Types of Questions

[Resha Caner]

Just curious: What types of questions do you ask? Those that seem to you a significant challenge to Christianity, those you know will be challenging to specific CF members, or those you expect Christians in general find challenging?

 

[Ophiolite]

Just curious: What types of questions do you ask? Those that seem to you a significant challenge to Christianity, those you know will be challenging to specific CF members, or those you expect Christians in general find challenging?

I don't think I ask questions here. Do you think I do?

 

[Ophiolite]

@Resha Caner Thank you for recognising my intended humour, but my response was also a pointer to my serious answer to your question: in general, my questions are responses to what others have said, either to seek clarification, or to highlight perceived weaknesses in their case, or to move them further along their thesis. Only the second of the three would be described as "challenging".

 

[Resha Caner]

@Resha Caner Thank you for recognising my intended humour, but my response was also a pointer to my serious answer to your question: in general, my questions are responses to what others have said, either to seek clarification, or to highlight perceived weaknesses in their case, or to move them further along their thesis. Only the second of the three would be described as "challenging".

Understood.

 

[Tigger45]

My questions are typically challenging and important to me and would hope others would benefit from the subject also.

 

[cloudyday2]

I agree with @Tigger45 . The questions I ask are questions that I am asking myself at that time. I try to get ideas from other people here to help me answer myself.

 

[Jok]

I ask problems of pain & suffering questions to myself at times. Even if someone must die why must some die a very slow and drawn out painful death?

 

[Jok]

I have another one, not a question that causes me to challenge Christianity, but a question about why such an obstacle to Christianity exists. Why was I granted clarity due to being gifted with personal experiences to a convincing degree, yet others who beg & plead for God to touch them with an experience get nothing?

One theory that I actually have is that I am weaker than them. That I have less faith so I needed the experience more.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Just curious: What types of questions do you ask? Those that seem to you a significant challenge to Christianity, those you know will be challenging to specific CF members, or those you expect Christians in general find challenging?

In general I think asking a Christian to describe the nature of their relationship with God, in any significant detail, has always and without exception led to a stonewalling by the Christian asked.

So much so, that I don't ask anymore....nor do I expect any Christian to attempt to answer.

 

[Resha Caner]

My questions are typically challenging and important to me and would hope others would benefit from the subject also.

I agree with @Tigger45 . The questions I ask are questions that I am asking myself at that time. I try to get ideas from other people here to help me answer myself.

Yeah. Once I overcame the delusion that I could change people, my questions gravitated to those of interest to me personally. Asking an atheist became just a way to test my mettle. Now I don't even do that ... unless I get into a persnickety mood. Normally I'm just looking for an interesting discussion.

 

[Resha Caner]

I ask problems of pain & suffering questions to myself at times. Even if someone must die why must some die a very slow and drawn out painful death?

Those questions are tough. Personally, I think the people asking fall into 2 categories. The first category is trolls, so I don't bother to answer. The second category is people who are deeply hurting, so I don't bother to answer. Rather, I try to be a friend - to help and/or console them, which, admittedly, I am terrible at.

 

[Resha Caner]

In general I think asking a Christian to describe the nature of their relationship with God, in any significant detail, has always and without exception led to a stonewalling by the Christian asked.

So much so, that I don't ask anymore....nor do I expect any Christian to attempt to answer.

That's too bad.

 

[Ana the Ist]

That's too bad.

I call it confirmation.

 

[Jok]

Yeah. Once I overcame the delusion that I could change people, my questions gravitated to those of interest to me personally. Asking an theist became just a way to test my mettle. Now I don't even do that ... unless I get into a persnickety mood.

I feel the same way a lot, but yes sometimes my moods fluctuate and I just feel like throwing my hat in with comments or questions. A lot of times I become sorry that I even started the conversation lol

 

[Resha Caner]

A lot of times I become sorry that I even started the conversation

been there

 

[Nihilist Virus]

Just curious: What types of questions do you ask? Those that seem to you a significant challenge to Christianity, those you know will be challenging to specific CF members, or those you expect Christians in general find challenging?

Christians don't allow themselves to be challenged. They assume from the outset that they have the ultimate answer to the whole of the cosmos, and no matter what is said, atheists can't break through the automatic win that Christians hand themselves.

So where is this "challenge" business?

 

[quaternion]

In general I think asking a Christian to describe the nature of their relationship with God, in any significant detail, has always and without exception led to a stonewalling by the Christian asked.

What types of replies do you get?

 

[Ana the Ist]

What types of replies do you get?

Almost without fail....it's a non-reply.

I think you have to consider the way it looks from the point of the person being asked. You have a choice of describing a "relationship" with god that is completely one-way....the person speaks to god, but god doesn't speak back. That type of relationship upon examination doesn't appear to be very divine or miraculous.

