Ask a Christian philosopher a question

[Davian]

I think this whole thing is kind of a joke to you. Like you see me as some kind of novel source of amusement that you interact with for a laugh when you are bored. Not unlike a child is entertained for a period of time with a toy or a cartoon.

Another nicely veiled insult, but you are wrong. I am genuinely curious about how long you will continue your Christianity-vs-nihilism crusade in these forums. Will you fade away quietly? Have an epiphany about why others do not accept untestable, unfalsifiable claims at face value?

Enquiring minds want to know. Also, it is not all about you. The interaction I have in these forums with both believers and non-believers helps to tidy up loose ends in the knowledge I gain outside of these forums, particularly on the subject of modern theory of mind and cosmology.

If that is how you feel then I shall ask leave of you.

You are welcome to leave at any time.

 

[quatona]

I think this whole thing is kind of a joke to you. Like you see me as some kind of novel source of amusement that you interact with for a laugh when you are bored.

Well, you have worked hard for earning this status.

 

[anonymous person]

I see he hit a nerve.

He did. And it saddens me.

 

[anonymous person]

Another nicely veiled insult, but you are wrong. I am genuinely curious about how long you will continue your Christianity-vs-nihilism crusade in these forums. Will you fade away quietly? Have an epiphany about why others do not accept untestable, unfalsifiable claims at face value?

Enquiring minds want to know. Also, it is not all about you. The interaction I have in these forums with both believers and non-believers helps to tidy up loose ends in the knowledge I gain outside of these forums, particularly on the subject of modern theory of mind and cosmology.

You are welcome to leave at any time.

I am not insulting you.

Even in the response you just gave you seem to have an attitutde. As if I have personally offended you in some way. I have no vendetta against you. I am not your enemy. We can talk all day long about philosophy and whether or not belief is a conscious choice or whether or not we should only hold beliefs which are falsifiable, or whether or not God is a fairy tale character in a book. None of this is going to help us be better fathers for our children or better husbands to our wives or better sons to our parents or beyter cowokers to our coworkers. None of this will empower us and help us to love our neighbor as ourself and deny ourselves for the sake of others.

I very well may be doing you a disservice by being a distraction to you. Distracting you from those things which are most important in life. So while I will remain here active, I will ask leave of you. If you would like to talk privately feel free to PM me and if you are in any way offended in me, tell me so that I can do my part to make it right.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

I attend Elevation Church out of Charlotte, NC and it is a non-denominational church.

Kewl church. What church Denomination did you belong to before joining the one you belong to now? Thks

http://elevationchurch.org/beliefs/

We exist so that people far from God will be raised to life in Christ.

Our Beliefs
Our beliefs describe how we view God, Jesus, the Bible, man, and many significant aspects of our faith. Firmly rooted in Scripture, the beliefs of Elevation guide our decisions as a church.

Col 1:24
I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,


.

 

[anonymous person]

Kewl church. What church Denomination did you belong to before joining the one you belong to now? Thks

http://elevationchurch.org/beliefs/

We exist so that people far from God will be raised to life in Christ.

Our Beliefs
Our beliefs describe how we view God, Jesus, the Bible, man, and many significant aspects of our faith. Firmly rooted in Scripture, the beliefs of Elevation guide our decisions as a church.

Learn More
Our Code
Our Code is 10 of the values that keep the vision of Elevation Church clear. These values reflect our priority to reach people with the Gospel.

Learn More
THE 4Gs
We encourage everyone who calls Elevation Church home to actively participate in what God is doing here. We call the different opportunities you have to get involved the 4Gs.




.

Baptist

 

[HitchSlap]

Baptist

Is Elevation church the one with the pastor who built a 30,000 sq.ft. house?

 

[anonymous person]

Is Elevation church the one with the pastor who built a 30,000 sq.ft. house?

I don't know. I don't go there any more and when I did I never asked him about how big his house was. I'm sure you can Google it if you want.

 

[HitchSlap]

I don't know. I don't go there any more and when I did I never asked him about how big his house was. I'm sure you can Google it if you want.

Yep. That's him.

 

[anonymous person]

Yep. That's him.

Yes. Steven Furtick.

 

[Davian]

I am not insulting you.

You certainly are making your posts personal.

Even in the response you just gave you seem to have an attitutde.

Of course. We all have some sort of attitude. What exactly are you trying to say about me?

Old vs New

• Davian
• Aug 27, 2015

As if I have personally offended you in some way.

Perhaps you should lay off the mind-reading attempts, and simply deal with the content of my posts. It could look as if you are making this personal in an attempt to deflect from the purpose of this forum.

What brings you to a forum intended for the critical examination of the rational grounds of our most fundamental beliefs, only to evade, deflect, and obfiscate?

I have no vendetta against you. I am not your enemy. We can talk all day long about philosophy and whether or not belief is a conscious choice or whether or not we should only hold beliefs which are falsifiable, or whether or not God is a fairy tale character in a book. None of this is going to help us be better fathers for our children or better husbands to our wives or better sons to our parents or beyter cowokers to our coworkers. None of this will empower us and help us to love our neighbor as ourself and deny ourselves for the sake of others.

