Datalife wrote on Jan 6
th, 2014 at 12:38am:
Pete Waldo wrote on Jan 5
th, 2014 at 11:58pm:
Datalife wrote on Jan 5
th, 2014 at 9:35pm:
That's some dysfunctional thinking alright.
There's no shortage of intellectuals that set out to reinforce their disbelief, that after honestly considering the evidence that they had specifically avoided in the past, enjoy a life in Jesus Christ today.
"Randall Niles was the definitive skeptic, critic, and cynic. Forged in the fires of Georgetown, Oxford, and Berkeley, Randall's peers knew him as a "practicing atheist." Then, in what seemed to be overnight, people witnessed a dramatic shift in his life. Go on a journey with Randall as he poses questions, explores assumptions, and challenges his long-held preconceptions about life, purpose, and meaning."
allaboutthejourney.org
I have no doubt about that at all. I am absolutely sure people genuinely feel the rapture and the presence of god. I also think that we as a species have a unique sense of wonder that in turn has set in train an exploratory and experimental instinct that has made us a successful species second only to beetles and bacteria.
And I am not denigrating religion, I do not decry its effects on individuals but I am alive to the fact that it has a power that is not always beneficial.
Sadly that is true of
religion, and conveniently so, for those who wish to run and hide from God, by judging such as the Roman Church murder of Jews, Muslims, AND CHRISTIANS as representing the Gospel, rather than turning to the Gospel to judge the specifically UNChristian behavior of men. Which if you did, would recognize that the world wouldn't be a half bad place if everyone followed Christian's most important commandments:
Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments [is], Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment. 31 And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, [even] in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Which is how you can easily estimate whether a person is a Christian or a - often self-deluded - poser.
John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
It isn't too difficult to judge by the fruit, as evidenced all around the world, as to what the world might otherwise be like:
Repairing the disfigured and broken.
mercyships.org
youtube.com/watch?v=mc6qWJIm5II
Feeding and caring for children.
compassion.com
Freeing Islam's slaves in Africa.
youtube.com/watch?v=l1j8D1j9mEc
Helping in disasters and helping to rehabilitate the homeless and get the broken back on their feet.
salvationarmyusa.org
Datalife wrote on Jan 6
th, 2014 at 12:38am:
One day I may have a brain fart or bleed in a part of my brain and like yourself, see the light and feel the urge to proselytism.
Until that happens I consider anyone who attempts to engage debate with quotes from ancient religious texts or references to gods as brain damaged.
Like Isaac Newton for example.
As a 4%er (at least in the U.S.)
how many years, months, days, hours, or minutes, have you spent in the study of scripture, related archaeology, and such as fulfilled Bible prophecy,
from which you have drawn your conclusions?islamandthetruth.com/bible_prophecy.htm
zionismchristian.com/zionism_in_christianity.htm
Datalife wrote on Jan 6
th, 2014 at 12:38am:
Which is not to say you are dumb or stupid, there are many brilliant people who believe in your particular god, lots of other brilliant people believe in other gods.
More like your god spot has been tickled and you have no control over sounding like a zealot. I hope for myself I don't blow that fuse and end up sounding like you. but then if I did, I would never know any thing different.
Bit like the Borg really.