Why Christians Don't Understand Non-Christians

ArGee | 1/3/01 | ArGee

[OWK]

You are an intelligent person, but you often post as someone who would rather not have knowledge.

On the contrary.

It is knowledge that I seek.

Not speculation, not faith, not testimony, not evidence of things hoped for..... but knowledge.

Faith and knowledge are by definition mutually exclusive.

If a premise is to be held on faith, it must be held in the absence of knowledge.

When knowledge is acquired to substantiate the premise, it ceases to be held on faith.

[stuartcr]

I have no idea why we are here, and I'm not going to spend my few years here on earth trying to figure out something that I probably wouldn't understand anyway.

[SupplySider]

Let's be honest. The correct analogy, for the literalists, would that after a very short period of time the rich man ties up the prospective diners, arranges a pot of boiling fire to continually pour upon them, and never, even after trillions of years, allows them to change their minds and enter through his preferred door.

[ArGee]

So far no clarifications of the matter have been issued directly from the head office.

You have a copy of the Bible? Read it. If anything is confusing to you, ask Him?

Shalom.

[discostu]

I'm against reparations for totally different reasons (not the least of which being that over half the people that live in this country had NO ancestors here during the time of slavery). But even if you decide reparations are a good idea it's important to understand they don't make things right. They might help heal the wound or something like that but they don't irradicate the wrong. An omnibenevolent God wouldn't do that stuff to Job.

[ArGee]

So, I finally make it to post 300.

There are no 644. I have to get to work.

I will be back.

Please, nobody think for a moment that I am avoiding a question you pose. It may take time, but I will get there.

I thank you all for coming to this thread. I have a lot of names to pray for.

I love you all.

Shalom.

[Elsie]

Identifying them as snobs

Now now..........

We'll get a flame war going.

[Elsie]

Trot out the designer of the universe.

Sorry, I trotted out a keyboard.

You say it is NOT evidence of intelligent design.

I say that your answer is evidence of another kind.

[discostu]

Doesn't it? You don't think it's possible that getting his prosperity back helped keep Job faithful at least a little. Or maybe it was more of a payoff than a bribe, kind of like when companies now give people money to not sue them. One way or the other making sure Job was prosperous again after the experiment does not make the experiment right.

[Elsie]

It is knowledge that I seek.

And the other half seeks miracles!

---

 

 

1 Corinthians 1
 22.  Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
 23.  but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
 24.  but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

 

Hebrews 11:6
 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him

[LuvItOrLeaveIt]

Sorry, I trotted out a keyboard.

You say it is NOT evidence of intelligent design.

By itself, the keyboard is not evidence of intelligent design. The designer is.

[OWK]

And without faith it is impossible to please God,

And without faith it is impossible to please Xmyzulplith of Zorcon.

The two statements have equal null rational value to me, in the absence of evidence to the contrary.

[Elsie]

You don't think it's possible that getting his prosperity back helped keep Job faithful at least a little.

---

Nope, I don't.

Nowhere in the Book of Job is there EVER implied that he will gain all of that back.

---

Just like the 3 Hebrew children tossed into the fire.........

"We KNOW that our God is able to deliver us from the fire. BUT IF NOT........ we will STILL not bow down to your false god!"

[LuvItOrLeaveIt]

And without faith it is impossible to please Xmyzulplith of Zorcon.

Well said!

[Elsie]

evidence

---

HMmmmmmmmm........ did you help Clinton decide what 'is' is?

You just don't want to spit it out, do you.......

[LuvItOrLeaveIt]

HMmmmmmmmm........ did you help Clinton decide what 'is' is?

That type of an insult is unbecoming of you. It goes beyond the pale, but I'll let that sort of personal attack slide for now. (I'm not hitting the abuse button). Why can't you accept that some people cannot have faith in your allegations?

[winstonchurchill]

Faith and knowledge are by definition mutually exclusive. If a premise is to be held on faith, it must be held in the absence of knowledge. When knowledge is acquired to substantiate the premise, it ceases to be held on faith.

I think your porblem is epistemology, i.e. how do you "know." In fact, those who attempt to draw the 'distinction' you do, place way, way too much faith in how they 'know'.

In short, your 'knowledge' is based entirely on your (unsubstantiated) faith in the exclusivity of your preferred methods of acquiring 'knowledge.'

Nice little circle you've drawn there, son.

[jethropalerobber]

G-d is not like something a man would invent.

it's funny you should say that. i've always thought God was exactly like something a man would invent.

that's actually the very thing that started me doubting that there is a God. behind every detail of the nature of God, i could not help seeing a reflection of the central hopes, fears, and uncertainties of humanity.

[tortoise]

E=MC2 also...M=E/C2. The question is.......... "Where did the Energy come from?"

The problem with this question is that most people that ask it don't understand the question they are asking. Equations such as "E=mc^2" on their own explain nothing because they sweep an enormous amount of very complicated details under the rug. For a meaningful discussion of things like "Where did the energy come from?", one has to be able to understand the very hairy internal mathematics of the equations that most people assume to be true. In fact, most people's common understanding of the meaning of these equations isn't actually correct; in reality they are far more complicated and have strange side-effects, but the "made for TV" explanations are easier to digest for most people. One of the weird consequences of the "cool physics for the masses" books that have become popular is that there is a huge crowd of people that THINK they understand physics who really don't. It is analogous to armchair warriors who think watching action movies gives them all the knowledge of a Special Forces operator.