PING: Need a seasoned Theist/Christian to answer some lingering questions i have

[McQ]

Let's keep the topic to the OP. We have other threads for arguing against christian beliefs. This thread, in my opinion at least, is a legit way to get dialogue going between theists/christians and SA. Please leave it to that.

Thanks.

[xSilverPhinx]

Because Christianity claims itself to be true .

And you find this DIFFERENT than other religions?

I havent made that definitive conclusion yet.  Have you ?  If so, please show objectively why Christianity is and/or why the rest of the World Religions are  as this will help in my research.  thanks.

If you're truely researching other world religions (except if you're wanting to feel more like your local community, in which case, it's Christianity) then go for it.

However it's not up to an atheist to disprove god(s) or any negative claim. You can't disprove a negative.

I personally don't deny a possibility of a god or gods existing, but theistic gods look too human too me. A supermind in the abstract realm rather than the white-bearded Zeus rip off (superman). As for deistic gods, I can't with enough certainty say that they don't exist.

[Liar For Jesus]

Assuming Christianity is in fact, a total lie.

I have made no such assumption. The best of lies contain some truth - makes them more believable.

Religion, however, is hardly the best of lies.

All Religions are untrue (lies) .... other than you needing them to be.

Not my statement, but ok. Religions present the existence gods, souls and other supernatural beings and life after death, to name a few more or less common denominators, as facts. Facts, they are not. So, presenting that which is not a fact as one (especially knowingly doing so) is, by definition, a lie.

1.  Does your statement above also pertain to the Religion of Secular Humanism which the U.S. Government formally recognizes as a religion , and, which the Humanist Free Inquiry Magazines writer (Dr. Paul Kurtz)  calls a religion ?

2.  What leads you to believe with all certainty that there isnt an infinite , eternal,  personal transcendent Being  for the personal and intelligent components we readily see in our modern day reality ? (This is one of the difficulties I see with atheism as a worldview) .  How do you know that it is 'a fact'  that such a Being doesnt  exist  making the particular theistic Religion a lie  ?  Is it because only seeing is believing ?   Would you be willing to conclude that elephant dung found in your backyard along with huge footprints , wasnt from an elephant because you didnt see it squat and unload ? ...lol...

[Sweetdeath]

Elephant dung + foot prints = elephant. We can conclude that because elephants EXIST.

[Genericguy]

I would like to posit a few questions regarding Theism  for a better understanding and to see how you as a Theist respond to some scrutiny which I shall put forth. 

You have yet to to provide scrutiny for theism and have provided plenty for atheism. The OP is just a ploy to promote Christianity in my opinion.

[Asmodean]

1.  Does your statement above also pertain to the Religion of Secular Humanism which the U.S. Government formally recognizes as a religion , and, which the Humanist Free Inquiry Magazines writer (Dr. Paul Kurtz)  calls a religion ?

The statement applies to any system of belief in the supernatural that presents the existence of that supernatural as fact. If Secular Humanists do, then certainly, yes.

That said, I'm not from the US, so I don't give a flying duck what the US government recognises as what.

THAT said, are you reading into my words something that just isn't there?

What leads you to believe with all certainty that there isnt an infinite , eternal,  personal transcendent Being  for the personal and intelligent components we readily see in our modern day reality ?

Why the space before the question marks, commas and the dots?

Oh, and I'm throwing this one right the fuck back at you. Where in my last reply to you did I state or imply that I "believe with all certainty that there isnt an infinite , eternal,  personal transcendent Being  for the personal and intelligent components we readily see in our modern day reality"?

How do you know that it is 'a fact'  that such a Being doesnt exist  making the particular theistic Religion a lie  ?

Abrahamic god is bullshit. McQ is slightly unhappy with this derail, so you can find a buttload of whys here in the religion section.

Is it because only seeing is believing ?

Absolutely not! Visual input needs to be questioned and analysed when the results of it are unexpected.

