Have you converted/deconverted anybody?

Paul Dirac II View Profile

Spirituality

26 Feb '13 03:19

Kepler
Demon Duck
of Doom!
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26 Feb '13 13:19
Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
The life of all other species is "in their blood", which means finite existence which terminates with physical death. -

What about those species that do not have blood?
OdBod
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26 Feb '13 13:42
Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
[b]"I realized that there were questions about a Bible-based belief system that I could not get satisfying answers to from anybody in the church."

May I ask for a summary of those questions?
-[/b]
If god is omnipotent and all knowing he must have known he was creating evil and exactly what we are going to do. Where is free will in this and why are we responsible for our bad design?
sonhouse
Fast and Curious
slatington, pa, usa
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26 Feb '13 15:271 edit
Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
The essence of what it is to be a human being; that distinction which differentiates us from all other species. Hunger, thirst, copulation, safety, self preservation we share with the pyramidal food chain creatures in the jungle. Only human beings are defined as having an immortal soul. The life of all other species is "in their blood", which means fini essation forever. Gives one pause, doesn't it? (thanks for the chat... time for a nap)
-
I think the soul idea is just a man made construct, wishful thinking on a grand scale.

Religious folk mainly think humans only have souls, animals not.

They also think of themselves as WAY higher on the chain of life than animals with no backing for that other than we have hands and can make fire.

Dolphins might be as intelligent as humans but the lack of hands and living in water pretty much closes off any possibility for them making fire but they might even have a spiritual side but until we can communicate with them in a more meaningful way than fetch that ball, we won't know for sure.

It is clear to me, if we actually have souls then the entire religious concept may be valid. The thing for me is a highly doubt such an attribute exists in humans or any other life form on THIS planet. (If we have souls we would have supernatural attributes by definition).

I have never decoverted anyone but myself where I was also raised in a religious environment, but I was very lucky in that I was baptized Lutheran but my Pentacostal grandmother swore I would be damned and go to hell forever if I wasn't baptized in the pentacostal way (total dunking Vs the sprinkling thing of Catholics and Lutherans and other christian faiths). That event caused me to wake up to the fact the entire christian thing was man made and that one event showed me the light and I am eternally grateful to my grandmother for setting me on the right path.
Paul Dirac II
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26 Feb '13 17:29
Originally posted by Paul Dirac II
For that matter, who do individual Christians buy insurance?
To correct my typographical error, I meant:

For that matter, WHY do individual Christians buy insurance?
RBHILL
Acts 13:48
California
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26 Feb '13 17:36
Originally posted by Paul Dirac II
To correct my typographical error, I meant:

For that matter, WHY do individual Christians buy insurance?
What all insurance?

Car insurance is the law in most states in the US.
Zamboner
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26 Feb '13 18:12
I once got a Jesus Freak stoned for the first time in his life in high school. After that he couldn't get enough of the sweet sensimilla, so in that sense I guess I have.
Paul Dirac II
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26 Feb '13 18:17
Originally posted by RBHILL
What all insurance?

Car insurance is the law in most states in the US.
What about health insurance?

Have you prayed that your state legislature will change the law so that Believers are not required to have car insurance?
divegeester
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26 Feb '13 18:281 edit
Originally posted by Paul Dirac II
Why does the church pay for insurance? Why not instead pray that the church property will be kept safe by the Lord?

For that matter, who do individual Christians buy insurance?

Why do modern Christians so often choose the medical approach to healing, rather than having members of the church lay hands on them and pray for supernatural healing?

...[text shortened]... ll can live healthier lives, will God remove mercury from the food chain?

I’m off to bed now.
As I suspected and postulated in my earlier post, you have been looking for and found some reasons not to believe.

Well actually you haven't have you? What you have actually developed over time, is a list of justifications which support your conscience in choosing to enter from belief into unbelief. It is as good a list as I've seen - seriously.

Here are some other items to consider:

You are very likely a much nicer person than I am.

