Can we have a philosophical (not religious) talk about religion?

[almaty 19]

Logres, no offense, but you sound like a typical college philosophy student..searching for answer to questions that is based on faith...maybe, you need to do some readings and self reflection...

Logres, no offense, but you sound like a typical college philosophy student..searching for answer to questions that is based on faith...maybe, you need to do some readings and self reflection...

of course i may be off base as i never got the professor to answer the question of Why?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Logres, no offense, but you sound like a typical college philosophy student..searching for answer to questions that is based on faith...maybe, you need to do some readings and self reflection...

Logres, no offense, but you sound like a typical college philosophy student..searching for answer to questions that is based on faith...maybe, you need to do some readings and self reflection...

of course i may be off base as i never got the professor to answer the question of Why?

[Ban Hammer 13,636]

Logres, no offense, but you sound like a typical college philosophy student..searching for answer to questions that is based on faith...maybe, you need to do some readings and self reflection...

Logres, no offense, but you sound like a typical college philosophy student..searching for answer to questions that is based on faith...maybe, you need to do some readings and self reflection...

of course i may be off base as i never got the professor to answer the question of Why?

a first, almaty answering himself

[almaty 19]

i was trying to do the empty chair technique on line

[Nagishkaw 510]

It didn't work, did it, Bro Dean.

[almaty 19]

It didn't work, did it, Bro Dean.

you know me too well sister...nah, i am still f##ked in the head..terminal psychotic ( mad max)

[Nagishkaw 510]

That's exactly why I understand you.

[Ta Ta 1]

Why are we here and what does it all mean ? The age old question.

Ask 10 people and get 10 different answers.

Here is mine as I see the scriptures in the Bible.

God created man to have fellowship with Him.

Man's free will chose to do ' his own thing '.

Man invited sin into his life which broke the relationship to God.

God wanted to restore mankind unto Himself and came to earth in flesh as Jesus and mediator to redeem ' whosoever wants to '.

Hear oh Israel the Lord your God is ONE God.

He has created a place where His redeemed people will live in peace. Where no evil can reach.

It is our choice to accept it or not.

Meanwhile the ' fall of mankind ' is a reality of this world we live in today. It is governed by the laws that came into effect with that fall and the resulting separation from God.

I chose to accept His redemption and know where I will spend eternity by His grace.

God will not wave a magic wand but is waiting for us to chose with our free will if we accept the redemption and restoration with Him or not.

We determine our destiny. We decide.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Prayer is way of talking honestly to the one you trust most, Yourself!

That is a religous, not philosophical point....... not luck though

Since when did having a quiet moment with your concious become religious? The questions you ask have answers, its your task to find them. The truth to all things is right in front of us all! Now go pray, and pay close attention to yourself.

I'll even give you 5 bucks if you can slip a lie by your self. B)

Edited October 16, 2007 by CarolsMarc

[chri'stina 190]

Although He gave us free wills, He has the power to intervene . Example: God hardened and softened the heart of Pharoh as well as softened the heart of King Artaxerxes.

Why didn't he intervene during 911 then? did he want those people to burn?

That is your belief, and it is fine with me.

I don't believe anything......... but a God who allows such suffering to others is evil......... do you believe a good God allowed 911 to happen, and why?

To me it's like asking why a mass murderer's mother let their child kill. Usually the mother has no control over what their grown child does or does not do, they can only hope the child makes the right decisions. Mother's of murderers do not get thrown in jail with their child for giving birth to them. So why do we blame God? He did not create evil and He does not condone it. Whether ppl partake of it is their personal problem. That's my view on it.

Ageed. So we have just both agreed that God is not all-powerful.

No, that is how you interpret what I wrote. I don't agree. Our views of why God would or would not do something is very different. I believe He is all powerful, but chooses not to make us act as robots.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

No, that is how you interpret what I wrote. I don't agree. Our views of why God would or would not do something is very different. I believe He is all powerful, but chooses not to make us act as robots.

Stina, I think he/she is just a young person looking for answers to difficult questions.

[chri'stina 190]

Well, I am a young person too. Only 26.

[monnik 0]

To me it's like asking why a mass murderer's mother let their child kill. Usually the mother has no control over what their grown child does or does not do, they can only hope the child makes the right decisions. Mother's of murderers do not get thrown in jail with their child for giving birth to them. So why do we blame God? He did not create evil and He does not condone it. Whether ppl partake of it is their personal problem. That's my view on it.

Ageed. So we have just both agreed that God is not all-powerful.

How do you figure? Just because he does not intervene does not mean that he can't intervene. Intervention would change the future, possibly causing harm (for example, let's say that one of the victims of 9/11 would have gone on to kill someone in a car accident). God wouldn't save one person at the expense of another.

Good point.

IMO, I have had personal experiences in which something I saw as unnecessary later became clear when a purpose/greater good came out of the evil. After a while, those kinds of experiences tend to form a pattern. Which leads me to conclude that incomprehensible does not always mean without a purpose. Just because we can't answer the "why" question, doesn't mean that no purpose will be shown now or in the future.

A lot of suffering, heartache, and even evil (and its consequences) can be seen to contribute to pleasant outcomes. Physiological pain is usually preventitive; natural disasters or accidents often stimulate a warm community response and/or integration; outrageous and immoral acts can challenge us to take a stronger moral stance; consequences of bad/evil choices can sometimes impact our patterns of choices, or inspire those around us to do so, creating an even larger impact.

Because so much suffering can be related to good outcomes, we have a strong case for believing in the possibility that all types of suffering might eventually be proven to be contributing to a greater good.

It is not up to us to decide or measure the absence or presence of evil in the world.

How much evil is too much in the world? Which kinds of evil should or should not exist? And it what quantities? If a soldier dives onto a grenade to protect his troop, his death could be considered an evil. But, if he were to dive into a ditch and his life were spared, a greater evil (numerous deaths/injuries) would occur. So, the good which would be brought about by his action, would outweigh the evil. Could you make that decision? Who should die? One soldier or many? Those are God's divine decisions and his allowance of evil coexists with his disapproval for it.... so I am led to believe that there must be an ultimate purpose, and it is far greater than me.

Contrary to atheistic challengers' beliefs, the existence of evil does not disprove the existence of God.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Well, I am a young person too. Only 26.

Being 26 years old and being 26 years young, are two quite different things. Knowing yourself doesnt come via the birthday .

[Captain Oates 911]

Intelligent design - if I was designed by god then how come my prostate doesn't work and my toenails get fungus ?

God should be fired from the celestial workshop for bad workmanship

and if the light from a star 100 million light years away is just reaching us now and is acknowledged to take 100 million years, how does it do that in the 10,000 years since god intelligently designed the first prostate ?

did god design boobs to go south with age or is that because of our sin, or perhaps the devil's joke ?

If eve had not offered the apple and introduced sin, would she have had pert chubbies at age 80 ?

do devil worshippers boobs stay pert because the devil doesn't curse them ?

gimme a break

but I like religion because it keeps people off the roads on sunday when i go motorbiking