Anonymous
04/20/2019 16:40
Subject: I simply cannot wrap my head around there being a supernatural being
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I used to be like you. Over the years I’ve had several odd, sometimes disturbing, sometimes moving experiences that tell me there is something beyond the known.
Whether you believe it or not, it is always there for you.
+1 you just feel there is something beyond our physical world when you've experienced certain things
How would that be any different than a delusion? How could you tell the difference?
Since the question was never answered, I will assume the answer is, "It would not be any different".
Anonymous
04/19/2019 10:57
Subject: I simply cannot wrap my head around there being a supernatural being
Anonymous wrote:I used to be like you. Over the years I’ve had several odd, sometimes disturbing, sometimes moving experiences that tell me there is something beyond the known.
Whether you believe it or not, it is always there for you.
Not really -- in many Christian denominations, if you don't believe it, you're consigned to a fiery hell for eternity -- unless what you mean by "always there" is "eternal punishment"
Anonymous
04/19/2019 05:22
Subject: Re:I simply cannot wrap my head around there being a supernatural being
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:[
Those quotes basically pit science against "religion" or faith. While I am not a religious person, I do have strong faith that is only renewed as I learn more and see more. I don't understand why we pit belief in God against science. As if you need to pick one or the other.
Also, if you believe in things like the big bang theory, aren't you also just putting your own faith in something based on what others have studied/theorized? Guess we all have to have a little faith sometimes.
Oh, and yeah I am going to go ahead and take Einstein's quote at face value. The man spoke in constant parables but he has some great one liners.
This kind of ignorant false equivalence in bold above absolutely drives me mad.
There is no "faith" in science. That's not how it works! If it did you wouldn't have the computer you are using to post such idiocy.
If you think that the theories in physics predicting something like a big bang is the same as the actual functional technology that is allowing us to type on computers, then you also don't really have everything figured out yourself
There is a lot of math behind the theories in physics, yes, but at the end of the day it's still just a theory that has not yet been proved wrong
You don't even know what "Theory" means.
"There's a lot of math behind the theories in physics, yes, but..." Wow. I'm gonna laugh about that one for a long time.
Anonymous
04/18/2019 23:21
Subject: I simply cannot wrap my head around there being a supernatural being
Anonymous wrote:Ask God to help you believe.
I did this for years and it didn't work. I still lost all my faith.
Anonymous
04/18/2019 22:51
Subject: I simply cannot wrap my head around there being a supernatural being
Anonymous wrote:No matter how hard I try, I just can't. I love the idea of church and I have fond memories of my Lutheran upbringing in the midwest...a great church community, nice people, camp in the summer, potlucks, etc. and would like to be part of a religious community here but it's just impossible for me to imagine there being a God/god/gods anymore than it's possible for me to imagine that Santa Claus is real or the Spaghetti Monster is real. Sigh.
I suggest that you stop trying. There are many people like you, but they don't tend to speak out the way religious people do - spouting all kinds of things that there is no proof of - because it is acceptable in our society to beleive in an invisible supernatural being, but not as acceptable to think that is all rubbish.
Anonymous
04/18/2019 21:55
Subject: Re:I simply cannot wrap my head around there being a supernatural being
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Have you ever experienced severe airplane turbulence? If you have, you probably started praying to God. I know I did. (And I'm not even religious at all).
Do you think God stopped the turbulence? Perhaps you were just feeling desperate and helpless.
No, but when when you land safely you can see how some people might think their prayers were answered. BTW, the point I was making is akin to the observation there are no atheists in foxholes. Like how come someone who is not at all religious asks God to save them from something like turbulence. Like, who/what did they turn to when they thought their life was on the line?
Tha't not an observation - it's a fallacy. There are atheists in foxholes and there is an organization of them: http://militaryatheists.org/atheists-in-foxholes/
Anonymous
04/18/2019 21:49
Subject: Re:I simply cannot wrap my head around there being a supernatural being
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Have you ever experienced severe airplane turbulence? If you have, you probably started praying to God. I know I did. (And I'm not even religious at all).
Do you think God stopped the turbulence? Perhaps you were just feeling desperate and helpless.
Sometimes ---- I know of atheists whose lives were on the line, who did not pray to god -- they concentrated on surviving -- and did. And realized afterwards, when asked, that God never entered their mind.
Anonymous
04/18/2019 21:24
Subject: Re:I simply cannot wrap my head around there being a supernatural being
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:[
Those quotes basically pit science against "religion" or faith. While I am not a religious person, I do have strong faith that is only renewed as I learn more and see more. I don't understand why we pit belief in God against science. As if you need to pick one or the other.
Also, if you believe in things like the big bang theory, aren't you also just putting your own faith in something based on what others have studied/theorized? Guess we all have to have a little faith sometimes.
Oh, and yeah I am going to go ahead and take Einstein's quote at face value. The man spoke in constant parables but he has some great one liners.
This kind of ignorant false equivalence in bold above absolutely drives me mad.
There is no "faith" in science. That's not how it works! If it did you wouldn't have the computer you are using to post such idiocy.
If you think that the theories in physics predicting something like a big bang is the same as the actual functional technology that is allowing us to type on computers, then you also don't really have everything figured out yourself
There is a lot of math behind the theories in physics, yes, but at the end of the day it's still just a theory that has not yet been proved wrong
Anonymous
04/18/2019 15:07
Subject: Re:I simply cannot wrap my head around there being a supernatural being
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:[
Those quotes basically pit science against "religion" or faith. While I am not a religious person, I do have strong faith that is only renewed as I learn more and see more. I don't understand why we pit belief in God against science. As if you need to pick one or the other.
