I Propose A Challenge

[HonestJoe]

Yeah, that’s the whole purpose of my proposal, hoping that the pretending will become real. It’s for the people who have hearts of stone.

So you were trying to trick people in to changing their beliefs? That doesn't sounds very honest to me.

 

[Nakosis]

Those who don’t believe in Christ, I challenge you to pretend that you do for about a week and come back here and tell me if you feel any different. You have to pretend that Christ is alive in your heart though. Whatever that means to you. See ya in a week.

I'd imagine you would "feel" different. Someone to be on your side. Someone to watch over you. Faith in a purpose for your life. These are generally good things to improve your attitude about your current life.

I've let go of the need for this type of coping with the trials and tribulations in life. If you have nothing else going for yourself, faith in a deity maybe the best option for you. However, lets say such a God does exist. I'd think at some point any good parent/creator would want their child/creation to become self reliant.

Even in the animal world, the baby bird gets kicked out of the nest. A God that wants you to remain dependent on them is one that I hope isn't the one that does exist.

 

[Jimmy]

I tried to pretend that I wasn’t Gods son for about a week and that failed. I guess I just thought truth would find the pretender. Oh well.

I use the words gods son not because I think I’m Jesus but because it’s poetic and succinct.

 

[sayak83]

Those who don’t believe in Christ, I challenge you to pretend that you do for about a week and come back here and tell me if you feel any different. You have to pretend that Christ is alive in your heart though. Whatever that means to you. See ya in a week.

Pretend for a week that no God exists and Buddha's eightfold path is true.
Best of luck.

 

[ppp]

So you were trying to trick people in to changing their beliefs? That doesn't sounds very honest to me.

That is exactly what it is. And in the laziest way possible.

 

[Vinayaka]

So you were trying to trick people in to changing their beliefs? That doesn't sounds very honest to me.

Subtle proselytizing has many forms, many of them sneaky.

 

[CG Didymus]

I don't think people can "pretend" this sort of thing. If a person is not convinced, they can't pretend to be convinced. If If the grass looks green to me, I can't really pretend it's purple.

It's kind of like a person that is scared of the water and sees a bunch of kids splashing around and having a good, and they call out, "Hey, come on in.'

With Jesus, there often times a lot of people having a good time praising Jesus. Maybe there's a Christian rock band playing and telling stories of how lost they were, but now everything is wonderful.

That's how things were in the early 70's. There were hippies saying, "Hey get stoned and you'll see the truth." And there was plenty of good times to be had. There were different East Indian Gurus saying, "Try meditation, and you'll get yourself to a place beyond this mundane life to a place of bliss."

For me, there was also Baha'is. I was in Southern California and up in L.A. they had Seals and Crofts at some of their meetings telling of a new revelation of peace and unity.

I stuck a toe into all these things, then a friend became a Christian. He and his Christian friends invited me in. They told me not to go into those other things... the gurus, the Baha'is, the hippies and their drugs and rock music... Jesus was the real deal. But, in a way, it was the same old stuff. They had Christian rock music up in Orange County on Saturday night. My friends took me up there, and there were 2000 young people rocking out and praising Jesus. It was a much better high than any drug the hippies were pushing... but it was still a high.

For me, it was pretending. I wasn't all in with any of these groups. But on the outside, it looked like I was, and I was able to get in deep enough to see what was really going on.

I think there's various degrees of belief and commitment. But a lot of people are pretenders. And some of thing I think can even fool themselves. But, deep down, they have doubt but put them way back in the recesses of the mind.

I knew a lot of people that tried different spiritual paths, and one week were all gung ho on one, the the next week, into something else. The ones that stayed with Christianity became more and more like the bulk of Christians around them. Their Christianity became a routine. Church on Sunday. Prayer meeting on Monday. Bible study on Wednesday.

So, what's this thing we are supposed to try? Pretend that Jesus is real... that he is God... that he is our savior... that we are lost sinners and need his forgiveness? For me, it was easy to pretend when I was in my twenties, because of the people around me made Christianity fun. Take away the fun, and what does it really offer? Various sects that have different dogmas and doctrines. Once saved, always saved... a rapture... a tribulation, a beast, an antichrist... a young Earth a flat earth... creation, Satan, hell and all kinds of other beliefs.

How does a person "pretend" all that makes sense?

 

[ppp]

So, what's this thing we are supposed to try? Pretend that Jesus is real... that he is God... that he is our savior... that we are lost sinners and need his forgiveness? For me, it was easy to pretend when I was in my twenties, because of the people around me made Christianity fun. Take away the fun, and what does it really offer? Various sects that have different dogmas and doctrines. Once saved, always saved... a rapture... a tribulation, a beast, an antichrist... a young Earth a flat earth... creation, Satan, hell and all kinds of other beliefs.

How does a person "pretend" all that makes sense?

