Do religious believers actively avoid conversations with non-believers?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Love isn't supernatural.

Empathy isn't supernatural.

Love is an emotion and empathy is an understanding.

Both exist in the natural world.

Faith, an emotion and an understanding, exists in the natural world too.

No one claims faith doesn’t exist. What is your point?

my point was the same point that the poster made about love and empathy

No, that was in response to someone claiming that love and empathy are supernatural. You are the only one who brought up faith. Again, what was your intended point?

To add to the conversation.

Non-sequitur does not add to the conversation, it is exactly the opposite.

We're adding to it, lol...but those were vague definitions that make even God exist. The original "emotion/understanding" poster, responded to someone who gave God the definition of love, basically told them, their God exists.

I'll try a different definition of God.

An infinite, all-powerful good.

Really? Then how do we explain all the $h!t in the world?

really? new to internet religious debates? lol...free will
but perhaps you didn't have the will to ignore....hmmm

and this is getting off topic

You're not trying to make your point and then stop the discussion there, are you?

Do you believe in heaven? Is there free will in heaven? If so then it is possible for god to create a world with free will and no suffering/evil, so that argument is defeated.

lol...me again, and actually I'm a believer in life is a paradox, so I'm not happy with my thought process' unless I find the paradox.

I do not understand your response or how it relates to the posts it follows. Respectfully requesting explanation.

The previous poster pointed out the free will paradox. If you don't understand, look it up, it is older than the greeks.

who else is singing Rush right now.

Love that song.
-religious believer

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love isn't supernatural.

Empathy isn't supernatural.

Love is an emotion and empathy is an understanding.

Both exist in the natural world.

Faith, an emotion and an understanding, exists in the natural world too.

No one claims faith doesn’t exist. What is your point?

my point was the same point that the poster made about love and empathy

No, that was in response to someone claiming that love and empathy are supernatural. You are the only one who brought up faith. Again, what was your intended point?

To add to the conversation.

Non-sequitur does not add to the conversation, it is exactly the opposite.

We're adding to it, lol...but those were vague definitions that make even God exist. The original "emotion/understanding" poster, responded to someone who gave God the definition of love, basically told them, their God exists.

I'll try a different definition of God.

An infinite, all-powerful good.

Really? Then how do we explain all the $h!t in the world?

really? new to internet religious debates? lol...free will
but perhaps you didn't have the will to ignore....hmmm

and this is getting off topic

You're not trying to make your point and then stop the discussion there, are you?

Do you believe in heaven? Is there free will in heaven? If so then it is possible for god to create a world with free will and no suffering/evil, so that argument is defeated.

lol...me again, and actually I'm a believer in life is a paradox, so I'm not happy with my thought process' unless I find the paradox.

I do not understand your response or how it relates to the posts it follows. Respectfully requesting explanation.

The previous poster pointed out the free will paradox. If you don't understand, look it up, it is older than the greeks.

Yes I know about that. Not what I asked. The paradox is whether or not free will exists - for this discussion I will grant that it does. I asked if, in your belief system, it exists in heaven.

IDK, I've never been there, why do you want to know?
It is not something I've really thought about or care to think about. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love isn't supernatural.

Empathy isn't supernatural.

Love is an emotion and empathy is an understanding.

Both exist in the natural world.

Faith, an emotion and an understanding, exists in the natural world too.

No one claims faith doesn’t exist. What is your point?

my point was the same point that the poster made about love and empathy

No, that was in response to someone claiming that love and empathy are supernatural. You are the only one who brought up faith. Again, what was your intended point?

To add to the conversation.

Non-sequitur does not add to the conversation, it is exactly the opposite.

We're adding to it, lol...but those were vague definitions that make even God exist. The original "emotion/understanding" poster, responded to someone who gave God the definition of love, basically told them, their God exists.

I'll try a different definition of God.

An infinite, all-powerful good.

Really? Then how do we explain all the $h!t in the world?

really? new to internet religious debates? lol...free will
but perhaps you didn't have the will to ignore....hmmm

and this is getting off topic

You're not trying to make your point and then stop the discussion there, are you?

Do you believe in heaven? Is there free will in heaven? If so then it is possible for god to create a world with free will and no suffering/evil, so that argument is defeated.

lol...me again, and actually I'm a believer in life is a paradox, so I'm not happy with my thought process' unless I find the paradox.

