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Also referring to lifestyle, meaning I appreciate that the Bible has been preserved for centuries. Even at great sacrifices such as William Tyndale, killed for his role in translating the Bible to English.
I had a similar experience. I had to make a choice at a certain point. Either I believe the Bible or that which contradicts it. Or I try to blend the two. (Can't really be done...)
And what did this decision change that you couldn't do for yourself without religion?
This is a trap you set for yourself. Works of fiction aren't examined this way. Many works of fiction include factual elements, like For Whom the Bell Tolls is set during the Spanish Civil War. A Tale of Two Cities takes place during the French Revolution. The Cauldron takes place during the battle of Arnhem, Holland, 1944. But no one approaches these books as true/false.
Why not approach the stories in the Bible with an educated framework, and be able to distill the embellishments from the factual parts? Jesus may have actually existed, but it's certain the supernatural elements are not factual and true. To assume the supernatural bits are true only distorts a rational interpretation. And the human misses the truth. Believers assume they have the "Truth", but it is merely irrational dogma that has been inherited from other non-rational believers.
Faith is unreliable and a very poor tool for discerning truth and reality. But Christians are sold the false belief that faith is reliable. Notice how many Christians disagree on what facts are in the 21st century. Faith is a catastrophe.
False. A thinker won't believe what is commonly proliferated when it isn't fact-based, plausible, and especially when contrary to fact. You assume the dogma you were taught, and you accepted, is true despite the inconsistency with reality the claims include. Yet not only is there no evidence for what you believe, much of it is contrary to fact and knowledge. Critical thinkers dismiss these claims. And we live rich lives free of the mental trap of religion.
If you believe you can fly, then jump off the cliff. You will fly for a few seconds, thus correct.
As a Christian I found this to be true:
By the way, I’m not selling anything or charging anyone any money. I do charge for HVAC services.
Accepting something provisionally in order to test it is not a problem.
Have you tried?
That doesn't work with truths. In spite of attempting to not believe in them, they still agree with the evidence.. Falsehoods show themselves by not agreeing with the evidence.
That is a question of motivation, not of truth. Do you see the difference? No matter how much I try to disbelieve in the chair in my room, it simply doesn't go away. Truths have that characteristic: they don't go away simply because you doubt them.
Yes, being a drunk, an addict, and being irresponsible will lead to many difficulties. That doesn't show that there is a deity. Not all truths are pleasant. Not all pathways are painless.
I find the Book of Ecclesiastes describes this life.
One of my favorite books of the Bible. Skepticism and a recognition that 100% certainty is impossible.
And the conclusion of the wise man at the end. What was his conclusion?
You're probably talking about people that believe what you believe but don't live upright lives and who embarrass the church. Many Christians disavow them, but I call them Christians, since I have no behavioral test for that, just a doctrinal one. You mentioned Westboro Baptist, but they're just as Christian as you are by my definition of a Christian. That's why they do what they do (or is it did now?). They're promoting Christianity as they understand it.
What attention do they deserve that they aren't getting? If the people they help and those they volunteer with thank them, that's sufficient. What you're describing is the kind of thing many if not most people do - certainly most humanists. Do you think people deserve media attention for being decent? If so, why even mention that they're Christian? Why say that Bob the Christian volunteered but not note that Bill volunteering beside him is a humanist?
So what's the good news that offsets all of that bad religion we hear about in the news? Is there more than volunteering in soup kitchens? What do you do for mankind that your atheist neighbor wouldn't do? Promoting religion doesn't count as a contribution to society. That's a contribution to the church only, a self-licking ice cream cone that exists to perpetuate itself to serve the clergy, which is a cushy gig and has been since the priesthood first formed among the ancient Hebrews following the settling of the nomadic tribes and the growth of large towns and cities. The holy man wandering with the nomads also had to work for a living hunting and skinning along with the capable males in the tribe, but once cities formed and large central temples were formed, that became a full-time specialty, and a plum career of no manual labor in the hot sun bringing instant privilege and social status.
I did that as well as I explained to you here and another poster here (bottom of post). I ended up walking away from it after about a decade based in that test.
I'm happy for you that you were able to regain control of your life, and there are several of you on RF with that same story, and I begrudge none of them or you whatever it takes to cope, but you seem to feel that walking in your footsteps is a good idea for everybody and that all other worldviews are fraudulent and leave people in a condition like the one you describe for yourself.
Yes, but look at how you lived that life when left to your own devices. That's why you ended up in such an unenviable place. His philosophy is the same as mine - atheistic humanism. I'm sure that whatever worldview you held before zealous Christianity was largely unexamined and morally challenged. Now you have structure and emphatic rules of conduct that you embrace tightly.
You mentioned that you are not here to convince skeptics. I agree. You're here to preach. You aren't interested in the replies you receive. You don't address the points made to you. You just go find another piece of scripture and post it or explain again how good this religion has been for you.
This thread is about : If you consider yourself a Christian which parts do you consider true?
Mentioning my profession was for the “snake oil salesman” reference… I charge people for my hvac services and makes no sense saying that about my faith and testimony since I don’t ask money or anything for that. Believe it or don’t believe it.
Funny how the end ‘conclusion’ goes directly against the rest of the book. Maybe the end is an add in to appease the priests?
What is his conclusion, the end of the matter?
Money isn’t the only form of payment. A feeling of superiority can be equally rewarding for some.
And have you ever suggested you know more about someone else’s life and beliefs than they do?
As I said, a way of appeasing those who get bent out of shape by skepticism. The’ conclusion’ doesn’t follow from the previous discussion, does it?