Originally posted by Supra
Yet you never been out of your back yard, I have seen war in Iraq in Afghanistan beyond your comprehension and I have seen worlds beyond this world you have never seen..Get off the computer and go live in the real world and meet the real God
I spent 7 years in the army, and left as an E5. That was back is 1982. Although I never saw war time.
The coolest thing I have ever done was stand on top of a Mayan temple and looked out over the jungle.
Dode, I'm 53 years old.
Originally posted by Supra
I dont have to prove anything to you I do not know you
Knowing me is irrelevant. As Lucien pointed out, you made a claim, and as someone other than yourself I requested proof or confirmation of this claim. It's a really simple concept.
Here's an easier to digest example:
Originally posted by Kostabot
To demonstrate that you have no more "proof" in favor of your opinion than I do in mine.
Except my stance isn't absolute in anything, nor have I made any express assertions. In fact, I don't hold god's absence as a given either. Let's explore why by covering the available options:
A: God absolutely exists, because I believe/the Bible/random "miracle"/how do you explain Justin Bieber?
B: God absolutely does not exist, because there's no evidence/I have all-knowledge by virtue of my subjective human viewpoint/I made a logical argument which confuses a null result with absolute evidence of absence.
C: Absolute evidence exists for neither side. However, there's not enough evidence to assume that God, if he/she/it/sie etc. exists, they would be Judeo-Christian/Islamic/Hindu/Shinto/Pastafarian style deities but perhaps something else entirely since up until this point they have remained unintelligible and undetectable.
(Hint: It's C. The other two make wild absolute claims that cannot be proven.)
--
Regarding the burden of proof again, I have simply illustrated that your stance lacks any evidence whatsoever and therefore has no reason to be believed by anyone, even though it assumes an absolute and immutable truth. It's a very very simple concept, and it baffles me that it should ever be in dispute.
Here:
You might need better than this and "I believe, therefore it is true" arguments. Attempting to wedge me in as an atheist and then pull semantics is dodging the argument at hand. I challenge you to answer this to the best of your ability.
Originally posted by Supra
Man cannot explain God, God is God, he explains us.
"Man cannot explain God" & yet God demands us mere mortals to give him blind faith?
Are we humans that gullible or is God too pretentious & too sensitive needing us to believe in him?
Face it, there is nothing in your or my life-time that gives credit or evidence that God exists.
Too much faith is placed in a book that was written how many thousands of years ago?
Originally posted by KostabotHow do you know? Stop and keep reading before you jump to your answer. Don't just say you "know because you know". That's an empty statement. If you want to edit your statements concerning God/love/heaven etc. to "I believe", then go right ahead, I'll argue you no further. I'm a Weak Atheist--I do not believe there's a God or gods, but I will most certainly, absolutely, never say that I know that there is no God or gods. I'm agnostic for my lack of knowledge, and atheist for my lack of belief. Do you see the difference? A committed Christian can be equally agnostic. In fact (actual fact), when concerning the issue of gods, everyone is agnostic (no knowledge), regardless of the intensity of their faith (their beliefs).
A) Yes. There is.
So before you reiterate your supposed possession of unexplainable "knowledge", reconsider what it is that you know, and what it is that you believe. I can respect your belief, but anyone claiming to know something then refuse to prove its existence, or dodge their burden of proof altogether is not worthy of respect, consideration, or time.
Originally posted by KostabotSee above. Make a claim to knowledge, then it is incontrovertibly your job to prove it. If there are holes in your logic, then it's your duty to fill them after we address them. If you refuse to fill them, acknowledge their existence, or dismiss their importance, then no one of a skeptical mind, myself included, has reason to listen your words or heed your suggestions. If you want us to understand your perspective, then learn to appreciate the criteria which we abide by.
How do I know this? Because I do. How can I prove it? It's not my job to prove anything to anyone, they have to discover it for them selves. As I said, if this inetersts you beyond just trying to find holes in my logic, then read conversations with god. It wont take long, but it will help you understand my perspective (even if you still don't accept it after doing so).
Originally posted by Esau Cairn
"Man cannot explain God" & yet God demands us mere mortals to give him blind faith?Are we humans that gullible or is God too pretentious & too sensitive needing us to believe in him?
Face it, there is nothing in your or my life-time that gives credit or evidence that God exists.
Too much faith is placed in a book that was written how many thousands of years ago?
In your life time no In mine..yes
I have died and been to heaven and seen God and the angels and I have been to hell and come back alive to tell the world one thing..
chose heaven...
God is God whether you believe in him or not..But he yearns for your love..He yearns it..There is a difference
Originally posted by SupraAre you, at all open to the prospect that whatever it is you experienced has its basis in the science and empiricism of the mortal world, and was not in fact a divine moment?
I have died and been to heaven and seen God and the angels and I have been to hell and come back alive to tell the world one thing..
chose heaven...
