Interesting religious breakdown on gay marriage

[BoilerJS]

This is totally not related to the point of the thread - and I'm not trying to be annoying. That said, isn't the idea of "santa claus" associated with Christmas so far removed from the actual historic person of St. Nicholas that you could say that Santa Claus really is "false?"

It is related to this thread. Of course the white bearded jolly man isn't real. But the spirit of giving is. That's what he represents. What is God? Who is god? The spirit of good will towards your fellow man. It is what he stands for rather than what he is!

 

[kescwi]

If something exists outside the realm of human comprehension, then why should I accept its existence? To explain the inexplicable?

Demanding evidence in support of claims is not "worshiping at the alter of oneself". I don't understand the attacking in this thread.

I can't recall right now who it was and you may know better but I recall hearing once about a man who when confronted by a person moking that people once thought the earth was flat responded, what would it look like if it were?

We live in an age of worshiping at the alter of oneself. In the course of history these past, roughly, 100 years have brought breakthroughs at an astounding rate, from first flight to the moon, oil lamps to nuclear reactors in my great grandmothers lifetime. With these advancements it's easy to believe in oneself, to feel that religion, history, all the minutiae man has contemplated for thousands of years are now not just known but conquerable, however, to me, as I grow older, I think of pride and falls, flying too close to the sun, Frankenstein and Twighlight Zones all warning of the dangers of hubris.

Science doesn't deserve to be mocked nor does religion. Hundreds, thousands of years from now your believes will seem to those generations that come after us as quaint as a flat earth, but really how else could you see it and religion will still be around as well with the belifs held today viewed similarly head scratchingly to the way the inquisition is seen today, but then how else could we see it?

 

[qazplm]

It wasn't an attack, it was a compliment, but such is the nature of a message board.

No, I don't think religion is special. Stop telling me what I think ffs. On occasion, I ridicule ridiculous positions, I even agree with you most of the time.

Most of what I've said in this thread is in regard to the differences between atheism and agnosticism, and it seems to be where this whole thing started.

Actually this thread started elsewhere with mocking religious beliefs. You may have initially come in to basically poo on agnosticism and nothing else, but you ended up doing more than that.
You are now clarifying your beliefs but you needed to given what you'd posted and "liked" up til this point.

 

[qazplm]

So when ecouch suggests that belief in Jesus/God has never caused anyone to be a better person, that's a claim worthy of ridicule, right?

Be interesting to see the response to this. He felt the need to weigh in on agnosticism, but not the claim by ecouch that is patently a ridiculous claim.

 

[beardownboiler]

@kescwi, Saxondale is awesome. I just wish it didn't get taken off Netflix every other month.

 

[Beeazlebub]

Be interesting to see the response to this. He felt the need to weigh in on agnosticism, but not the claim by ecouch that is patently a ridiculous claim.

Does this qualify as a claim?: "How would believing in Jesus make someone a better person?"

 

[qazplm]

Does this qualify as a claim?: "How would believing in Jesus make someone a better person?"

What a lame response. Seriously?

 

[kescwi]

@kescwi, Saxondale is awesome. I just wish it didn't get taken off Netflix every other month.

I can't get a handle on how and why Netflix drops and adds content, but it is annoying.

I keep hoping that since Coogan recently did an Alan Partridge movie he will focus on a Tommy Saxondale movie in the near future.

 

[ecouch]

You do realize that you won't actually know this, correct? If you believe it, you won't be able to objectively understand why you believe it, and can create any justification for your belief in your head.

Evidence is a bitch.

 

[ecouch]

Does this qualify as a claim?: "How would believing in Jesus make someone a better person?"

No one wants to play ball.

Sad.

Handcuffed by liberalism.

 

[beardownboiler]

I can't get a handle on how and why Netflix drops and adds content, but it is annoying.

I keep hoping that since Coogan recently did an Alan Partridge movie he will focus on a Tommy Saxondale movie in the near future.

I have no idea what they are doing with Saxondale. It'll be up for a while, and then gone for months. I'd be willing to purchase the DVDs (assuming there are some), if I didn't have Netflix access to it, but I know it'd wind up on there again. I just want some consistency.

 

[beardownboiler]

Evidence is a bitch.

Nice platitude. I guess it'd be a little better if it even made sense. So far, you've done nothing but make yourself out to be a boob.

 

[ecouch]

Nice platitude. I guess it'd be a little better if it even made sense. So far, you've done nothing but make yourself out to be a boob.

Are we throwing evidence out?

Does evidence matter?

This is a yes or no.

 

[ecouch]

Qaz is putting on an attorney display FYI.

It is actually pretty good. It makes me laugh.

Answer nothing.

Frame your adversary.

