My time in this forum has reach an end.

[metis]

So sorry to see you go, so please reconsider.​

 

[Quintessence]

*** MOD POST ***​

Let's please keep this thread on-topic by wishing Amanaki well. Especially since the nonsense I just cleaned out of this thread is not going to encourage an exemplary member to return to share with us their wisdom. Thank you.

 

[wandering peacefully]

Do we really nead to prove to the non belivers that God, Buddha, Shiva, Muhammad, Or other spiritual teachers do exist?

In my understanding you can not prove to a non beliver that something exist, because no matter what you say or do, they will dismiss it as being false or something else then what it is. Because they do not belive it to be true.

I am tired of fighting for what my belives in. So i desided to end my time in RF, and this time i will not come back. I do no longer see this as a Religious forum, To me this is more of a Atheists fighting for their right to disbelive formum. and that was not my impression when i first come here.

I leaving this forum because i do not see a future here. We can no longer have a serious discussion and that is sad.

So I will not answer any questions in this thread or other threads i been in from now.

Thank you for the time i got here.

Best regards Amanaki.

That's too bad. As I said before you do start some interesting and thoughtful threads. I'm not sure why you would be worried about convinceing atheists of the beliefs of believers. We all understand that believers believe in all sorts of various gods and religions. There is no need to convince us of your beliefs. And certainly you should not be trying to convert us to those beliefs. In fact it is against forum rules. I feel a little insulted as I responded in several of your threads such as where to meditate and you never acknowledged my posts. Now you claim atheists are not worth bothering with.

If you are trying to emulate Buddha's teachings, he would first tell you to be understanding and non-judgemental of others no matter what view or beliefs or non-beliefs they have.

But if your only purpose being here was to convince atheists your beliefs are the only true ones, and we are wrong for not believing them, I suppose it is best that you have decided to leave. Still I will miss some of your interesting topics.

 

[Lyndon]

Yes, Amanki is one of the most interesting posters we have had in a while, shame he feels the need to leave,

 

[dybmh]

Amanaki, You are a good friend and someone who in my view is always looking for opportunities to help.

This is not "goodbye"; it is "I hope we meet again."

Emphasis on HOPE...

For those who don't know: Amanaki is a Polynesian word for hope.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

Do we really nead to prove to the non belivers that God, Buddha, Shiva, Muhammad, Or other spiritual teachers do exist?

No, but if you want to try prove that any of these gods exist, feel free. The rational, skeptical, empiricist will require evidence that is much better explained by positing the existence of the god you claim exists. Without that, there is no reason to believe that your claim is correct. We don't believe by faith.

In my understanding you can not prove to a non beliver that something exist, because no matter what you say or do, they will dismiss it as being false or something else then what it is.

At a minimum, you cannot prove the existence of something unless it actually exists. After so many years of people trying, I'm pretty sure that even if a god or gods exist, nobody knows it or anything else about such gods, those that claim otherwise are guessing, and that nobody will be presenting compelling evidence for a god or gods.

When we reject unsupported or insufficiently supported claims, we are not calling them false. We're saying that even if true, sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the claim is sound is lacking.

I do no longer see this as a Religious forum, To me this is more of a Atheists fighting for their right to disbelive formum

Atheists already have the right to not believe, and most are free to say so.

*** mod delete***

Religious people aren't suppose to try and convert but the atheist are allowed to. /shrug

Most atheists have no interest in converting believers to atheism, nor any hope of doing so. I don't. My interest is limited to maintaining church-state separation and reducing the cultural hegemony of the church, so I'd like to see the church dwindle in size and influence, but don't really care what any individual person believes.

When Christianity takes its place with the other religions as an ideology that only affects volunteer adherents, there will no longer be a reason to even think about religion. Do you know the Druid goddess Brigit's view on abortion? Me, neither - exactly as it should be for an uninterested non-Druid.

Atheists have no belief whatsoever ...

Sure we do. My worldview is a set of beliefs called secular humanism.

 

[Jainarayan]

Been this way for years. Religious people aren't suppose to try and convert but the atheist are allowed to. /shrug

If you see a post where any person, atheist or theist, attempts to convert anyone, or bash another’s religion, report it. It will get the attention it deserves.

