Why is God always referred to as 'He'...

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
its just nonsense Andrew, look, this forum is for spirituality, will you contribute
something to that for once, i dont care what it is, ideas of flying tea cups, tooth fairies
etc are old and hackneyed, give it up for goodness sake or post it in general. So what
if you think its irrational, so what if it cannot be proven? The teaching of Chri ...[text shortened]... oven that there is a God or not, why you fail to grasp this
simple premise is quite beyond me.

“...The teaching of Christianity EXISTS and is knowable and applicable irrespective of whether you think it irrational or ...” (my emphasis)

now you are going completely off track.
I OBVIOUSLY was NOT talking about the belief that “Christianity EXISTS” etc is a irrational belief. Christianity EXISTS. I believe that Christianity EXISTS. There is EVIDENCE that Christianity EXISTS so it is not an irrational belief.
What I was CLEARLY talking about is the belief that a teacup is orbiting Mars is an irrational belief and the belief that there is a god is irrational FOR THE SAME REASON i.e. no evidence for the existence of either.

Reminder of my quote:

“...
and you and I cannot prove there is no teacup orbiting Mars and that doesn't change the fact that the belief that a teacup is orbiting Mars is an irrational belief and irrational because there is no evidence (let alone proof) for such a thing existing.
-the belief that there is a god is an irrational belief for exactly the same reason. ...”

where did I say/imply there that Christianity does not exist?


“...why you fail to grasp this
simple premise is quite beyond me. ...”

I believe that Christianity exists -is that the thing that is "beyond" you?

Originally posted by Andrew Hamilton
“...The teaching of Christianity EXISTS and is knowable and applicable irrespective of whether you think it irrational or ...” (my emphasis)

now you are going completely off track.
I OBVIOUSLY was NOT talking about the belief that “Christianity EXISTS” etc is a irrational belief. Christianity EXISTS. I believe that Christianity EXISTS. There ...[text shortened]... eyond me. ...”

I believe that Christianity exists -is that the thing that is "beyond" you?

Is Robbie erecting castles made of straw again?

Originally posted by Andrew Hamilton
“...The teaching of Christianity EXISTS and is knowable and applicable irrespective of whether you think it irrational or ...” (my emphasis)

now you are going completely off track.
I OBVIOUSLY was NOT talking about the belief that “Christianity EXISTS” etc is a irrational belief. Christianity EXISTS. I believe that Christianity EXISTS. There ...[text shortened]... eyond me. ...”

I believe that Christianity exists -is that the thing that is "beyond" you?

well why are you obsessed with that which does not exist!

Originally posted by Proper Knob
Is Robbie erecting castles made of straw again?

i look forward to seeing my atheist friends at the Kingdom Hall tomorrow, Sunday
evening, after sundown for the great memorial of Christs death, shirt and tie if you
can, dont be late! Ive told the brothers in Manchester to expect you dear Noobster. 😉

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
i look forward to seeing my atheist friends at the Kingdom Hall tomorrow, Sunday
evening, after sundown for the great memorial of Christs death, shirt and tie if you
can, dont be late! Ive told the brothers in Manchester to expect you dear Noobster. 😉

I'm washing my hair.

Originally posted by Proper Knob
I'm washing my hair.

LOL, very funny, that should take like all of three minutes! 😉

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
LOL, very funny, that should take like all of three minutes! 😉

With my shaved head more like 1 min.

I won't be partaking in the festivities at my local Kingdom Hall, it will just encourage them, and besides i can think of a plethora of activities to be getting on with instead.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
is not the atheist also a man? or a women? are they not also born with an innate
sense of justice? and are they not incensed when it is transgressed by some mean
act? Are they not also endowed with a conscience and thus are able to distinguish
between right and wrong? Do they not also thrive upon love and appreciation, as a
flower does the s ...[text shortened]... s in this
tendency of expression, i think its worth can be evaluated, for what else is there?

Woah(That's how articulate I am) - That was a beautiful piece of writing, worthy of exposure to a greater proportion of the population than on RHP. Here I thought I was a compelling writer...

Now onto the actual subject:
I'm an atheist, but I have several deeply religious friends. Each of them regards God as incomprehensible, and therefore as being neither man nor woman.
That being said, it is my belief that God is always referred to as 'He' because of the patriarchal tendencies that have been there since pretty much the establishment of civilization. In the ancient world one sees the 'father' as being the strongest in the world...this is best demonstrated tangibly as early as the Roman Empire where the Pater familias was the head of the household. It is therefore only logical that a civilization would take the concept of a pater familias and apply it to a newly forged deity.

There is also the element of control I believe. No offense is meant by this, but I believe that Christianity was brought into common use for one reason: control. The very intelligent Roman Emperor Constantine realized that religion is as great a tool as any to manipulate the willing masses, and he took that tool and used it. That being said, you could not have a woman as a 'divine creator', one with ultimate power. Using that model for a deity would not succeed in achieving any control over anyone. Therefore a male it had to be.

Originally posted by Ringwraith
Woah(That's how articulate I am) - That was a beautiful piece of writing, worthy of exposure to a greater proportion of the population than on RHP. Here I thought I was a compelling writer...

