IT WORKS FOR ME
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Faith in Jesus works for me - it's exciting. I love the Bible and believe all of it - though there is mystery. There is mystery everywhere though, right? I am a incredibly happy believer in Jesus. I'm not a theologian, I just believe in Jesus.
I understand you can't make anybody believe in Jesus and the Bible, and I don't personally try to do that. But I highly recommend it from my experience with it. I can't get enough of the Bible or Jesus. I can't imagine trying to navigate through life without it at this point in my life.
I don't think Jesus or God is a thing you can prove to somebody. I heard about it a large percentage of my life and it didn't mean anything to me until a certain point - then that all changed.
So do you guys think that I'm fooling myself, not really happy, you don't believe me, or do you really think I can't be as happy or enlightened as you - are you evangelistic in that sense or what? What is the purpose of this site? Do you have something better to offer? If so, what is your gospel?
In fact I believe you so much I encourage you to go join you jesus and his daddy in the happily life ever lasting as soon as possible. With your glee and adherence why haven't you committed suicide already?
Peace be with you brother, only god knows that you realy need a piece. Dilentin by your choice of words: take your meds and irritate us in the morrow; if you could be so religiously kind.
jeffrick
I know you're fooling yourself.
But I don't care.
I do care, however, that you so-called Christians want to make your faith into public policy. Keep your faith to yourselves and you can waste your time praying and reading a 2000 year old piece of very badly written fiction all you like with no interference from me at all.
But try to take away my rights based on your make-believe religious morality and I will stand up for myself. And don't tell me "but, I'm not taking away your rights" because if you stand by and allow other Christians to make war on my right to live by my will, then you are guilty of a sin of omission.
Next time, I suggest you take the time to read a forum before you post in it, because every idiot jackass of a theist that has ever marched in here has asked the exact same questions and gotten the exact same answers. It's not my fault you can't be arsed to do some reading on your own.
We are afraid of the known and afraid of the unknown. That is our daily life and in that there is no hope, and therefore every form of philosophy, every form of theological concept, is merely an escape from the actual reality of what is. All outward forms of change brought about by wars, revolutions, reformations, laws and ideologies have failed completely to change the basic nature of man and therefore of society. - Thomas Jefferson
Is "believe in Jesus" a euphemism for "shoot heroine?"
Translation: "I understand you can't make anybody shoot heroine, and I don't personally try to do that. But I highly recommend it from my experience with it. I can't get enough of shooting heroine. I can't imagine trying to navigate through life without it at this point in my life."
Interesting...
COME TO THE DARK SIDE -- WE HAVE COOKIES
I have to ask - do you believe by your choice or as a result of the indoctrination tha happend through that large percentage of your life?
If you're happy with the Jesus, great. Just let me be happy without him. OK?
The journey is often worth more than the destination.
COGITO ERGO DOLEO
Rest in peace HeyZeusCreaseToe
Good for you, I however have never needed your god or your jesus, makes no sense to me to waste time praying and worshipping some non existing deity. As for the mystery there is simply what we do not know.....yet.
I cannot imagine my life wasted with worshipping some non existant being or praying or being excited about imaginary beings, I just can't see the appeal, then again it could be because I view life for what it is and I am happy with that.
Which is the problem with this WHOLE thing, jesus came to earth, supposedly via a virgin birth (which the term used in hebrew is mean't as young woman not literally a virgin) and didn't leave any evidence except the second hand stories of other people. God created this universe and everything in it, but left no evidence at all, find it hard that this all powerful being leaves no evidence of it's existance except through blind faith.
No I think you truely do believe in it, even though you have ZERO concrete evidence that this being exists outside of the bible. Personally I do not care if you are happy or happier than more, or more enlightened or less enlightened than me, I will continue to live my life as I see it, as a one shot, not as a test to pass or fail. This is it, this is the only life you will have, how you wish to live it is up to you. The only thing I can offer is reality.
I hate the quote function, I can never get it right.
[mod edit: fixed quote function.
]
If you say you're happy, I have no basis to question that; but it has little to do with the veracity of your beliefs. One of the fundamental differences in our thinking appears to be your satisfaction, if not comfort, in there being mysteries. As though there were this kernel of something that would be destroyed by scrutiny. I think it's because if faith were to be articulated, we would find that at its heart it is ultimately an assertion which we can't satisfactorily justify. And when we frame it this way, as we frame almost everything else in our lives, it feels threatening to our happiness and well-being. Is this good or bad for us? I don't know. My way of thinking is that the more mysteries I unravel the more I can justify what I believe in, because I can explain things. What I'm left with is a much more robust philosophy that I don't have to guard under the auspices of "mystery."
Can't get enough? Perhaps you'd be interested in this, from Adrian Barnett...
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http://www.youtube.com/user/VETSAGAINSTMCCAIN
http://therealmccain.com/
Why is Fonzie's avatar a picture of a woman fellatiating a pot of some kind?
This is obscene. I really wish that I was the pot though.
Faced with the pain of freedom, man begs for his shackles.
-Gerry Spence
Hi Fonzie, guess what, okay, I'll tell ya .... I am jesus .... yup, me, no shit .... and so are YOU. Me and jesus and god are one in the same, inseparatable .... just as me and buddha too, ETC ..... as ALL is ONE, as me and you, and the dirt, as all is star dust.
YOU ARE GOD
Looks like The Fonz was just another drive-by drooling.
Ayyyy!
What WE think isn't as important as what you think.
I gather that you believe because it makes you feel good in some ways. Can you tell me any ways in which believing in jesus makes you feel bad? Is it always 100% good?
You're exemplifying the purpose of this site. We're here to ask and answer questions too. What were any preconceptions of yours when you were directed here?