I do not understand your response or how it relates to the posts it follows. Respectfully requesting explanation.

The previous poster pointed out the free will paradox. If you don't understand, look it up, it is older than the greeks.

Yes I know about that. Not what I asked. The paradox is whether or not free will exists - for this discussion I will grant that it does. I asked if, in your belief system, it exists in heaven.

IDK, I've never been there, why do you want to know?
It is not something I've really thought about or care to think about. Sorry.

If you read my post that you replied to, you’d know why I want to know and why I ask.

Would you like to do that and then respond?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love isn't supernatural.

Empathy isn't supernatural.

Love is an emotion and empathy is an understanding.

Both exist in the natural world.

Faith, an emotion and an understanding, exists in the natural world too.

No one claims faith doesn’t exist. What is your point?

my point was the same point that the poster made about love and empathy

No, that was in response to someone claiming that love and empathy are supernatural. You are the only one who brought up faith. Again, what was your intended point?

To add to the conversation.

Non-sequitur does not add to the conversation, it is exactly the opposite.

We're adding to it, lol...but those were vague definitions that make even God exist. The original "emotion/understanding" poster, responded to someone who gave God the definition of love, basically told them, their God exists.

I'll try a different definition of God.

An infinite, all-powerful good.

Really? Then how do we explain all the $h!t in the world?

really? new to internet religious debates? lol...free will
but perhaps you didn't have the will to ignore....hmmm

and this is getting off topic

You're not trying to make your point and then stop the discussion there, are you?

Do you believe in heaven? Is there free will in heaven? If so then it is possible for god to create a world with free will and no suffering/evil, so that argument is defeated.

lol...me again, and actually I'm a believer in life is a paradox, so I'm not happy with my thought process' unless I find the paradox.

I do not understand your response or how it relates to the posts it follows. Respectfully requesting explanation.

The previous poster pointed out the free will paradox. If you don't understand, look it up, it is older than the greeks.

Yes I know about that. Not what I asked. The paradox is whether or not free will exists - for this discussion I will grant that it does. I asked if, in your belief system, it exists in heaven.

IDK, I've never been there, why do you want to know?
It is not something I've really thought about or care to think about. Sorry.

If you read my post that you replied to, you’d know why I want to know and why I ask.

Would you like to do that and then respond?

and I gave you my answer. What else did you need to know?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love isn't supernatural.

Empathy isn't supernatural.

Love is an emotion and empathy is an understanding.

Both exist in the natural world.

Faith, an emotion and an understanding, exists in the natural world too.

No one claims faith doesn’t exist. What is your point?

my point was the same point that the poster made about love and empathy

No, that was in response to someone claiming that love and empathy are supernatural. You are the only one who brought up faith. Again, what was your intended point?

To add to the conversation.

Non-sequitur does not add to the conversation, it is exactly the opposite.

We're adding to it, lol...but those were vague definitions that make even God exist. The original "emotion/understanding" poster, responded to someone who gave God the definition of love, basically told them, their God exists.

I'll try a different definition of God.

An infinite, all-powerful good.

Really? Then how do we explain all the $h!t in the world?

really? new to internet religious debates? lol...free will
but perhaps you didn't have the will to ignore....hmmm

and this is getting off topic

You're not trying to make your point and then stop the discussion there, are you?

Do you believe in heaven? Is there free will in heaven? If so then it is possible for god to create a world with free will and no suffering/evil, so that argument is defeated.

lol...me again, and actually I'm a believer in life is a paradox, so I'm not happy with my thought process' unless I find the paradox.

I do not understand your response or how it relates to the posts it follows. Respectfully requesting explanation.

The previous poster pointed out the free will paradox. If you don't understand, look it up, it is older than the greeks.

Yes I know about that. Not what I asked. The paradox is whether or not free will exists - for this discussion I will grant that it does. I asked if, in your belief system, it exists in heaven.

IDK, I've never been there, why do you want to know?
It is not something I've really thought about or care to think about. Sorry.

If you read my post that you replied to, you’d know why I want to know and why I ask.

Would you like to do that and then respond?

and I gave you my answer. What else did you need to know?

You answer is a non answer. Thats fine, you can bow out . I would also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love isn't supernatural.

Empathy isn't supernatural.

Love is an emotion and empathy is an understanding.

Both exist in the natural world.

Faith, an emotion and an understanding, exists in the natural world too.

