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Coccyx - tale of a creationist disinformation post

Brightmoon

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@ NobleMouse I’m a Christian but I also have a biology degree and a fascination with geology that goes back to childhood. I don’t look in the Bible to confirm or disconfirm natural phenomena. And I remember being completely floored by the fact that YECs even existed ( and that was 30 years ago) . That level of scientific illiteracy is still mind boggling to me.
 
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Ophiolite

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Like Hitchslap, you're running out of areas to hide.
Fatuous assertions are unseemly in an adult discussion. Please don't spout humbug because you have run out of substance. No one will think less of you if you concede defeat. Quite the reverse.

Semantic content = zero.

You really don't get it, do you. (Rhetorical) I admire those aspects of Christianity represented by The Sermon on the Mount, or the parable of the Good Samaritan. I do this while having no doubt that Jesus was not Divine and that if there is a God, it is not the Christian God, or any other God of any religion I have yet heard of. Consequently I am in as much fear of the Christian God as I am of Santa Claus, Sherlock Holmes or any other entity that I understand to be non-existent.
If the latter statement may appear sacriligeous keep in mind that I find the attitude of some Christians to the actual God that may exist to be deeply so. I overlook that and ask for the same consideration.

Everybody... relax.
I rarely relax in the face of patronising posts.
 
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pitabread

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Religion is really just a set of rituals and traditions whereas to truly be a Christian is to have a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. Some make it a religion, but that is not what truly being a Christian is about.

I'm well familiar with the attempts to redefine the word "religion" to exclude Christianity. But the common definition and usage of the word as it relates to spirituality and faith does include Christianity.
 
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Speedwell

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Approx. 2/3 of scientists who are members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science do not believe in the God of the Bible.
Good to hear. Nor do I, along with well over 2/3 of the Christians in the world.
Whose definition is that? Certainly not Shannon's, which is the only one which applies.
Christianity is also growing the fastest in Asia and Africa so if I lived there then my beliefs might still be in alignment with the culture
I doubt it. Most of that growth is occurring in denominations which do not preach the objective historical accuracy of Genesis as the basis of belief.
Why Answer: Well, of course - wouldn't everyone... but that's not faith, we are called to live by faith and we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Amen. But you have no faith. By your own admission, your belief in your salvation in Christ rests on the demonstrable objective historical accuracy of the Bible, not faith.
 
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NobleMouse

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You seem to just be making up what you want to believe is true, not true, what is good, what Jesus was not (even though He claimed and demonstrated otherwise). With that, I'll let you be lest I bring Proverbs 26:4 to fruition.
 
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NobleMouse

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Thank you.
 
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NobleMouse

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I'm well familiar with the attempts to redefine the word "religion" to exclude Christianity. But the common definition and usage of the word as it relates to spirituality and faith does include Christianity.
This may be why you are agnostic - you seem to have no clue what it is to really be a Christian.
 
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Ophiolite

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You seem to just be making up what you want to believe is true, not true, what is good, what Jesus was not (even though He claimed and demonstrated otherwise). With that, I'll let you be lest I bring Proverbs 26:4 to fruition.
Fine. If you have some integrity you will now report yourself for attacking the member and not their argument. I'm not holding my breath.
 
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HitchSlap

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HitchSlap

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You seem to just be making up what you want to believe is true, not true, what is good, what Jesus was not (even though He claimed and demonstrated otherwise). With that, I'll let you be lest I bring Proverbs 26:4 to fruition.
Don't forget to throw Psalm 14:1 in there too, while you're at it.

 
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NobleMouse

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Good to hear. Nor do I, along with well over 2/3 of the Christians in the world.
This reads confusing, are you saying that 2/3 of the Christians of the world do no believe in the God of the Bible? If this is what you are saying, I guess we'll assume you are God and therefore are able to speak authoritatively on this...

Whose definition is that? Certainly not Shannon's, which is the only one which applies.
Do you find something incorrect with this definition? If you'd like to move the goalposts to redefine definition to mean something else, I'll pretend I didn't notice.

I doubt it. Most of that growth is occurring in denominations which do not preach the objective historical accuracy of Genesis as the basis of belief.
I cited from the following article:
https://factsandtrends.net/2017/11/29/protestant-christianity-growing-fastest/

Although, the following article seems to indicate growth in these areas:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tan...gious-group-but-they-are-declining-in-europe/

Again, we'll assume because you're omnipresent as well that you know exactly what is an what is not being taught there.

Amen. But you have no faith. By your own admission, your belief in your salvation in Christ rests on the demonstrable objective historical accuracy of the Bible, not faith.
[Sarcasm] And again, the voice of God speaks through Speedwell.[/Sarcasm]

Hey, instead of trying to critique my believing that the Bible is true with regard to creation and the flood of Noah(which you feel is not true because in your view the evidence does not support this, which in turn.... drum roll... demonstrates I believe something without demonstrable historical accuracy --> hint hint hint, I have faith it happened, that God's word is true), why not help me here with showing those in this forum that don't believe in God, that in fact there is a God and there are many good reasons and more than enough evidence for believing in God.
 
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pitabread

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This may be why you are agnostic - you seem to have no clue what it is to really be a Christian.

Still doesn't change what the word religion means.

(And for the record having been to various churches of different Christian denominations as well as mosques and synagogues, there really isn't anything separating Christianity from the way other people of other faiths profess their beliefs. So yes, Christianity is a religion. Deal with it.)
 
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PsychoSarah

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That is an example of non sequitur in the form of an illogical syllogism, not logic and reason.
No, I was utilizing academic logic, not what people refer to colloquially. I took philosophy as an elective. Regardless, my contention with using logic alone to suggest something exists remains. You'd never suggest that logically anything must absolutely exist; even if one of your proposals (that intelligence only comes from intelligence) was true, that wouldn't mean that the intelligence we came from was that of anything we'd consider to be a deity.


First you indicate it doesn't have to be a deity, then present fictitious scenario where a human created the universe. This feels more like ABC reasoning (Anything But Christ).
Nah, I was just mentioning that since we honestly have no idea how the universe came to be, from a scientific standpoint, then any hypothetical proposal that isn't demonstrably impossible IS a possible way that the universe could have formed. As a result, it is kinda a waste of time to speculate about it.

The idea of a paradoxical origin is unsubstantiated, whereas the claim has been positively made that God created everything,
Pfft, and claims have been positively made that Brahma created the universe. Making a claim that the universe formed such and such way in and of itself lends no validity to the claim, no matter how many people come to believe it. Although, I would say that given the number of times I have seen the paradoxical creation of the universe in media, I wouldn't be shocked if at least one person claimed that to be how the universe was made.

and given what has been revealed of the nature of God, the evidence fits this claim.
Evidence you continue to choose not to post, apparently. Stop alluding to it if you won't post it, it's a huge tease to a seeker like me.


You DO know how the universe came to be (John 1:1-3), you just don't accept it.
XD trying hard not to quote Genesis for that? Also, I don't know the universe came to be that way, just like I don't know Brahma created the universe. I have no idea how the universe formed, was created, or even if it's a valid question to ask. Asserting that I somehow know stuff that I honestly don't just makes you seem... unsympathetic? As if you cannot even fathom that I can be in a state of not knowing? Hey, I never considered it even possible that people wiped their butts standing up after taking a poo, but I got over that weird revelation pretty quickly despite my incredulity.

Zero evidence has been produced of a universe being created, especially by humans.
You say that, and yet, previously suggested that I KNOW how the universe came to be and present a bible verse. How can you possibly suggest I can know the universe was created, and yet state that there is no evidence for a universe being created?


Even if humans could create a universe, it would only evidence creation by an "intelligent creator".
Sure, it was just an example of how a universe could have formed from off the top of my head. I could imagine more creative possibilities if you want, but the whole point was that we have no idea how the universe formed. So much so that even a paradox like the one in my example is a legitimate possibility. When we have so little to go on to make any conclusions, making a conclusion in and of itself is a bit of a waste of time.

Your argument against this is based on?? Answer: Nothing.
You could call it that. We know basically nothing about how the universe began, so in the end, all proposals on the matter just amount to blind speculation.

If God is all-knowing and all-powerful and has always existed without beginning (which is what Christians believe, because this is what is revealed of God in scripture)
-_- of the Christian god specifically, and only if the texts are an accurate depiction of a real deity. There is no evidence that deities exist whatsoever, and by virtue of that, no way to directly study any. For all you know, the bible describes a being that doesn't even exist anymore, never did, or describes it so poorly that even if you were to come face to face with it, you wouldn't recognize it.

Have you ever seen a really old drawing of a whale?

