Ever notice how atheists are virtually always on the opposite side from God on many issues?

[The Hammer]

Denying one's Creator is an egregious crime.

My Creator isn't yours. But thanks.

 

[Windwalker]

I you don't have the ability to discern the truth, then just say so. Quit making what is obvious and glaring right in our faces, to be some mystical and subjective, elusive and ambiguous, concept.

Not everything is concrete literal or obvious. You should know this from scripture itself. Not everything is glaring and obvious. Some things, especially spiritual matters, requires discernment. And good discernment require nurturing and developing spiritual knowledge and wisdom.

Yes, I do have the ability to discern truth. That is why I see that is a lot less black and white and obvious than you wrongly imagine reality to be.

Life is real, ands so is death. Murder and rape are real, as so are humanity's tears, pain and suffering. Righteousness and wickedness are real, and occur every day on earth.

I don't believe you can reduce life to nothing more than simple black and white divisions like this. Life is infinitely more nuanced and complex than this.

So what's what's your remedy for evil - ascribe it to some prism generating different lights?????

What's your remedy? Eye for an eye?

 

[Aupmanyav]

Religion is, by definition, affirming what is real, factual, actual, truth.
Make up your mind.

This is the biggest joke that I have ever heard.
Oh yes, I made up my mind and became an atheist.

 

[Valjean]

Denying one's Creator is an egregious crime.

How so? Whom or what does it harm?
Denying that for which there is no empirical evidence is reasonable. Reasonable conclusions don't constitute crimes.

If God were so concerned with being acknowledged, why wouldn't He make His presence clear?

Faith is wisdom (insight and perception) - fact based

What empirical facts constitute this insight and perception?

A fact can be demonstrated, measured or tested. It's universally perceptible. The fact that there is disagreement about this wisdom indicates it's not fact-based.

Faith is unevidenced or poorly evidenced belief. Different religious faiths claim different "insights and perceptions," demonstrating that these, unlike facts, are unreliable.

 

[DNB]

My Creator isn't yours. But thanks.

We came from different origins?

 

[DNB]

Not everything is concrete literal or obvious. You should know this from scripture itself. Not everything is glaring and obvious. Some things, especially spiritual matters, requires discernment. And good discernment require nurturing and developing spiritual knowledge and wisdom.

Yes, I do have the ability to discern truth. That is why I see that is a lot less black and white and obvious than you wrongly imagine reality to be.

I don't believe you can reduce life to nothing more than simple black and white divisions like this. Life is infinitely more nuanced and complex than this.

What's your remedy? Eye for an eye?

Repent and accept God's grace.
Quit making excuses and sitting on the fence, trying to over complicate things because you don't want to abide but the simple reality of it all - good and evil.

 

[DNB]

This is the biggest joke that I have ever heard.
Oh yes, I made up my mind and became an atheist.

a joke it is '...the fool says in his heart...'

 

[DNB]

How so? Whom or what does it harm?
Denying that for which there is no empirical evidence is reasonable. Reasonable conclusions don't constitute crimes.

If God were so concerned with being acknowledged, why wouldn't He make His presence clear?

What empirical facts constitute this insight and perception?

A fact can be demonstrated, measured or tested. It's universally perceptible. The fact that there is disagreement about this wisdom indicates it's not fact-based.

Faith is unevidenced or poorly evidenced belief. Different religious faiths claim different "insights and perceptions," demonstrating that these, unlike facts, are unreliable.

Faith is wisdom - those without it will fail miserably in all the conclusions that they draw from life's evidences.
That's why there's different denominations - one's heart guides their perception

 

[The Hammer]

We came from different origins?

More than likely yes.

 

[F1fan]

We came from different origins?

Various religions and their lore does. Do you deny that there are many religions?

Repent and accept God's grace.

Why do you think this is a real thing?

Quit making excuses and sitting on the fence, trying to over complicate things because you don't want to abide but the simple reality of it all - good and evil.

