If god is love, how can the world have so much hate?

You're just one non sequitur after another. None of your analogies seem to work. Machines? If time is eternal, its proof of god?

Right. The argument is so convincing, I think you've just overturned hundreds of years of philosophical arguments. Kannt and Hume should have been presented with such evidence and they would surely have died in the arms of god, eh?

 

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If you want to insult theist critical thinking skills, then let's talk about your thinking skills. If you had critical thinking skills, or at least the ability to understand where another was coming from, then you would most certainly be able to understand why believe in God.

By definition, an atheist that "is pretty sure there isn't a god, but doesn't say so for sure" is not an atheist. This "atheist" is actually an agnostic.

Once again, your "proof" that the God of the Bible does not exist is flawed. If you were to "test" the God of the Bible for existence, you must first have honest faith that he is there in order for him to answer your prayers. To disprove the God of the Bible, you must use the Bible's standards for the Bible's God to be there. It is impossible to disprove this God using your method, for God is not your science experiment and will not do tricks for you like a little lap dog. You come to him in honesty, and you come to him with honest faith and belief in him, and he responds. This is how I came to learn of him, and whether you accept that - and the testimonies of thousands of others - is completely up to you. Might I suggest that before accepting or not accepting these testimonies, you do not use personal insults; it may make debates go one hell of a lot smoother for you

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... but that's just my own Arrogant, Judgmental, All-Knowing Opinion.

Speaking of which, I do not claim to be all-knowing of the mind of my "god-thingies". And in fact, neither does anyone else. It would appear to me as most atheists wish to know all about the mind of my "god-thingies". So, to answer the atheist questions, we respond with information given from the Bible.

I'm going to tell you the Christian answer, because that's what you're asking for. I can't give you the answer that you want, because I don't know what answer you want, so I'm giving you the answer that I think is right. As I do this, I'm choosing to ignore the profanity.

The absolute beginning is where one should begin to give you the answer that you are demanding. God created everything. We don't know how he created it (maybe he made the Big Bang go Bang, maybe he said 'let it be' and it was done, but we won't ever know, now will we?), but he did. One of his angels decides that he doesn't agree with God, and long story short, is removed from God's group of angels. God has humans walking the Earth now- Adam and Eve. Satan (the rebellious angel) is still holding a grudge against God, so he decides to deceive God's children into thinking that eating God's food will make them all-knowing. This was a direct disobedience of what God wanted - God didn't want them to take from his tree. It wasn't taking from the tree that bothered him, I imagine, it was that he gave them everything, and they turned around and wanted just a little bit more. This is greed. This is pride. This is self-centeredness. This is the beginning of humanity, is it not?

This is where it all goes downhill. From pride, greed, and self-centeredness stems hate. Hate that I'm poor, so I have to go kill someone, just because I can. Hating all the atheists for being atheists, hating Buddhists for being Buddhists, hating Christians for being Not Christian Enough. (I don't, it's just a little analogy-type thing).

Does this answer your question at all? I'm not trying to dance around your question. I can't dance, anyway. Tell me if it didn't, and I'll try again.

What theists are you talking about? Jehovah's Witnesses? Not all theists, as stated, believe in the same thing.

God's rules are subject to question - as in, "What does this rule mean?" - not question - as in, "Why do we have this stupid assed rule?" ... There are no "certain people" fit to interpret these rules in Christianity. Interpret it as you wish. Any interpreter that you go to that disagrees with your logic? Don't believe him, as far as I'm concerned. If he's telling you that X = Z, but your logic brings you to X = X, then which one of you is more likely to be right? He could be right, but you might be right too.

If you don't want to follow God, then don't. You have the free will to do whatever you please.

 

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If time has a beginning and an end it means that the universe exists regardless of perception and regardless of matter. However if time never began or end, but matter has a beginning and end, it means that consciousness and energy, exists regardless of it's one dimensional, two dimensional or three dimensional. Life would exist in all dimensions as a possibility.

 

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No, you are wrong about that. The most famous atheist on the planet, Richard Dawkins, does not maintain that he can say there is no God with 100% certainty. He only says it is so improbable that it's not worthy of serious consideration, but if evidence showed otherwise, he would be interested to know about it.

The scientific test about prayer did use religious volunteers who were praying for real people recovering in a hospital.

 

Yet another under-educated response from a believer. Not a crime, but it would be nice if Christians would at least read the stickies or come to a science forum with a bit of knowledge instead of a host of assumptions.

Being atheist does not imply that one is "sure there is no god." That, my friend, is Christian ignorance. Indeed, I'd ask if you are sure there is not a god named Zeus? What about Ptah? Or Quetzacoatl? Chac? Rael? These aren't the Christian god, so if you look to answers in your bible like you state, then you must be sure that these gods don't exist. That makes you an atheist with their regard.