No one claims faith doesn’t exist. What is your point?

my point was the same point that the poster made about love and empathy

No, that was in response to someone claiming that love and empathy are supernatural. You are the only one who brought up faith. Again, what was your intended point?

To add to the conversation.

Non-sequitur does not add to the conversation, it is exactly the opposite.

We're adding to it, lol...but those were vague definitions that make even God exist. The original "emotion/understanding" poster, responded to someone who gave God the definition of love, basically told them, their God exists.

I'll try a different definition of God.

An infinite, all-powerful good.

Really? Then how do we explain all the $h!t in the world?

really? new to internet religious debates? lol...free will
but perhaps you didn't have the will to ignore....hmmm

and this is getting off topic

You're not trying to make your point and then stop the discussion there, are you?

Do you believe in heaven? Is there free will in heaven? If so then it is possible for god to create a world with free will and no suffering/evil, so that argument is defeated.

lol...me again, and actually I'm a believer in life is a paradox, so I'm not happy with my thought process' unless I find the paradox.

I do not understand your response or how it relates to the posts it follows. Respectfully requesting explanation.

The previous poster pointed out the free will paradox. If you don't understand, look it up, it is older than the greeks.

Yes I know about that. Not what I asked. The paradox is whether or not free will exists - for this discussion I will grant that it does. I asked if, in your belief system, it exists in heaven.

IDK, I've never been there, why do you want to know?
It is not something I've really thought about or care to think about. Sorry.

If you read my post that you replied to, you’d know why I want to know and why I ask.

Would you like to do that and then respond?

and I gave you my answer. What else did you need to know?

You answer is a non answer. Thats fine, you can bow out . I would also.

I don't think you understand. I know free will is an illusion, why would I want to entertain some inane debate on it.

It's much like Einstein's quote "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." except that for free will, I'd say, Free Will is merely an illusion albeit a very important one. No need to let killers know they played no role in their crimes. We need it in order to keep a functioning society.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love isn't supernatural.

Empathy isn't supernatural.

Love is an emotion and empathy is an understanding.

Both exist in the natural world.

Faith, an emotion and an understanding, exists in the natural world too.

No one claims faith doesn’t exist. What is your point?

my point was the same point that the poster made about love and empathy

No, that was in response to someone claiming that love and empathy are supernatural. You are the only one who brought up faith. Again, what was your intended point?

To add to the conversation.

Non-sequitur does not add to the conversation, it is exactly the opposite.

We're adding to it, lol...but those were vague definitions that make even God exist. The original "emotion/understanding" poster, responded to someone who gave God the definition of love, basically told them, their God exists.

I'll try a different definition of God.

An infinite, all-powerful good.

Really? Then how do we explain all the $h!t in the world?

really? new to internet religious debates? lol...free will
but perhaps you didn't have the will to ignore....hmmm

and this is getting off topic

You're not trying to make your point and then stop the discussion there, are you?

Do you believe in heaven? Is there free will in heaven? If so then it is possible for god to create a world with free will and no suffering/evil, so that argument is defeated.

lol...me again, and actually I'm a believer in life is a paradox, so I'm not happy with my thought process' unless I find the paradox.

I do not understand your response or how it relates to the posts it follows. Respectfully requesting explanation.

The previous poster pointed out the free will paradox. If you don't understand, look it up, it is older than the greeks.

Yes I know about that. Not what I asked. The paradox is whether or not free will exists - for this discussion I will grant that it does. I asked if, in your belief system, it exists in heaven.

IDK, I've never been there, why do you want to know?
It is not something I've really thought about or care to think about. Sorry.

If you read my post that you replied to, you’d know why I want to know and why I ask.

Would you like to do that and then respond?

and I gave you my answer. What else did you need to know?

You answer is a non answer. Thats fine, you can bow out . I would also.

I don't think you understand. I know free will is an illusion, why would I want to entertain some inane debate on it.

It's much like Einstein's quote "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." except that for free will, I'd say, Free Will is merely an illusion albeit a very important one. No need to let killers know they played no role in their crimes. We need it in order to keep a functioning society.

Really, you think it is an illusion, yet at 04/08/2025 11:10 you use it to explain the problem of evil?

That's the level we are at here?

My advice: Just go with the hard solipsism defense for god then, say we can't know anything and leave it at that. Much harder to defeat than the weak tea being served here every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love isn't supernatural.

