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falcon9

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Re: Faith
« Reply #45 on: October 06, 2011, 11:48:42 pm »
I am not dodging anything.


Given that you stated "I know that 'knowing' ...", isn't is true that the assumption that "knowing" this would cause loss of "salvation" is itself a matter of 'faith/belief'?  This is the question which you dodged up to this point, (and denied dodging).


Knowing is certainty, faith is trust.


Too simplistic; your abbreviated assertion generalizes into inaccuracy. "Knowing" is only as certain as the available information can make it.  "Faith" is trusting despite a glaring lack of evidence, (and indeed, apparently _requires_ a total lack of evidence).


Doing something because you know the outcome is not equal to the character involved when doing the same based on trust of the outcome.


Making such a 'leap of faith' is an irrational decision primarily because it lacks a rational basis.  You've unsuccessfully contended this assertion, (by evasion, dissembling and attempting to 'insult' me using unsupported opinion; something which indicates a lack of character).  Succinctly; either "faith" has a rational basis or, it does not.  If you are conversely maintaining that it does, demonstrate such a basis rationally.  If it does not, (as I contend and have demonstrated using logic - despite your illogical denials), then any 'faith-based' decisions have an irrational basis.


I did not say that faith is a test.


No?  Then who wrote "The testing of faith is something that sometimes occurs to religious people ... " if not you?
[/quote]


Of course I wrote that, but that is not what you accused me of writing.  Testing faith does not imply in any way that faith is a test and you have committed a form of inductive conversion fallacy.


There was no inductive conversion involved; I quoted your words, (without translating English into English).  Are you actually implying that "testing faith" is not a test of faith?  Wow, such convoluted squirming is going to give you cramps, dude.


Not sure what the deal is then since I assure you that you are slipping from the level I originally judged you as being capable of debating at.


More lame ad hom from you; is your position so weak that you keep trying such faint feints? (rhetorical pun intended)

Since you are the one with a problem with faith I cannot understand why you are using it as an argument.  You have said that faith is irrational  ...



Obviously not, since you proceed to misunderstand the point that your contention, (an answer would be impossible for us to understand and thus, implicitly requires 'faith' to buy that concept), it makes sense that you are claiming not to understand the argument.  To clarify my position then; an argument which requires 'faith' is not rational and I reject it as irrational.


You are the one suggesting that faith supplies the answer.


Now you're arguing with yourself, instead with my dissent.  The acceptance of the concept of 'unknowable answers' implicitly requires the religious 'faith' you profess.  I never suggested that 'faith' _itself_ supplied any answers, (because it doesn't; requiring "trust" instead).


... so you are effectively, according to your standards, making an irrational argument.


Not at all; I'm using the circular basis of your implicit premise above to support my contention that 'faith' is an irrational foundation to argue that it is actually a requirement of "salvation" NOT to know, (but to instead, "have faith"). [/quote]


You are mixing arguments.

No, the argument was extrapolated to include "salvation" because 'faith' is an asserted requirement of "salvation" according to soteriology.  The arguments have not been mixed because they are interrelated.


I agree in the sense that if you were indeed aware of all (I am careful to actually agree with you on anything anymore (even in part) since you resorted to contextonomy to deliberately misrepresent me in a debate we were having in another thread.


More accurately, you accused me of resorting to "contextonomy" after I effective demonstrated that you resorted to it previously.  Oddly, you didn't support your contention and merely left the empty claim swinging in the wind.


Again with your imagination and use of your accusations alone as supporting evidence.


Not my accusations nor imagination alone, (that's your tactic); I quoted your empty claims, (those which lacked support), and pointed out where you 'convienently' snipped portions of context out of our debate, (which qualify as contextonomy on your part when used to obscure context).

 
Again you were the one who accused me so many times of the act and it is something I would never do as it is a weak trait and its deliberate usage admits defeat and inferiority.