That is demonstrably false. Beliefs inform our actions. What we discuss here affects our beliefs.

I very well may be doing you a disservice by being a distraction to you. Distracting you from those things which are most important in life. So while I will remain here active, I will ask leave of you. If you would like to talk privately feel free to PM me and if you are in any way offended in me, tell me so that I can do my part to make it right.

This does not distract from seeing that the emperor's clothes are empty.

 

[Archaeopteryx]

I don't know. I don't go there any more and when I did I never asked him about how big his house was. I'm sure you can Google it if you want.

Wasn't that the same church attended by Jeremy E Walker, another Christian apologist (now banned from CF)?

 

[bhsmte]

Wasn't that the same church attended by Jeremy E Walker, another Christian apologist (now banned from CF)?

Must be a coincidence.

 

[oi_antz]

Op, am I allowed to ask you another question, seeing as my first did not really seek to enquire of your philosophical views? I saw that Davian asked a very good question but the way he asked it has most minute chance of achieving it's full potential. I'd quite like to help if I can, to achieve some of it's potential, for my own interests of course:

What do you suppose really brings a person (consider too potentially despite/especially having disguised with anonimity), to speak in a public place intended for the critical examination of the rational grounds of our most fundamental beliefs, if they only enjoy responding with evasion, deflection, and obfuscation toward those they oppose, while simultaneously supporting and cheering the ones with which they share the common opposition? Why does such a person enjoy behaving that way more than the content being discussed, and why might they desire most strongly to deny that accusation? In further to this question, if such a person believes sincerely and states that they are pursuing truth, why is it that they might struggle to acknowledge the error/s that prevents their objective, and why might/might not they choose to correct those error/s?

Please note too that these are highly flaming descriptions, possibly applicable to anyone at various stages of growth, so I will not be willing to show you an example of this having happened. Though, the descriptions certainly are realistic and I am certain every reader will have some examples in their own mind that they could use to validate that this truthfully does happen.

I'd like to know whether your own philosophical views on these behaviours can benefit me, if you will. Thanks!

 

[Archaeopteryx]

I am not familiar with this passage you speak of. I would like to read it if you can supply it.

In the Quran, verses 2:109 and 7:172.

Why do you think that?

This is an interesting truth claim to say the least. Can you supply me with one person who made the same claims Jesus made? I am not aware of any person who ever made the claims Jesus made.

Notice, I am not concerned about you telling me about people who claimed to be God, or men or women who claimed to be some prophet.

Point me to the person who claimed to be all of the following:
<snip>

Shifting the goalposts.

 

[Archaeopteryx]

Still waiting for you to address this also:

So she is to blame if she is tortured for not acquiescing to his demands since she was warned (by him) of what he would do her if she refused to return his affection?

 

[Fred Nurks]

I know many here have asked me questions and for whatever reason I either was unable to respond, chose not to respond, or did not see the question and thus have left the questioner feeling overlooked.

Therefore I propose that in this thread, if anyone wants to ask me a question post it and I will address it. Since there are numerous questioners and I am but one, I ask that you only present one question to me. Not two or three or ten, no statements or claims, but just one question. No memes, gifs, sarcasm or cynicism. No jokes, and nothing that would cause this thread to be closed.

No questions about why I haven't answered this question or that.

So if anyone has a question that fits that criteria the ask and I shall attempt a worthy response. If there passes an interval of time between the last question I answer, then the first person to have asked a question can ask another one and so in turn following that order.

Think carefully about what you will ask and make the question succinct as possible.

Thank you.

If I move the glass on my table, then -according to your worldview- who or what is ultimately the first cause for the decision to move that glass? (Me? God? Something else?)

 

[anonymous person]

If I move the glass on my table, then -according to your worldview- who or what is ultimately the first cause for the decision to move that glass? (Me? God? Something else?)

I don't understand the question. Maybe you could rephrase it.

 

[Fred Nurks]

I don't understand the question. Maybe you could rephrase it.

I thought the question (though not necessarily its answer) was simple enough but let’s try this:
from a theistic worldview like yours, are we ultimately the first cause of our decisions, or is God it?

The way I see it either answer has serious implications. Therefore I was wondering if I missed something.

best,

Fred

 

[dlamberth]

So tell us, what is it that you are loathe to renounce for the sake of Christ?

I'm strolling along, reading different post and came across this one, and yes, it hit a nerve. The reason it hit a nerve is that for years even though I was seeing two different things, Christian beliefs on one hand and Jesus Christ on the other, I was unable to come to terms in how to reconcile the difference in what I was experiencing. What I felt I was seeing is that the two, Christianity and Christ, only occasionally cross paths, and to me hardly ever walk the same path. It was one of the hardest things I have every done, it took years to happen. But eventually I felt that to actually live in Christ I had to renounce the religion that bears in His name. I so hated doing that. It was incredibly hard to actually go through. Today, in hind site, I liken what I went through to the Buddhist saying "If you meet the Buddhist on the road, kill him". But I still have Christ in front of me!! That's all I need.