Originally posted by googlefudgeWhat about people who say "I just don't know what to believe", or who say "I do not believe in God, but I also do not NOT believe in God, either." They truly feel "on the fence" and feel they could go either way.
No. you can be an agnostic theist, if you believe a god or gods exist but don't claim to know
that a god or gods exist.
Generally speaking however people who choose to identify as an agnostic lack a belief in god/s and
are therefore by definition not theists [people who believe in god/s] and the label for people who are
not-theists is atheist.
Quite why DT can't grasp this eludes me.
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Originally posted by SuzianneIf you do not know what to believe [with respect to the question of the existence of god/s] then
What about people who say "I just don't know what to believe", or who say "I do not believe in God, but I also do not NOT believe in God, either." They truly feel "on the fence" and feel they could go either way.
you evidently do not currently hold the belief that god or gods exist.
As such you are not currently a theist, [a person who holds the belief that god or gods exist].
Thus you are currently an a-theist [somebody who is not a theist].
There are three positions you can have with respect to the question of belief of a proposition.
1) You can believe the proposition is true.
2) You can lack a belief either way.
3) You can belief the proposition is false.
If your answer is no: 1 with respect to the question "do you believe a god or gods exist?" then you are a theist.
All other positions are not theistic, and are thus atheistic.
Being an atheist does not require or imply that you be certain or convinced of anything.
It does not require or imply that you are closed minded or not seeking to find out the answer.
It does not require or imply that you believe that god/s don't exist.
ALL it means is that you currently lack a belief in the existence of god/s.
Originally posted by googlefudgeI still have the ability to change my mind, but at this point in time, I choose not to, just as you do.
DT is asking about the ability to change your mind [which is necessary for 'free will'] as
opposed to the advisedness of changing your mind.
If it's not possible for you [or Hinds, or anyone else] to change your minds then you do not have free will.
This is true even if you had free will at some point in the past.
Originally posted by SuzianneAs we gain more accurate (read Bible) knowledge, we are able to make a decision as to whether God exists and and also that He cares for us.
What about people who say "I just don't know what to believe", or who say "I do not believe in God, but I also do not NOT believe in God, either." They truly feel "on the fence" and feel they could go either way.
There are two theological lines of thought on the " Sons of God" reference in Genesis 6 and in other places where this term is used it is in reference to angels but some believe the sons of God reference is in reference to the sons of Seth but in the context of Genesis 6 it doesn't make sense.
Manny
Originally posted by menace71Yes, on page 3, I made reference to a Pastor that gives a sermon about the age of the earth and he has that view of the sons of God. Here is a reprint of that post:
There are two theological lines of thought on the " Sons of God" reference in Genesis 6 and in other places where this term is used it is in reference to angels but some believe the sons of God reference is in reference to the sons of Seth but in the context of Genesis 6 it doesn't make sense.
Manny
Originally posted by RJHinds
A Pastor adds the years from the first man until today to show the earth and man are about 6,250 years old.
He also believes that the Nephilim giants are not the children of the union of angels and humans, and that the meaning of the "sons of God" taking wives of the "daughters of men" only means that the descendants of Adam that still believed in God took wives from the daughters of the men that did not believe in God. He gives good arguments for these beliefs.
Of course, he also does not believe in the Gap theory that says there may be millions or billions of years between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.
