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@RoderickSpode
Then being a Christian (or any other faith) is totally meaningless and arbitrary?
Proving all (other) religions wrong.
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@RoderickSpode
Do you have a god-o-meter or are you just guessing?
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@ludofl3x
The term Christian is used for someone who follows Christ. Not much different than one saying they're a follower of Obama, Trump, the Pittsburgh Penguins, etc. If you are a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but wear a Nashville Predators fan jersey, telling everyone you're a Predators fan, but cheer for Pittsburgh when playing Nashville, that would be pretty silly wouldn't it?
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@secularmerlin
Guessing at what?
Do you think God is unable to identify himself to humanity?
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@RoderickSpode
Ok, so religion is basically the same significance overall as following a sports team. In other words, then, there is no right or wrong religion, and you feel that religion is merely some combination of personal preference and geographical location, and there's really no "reason" to be a fan of one team over another that's demonstrably right or wrong. I agree with that. You seem to be saying no religion is correct, then, as it's just a matter of preference. I'm not going to pretend I don't know you're a Christian, so this seems a rather weak defense of the faith.
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@RoderickSpode
Clearly, because there are so many vastly different versions of the character, he is either unwilling or unable to do so definitively, or he's simply incompetent at the task. Otherwise why would so many people NOT believe in him?
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@RoderickSpode
I wouldn't call it a simple matter of tribalism, which seems to be what you are implying.
To believe on Jesus Christ as is taught in Orthodox, that is, true worshiping, right believing Christianity is not to simply believe in a prophet or teacher called Jesus and the club he started. It is to believe in The Son in Trinity with The Father and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is God!
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@RoderickSpode
Do you think God is unable to identify himself to humanity
I think that no human that claims any god(s) have been revealed to them has ever met their burden of proof that I know of.
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@ludofl3x
Roderick is certainly not expressing the Orthodox Christian position.
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@Mopac
Oh no see this thread is for debate. If that isn't why you are here I think it would be better if you don't post here.
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@ludofl3x
Religion is really nothing more than a category meant to differentiate subject matters, educational departments, bookstore sections, etc. I personally don't pay much attention to the term except as a reference point for discussion.
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@RoderickSpode
It's magnanimous of you. So I guess you don't believe in hell, or at the very least you think heaven is for everyone no matter what they believe or did? You've changed, Rod! :-)
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@ludofl3x
Have you ever wondered if God existed when looking at nature?Clearly, because there are so many vastly different versions of the character, he is either unwilling or unable to do so definitively, or he's simply incompetent at the task. Otherwise why would so many people NOT believe in him?
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@Mopac
I wasn't implying tribalism, and I believe the orthodox view. I was simply defining the term Christian.I wouldn't call it a simple matter of tribalism, which seems to be what you are implying.To believe on Jesus Christ as is taught in Orthodox, that is, true worshiping, right believing Christianity is not to simply believe in a prophet or teacher called Jesus and the club he started. It is to believe in The Son in Trinity with The Father and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is God!
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@secularmerlin
Biblically speaking, it starts with the view of nature (or the experience of nature since not everyone has sight). Have you ever wondered if God, or a creator exists after viewing nature?
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@RoderickSpode
Which god? Obviously I've wondered if god(s) exist(ed), and obviously I have yet to see any demonstration that it / they do / does or did. Given all the conflicting accounts of these characters and the dearth of evidence for all of them, then, the only sensible conclusion is to say it or they seem really unlikely, and if I had to bet I'd bet on no.
Why?
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@Mopac
Roderick is certainly not expressing the Orthodox Christian position.
Why do you think that?
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@RoderickSpode
Careful what you're getting into there, dude, this guy's first language is jibberish. His username should be No True Scotsman.
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@ludofl3x
I haven't changed at all. If we took the term in it's broadest definition, it would include just about anything including atheism. The term has a negative connotation in the Bible.It's magnanimous of you. So I guess you don't believe in hell, or at the very least you think heaven is for everyone no matter what they believe or did? You've changed, Rod! :-)
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@ludofl3x
Which god? Obviously I've wondered if god(s) exist(ed), and obviously I have yet to see any demonstration that it / they do / does or did. Given all the conflicting accounts of these characters and the dearth of evidence for all of them, then, the only sensible conclusion is to say it or they seem really unlikely, and if I had to bet I'd bet on no.Why?
Although I think I used a capital "G", have you ever wondered if there was a creator which you acknowledged as being "yes". So that was a beginning point. Rather than examine further, you drew a conclusion that due to conflicting accounts, etc., that a creator, or God probably doesn't exist. But the subject certainly has your attention, so obviously it's not a closed case for you. Right?
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@RoderickSpode
No, I am always willing to examine new evidence. But it has to be EVIDENCE. Not someone's story or dream. It has to be something I can demonstrate, or they can demonstrate. I'm not sure still how nature is involved. THere's tons of natural explanations for basically every phenomena we observe.
This place did a 30 page topic on going from A god to a specific God. Not a single believer even tried, in earnest, over the course of the 30 pages. My point is even if I said "Okay, there's a creator behind this," there is still no way to connect that thing to any specific version of a myth.
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@ludofl3x
Imagine a manufactured ant farm. You look through the glass, and you can see dirt tunnels, ants moving along through the tunnels, etc. Now, imagine one of the ants hitting his antennae against the glass reminding him/her that he/she can't go any further. Did that ant just touch evidence of a creator (of the ant farm)?No, I am always willing to examine new evidence. But it has to be EVIDENCE. Not someone's story or dream. It has to be something I can demonstrate, or they can demonstrate. I'm not sure still how nature is involved. THere's tons of natural explanations for basically every phenomena we observe.
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@RoderickSpode
Biblically speaking, it starts with the view of nature (or the experience of nature since not everyone has sight). Have you ever wondered if God, or a creator exists after viewing nature?
That is entirely irrelevant unless there is some way of answering the question.
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@RoderickSpode
Did that ant just touch evidence of a creator (of the ant farm)?
How do we know that ant farms are created? What I mean is what differentiates an ant farm from a natural habitat?
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@secularmerlin
That is entirely irrelevant unless there is some way of answering the question.
All I asked you is have you ever wondered if God, or a creator exists after viewing nature. I think it's a fairly simple question of either "yes", or "no".
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@secularmerlin
How do we know that ant farms are created? What I mean is what differentiates an ant farm from a natural habitat?
In the case I presented, the ant farm is a commercially produced item. We know ant farms are sometimes manufactured. So a creator (in this case a human) had to be involved.
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@RoderickSpode
Everyone has wondered but I have never seen any evidence to support the premise.
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@RoderickSpode
In the case I presented, the ant farm is a commercially produced item. We know ant farms are sometimes manufactured. So a creator (in this case a human) had to be involved.
So the whole reason that an ant farm is evidence of a creator is because we know humans manufacture them. In that case it is a poor analogy since we are unaware of any manufacturers of universes.
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@secularmerlin
Everyone has wondered but I have never seen any evidence to support the premise.
Saying everyone is actually quite an acknowledgment.
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@secularmerlin
So the whole reason that an ant farm is evidence of a creator is because we know humans manufacture them. In that case it is a poor analogy since we are unaware of any manufacturers of universes.
I'm strictly referring to an ant's perspective. Of course we know, but what about the ant? Did that ant just feel with his antennae evidence of the creator of that farm?