Now onto the actual subject:
I'm an atheist, but I have several deeply religious friends. Each of them regards God as incomprehensible, and therefore as being ne ...[text shortened]... y would not succeed in achieving any control over anyone. Therefore a male it had to be.

An "element of control" ?

It's been complete domination for over 5000 years.
Jesus was a hiccup as were some other spirtiual bretheren and sisters, but mainly it's been the males that have had to stand upto male domination for so long.

"Might is Right" is a slogan that has ruled our world for too long. People care less and less about that stuff...

I'd rather die for a decent idea than submit to this crap.

God is not a "He", despite Robbie Carrobies protestations that it is only an analogy to the "Fatherly" aspects of god.
It is ingrained into the christian culture. Very sad really. The women have been here the whole time, by our sides, dying and suffering in silence.

I'm a feminist still. I will be until this is over.

Originally posted by Ringwraith
Woah(That's how articulate I am) - That was a beautiful piece of writing, worthy of exposure to a greater proportion of the population than on RHP. Here I thought I was a compelling writer...

Now onto the actual subject:
I'm an atheist, but I have several deeply religious friends. Each of them regards God as incomprehensible, and therefore as being ne ...[text shortened]... y would not succeed in achieving any control over anyone. Therefore a male it had to be.

well thanks, that was rather unexpected, for its a ragged clown behind, chasing
shadows, normally i dont pay it any mind. As fort Christianity, well, it was way radical,
still is, we get not servitude, but freedom, freedom from all sorts of issues, freedom
from slavish servitude to material things, freedom from political strife, ethnic strife,
nationalism, lots of things, the problem is, that the Christianity that evolved bears
practically no resemblance to that which was practised by the Christ 🙂

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
well why are you obsessed with that which does not exist!

I am not.

I am obsessed with other people's beliefs in things that don't exists because delusional beliefs concern me.
Those beliefs exist.
If those beliefs didn't exist then I wouldn't and couldn't be obsessed with them.

Originally posted by Andrew Hamilton
I am not.

I am obsessed with other people's beliefs in things that don't exists because delusional beliefs concern me.
Those beliefs exist.
If those beliefs didn't exist then I wouldn't and couldn't be obsessed with them.

First of all, you are demonstrating a delusional belief yourself, for you cannot prove
that there is no God? can you? yet you are exhibiting the belief, that there is none,
simply because to you there is no evidence for it. All you can in fact state with any
certainty is that to you it seems improbable and yet here you are harbouring the
belief, that is correct, the belief that there is no God. Does it not strike you as
somewhat ironic? it does to me.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
First of all, you are demonstrating a delusional belief yourself, for you cannot prove
that there is no God? can you? yet you are exhibiting the belief, that there is none,
simply because to you there is no evidence for it. All you can in fact state with any
certainty is that to you it seems improbable and yet here you are harbouring the
be ...[text shortened]... , the belief that there is no God. Does it not strike you as
somewhat ironic? it does to me.

Well you're demonstrating a double delusional belief because on top of your belief in Bible god you also poo poo my faith in middle earth and Gandalf when there is no way for you to prove he didn't exist.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
First of all, you are demonstrating a delusional belief yourself, for you cannot prove
that there is no God? can you? yet you are exhibiting the belief, that there is none,
simply because to you there is no evidence for it. All you can in fact state with any
certainty is that to you it seems improbable and yet here you are harbouring the
be ...[text shortened]... , the belief that there is no God. Does it not strike you as
somewhat ironic? it does to me.

“...you are demonstrating a delusional belief yourself, for you cannot prove
that there is no God? can you? ...”

I have already said again and again that I cannot so that being able to prove that there is no god is NOT my belief just as being able to prove that there is no orbiting Martian teacup is NOT my belief.

“...yet you are exhibiting the belief, that there is none, ...”

that's because I am using the concept of:

1, if there is no evidence that something X exists then, even in the absence of proof of X not existing, it is rational to assume that the probability of X existing is vanishingly small and therefore I would say that there is no X.

If (1) above was not the case then I would say there is a good chance of a teacup orbiting Mars right now or that there is a good chance of there being a tooth fairy or that there is a good chance of there being a god etc.

Do you reject (1) ?
if so, does that mean you believe that there is a good chance of a teacup orbiting Mars right now?
If not, then I am simply using 1, that you cannot disagree with to deduce that there is a vanishingly small chance of there being a god.

“...that there is none, simply because to you there is no evidence for it. ...”

shouldn't that be “no evidence for it not existing” ? If so, that is incorrect. That is NOT the reason why I don't believe there is a god and I have already made that clear. The reason why I don't believe there is a god is because of (1) .

Originally posted by Andrew Hamilton
“...you are demonstrating a delusional belief yourself, for you cannot prove
that there is no God? can you? ...”

I have already said again and again that I cannot so that being able to prove that there is no god is NOT my belief just as being able to prove that there is no orbiting Martian teacup is NOT my belief.

“...yet you are exhibiting e already made that clear. The reason why I don't believe there is a god is because of (1) .

its a belief like any other, unproven and unsubstantiated. You cannot cry about , therefore i suggest you embrace it.