Would you be willing to conclude that elephant dung found in your backyard along with huge footprints , wasnt from an elephant because you didnt see it squat and unload ? ...lol...

How about you stop trying to bullshit your way through yet another thread..? I'm trying to figure out how you even managed to read all that crap out of my replies to you...  

[Crow]

Elephant dung + foot prints = elephant. We can conclude that because elephants EXIST.

Though if it happened in my back garden I would be like what the fuck happened here and have no clue what did it, as I don't know enough about excrement to determine if it was elephant dung and an elephant would most likely be the last thing on my mind even if there was a footprint as I don't live in a country where elephants are native, with the nearest zoo being 38 miles away.

[Asmodean]

Elephant dung + foot prints = elephant. We can conclude that because elephants EXIST.

Though if it happened in my back garden I would be like what the fuck happened here and have no clue what did it, as I don't know enough about excrement to determine if it was elephant dung and an elephant would most likely be the last thing on my mind even if there was a footprint as I don't live in a country where elephants are native, with the nearest zoo being 38 miles away.

If I saw an elephant shitting in my living room, I'd call it hallucination, eat a few pills and see if that make problem go away. If there was just the dung and the footprints, I'd suspect a prank.

[Sweetdeath]

Too many smores and poptarts. *rolls back to sleep*

Definitely a prank xD

[Sandra Craft]

Too many smores and poptarts. *rolls back to sleep*

Definitely a prank xD

I don't know.  Do you remember that nut in the US who released a whole zooful of animals before killing himself?  Took days to round them all up again (and I don't know if all were recaptured) and some travelled a good ways.  I've seen enough nature shows to recognize an elephant footprint so if I saw an elephant footprint and a huge pile of dung anywhere in or around my home, I'd start wondering if some other zookeeper had flipped his lid. 

Elephant dung + foot prints = elephant. We can conclude that because elephants EXIST.

And even if we haven't ever seen one, plenty of other people have and there are photos of them and their footprints (and probably their dung) all over the place.  Most of us live within driving distance of a zoo that keeps an elephant.  Can't really say that about any religions deity, except of course the pantheists.

What leads you to believe with all certainty that there isnt an infinite , eternal,  personal transcendent Being  for the personal and intelligent components we readily see in our modern day reality ? (This is one of the difficulties I see with atheism as a worldview) .  How do you know that it is 'a fact'  that such a Being doesnt  exist  making the particular theistic Religion a lie  ?

You seem to be hung up on certainty, even after being told by a number of atheists (altho not all, true), in a number of threads, that we are not certain, that we don't know for a fact that such a being doesn't exist.  You also don't seem to have grasped the concept that the burden of proof in on the person making the claim that X exists, not the person saying "I don't see this X of yours".  And that is what we do know, that the burden of proof regarding any gods existence has not been satisfied, and therefore belief in a god is a matter of personal faith not fact.

[Whitney]

Ive heard all the atheist guff and slander before which is why i addressed the Post Heading to seasoned Theists looking for their insight.   

Um...let's not throw words such as "slander" around lightly...

[McQ]

Wow. Nice to know that people pay no attention when a Mod requests that they behave. 

Back to the OP

[Liar For Jesus]

I would like to posit a few questions regarding Theism  for a better understanding and to see how you as a Theist respond to some scrutiny which I shall put forth. 

You have yet to to provide scrutiny for theism and have provided plenty for atheism. The OP is just a ploy to promote Christianity in my opinion.

You dont read very carefully then.   Paranoid OCD can be treated you know.

[McQ]

I would like to posit a few questions regarding Theism  for a better understanding and to see how you as a Theist respond to some scrutiny which I shall put forth. 

You have yet to to provide scrutiny for theism and have provided plenty for atheism. The OP is just a ploy to promote Christianity in my opinion.

You dont read very carefully then.   Paranoid OCD can be treated you know.

Thread locked. Warning given to SA. It would have gone to the next person who continued to act like a child and continue to ignore the original request to knock off the bullshit.