Why do you want to go to heaven?

If you think there are no rational arguments for the existence of God then you are grossly misinformed

 

OK. This is the religion forum, so let's discuss them. You got time or are you to busy to bother?

 

Start with my posts in this thread especially concerning the Big Bang and the laws of Thermodynamics

http://www.thisboardrocks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56282&highlight=thermodynamics&page=3

 

thanks, responding in that thread.

 

Actually, it is in R&R, so it might be better to respond here:

Wow. First time I heard that statement. How can you qualify that statement so that I don't think you are saying just to support your position? Links? Evidence? Numbers? Anything?

Statistical analysis won't support that for outside influence on a 2nd party, but I completely agree with you on a personal level. The power of the brain to heal itself is remarkable.

Crucifixtion yes, resurrection no. As I recall, they returned to the tomb and the rock had been pushed aside, revealing an empty tomb. Thus, the story of resurrection. Such a story would not pass muster for that conclusion in any other aspect of your life or worldview. Both you and I know know that is true, regardless of how you respond.

Please go on. Your supposition that "God exists" is not supported by evidence. And none has been presented here. You need to support your supposition or withdraw it.

I could state my belief in the Flying Spaghetti Monster, with the same level of actual evidence, and you could not prove it wrong either. In fact, I really do believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

 

http://www.reproductivemedicine.com/Features/2001/2001Sep.htm

For someone who wants to be taken seriously debating the Bible, you have an extremely poor grasp of the Bible.

1 Corinthians Chapter 15

I asked you to respond to my posts regarding the LAws of Thermodynamics. Why did you ignore that request?

For the purposes of this discussion I don't care if God is a Flying Spaghetti monster. I am arguing the existence of a Creator.

 

I don't ask to be taken seriously about the Bible any more than I ask to be taken seriously over the Koran any more than I don't expect to be taken seriously over War and Peace. I've read all three but I am no expert on any.

It describes visions by various people. Please give evidence of how this is different than UFO sightings? Or Jesus's face in toast? Or flat out lies by the author?

I need to go to work now, so I didn't have time to peruse the whole R&R thread. I am certainly not afraid of discussing the Laws of Thermodynamics from a religious perspective and I look forward to that discussion with you.

If you know exactly where that piece is located, would you mind pasting it or linking it?

Ahh, this brings up interesting tangents on the form of your creator, but we can save those for later. Thank you for taking the time to discuss your faith. I am still waiting for that evidence though.

 

Why is God to blame for the circumstances those people are born into? Those surroundings are the result of the same free will everyone else on the planet has been given. Granted, no one chooses to be born -- let alone when, where, and to whom. But at some point, even those people have the opporunity to either adhere to that setting, or break free from it.

That doesn't condemn them.

As Sly stated, B.C. humanity were judged by a different standard than those who have lived A.D. That difference is described in Romans 2:12-16...

"All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares."

I completely agree. That's why Christians should be imploring others to trust Jesus, and trust the Bible, not themselves or church leaders.

 

Unfortunate flipside of the fantastic positives of free will. The mirrors of love, peace, selflessness, and compassion must also be options for free will to work. Otherwise, even the positives become impossible. Love must be a choice.

 

There have been many books written on the subject, but two of the easiest to read have been The Case for Faith and The Case for Christ, written by Lee Strobel, an investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune who converted from staunch atheism through his own extensive research.

When I was an agnostic and began my own resolution to these questions, there was a process I followed:

1. I dug into macroevolution and watched it unravel before my eyes. It is simply bad science, regardless of anything supernatural.

2. With the origins of the universe being consequently unanswered, the supernatural goes on the table. So I researched the Abrahamic religions, Buddhism, Hinduism, and a handful of others. The Abrahamic religions seemed to me to have the most favorable and credible evidence in their favor -- most specifically, the significant amount of evidence I found in support of the Bible.

3. Then I began the process of comparing the three Abrahamic religions -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Islam was eliminated early because of the lack of strong evidence in its favor. It's similar to the NFL's instant replay standard: once a call is made, it takes overwhelming evidence from the replay to overturn it. The Bible has a significant amount of strong evidence supporting it. The Qur'an was written some 600 years later by a 'prophet' who had a 'revelation' by himself in the desert, that supposedly overrides nearly all of the New Testament and much of the Old, just because Muhammed says so. What convinced me to buy into Christianity over Judaism is the evidence I found in support of Jesus as the Messiah.

The most common application of "fairness" is associated with judgment, and even more to the point -- punishment of the wicked. The bottom line is, we can't know for sure if God is fair until we witness and experience His judgment. To say He is fair before that day is a statement of faith, based on what we know about His character and will.

My position is that the vast majority of changes and variations in Christianity are directly due to both the errors and corruptive motivation of man.