The Official God Thread - To Discuss God and Seek Answers

[Falconer02]

Right because someone who believes there is NO God is a free-thinker, but if you believe in one you must not be. Any site supporting atheism is a free-thinker site. Hypocrisy at its finest.

Quick to assume, eh? No, a free thinker has all rights to believe in any god they want as long as philosophies are not ensnared by the controlling religious belief system. It's pretty much the avoidance of questionable authority that are dictating certain views.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freethought

Obviously atheism and free-thinking have similarities, but they are not the same item.

[jcribb16]

Falconer, I gave you a link that you didn't approve of because it was a Christian site.  You gave me a link that would back your side.  I researched that link that backed you in some respects and me in the Christian life of Washington.  Yet all of a sudden that link isn't good either (your words: put it in the retard file) because it backed the fact that Washington WAS a Christian.  Can't handle the idea that some of your research, deep down delving in it, may disagree with your non-christian belief of Washington?  Like I said earlier, just accept the facts as they are, and move on.

Woah there- maybe the words got jumbled up. When I said retard I wrote the retard thread referring to this thread. I never said anything about the link being retarded. And it's true; he might have been christian, but there is only small aspects here and there referring to it. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Was_George_Washington_a_Christian   He may have been, but without a doubt he was not a hardcore devout christian-- which was my point in this argument. That's all. It's just my opinion that he was a deist considering some of his later writings and what his close gov't pals thought.

I've read all your postings and they were wonderful.  Must be the teacher in you.  All the sites I get from qon also is from the "atheistic experience", to prove her points.  What about good old fashioned books?  History or otherwise.  I, for one, am not a big fan of YouTube for my proof of Truth.  Anybody can say anything and make a video.

Many of the links she posts are free-thinker sites. And if a utube vid makes one think or generates a good question, I see no real problem.

Thanks, Falconer, for clarifying the "retard" thread part.  It makes perfect sense now.  And I would like to say thank you for at least acknowledging that he was or in your opinion, may have been a Christian.  The main point is, whether he was devout or lukewarm, etc. at least we know he was by accounts given.

[SurveyMack10]

Right because someone who believes there is NO God is a free-thinker, but if you believe in one you must not be. Any site supporting atheism is a free-thinker site. Hypocrisy at its finest.

Quick to assume, eh? No, a free thinker has all rights to believe in any god they want as long as philosophies are not ensnared by the controlling religious belief system. It's pretty much the avoidance of questionable authority that are dictating certain views.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freethought

Obviously atheism and free-thinking have similarities, but they are not the same item.

So any religion you think might be valid?

[Annella]

Falconer, I gave you a link that you didn't approve of because it was a Christian site.  You gave me a link that would back your side.  I researched that link that backed you in some respects and me in the Christian life of Washington.  Yet all of a sudden that link isn't good either (your words: put it in the retard file) because it backed the fact that Washington WAS a Christian.  Can't handle the idea that some of your research, deep down delving in it, may disagree with your non-christian belief of Washington?  Like I said earlier, just accept the facts as they are, and move on.

Woah there- maybe the words got jumbled up. When I said retard I wrote the retard thread referring to this thread. I never said anything about the link being retarded. And it's true; he might have been christian, but there is only small aspects here and there referring to it. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Was_George_Washington_a_Christian   He may have been, but without a doubt he was not a hardcore devout christian-- which was my point in this argument. That's all. It's just my opinion that he was a deist considering some of his later writings and what his close gov't pals thought.

I've read all your postings and they were wonderful.  Must be the teacher in you.  All the sites I get from qon also is from the "atheistic experience", to prove her points.  What about good old fashioned books?  History or otherwise.  I, for one, am not a big fan of YouTube for my proof of Truth.  Anybody can say anything and make a video.

Many of the links she posts are free-thinker sites. And if a utube vid makes one think or generates a good question, I see no real problem.

Thanks, Falconer, for clarifying the "retard" thread part.  It makes perfect sense now.  And I would like to say thank you for at least acknowledging that he was or in your opinion, may have been a Christian.  The main point is, whether he was devout or lukewarm, etc. at least we know he was by accounts given.

Jcribb, we all are going to be asked just how much Christian were we one day aren't we.  I attain to be as much Christian as possible so there is no mistake.  I don't want to be luke warm.....ever!

[Falconer02]

So any religion you think might be valid?

