Made in the image of God

@josephw said
Snakes can't talk.

It was Satan talking. "Serpent" is a metaphorical characterization of Satan.

That's all it is regardless of whether you or I or anyone else believes it is a true story or not.

Sure, but isn't there also a talking donkey in the Bible?

Can donkeys talk?

(Numbers 22:21-39)

@indonesia-phil said
That depends, on how deep your question goes. One could argue that it doesn't matter whether there are gods or not, or whether the sun rises tomorrow. In the end nothing matters, but...Within the context of these discussions it matters; Kellyjay says that it was a snake, and that it spoke, so we atheists/agnostics are getting mixed signals from you Christians, who real ...[text shortened]... he resurrection? Either the bible is literal truth or it isn't, you can't have your cake and eat it.

There are so many things that (people) argue over it isn't easy to get the same answer about many things. You see different answers from Christians about many things, even when we speak about Jesus and what He meant while speaking about the exact same words. This is also true everywhere else; give me a topic where everyone agrees; that list would be pretty small if there is one.

@kellyjay said
You see different answers from Christians about many things, even when we speak about Jesus and what He meant while speaking about the exact same words.

It's a realm of unfathomable subjectivity.

@fmf said
It's a realm of unfathomable subjectivity.

It is simple show me how this all started, explain the operating mechanisms rules and then and only then can we say this could not happen. As soon as I accept the spiritual reality the material world rules change, if I only accept the material world it’s no different the rules change. We can not explain everything by the material world we don’t even need to deal with the supernatural to see that alone comes up short.

@kellyjay said
It is simple show me how this all started, explain the operating mechanisms rules and then and only then can we say this could not happen.

You don't know either. You filling that 'gap' in your knowledge [and mine] with supernatural folklore ~ and stuff like belief in your own immortality ~ is just a huge pile of enormously subjective personal opinions and hopes.

@kellyjay said
We can not explain everything by the material world we don’t even need to deal with the supernatural to see that alone comes up short.

KellyJay says [my paraphrasing]: We cannot explain everything so... leap > leap > leap > leap > leap > unforgiven non-believers like FMF are going to be tortured forever after they die.

@fmf said
You don't know either. You filling that 'gap' in your knowledge [and mine] with supernatural folklore ~ and stuff like belief in your own immortality ~ is just a huge pile of enormously subjective personal opinions and hopes.

Our knowledge creates as many questions as the unknown.

@kellyjay said
Our knowledge creates as many questions as the unknown.

I don't have any difficulty acknowledging what we do and don't know and that there are things that are unknown to us. You, meanwhile, fill as many gaps as you can with stuff like human immortality, YEC theories and divine torture.

@ghost-of-a-duke said
Sure, but isn't there also a talking donkey in the Bible?

Can donkeys talk?

(Numbers 22:21-39)

If cats can talk, donkeys can talk. Case closed.

@fmf said
I don't have any difficulty acknowledging what we do and don't know and that there are things that are unknown to us. You, meanwhile, fill as many gaps as you can with stuff like human immortality, YEC theories and divine torture.

There are lots of gaps and the only thing we can look at are what we see in the here and now. I am not sure what gap you think anyone can fill with a prediction about future events. Where we have common ground is what we are living with and in.

Still waiting on a meta-narrative that we can look at to see for some alternative explanations.

@kellyjay said
There are lots of gaps and the only thing we can look at are what we see in the here and now. I am not sure what gap you think anyone can fill with a prediction about future events. Where we have common ground is what we are living with and in.

Still waiting on a meta-narrative that we can look at to see for some alternative explanations.

Pat Conroy: "Story is sacred." And the older I get, the more I agree.

@kellyjay said
Our knowledge creates as many questions as the unknown.

And yet you don't question what you think you know; you accept the bible, with all of its' supernatural talking snakes, and however it flies in the face of that which we do now know, (which wasn't known or even dreamed of when the bible was written) and you present it to us as 'the truth.'
'I believe something therefore it must be true', doesn't cut any intellectual mustard, and is in direct contradiction with your quoted attempt at deeply meaningful philosophy.