Then your 'faith' isn't the only thing that's blind.  Merely denying what you've done doesn't erase the evidence upthread that you deleted context deliberately, (contextonomy).  Although I do agree that its usage tends to indicate a weak argument and therefore, I conclude that your usage of it indicates your weak argument, (thanks but, I'd already seen that your unsupported argument was weak and expected your diversionary tactics in lieu of a strong rebuttal).



My argument was regarding the divine spark of life given to mankind.


Now you're explicitly making the claim that a "divine spark of life" was "given to mankind".  I don't suppose you're going to bother substantiating a "divine" attribution, are you?
[/quote]


I am making no claims.


Okay, you're not going to substantiate your speculation stated as an asserted claim regarding a so-called "divine spark" then?
 

What if this divine spark is in essence a part of Him and as such would fall outside of certain predictability other than could be applied to Himself.  This is just speculation, an argument just to be made to demonstrate an alternative and nothing more.  I don't feel comfortable speculating too much on God's design withing giving it more serious thought.


No, it went beyond speculation when you derived further assumptions from that unsupported a priori assumption.  Presumably, your a priori assumptive claim is intended to be supported by 'faith' alone?  And that brings us back around to 'faith' being an irrational basis, (given that it has no rational basis nor a requirement to provide one). [/quote]
 
It is pure speculation and guesswork and any logical deduction would be entirely coincidental since it is absolutely unknown and abstract.


So, these a priori speculations inherently preclude logic/rationality, (according to your statement above that "It is pure speculation and guesswork and any logical deduction would be entirely coincidental since it is absolutely unknown and abstract").  Which means that any 'faith' in such speculations would be illogical/irrational.  Thanks for assisting in supporting my contention, I appreciate that.


Faith doesn't consider reasoning's, so rational or irrational have no meaning in the context.


Your conclusion does not follow your assertion.  It is immaterial whether or not "faith" considers logical reasoning when this determination is inconclusively contended _using_ logic and reasoning.  That is, logical reasoning is used to determine that "faith" isn't logical or rational and it doesn't matter to that process whether "faith" considers reasoning to be a valid judge of what's irrational or irrational.  It is dissembling to remove reasoning from the reasoning process.  If, instead you wish to base "faith" on non-reasoning, then you tacitly support my contention.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2011, 12:46:33 am by falcon9 »
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falcon9

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Re: Faith
« Reply #46 on: October 07, 2011, 12:41:45 am »
Once again you failed in reading what I posted as you did in the instance being discussed above.  I actually hinted at the causality associations with entanglement theory and indicated that I avoided incorporating that into my argument.


Oh?  I wasn't the one who used "entanglement" when they 'meant' Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, (that was you, by admission).  Any  causality 'hints' would then have referred more to HUP than to entanglement theories.  If you don't wish your mis-statements to be misinterpreted, be more specific.
[/quote]


Now you are just being a *bleep* (well more so than in general)


Now you're playing the schoolyard ad hominem card to cover your vagueness?  Wow, an impressive argument.  ::) [/quote]


Name calling is not ad hominem, especially when it is true.


Au contraire; ad hominem includes name calling since it also consists of attacking an opponent's character rather than answering his argument, (which your characterization qualifies as).  Further, a biased opinion does not support the contention that such an opinion "is true", (since the support for such an empty opinion was given as an assumption of what you and others allegedly "know").  The opinion is biased because you have a vested interest in skirting issues raised within this debate in lieu of rational rebuttal, resorting instead to attacking your opponent's character.  Whether or not some irrelevant subjective perception is true or false remains immaterial to the contextual points of the debate.  That means being a "*bleep*", (or lacking one, in your figurative case - see, I can do it with panache too), has no bearing on the debate itself.  Your denial of using an obvious ad hominem is merely entered into quoted evidence of your dissembling.



(I have met many self delusional people in many different areas, myself included).

I will give you a recent posting of yours in a thread titled "Praying For Yourself":

"Prayer" is a self-delusional appeal to dubious 'authority'.