 

[Jainarayan]

You obviously don't understand what "not enough time in the day" means.

There’s a saying that if you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem. We don’t expect any one person to report all the offending posts on the forums.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

Nobody on this forum has any power over you unless you let them have it.

Absolutely agreed.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

Been this way for years. Religious people aren't suppose to try and convert but the atheist are allowed to. /shrug

This shares the same sentiment as atheist questions and points raised being equated to "bullying." Questions or points that lay bare illogical or weakly formed arguments aren't "conversion" attempts. They are attempts to get people to see the (many times glaring) holes in their thinking.

A lot of atheists don't necessarily want you to "not believe", they just want you to explain what good/rational/well-founded/evidenced reasons you have for believing. And if you can't do that, or the items you cite simply aren't worthy of being called good/rational/well-founded/evidenced, then they want you to know why they can't just accept what you put forward - so that maybe you have a chance to reframe your points, think about it some more, and come back next time with something more compelling. To encourage you to go and look for what constitutes good evidence. Hell - maybe you can prove that God exists, if you just stop rehashing the same stuff that has been refuted or has had explanation after explanation piled onto it as to why it is insufficient, and go look for something better.

And in the meantime - I, personally, like hearing about what theists are bringing forward at all times - so that I can think on it, and decide whether or not the points are cogent, or what the arguments or examples against those modes of thinking are.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Thank you for the time i got here.

Best regards Amanaki.

Perhaps we will improve while you are gone.

 

[Twilight Hue]

If that was your purpose here, your frustration and subsequent departure were inevitable.

I don't see this as a place to prove anything to anyone. For me, it's a place to share ideas, beliefs, and worldviews.

In my experience, those that feel they need to prove their worldview to others or belittle the views of others are little more than bullies and are simply insecure about their own worldview.

I'm sorry to see you go, but understand why you feel the need to. Perhaps if and when you're more inclined to share rather than prove, you might better enjoy your time here.

It seems like a phase that a fair number of people go through where they go into 'preacher' mode, where one gets all excited and eager about their particular religious view and the subsequent need arises to go out and acquire some kind of sanction goes into hyperdrive.

I remember times in the past where I would be in utter disbelief that people couldn't be able to see what I saw or experience what I experienced as I continued on the quest to advertise the praises and benefits of the religion of the day hoping for validation in return.

There was some strange views regarding Theravada expressed, yet harmless enough where one could adjust accordingly over the course of time.

I had @Amanaki pegged as somebody rather new to Buddhism and a bit eager and excited to share the experiences with others yet had trouble when it comes to "Dharma combat" and being put through the crucible when that eagerness and excitement gets royally tempered* when you log into the arena.

I bet you are still lurking out there though as a logged out spectator, so I want to relay the message that you're cool dude and always welcome in the Buddhist forums where we can just share a cup of tea in the Dir with all our Dharma brothers and sisters.

In the meantime, best wishes and take care of yourself. _/\_

*By katana weilding Kill Bill stunt doubles after lunch break.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I can share concerns about this going on in DIRs yet Debate is designed for conflicting topics.

It's just a matter of being respectful in the appropriate forum outside of the gladiatorial debate arena.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

Do we really nead to prove to the non belivers that God, Buddha, Shiva, Muhammad, Or other spiritual teachers do exist?

In my understanding you can not prove to a non beliver that something exist, because no matter what you say or do, they will dismiss it as being false or something else then what it is. Because they do not belive it to be true.

I am tired of fighting for what my belives in. So i desided to end my time in RF, and this time i will not come back. I do no longer see this as a Religious forum, To me this is more of a Atheists fighting for their right to disbelive formum. and that was not my impression when i first come here.

I leaving this forum because i do not see a future here. We can no longer have a serious discussion and that is sad.

So I will not answer any questions in this thread or other threads i been in from now.

Thank you for the time i got here.

Best regards Amanaki.

Well, there are more than just atheists here...some are sincerely searching.

But I wish you all the best!

 

[Revoltingest]

Do we really nead to prove to the non belivers that God, Buddha, Shiva, Muhammad, Or other spiritual teachers do exist?

In my understanding you can not prove to a non beliver that something exist, because no matter what you say or do, they will dismiss it as being false or something else then what it is. Because they do not belive it to be true.

