Existence of God.

[aboutasoandthis]

Originally Posted by Red Giant
 

Discriminating against a religion is leagues different from discriminating against a race. For one thing, your race is not chosen. You can't help your race. And more importantly, a race is not a set of beliefs and customs.
If you tell me your race, any assumptions I made about your personality or thoughts would be horrendously unfair. If you told me you were a christian however, I could pretty safely assume that you believed in Jesus Christ, an omnipotent God, that the bible is a special and holy book, and an afterlife.

This is comeplete and utter bull****. If you make an assumption about a person based on anything other than their character at all, you are not in the right mindset.

I]Originally Posted by Red Giant[/I]
 

Also, what if I acted like Mother Theresa (okay I don't actually think MT was all that hot) really really awesome, like I cured cancer and saved orphans and **** and simply disbelieved in God without saying anything about it being abolished. Better yet, what if I had simply never heard of Jesus Christ and therefore never had the chance to convert? Would I deserve a place in hell?

In the first case, maybe. You've heard about Jesus Christ. You decide that he isn't real. Then you go out and do the things Christians are supposed to do anyway, you're doing something wrong. You're too worried about going to hell. STOP WORRYING ABOUT IT! If you truely are a Christian, you simply live your life. You may screw up from time to time, but you don't expect any rewards for being a good person. You just naturally are.

In the second case, I think you would go to heaven. You never had the chance. I think you would just have to have the right mindset. In the end, it's up to God and I believe it would be something similar.

[Ben]

GEMINI'S TWO CENTS:


    yeah...my god can kick your gods ***
jesus was half alien

[Prpl_Mage]

Like Grandy said, if there was no evil then nothing would be good. It would be normal. Dark and light walk hand in hand and between them is twilight... Yeah something like that.
In other words, the evil are tests or things created by the downright efil satan so that the good will apppear stronger than it is.

It's like those creepy civilizations run by cults and such. They villigers doesn't know of anything else and therefor they do not question it.
But if I would go there and tell them that the world was created in an explosion as Science states then they wouldn't believe me and call it herecy.
And the patriarch in their church will not have to be a dictator because he got all the power as long as they do not have any possibilities in believing in something else.

I had this disscusion with a friend of mine and we got to the conclusion that supreme christianity would be the best for the people but not quite right moraly.

[Red Giant]

Originally posted by aboutasoandthis
Originally Posted by Red Giant
This is comeplete and utter bull****. If you make an assumption about a person based on anything other than their character at all, you are not in the right mindset.

And I would say that one's religion is a part of one's character. Would you say it was unfair to assume that a christian believed in God, Jesus and the Bible? If someone tells me they are a nazi, I don't need to ask anymore questions to know that I disagree with some major points in their thinking. If you're a nazi, you're a ****ing bastard, IMO. I mean that's very much what political or religious labels are helpful for- they communicate the persons beliefs easily.
Let me ask you something. I'm an atheist. You can safely assume- to no offense to me- that I don't believe in God. You would also assume that I am wrong in not believing in God, wouldn't you? You've already judged me in a small way- you now know that I hold at least one incorrect belief that you know better.

[Moosetroop11]

Originally posted by aboutasoandthis
you have to remember that most people in the world are Christians.

What's your definition of 'most'?


That 'proof' is one of those things that helps you believe if you desperately want to. It's many steps just proved that the ability to exist exists >.>

[Dragonium]

"'I refuse to prove that I exist', says God, 'Because proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing'".



Jim, get on MSN. Now. I have news to impart. New news.

[aboutasoandthis]

Originally Posted by Red Giant

And I would say that one's religion is a part of one's character. Would you say it was unfair to assume that a christian believed in God, Jesus and the Bible?

Yes, I would say it was unfair. This is because you cannot possibly know exactly what it is I believe without me telling you. You would have to assume how I practice my religion, how I study the bible, and how I have chosen my denomination.

If someone tells me they are a nazi, I don't need to ask anymore questions to know that I disagree with some major points in their thinking. If you're a nazi, you're a ****ing bastard, IMO.

I DO NOT SUPPORT NAZISM IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM.

With that said, this statement would only work if there was only one denomination of Nazism. Yes you have the rascist people who believe in killing everyone that isn't blonde with blue eyes. You have to remember that until Hitler began practicing these beliefs, Nazism was a Germanic sense of nationalism. Many were in the dark about the party's true practices.

This statement also apply to Neo-Nazism. Would you believe that some sects accept blacks and latin americans, instead directing thier efforts towards illegal immigrants? Would you believe that many Neo-Nazism group members are homosexuals? Would you believe that there are Nazi organizations that accept the Hebrew as whites, based on the evidence supporting that Hitler was himself one?

Let's take that same statement and replace Christian with nazi.

If someone tells me they are a Christian, I don't need to ask anymore questions to know that I disagree with some major points in their thinking. If you're a Christian, you're a ****ing bastard, IMO.

I mean that's very much what political or religious labels are helpful for- they communicate the persons beliefs easily.

