Giving Thanks

You aren't only at odds with fundamentalists - you're at odds with most of Christendom.

With church doctrine, yes. And for good reason...

The message of salvation IMO is for all people, but the gospels were written for a target audience. The passages in john we are discussing clearly show a discussion between Jesus and the disciples... So if you were called to be a disciple of Christ that particular passage speaks directly to you...

1. The full name is Aesop's Fables. Kind of self-explanatory in that regard.

2. People aren't starting wars over The Ant and the Grasshopper.

If everything that happens is God's will, then how can you know that anything in particular is God's will, Maddie?

You just have to have faith that something in particular that happens is God's will, correct? And to have faith that something is God's will is not to have a reasonable, supported belief that it is God's will.

That's fine for some folks, I suppose, but I'd rather believe with evidence or suspend belief altogether if there is no evidence. To do otherwise makes it too easy for one to continue to believe in one's long-held biases and prejudices by thinly disguising such things as "God's will."

@ Navy:

Free will is God given. If you decide to commit suicide or to take treatment for illness, that's part of free will. You're held accountable in free will. Does this make sense?

Listen to all religions and accept what is good in all religions. Because all religions are led by one cosmic force. If you've studied the concepts of different religions like I've had a chance to study Hinduism and Christianity, you'd be amazed at the similarities in what seems to be two diversely different religions. You just need an inner vision and an open mind to absorb that.

Maddie

Dick Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That's fine for some folks, I suppose, but I'd
> rather believe with evidence or suspend belief
> altogether if there is no evidence. To do
> otherwise makes it too easy for one to continue to
> believe in one's long-held biases and prejudices
> by thinly disguising such things as "God's will."

And thus spake Dick showing his bias and prejudice against Christianity

Just needed to prove bias and prejudice are human fallacies - don;t blame Christianity or any religion for that.

Maddie

Maybe I missed it but I don't seem to find the word "Christian" or anything that refers directly to "Christian" in my reply.

Do you think that perhaps you're a bit oversensitive?

(OTOH, I suppose it's easier to write a reply that misstates the truth rather than to answer a couple of uncomfortable questions about your beliefs; so from that perspective your tactic makes sense.)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/2014 10:06AM by Dick.

How's it going, Dick?

Maddie wrote: "You just need an inner vision and an open mind to absorb that."

Perhaps, but not caring much about truth or clear thinking definitely helps in accepting a religious view of reality.