Empathy isn't supernatural.

Love is an emotion and empathy is an understanding.

Both exist in the natural world.

Faith, an emotion and an understanding, exists in the natural world too.

No one claims faith doesn’t exist. What is your point?

my point was the same point that the poster made about love and empathy

No, that was in response to someone claiming that love and empathy are supernatural. You are the only one who brought up faith. Again, what was your intended point?

To add to the conversation.

Non-sequitur does not add to the conversation, it is exactly the opposite.

We're adding to it, lol...but those were vague definitions that make even God exist. The original "emotion/understanding" poster, responded to someone who gave God the definition of love, basically told them, their God exists.

I'll try a different definition of God.

An infinite, all-powerful good.

Really? Then how do we explain all the $h!t in the world?

really? new to internet religious debates? lol...free will
but perhaps you didn't have the will to ignore....hmmm

and this is getting off topic

You're not trying to make your point and then stop the discussion there, are you?

Do you believe in heaven? Is there free will in heaven? If so then it is possible for god to create a world with free will and no suffering/evil, so that argument is defeated.

lol...me again, and actually I'm a believer in life is a paradox, so I'm not happy with my thought process' unless I find the paradox.

I do not understand your response or how it relates to the posts it follows. Respectfully requesting explanation.

The previous poster pointed out the free will paradox. If you don't understand, look it up, it is older than the greeks.

Yes I know about that. Not what I asked. The paradox is whether or not free will exists - for this discussion I will grant that it does. I asked if, in your belief system, it exists in heaven.

IDK, I've never been there, why do you want to know?
It is not something I've really thought about or care to think about. Sorry.

If you read my post that you replied to, you’d know why I want to know and why I ask.

Would you like to do that and then respond?

and I gave you my answer. What else did you need to know?

You answer is a non answer. Thats fine, you can bow out . I would also.

I don't think you understand. I know free will is an illusion, why would I want to entertain some inane debate on it.

It's much like Einstein's quote "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." except that for free will, I'd say, Free Will is merely an illusion albeit a very important one. No need to let killers know they played no role in their crimes. We need it in order to keep a functioning society.

Free will is an illusion

This is why I don't like philosophers. Everything can be argued from different perspectives without ever agreeing on a final conclusion. At least with science, if you make a claim, you have to back it up with experimentation and data.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume everyone is a non-believer or agnostic unless something about our interactions (usually mentioning religious service attendance) indicates otherwise.

If I actively avoided speaking to these people at all, I'd only be friends with people I met through my faith community. That would be:

1) insane and bad for my mental health
2) actively opposed to teachings of my faith

What faith is that ? Because there’s an awful lot in the Bible about being separate from the unclean and unbelievers

Could be pp is not a Christian or not the type of Christian who worries about what the Bible says.

But nothing in the above says anything about never talking to non-believers. That would flatly contradict other Scripture. See Romans 10:14

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

Atheism 10:1
How then will they know reason and logic when they have been gaslight and indoctrinated since children? And how did they become non-believers when the voices of belief were so strong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love isn't supernatural.

Empathy isn't supernatural.

Love is an emotion and empathy is an understanding.

Both exist in the natural world.

Faith, an emotion and an understanding, exists in the natural world too.

No one claims faith doesn’t exist. What is your point?

my point was the same point that the poster made about love and empathy

No, that was in response to someone claiming that love and empathy are supernatural. You are the only one who brought up faith. Again, what was your intended point?

To add to the conversation.

Non-sequitur does not add to the conversation, it is exactly the opposite.

We're adding to it, lol...but those were vague definitions that make even God exist. The original "emotion/understanding" poster, responded to someone who gave God the definition of love, basically told them, their God exists.

I'll try a different definition of God.

An infinite, all-powerful good.

Really? Then how do we explain all the $h!t in the world?

really? new to internet religious debates? lol...free will
but perhaps you didn't have the will to ignore....hmmm

and this is getting off topic

You're not trying to make your point and then stop the discussion there, are you?

Do you believe in heaven? Is there free will in heaven? If so then it is possible for god to create a world with free will and no suffering/evil, so that argument is defeated.

lol...me again, and actually I'm a believer in life is a paradox, so I'm not happy with my thought process' unless I find the paradox.

I do not understand your response or how it relates to the posts it follows. Respectfully requesting explanation.

