Tell us about your religion

Nmysys wrote: Dmcdd:

I see merit in your answer, and there very well may be Atheists in Heaven. I'm not certain I want to go to heaven. I might have trouble making new friends. JUST KIDDING!!!!

rofllol

There will be others to commiserate the loss of earthly friends... "I told JimBob over and over, I said JimBob, don't diddle with yer neighbor's wife. I know she's a purty redhead and all that, Lord know's she's blessed in her anatomy, but her husband was quick on the trigger and jealous man!"

dmcdd wrote: Personally, I like to believe that I'm going to meet athiests in heaven that decided to do good deeds just for the sake of the smiles generated. Those athiests are going to be very happy they decided to do good rather than evil.

I am for this idea. I don't care who you pray to. It will be the good (or bad) that you do in your life that will get you to your final destination.

Nmysys wrote: Scruffy:

Do you have faith in your reasoning? Faith is exactly that, faith. I imagine that when we die, we will discover whether or not our faith was warranted. If our faith in our God is a reality, we will miss you folks that chose not to have faith. If not, then we will all just be dead and gone. I, for one, choose to have faith in God. No other explanation is necessary, don't think that I am better than anyone else, nor do I try to convince others to feel the way I do.

Bless you!!

Did I sneeze?

I cannot see gravity, but I can prove its existence. I know that a 2x4 will hold so many pounds - I don't need faith to believe that because I can prove it scientifically. I have yet to meet someone who can prove the existence of anything in the spirit world.

Please do not take this the wrong way - I am not intending to insult anyone - It amazes me that people who are rational in every aspect of their lives, from finances to taking engines apart to engineering bridges, can suspend the reasoning part of their mind to believe, for example, that a snake talked a woman into eating an apple that then doomed all of humanity. I have real trouble with that.

I want to clarify -- my strong feelings about this are more on the side of the lay person. We must be responsible to think about what we believe, rather than taking someone elses word for it. All "someone elses" are wrong at times. I am responsible for what I choose to believe.

Scruffy wrote: Please do not take this the wrong way - I am not intending to insult anyone - It amazes me that people who are rational in every aspect of their lives, from finances to taking engines apart to engineering bridges, can suspend the reasoning part of their mind to believe, for example, that a snake talked a woman into eating an apple that then doomed all of humanity. I have real trouble with that.

I do too if taken literally. If taken as an analogy that the knowledge of free will gives us the choice to determine our eventual reward, it makes perfect sense.

The Red sea was a swamp, and Moses knew the way across, the Egyptians tried to take short cuts to catch up. Hence, he "parted" the sea.

Faith can be very rational.

Scruffy, you've really got me thinking!

What about if someone tells you they love you. Do you believe them? If they do lots of nice things for you, that does not necessarily prove "love". It could be they are doing these nice things in their own self-interest.

??

Aspen Leaf Designs wrote: Scruffy, you've really got me thinking!

What about if someone tells you they love you. Do you believe them? If they do lots of nice things for you, that does not necessarily prove "love". It could be they are doing these nice things in their own self-interest.

??

:don'tknow:

Love is an emotion, like anger. It can only be experienced, not proven. Sorry, I don't have an answer for your question. Let me think on it.

dmcdd wrote:

Scruffy wrote: Please do not take this the wrong way - I am not intending to insult anyone - It amazes me that people who are rational in every aspect of their lives, from finances to taking engines apart to engineering bridges, can suspend the reasoning part of their mind to believe, for example, that a snake talked a woman into eating an apple that then doomed all of humanity. I have real trouble with that.

I do too if taken literally. If taken as an analogy that the knowledge of free will gives us the choice to determine our eventual reward, it makes perfect sense.

The Red sea was a swamp, and Moses knew the way across, the Egyptians tried to take short cuts to catch up. Hence, he "parted" the sea.

Faith can be very rational.

But to make it rational, you have to rationalize. You have to insert details that make your rational mind accept the irrational.

There are many who take there faith, and their texts, literally. They believe the miracles that are written. Jesus actually fed the masses with two loaves and five fish. Jonah actually lived in the stomach of a great fish for three days. Moses actually parted a sea, not a swamp. You have to believe that Christ rose from the dead, not that he just woke up from a coma. To believe in miracles, you have to suspend reason. If not, then you have to rationalize and they cease to be miracles.

I only have one concern, your statement

True, but I still maintain that faith is not a rational activity in an otherwise rational world.

Where do you get the, rational world, from?

dmcdd wrote: The Red sea was a swamp, and Moses knew the way across, the Egyptians tried to take short cuts to catch up. Hence, he "parted" the sea.

The red sea could have been parted by an act of nature. Which could also be seen as "Divine Intervention".

http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/wind-possibly-parted-red-sea-100921-0552/

Same thing happens on Lake Erie. Wind causes rise of lake 3 feet in Buffalo and lowering of 3 feet in Toledo on same day.