57 minutes ago, Alpha_TATEr said:

we can all argue over political ideologies 7 days a week, at the end of the day, whether you consider it living a good christian life or however you want to label it, just try to be better than you were the day before. 

I'm fortunate enough to not need a magic book to tell me that.

2 hours ago, mikemack8 said:

It literally says in the book of Matthew that Joseph was going to divorce Mary when he found out she was pregnant  

Mary and Joesph were not Christians, and sacramental marriage was not a thing until about 30-40 years after they were married. 
 

Let’s not forget that the virgin birth story is a myth and never happened. 

2 hours ago, mikemack8 said:

 That's really why he was going to divorce her, until it was explained to him how and why she was pregnant even though they had not yet consecrated their marriage 

My buddy's woman had the same issue. Thankfully, she was able to explain it to him, or he definitely would have left her.

On 11/16/2023 at 1:32 PM, Christian Eagle said:

In the meantime we are called to love and obey our creator and to love one another, which isn't easy to do, but we're supposed to try.  Those who look to our savior, Jesus, will eventually be transformed into perfection.  I'm looking forward to that day.  How about you?

Does this include Cowboys fans?

1 hour ago, Mat said:

Does this include Cowboys fans?

I wish them all a long, happy - and imminent - afterlife 

Saw this in comments on bombing that happened in Iran.

ROOT CAUSE: People are religious for at least one of ONLY four reasons:

Indoctrinated by their parents (the overwhelming majority),

"Born Again” Syndrome, a psychological survival mechanism alternative to suicide to due depression, drugs, prison, alcohol, etc,

Stone Age Thinking Disorder such that they actually rationalize the existence of god ("All  those different animals, couldn’t have been spontaneous, must be by design - must be a god."), or

Delusions (from DSM V): A firm and fixed belief based on inadequate grounds not amenable to rational argument or evidence to contrary, not in sync with regional, cultural and educational background. As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, confabulation, dogma, illusion, or some other misleading effects of perception

For it is written:

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

and the learning of the learned I will set aside.”l

20

Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?m

21

* For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith

 

 

The smartest people on earth believe that the entire universe was created from nothing. 

I guess my stone age mind can't wrap my head around this.  One of you smart people please explain what created the big bang and how matter was created out of nothing. 

15 minutes ago, Mike31mt said:

For it is written:

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

and the learning of the learned I will set aside.”l

20

Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?m

21

* For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith

 

 

The smartest people on earth believe that the entire universe was created from nothing. 

I guess my stone age mind can't wrap my head around this.  One of you smart people please explain what created the big bang and how matter was created out of nothing. 

I think we had this conversation before, but it's ok to not know things. Using magic to explain something you don't understand is exactly what I would expect from a self described "stone age mind".

21 minutes ago, Mike31mt said:

I guess my stone age mind can't wrap my head around this.  One of you smart people please explain what created the big bang and how matter was created out of nothing. 

Just because we don’t know the answer to things does not mean we just make something up. The simple fact is, we don’t know the answer to those questions, and countless others, but continue to search for them. You are making a nice case for a text book example of a "god of the gaps.”

2 minutes ago, Boogyman said:

I think we had this conversation before, but it's ok to not know things. Using magic to explain something you don't understand is exactly what I would expect from a self described "stone age mind".

Yes I can tell you're totally fine with it

The Stone Age ended thousands of years before Christianity, and there were complex societies and written history when Jesus was alive. It's as magical as accounts of the life of Julius Caesar 

Just now, Tnt4philly said:

Just because we don’t know the answer to things does not mean we just make something up. The simple fact is, we don’t know the answer to those questions, and countless others, but continue to search for them. You are making a nice case for a text book example of a "god of the gaps.”

Keep searching for them then

Will you be reborn after you die, Buddhist?

2 minutes ago, Mike31mt said:

Yes I can tell you're totally fine with it

The Stone Age ended thousands of years before Christianity, and there were complex societies and written history when Jesus was alive. It's as magical as accounts of the life of Julius Caesar 

Don't know why you bolded that, there's tons of stuff neither of us know the answer to. I'm just not fragile enough to need magic as an explanation, it will all get figured out someday. 

