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>>If the Creator prized intelligence, He would have made it easier for really smart people to believe in Him, and hard for the less gifted in the area of the I.Q.<<That's about the funniest thing I've ever heard.  Then you are easily amused..... and prone to quote out of context. THAT'S not the mark of an honest debater. Bye now...... and bless your little heart.
Never holler whoa or look back in a tight place
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I have no idea whether there is or was a GOD. He has never been seen by me nor spoken to me that I am aware of. Since I was born in 1934 I wasn't alive when the BIBLE was written or Jesus lived. I really only look at the fact that the BIBLE exists today some 2000 years later and Jesus actually did live if you believe history. I have a conscience and have no real idea where it came from but I do know it is there and it more or less controls me and establishes what I am. So as a result of all this I am more or less forced to believe that there is something we don't know and never will know but I don't have a doubt there is a GOD. There are certain things man is just not meant to understand it's really simple when you look at it. You as a man cannot understand infinity ( if you say you do you are a liar pure and simple in my mind) because if infinity goes forever what is on the other side of it. Give me a definition of 'forever' that I can fully understand. You really can't as the human mind cannot comprehend such things. You believe because you believe it is just that simple.
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I find most Atheists to be both smug and haughty.They feel the need to prove their intellectual superiority to the deluded believer. If God was really a non issue like Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny they wouldn't be so adamantly vocal concerning God or Christians.
I don't believe in Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny and I would never waste my time arguing their non existence on a talk forum. The fact is that God is alive and well and he has revealed himself to all of us through the material world as well as the spiritual. Atheists are like little children crying,"No! No"!, to an unchangeable truth that grownups simply accept.
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I find most Atheists to be both smug and haughty.They feel the need to prove their intellectual superiority to the deluded believer. Some folks who profess to be 'Christians' are pretty smug and haughty too. And some of them feel the need to prove their intellectual superiority, or just plain old superiority period, to the deluded non-believer.
Every day on this side of the ground is a win.
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Nothing like calling a whole group of people smug and haughty while at the same time being smug and haughty about it. Both groups have their share of azzhats and decent people, I'd say.
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I find most Atheists to be both smug and haughty.They feel the need to prove their intellectual superiority to the deluded believer. Some folks who profess to be 'Christians' are pretty smug and haughty too. And some of them feel the need to prove their intellectual superiority, or just plain old superiority period, to the deluded non-believer. Absolutely!! There are several non believers here that do not fall into that category. It is however clear who is who when these threads get started. They quickly devolve into smug comments and name calling on both sides. Both sides think themselves right and the other deluded.I think however that the Atheists have the advantage as they inevitably poke fun at and belittle what the Christians consider Holy and above reproach.
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I think however that the Atheists have the advantage as they inevitably poke fun at and belittle what the Christians consider Holy and above reproach. I think a lotta people, and not just 'Atheists', find it humorous when some of the holy bunch insist that the earth is only 6,000 years old (despite overwhelming factual evidence to the contrary) and that dinosaurs went on the Ark with Noah and all of the other animals, and that Jonah literally spent 3 days in the belly of a large fish. Gimme a break...!
Every day on this side of the ground is a win.
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Look at it like this. The Christian has a mandate from Heaven to proclaim his position to any who will listen. To him, salvation of the listeners from eternal judgement and eternal damnation is at stake. Any talk of God is very important to the believer.
On the other hand, what is the purpose of the Atheists who wants to vehemently argue against the existence of God. Why does it even matter to him? Why does he need to prove the Christian wrong? What does he seek to gain and why does what should be a non issue for him even matter?
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Whatever one states their 'motivation' is, fact is it's really no different than debating politics or any other issue that people feel strongly about. Both sides are simply attempting to defend or justify their position on an issue that they feel strongly about. Smug and haughty though, from either side, doesn't lend much credence to the position that one is attempting to defend or justify.
Every day on this side of the ground is a win.
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>>If the Creator prized intelligence, He would have made it easier for really smart people to believe in Him, and hard for the less gifted in the area of the I.Q.<<That's about the funniest thing I've ever heard. Then you are easily amused..... and prone to quote out of context. THAT'S not the mark of an honest debater. Bye now...... and bless your little heart. The quote was yours, and was there really any context?
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Campfire 'Bwana
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My journey for the truth, has led me to atheism. Actually, that happened at about the time that I bought my first Subaru. Hmmmm.  Say it ain't so! A Subaru! Please tell me you don't go the Starbucks. 
The first time I shot myself in the head...
Meniere's Sucks Big Time!!!
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I find most Atheists to be both smug and haughty.They feel the need to prove their intellectual superiority to the deluded believer. If God was really a non issue like Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny they wouldn't be so adamantly vocal concerning God or Christians.
