At your request I listened to you sermon.

 

That's all it ? I've been thinking for 2 years how to get you to listen to one of my sermons. I appreciate you lending your ear.

That's all it ? I've been thinking for 2 years how to get you to listen to one of my sermons. I appreciate you lending your ear.

 

Yo Bro...In the whole big picture of things it's not terribly important what I personally think regarding your sermon, but I can understand and appreciate since you take the time and thought to prepare such things that you'd like to know what others might think, or if you're having any positive effect.

 

i've no doubt that you're a decent guy with your heart in the right place for what you do and how you are driven to inspire others. I can respect that, and in no way would I want to diminish that. I sincerely have no mission to take a believer and to punch holes in their beliefs.

 

We're not born handed all the answers, and in living this life perplexed, it's completely understandable that humans would gravitate towards a belief system with the hopes to have something to hang their hat on that gives them peace of mind.

 

For as long as I can remember I have had a passionate desire to someway somehow acquire some certainty of the ultimate truth, and though it would seem that I've been given at times slight glimpses through unexplainable yet seemingly miraculous events in my life, giving me a sense of peace and spirituality that forever keeps hope alive for me, I still in so many ways haven't the first clue of what this life is about, but the signals that have come my way mostly have been related to deceased loved ones where the central message always seems to boil down to eternal love, giving me a sense that there's more to our existence than just the breaths we take here during our lifetime as we know it.

 

Inspiration can come from many different directions, and whereas I can say at times in my life it has indeed come from listening to a handful of Christian speakers, things that have touched or moved me are not exclusively restricted to that, and I can often be surprised where I'll receive profound inspiration.

 

Quite often it will come when I least expect it.

 

If someone wants to talk peace and love, I'm all ears. No matter what system of beliefs that there are, if at its core is peace and love I will listen.

 

The more something feels piled high with obvious man made concepts, that's typically when I start becoming turned off because my logical mind will start to be full of questions, and I will find that I have less and less patience when the so called bearer of the truth has little realization that what he or she is conveying is easily broken down to being subjective.

 

If one is convinced of the foundation of an established belief, it is understandable that the various attached beliefs that spring from it follow and seem perfectly acceptable to them, however if one questions the very core of a belief for it's truth, then just about everything else related to it can also be questioned.

 

If one freely accepts what they've been exposed to as being the truth, then it would follow that they'd be open to accept the whole premise.

 

If one is convinced that the Bible is the word of God, then it's understandable that one would accept it as the truth and then base their belief system upon it, but if someone is not convinced, and are not simply willing to take it on faith, then they will be filled with a multitude of questions regarding it and often if it doesn't fit into a sense of logic, it's hard for some to simply subscribe to it.

 

While I respect and understand those in my life who have faith in God, all I can hope to receive from them in return is the mutual respect to allow me to be where I am in this journey called life, and to be able to appreciate how shallow it is when they try to insinuate that If I don't believe and worship just as they do that I'm somehow not living up to my end of the bargain as a human who was initially at no choice of my own, raised as a Christian.

 

It rarely ever occurs to them that they haven't the first clue of the ultimate truth either, yet they're going to hold me to honoring their belief while unbeknownst to them they are coming across with unfounded condescending superiority. I realize that they don't mean to, and within their beliefs they don't want me to be a "lost soul", but it seems to be the forever weird separation of believers and non-believers that prohibit each other from understanding and respecting each other.

 

Whereas I've no aim to push my ideas on to them, I would hope they would return the same respect, but the strange thing is that those with religious beliefs are often convinced that they've got the goods, and that non-believers or questioners need to hear it from them in order to be saved. To be honest it's rather insulting when I know that I've thought things through about a million times deeper than they've ever begun to allow themselves to, yet they've got the answers, and in their minds I'm somehow missing the mark. To me that screams SHALLOW but I realize that they're not the least bit capable of seeing it.

 

I'm all for people believing whatever they do that helps them have peace of mind in this life, but where I have to draw the line is when people feel the need to take a belief that they haven't one iota of a chance of proving, and act as if they're certain of it, and that everyone else should believe it as well.

 

Live and let live. If you inspire those who come to you for inspiration, that's wonderful. Hopefully all the while you can keep in perspective that not everyone is asking you for inspiration, or that everyone is on board in believing in the same belief system that you believe in. You're in the field of guiding people and I've little doubt that there's any shortage of people open to what you're providing, and you sound to be well spoken and are talented at delivering your message. If you can touch and help people you have nothing but applause from me.

 

The more something feels piled high with obvious man made concepts, that's typically when I start becoming turned off because my logical mind will start to be full of questions, and I will find that I have less and less patience when the so called bearer of the truth has little realization that what he or she is conveying is easily broken down to being subjective.

 

I would love the opportunity to answer any questions you would ever like to ask. I enjoy the discussion with people that also have a strong grasp on why they believe what they believe.

 

Also.... my initial response of "Thats all it?" Was supposed to say "That's all it took?" Meaning that if I knew all I had to do was ask, then I would have asked a year ago. By my post leaving out the word "took" it sounded like I was upset that your post was only one sentence.

I would love the opportunity to answer any questions you would ever like to ask. I enjoy the discussion with people that also have a strong grasp on why they believe what they believe.

 

Also.... my initial response of "Thats all it?" Was supposed to say "That's all it took?" Meaning that if I knew all I had to do was ask, then I would have asked a year ago. By my post leaving out the word "took" it sounded like I was upset that your post was only one sentence.

 

Too funny.

