Recent content by Simon_Templar

Yes, you absolutely can. Not only can you transcend your thoughts, you can transcend yourself, and even the universe. The knowledge of a thing, is not one of that thing's parts. Thus in order to know anything, you must be able to transcend that thing. To be clear, you are agreeing with the...

You asked me in your previous post how I know what existence is, etc to justify my huge leaps in logic. Literally everything you just said, was a leap in logic based on nothing but your own assumptions about reality. I notice in your bio, that you are a Christian. Let me ask you this. Do you...

I was typing out a response to this, but I decided I'd rather just ask you a question. I'm honestly curious to what your answer will be. If the decisions of your "will" are predetermined by outside causes, what are your thoughts? Where do they come from? Do they have any meaning? and if so, how...

To begin with it is helpful to realize that there are some things in science which are understood in one sense, but not in another. We know, for example, what gravity does, and we have accurate math to describe the effects of gravity. We don't entirely know what gravity is, or why it is. At...

Yes, that premise is incorrect. Before I go further in discussing why the premise is incorrect, I'd like to know more about your worldview. Are you a materialist? Christian? Atheist? some other religion? do you believe in a soul? Do you think the "mind" is distinct from the brain? I'd also...

The bolded sentence above is unproven and probably unprovable. Further, the debate between determinism and free will is just flat out stupid and pointless. If determinism is true, then you don't even exist. There is no such thing as a person without will. If determinism is true, then "you"...

The fact that there are schismatics and heretics don't invalidate the unity of the Church. People who reject authority, don't invalidate authority. This was how parish priests were paid, and still are in poor areas of the world even today. It was, and is, subject to abuse. However, abuse is...

Those verses do not say what you are claiming. We all agree that the Scriptures are useful for teaching and discipline. We all agree, I imagine, that the scriptures are authoritative. What you are alleging is that they are the ONLY useful thing and nothing else can be used. Paul tells us in...

To be honest the message "go vote it doesn't matter who you vote for" has always struck me as one of the dumbest statements ever. If it doesn't matter who you vote for, it does not matter if you vote. Personally, I think it matters who you vote for, and I consider this statement to be about...

You say that our teaching should come from scripture, and there is no scripture that says the Sabbath was done away with. 1: Our teaching must come from scripture Can you provide me with a scripture that says all our teaching must come only from scripture? The answer is no, you can't...

It has been said that the devil sends errors into the world in pairs. Those who reject the error on one side may be caught by going to far to the error on the other side. Late Modernity and the Post-Modern era have been hallmarked by the opposed errors of individualism and collectivism. Western...

I think that the seals of revelation relate strongly to what Jesus says in the 'olivet discourse' in Matthew 24 (an the other synoptic gospels). Seals 1: Revelation - behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer...

Fair points. Interesting and instructive.

Easter is an Anglo-Saxon word and didn't become used in Christianity until after Britain became Christianized. The people who used the term Easter, had no idea who Isthar or Astarte even was and had no cultural connection to her. However, the name Easter does derive from a Germanic goddess...

Cancel culture is nothing new. The exception is a culture where scandalous behavior WON'T get you shunned from society. Most societies have and continue to use social pressure and exclusion from society to enforce socially acceptable behavior. In fact, I'm willing to bet there probably are...