I am a shoddy back-slidden toe-rag of a Christian who persecutes JWs

I agree with every question you listed in your 2 posts as being legitimate issues that require answers or explanations

And yet despite my agreeing with your list of reasons not to believe and me being a lightweight running Jonah who is spiritually good for nothing, I will stand and acknowledge Jesus Christ as my savior in the face of the slavering atheist douchbags who frequent this forum and you will not - why?

That is the question you should be considering buddy.
Proper Knob
Cornovii
North of the Tamar
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26 Feb '13 19:12
Originally posted by divegeester
As I suspected and postulated in my earlier post, you have been looking for and found some reasons not to believe.

Well actually you haven't have you? What you have actually developed over time, is a list of justifications which support your conscience in choosing to enter from belief into unbelief. It is as good a list as I've seen - seriously.

...[text shortened]... nt this forum and you will not - why?

That is the question you should be considering buddy.
I will stand and acknowledge Jesus Christ as my savior in the face of the slavering atheist douchbags who frequent this forum and you will not - why?

Because after careful consideration he's come to the realisation that it's all just a load of tosh?
Grampy Bobby
Boston Lad
USA
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26 Feb '13 19:271 edit
Originally posted by sonhouse

I think the soul idea is just a man made construct, wishful thinking on a grand scale.

Religious folk mainly think humans only have souls, animals not.

They also think of themselves as WAY higher on the chain of life than animals with no backing for that other than we have hands and can make fire.

Dolphins might be as intelligent as humans howed me the light and I am eternally grateful to my grandmother for setting me on the right path.
Hey, (sh), have you ever imagined or seen or read about any domestic or zoo habitat or jungle creatures which thought or spoke or wrote or typed words and sentence and paragraphs and pamphlets and books and blogs and tweets about scientific and philosophical considerations or spirituality issues and speculations about life beyond the grave? Though humorous, the reply is neither facetitous nor frivolous. (gb)
divegeester
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26 Feb '13 19:411 edit
Originally posted by Proper Knob
[b]I will stand and acknowledge Jesus Christ as my savior in the face of the slavering atheist douchbags who frequent this forum and you will not - why?

Because after careful consideration he's come to the realisation that it's all just a load of tosh?[/b]
That may be your experience; try not extrapolate it to everyone here.
Paul Dirac II
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26 Feb '13 21:433 edits
Originally posted by divegeester
I will stand and acknowledge Jesus Christ as my savior in the face of the slavering atheist douchbags who frequent this forum and you will not - why?
To narrow it down to just one reason for current purposes, here is one:

>>==>>::::>>Because your Holy Trinity is just as silent to you as Allah is to Muslims and Zeus was to Romans<<::::<<==<<

You will hear some Christians quote scripture to show why God accepts females being head pastors of churches. You will hear other Christians quote scripture to show why God does NOT accept females being head pastors of churches.

Now you can ask God to speak the correct answer to this issue into your head, but you will find that He remains silent. Why would any decent deity not want you to understand His written instructions?

(If you say that in fact He did speak the answer to you, then you violate the passage of scripture that says God is no respecter of persons. In my teens I asked Him to give me the answer, since I was hearing both sides of this issue from people in my own congregation when a woman was up for election as our pastor, and He did not speak to me. If He speaks an answer to you and not to me, He IS a respecter of persons, and the Bible is in error.)
Proper Knob
Cornovii
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26 Feb '13 21:58
Originally posted by divegeester
That may be your experience; try not extrapolate it to everyone here.
I'm not extrapolating it to everyone, merely throwing my opinion into the mix.
RJHinds
The Near Genius
Fort Gordon
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26 Feb '13 22:25
Originally posted by Paul Dirac II
To narrow it down to just one reason for current purposes, here is one:

>>==>>::::>>Because your Holy Trinity is just as silent to you as Allah is to Muslims and Zeus was to Romans<<::::<<==<<

You will hear some Christians quote scripture to show why God accepts females being head pastors of churches. You will hear other Christians quote scriptur ...[text shortened]... speaks an answer to you and not to me, He IS a respecter of persons, and the Bible is in error.)
How did you vote?
Paul Dirac II
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26 Feb '13 23:42
Originally posted by RJHinds
How did you vote?
I abstained because I didn't know what was the correct Biblical policy on a female pastor.

The 'yes' vote won.