Yessir! Call it convenient, but agnostics hold that you cannot know if there is a deity or deities out there. Therefore any concept of one is a possibility. But also understand this does not eliminate an invisible purple dragon god who likes marshmellows either. There's an infinite amount of possibilities and christianity is just one of them. It's pretty much embracing a mystery. The reason I argue so much on here is because people push and assert that they know who this deity is without irrefutable proof. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.

Thanks, Falconer, for clarifying the "retard" thread part.  It makes perfect sense now.  And I would like to say thank you for at least acknowledging that he was or in your opinion, may have been a Christian.

No prob!

There apparently is only a problem when a person who believes in God posts a link to anything that supports their belief and expects it to be taken seriously

However, you have slammed our sites that we refer to.  Isn't that kind of a double standard?

When you can convince minds that every god out there is wrong and made up and that your single deity is right and show viable proof of its existence, then chins will be rubbed. Is it a double standard with the videos? Perhaps...call it an opinion, but all the "atheist" videos I see just crumble the foundation of magical thinking.

[Annella]

So any religion you think might be valid?

Yessir! Call it convenient, but agnostics hold that you cannot know if there is a deity or deities out there. Therefore any concept of one is a possibility. But also understand this does not eliminate an invisible purple dragon god who likes marshmellows either. There's an infinite amount of possibilities and christianity is just one of them. It's pretty much embracing a mystery. The reason I argue so much on here is because people push and assert that they know who this deity is without irrefutable proof. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.

Thanks, Falconer, for clarifying the "retard" thread part.  It makes perfect sense now.  And I would like to say thank you for at least acknowledging that he was or in your opinion, may have been a Christian.

No prob!

There apparently is only a problem when a person who believes in God posts a link to anything that supports their belief and expects it to be taken seriously

However, you have slammed our sites that we refer to.  Isn't that kind of a double standard?

When you can convince minds that every god out there is wrong and made up and that your single deity is right and show viable proof of its existence, then chins will be rubbed. Is it a double standard with the videos? Perhaps...call it an opinion, but all the "atheist" videos I see just crumble the foundation of magical thinking.

Magical thinking?  Oh I see.....so no matter what we bring to the table will not convince you, but what atheists bring to the table does?  Then why call yourself an Agnostic, when your view clearly favors the atheistic side.  Unless you think your keeping all your options open.......just in case?   LOL

When you asked me about a couple Bible scriptures yesterday, were you serious, or just trying to "catch" me in something that I believe?  Do you believe the Bible, or is it just a tool to wield for your pleasure of attacking Christians?  Or is Christianity something that you think "might" be the Truth, but your not willing to actually make any commitment on it per adventure you may "offend" another so called god?  Don't take this as sarcasm, I'm actually wondering just where you stand.  BTW, you said you would get back to me on my response.

As far as proof, I gave anybody a chance to "prove" my words, but nobody took me up on it.  I think some of you want to be deluded to the point of never admitting your wrong, even though you may even have secretly come to the conclusion you are.  Since I can't see the seat of your emotions or thought.....it's just a guess.

[SurveyMack10]

So any religion you think might be valid?

Yessir! Call it convenient, but agnostics hold that you cannot know if there is a deity or deities out there. Therefore any concept of one is a possibility. But also understand this does not eliminate an invisible purple dragon god who likes marshmellows either. There's an infinite amount of possibilities and christianity is just one of them. It's pretty much embracing a mystery. The reason I argue so much on here is because people push and assert that they know who this deity is without irrefutable proof. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.

Thanks, Falconer, for clarifying the "retard" thread part.  It makes perfect sense now.  And I would like to say thank you for at least acknowledging that he was or in your opinion, may have been a Christian.

No prob!

There apparently is only a problem when a person who believes in God posts a link to anything that supports their belief and expects it to be taken seriously

However, you have slammed our sites that we refer to.  Isn't that kind of a double standard?

When you can convince minds that every god out there is wrong and made up and that your single deity is right and show viable proof of its existence, then chins will be rubbed. Is it a double standard with the videos? Perhaps...call it an opinion, but all the "atheist" videos I see just crumble the foundation of magical thinking.

So only agnostics are open-minded? Everyone else is close-minded and not a free-thinker? haha

[Falconer02]

Magical thinking?  Oh I see.....so no matter what we bring to the table will not convince you, but what atheists bring to the table does?  Then why call yourself an Agnostic, when your view clearly favors the atheistic side.  Unless you think your keeping all your options open.......just in case?   LOL

Hahaha! Well the reason I believe it's a good spot to be in is because my views favor reality; no fantasy and dogma is really required. I can live my life without thinking I'm going to burn in some mythical place or that I should only be nice because some god is watching. Keeping my options open? If we're talking infinite possibilities, you betcha!   You get to see everyones beliefs on a broader spectrum. Sherna and I have been in a conversation/argument before about faith-based beliefs and speculation. I nod at the concept of your beliefs, but I honestly don't believe in them because even though they've survived a long time (as others have) and they have fine individuals stemming from them, they still dabble in the realm of fantasy far too much among other things. Edit: Oh and just for reference there are many different types of agnostic terms.