The previous poster pointed out the free will paradox. If you don't understand, look it up, it is older than the greeks.

Yes I know about that. Not what I asked. The paradox is whether or not free will exists - for this discussion I will grant that it does. I asked if, in your belief system, it exists in heaven.

IDK, I've never been there, why do you want to know?
It is not something I've really thought about or care to think about. Sorry.

If you read my post that you replied to, you’d know why I want to know and why I ask.

Would you like to do that and then respond?

and I gave you my answer. What else did you need to know?

You answer is a non answer. Thats fine, you can bow out . I would also.

I don't think you understand. I know free will is an illusion, why would I want to entertain some inane debate on it.

It's much like Einstein's quote "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." except that for free will, I'd say, Free Will is merely an illusion albeit a very important one. No need to let killers know they played no role in their crimes. We need it in order to keep a functioning society.

Really, you think it is an illusion, yet at 04/08/2025 11:10 you use it to explain the problem of evil?

That's the level we are at here?

My advice: Just go with the hard solipsism defense for god then, say we can't know anything and leave it at that. Much harder to defeat than the weak tea being served here every day.

um, I'm rereading our discussion, and yes I can see, you must have taken my "free will" comment seriously, I guess the "lol" wasn't a good enough clue. I'll ignore the snark as you were probably arguing in your own mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love isn't supernatural.

Empathy isn't supernatural.

Love is an emotion and empathy is an understanding.

Both exist in the natural world.

Faith, an emotion and an understanding, exists in the natural world too.

No one claims faith doesn’t exist. What is your point?

my point was the same point that the poster made about love and empathy

No, that was in response to someone claiming that love and empathy are supernatural. You are the only one who brought up faith. Again, what was your intended point?

To add to the conversation.

Non-sequitur does not add to the conversation, it is exactly the opposite.

We're adding to it, lol...but those were vague definitions that make even God exist. The original "emotion/understanding" poster, responded to someone who gave God the definition of love, basically told them, their God exists.

I'll try a different definition of God.

An infinite, all-powerful good.

Really? Then how do we explain all the $h!t in the world?

really? new to internet religious debates? lol...free will
but perhaps you didn't have the will to ignore....hmmm

and this is getting off topic

You're not trying to make your point and then stop the discussion there, are you?

Do you believe in heaven? Is there free will in heaven? If so then it is possible for god to create a world with free will and no suffering/evil, so that argument is defeated.

lol...me again, and actually I'm a believer in life is a paradox, so I'm not happy with my thought process' unless I find the paradox.

I do not understand your response or how it relates to the posts it follows. Respectfully requesting explanation.

The previous poster pointed out the free will paradox. If you don't understand, look it up, it is older than the greeks.

Yes I know about that. Not what I asked. The paradox is whether or not free will exists - for this discussion I will grant that it does. I asked if, in your belief system, it exists in heaven.

IDK, I've never been there, why do you want to know?
It is not something I've really thought about or care to think about. Sorry.

If you read my post that you replied to, you’d know why I want to know and why I ask.

Would you like to do that and then respond?

and I gave you my answer. What else did you need to know?

You answer is a non answer. Thats fine, you can bow out . I would also.

I don't think you understand. I know free will is an illusion, why would I want to entertain some inane debate on it.

It's much like Einstein's quote "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." except that for free will, I'd say, Free Will is merely an illusion albeit a very important one. No need to let killers know they played no role in their crimes. We need it in order to keep a functioning society.

Really, you think it is an illusion, yet at 04/08/2025 11:10 you use it to explain the problem of evil?

That's the level we are at here?

My advice: Just go with the hard solipsism defense for god then, say we can't know anything and leave it at that. Much harder to defeat than the weak tea being served here every day.

um, I'm rereading our discussion, and yes I can see, you must have taken my "free will" comment seriously, I guess the "lol" wasn't a good enough clue. I'll ignore the snark as you were probably arguing in your own mind.

So, five posts later, you say "just kidding!"

Sigh... well it is my bad for playing on DCUM I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love isn't supernatural.

Empathy isn't supernatural.

Love is an emotion and empathy is an understanding.

Both exist in the natural world.

Faith, an emotion and an understanding, exists in the natural world too.

No one claims faith doesn’t exist. What is your point?

my point was the same point that the poster made about love and empathy

No, that was in response to someone claiming that love and empathy are supernatural. You are the only one who brought up faith. Again, what was your intended point?