Yeah, I wouldn't trust ancient people to accurately describe much beyond getting close enough that we could probably tell what the bad description was referring to... sometimes. By the way, this drawing is from the 1500s.

, then He has the wherewithal, power, resources, and time to accomplish that which is evidenced. To date, there is no evidence to the contrary.
-_- the lack of evidence for the deity itself is considered support for the null hypothesis. Evidence to the contrary would almost certainly require an alternative explanation to become well-evidenced, and as I have mentioned before, we have very little to go on, if anything, when it comes to the origin of the universe. I've never stated that it is impossible that a deity created the universe, only that there isn't any evidence for it.

No matter how many straw-man arguments you erect then tear down along the way, will not negate the truth of God's word.
-_- not my fault you didn't recognize formal logic.

-_- one of those bits of evidence being directly for the creator itself; we know humans make quilts because we observe humans making them. We know moles dig holes because we observe them doing it. But tell me, if I taught a chimpanzee to make quilts just like humans do, would you be able to look at a quilt made by a chimp and say "yup, this one was made by a chimp", even if it was a perfectly passable quilt? Likewise, even if it were demonstrably true that the only way our universe could exist is by the work of a deity, how would you be able to tell the difference between a universe made by YHWH and a universe made by Brahma?

Not that the universe itself has any qualities that indicate design; it has no obvious purpose (considering how little of it can support life, it would be as well designed for that purpose as a sheet of paper is as a paperweight).

Again, you act as if the universe would HAVE to be absolute chaos and inconsistency if it wasn't created, but there is no evidence to support that idea.


Post 1 of 2, it got too long for the site.
 
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PsychoSarah

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Again, you act as if the universe would HAVE to be absolute chaos and inconsistency if it wasn't created, but there is no evidence to support that idea.


Follow that through to conclusion - is intelligence perpetually inherited through endless generations?
This is a very strange question; are you asking if the number of generations of organisms on this planet has been a finite number? Undoubtedly, though an extremely high number. And intelligence would be inherited as long as that quality proved beneficial for survival and reproduction. There are contexts in which it is a detrimental trait. For example, it takes a lot of energy to support a large brain, so in cases of extreme food scarcity or even low oxygen content, it can prove deadly.

We've already established the universe had a finite beginning,
No, it has been established that the Big Bang has a finite beginning. We have no idea how long the universe remained as a singularity prior to that point, and since the Big Bang marks the beginning of time itself existing as we understand it, the very statement of "before the Big Bang" may be entirely nonsensical. The Big Bang is not the beginning of the universe, it is the start of the universe taking on qualities familiar to us.

-_- are dolphins intelligent? Are dogs intelligent? Are mice intelligent? If you would say no to all three of those questions, then I would have to conclude that you assume human intelligence is some sort of special quality compared with any other animal, which simply is not the case. Our brains work by the same principles as any other brain. If you would say yes to any of those, but not all of them, at exactly what point do brain processes count as "intelligent"? If you would say yes to all of them, then I have no idea why you are acting as if intelligence is some special quality worthy of bringing up all the time. Regardless, neurons are just another specialized cell type for intercommunication between parts of the body in a multicellular organism. Better, larger neural networks is a trait that can be selected for just like better limbs or better eyes. It never comes from nothing, it comes from mutations on DNA that happen to make such networks better and as a result, improve survival and reproduction chances.


-_- cells are not more advanced than super computers. They may be more complicated as a consequence of the fact that cells never do anything by the fastest route possible, resulting in many inefficient intermediate steps, some of which damage cells. But they are not more advanced. Created objects considered to be well designed perform their tasks as directly and as efficiently as possible. Natural objects, even ones which seem to perform the same task as ones we have created, are always vastly less efficient and direct and often overly complicated compared to what they do.


-_- you are human just as much as I am; if being surrounded by created objects didn't prevent YOU from noticing that they were created, why would it prevent anyone else? I just find organisms, etc., to be too chaotic and inefficient to perceive them as having a design.

That some people interpret non-created objects as being created is a well known logical fallacy based on the human tendency to perceive objects as having a purpose, even when they don't.