What excuses? You believers can't offer critical thinkers why your beliefs should be considered true.

Faith is wisdom - those without it will fail miserably in all the conclusions that they draw from life's evidences.

Faith is notoriously unreliable. And wisdom comes via experience and rational thought. Wisdom is what it is because a person can understand consequences of actions, and these are abstract concepts.

That's why there's different denominations - one's heart guides their perception

In other words, emotion guides interpretation. That is why a person can make flawed judgments, following what feels satisfying to believe.

 

[Subduction Zone]

a joke it is '...the fool says in his heart...'

Very few atheists make the error of thinking emotionally. So we are safe from that particular bit of nonsense.

 

[Subduction Zone]

We came from different origins?

More than likely yes.

Well, at least one of you is wrong. And probably both.

 

[Watchmen]

I’m proud to say I’m often on the other side of the issues than the “believers.”

 

[Aupmanyav]

Faith is wisdom - ..

'...the fool says in his (or her) heart...'

 

[RestlessSoul]

Very few atheists make the error of thinking emotionally. So we are safe from that particular bit of nonsense.

Thus is probably the most nonsensical thing I’ll read all day.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Thus is probably the most nonsensical thing I’ll read all day.

Then you ignored the post that I responded to.

 

[Windwalker]

Repent and accept God's grace.

I do every day. "Thy will be done". Why do you assume I do not?

Quit making excuses and sitting on the fence, trying to over complicate things because you don't want to abide but the simple reality of it all - good and evil.

I'm not making any excuses at all. I simply see that things are not as black and white as you imagine. Jesus made that clear when he rebuked the Pharisees for their black and white thinking, with such as examples as the Good Samaritan, whom the good vs. evil black and white religious thinkers of his day considered evil.

Jesus showed how even those we think are evil in our worldly ways of black and white thinking, are not evil seen through the eyes of Grace. So, I actually see my way of perceiving reality to be much more aligned with that Way of seeing. I repented of my black and white thinking to allow for Grace. It helps me be more compassionate, like Jesus was.

 

[Valjean]

Not everything is concrete literal or obvious. You should know this from scripture itself. Not everything is glaring and obvious. Some things, especially spiritual matters, requires discernment. And good discernment require nurturing and developing spiritual knowledge and wisdom

You assume "the scriptures" are true and authoritative. This is an unwarranted assumption.
Discernment? Do you mean emotional investment?
Discernment requires critical analysis of objective facts.

 

[Windwalker]

You assume "the scriptures" are true and authoritative.

You assume I do. I was merely pointing out that if one holds to the teachings of Jesus as the foundation for their faith, one only needs to look at his own words and teachings to see that he does not support black and white judgements of others.

This is an unwarranted assumption.

On your part, it is unwarranted.

Discernment? Do you mean emotional investment?

No, I mean the discernment that comes through maturity and development, otherwise known as insight and wisdom. That largely comes through age and a commitment to personal growth, knowledge of facts is only a small part of it.

Discernment requires critical analysis of objective facts.

You can know all the facts in the world, but still be unwise and undiscerning. A brilliant idiot, in other words.

 

[Valjean]

Repent and accept God's grace.
Quit making excuses and sitting on the fence, trying to over complicate things because you don't want to abide but the simple reality of it all - good and evil.

You're working from a mythological narrative. If you accept a myth as reality, derived conclusions may be congruent with the myth, but completely fallacious. Fact-based narratives, on the other hand, are in agreement, and reach the same conclusions.

Begin with empirical evidence; objective facts, and proceed from there. There are hundreds of mythical narratives, from different cultures or religions. They all paint different pictures. What makes yours correct and all the others wrong?
Base your beliefs on facts, not

The narrative you're raised with, like all the various narratives, may be be internally consistent and familiar, but, without universlly accepted, objective facts, it's built on sand, and no more believable than the Mayan or Zulu narrative.