Indeed, that does constitute an example of self-delusion in which you included yourself, (as quoted above and within the context of the other thread).  It is not however, conclusive evidence that some unsupported 'libelous' opinion is accurate.  Given that this forum isn't a 'court' and that the subject of empty insults is largely immaterial to the context of the debate, (except as evidence of ad hominems you've denied using), I see no valid reason to keep addressing such smoke & mirrors on your part.


Considering that the thread was written by people who believe in prayer and wanted to ask serious questions regarding what is appropriate, how do you see your answer qualifying as anything other than being a *bleep*?  *bleep*.  (lol couldn't resist that last bit, but I know that doesn't really bother you to be called that).


That thread appeared in D+D, (Debate+Discuss), not in 'religious support groups'.  My response dissented on the basis of the inherent presumptions made regarding "prayer" and appropriately appeared in the D+D forum.  Again, whether or not an empty, biased opinion irrationally characterizes such dissent as "being a *bleep*" is immaterial to the dissension.  No rebuttal of the contention was presented and instead, the same ad hominem was weakly employed.  As an aside, if you are going to employ that weekly, (as well as weakly), expect derision.


No that wasn't meant to wound you at all but to bolster you up and get you back on your A game.


No such bolstering was required since the reasoning used to counter your evasions and empty claims hasn't faltered.


If I approached you purely with that intention though my answers would be extremely short as you are most assured and most dangerous when given a lot to work with and I do give a lot to work with (maybe that is what bothers you, that I don't have as many chinks as you are used to and your typical approaches just don't quite fit with me).


You'll have to translate that gibberish back into English before an appropriate response can be made.  Until such time, however I can point out that your flimsy position is not only full of chinks, it may consist entirely of chinks.




I have not made any attempts to argue that we do not exist and in fact have stipulated that we do.  My argument is that by the limits of our reason when taken to an origin we cannot conclude other than our existence should be an impossibility.  Link to the post please as navigating blindly isn't very interesting to me.


I'm astounded to have come across two different people who cannot recall their own words and 'insist', (however 'politely'), that I look up their words for them.  To paraphrase your assertion then; you stipulated that, according to current knowledge and reasoning, we logically shouldn't exist, (despite the apparent manifestation of our existance).  I dissented and referred to emergent phenomenon theory as an alternate explanation for our existance. [/quote]


My saying that comprehension of reasoning denotes that we shouldn't exist is not the same as me saying that we don't exist.


Read it again; I didn't assert that you stated "we don't exist", I asserted that you implicitly stipulated that we 'shouldn't exist', (according to some unreferenced source or, 'reasoning').  You're making a strawman argument here, dude.  Either we're going with the a priori assumption that we do exist, (despite unspecified 'reasoning' stipulating that we shouldn't), or one of us is going to have to take the position that we don't exist.  I defer doing so.


 
Of course I believe God created the universe.


And is such a 'belief' based upon "faith" or, some evidence to support that 'belief'?  Which is it, without evasion?


What I mean is even with my faith in knowing that God created the universe it still isn't understandable to the human brain.


What is understandable to my human brain is that, either such an asserted 'belief' is based upon "faith" or, some evidence which hasn't been presented.  Especially given the further assertion you made that this is something you 'know'.  As you stated previously, "knowing" involves some certainty, (usually extrapolated from evidence), and "faith" demands "trust", (sans evidence), to paraphrase.  Therefore, your phrase "my faith in knowing" becomes self-contradictory, (which falsifies itself).



A simplistic analogy is always superior where it is sufficient.  It is the fool that seeks the complex when the simple works.


It is even more foolish to try to reduce a manifestly complex concept down to inaccurately simplistic terms, (which would make such an analogy insufficient once it has been demonstrated to be inaccurate - which it was).  Your debating is not benefiting from your migraine, man. [/quote]


A complex problem can be demonstrated by parallelism of another similar and familiar example, which is what I did.


