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Rightly understood Christianity offers great solutions to handle the two main causes of problems in life and that are pretty much responsible for 90% or more of misery: pride and guilt.
When we're teaching our daughters about God, we use specific instances in our lives that is evidence of His work...and believe me, we have a million of 'em.
I also have a Jewish sister and some Muslim friends, and we allow the girls to ask them questions.
We NEVER say "just because"
I'm somewhat shocked that the Bible is at the BOTTOM of this list. But regardless, while Mere Christianity is an okay book for basic apologetics and CARM is decent, and I haven't read the Dawkins Delusion, I'd stay away from the others (esp AIG). Their arguments are laughable and sometimes plain old wrong, and could rather serve to turn someone even further away from Christianity if they think they have to become ignorant to accept it.
I said in my last post that it's wrong to force your idealology onto the children, atheism included.
Leave the kids to be kids and let them make the decision on their own, without any influence from the parents set of beliefs.
A child is genetically pre-programmed to accumulate knowledge from figures of authority.
For purposes of the "survival of the fittest" explanation, the brain is set up in such a way so that it believes what it is told by it's elders, because there just isn't time to experiment with warnings like "Don't go to near the cliff edge" or "Dont run across a busy highway" if there were any children who applied a questioning attitude to those teachings they would be dead.
The child brain will automatically believe what it is told, even if what it is told is nonsense. Then when that child grows up it will pass that same nonsense onto its children.
This is why the "santa claus and easter bunny" stories make kids so excited because they truly believe that they exist (and why wouldn't they when the proof is chocolates and presents) they dont question that the chocolates and presents may have been placed there by another means, because their brains aren't developed enough to question it, they just automatically believe the stories because that's what their elders and peers told them.
That is the scientific reason behind religious indoctrination and how the teaching of religious dogma acts like a virus and spreads down through the generations. You can do the same with Atheism, I can tell my child that I dont believe in a God, and that there is a lack of evidence for his existence and that may affect his grasp of learning about religion in the future.
When it comes to questions in the world which aren't possible to answer with a yes or no, let the child come to their own conclusions.
Can I ask what "Evidences of God" do you tell your children about?
The argument from personal experience is a great topic for debate.
You've heard of poverty, right?
I will give specifics later, as I am aat work right now, but the "my father is a scienntist" line isn't going to get you anywhere. Guess what? My father has a Ph.D. in physics, but that only allows him to talk about AiG's arguments about physics (which, btw, he finds pitiful). Unless your father is an expert in evolutionnary biology, I hardly see why his opinion matters.I typed the books as they entered my head, they are not in any particular order!
I would be interested about your sources for the arguments in New Evidence being laughable...I know there are some which are weaker than others but as a student of philosophy and humanities myself I have not found many of them to me particularly humorous.
Also, please quote sources for AiG being laughable. My father is a scientist and has yet to find any extremely questionable science in their publications.
No one has to become ignorant to accept it but I hardly think these two sources promote ignorance. That is a rather strong claim to make about fellow christians.
I will give specifics later, as I am aat work right now, but the "my father is a scienntist" line isn't going to get you anywhere. Guess what? My father has a Ph.D. in physics, but that only allows him to talk about AiG's arguments about physics (which, btw, he finds pitiful). Unless your father is an expert in evolutionnary biology, I hardly see why his opinion matters.
I am also sure that all these sources come from wonderful christians. That doesn't mean they know what they are talking about, and I think we do christianity a disservice when we make it seem like we have to ignore science, or when we make beelieving in pseudo-science a requirement for being christian, as AiG seems to do (they look down quite a bit on christians who accept evolution as being second class).
It is not our bjob to convince people by our brilliant arguments to be christian; it is the job of the Holy Spirit to convict them of sin. The aposteles didn't preach a 6 day creation and the evils of science; rather they taught Christ and him crucified.
(Please excuse typos, as this is written on my phone)
You can ask, but I won't answer, because then it'll just be claimed as coincidence or natural order of things...
except I'll say this: the fact that we have children at all is purely an act of
God, having had to deal with infertility for many, many years and yet still having them completely naturally. The fact that we have not one, but TWO children - not twins - is purely a miracle from God
My husband and I have a loving relationship with God, and the girls see that in our everyday lives, they've seen answers to prayers, they've seen correlations between their lives and what the Bible says, etc.
So in other words your religion brings you happiness and comfort... Of course it does, because religion has an answer for every single question!
Religions exist because they give complete idealologies, systems of living and they claim to answer all your questions; you dont even have to think!
Simply pick your poison and do what it says, and why wouldn't you believe in something that gives you all the answers?
In my opinion the answers are not acceptable answers. They are wishful answers for the sole purpose of making you feel better. All religions of the world provide answers equally; that's what they are meant to do. A religion that provides no answers has no followers!
One day 12 years ago, God called. Here I am. No indoctrination, or complete ideologies, or systems of living. I'm sorry but I don't buy into the atheist "superior" intellect logical fallacy. Maybe one day God will call you and your life will be turned upside down (for the better lol) like mine did.
The creator of the universe communicates with you? How? Is it that voice inside your head?
We know humans think in language. We know that the average person can think anywhere from 80 to 800 words per minute, if indeed some of those words in your brain are coming from God, how do you know which ones are from God? The brain creates thought; why is it reasonable to believe that some of these thoughts are coming from outside of your brain?
LOL!!! Typical. He talks through the heart. This is much different that an "internal dialogue".
LOL!!! Typical. He talks through the heart. This is much different that an "internal dialogue".
Oh LOL...silly me... I was unaware that the cardiovascular system was also capable of sentient thought processes. Would you care to elaboratre on how the creator of the universe "speaks" to you through your heart? (emphasis on speaks there)
Do you mean to say it's your intuition that is coming from God?... give yourself a little more credit! Humans with healthy brains have intuition, that "gut felling" we get about a certain situation, not a mysterious energy force, nor messages from God.
Intuition can be explained naturally as physical and natural brain function.
The brain has 2 hemispheres, the left side handles logical thought and language, and the right side deals with emotions and abstract concepts.
We know intuition is a physical activity in the brain's right hemisphere. Intuition is intellectual thinking, but at a subliminal level.
Therefore intuition is subliminal thinking. Since language is not a right brain function, the right brain communicates with the left brain using emotion. When you get a "bad feeling" about a situation, your right brain is communicating with your left.
This is intuition
Oh LOL...silly me... I was unaware that the cardiovascular system was also capable of sentient thought processes. Would you care to elaboratre on how the creator of the universe "speaks" to you through your heart? (emphasis on speaks there)
Do you mean to say it's your intuition that is coming from God?... give yourself a little more credit! Humans with healthy brains have intuition, that "gut felling" we get about a certain situation, not a mysterious energy force, nor messages from God.
Intuition can be explained naturally as physical and natural brain function.
The brain has 2 hemispheres, the left side handles logical thought and language, and the right side deals with emotions and abstract concepts.
We know intuition is a physical activity in the brain's right hemisphere. Intuition is intellectual thinking, but at a subliminal level.
Therefore intuition is subliminal thinking. Since language is not a right brain function, the right brain communicates with the left brain using emotion. When you get a "bad feeling" about a situation, your right brain is communicating with your left.
This is intuition
I see that you are quite young. My calling did not come until I was well into my thirties so only time will tell as to how you will react when your time comes. BTW- There is probably not much that I can say that will convince you, however, that is not my purview nor my intent. I see that you have the typical skepticism similar to what I use to think. The change has to come from within you. I have no doubt that you will be called. Just be ready to discard your present views when that happens. lol
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