 

I initially assumed that you were hoping for more from me than just telling you that I listened, so then I go on and give you a whole book in response. :lol2:

Your non-belief is a matter of faith no matter how you spin it or how much to try to escape that word.

 

Agree to disagree. I think your statement is profoundly ridiculous, and basically just a goofball way of playing with words. No need to discuss it further. Have a good day.

Other than the denial of the divine, there is little difference between Atheism and other worldviews typically labelled as religions.

Other than the denial of the divine, there is little difference between Atheism and other worldviews typically labelled as religions.

 

This tripe about atheism being a religion is condescending, telling another grown adult who has put a fair amount of time into this how they think. Atheism is not a religion or a worldview. It is a conclusion I have drawn based on the evidence and logic available to me. There is no god. That's it. No book, no group to join, no other parts to it. No faith involved, only evidence and logic. I don't believe in Santa Clause either. Is denial of Santa Clause also the same as "other worldviews typically labelled as religions."?

If you believe whole-heartedly that there is a magic man in the sky that created all there is, despite the fact that there is not a shred of evidence leading in that direction, then I'd say YES, "closed-minded" should adequately sum you up.

Again, with that logic you proclaim that you're certain that there's alien life out there. So, which is it? Where's your evidence? I don't know @MayfieldFan's stance on the subject either when it comes to alien life, but I call bunk on that assertion if you believe in one but deny the possibility of the other. Just sayin'.

Again, with that logic you proclaim that you're certain that there's alien life out there. So, which is it? Where's your evidence? I don't know @MayfieldFan's stance on the subject either when it comes to alien life, but I call bunk on that assertion if you believe in one but deny the possibility of the other. Just sayin'.

 

I discussed alien life in one of Guru's threads. Let me make one small, but important reply to your post. There is a bit of a difference between believing alien life may be possible but not god. (For me). If god exists, then I would expect to see certain things happen on earth. I don't see them. For me, the existence of god is inconsistent with what I see on a daily basis. Again, evidence and logic compelling the conclusion for me.

 

Life could exist elsewhere in the universe. (not talking about UFO's, I don't believe in them either). In fact, since life comes from chemistry, and given the sheer number of planets out there, many who study/ponder such things say it would be likely that some life exists outside earth. I don't know. So I await more evidence to say. But I have enough evidence to draw the other conclusion.

I discussed alien life in one of Guru's threads. Let me make one small, but important reply to your post. There is a bit of a difference between believing alien life may be possible but not god. (For me). If god exists, then I would expect to see certain things happen on earth. I don't see them. For me, the existence of god is inconsistent with what I see on a daily basis. Again, evidence and logic compelling the conclusion for me.

 

Life could exist elsewhere in the universe. (not talking about UFO's, I don't believe in them either). In fact, since life comes from chemistry, and given the sheer number of planets out there, many who study/ponder such things say it would be likely that some life exists outside earth. I don't know. So I await more evidence to say. But I have enough evidence to draw the other conclusion.

I appreciate your post and well presented answer. I suppose we will disagree to an extent because I see evidence of things that simply can't be random all the time. So, maybe we look at things very similarly, just compartmentalize the "evidence" differently. And perhaps there are believers out there who seem to avoid introspection and acknowledging other worldviews and perspectives. I hope I'm never one of those. And yet I still stand firm on my faith.

This tripe about atheism being a religion is condescending, telling another grown adult who has put a fair amount of time into this how they think. Atheism is not a religion or a worldview. It is a conclusion I have drawn based on the evidence and logic available to me.

 

As a grown adult that also has put more than a fair amount of time into this subject,I conclude that Atheism is indeed a religion based on one of two world views.

 

I too am educated, albeit from a Public University, and take my belief system very seriously.

 

Theism is a world view and Christianity is my religion that is based on faith, evidence, and logic.

Atheism is a religion that, normally, comes from the worldview of Naturalism or Nihilism. Some people may consider post-modernism or existentialism as a world view as well. I am not sure where I fall on that debate.

 

But I recognize that this is a broad topic and my definition of worldview is not the only one. But "tripe?" I think you may have been able to use a better word.

@PP1 I will stick with "tripe." You say "atheism is a religion." You are just playing with words, contorting them out of their everyday usage. You really aren't responding to me at all, since you simply ignore what I wrote and then play with words in a disingenuous way. Based on the way you are deliberately misusing words, you would also say "The Non-Belief in Santa Clause is a religion." You can't, (honestly) argue that one is a religion and the other is not. Neither is a religion.

@spindoc nice post and reply and respect.

This tripe about atheism being a religion is condescending, telling another grown adult who has put a fair amount of time into this how they think. Atheism is not a religion or a worldview. It is a conclusion I have drawn based on the evidence and logic available to me. There is no god. That's it. No book, no group to join, no other parts to it. No faith involved, only evidence and logic. I don't believe in Santa Clause either. Is denial of Santa Clause also the same as "other worldviews typically labelled as religions."?

 

One doesn't need to belong to a group to be religious. Atheists have their own orthodoxy. To paraphrase; a religion doesn’t have to posit a god who must be identified or worshiped. An atheist's belief system is science, their personal conclusions, how they rationalize things, they way they live their life. It determines their ethics and their values. In essence a functioning god. Just not the God we Christians believe in. Atheists preach, I know, I've seen several of you do just that on here many times. They preach their non-belief of our God, their "proof" through science, how we have no physical proof of our God.

^^^^ Tripe. (and that's being generous)

You are confusing Atheist with Scientist.

 

No, I'm not, science was just one belief system I mentioned.

Atheism is neither a religion nor a belief system. Simply put, it is a lack of belief in supernatural beings.