The parallel was inaccurate and therefore failed to demonstrate the complex problem, (indeed, such a parallel as you used would be more likely to propogate an erroneous tangential conclusion - which may have been the intention, were I to speculate).


If someone demonstrated it to be inaccurate they failed to show it to me.  I don't know I had a few rather good points in there.


Your quantum entanglement analogy is inconclusive as a parallel because it contains unspecified a priori assumptions, (regarding causality and other inherent aspects of the theory).  If someone commented that this debate was like golf, only completely different, that would also be an inconclusive parallel.


You have probably noticed that I have adjusted on you a bit, exposing a flank here, redeploying there, etc, and am giving you full knowledge of that.


I've observed 'wargaming' before and do not require advance notice of your manuevers and feints however, you've managed nothing novel thusfar and haven't acheived any tactical advantage, (much less any strategic ones), so far.  Smoke and mirrors aside, naturally.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2011, 01:05:29 am by falcon9 »
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Falconer02

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Re: Faith
« Reply #47 on: October 07, 2011, 09:55:38 am »

freepcmoney

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Re: Faith
« Reply #48 on: October 08, 2011, 09:54:44 pm »
Wow, I can feel the LOVE, here on this topic. :heart:

falcon9

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Re: Faith
« Reply #49 on: October 08, 2011, 11:24:04 pm »
Wow, I can feel the LOVE, here on this topic. :heart: 


You do?  That must take a great deal of ... 'faith'.   :angel12:
One can lead a horse to water however, if one holds the horse's head under, that horse will drown.

             

sherryinutah

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Re: Faith
« Reply #50 on: October 09, 2011, 07:42:30 am »
I believe everyone is entitled to their own personal choices for their own reasons.  For some...Religion...is a vehicle that takes them to
a spiritual place.  Others are already in a spiritual place so they have no reason for the vehicle.  Then there are those who have no desire,
whatsoever, for spirituality.  Many religious organizations can be like 'clubs' where people with a common interest experience social interaction
with one another.  Personally...I have faith that God exists and loves everyone...even if I don't participate in organized religion.

 :heart:
Later...
Sherry



Have a great day!

Cuppycake

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Re: Faith
« Reply #51 on: October 09, 2011, 08:03:26 am »
Quote
No, my speculation is that primative cultures in the past inaccurately attributed phenomenon which they did not understand to "gods" and "magic", (since they had no other explanation and apparently needed one).  Further extrapolation speculates that these early 'god forms', (lightening gods/thunder gods, moon gods/goddesses, rain gods/goddesses, fertility goddesses, vulcanic gods, agricultural gods/goddesses and the like), evolved other attributes to attempt to account for other unexplained phenomenon.  These pantheons became somewhat complex for the early folks, (especially the Aegyptian pantheon), and some of them wanted to simplify things by consolidating the 'gods/goddesses' into one 'god'.

I cannot concur that any 'god form' is necessary to survival since each previous attribution of deital aspects has since been more accurately attributed to its actual cause, (except for the more metaphysical and least provable attributes).

Well considering people get over emotional about it, I'm one to think it extends a bit further than just the "god of the gaps" examples you've given. People also attribute love, hatred, jealousy, etc. along with occurrences in nature that were unexplainable. It gets to the point where whenever you approach certain individuals and open a discussion about their deity, they put their shield up and get extremely defensive about it to the point of defending absurdities. I totally agree with what you've stated, but to me it's obvious that there's some emotional attachment/investment in there that stems further than just the good ol' "God did it! lol!" ideas.
Most likely because they are too weak to cope with the idea of a "god" not existing.  It would make life not worth living to have the long time belief system proved to false. People cling to life. If "god" is their "life" then then their life in fact is attached to the "presence" of this imaginary being that "loves and cares for them" and to lose that terrifies them.

falcon9

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Re: Faith
« Reply #52 on: October 09, 2011, 03:10:32 pm »
Most likely because they are too weak to cope with the idea of a "god" not existing.  It would make life not worth living to have the long time belief system proved to false. People cling to life. If "god" is their "life" then then their life in fact is attached to the "presence" of this imaginary being that "loves and cares for them" and to lose that terrifies them.