Nice work, Qaz. You can dupe folks with rhetoric.

 

[beardownboiler]

Qaz is putting on an attorney display FYI.

It is actually pretty good. It makes me laugh.

Answer nothing.

Frame your adversary.

Nice work, Qaz. You can dupe folks with rhetoric.

He tore you up. For someone whose belief is supposedly based in logic, one would think you'd be able to do better in this debate.

 

[pastorjoeboggs]

No one wants to play ball.

Sad.

Handcuffed by liberalism.

What the heck does this actually mean? You want me to "play ball?" Fine.

Mother Teresa
Pope Francis
Henri Nouwen
John Wesley
Martin Luther King, Jr.

There's five names - five famous names - of people whose actions and words pretty clearly demonstrate that belief in Jesus has a tremendous effect on a person's life.

I could name so many more, some names would be familiar to you and many would not. Either way, to claim - in the form of a question - that belief in Jesus necessarily has no effect on a person's moral life is asinine and easily disproven. Does a belief in Jesus automatically make someone a better person? Of course not. But it can, it has, it is, and it will continue to do so for many.

I believe "the ball" (of whatever game you think it is that we are playing) is now in your court.

 

[ecouch]

I don't know of may atheists (like me) who would argue that the incomprehensible must be false. Not accepting a premise as "true" is not the same as saying it must be false. Many like me see no reason to believe in the incomprehensible until it becomes so.

The entire second half of this thread is the result of a definition issue.

Now we could sit around and drink imperial stouts and talk about what might be incomprehensible all day, and I would even do my level best not to be mean-spirited, but there are no limits on such a discussion.

I used to hold this opinion.

But, the religious and their lapdogs can't stay well enough alone.

Religion has cost me $2 Million+ this year.

Keep you mythology to yourself.

 

[ecouch]

What the heck does this actually mean? You want me to "play ball?" Fine.

Mother Teresa
Pope Francis
Henri Nouwen
John Wesley
Martin Luther King, Jr.

There's five names - five famous names - of people whose actions and words pretty clearly demonstrate that belief in Jesus has a tremendous effect on a person's life.

I could name so many more, some names would be familiar to you and many would not. Either way, to claim - in the form of a question - that belief in Jesus necessarily has no effect on a person's moral life is asinine and easily disproven. Does a belief in Jesus automatically make someone a better person? Of course not. But it can, it has, it is, and it will continue to do so for many.

I believe "the ball" (of whatever game you think it is that we are playing) is now in your court.

You didn't answer the question. I will let this one go because you seem like a nice guy. Your first one, Mother Teresa....oy vey!

Popes? Pope Frankie is told what to say. Nothing has changed.

John Wesley? I grew up on the campus of IWU.

MLK's main influences were secular socialists. Christianity was the driving force against equal rights. Just as it was with slavery. Just as it was with suffrage. Just as it was with gay rights. It is almost as if there is a pattern here.

 

[pastorjoeboggs]

You didn't answer the question. I will let this one go because you seem like a nice guy. Your first one, Mother Teresa....oy vey!

Popes? Pope Frankie is told what to say. Nothing has changed.

John Wesley? I grew up on the campus of IWU.

MLK's main influences were secular socialists. Christianity was the driving force against equal rights. Just as it was with slavery. Just as it was with suffrage. Just as it was with gay rights. It is almost as if there is a pattern here.

How did I know that would be your response?

Despite CLEAR evidence (see your post regarding evidence above) in the lives of Francis and Teresa, you are simply choosing to believe that their faith has nothing to do with their lives. You are so dead set on being "right" that you can't even accept that, in this one instance, you took your argument too far and have no leg to stand on. I'm not particularly concerned with trying to change your mind and "convert" you. I do however, grow tired of the extreme disrespect. Just because you have no use for religious belief doesn't mean no one else can or that everyone else who does is somehow just not as intelligent as you.

Now, your actual question was "How does believing in Jesus make someone a better person?" That's a very difficult question to answer, but there have been some interesting articles on the issue:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/15/religion-health-well-being_n_1423713.html
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/03/25/is-religion-good-for-your-health/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/21/religion-and-health_n_1290740.html

Admittedly, most of the research indicates that the benefit of religion is subjective, but subjective does not mean non-existent.

 

[qazplm]

Qaz is putting on an attorney display FYI.

It is actually pretty good. It makes me laugh.

Answer nothing.

Frame your adversary.

Nice work, Qaz. You can dupe folks with rhetoric.

But not you.
You literally can't be duped.

So smart.
So self-aware.
So pretty.

 

[beardownboiler]

So smart.
So self-aware.
So pretty.

So shiny.
So chrome.

Sorry, couldn't help myself.