When you asked me about a couple Bible scriptures yesterday, were you serious, or just trying to "catch" me in something that I believe?  Do you believe the Bible, or is it just a tool to wield for your pleasure of attacking Christians?  Or is Christianity something that you think "might" be the Truth, but your not willing to actually make any commitment on it per adventure you may "offend" another so called god?  Don't take this as sarcasm, I'm actually wondering just where you stand.  BTW, you said you would get back to me on my response.

To answer your questions in order- Serious? Admittedly I stole those from another forum as I was reading pages of threads similar to these. I thought the user brought up some good points with them so I wanted to hear your take since you seem to be such a leader of scriptural context. That's all-- thank you for your descriptive answer. Do I believe the bible? That would fall within your definition of belief. Believe the laws and morals? Some. Believe the historical significance? Sure! Believe in the fairy tales? No. Believe in Yahweh? No. And no, I'm not worried about offending any concept of a god. Considering my post history in D+D and that Poseidon hasn't drowned me yet, I think that much is certain.

I think some of you want to be deluded to the point of never admitting your wrong, even though you may even have secretly come to the conclusion you are.  Since I can't see the seat of your emotions or thought.....it's just a guess.

It is a fantastic feeling to know that you may be wrong about your beliefs when it comes to better understanding our world and the universe-- knowing that you could be on to more information that could benefit mankind in ways never conceived before with the new evidence given. That's why many hold science with such high regard and that's one reason why I don't align with a popular religion. Does this make sense? I'll answer anything to the best of my ability if you have further questions or if I left anything out.

[Falconer02]

So only agnostics are open-minded? Everyone else is close-minded and not a free-thinker? haha

It's only closed when you assert or physically force beliefs onto individuals with nothing to realistically back it up (reason, logic) and say it's the only way of thinking. Anyone can be a free-thinker. I'm sure we can agree fanatics and extremists definitely aren't.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freethought
Edit: And yes, I acknowledge imagination as being direly important in some cases.

[Annella]

Magical thinking?  Oh I see.....so no matter what we bring to the table will not convince you, but what atheists bring to the table does?  Then why call yourself an Agnostic, when your view clearly favors the atheistic side.  Unless you think your keeping all your options open.......just in case?   LOL

Hahaha! Well the reason I believe it's a good spot to be in is because my views favor reality; no fantasy and dogma is really required. I can live my life without thinking I'm going to burn in some mythical place or that I should only be nice because some god is watching. Keeping my options open? If we're talking infinite possibilities, you betcha!   You get to see everyones beliefs on a broader spectrum. Sherna and I have been in a conversation/argument before about faith-based beliefs and speculation. I nod at the concept of your beliefs, but I honestly don't believe in them because even though they've survived a long time (as others have) and they have fine individuals stemming from them, they still dabble in the realm of fantasy far too much among other things. Edit: Oh and just for reference there are many different types of agnostic terms.

When you asked me about a couple Bible scriptures yesterday, were you serious, or just trying to "catch" me in something that I believe?  Do you believe the Bible, or is it just a tool to wield for your pleasure of attacking Christians?  Or is Christianity something that you think "might" be the Truth, but your not willing to actually make any commitment on it per adventure you may "offend" another so called god?  Don't take this as sarcasm, I'm actually wondering just where you stand.  BTW, you said you would get back to me on my response.

To answer your questions in order- Serious? Admittedly I stole those from another forum as I was reading pages of threads similar to these. I thought the user brought up some good points with them so I wanted to hear your take since you seem to be such a leader of scriptural context. That's all-- thank you for your descriptive answer. Do I believe the bible? That would fall within your definition of belief. Believe the laws and morals? Some. Believe the historical significance? Sure! Believe in the fairy tales? No. Believe in Yahweh? No. And no, I'm not worried about offending any concept of a god. Considering my post history in D+D and that Poseidon hasn't drowned me yet, I think that much is certain.

I think some of you want to be deluded to the point of never admitting your wrong, even though you may even have secretly come to the conclusion you are.  Since I can't see the seat of your emotions or thought.....it's just a guess.