To add to the conversation.

Non-sequitur does not add to the conversation, it is exactly the opposite.

We're adding to it, lol...but those were vague definitions that make even God exist. The original "emotion/understanding" poster, responded to someone who gave God the definition of love, basically told them, their God exists.

I'll try a different definition of God.

An infinite, all-powerful good.

Really? Then how do we explain all the $h!t in the world?

really? new to internet religious debates? lol...free will
but perhaps you didn't have the will to ignore....hmmm

and this is getting off topic

You're not trying to make your point and then stop the discussion there, are you?

Do you believe in heaven? Is there free will in heaven? If so then it is possible for god to create a world with free will and no suffering/evil, so that argument is defeated.

lol...me again, and actually I'm a believer in life is a paradox, so I'm not happy with my thought process' unless I find the paradox.

I do not understand your response or how it relates to the posts it follows. Respectfully requesting explanation.

The previous poster pointed out the free will paradox. If you don't understand, look it up, it is older than the greeks.

Yes I know about that. Not what I asked. The paradox is whether or not free will exists - for this discussion I will grant that it does. I asked if, in your belief system, it exists in heaven.

IDK, I've never been there, why do you want to know?
It is not something I've really thought about or care to think about. Sorry.

If you read my post that you replied to, you’d know why I want to know and why I ask.

Would you like to do that and then respond?

and I gave you my answer. What else did you need to know?

You answer is a non answer. Thats fine, you can bow out . I would also.

I don't think you understand. I know free will is an illusion, why would I want to entertain some inane debate on it.

It's much like Einstein's quote "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." except that for free will, I'd say, Free Will is merely an illusion albeit a very important one. No need to let killers know they played no role in their crimes. We need it in order to keep a functioning society.

Really, you think it is an illusion, yet at 04/08/2025 11:10 you use it to explain the problem of evil?

That's the level we are at here?

My advice: Just go with the hard solipsism defense for god then, say we can't know anything and leave it at that. Much harder to defeat than the weak tea being served here every day.

um, I'm rereading our discussion, and yes I can see, you must have taken my "free will" comment seriously, I guess the "lol" wasn't a good enough clue. I'll ignore the snark as you were probably arguing in your own mind.

So, five posts later, you say "just kidding!"

Sigh... well it is my bad for playing on DCUM I guess.

You just need to read exactly what people say and not what you want to see. I pointed out early on the free will paradox was older than the greeks, that should have been a clue I knew the argument. That's why I asked if you were new to the internet. That argument has been in the internet atheist playbook since ... before usenet I imagine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume everyone is a non-believer or agnostic unless something about our interactions (usually mentioning religious service attendance) indicates otherwise.

If I actively avoided speaking to these people at all, I'd only be friends with people I met through my faith community. That would be:

1) insane and bad for my mental health
2) actively opposed to teachings of my faith

What faith is that ? Because there’s an awful lot in the Bible about being separate from the unclean and unbelievers

Could be pp is not a Christian or not the type of Christian who worries about what the Bible says.

But nothing in the above says anything about never talking to non-believers. That would flatly contradict other Scripture. See Romans 10:14

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

Atheism 10:1
How then will they know reason and logic when they have been gaslight and indoctrinated since children? And how did they become non-believers when the voices of belief were so strong.

what I've learned is that some people never believe - even as small children. Then some of us stop believing when we start thinking and reading about religion and some of us always believe, despite how educated we become. Actually, in the US, currently, there are more believers than non-believers, so it's easier to believe. It's much different in Western Europe. Since WWII, religious belief is really down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love isn't supernatural.

Empathy isn't supernatural.

Love is an emotion and empathy is an understanding.

Both exist in the natural world.

Faith, an emotion and an understanding, exists in the natural world too.

No one claims faith doesn’t exist. What is your point?

my point was the same point that the poster made about love and empathy

No, that was in response to someone claiming that love and empathy are supernatural. You are the only one who brought up faith. Again, what was your intended point?

To add to the conversation.

Non-sequitur does not add to the conversation, it is exactly the opposite.

We're adding to it, lol...but those were vague definitions that make even God exist. The original "emotion/understanding" poster, responded to someone who gave God the definition of love, basically told them, their God exists.

I'll try a different definition of God.

An infinite, all-powerful good.

