Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

[LynahFan]

No. There is 'just no evidence that God exists'. I have never met anyone who disagrees with this. Atheism by definition is 'the belief that God doesn't exist'...not that there's no evidence. Agnostics are unsure of God.

Assuming atheistic scientists believe that God probably doesn't exist because there is no evidence that S/He does exist...sounds like an appeal to ignorance (beginning to like this logic stuff). That conclusion doesn't sound super scientific to me.



So...if I could prove to you 1) that you can be an agnostic and be part of the team and 2) that being part of this team net improves your life and/or the lives of others...would you take a look at joining the Christian movement?

The answer to this question is actually quite important.

But not important enough to reply to my answers?

[5mn_Major]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

Nobody is arguing that God is not a way. The fallacy is God is the way.

Thing is, I really like what I understand to be 5mn's philosophy of christianity. Where I lose contact is his readiness to distinguish between christians and others who have a similar philosophy about living but may be muslim, agnostic, or athiest. Religion can be (and usually is) highly metaphorical, and religious texts can be the most elegant and demanding writing out there.

Although can't speak to other faiths as I'm not an expert, Christianity is different because of who God is and its platform. That is to say the Jesus content aims to improve the human condition - moral support, the meaning of life, right and wrong and motivations to implement what becomes important. I advocate that spending time with this can get you answers and better arm you to take action on the answers you find.

In the end, Christianity may not deliver any of these benefits. It doesn't appear to for Kepler. But for many, faith is very beneficial - many it helps directly and many more indirectly via others. It comes down to who you are. People are radically different based on politics, pacifism, personality types and the like. Christianity or other faiths may benefit one or it may not - much of it comes down to who you are.

But as with marriage, it also depends on the fit. That is to say some doctrine may not make sense to you. And that's OK. For example, some believe the Bible is literal and the OT is of equal weight to the NT. I believe that Jesus trumps the OT - Jesus was God, He was well documented and He came late and could set the record straight. Some skeptics would tell you I'm 'wrong' or 'cheating' because I don't adhere to the God in which they disbelieve. That doesn't matter. What is important is finding the right community that aligns with your POV (i.e., NT vs. OT)...because community is a big source of the above benefits.

But I struggle to understand 5mn on a very basic level, and that is why I asked what the Apostles' Creed means to him. Is any part of that attestation necessary to being "christian?"

Find a community and spends some time with this stuff. If it improves things, do more. Maybe you'll call yourself a Christian...maybe not. Labeling yourself a Christian, your opinion of the Apostles' Creed or whether your a true believer...none of this really matters until its right for you.

[joecct]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

5mn_major

Small quibble, but Jesus IS God. He has no past or no future. Everything to God is now.

[leswp1]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

Although can't speak to other faiths as I'm not an expert, Christianity is different because of who God is and its platform. That is to say the Jesus content aims to improve the human condition - moral support, the meaning of life, right and wrong and motivations to implement what becomes important. I advocate that spending time with this can get you answers and better arm you to take action on the answers you find.

In the end, Christianity may not deliver any of these benefits. It doesn't appear to for Kepler. But for many, faith is very beneficial - many it helps directly and many more indirectly via others. It comes down to who you are. People are radically different based on politics, pacifism, personality types and the like. Christianity or other faiths may benefit one or it may not - much of it comes down to who you are.

But as with marriage, it also depends on the fit. That is to say some doctrine may not make sense to you. And that's OK. For example, some believe the Bible is literal and the OT is of equal weight to the NT. I believe that Jesus trumps the OT - Jesus was God, He was well documented and He came late and could set the record straight. Some skeptics would tell you I'm 'wrong' or 'cheating' because I don't adhere to the God in which they disbelieve. That doesn't matter. What is important is finding the right community that aligns with your POV (i.e., NT vs. OT)...because community is a big source of the above benefits.



Find a community and spends some time with this stuff. If it improves things, do more. Maybe you'll call yourself a Christian...maybe not. Labeling yourself a Christian, your opinion of the Apostles' Creed or whether your a true believer...none of this really matters until its right for you.

One could argue there are a number of religions that do that. Unitarians are not Christians but they do all those things. I truly don't understand the need to make these things exclusive to one religion. Most religions offer this type of thing and many of them will tell you believing is the way to meet those needs. Jesus is the 'tool' used by God but other religions have other 'tools'

[burd]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

5mn_major

Small quibble, but Jesus IS God.

Is that one of the things that was decided by a bunch of politicians in AD 325?

[Kepler]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

Is that one of the things that was decided by a bunch of politicians in AD 325?

Committee vote.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

Which is why I have a dislike for organized religion. If there is something out there, I don’t trust man to get it right

[burd]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

I always wonder how people who allow church doctrine to control important personal decisions in their lives could be passionately against big government. And in the deep red states, it appears most people do just that.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

Because they’re dumb. I’m sorry, they just are. Maybe dumb isn’t the right word but it’s the only one that comes to me right now.

[leswp1]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign...cing-roy-moore
Nice big rally of Pastors on the News just now. Returns some of my faith in religion. If you believe in God, you believe He is the answer, then voting for a sexual predator to achieve a 'Christian' outcome makes no sense. If you are going to say Tithe and believe the Lord will provide then why is this different?

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

Because they’re dumb. I’m sorry, they just are. Maybe dumb isn’t the right word but it’s the only one that comes to me right now.

Willfully ignorant, and trained by silver-tongued preachers to fear intellectuals (whom they aren't smart enough to connect with in the first place) as instruments of T3h DEVIL!

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

So dumb? Not inquisitive?

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

So dumb? Not inquisitive?

In about 50% of cases, both.

Some have the brain cells to make decent money, but also have daddy/mommy issues. They were raised to fear both earthly and eternal punishment for even the most venial of transgressions. The "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream" song from The Book of Mormon does a great job making fun of this sort of guilt case.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

And just so everyone is clear, I’m not saying religious people are dumb.

[St. Clown]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

I always wonder how people who allow church doctrine to control important personal decisions in their lives could be passionately against big government. And in the deep red states, it appears most people do just that.

They're involvement in their churches are entirely voluntarily activities, but they see government as compulsory. Also, and this might be a stretch, but the Roman gov't killed Jesus at the bequest of the Pharisees, so many of them see the government as an agent of evil.