I am tired of fighting for what my belives in. So i desided to end my time in RF, and this time i will not come back. I do no longer see this as a Religious forum, To me this is more of a Atheists fighting for their right to disbelive formum. and that was not my impression when i first come here.

I leaving this forum because i do not see a future here. We can no longer have a serious discussion and that is sad.

So I will not answer any questions in this thread or other threads i been in from now.

Thank you for the time i got here.

Best regards Amanaki.

In the prior millenium, when I was in my 20s, I would try to convert people into becoming
libertarian. I figured it was just a matter of time before we'd become a majority. But over
time, I noticed that nothing changed, & that it was a fruitless goal. I find it much easier to
discuss it now. Oh, I'll still advocate for it, but I don't expect anyone to change. And many
here cooperate by not changing.
Low expectations are the secret to equanimity & happiness.

 

[Naykidape]

Wonder if he'll be back in three days.

 

[Vinayaka]

In the prior millenium, when I was in my 20s, I would try to convert people into becoming
libertarian. I figured it was just a matter of time before we'd become a majority. But over
time, I noticed that nothing changed, & that it was a fruitless goal. I find it much easier to
discuss it now. Oh, I'll still advocate for it, but I don't expect anyone to change. And many
here cooperate by not changing.
Low expectations are the secret to equanimity & happiness.

Time in life will do that for you. I think anyone coming here expecting that others will agree with them just because your ideas are so wise, .... well, just a tad unrealistic, since the other guy probably is thinking the same thing in reverse.

BTW, how does your garden grow?

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Do we really nead to prove to the non belivers that God, Buddha, Shiva, Muhammad, Or other spiritual teachers do exist?

In my understanding you can not prove to a non beliver that something exist, because no matter what you say or do, they will dismiss it as being false or something else then what it is. Because they do not belive it to be true.

I am tired of fighting for what my belives in. So i desided to end my time in RF, and this time i will not come back. I do no longer see this as a Religious forum, To me this is more of a Atheists fighting for their right to disbelive formum. and that was not my impression when i first come here.

I leaving this forum because i do not see a future here. We can no longer have a serious discussion and that is sad.

So I will not answer any questions in this thread or other threads i been in from now.

Thank you for the time i got here.

Best regards Amanaki.

Sadly, what is being said here amounts, pretty much, to just this: a serious discussion, which is what the poster wants, can only be one in which one side eventually accepts the other's beliefs, whether or not a reason has been provided.

A serious discussion, to me, however, is one in which I provide the reasons for my side of the debate, and I listen to the reasons provided by the other. I accept that we are both trying to persuade the other, and therefore use the most compelling, reason-backed arguments we can think of. But if the final argument is "well I don't care, what I believe is what I believe," well, then, we were never in a serious discussion at all.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Its clear that a lot of atheists didn't come here to learn about religion, they came here to oppress religious people!!

I've learned lots about religion over the course of my life...and not much of that was from this or any other forum. What I didn't learn was any reason that I should believe any of them.

However, I don't participate in forums like this for the purpose of learning about religions. I participate for the purpose of learning about people, and how they think (or don't think) about things that purportedly matter to them. And that's always a worthwhile pursuit.

 

[Stevicus]

Do we really nead to prove to the non belivers that God, Buddha, Shiva, Muhammad, Or other spiritual teachers do exist?

In my understanding you can not prove to a non beliver that something exist, because no matter what you say or do, they will dismiss it as being false or something else then what it is. Because they do not belive it to be true.

I am tired of fighting for what my belives in. So i desided to end my time in RF, and this time i will not come back. I do no longer see this as a Religious forum, To me this is more of a Atheists fighting for their right to disbelive formum. and that was not my impression when i first come here.

I leaving this forum because i do not see a future here. We can no longer have a serious discussion and that is sad.

So I will not answer any questions in this thread or other threads i been in from now.

Thank you for the time i got here.

Best regards Amanaki.

Well, good luck. I can understand getting frustrated at some of the stuff that goes on in this forum - although it seems to happen in just about every forum. It can be a forum about gardening, and you'll still find heated arguments.

Sometimes, it's good to just take a break for a while. You don't have to make it a permanent farewell; you can always come back or check in every so often.