As Richard Dawkins would say religion is never a debate. It doesn't bring anything to the table. It cannot be proven nor disproven just like Sasquatch or lephricons. Politics on the other hand would be considered a debate because there's actual hard fact to base decisions on. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If you want to compare me with a psychotic con man who's mother was a prostitute and who's spent more time behind bars than experiencing freedom then, you're a poor judge of character. I'm guessing that you've never watched any of his interviews. Comparing me to that crazy man is typical behavior of non-believers. Be as dismissive as possible because you've never experienced the Joy of the Almighty God in your heart. And chances are, you never will, with that attitude. As a believer, I'm outnumbered here on these forums, and out in the real world. Nothing I write will convince you that Almighty God exists, hence, the debate stops here. Just remember this, during the reign of ancient Rome, men and women willingly went to their deaths (thrown to the lions...etc.) because they had the courage to stand up to your kind. Their deaths were not in vain. And one more thing, your "logic" will do you no good, when the supernatural world comes calling.
Calm down buddy. I see you've embraced the persecution complex so beloved of the Abrahamic religions. I hate to burst your bubble, but along with the fact that the 'christians to the lions' thing is as much an exaggerated fiction as the 'martyrdom of the disciples', at no point did I compare you or your character, of which I know nothing and care less, to him. I compared your faith to his, since you have no better justification for yours than he does his. You offer no better evidence, you refuse to subject your belief to the scrutiny of open debate, why should your beliefs have a special privilege that his shouldn't? Again, why should I not respect Manson's beliefs based on nothing but his testimony and insistence, yet accept yours for which you offer nothing more than the same? You guess wrong. I am very familiar with Manson's beliefs, but little of yours for which you demand special exemption. Why should your faith be automatically protected but not those you find distasteful?
Trying to explain the experience of being Born Again of the Spirit is tantamount to trying to explain what colors are to someone who's been blind since birth. Yes, you can say that "red equals hot" and "cold equals blue" but, the main gist of what colors are and what they look like is sorely lacking. I've been down this road before on Youtube, it's tedious and unfruitful. Do you wish to have a debate ? Then seek out a man of the cloth...a Pastor. I would willingly take a bullet to my head for my beliefs. Would you denounce atheism to save yourself from being murdered ? And...your tone is very dismissive...typical.
The experience cannot be explained, yet you're willing to judge the merit of other people's beliefs? Already you're trying to twist the story from "my beliefs are not up for debate" to "these things can't be explained". Still you don't answer - why should your personal beliefs have special exemption? Why are you so afraid to examine them? Are you so scared of getting your feelings hurt? Getting them hurt, learning from it and moving on - that's called growing up pal. The best people throughout history are the ones with the personal courage to lay their most cherished ideas and beliefs open to challenge and sometimes to be painfully shattered, becoming all the wiser for it, and having the guts to do it again for all their lives. Not the ones who hide behind special privileges and excuses, demanding respect for their beliefs without ever justifying or earning it.
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
You are a fascist. Stand up to our kind? And you say it was worth it? Are you kidding me? Christians have oppressed atheists and all other religions the entire history.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.<sup> </sup>Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
I think it's a tad naive to take a book written almost 2000 years ago as the actual word of god If you spend just a bit of time studying history you'll realize the immense improbability of the Christian God being the One True God, and you'll instead be faced with a tool of power and control that has been manipulating people for far too long Edited for PC
Next May 22, I will be a Born Again of the Spirit follower of Our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ for 29 years. Nothing you write will change that or encourage me to abandon my faith. On my end...the debate is closed. 29 years and still going strong !! Amen and amen. If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
LOL! Exactly my point... Why is it that people of faith are unable to justify their beliefs without regurgitating biblical scripture? No one's trying to encourage you to abandon your faith. It's your right to believe in things for which there is no proof. You ever read a history book written about Jesus Christ? You know, one written by a contemporary historian? I know you haven't, because there are none. Ever ask yourself WHY there are no history books written about Jesus Christ?
"When someone has stopped caring about evidence, what evidence can you show them that they're wrong?" - Sam Harris "You can't reason someone out of a position they didn't use reason to get to in the first place." - Carl Sagan 29 years without the courage to make an honest assessment of your own convictions? I wouldn't call that 'strong'. Just remember, the technology you're using to feed your persecution complex was developed thanks to a long history of people who refused to accept that some things just can't be questioned.
The whole concept of religion and worshiping is flawed, why would you even worship the christian god? If he were to exist (he doesn't), he would be a fucking asshole, burning people in hell because they don't believe in him, you are literally worshiping an imaginary dictator. I understand that some people need the concept of god in order to not be scared of death, but it seems better to me to just accept that you don't have a purpose, you are here because your dad fucked your mom, and you will cease to exist the day you die.
What I find humorous about religious debates is that there are many different religions and they are NOT all the same. For you to want to debate this and then you refer to the bible in 2 & 3 makes me wonder if your problem with the existence of God is more a problem with what you do or don't know about Christianity. Most atheist and agnostics that I have met know little about other religions other than Christianity. I believe in God and my evidence is the existence of women. They (women) are not a random occurrence. God put women here on purpose. Peace!
Definitely, and with good reason. Firstly the term Christianity is a catch-all phrase covering thousands of cults with contradictory and mutually exclusive claims and those thousands constantly swell with every nut job who goes off on another tangent. This is why the term christian is so popular with politicians and apologetics alike - it can literally mean anything they want it to mean, which makes it effectively meaningless but very useful. There's nothing like claiming "You don't truly understand Christianity" to weasel an apologetic out of a tight spot and dodge answering a difficult question. JFK was one of the pioneers of this. He knew there was no way that protestant America would elect a catholic president - many American churches believe the pope is the Antichrist - but a 'christian' president? Sure! We're all Christians, we'll vote for a christian. Before him, Americans identified with the specific cult they belonged to, not the vague term christian. Secondly, religion in general is an irrational, mutually contradictory collection of nonsense with no relationship to reality. It lacks evidence, logic, consistency, or even plausibility. It's a patently human invention that shifts and changes at the convenience of its adherents. What's to understand? You can't try to understand something that has no substance to understand in the first place. The only way to do that would be to buy in to the nonsense first to establish a base to understand and once you're on that presuppositional fallacy merry go round, any result will be worthless.