If you still can't find evidence around you for God, go look in the mirror. You keep citing a lack of actual evidence, but just as your laundry doesn't get done unless you do it, so also nothing in creation was created without a Creator.
-_- rivers form as well as dry up regardless as to my existence. Not everything in my life depends on my involvement, or even the involvement of humans in general. Funnily enough, I don't do my own laundry, my fiance does, so even that gets done without my intervention. But you seem to be assuming that the universe MUST have been created, and on that premise, are asserting that it cannot be created without a creator. But alas, you've neglected to actually demonstrate that the universe had to be created by any intelligent being or force. It's similar to your statement of "intelligence only comes from intelligence", but you've never demonstrated that to be a true statement.

And the Bible makes the claim that it is from the One who created all things and His Son Jesus affirmed this and made the claim that He is in the Father and the Father in Him and that no one comes to the Father except by Him.
"This is my holy book. There are many others like it, but this one is mine." Seriously, the bible has nothing special about it. It's not even the most entertaining holy book, the most outlandish, the most realistic, the oldest, or the newest. The NT was 1 Roman emperor away from falling into obscurity.

This is not at all a lack of evidence, and seeing you cannot substantiate a remotely viable alternative beyond "I don't know", this is a rejection of God.
No, I just don't know. I don't reject YHWH anymore than you reject giant purple people eaters or bigfoot. Your entire post seems to behave as if other religions that worship different deities and different creations don't exist.


What a great way to disregard me if I never believe. Just assume I wasn't genuine. Look, you cannot read my mind, thus, you cannot assert any knowledge about my wants and desires. Consider how cruel it would be, to assume that seekers that never end up believing aren't genuine, if you are wrong. I could die tomorrow, and if I did, you'd consider me insincere, just because I couldn't believe in time. As if I have motivation to lie to you. How could I possibly view you making an excuse for if I never believe that casts a shadow on my character in a positive way?


I can either conclude you are not genuine in your desire to believe or there is something else you have not been forthcoming about in this struggle to believe.
Oh yeah, that's a great thing to say to someone you want to convert. You better have converted to Christianity as an adult, or you'll never understand what it is like to seek belief outside of childhood.

This isn't the first time a person has told me as much, nor do I think it will be the last. But no matter how many times others doubt my sincerity, I know myself. You may even be able to convince other people on here that I am not sincere, but you'll never be able to convince me of that. This just comes off as you protecting your own beliefs rather than trying to help me believe.


-_- again, I have stated before that I require evidence to believe that the bible is the word of a deity, on the basis of the fact that there are many other books that claim much the same. There would have to be some defining difference in the bible's actual content to make it stand out compared to the rest, but upon reading it, I didn't find any such thing. If you have, present it.


We have to recognize that our senses do not reveal all truths - there are things beyond sight, taste, touch, sound, and smell.
-_- then how do you sense it? All this tells me is that you have no actual evidence for the deity you believe in, that you have never spoken to it, seen it, etc. When I was 13, I believed in ghosts, on account of evidence as weak as the show Ghosthunters, and yet even that was better evidence than I have ever gotten for the existence of any deity.

Just being transparent here, I'd like to see you come to believe and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
Given that you think I'll end up in the lake of fire otherwise, I should think you share that sentiment with every human.

If your preference though is to reject His love for you, you have the free will to do so - this is your God-given right.
Try forcing yourself to believe that the sandwich originated in Canada and see how much free will you have in making yourself believe something, even if you take efforts to prevent yourself from being exposed to contradictory evidence.

Now, try looking up some long held beliefs of yours, minor ones (one of mine for a while was thinking Albert Einstein flunked high school math; it isn't true). Chances are, you'll eventually come across one you thought was true, but turned out to be false. See how much evidence it takes for you to change your mind. -_- notice that it isn't none.

If I could just make myself believe, I would have done it years ago. I would have saved me a lot of emotional pain, fear, and teenage nihilism. It would have reduced death from the end of a person's existence to just a temporary separation from them, as if they moved to a different country. I have 0 motivation for staying an atheist.

post 2 of 2.
 
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NobleMouse

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tas8831

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No creationist even tried to address any of this.

One can only wonder why...
 
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AV1611VET

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Fine. If you have some integrity you will now report yourself for attacking the member and not their argument. I'm not holding my breath.
Too much caffeine, Ophiolite?
 
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Bugeyedcreepy

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Good to see you are familiar with math... now what about God? Why do you feel there is no God? See post #986 on information theory - you'll see information cannot come from nowhere. Let's start there.
Sure - but first, tell me all about your version of your religion's God so I know what we're talking about - i.e. does your God have any Omni traits? Is your God a trickster God? does this God want a relationship with us? etc.
 
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