Also, if you believe in things like the big bang theory, aren't you also just putting your own faith in something based on what others have studied/theorized? Guess we all have to have a little faith sometimes.
Oh, and yeah I am going to go ahead and take Einstein's quote at face value. The man spoke in constant parables but he has some great one liners.
This kind of ignorant false equivalence in bold above absolutely drives me mad.
There is no "faith" in science. That's not how it works! If it did you wouldn't have the computer you are using to post such idiocy.
Oh bless your little heart. There is faith. They just call it "theory" instead.
Ahh, I get it, you are faking it and trolling. You got me!
Anonymous
04/18/2019 15:01
Subject: Re:I simply cannot wrap my head around there being a supernatural being
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:[
Those quotes basically pit science against "religion" or faith. While I am not a religious person, I do have strong faith that is only renewed as I learn more and see more. I don't understand why we pit belief in God against science. As if you need to pick one or the other.
Also, if you believe in things like the big bang theory, aren't you also just putting your own faith in something based on what others have studied/theorized? Guess we all have to have a little faith sometimes.
Oh, and yeah I am going to go ahead and take Einstein's quote at face value. The man spoke in constant parables but he has some great one liners.
This kind of ignorant false equivalence in bold above absolutely drives me mad.
There is no "faith" in science. That's not how it works! If it did you wouldn't have the computer you are using to post such idiocy.
Oh bless your little heart. There is faith. They just call it "theory" instead.
Anonymous
04/18/2019 15:01
Subject: Re:I simply cannot wrap my head around there being a supernatural being
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Have you ever experienced severe airplane turbulence? If you have, you probably started praying to God. I know I did. (And I'm not even religious at all).
Do you think God stopped the turbulence? Perhaps you were just feeling desperate and helpless.
No, but when when you land safely you can see how some people might think their prayers were answered. BTW, the point I was making is akin to the observation there are no atheists in foxholes. Like how come someone who is not at all religious asks God to save them from something like turbulence. Like, who/what did they turn to when they thought their life was on the line?
Anonymous
04/18/2019 14:36
Subject: Re:I simply cannot wrap my head around there being a supernatural being
Anonymous wrote:[
Those quotes basically pit science against "religion" or faith. While I am not a religious person, I do have strong faith that is only renewed as I learn more and see more. I don't understand why we pit belief in God against science. As if you need to pick one or the other.
Also, if you believe in things like the big bang theory, aren't you also just putting your own faith in something based on what others have studied/theorized? Guess we all have to have a little faith sometimes.
Oh, and yeah I am going to go ahead and take Einstein's quote at face value. The man spoke in constant parables but he has some great one liners.
This kind of ignorant false equivalence in bold above absolutely drives me mad.
There is no "faith" in science. That's not how it works! If it did you wouldn't have the computer you are using to post such idiocy.
Anonymous
04/18/2019 14:30
Subject: Re:I simply cannot wrap my head around there being a supernatural being
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Try studying science. It’s impossible to study science without realizing that there is some intelligence behind it.
The more I study science, the more I believe in God."
-- Albert Einstein
Not only is your first paragraph completely incorrect, your quote is meant to misinform as it is attributed to a man who did not believe in the supernatural or a personal god.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_and_philosophical_views_of_Albert_Einstein
If you don't agree with the first paragraph you probably aren't as smart as you think you are.
If you spew meaningless platitudes you probably aren't as persuasive as you think you are.
I notice you did not address the evidence of your Einstein quote being intentionally misleading.
And since quoting scientists is ok here, let me provide some supporting the fact that your former statement is false:
“There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, and science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win because it works.”
? Stephen Hawking
“Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt.”
? Richard P. Feynman
“The man of science has learned to believe in justification, not by faith, but by verification.”
? Thomas H. Huxley, Collected Essays of Thomas Henry Huxley
I guess those guys weren't as smart as they thought they were either.
Those quotes basically pit science against "religion" or faith. While I am not a religious person, I do have strong faith that is only renewed as I learn more and see more. I don't understand why we pit belief in God against science. As if you need to pick one or the other.
Also, if you believe in things like the big bang theory, aren't you also just putting your own faith in something based on what others have studied/theorized? Guess we all have to have a little faith sometimes.
Oh, and yeah I am going to go ahead and take Einstein's quote at face value. The man spoke in constant parables but he has some great one liners.
Anonymous
04/18/2019 14:12
Subject: Re:I simply cannot wrap my head around there being a supernatural being
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Try studying science. It’s impossible to study science without realizing that there is some intelligence behind it.
The more I study science, the more I believe in God."
-- Albert Einstein
Not only is your first paragraph completely incorrect, your quote is meant to misinform as it is attributed to a man who did not believe in the supernatural or a personal god.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_and_philosophical_views_of_Albert_Einstein
If you don't agree with the first paragraph you probably aren't as smart as you think you are.
If you spew meaningless platitudes you probably aren't as persuasive as you think you are.
I notice you did not address the evidence of your Einstein quote being intentionally misleading.
And since quoting scientists is ok here, let me provide some supporting the fact that your former statement is false:
“There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, and science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win because it works.”
? Stephen Hawking
“Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt.”
? Richard P. Feynman
“The man of science has learned to believe in justification, not by faith, but by verification.”
? Thomas H. Huxley, Collected Essays of Thomas Henry Huxley
I guess those guys weren't as smart as they thought they were either.
Anonymous
04/18/2019 14:08
Subject: Re:I simply cannot wrap my head around there being a supernatural being
Anonymous wrote:Have you ever experienced severe airplane turbulence? If you have, you probably started praying to God. I know I did. (And I'm not even religious at all).
Do you think God stopped the turbulence? Perhaps you were just feeling desperate and helpless.