While I concur with the estimation that many, (if not most), of the people with strident religious 'beliefs' have such a vested interest in those beliefs, their lives would not literally end were those belief systems rendered false.  Although theu do tend to cling to them, despite the inherent irrationality of such beliefs, a case can be made for the holders being more concerned with being "wrong" and having to exercise critical thinking, (rather than default to 'unprovable beliefs').  In turn, that would mean they'd need to take personal responsibility for their decisions and lives instead of abdicating those to a fabricated abstract concept involving 'faith'.
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SurveyMack10

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Re: Faith
« Reply #53 on: October 09, 2011, 09:23:36 pm »
The questions asked remain unanswered; how do you "know that knowing", (which is sophist because the conclusion is the premise), this would have the effect described?  Further, isn't is true that the assumption that "knowing" this would cause loss of "salvation" is itself a matter of "faith/belief"?  The process eschews reasoning and relies upon "faith" being both the premise and conclusion, (given that you stated "I know that 'knowing' ...").
 


Since I think you are the only person that read what I said that is having difficulty understanding it I leave you with this quote:
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. "  Inigo Montoya.
Quote


Your attempt to dodge the question was too obvious; perhaps your migraine has addled you?  Again, the dodged question was, 'how do you know? (if you've forgotten the context of your own assertion, scroll up or tacitly admit to dodging).



To reiterate the point of contention; the presumption you are presenting is that 'faith is a test'.  Firstly, this a priori assumption is not a given and it constitutes an inherent claim, (that the concept of religious 'faith' itself requires "faith").  Secondly, it is this same religious 'faith' which is intended to support the secondary premise that "It is faith that God rewards, and not knowledge".  No doubt I'm not the only one to twig to the circularity of such a pseudo-syllogism.


I did not say that faith is a test.


No?  Then who wrote "The testing of faith is something that sometimes occurs to religious people ... " if not you?


Your comprehension has been exceedingly poor of late.  I am currently suffering the effects of a severe Migraine and wonder if you are in a similar plight?


No however, your migraine does seem to be inhibiting your process of discernment; my comprehension of what you wrote is unimpaired.



The context you and Falconeer were discussing was that of the concept of "free will".  You maintained that this was/is a complex question and that "it is also a question that has an answer that is beyond our ability to understand even if an answer were given us."  The latter assertion quoted implicitly requires 'faith' because it was asserted that an answer would be beyond our ability to understand.  This assertion also glosses over our ability to learn to understand what we don't and directly suggests that an answer we could not understand is effectively no answer.


Since you are the one with a problem with faith I cannot understand why you are using it as an argument.  You have said that faith is irrational  ...



Obviously not, since you proceed to misunderstand the point that your contention, (an answer would be impossible for us to understand and thus, implicitly requires 'faith' to buy that concept), it makes sense that you are claiming not to understand the argument.  To clarify my position then; an argument which requires 'faith' is not rational and I reject it as irrational.


... so you are effectively, according to your standards, making an irrational argument. 
Quote


Not at all; I'm using the circular basis of your implicit premise above to support my contention that 'faith' is an irrational foundation to argue that it is actually a requirement of "salvation" NOT to know, (but to instead, "have faith").


I agree in the sense that if you were indeed aware of all (I am careful to actually agree with you on anything anymore (even in part) since you resorted to contextonomy to deliberately misrepresent me in a debate we were having in another thread. 


More accurately, you accused me of resorting to "contextonomy" after I effective demonstrated that you resorted to it previously.  Oddly, you didn't support your contention and merely left the empty claim swinging in the wind.


I abandoned further dialog with you because I do not respect dishonesty and consider it a weak trait unworthy of reciprocation). 