Hmmm. I am my gospel, I suppose. I fancy myself to be much more reliable than a book as far as human interactions go.
My questions are: What do you want? Why do you feel that we can 'offer' you something that you could not get by your own hand or mind?
"Preachers and prostitutes earn their money on bended knee using mouth and hands. I much prefer the company of the latter." - Me
Don't take this the wrong way, but everything here is about you. Very self centred argument, when god is supposed to promote selflessness. What about those around you? Has your faith ever hurt someone else? If it has, then you have no justification for keeping it.
My experience with religion tells me to run from it or attack it(depending on the circumstances), and offer that advice to anyone who comes near it.
It's good you think that, but in fact you should know it. Only god could prove god. And only a better recorded history could prove or disprove a jesus. What we have is enough to suggest the possibility, yet demean the possibility with gaps and theory.
A great many people who are theists are happy, I'm sure. As long as their happiness does not require the suffering of others, I have no problem with you staying religious. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.
What could be better than religion? Reality. Finding your own path has many rewards over a path forced upon or merely given to you. Figuring out things for yourself, instead of assuming that ancient stories have life figured out. Acknowledging that there is only one god in every persons life, and that god is themselves. Noone can make you do anything except yourself. There is always a choice. That makes you the ultimate power of yourself. You are your own god.
Proud Canadian, Enlightened Atheist, & Gaming God.
How good for you!
I'm truly sorry to hear that.
For what it's worth, we don't have a gospel - what "we" offer is freedom from it! Freedom of thought, freedom to think for yourself without having to resort to the opinions of dead, ancient shepherds. Oh, and guess what? I'm happy too, and wouldn't want to switch shoes with you even if my life so depended on it.
Ni dieu ni maître!
Glad to hear that the love juice has you happy. Are you counting the days to the rapture . . . till god comes down and brings you up to heaven to live forever? Ahhhh, the more love juice there is running through the veins, the more bliss in your life. Enjoy it. Allah loves you.
god -- I tried you on for size.... you were a little long in the crotch, loose in the waist, short in the length and you made my butt look extra flat. I had to take you back for an exchange.
And looks like he ain't returnin'....
Stop.
Don't.
Come back.
[ \the unenthusiastic Gene Wilder Willy Wonka voice ]
And yet we sit here wondering why we're in the minority.
"Preachers and prostitutes earn their money on bended knee using mouth and hands. I much prefer the company of the latter." - Me
you wouldn't be frequenting this forum. But I guess you mean that you only care about yourself and this theist's views are of no worth to you.
I find it alarming and certainly tiresome that the atheists on this forum that rant and rave about theism and its infringements on liberties, etc. are equally intolerant and overbearing as the religious zealots they deride. The discussion hardly ever makes it to the stage of the pursuit of truth, of free and fair discussion, but more quickly descends into a tirade of contempt and abuse.
As for checking out the forum before posting, Fonzie should look to himself first. This is the 'Kill 'em with Kindess' forum, is it not? Yet from the first, he spews nothing but derision, contempt and indifference, to put it mildly. If you want to lambaste theists, this forum isn't the place, so take it somewhere else, please. With an apology before you go, if you have any decency. At least be adult enough to admit that your tiresome tirades gain you no brownie points in anyone's books, and only betray the limited capacity of your character and integrity.
But Fonzie is not alone. I find the comments here are in the main of such flavour, which is somewhat depressing. If this is the fundamentalist atheist understanding of kindness, then they really need to take a long, hard look at themselves. Or perhaps, the kindness was only meant to be interpreted as it pertains to oneself? One comes away with the impression that rights and liberties are only valuable when they are one's own. And so we come full circle....
Eh?
Sometimes the only way to slay a dragon is to mimic him. As for discussion achieving a stage of true conversation, obviously you haven't looked around very much. If you had, you would find the scientific, psychological, and mythical information within this forum to be so vast that printing it out would give you a book twice the size of the bible. Any bible.
No, it is not. The "Kill 'em with Kindness" forum has a very distracting red panel reminding forumites of their location.
I wonder if you will apologize for your mistakes as you suggest others apologize for fictional mistakes.
Have you ever heard of the concept of extending respect only to those who also extend respect? Respect goes both ways. It is earned, not given.
Proud Canadian, Enlightened Atheist, & Gaming God.
Vastet, be careful - I don't get the red KEWK banner on Firefox 3. I don't know what you're running but the breadcrumbs at the top say it is the KEWK forum
The journey is often worth more than the destination.
So your assertion that considering theism to be contemptible and voicing that opinion without shame is in any way equally intolerant is utter claptrap.
What makes me shake my head at this little tirade of yours is how completely you missed my point. I have no wish or compulsion to "cure" individuals of their religious delusions. I don't consider it my place or right to do so. It is my right and place as well as duty, however, to defend people's rights. And the religious right movement to impinge those rights is why I'm here, and why my congressmen know me by name, and why my state legislators sigh heavily when they see me in the hallway. I have much reason to care, not only for myself but for every citizen of my country. That includes the theists, who by and large have no idea the trouble they're brewing for themselves when they allow these freedoms to be impinged.
We are afraid of the known and afraid of the unknown. That is our daily life and in that there is no hope, and therefore every form of philosophy, every form of theological concept, is merely an escape from the actual reality of what is. All outward forms of change brought about by wars, revolutions, reformations, laws and ideologies have failed completely to change the basic nature of man and therefore of society. - Thomas Jefferson
"Home"
We are afraid of the known and afraid of the unknown. That is our daily life and in that there is no hope, and therefore every form of philosophy, every form of theological concept, is merely an escape from the actual reality of what is. All outward forms of change brought about by wars, revolutions, reformations, laws and ideologies have failed completely to change the basic nature of man and therefore of society. - Thomas Jefferson