55 minutes ago, Mike31mt said:

For it is written:

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

and the learning of the learned I will set aside.”l

20

Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?m

21

* For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith

 

 

The smartest people on earth believe that the entire universe was created from nothing. 

I guess my stone age mind can't wrap my head around this.  One of you smart people please explain what created the big bang and how matter was created out of nothing. 

No they don't. You can't even get the premise correct in your questioning, because you lack the ability to understand the topic. I blame your belief in magic.

14 minutes ago, Mike31mt said:

Keep searching for them then

Will you be reborn after you die, Buddhist?

Astrophysics is an amazing subject that I like to follow, but I’ll let the searching to the scientists. 
 

I really do not fully understand the Buddhist concept of rebirth, especially after death, and don’t put much thought into it. My current focus is on the "here and now,” and the teachings and concepts of "not-self.

 

 

2 hours ago, Mike31mt said:

The smartest people on earth believe that the entire universe was created from nothing.

You sure love to not understand things.

Have you read anything regarding the creation of the Universe that was not regurgitated by an idiot?

9 minutes ago, Toastrel said:

You sure love to not understand things.

Have you read anything regarding the creation of the Universe that was not regurgitated by an idiot?

He didn’t get past the title of the Lawrence Krause book on this very subject. 

Until we understand gravitation, there is little chance of figuring out the beginning of the Universe.

That said, no need to accept the science of ancient goat herders as factual, either.

1 minute ago, Toastrel said:

Until we understand gravitation, there is little chance of figuring out the beginning of the Universe.

That said, no need to accept the science of ancient goat herders as factual, either.

Simple. It's magic. 

5 minutes ago, Boogyman said:

Simple. It's magic. 

magic is only science that small-minded people don't understand. 

 

 

god - circa the 6th day 

 

Sure you heard this before, if GOD started the Big Bang, who created GOD and so on and so on.

 

I tend to think of explaining the beginning of the universe much like how we attempt to understand quantum physics. Through observation and the scientific method we're able to drill down to what we perceive are the most basic forces and "particles" we can theorize (and sometimes observe). But, what is the composition of those forces and particles? We can keep asking the same question about everything until we don't understand it or can't theorize it. Which leads to me to the inevitable conclusion that the human mind/condition is completely incapable of conceptualizing anything we can't observe... which of course only makes sense. 

That's where my aethiestic tendencies end and I start to realize that there's just as much of a chance of the Bible being right as there is nothing at all. 

9 hours ago, Boogyman said:

No they don't. You can't even get the premise correct in your questioning, because you lack the ability to understand the topic. I blame your belief in magic.

So when did matter become created?  Explain the big bang, and what was before that 

You're so smart so if should be easy 

7 hours ago, Toastrel said:

You sure love to not understand things.

Have you read anything regarding the creation of the Universe that was not regurgitated by an idiot?

You can give it a try too, burnout.  I'd love to hear it

7 hours ago, Tnt4philly said:

He didn’t get past the title of the Lawrence Krause book on this very subject. 

And why should I believe him?  His theories aren't even consensus and he was a close pal of Jeffery Epstein.  Sounds like a winner according to reading about him for 2 minutes.

You must relate to his "smartest guy in the room" persona, I bet he reminds you of schooling all those Catholic teachers

1 hour ago, mayanh8 said:

I tend to think of explaining the beginning of the universe much like how we attempt to understand quantum physics. Through observation and the scientific method we're able to drill down to what we perceive are the most basic forces and "particles" we can theorize (and sometimes observe). But, what is the composition of those forces and particles? We can keep asking the same question about everything until we don't understand it or can't theorize it. Which leads to me to the inevitable conclusion that the human mind/condition is completely incapable of conceptualizing anything we can't observe... which of course only makes sense. 

That's where my aethiestic tendencies end and I start to realize that there's just as much of a chance of the Bible being right as there is nothing at all. 

While most minds can’t, I believe that there are human minds that can conceptualize things we can not observe. Of course we eventually "prove” those concepts through observation, but without those great minds we wouldn’t know what to look for.
 

I believe that if we don’t destroy ourselves first, we will eventually find the answers to those questions. And it we don’t, another civilization in another part of the universe, or even a neighboring universe, will. 

As an atheist, I don’t believe there is "nothing” but I also don’t believe that there is much of a chance the Bible is right about anything in regards to how we got here.