Atheist here (Ask me anything)

[ephraimanesti]

Each human is as unique as at is possible to be.

MY BROTHER,

AMEN to that!

However, our Lord, God, and Savior is uniquely unique, being human and Divine at the same time--One of a kind, you might say.

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

 

[Skeptic90]

MY BROTHER,

AMEN to that!

However, our Lord, God, and Savior is uniquely unique, being human and Divine at the same time--One of a kind, you might say.

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

Isn’t it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too? – Douglas Adams

 

[ephraimanesti]

That's only what Christians believe, however there are 4 billion people on this planet who are not Christians.

MY DEAR SISTER,

Yes indeed! God is so blessed with His children that there are indeed a bunch--and each and every one is beloved by their Heavenly Father far beyond anything we can possibly imagine or comprehend--even the hairs on each one of our heads is numbered! (Luke 12:7)

Thankfully I am not your sister.

Thankfully that's not your choice--you only get to pick your friends.

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

 

[Janser]

MY DEAR SISTER,

Yes indeed! God is so blessed with His children that there are indeed a bunch--and each and every one is beloved by their Heavenly Father far beyond anything we can possibly imagine or comprehend--even the hairs on each one of our heads is numbered! (Luke 12:7)



Thankfully that's not your choice--you only get to pick your friends.

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

I will say this though, YOU REALLY MAKE ME WANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN,
or kill myself, I can't make up my mind.

 

[nicknack28]

MOM, HE'S MAKING FONTS AT ME AGAIN!

Come on, now!

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

I've never quoted myself before. This'll be fun.

You know how when you when you taste something bad, wish you hadn't ever taken a bite, and then try to scrape the stuff back off your tongue into the garbage?

That's what my brain is doing with this thread.

More and more frequently I'm starting to question whether my time spent on here is met with equal thoughtfulness from others. It's probably just a few radical cases such as this one that concern me, however, for many other theists on here actually manage to hold a meaningful conversation.

 

[ephraimanesti]

I will say this though, YOU REALLY MAKE ME WANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN,
or kill myself, I can't make up my mind.

MY DEAR SISTER,

If i may suggest--becoming a Christian is much the better choice of the two, especially since you are already dead (Ephesians 2:1-3).

Thank you, however, for the kind thought!

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

 

[Janser]

Christians, for every good one there's also a nut.

 

[Skeptic90]

MY DEAR SISTER,

Yes indeed! God is so blessed with His children that there are indeed a bunch--and each and every one is beloved by their Heavenly Father far beyond anything we can possibly imagine or comprehend--even the hairs on each one of our heads is numbered! (Luke 12:7)



Thankfully that's not your choice--you only get to pick your friends.

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

Actually all of us are some kind of distant cousins someway or the other. Brother and sisters are a bit too 'close'. We didn't pop into existance some 100,000 years ago. We humans and animals have been here on this earth for millions of years(depends on your defenition of human, if homo sapiens, then about 200,000 years ago)

 

[Janser]

If i may suggest--becoming a Christian is much the better choice of the two,

Not from where I'm standing.

 

[ephraimanesti]

Isn’t it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too? – Douglas Adams

MY BROTHER,

Nothing of beauty and meaning happens by accident--NOTHING!

So when one encounters a beautiful garden which brings one pleasure and joy, is it not natural for one to desire to meet the Gardener, and to thank Him for His wondrous gift?

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

 

[ephraimanesti]

Christians, for every good one there's also a nut.

MY DEAR SISTER,

"Fool" is a much kinder word.

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

 

[ephraimanesti]

More and more frequently I'm starting to question whether my time spent on here is met with equal thoughtfulness from others. It's probably just a few radical cases such as this one that concern me, however, for many other theists on here actually manage to hold a meaningful conversation.

What do you expect, my brother, i'm from Seattle?--you know, the caffeine and all.

Occasionally, however, i am able--with God's help and infinite patience with me--to slip into a meaningful mode when a meaningful topic is discussed. Stay tuned!

Or better still, set an example.

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

 

[ephraimanesti]

Actually all of us are some kind of distant cousins someway or the other. Brother and sisters are a bit too 'close'. We didn't pop into existance some 100,000 years ago. We humans and animals have been here on this earth for millions of years(depends on your defenition of human, if homo sapiens, then about 200,000 years ago)

MY BROTHER,

Actually, our "humanness" is defined by, and predicated upon, our reflection of the image and likeness of our Creator.

Anything less than this is just another evolved animal.

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

 

[Skeptic90]

MY BROTHER,

Nothing of beauty and meaning happens by accident--NOTHING!

So when one encounters a beautiful garden which brings one pleasure and joy, is it not natural for one to desire to meet the Gardener, and to thank Him for His wondrous gift?

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

I agree, as well with nothing pops from nowhere. It is not an accident, it was 'natural design'. There was no gardener, simply nature doing its thing. This is what I mean when I inserted that quote. Why can't we all agree it is beautiful for the sake of being beautiful. There was no, in highest probability, no designer. Now that what we consider beauty is another discussion all together.

 

[Skeptic90]

MY BROTHER,

Actually, our "humanness" is defined by, and predicated upon, our reflection of the image and likeness of our Creator.

Anything less than this is just another evolved animal.

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

We are not special, we are not more than the rest of nature. We think we are because of the same reason that what you believe is correct and better.

Also it is not logical to say that we are the image of our creator. What about everything else? Does he look like a tree? A rock? Along with everything else in this universe. Also if there are other beings in other planets, then who does he actually embody the image of. Let me guess an "universal image" you say. Well that is not a bit logical. Its pleasing to hear, but not logical.

We are all evolved animals. It doesn't change one bit who we are if we are evoled, it actually makes more sense.