You cannot assume you know everything about a person's beliefs based on a word. There are too many people in the world. There are too many sects in religions. There are too many variances within each church as far as beliefs and interpretations go. With or without the Bible, it's a moral to only judge others based on their character. You're smart enough to know this.

Let me ask you something. I'm an atheist. You can safely assume- to no offense to me- that I don't believe in God. You would also assume that I am wrong in not believing in God, wouldn't you? You've already judged me in a small way- you now know that I hold at least one incorrect belief that you know better.

To be honest, no. I would not believe you were wrong in not believing in God. I would ask you for your reasons why you don't believe in God. It would be your words that I judge you upon. That is true character. If you can give me a sensible response as to why you do not believe in God, I would simply leave you alone. If you cannot, I would question you.

 Originally Posted by Moosetroop11

What's your definition of 'most'?

Googled.
According to and ARIS report in 2000 and posted on this website, 33% of people in the known world are Christians. If you consider that the Christian God, Allah, and Yahweh are the same entity, 52.8% in the know world believe in God.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm

If you would like a more recent report made in 2005, or a bigger pie chart.
http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html

[Ben]

honestly dudes, when it comes to faith and morals, you arent going to sway anyone with statistics. You arent going to sway anyone with anything. Its Faith. They believe in it because they FEEL its right. Facts dont matter. Im not saying this is an awesome thing...but its something to remember before getting into long winded debates about god....full of quotes and such.

As for 32 or 52 percent of the worl believing in God....thats so effing subjective you cant even use it in an argument. How many prodestant Churches, each with different interpretations of "God" are there? And then your going to throw catholics and Hindus into it? nope. Good try though.

Sure....for the most part, these "god"s are the same....Except that one dosent like gays...One thinks that the jews are evil...one tells you its okay to have many wives....one says you need to drink wine to worship...one says......you get the picture.

Ive never understood why people feel the need to yammer on about their beliefs in the existential. You figure out what the reality of it is alot quicker if you quit talking...and get away from everyone elses talking, and just listen.

That was geminis other two cents. Good day, sirs.

[Red Giant]

Originally posted by aboutasoandthis

Yes, I would say it was unfair. This is because you cannot possibly know exactly what it is I believe without me telling you. You would have to assume how I practice my religion, how I study the bible, and how I have chosen my denomination.
[/I]

Exactly which denominations don't believe in those things? It also begs a question of definition. I mean, I don't know about you, but I would think that someone who didn't believe in those things couldn't be a christian by definition.

Originally posted by aboutasoandthis

I DO NOT SUPPORT NAZISM IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM.

Well I wasn't really trying to say you did.

Originally posted by aboutasoandthis

With that said, this statement would only work if there was only one denomination of Nazism. Yes you have the rascist people who believe in killing everyone that isn't blonde with blue eyes. You have to remember that until Hitler began practicing these beliefs, Nazism was a Germanic sense of nationalism. Many were in the dark about the party's true practices.

This statement also apply to Neo-Nazism. Would you believe that some sects accept blacks and latin americans, instead directing thier efforts towards illegal immigrants? Would you believe that many Neo-Nazism group members are homosexuals? Would you believe that there are Nazi organizations that accept the Hebrew as whites, based on the evidence supporting that Hitler was himself one?

Really? Which ones?

Originally posted by aboutasoandthis

Let's take that same statement and replace Christian with nazi.

I can only assume you did this purely for entertainment.

Originally posted by aboutasoandthis

You cannot assume you know everything about a person's beliefs based on a word. There are too many people in the world. There are too many sects in religions. There are too many variances within each church as far as beliefs and interpretations go. With or without the Bible, it's a moral to only judge others based on their character. You're smart enough to know this.

I never claimed I could know everything, just some things. If the words don't communicate anything at all then what would be the point in having them?


EDIT: In that pie chart, I love the way the Chinese Folk outnumber the Jews and Sikhs. tf? Chinese Traditionals? That's believing in effing dragons and **** man. Come on guys, get on the ball.

[aboutasoandthis]

How could a guy I respect this much be this hard-headed?

 Originally Posted by Red Giant

I never claimed I could know everything, just some things.

That's where the problem lies. You cannot assume anything.

If the words don't communicate anything at all then what would be the point in having them?

They're their so you can get to the good stuff like response, action, and character.

I've twice posted that a person should only be judged by their character. Twice you responded. I believe you have a problem with this statement. This realization does not come from what I know of you, but from the fact that you have responded twice. I've judged you on your actions, which is a real sign of character.

So now I am going to ask you. Should a person be judged by anything other than his or her character?

[Grandy]

Originally posted by aboutasoandthis

 Originally Posted by Moosetroop11

What's your definition of 'most'?

Googled.
According to and ARIS report in 2000 and posted on this website, 33% of people in the known world are Christians. If you consider that the Christian God, Allah, and Yahweh are the same entity, 52.8% in the know world believe in God.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm

If you would like a more recent report made in 2005, or a bigger pie chart.
http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html[/B]

 Because there never was a period in time when the majority of people were wrong and the minority was right.

 o wait