The other choice is to describe a two-way relationship....which is frankly, even trickier. If you're claiming god speaks to you....that you hear his voice....you run the risk of appearing mentally unstable. If you appear sane, you might find yourself subject to asking god questions....and comparing the answers to others who also claim to hear from god. This can leave two believers at odds...and throw doubt on the claim.

A third option is that one speaks to god....and his responses are interpreted through whatever happens in daily life. This is less open to critical analysis...but also degrades the "real" nature of a relationship.

So almost without fail....the person asked will claim that this is "too personal" of a subject to talk about. Obviously, that isn't true. Believer after believer will claim that a personal relationship with God is not only central to their faith...but essential to a life worth living. It's a claim made by believer after believer....yet somehow completely taboo to examine in any significant way.

If such a personal relationship were true...and as common as is claimed...it would seem to be extremely important to talk about at length. Yet it's kept quiet like it's details are so secretive as not to be shared with anyone.

I'd say that if I asked 10 believers....9 will claim it's too personal to speak about in any detail. The other one will choose that third "interpretive signs" option. I can remember literally one time when person claimed that god spoke to them as a voice in their head. Upon examination, the person explained that god would answer any questions no matter how trivial....including things like "what should I wear today?" to which it was claimed that god would literally tell her what clothes to wear.

You'd think that level of detail and claim would get shredded apart by the atheists in this forum....but there was almost none of that. Instead, other christians were taking her to task asking her why she didn't ask more meaningful questions like "how can we solve world hunger?"....and the like.

 

[quaternion]

Yeah, I can get that because it's equally weird from my side of the question.

It's like a guy trying to pick up a girl in a bar and she shoots him down for trying a line. The guy thinks, "Wait a minute. You're sitting here in a bar giving out signs. You expected me to try a line, so why do you shoot me down when I use one?" For some odd reason, the girl keeps hoping the guy will try something original even though no guy ever does.

... or at least that's how I would imagine it is, cause that's not something I've ever experienced.

Whaddya gonna do? Should we give up? The answer is yes, we should. But for some reason we don't.

It's hard. Christians struggle with their relationship to God, but you're right. That struggle is never related to the unbeliever - only the good parts. Isn't that true of every relationship? My family has gone through some horrific things, but if you ask me I have the greatest kids in the world and I love my wife. I say that because of my determination to support and protect them - I protect them, they protect me. Ain't no way I'm gonna let an outsider break through that barrier just because he's curious about my relationship with my family.

But where does that leave us? Where do we go from here?

 

[Ana the Ist]

Yeah, I can get that because it's equally weird from my side of the question.

It's like a guy trying to pick up a girl in a bar and she shoots him down for trying a line. The guy thinks, "Wait a minute. You're sitting here in a bar giving out signs. You expected me to try a line, so why do you shoot me down when I use one?" For some odd reason, the girl keeps hoping the guy will try something original even though no guy ever does.

... or at least that's how I would imagine it is, cause that's not something I've ever experienced.

Whaddya gonna do? Should we give up? The answer is yes, we should. But for some reason we don't.

It's hard. Christians struggle with their relationship to God, but you're right. That struggle is never related to the unbeliever - only the good parts. Isn't that true of every relationship? My family has gone through some horrific things, but if you ask me I have the greatest kids in the world and I love my wife. I say that because of my determination to support and protect them - I protect them, they protect me. Ain't no way I'm gonna let an outsider break through that barrier just because he's curious about my relationship with my family.

But where does that leave us? Where do we go from here?

I'm not sure I understand your bar analogy....so I'll give you one that I like....

Imagine you're a single guy, and I tell you that you shouldn't be....that you can have an intimate personal relationship with a girl if you look online.

You ask me to explain, and I show you a video of a beautiful girl who makes videos on YouTube, and I tell you that she's my girlfriend and we have a deeply personal relationship.

You ask for details, how we met, how we began our relationship, what we do, etc. I tell you that it was easy....I found her online, her email was posted on her profile, and I started emailing her. You think wow....that's amazing....and ask how soon she started replying back. I tell you that she's never actually emailed me back. You ask how she communicates with me....and I tell you she leaves hidden messages in her videos sometimes. You ask what I mean, and I mention that in an email I told her my favorite color was blue....and a week later she wore a blue shirt. I tell you that means she wants to be my girlfriend. You ask if she's ever spoken to me directly in her videos....and I say yes. You ask what I mean and I explain that she mentioned wanting to travel to Japan sometime and I point out that in an email weeks before she made the video I wanted to visit Japan with her. Coincidence? I think not.

I think most people would believe that the relationship between me and this girl existed only in my imagination. That's despite the fact that we know she's a real person and we both definitely have a means of communicating with each other.

So when you change the conversation to a relationship with a deity....with no concrete means of communication....it becomes something even less likely than the relationship I just described between a guy and some random internet girl.

I don't really understand what you're saying about your family. Why would telling me about the details of your relationship with god put that relationship in jeopardy? There's plenty of reasons to protect your family and information about them...but what possible protection would god need?