I'm an atheist with their regard as well, I just extend it to your silly god too. I don't discount the possibility that a god might exist somewhere in the universe since I can't possibly test the entire universe. In that regard, I'm an agnostic-atheist.

I don't rely on supernatural explanations and magic to explain the universe. I'm not afraid to say that something is unknown. Theists reject the unknown by inventing gods and magic to explain it all. The earth? Created in 6 days. Man? Born in the Garden of Eden. Israel and the Jews? Moses escaped Egypt with the equivalent of the population of Vacouver, wandered the desert for 40 years, and didn't leave an archaeological trace. And so on.

Complete and utter hogwash. I'm as reasonably sure your god is just as much bullshit as Zeus, Apollo, Ptah, and Chac.

The scientific evidence against prayer was determined by believers, by the way. They were sure that prayer could be demonstrated and believed in their god with all their might. Belief isn't enough. Period.

 

I obviously have come to a misunderstanding from what countless dictionaries say as to what an atheist is, then. Go to Google and type define:atheist

Once again, clearly my thinking and logic is flawed in this. I just cannot accept this sort of "test" - Matthew 4:7 says, "On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’"

 

Why would you expect traces of campsites after 3500 years?

There is plenty left unknown to Christians, so you can't play that card.

 

If organized religion was designed, either purposefully or not, as a method of social and mind control, wouldn't it be that much more powerful if you included a statement about it's assumptions being non-testable? Would anyone accept an explanation for evolution that was un-testable?

Pro 1:22 How long, you simple ones, will foolish things be dear to you? and pride a delight to the haters of authority? how long will the foolish go on hating knowledge?

Pro 14:15 The simple man has faith in every word, but the man of good sense gives thought to his footsteps.

 

Island Lizards Morph in Evolutionary Experiment

 

there is no God.

 

That just about says it all, dosen't it? Why not put god to the test? Because that clearly leads to atheism, since the only god is the one in the shamans imagination.

How guilty or incompetent is someone who refuses to be questioned or tested?

That's your god thingy for you. Don't ask any questions with real substance.

C'mon people. There's no god. 99.99999% certain. Don't you realize that you're just culturally brainwashed? And certainly if there's a "god type thingy" out there, he isn't the god of your bible or koran or whatever. Sheesh.

 

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M*W: Oh, but I totally agree!

 

we are are own creators.

 

Observed Instances of Speciation

 

"The universe is an expression of Gods mind"...this seems to be a foundation of the God concept as the ancient egyptians believed.The dark side as you put it,rather than being expressed in a being like the devil, more represents ignorance,selfishness, cruelty ...all the vices most (athiests or theists alike) will probably agree leads to decay and conflict and self destruction of the individual. This was represented by Set in their spiritual beliefs. Since the universe operates in a dual nature..force-counterforce principle,the "dark" side was simply an unfortunate result of it all,since creation could not exist without the dual nature that it has. To many christians this type of god may seem impartial and unpersonal. At the end of the "Ausarian Resurrection"
myth of the egyptians Set (evil), eventually agrees to truce with Heru (good) realizing it was in their best interest to achieve a balance of some sort.

 

The statement that religion's assumptions are untestable should be understood to all theists. Some people accept untestable theories, some people don't.

To believe in the religion that has untestable theories is up to you. Call it blind faith if you wish, it is using your own logic that you come to the conclusions.

In the first proverb you stated, verse 29 of that same chapter goes on to state that it is referring to knowledge of the Lord.

Of the second proverb you stated, verse 16 says: A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.

Both chapters are, in the undertone/context stating that the wise choice would be choosing God over the other choice.

Would you put your biological father's rules to a test, assuming you respect him?

I would not. That's just me, though.

And in reference to the link to "Island Lizards Morph in Evolutionary Experiment" -- the evolution I thought we were referring to was evolution as in, humans coming from apes ... not a lizard adapting to the circumstances around him. Forgive me if we weren't.

I read few posts past that and didn't read the second article: I have to take my leave for the night. Apologies. Enjoyed reading the first article, though.

 

See spidergoat's links

 

Respect? Why would that stop me from verifying some of his most extraordunary claims? And the very fact that you use the analogy of father is telling.

We are adults in a hostile world. We'd better be checking out the stories of people who are trying to sell us on an idea before we buy into it. Don't you think? That's what science and critical thinking is for. Too bad we're so bad at teaching either in schools.

 

No disrespect to you, but this is typical of theists. They begin to bombard scientific theories without the slightest idea of what the theories even say. Is this because, as theists, you're used to just taking your "fathers" word for it?

It always strikes me as very lazy. Don't even bother to get a grip on what you're arguing.

No one but a theist thinks that the evolution of homo sap. involves "coming from apes". We share a common ancestor. That's all. Don't know what that means? Research it.

 

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M*W: There have been artifacts found dating back 30000-35000 years in France, Turkey and Appalachia in the USA, to name a few ancient locations. I would definitely expect to find traces of civilizations as recently as 3500 years ago.