 

[ephraimanesti]

I agree, as well with nothing pops from nowhere. It is not an accident, it was 'natural design'. There was no gardener, simply nature doing its thing. This is what I mean when I inserted that quote. Why can't we all agree it is beautiful for the sake of being beautiful. There was no, in highest probability, no designer. Now that what we consider beauty is another discussion all together.

MY BROTHER,

It just never has computed for me that there can be a "design" without a "designer". Back in the crazy days of the 60's, no matter when weird stuff i was into or what bizarre world-view i held--i could never understand disbelief in some sort of overarching intelligence behind all that is.

Until i experienced God for myself, i held to the Deist minimum that the Creator created and then left the building. That is a far as i could push myself in my rejection of what little i knew about Christianity at that time and my condemnation and rebellion against what Christians believe.

It just cannot be an accident. (i mean, i know this because i now know God, but even before this most happy of meetings . . .i just couldn't go there. "Nature doing its thing"--WHY? How does it know what "thing" to do and how? Who has defined what "beautiful" is in the first place? Blind natural forces cannot not just accidentally throw together a human being out of spare parts from some other blind and meaningless "project!"

My brother--i just can't buy it, and i frankly don't see how anyone else can rationally--without an agenda--arrive at that conclusion and honestly hold to it in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.

In short--"Natural design demands the existence of a purposeful designer."

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

 

[durangodawood]

It just never has computed for me that there can be a "design" without a "designer".

Absolutely.
.
But there's no design necessarily inherent in the universe. I fully understand the temptation to project the idea of "design" onto it. But thats a human trait. I think apparent "design" says more about us than about the universe.
.

 

[Mela Monkey]

Also it is not logical to say that we are the image of our creator. What about everything else? Does he look like a tree? A rock? Along with everything else in this universe.[/QOUTE]

Well, the bible says that only humans were made in his image, so everything else is part of his creative imagination i guess


as for aliens, if there are any, i'd assume they would be put in the same position as humans and probably would look like us too

and, of course, none of this will be logical

 

[ephraimanesti]

We are all evolved animals. It doesn't change one bit who we are if we are evoled, it actually makes more sense.

Well, my brother, i am a strong believer in Occam's Razor, as explained by Isaac Newton:

We are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearances.

So

Which is simpler, "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."(Genesis 1:27)

or

All the varied, imprecise, inelegant, involved, convoluted, and unprovable theories from Darwin on which end up explaining nothing beyond "by ways and means we don't understand at this point in time."

The further you get from the reality of God's existence, the further you have to dig to make a hole deep enough to bury all the "theories" which you have to invent in order to explain His non-existence and the intricacy of a universe -- in all its complexity, wonder, and beauty -- that was "somehow or other" accidentally formed for no reason or purpose and according to no plan. Tough row to hoe, that!

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

 

[Skeptic90]

MY BROTHER,

It just never has computed for me that there can be a "design" without a "designer". Back in the crazy days of the 60's, no matter when weird stuff i was into or what bizarre world-view i held--i could never understand disbelief in some sort of overarching intelligence behind all that is.

Until i experienced God for myself, i held to the Deist minimum that the Creator created and then left the building. That is a far as i could push myself in my rejection of what little i knew about Christianity at that time and my condemnation and rebellion against what Christians believe.

It just cannot be an accident. (i mean, i know this because i now know God, but even before this most happy of meetings . . .i just couldn't go there. "Nature doing its thing"--WHY? How does it know what "thing" to do and how? Who has defined what "beautiful" is in the first place? Blind natural forces cannot not just accidentally throw together a human being out of spare parts from some other blind and meaningless "project!"

My brother--i just can't buy it, and i frankly don't see how anyone else can rationally--without an agenda--arrive at that conclusion and honestly hold to it in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.

In short--"Natural design demands the existence of a purposeful designer."

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

Well here is a copy and paste from a reply on what is natural design a few posts back:

Well it didn't happen from complete chance, it was more like natural design guided. Just because something is complex or hard to understand, it doesn't mean it will never be understood.

Well what do I mean when I say guided chance? From complete randomness, not everything will be a successful chance. Only those things that are successful will work. So lets say that we have a car, and we are trying to see what things can we put in the car to make it run. If you put kool aid in there, it will fail. If you put some urine, it will fail. If you put some water, it will fail. So then a successful combination like gasoline is added, then presto, it works, and it carries on to the next generation. So it is not complete chance, it is just chance that works, its kinda like how capitalism works.

Well yes we dominate from our intelligence. We call this, specialization. It was one of those things that separated us from the rest of the animal kingdom. That we can 'outsmart' other animals. Early humans were not as bright as we were, they had a far smaller brain, but we were slightly smarter than other animals. So from this main advantage from the rest of the animal kindom, it is what we mainly stuck with, being smart. So the not so smart early humans were probably eaten or died, and those who were stronger and smarter survived to reproduce. And from the offspring, the smarter of the pack survived, and so on. So after million of years, our brain grew bigger and bigger. And who knows, future generations may be smarter than us, it all depends on if being smart is 'successful'. If being stupid is successful, well the future will be stupid to a point it just kills itself, until again smart is good.


Actually that what evolution explains, the why we are the only smart ones. We probably killed off our competitors, and us the stronger and intelligent, survived. "survival of the fittest".

So no, it wasn't by chance, it was self guided chance that the successful chances moved forward.

If you still don't understand it, well here is another example:

Lets say you are making dinner. You haven't made dinner in your life. You will combine a bunch of random ingredients, if it ends up being good, you will, in most likely hood, make the food again in the future. If the food tastes nasty, then you will trash it, and make something different in the future.

So nothing comes in from accident, it was simply 'naturally designed' to be how it is.

Now what evidence do you have in the contrary?

Makes sense? Or do you have any other questions?