Coincidentally, that's pretty much what ended dialog with "SurveyMack10"; her dishonest debate tactics, (I mean, the ones which her own quoted words demonstrated, not mere empty accusations such as yours).


My argument was regarding the divine spark of life given to mankind. 


Now you're explicitly making the claim that a "divine spark of life" was "given to mankind".  I don't suppose you're going to bother substantiating a "divine" attribution, are you?


What if this divine spark is in essence a part of Him and as such would fall outside of certain predictability other than could be applied to Himself.  This is just speculation, an argument just to be made to demonstrate an alternative and nothing more.  I don't feel comfortable speculating too much on God's design withing giving it more serious thought.


No, it went beyond speculation when you derived further assumptions from that unsupported a priori assumption.  Presumably, your a priori assumptive claim is intended to be supported by 'faith' alone?  And that brings us back around to 'faith' being an irrational basis, (given that it has no rational basis nor a requirement to provide one).

 
I am not familiar with it -- not by that name anyways -- is it something along the lines of the Entropy arguments? 


No, it can be found under the name mentioned; 'emergent phenomenon'.  The "Entropy argument" I estimate you're referring to often misuses the thermodynamic argument as a classic misrepresentation of a fundamental scientific concept, (entropy).  Entropy refers to the number of available energy microstates in a thermodynamic system, for instance; it has very little to do with the spatial order of matter. An energy microstate is simply any mechanism that can carry energy (e.g., each way a molecule can vibrate or rotate). Thermodynamics is about the bookkeeping of energy; not spatial order. The distinction is crucial.  Neither is gravity "entropic" (http://www.100wizard.com/experiments-show-gravity-is-not-an-emergent-phenomenon-technology-review.html)

"Emergence is the process of deriving some new and coherent structures, patterns and properties in a complex system. Emergent phenomena occur due to the pattern of interactions between the elements of a system over time. Emergent phenomena are often unexpected, nontrivial results of relatively simple interactions of relatively simple components. What distinguishes a complex system from a merely complicated one is that some behaviours and patterns emerge in complex systems as a result of the patterns of relationship between the elements." --
http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Emergent_phenomenon/


Again I might be interested in reading it if you supplied a link. 


If the above link is insufficient to outline the emergent phenomenon theory, these and more are also available:

http://jap.physiology.org/content/104/6/1844
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Emergent+phenomenon


There are some dissenting views concerning emergent phenomenon theories, of course, (lest you believe my link cites are 'cherry-picked').

http://assets.cambridge.org/97805218/31949/frontmatter/9780521831949_frontmatter.pdf
http://www.complexsystems.org/publications/pdf/emergence3.pdf


I am concerned though as you seem to generally prefer to be deliberately convoluted in your writings and my worries are that you might intentionally make an already complex topic overly obfuscated.  Pardon my manners if I seem harsh but Migraines are where my handle comes from in real life (the other names I get called when under their effects would not be appropriate for a handle).


Whether or not my reasoning, (and the basis for it), appears to be convoluted, I have endeavored to pare them down within the posting constraints of this forum.  Scary as the thought may be, I could elaborate in even more detail however, since I am not deliberately attempting to make these complex concepts even more complex.  On the contrary, oftentimes it isn't easy to reduce complexity into simplistic terms).  

Although I am peripherally aware of migraine symptoms, (my girlfriend has suffered from them since before she met me), I'm unsure of the wisdom of engaging in this debate while suffering from those symptoms.


Actually, what ended our dialog was your inability to produce the "unanswered challenges" you claimed to exist. I was in no way dishonest and I resent that remark. Also, the bringing up of my name in this post shows your insecurities in that debate as well as in this one, not to mention it is simply immature. Please refrain from talking about me rather than to me as it is disrespectful, I doubt you will adhere to this as you seem to avoid maturity, but I am kindly requesting that you do so.

