Your biggest intellectual compromise for faith

[Wotan]

Beaudreaux, it's not that I mind answering the question - but I don't think this is the purpose of the OP. Every day we have this sort of question posed on this forum, and we debate and discuss them till we're all blue in the face. I don't really want to take every question you have about my faith one at a time on this particular thread.

The question was, I believe, what intellectual compromises have I made in order to keep my faith, and my answer was - I haven't made ANY intellectual compromises. My faith doesn' require that I do so.

And is that because you have simply defined away the problem?

 

[Kathryn]

And is that because you have simply defined away the problem?

I've worked through issues within my faith, and come to an understanding about them. Not to say that I won't be confronted with new issues, or that my faith may take some blows, but so far so good.

 

[Wotan]

I've worked through issues within my faith, and come to an understanding about them. Not to say that I won't be confronted with new issues, or that my faith may take some blows, but so far so good.

If it works for you and IF you content with that - good for you.

But many your fellow believers are NOT content with a faith that simply works for them. And thereby hangs a tale.

 

[Beaudreaux]

Again, you expect God to be a cosmic bell hop intent to do your will. Since he refuses to play along, you get all petulant

No one is saying that God should act like a bellhop. Your use of that image is another form of intellectual compromise. We present to you that God promised to answer the prayers of his faithful, yet there is no evidence whatsoever that this actually happens. Asking God to help a child is ineffectual. Asking God to heal a sick person is ineffectual. Asking God to do ANYTHING is ineffectual, and yet Jesus tells us we are supposed to ask for his help and he will give it. And we are not talking about asking for a grilled cheese sandwich, but rather for God to help those in need.

You must deal with this contradiction and so you tell yourself that if God actually did what Jesus said he would do, then he'd be like a menial servant and God certainly can't be a menial servant. To make this unfulfilled promise of Jesus sound even more ludicrous, you pick the term "bellhop" because who in their right mind would call God a bellhop? But in the end, it's all mental gymnastics to enable you to continue to believe something that is demonstrably untrue.

 

[Beaudreaux]

Yeah prove that for us. Your video is predicated on the fact that there is no evidence to believe God is Love. There is plenty of evidence. Yet another sophomoric fail.

Dude...really? There is no evidence whatsoever that God exists in the first place, let alone that he "is love." Do you think that if you keep posting pics from failblog and telling people that they are sophomoric that you will somehow gain credibility?

If there is so much evidence that God is love, then please present it.

 

[Beaudreaux]

Now disprove that God is Love.

Wow! I thought there was plenty of evidence that God is love. Isn't the burden on the person who makes the claim to prove it?

Face it: it takes as much faith to be an atheist like you as it takes to be a theist. Faith is not a four letter word.

Why does it take faith to not assert a belief in God?

 

[Beaudreaux]

Beaudreaux, it's not that I mind answering the question - but I don't think this is the purpose of the OP. Every day we have this sort of question posed on this forum, and we debate and discuss them till we're all blue in the face. I don't really want to take every question you have about my faith one at a time on this particular thread.

The question was, I believe, what intellectual compromises have I made in order to keep my faith, and my answer was - I haven't made ANY intellectual compromises. My faith doesn' require that I do so.

I submit to you that, as a Christian, you MUST make a compromise when it comes to the problem of evil.

 

[ChristineES]

Wow! I thought there was plenty of evidence that God is love. Isn't the burden on the person who makes the claim to prove it?

Why does it take faith to not assert a belief in God?

If you didn't have a faith (or anti-faith) then you would not need to assert it.

 

[Beaudreaux]

If you didn't have a faith (or anti-faith) then you would not need to assert it.

Not asserting a belief in God is not "anti" faith. It is "non" faith. It asserts nothing.

 

[waitasec]

Do you think their needs to be a "intellectual compromise" for my faith? There isn't one, that I am aware of. I got all As and Bs in my college courses when I went back to school a few years ago, included 2 science courses (I got an A in both of them).
My faith does not cause me to be less intelligent or less intellectual.

ignorance has nothing to do with intelligence

"intellectual compromise", from what i understand, is about depriving what you KNOW to be true for something you WANT to be true

 

[Scuba Pete]

No one is saying that God should act like a bellhop. Your use of that image is another form of intellectual compromise. We present to you that God promised to answer the prayers of his faithful, yet there is no evidence whatsoever that this actually happens.

"No" is also an answer.

Asking God to help a child is ineffectual. Asking God to heal a sick person is ineffectual. Asking God to do ANYTHING is ineffectual, and yet Jesus tells us we are supposed to ask for his help and he will give it. And we are not talking about asking for a grilled cheese sandwich, but rather for God to help those in need.

Cosmic Bell Hop time again! Again you are focused in the physical: the here and now. God focuses on the heart.

You must deal with this contradiction

There is no contradiction.

But in the end, it's all mental gymnastics

This is true for theists and atheists alike.

to enable you to continue to believe something that is demonstrably untrue.

I am still waiting for that demonstration. Please try to make it somewhat convincing this time. I have been underwhelmed by the efforts to this point.

 

[Scuba Pete]

Dude...really? There is no evidence whatsoever that God exists in the first place, let alone that he "is love."

Certainly, you don't understand what constitutes evidence.

Scriptures are evidence.
My life and my testimony are evidence.
The mountains and streams are evidence.

You may interpret that evidence differently, but they do not cease to be evidence. Here's a quick find using Google to describe evidence to you: https://www.msu.edu/~marianaj/Evidence.htm Go learn something.

 

[Scuba Pete]

Why does it take faith to not assert a belief in God?

We call that being agnostic. They don't know and they don't care.

You however, are convinced that there is no God to the point of debating about non existence: asserting a belief in the non-existence of God. No matter what mental gymnastics you use to justify your belief, it's still nothing but a belief and that is what faith is all about. It's hypocritical of you to condemn others for using faith, when it is also the corner stone of your disbelief. It's going to take a bit of reasoning for you to see how true this is and your first response will be anger and frustration. Good luck.

 

[Scuba Pete]

I submit to you that, as a Christian, you MUST make a compromise when it comes to the problem of evil.

How droll. You're now telling Christians WHAT they MUST believe in. Are you a control freak in other aspects of your life, or just when it comes to us conforming to your stereotypes?

 

[Kathryn]

I submit to you that, as a Christian, you MUST make a compromise when it comes to the problem of evil.

If you'd like to start yet another thread on that topic, feel free. I'll be happy to look it over and possibly comment.

However, your assertion that Christians MUST make intellectual compromises is simply your opinion.

If you want to take each issue point by point, start a thread on each issue (as has been done a thousand times on this forum) and we can take another look at each one.

 

[sandandfoam]

If you want to take each issue point by point, start a thread on each issue (as has been done a thousand times on this forum) and we can take another look at each one.

Might be easier to just have a thread outlining why all Christians are demonstrably slow on the uptake. Thick as planks.
The danger is that their ability to participate on the internet in light of their intellectual sluggishness might itself be construed as evidence of the miraculous.

 

[Kathryn]

ALL Christians are demonstrably slow on the uptake? Wow, Stephen. Is that your opinion or your take on Beaudreaux's opinion?

 

[Scuba Pete]

His title says he is a Christian, so I think it's merely sarcasm. Hopefully he will clear that up for us.

 

[sandandfoam]

ROFL
It was meant to be tongue in cheek - but if I have to spell it out

 

[Kathryn]

ROFL
It was meant to be tongue in cheek - but if I have to spell it out

Whew.

My bad! :sorry1: