The Flood (2)

[Nathan Poe]

Religion is the cause of murders, sexual immorality, lies, etc.

In some cases, indeed. In others, it took existing problems and made them worse.

Not that I'm anti-religion -- I can fully appreciate the good that religion has done for civilization -- but I think it's important that we look at it honestly -- warts and all.

 

[Inan3]

In some cases, indeed. In others, it took existing problems and made them worse.

Not that I'm anti-religion -- I can fully appreciate the good that religion has done for civilization -- but I think it's important that we look at it honestly -- warts and all.

So do I. I really don't believe in religion. I believe in God.

 

[Inan3]

Well, it did try to murder scientific thinking.....

Hey you know that site on religion in Wikipedia I gave you. I thought it was interesting that it said that Christianity actually promoted science.

In the case of Christianity, a relevant factor may be that it was among Christians that science in the modern sense was developed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion

 

[Contracelsus]

So do I. I really don't believe in religion. I believe in God.

I always find this to be one of the stranger points many religious people like to trot out.

You do realize that if it weren't for religion you'd not know what you think about God.

Without religion (aka doctrine, dogma, theology) you'd just be like all the New Agers and making it up as you feel it.

Thanks to religion you have a codified set of beliefs. Thanks to religion you have a bible. You have a set of books to tell you what God wants and is like.

 

[Inan3]

I always find this to be one of the stranger points many religious people like to trot out.

You do realize that if it weren't for religion you'd not know what you think about God.

Without religion (aka doctrine, dogma, theology) you'd just be like all the New Agers and making it up as you feel it.

Thanks to religion you have a codified set of beliefs. Thanks to religion you have a bible. You have a set of books to tell you what God wants and is like.

It's just the negative connotation that religion can have today that we shy away from.

Here is one definition which sort of sums up why I shy away from the term religion. I don't want to be linked with other religions that I don't go along with. So I would rather say that I don't believe in religion just God.

"Religion is difficult to define. Everyone has a different idea of what it is. Most people simply look in the dictionary or use something else equally simplistic. That might be fine for everyday conversations, it isn’t sufficient for the sort of discussions that appear here. Religion is a human creation and as such can vary as widely as human imagination allows."
http://atheism.about.com/od/religio..._How_is_Religion_Defined_What_is_Religion.htm


I like the Bible's definition of religion.

Jas 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion [is] vain.
Jas 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.

 

[Nathan Poe]

So do I. I really don't believe in religion. I believe in God.

But you do believe that your God wants to be respected and worshipped, correct?

And I'm willing to wager that you believe that there's both a correct way and an incorrect way to do so, correct?

What would you call it?

 

[AV1611VET]

But you do believe that your God wants to be respected and worshipped, correct?

And I'm willing to wager that you believe that there's both a correct way and an incorrect way to do so, correct?

What would you call it?

Truth.

[bible]John 4:24[/bible]
[bible]John 8:32[/bible]
[bible]John 14:6[/bible]
[bible]Romans 1:25[/bible]
[bible]3 John 1:4[/bible]

 

[Lakercom]

I was afraid we lost AV. Long live AV!

 

[AV1611VET]

I was afraid we lost AV. Long live AV!

It'll be "Cleanup on Aisle 5!" in the morning. Then I might be lost!

 

[Lakercom]

"lost", but not forgotten, God Bless

 

[NailsII]

Hey you know that site on religion in Wikipedia I gave you. I thought it was interesting that it said that Christianity actually promoted science.

In the case of Christianity, a relevant factor may be that it was among Christians that science in the modern sense was developed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion

Nice, but I always thought it was in spite of christianity.....

 

[Nathan Poe]

Truth.

Funny, that's what all the other religions call it, too.

 

[AV1611VET]

Funny, that's what all the other religions call it, too.

Do they use John 14:6 to back it up?

 

[NailsII]

Do they use John 14:6 to back it up?

Without wishing to display my ignorance of other religions for all to see, I believe that the writings attributed to John were almost exclusively in favour of Jesus as the son of god/yahweh/whatever.
Each religion has its own figures - prophets, gods, speakers, and they all point to a similar story under another name.
So they may well use the same words (and/or ideas) but attribute them to a different god, vision or prophet.

 

[AV1611VET]

Each religion has its own figures - prophets, gods, speakers, and they all point to a similar story under another name.
So they may well use the same words (and/or ideas) but attribute them to a different god, vision or prophet.

I'll take that as a "no."

 

[NailsII]

I'll take that as a "no."

I was trying to assert that they must have their own logic and would probably use a similar message in similar words attributed to a different author.
But no is a simple summary.

 

[FishFace]

AV, are you going to respond to my challenge? You hate it when nobody responds to yours.

OK, AV, how does this sound:

Why don't you explain the difference between your position and Omphalos. That means you can't use unexplained words or terms like "embedded age" and "embedded history" and you really need to tell us exactly what you mean when you say "the earth is 4.5 billion years old" in terms of existence and appearance, or some other, fully explained, concept if you find it appropriate.

Because so far, what we have from you is the summary,

1. The earth is 4.5 billion years old
2. The earth has existed for 6,100 years
3. I do not subscribe to the Omphalos hypothesis

So I see two different ways of fully explaining the first statement - either you could mean "the earth has existed for 4.5 billion years" but that contradicts point 2 or you oculd mean "the earth just appears to have existed for 4.5 billion years" but that contradicts point 3.

So you must mean something else by point one. What do you mean - explain yourself as fully as is possible. Again that does not mean just saying "the earth has 4.5 billion years of embedded age" or something, because that is not fully explained.

 

[Contracelsus]

Do they use John 14:6 to back it up?

Wherever you live hopefully has television? Books? Maybe some awareness of the OUTSIDE WORLD?

I love reading your posts as if John 14:6 meant ANYTHING to a Hindu. Or meant anything to any of the billions of people who lived elsewhere on the globe.

You seem to think that a few phrases from a holy book that is holy to YOU and YOUR friends is obviously meaningful to EVERYONE EVERYWHERE.

Have you ever been anywhere outside of a 15 mile radius of your home? Did you talk to anyone who thought differently from you at any time while you were there?

Did you respect that maybe they were as sure of their worldview as you were of yours?

Did you learn anything from interaction with someone else?

 

[AV1611VET]

Wherever you live hopefully has television? Books? Maybe some awareness of the OUTSIDE WORLD?

As the commercial goes: "Accept no imitations."

 

[Wiccan_Child]

As the commercial goes: "Accept no imitations."

Glad to see you're finally seeing sense.

The Bible, the Qu'ran, the Writings of the Bahá'u'lláh... ACCEPT NO IMITATIONS OF THE WORD OF GOD! THE TORAH IS THE ONE TRUTH!