Originally posted by Shakyamunison
I spent 7 years in the army, and left as an E5. That was back is 1982. Although I never saw war time.The coolest thing I have ever done was stand on top of a Mayan temple and looked out over the jungle.
Dode, I'm 53 years old.
If you have never been in hell and seen death then how do you speak as if you have?
If you have never died from battle and been to heaven as a few of my friends and I have..how can you speak of a world you have never seen?
Im 31 Marine Infantry 01-07
3/3 3rd Marines Weapons Co
Kaneohe Bay
Afghanistan 2004-2005
Iraq 2006-2007
Sergeant
United States Marine Corps
(Retired-From my wounds)
Originally posted by Supra
In your life time no In mine..yesI have died and been to heaven and seen God and the angels and I have been to hell and come back alive to tell the world one thing..
chose heaven...God is God whether you believe in him or not..But he yearns for your love..He yearns it..There is a difference
So are you going to reply to me or ignore me?
Originally posted by Lord Lucien
As a maple-blooded Canadian, I could never in good conscience let my Yankee brethren traverse the frigid waters of unTruth and Fallacy alone.#sailon
#dontknockittilyoutryit
#encouragedactually
#brofist
#mustbethelabatts
#hashtagremindmeofdialinglongdistanceinthe90s
An omnipotent entity that still requires the emotional discharge of infinitesimally small cell-sacks.
What a diva.
Originally posted by SupraOhhhh. This is starting to make more sense now.
If you have never died from battle and been to heaven as a few of my friends and I have..how can you speak of a world you have never seen?
Originally posted by Lord Lucien
An omnipotent entity that still requires the emotional discharge of infinitesimally small cell-sacks.What a diva.
Ohhhh. This is starting to make more sense now.
Yes, this is the basis of my doubt. My never-ending questioning.
If I sent a private message to a Christian claiming to be a Nigerian prince needing access to your personal bank account in exchange for millions of dollars...would you extend me the same blind faith you do in God?
Originally posted by Lord Lucien
An omnipotent entity that still requires the emotional discharge of infinitesimally small cell-sacks.What a diva.
Ohhhh. This is starting to make more sense now.
If you have never died from battle and been to heaven as a few of my friends and I have..how can you speak of a world you have never seen?
Im 31 Marine Infantry 01-07
3/3 3rd Marines Weapons Co
Kaneohe Bay
Afghanistan 2004-2005
Iraq 2006-2007
Sergeant
United States Marine Corps
(Retired-From my wounds)
If I died and some of my friends died and we all had a similar but different experience at the same time..I saw God, some flew like angels some saw a white light..and we came back to tell this story
This is our story..We are warriors for this country and for our Living God
God Lives
Originally posted by Esau Cairn
Yes, this is the basis of my doubt. My never-ending questioning.If I sent a private message to a Christian claiming to be a Nigerian prince needing access to your personal bank account in exchange for millions of dollars...would you extend me the same blind faith you do in God?
God will never ask you for money
He will never ask you for anything
He is God..
Originally posted by Supra
If you have never died from battle and been to heaven as a few of my friends and I have..how can you speak of a world you have never seen?Im 31 Marine Infantry 01-07
3/3 3rd Marines Weapons Co
Kaneohe BayAfghanistan 2004-2005
Iraq 2006-2007Sergeant
United States Marine Corps
(Retired-From my wounds)If I died and some of my friends died and we all had a similar but different experience at the same time..I saw God, some flew like angels some saw a white light..and we came back to tell this story
This is our story..We are warriors for this country and for our Living God
God Lives
Glad to know anyone who doesn't meet your strict criteria is excluded.
Originally posted by SupraI have a feeling you were raised amongst Christianity, weren't you? The icons, symbols, characters, themes, visualizations... have all been apart of your conscious and popular mental imagery for a long time. Paired with your already existent faith, the sudden trauma that a NDE forces on to the brain and its host mind is likely to ignite every feeling and sight of nostalgia and familiarity that will bring you the most comfort and reassurance.
If you have never died from battle and been to heaven as a few of my friends and I have..how can you speak of a world you have never seen?Im 31 Marine Infantry 01-07
3/3 3rd Marines Weapons Co
Kaneohe BayAfghanistan 2004-2005
Iraq 2006-2007Sergeant
United States Marine Corps
(Retired-From my wounds)If I died and some of my friends died and we all had a similar but different experience at the same time..I saw God, some flew like angels some saw a white light..and we came back to tell this story
This is our story..We are warriors for this country and for our Living God
God Lives
Sadly for your proselytizing, and most wonderfully for those of us enamored by the beauty of reality, everything you saw and felt and heard was just the right amount of firing of just the right neurons and synapses in your head. It's not your hum-drum God, or a tranquilizing paradise that you experienced, it was the unimaginable awesomeness of the human brain.