Abrupt- I enjoy reading your responses and find it refreshing that someone calls falcon9 out on his attacking of others debate tactics rather than the actual issue. Also, I want you to know I am not a dishonest person and that statement made by falcon9 is false. I totally agree with your argument that faith is an essential part of Christianity and that God cannot simply show himself for this reason. I also feel that due to this there will always be people that do not agree, but not everyone can accept that we are allowed to have different belief systems. You have been very respectful when dealing with those who believe differently, even when faced with blatant rude remarks and it has built up your credibility in my opinion.

falcon9

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Re: Faith
« Reply #54 on: October 10, 2011, 12:28:44 am »
I abandoned further dialog with you because I do not respect dishonesty and consider it a weak trait unworthy of reciprocation). 


Coincidentally, that's pretty much what ended dialog with "SurveyMack10"; her dishonest debate tactics, (I mean, the ones which her own quoted words demonstrated, not mere empty accusations such as yours).

 
Actually, what ended our dialog was your inability to produce the "unanswered challenges" you claimed to exist.


No, what interrupted that "dialog" was my refusal to remind you of what you wrote.  Your faulty memory is not my responsibility.  The challenges you failed to answer are available in the threads in which you participated.  Your continued evasions directly indicated that quoting your own words to repeat the challenge would only engender further evasions on your part.  These evasions relate directly to your next  unsupported claim below:


I was in no way dishonest and I resent that remark.


The unaltered record of your own posted words belies your claim.  It is therefore false and provides additional evidence of your dishonesty.


Also, the bringing up of my name in this post shows ...


It merely shows that your comments were used as an example when "Abrupt" brought up dishonest "debate" tactics after attempting to come to your aid, (as your comments below confirm).


Abrupt- I enjoy reading your responses and find it refreshing that someone calls falcon9 out on his attacking of others debate tactics rather than the actual issue.


On the contrary; I _have_ not only debated the contextual issues but, have refrained from _initiating_ 'attacks', (confining my peripheral responses in that regard to a few counter-attacks After ad hominems were employed against me first).  The hypocrisy of those who initiated the ad hominem attacks, ("SurveyMack10" & "Abrupt"), is contained in these threads and in their own words.  Given this evidence, (which is available to any unbiased reader), one could view that as compelling evidence that Mack lies compulsively.
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falcon9

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Re: Faith
« Reply #55 on: October 10, 2011, 12:52:43 am »
I totally agree with your argument that faith is an essential part of Christianity and that God cannot simply show himself for this reason.


Interesting that a lack of evidence is an essential part of the belief system.


I also feel that due to this there will always be people that do not agree, but not everyone can accept that we are allowed to have different belief systems.


On the contrary, anyone who prefers to hold unsubstantiated opinions, ('beliefs', as it were), can do so - at least in the U.S., (not so much in some other places).  Once they toss these unsubstantiated opinions out for Debate+Discussion in a public forum however, they tacitly accept that others may dissent and that such informed dissent is as much "allowed" as their empty opinions are.


One can lead a horse to water however, if one holds the horse's head under, that horse will drown.

             

Cuppycake

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Re: Faith
« Reply #56 on: October 10, 2011, 05:42:48 am »
Most likely because they are too weak to cope with the idea of a "god" not existing.  It would make life not worth living to have the long time belief system proved to false. People cling to life. If "god" is their "life" then then their life in fact is attached to the "presence" of this imaginary being that "loves and cares for them" and to lose that terrifies them.


While I concur with the estimation that many, (if not most), of the people with strident religious 'beliefs' have such a vested interest in those beliefs, their lives would not literally end were those belief systems rendered false.  Although theu do tend to cling to them, despite the inherent irrationality of such beliefs, a case can be made for the holders being more concerned with being "wrong" and having to exercise critical thinking, (rather than default to 'unprovable beliefs').  In turn, that would mean they'd need to take personal responsibility for their decisions and lives instead of abdicating those to a fabricated abstract concept involving 'faith'.
All true. I think if people need something like that to have a happy little life fine. I just hate when people try to force feed religion to other. My family being some of the worst of those people. Personally I prefer to rely on myself rather then an invisible friend.

falcon9

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Re: Faith
« Reply #57 on: October 10, 2011, 11:03:41 am »
All true. I think if people need something like that to have a happy little life fine.


Well, they sure don't seem to be any happier than anyone else however, it may be that they 'believe' such "faith" lends them hope.  Unfortunately, the interest rate on such lending is far higher than they imagine for it is a forlorn hope.


I just hate when people try to force feed religion to other. My family being some of the worst of those people. Personally I prefer to rely on myself rather then an invisible friend.


I agree with your sentiment, (which is backed by centuries of dishonorable historical precedence by the 'major religions').  Oddly enough, not even the evangelicals view their strident pushing of religion at others as "force-feeding" per se, (let alone the ones who use less overt methods to do the same thing - like soup kitchens with requisite preachings, for instance).  For some reason, (e.g., unknown excuse), such folks apparently don't realize that keeping their belief systems to themselves wouldn't be a problem for everyone else and that their inability to do so is the problem.


One can lead a horse to water however, if one holds the horse's head under, that horse will drown.

             

Falconer02

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Re: Faith
« Reply #58 on: October 10, 2011, 11:21:30 am »
Quote
For some reason, (e.g., unknown excuse), such folks apparently don't realize that keeping their belief systems to themselves wouldn't be a problem for everyone else and that their inability to do so is the problem.

“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15)

That's the problem. Mythical/romanticized holy men told them to do it, so they've got to do it. No questions asked. There's plenty of this sprawled out over the New Testament. Trying to show major problems, contradictions, the lack of evidence, etc. in their holy texts is pretty much pointless because they are so adamantly against the idea of something being wrong with their beliefs and thus ignore it-- their god can't be wrong. It's either they don't acknowledge what's in plain sight (I have been told in person that they "just don't see it that way" when the problem is right infront of them) or they make up ridiculously naive excuses of why it's right (it says this, but it actually means this!). Of course this leads back to the faith card, and that's why it's so screwy to us. We don't understand the emotional aspect (as it may vary from person to person), but we do understand everything else.

jcribb16

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Re: Faith
« Reply #59 on: October 10, 2011, 11:45:30 am »
Most likely because they are too weak to cope with the idea of a "god" not existing.  It would make life not worth living to have the long time belief system proved to false. People cling to life. If "god" is their "life" then then their life in fact is attached to the "presence" of this imaginary being that "loves and cares for them" and to lose that terrifies them.


While I concur with the estimation that many, (if not most), of the people with strident religious 'beliefs' have such a vested interest in those beliefs, their lives would not literally end were those belief systems rendered false.  Although theu do tend to cling to them, despite the inherent irrationality of such beliefs, a case can be made for the holders being more concerned with being "wrong" and having to exercise critical thinking, (rather than default to 'unprovable beliefs').  In turn, that would mean they'd need to take personal responsibility for their decisions and lives instead of abdicating those to a fabricated abstract concept involving 'faith'.

Indeed, everyone, whether Christian, athiest, non-believer, etc., will need to take personal responsibility for their decisions.  You say a Christian's belief, with faith, is an "inherent irrationality," while in turn, some think that ones who cannot break with the fascination of accepting only concrete evidence, is just as odd.  Everyone who dies will either live forever with God, or live in the eternal place of punishment, OR, will know nothing because of nothing afterwards.  That's the time when those "belief systems rendered false" will be either be shown to be true, false, or nothing. 

As a believer,  I know what I believe to be true is definitely based on my faith in the Lord, in His Word, and on historical teachings.  You nor others in here don't have to exercise that faith nor will I ever be one to try and force it on anyone.  I will speak of it when I feel like I need to or am asked questions about it.  Like others in here have said, this is debate and discuss, not combat and torture.  The bottom line is that people become Christians because they choose to believe, others choose to ignore any concept of God, while others are searching for answers. 

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