I don't believe in Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny and I would never waste my time arguing their non existence on a talk forum. The fact is that God is alive and well and he has revealed himself to all of us through the material world as well as the spiritual. Atheists are like little children crying,"No! No"!, to an unchangeable truth that grownups simply accept. You no longer believe in the Easter Bunny because at some point the deception was revealed to you and you confirmed it to yourself by a lack of evidence to the contrary. I wasn't arguing their non-existence, just using them illustratively to make a point of how we acquire beliefs, taken on faith, without evidence. If you have proof of your unchangeable truth, I'd like to see it our hear it. In lieu of that, it is just opinion isn't it? Which, of course, you are entitled to, as am I to mine. Without proof, both are equally weighted. Children believe what they are told without questioning (ala Santa Claus) adult thinking uses logic and weighs evidence.
Last edited by cooper57m; 03/25/15.
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My journey for the truth, has led me to atheism. Actually, that happened at about the time that I bought my first Subaru. Hmmmm. Say it ain't so! A Subaru! Please tell me you don't go the Starbucks. No Grande's for me. I prefer to go a local diner, when I'm not making it myself. There is this small diner that we go to - religiously.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Thanks, That is a load off my mind. 
The first time I shot myself in the head...
Meniere's Sucks Big Time!!!
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On the other hand, what is the purpose of the Atheists who wants to vehemently argue against the existence of God. Why does it even matter to him? Why does he need to prove the Christian wrong? What does he seek to gain and why does what should be a non issue for him even matter?
Perhaps God created immunological reservoirs of atheist as a first/last line defense against the Jim Bakkers and Jimmy Swaggarts that Christian sheeples are seemingly defenseless against. No mandate from Heaven but Atheist apparently like to save people too.
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cooper57m:
I don't need to revisit any previous post. I don't need to do anything I don't feel the need to do for you or anyone else. - - - All I need to do for the purposes of this discussion is to honestly present my view/thoughts on atheism to the best of my ability. Selfish. That simply is dictation – you take no responsibility for engaging discussion, let alone defending previous nonsensical comments. Self-proclaimed and felt “honesty” does not equal rational and intelligent discussion. cooper57m
However, for fun, I'll take on one of your statements presented as fact to which I disagree. Your statement: "The only active agent in a faith relationship is the person who holds faith." is incorrect. The holder of the faith is an inactive agent. Like a lock-box, a person has to be instilled with faith and then asked to just hold and keep the faith. The active agents in faith are the ones who feel it is their job to instill faith: the preacher, the rabbi, the priest, the parent etc. The holder of the faith is asked not to be active; not to question that faith. No one is born with a knowledge of religion, religious faith, or the concept of god. It has to be actively taught to them, through stories. Take the 10 commandments, the first commandment is a command to have faith in THE god. A command is active. Writing down commandments and the stories of the bible,or koran are active attempts to instill faith. Preachers use all forms of manipulation such as guilt, promise of eternal life, threats of condemnation, threats of death etc to ensure that people keep and hold onto their faith and to keep coming and filling the plate with $. Proclamation from a base of ignorance does not seem like much “fun”. Your above statements – despite your consultation with some dictionary - indicate that you have just about zero understanding of faith. No human can “instill” or coerce faith to take place in another; no request or demand by another person can induce faith on the part of another; no other person can force, or induce, or instill in me any belief that you understand discussion. It seems impossible to discuss faith with someone who has such a poor understanding of the concept.
NRA Member - Life, Benefactor, Patron
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Look at it like this. The Christian has a mandate from Heaven to proclaim his position to any who will listen. To him, salvation of the listeners from eternal judgement and eternal damnation is at stake. Any talk of God is very important to the believer.
On the other hand, what is the purpose of the Atheists who wants to vehemently argue against the existence of God. Why does it even matter to him? Why does he need to prove the Christian wrong? What does he seek to gain and why does what should be a non issue for him even matter? Why does it matter to us? We have folks advocating teaching myths on the same level as scientific discovery and knowledge in public schools. That's just for starters. If religion could be proved, using the scientific method for proof, we would all be believers in the same god, with the same religious tenants to follow. We wouldn't have catholics, protestants, jews, muslims, hindus, buddists, scientologists, mormons, jehovah witnesses etc etc etc. Religious folk not only tell us atheists we are wrong, they tell other believers in god(s) they are wrong too. Where is this universal truth in god of which you religious folk speak?
Last edited by cooper57m; 03/25/15.
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You sound like an agnostic, not an atheist.
Agnostic doesn't care or is unsure while an Atheist believes there is no god. I'm sure there is no magical supreme being. And a dyslexic agnostic struggles with whether there really is a Dog, or not.
The degree of my privacy is no business of yours.
What we've learned from history is that we haven't learned from it.
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Please name one scientific "fact" that two "scientists" with opposing views can agree upon?
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