It's like reading a book or watching a movie. One immerses oneself in the story, suspends disbelief, and allow the plot to carry one along. A poorly constructed story, or a story that conflicts with reality as presented pops one out all jangled and annoyed.

 

[Eddi]

I tried to pretend that I wasn’t Gods son for about a week and that failed

How does that belief change how you live your life?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I had to upgrade this to a winner after looking at the diversity of thumbs up that you got. When you point out how bad someone's reasoning is that both very ardent believers, nonbelievers and those in the middle agree with you that tells us that you nailed it.

It is why the Quran prohibits a compulsion of religion. It's acknowledged upfront Allah knows it isn't sincere and isn't good for the person pretending or others.

 

[CG Didymus]

It's like reading a book or watching a movie. One immerses oneself in the story, suspends disbelief, and allow the plot to carry one along. A poorly constructed story, or a story that conflicts with reality as presented pops one out all jangled and annoyed.

Yeah, when I think back about it, I was taught to automatically believe that God was real. But religion was something that could easily be put on the back burner. My parents were Catholic, and I had no clue what was going on. But whatever it was, I didn't like it.

But with so many people seeking the truth in the 70's, I jumped on board and thought, "Yeah, if there's truth out there, I want to know what it is."

But everybody had a "truth" back then. My favorites were these "New Age" kind of hippies. They took a little of everything and blended it altogether. They were fun to be around, but some of them had some strange beliefs. One guy said that he believed he was the reincarnation of Merlin the Magician. One lady said that she was from Venus and had incarnated into human form to help bring in the Age of Aquarius. Good times.

Now in the mid 70's, when the Jesus Movement was going on, that's when some friends "found" Jesus. Now there was a sort of pretending on my part but also enough believing to make my attempt at being a Christian seem honest. But I was assuming so much. At Bible studies, I listened as if what they were saying was true.

So, Adam and Eve and a talking snake? No problem. If that's what the Bible says, then that's what must have happened. It all made sense as long as I kept assuming it was all true. But before I got involved with the Born Again Christians, I was around Baha'is for a couple of years. That made sense too... as long as I believed what they were telling me was true.

Because of that, I can see why for a "true believer", their religion seems true. But it makes it tough to accept people that don't believe like they do. And they think, "Well, I know this stuff is true, so it must be them that's screwed up in the head." And it works to tell themselves that. For a Christian, they think... "Them Atheists don't know what they're talking about. The truth of the Bible is so clear and obvious." Yeah, when they believe that anything that contradicts it is false.

 

[Heyo]

I tried to pretend that I wasn’t Gods son for about a week and that failed.

See? You couldn't do it, and neither can we.
It is an ability you have to be born with or acquire in early childhood. Orwell called it "doublethink", the skill of holding contradictory beliefs in one's mind and believing in both.
It can be overridden by rationality, but there is no rational way back.

 

[Jimmy]

See? You couldn't do it, and neither can we.
It is an ability you have to be born with or acquire in early childhood. Orwell called it "doublethink", the skill of holding contradictory beliefs in one's mind and believing in both.
It can be overridden by rationality, but there is no rational way back.

I did it though.

 

[ppp]

I did it though.

There is no demonstration of that rationality. Just your word.

 

[GoodAttention]

I did it though.

You sure you didn't pretend to pretend?

 

[Revoltingest]

Nevertheless, I am sure you do have faith or believe many things; like bacon is good....

The goodness of bacon requires no faith.
I can objectively text my reaction to eating it.

, probably a lot you hear on the news, that vaccines are safe and effective, you can trust a car or plane to get from one place to another, and you likely believe in various people like accountants, doctors, friends, bankers, etc.
So there’s the possibility you just haven’t realized your need or the necessity of trusting the One who created heaven and earth and you.

There is good reason to have confidence in things
that are evidenced. There isn't any reason to believe
in things unevidenced....things that have alternative,
better explanations, eg, evolution, cosmology.

 

[Revoltingest]

The chap known as Buddha did actually exist though - I think this is generally accepted. He lived, he breathed, he pooped, he died. Do you not "believe" this or am I missing your point?

I speculate with over 50% confidence that he existed.
However, I don't believe that he was divine or communicated
with the divine.

 

[Jimmy]

I speculate with over 50% confidence that he existed.
However, I don't believe that he was divine or communicated
with the divine.

None of em were divine, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Bahai dude etc. because they never existed at all imo. They’re a good starting point to finding the truth though.

 

[Revoltingest]

None of em were divine, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Bahai dude etc. because they never existed at all imo. They’re a good starting point to finding the truth though.

I've no basis to either confirm or deny their existence.

 

[Alien826]

I speculate with over 50% confidence that he existed.
However, I don't believe that he was divine or communicated
with the divine.

He never claimed to be divine, just offered a way to get off the treadmill of life (which was part of the religious belief of his culture). He said that speculation about gods was a waste of time (something like that). In short he was 100% human and never claimed anything else.