Really? Then how do we explain all the $h!t in the world?

really? new to internet religious debates? lol...free will
but perhaps you didn't have the will to ignore....hmmm

and this is getting off topic

You're not trying to make your point and then stop the discussion there, are you?

Do you believe in heaven? Is there free will in heaven? If so then it is possible for god to create a world with free will and no suffering/evil, so that argument is defeated.

lol...me again, and actually I'm a believer in life is a paradox, so I'm not happy with my thought process' unless I find the paradox.

I do not understand your response or how it relates to the posts it follows. Respectfully requesting explanation.

The previous poster pointed out the free will paradox. If you don't understand, look it up, it is older than the greeks.

Yes I know about that. Not what I asked. The paradox is whether or not free will exists - for this discussion I will grant that it does. I asked if, in your belief system, it exists in heaven.

IDK, I've never been there, why do you want to know?
It is not something I've really thought about or care to think about. Sorry.

If you read my post that you replied to, you’d know why I want to know and why I ask.

Would you like to do that and then respond?

and I gave you my answer. What else did you need to know?

You answer is a non answer. Thats fine, you can bow out . I would also.

I don't think you understand. I know free will is an illusion, why would I want to entertain some inane debate on it.

It's much like Einstein's quote "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." except that for free will, I'd say, Free Will is merely an illusion albeit a very important one. No need to let killers know they played no role in their crimes. We need it in order to keep a functioning society.

Free will is an illusion

This is why I don't like philosophers. Everything can be argued from different perspectives without ever agreeing on a final conclusion. At least with science, if you make a claim, you have to back it up with experimentation and data.

until you think about the metaphysical implications in the philosophy of science.
here was a fun discussion on free will with deGrasse Tyson and Liu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXvv6CbGg8A

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love isn't supernatural.

Empathy isn't supernatural.

Love is an emotion and empathy is an understanding.

Both exist in the natural world.

Faith, an emotion and an understanding, exists in the natural world too.

No one claims faith doesn’t exist. What is your point?

my point was the same point that the poster made about love and empathy

No, that was in response to someone claiming that love and empathy are supernatural. You are the only one who brought up faith. Again, what was your intended point?

To add to the conversation.

Non-sequitur does not add to the conversation, it is exactly the opposite.

We're adding to it, lol...but those were vague definitions that make even God exist. The original "emotion/understanding" poster, responded to someone who gave God the definition of love, basically told them, their God exists.

I'll try a different definition of God.

An infinite, all-powerful good.

Really? Then how do we explain all the $h!t in the world?

really? new to internet religious debates? lol...free will
but perhaps you didn't have the will to ignore....hmmm

and this is getting off topic

You're not trying to make your point and then stop the discussion there, are you?

Do you believe in heaven? Is there free will in heaven? If so then it is possible for god to create a world with free will and no suffering/evil, so that argument is defeated.

lol...me again, and actually I'm a believer in life is a paradox, so I'm not happy with my thought process' unless I find the paradox.

I do not understand your response or how it relates to the posts it follows. Respectfully requesting explanation.

The previous poster pointed out the free will paradox. If you don't understand, look it up, it is older than the greeks.

Yes I know about that. Not what I asked. The paradox is whether or not free will exists - for this discussion I will grant that it does. I asked if, in your belief system, it exists in heaven.

IDK, I've never been there, why do you want to know?
It is not something I've really thought about or care to think about. Sorry.

If you read my post that you replied to, you’d know why I want to know and why I ask.

Would you like to do that and then respond?

and I gave you my answer. What else did you need to know?

You answer is a non answer. Thats fine, you can bow out . I would also.

I don't think you understand. I know free will is an illusion, why would I want to entertain some inane debate on it.

It's much like Einstein's quote "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." except that for free will, I'd say, Free Will is merely an illusion albeit a very important one. No need to let killers know they played no role in their crimes. We need it in order to keep a functioning society.

Free will is an illusion

This is why I don't like philosophers. Everything can be argued from different perspectives without ever agreeing on a final conclusion. At least with science, if you make a claim, you have to back it up with experimentation and data.

until you think about the metaphysical implications in the philosophy of science.
here was a fun discussion on free will with deGrasse Tyson and Liu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXvv6CbGg8A

"metaphysical implications in the philosophy of science" = lipstick on a pig. It's still arguments over meanings and words. I don't generally waste my time thinking about such things.