhythm has already pointed out is a very obvious fallacy.

It's becoming a really poor showing from you. Better get to addressing the evidence against a young Earth. Your mental acrobatics are ambitious but getting boring.

[salty]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal's_Wager

You actually haven't given this much thought. You'd need to apply that wager to every faith in order to hedge your bets. You cannot do this, due to the many contradictory teachings of those faiths. Most are also mutually exclusive.

Do you pray to Allah 5 times a day? Might want to hedge your bets.
(list continues ad infinitum)

Also, as long as you're clinging to genesis as an accurate account of material creation (and especially a young earth), there is no chance that you're correct.

Let's recall where we are, we are in the "Christianity" section of the forum, therefore my response is based on the belief that Christian teaching is the only teaching that will lead to a life in Heaven. Even people who do not know the name of Christ, will be covered by his sacrifice because they are obeying his laws in their lives and honoring God. Therefore Christianity splits the world in two: those who love righteousness and justice and those who do not, also known as Jew & Gentile.

Christians are grafted into the Jewish family as spiritual children of Abraham (obviously not ethnically). Once again I believe that by living through the teachings of Jesus Christ I am losing nothing, and even if the chance came about that I am wrong, I am not concerned, a life without Jesus Christ is Hell anyway, therefore no damnation from any other entity would frighten or upset me. Now that I have had God in my life for 12 years, I can't imagine surviving even one hour without his love and mercy.

---

So salty, would you say that a big part of your faith is out of fear of being on the wrong side?

No. When I didn't believe I was pretty sure that I would get something good because I rarely ever got into trouble and I was pretty nice. My faith in Jesus came when I decided to invite him to reign over my life. It was a trial period. If he didn't do anything, then I was done with Jesus, if he did something, then I knew he was real and I would follow him. He showed up and I was hooked.

[salty]

If I am wrong. I have lost nothing by following the teachings that give me patience to endure you and many like you. If I am wrong, you have lost nothing and lived a good life.
2. If I am right. I have lost nothing,

Oh for goodness sake! Pascal's wager? Is that the best you can do?

Your assertion also implies an atheist cannot live a good (moral) life.That is an ignorant and impertinent thing to say.

Patience to endure us? What? Were you forced to come here? No you were not. Please try avoid patronising us, there's a good girl. Not for our sake you understand,indeedly doodly not. Because I think you're probably quite nice really,but in the post I quoted, you come across as a smug bitch.

Pad, let's clear this up, between the two of us:
1. "Is that the best you can do?" - Being myself, speaking my mind, telling you what I have learned is the best I can do. I love the person I've become and I love that I am changing and growing even now, to become a better person in the future, all through the love of Christ.
2. Patience to endure - I was speaking directly to Aleia and I was speaking about people with her kind of anger toward me specifically, an anger that brings about personal insult, not just irritation with an opposing thought. Atheists are capable of disagreeing and being respectful at the same time, unless you Pad are saying it's otherwise, and we both know you can't speak for every atheist.
3. Never heard of Pascal's Wager until now. My belief is simple: what do you lose by following the teachings of Christ? I assert: you lose nothing, instead you gain everything.
4. I said, "..lived a good life." Does that somehow mean immoral? I don't think it does. A good life to me means you have lived with no regrets, you enjoyed your time and then it's over. You are the one that has thrown in this idea that I'm excluding morality, which I am not. I believe that everyone has a sense of morality.
5. I came to this forum of my own accord and I expected some attitude because my opinions were different, but never to the heights of which I have experienced from some people. Also, am I not responsible to answer for all that I have said among you? What kind of Christian would I be to say something and then "disappear?" Maybe that's how the people you've met in the past react, but you're talking to me now...I do not back down from what I have said, even if I have contradicted myself, I would rather apologize than give anyone fakeness. Pad, I choose my words and I will stand by them. I deliberate over how I will "speak" to everyone on this forum, because I care and I want you (and them) to recognize me when I am there, in person. It is my goal to meet people from this forum, so that a real conversation can insue, one where you can look into my eyes and see just how serious I am about you and about the Lord.
6. Little girl? I'm sure it would all be very different if we were speaking in person.
7. I can only sound smug if you think I'm right, apparently my confidence is in something that doesn't exist. Someone with confidence in something that doesn't exist doesn't sound smug, just ignorant.

What is your response Pad? You too seem like a nice guy.

[Faith No More]

No. When I didn't believe I was pretty sure that I would get something good because I rarely ever got into trouble and I was pretty nice.

Get something from who?

My faith in Jesus came when I decided to invite him to reign over my life. It was a trial period. If he didn't do anything, then I was done with Jesus, if he did something, then I knew he was real and I would follow him. He showed up and I was hooked.

How did Jesus 'show up'?

[ElDinero]

3. Never heard of Pascal's Wager until now. My belief is simple: what do you lose by following the teachings of Christ? I assert: you lose nothing, instead you gain everything.

And as has already been asserted: If you believe that, then you absolutely must follow EVERY set of religious teachings, which is of course impossible.

It was demonstrated to you how absurd it was. Substitute the word Christ for Allah, Krishna or the Flying Spaghetti Monster and you cannot help but see how flimsy an argument this is. The fact that you are a Christian and therefore you 'know' that your God is the right one does not make this point any less valid. More absence of logic, salty. If you had been raised in a Muslim country you would absolutely undoubtedly be saying the same thing about Mohammad or Allah.

[salty]