It is a fantastic feeling to know that you may be wrong about your beliefs when it comes to better understanding our world and the universe-- knowing that you could be on to more information that could benefit mankind in ways never conceived before with the new evidence given. That's why many hold science with such high regard and that's one reason why I don't align with a popular religion. Does this make sense? I'll answer anything to the best of my ability if you have further questions or if I left anything out.

Thank you for your honesty.  Your not quite the enigma.  Just wondered what you believed, as you never seemed to light on one thing.  

Ha Ha....you stole those scriptures from another forum to ask me....funny!

Poseidon...now that's magical thinking!  

Your under the impression that I don't read or study Science or partake of the wonderful inventions or strides in medicine, etc., that Science has contributed to our quality of life.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  All that is revealed though points to a Creator (scientifically).  Sherene brought this out better than anyone could.  

Science that tries to define the universe without a Creator, in many ways comes up short....and still is.  If you want to target magical thinking, some of the theories some so called Scientists come up with can be linked in that category.

[SurveyMack10]

So only agnostics are open-minded? Everyone else is close-minded and not a free-thinker? haha

It's only closed when you assert or physically force beliefs onto individuals with nothing to realistically back it up (reason, logic) and say it's the only way of thinking. Anyone can be a free-thinker. I'm sure we can agree fanatics and extremists definitely aren't.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freethought
Edit: And yes, I acknowledge imagination as being direly important in some cases.

I have NEVER forced my beliefs on someone. On this forum for the most part people of other beliefs are the ones who bring it up and try to degrade my choice of religion. I understand and acknowledge other religions and never claimed not to, doesn't mean I can't be a Christian through and through.

[Annella]

So only agnostics are open-minded? Everyone else is close-minded and not a free-thinker? haha

It's only closed when you assert or physically force beliefs onto individuals with nothing to realistically back it up (reason, logic) and say it's the only way of thinking. Anyone can be a free-thinker. I'm sure we can agree fanatics and extremists definitely aren't.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freethought
Edit: And yes, I acknowledge imagination as being direly important in some cases.

I have NEVER forced my beliefs on someone. On this forum for the most part people of other beliefs are the ones who bring it up and try to degrade my choice of religion. I understand and acknowledge other religions and never claimed not to, doesn't mean I can't be a Christian through and through.

Mackenzie, no one that I know of on this forum (including you) has forced their religion or beliefs on anyone.  That's another "catch phrase" to put you on the defensive.  We are who we are, and content in that knowledge.  

[SurveyMack10]

So only agnostics are open-minded? Everyone else is close-minded and not a free-thinker? haha

It's only closed when you assert or physically force beliefs onto individuals with nothing to realistically back it up (reason, logic) and say it's the only way of thinking. Anyone can be a free-thinker. I'm sure we can agree fanatics and extremists definitely aren't.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freethought
Edit: And yes, I acknowledge imagination as being direly important in some cases.

I have NEVER forced my beliefs on someone. On this forum for the most part people of other beliefs are the ones who bring it up and try to degrade my choice of religion. I understand and acknowledge other religions and never claimed not to, doesn't mean I can't be a Christian through and through.

Mackenzie, no one that I know of on this forum (including you) has forced their religion or beliefs on anyone.  That's another "catch phrase" to put you on the defensive.  We are who we are, and content in that knowledge.  

I agree! I don't even know how someone could feel that way, I've repeatedly just defended my God and my right to believe in him.

[AmyTrivitt]

So only agnostics are open-minded? Everyone else is close-minded and not a free-thinker? haha

It's only closed when you assert or physically force beliefs onto individuals with nothing to realistically back it up (reason, logic) and say it's the only way of thinking. Anyone can be a free-thinker. I'm sure we can agree fanatics and extremists definitely aren't.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freethought
Edit: And yes, I acknowledge imagination as being direly important in some cases.

I have NEVER forced my beliefs on someone. On this forum for the most part people of other beliefs are the ones who bring it up and try to degrade my choice of religion. I understand and acknowledge other religions and never claimed not to, doesn't mean I can't be a Christian through and through.

NO Marie brings up all of these ignorant topic threads. Nobody degrades your religion again Marie does a good enough job herself in this area. And no one said you cannot be a christian. Be what you want to be, but don't go around pointing the finger when you cleary know who starts this crap.

[jcribb16]

Amy, I hope you have read through the entire thread, because even though Marie started the thread, there has been a great and strong debate going on and your reply doesn't fit into what was being said.  And no one as of late in this thread has been blaming Marie for anything, just enjoying a good debate.