All Activity

Ask Mike and Oldiesman what they think now. And Allan! You're still here? Aren't you Christian?

Yeah Allan, I see your point. The same talk some accused others of, they are actually doing it. I don't let it bother me anymore. Just ignore it best you can.

Yes. I probably gave it away with "The Hitcher" didn't I, made it too easy?

Eight minutes later, and 39 hours. What cost actor Roddy McDowall a Best Supporting actor Oscar for his performance as Octavian in the 1963 Epic film "Cleopatra"?

A bit rich coming from a 'moderator' to say people ridiculing, mocking, attacking other posters will not be tolerated...what a joke ! I think of Oldsman, Mike and others who have been pilloried to the post office and back...this forum does indeed seem to be becoming as 'one eyed' and 'clicky' as twi ever was...just saying...

Yes, in the same state capital city that doesn't have a McDonald's, or a Burger King for that matter. Population around 7,500. Interesting note. Vermont has the most fast foods restaurants of any state in the U.S.. I should pack up and move there, it sounds like a nice place to live.

Not only so, but recognition thereof was an important development in my (still extremely limited) understanding of spirituality in general. IOW, recognizing experiences we, while in twi, exclusively labeled as miracles due to God honoring our faithfulness, were NOT in fact limited to a certain parochial group of fundamentalist Wierwillites was a BFD for me. God makes the rain to fall on the believers and unbelievers... or some such similar expression.

"Did Abraham actually sacrifice his son Isaac in the earliest versions of the story we find in Genesis 22?" This is the question Dan McClellan asks at the start of this fascinating 3 minute video. Apparently, according to ancient and medieval Jewish scholars, the answer is YES. And textual evidence points to a story changed over the centuries to hide the infanticide. McClellan is scholar of the Bible and a believer. He hosts the podcast Data Over Dogma. This is his latest upload. So timely for what we've been discussing. A miracle!

Montpellier, Vermont

Guilty. Sometimes. I get annoyed when we leave the topic and make it about people. It's also bothersome when there's, to put it politely, a reading comprehension issue. Over the last few days I've nearly bitten my tongue clean off over distortions of my posts that could be resolved in nanoseconds with just a single working brain cell. The doctrinal section, the entire Matters of Faith section, is NOT a "Christians only" safe space, nor is it a "Christian hunting season is open" space. Some people just can't handle the fact that atheists post here and that Christianity gets no special treatment [even in light of an entire subsection where Christianity gets special treatment]. NOTE: CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM OF MY POSTING IS WELCOME HERE. PLEASE DM IF YOU WANT TO DISCUSS MY MODERATING.

Thank you. And likewise. I think what I was trying to get at was that I no longer consider praying to be doing something about a situation. Whether someone does the right thing because they feel moved by God or because they feel no One else is coming to the rescue, the right thing gets done. I rejoice in that.

Dover, Delaware? George

The article you cited has a section called "Skeptical Explanations" that appears to answer your question quite neatly without any help from me.

YW and thanks. So here's a question you may have already answered, but perhaps you may want to expound more for the readers understanding. The below link has been described as a "miracle". But what is the non-spiritual explanation? I will admit, I do believe it was a miracle and can't honestly see it any other way at this point. Thx. Miracle of the Sun - Wikipedia

Raf, I think you give because of YOU not because you no longer believe in spiritual things. (my opinion). Your heart and soul. I volunteer to do stuff too, among them, give blood and platelets, not because I believe in the spiritual realm but because I can see it does help save lives. I still do pray when I do this though.

Nope. Not that narrow.

Emotional insecurity or immaturity perhaps.

This thread actually STARTED as a self-policing "when is it rude for an atheist to bring up atheism when we're having doctrinal discussions?" At least that was the intent. And I think we reached a consensus that there are very limited circumstances in which it is polite and on topic. For example, if we're talking about whether the Trinity is Biblically accurate, it might be best to back off. Maybe point to a couple of contradictory verses and say you don't see a way to resolve them without doing damage to one or the other. But for the most part "Jesus Christ is not God because there is no God he was at most a troublemaking itinerant preacher with a massive ego" is not a viewpoint that is either welcome or polite. However, if we're talking about the historical development of the Trinity doctrine, your Christianity or atheism is largely irrelevant. Facts is facts. Sometimes revealing yourself as an atheist [or reminding people] is a constructive way of demonstrating a lack of bias. Do Christians need to tithe? Studied that one back and forth. And I can honestly say I have no dog in the fight. No, Christians do not need to tithe. That is the Biblical answer. And it is as close to ironclad as you're going to get. The Biblical God doesn't expect a tithe from Christians, never asks for one. He DOES, however, expect generous giving, commensurate with your faith, your understanding, your love, your outward devotion to speaking the Word, and your commitment. If that says 10 percent to you, give it. If it says 8, fine. Maybe it says 25. OK. But it's on you. There's no floor, and the ceiling is only 100 percent because math. All of which is to say, for the wondering atheist, is READ THE ROOM. More later.

I was going to start a new thread when I checked and found this one of Raf's which is along the line of what I had been thinking. If I'm getting off topic though of the original reason for this thread, just let me know. Seth Andrews has a YouTube channel called The Thinking Atheist where he usually takes calls. I listened to one recently where he talks for quite a while about finally having had enough of family members trying to get him to change his beliefs back to being a Christian. After years of telling them he's done discussing this with them, he recently received an article about there being fewer atheists because evolution is being proven to be wrong. He was in a fighting mood for the first part of that video - quite interesting what he had to say. Anyway, Andrews has had his share of aggressive Christians calling in or making comments on his videos. I myself have no family members who still believe in God, so this has not been an issue for me since I deconverted. But, I'm interested in what insight others might have as to why some Christians become frustrated, angry or uncivil with atheists. And since this is not a one-way street, I'd like to hear the reverse side as well - why atheists might become frustrated, angry or uncivil with Christians. (I heard John Loftus admit that he has become more jaded over the years when responding to apologists.)

Right, but he welcomed all comments. Taoists and Buddhists are atheists. Beleef is not part of these traditions as I understand them.

Ah yes, the Disclaimer. An atheist is someone who does not believe in God or gods. That's it. You can be atheist and still believe in ghosts, spirits, astrology, crystals, reincarnation, past life regression, witchcraft, chiropractic, bitcoin and the comedic genius of Rob Schneider. You just can't believe in gods. Now, context is critical, because most of the time atheists will have chucked it all out: There is no baby. It's all bathwater. But you can't guarantee that. The only thing you know about any atheist is that he or she does not believe in gods. That said, oldiesman's question was aimed at me and therefore properly worded for my sake. But if anyone else were to read it, the response might be different.

Atheists are not precluded from an experience or conscious awareness of the transcendent, the mystical, the “spiritual.” Nor are they precluded from “a walk endowed with power from on high.” I use these terms and phrases for convenience, in spite of their insufficiency.

This thread is now unlocked and the original post and one reply have been restored. You all are welcome to continue provided comments stay within the rules for GSC.

Reposting the "Questioning Faith" forum rules, which apparently require a reminder. Emphases added.