Anonymous wrote:... most of us atheist ...

"most of us atheists", that is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Faith is knowing the truth, even if others think it's a myth.

I think that myth is often truer than so called 'fact'.

Myth and fact are two different things. They are not in competition with each other. Myths are stories, that often have universal "truths" in them about human nature -- e.g. love, jealousy, compassion, revenge.

Facts are based on empirical knowledge that can be scientifically proven, e.g. the earth is round and rotates around the sun; you have a son and daughter who are the biological products of you and your spouse.

If facts have quotes around them and are "so-called", then they are not facts. Myths do often illustrate universal truths, and most of us atheist accept that there are many universal truths illustrated by the Bible. It seems to me we do not have a lot of disagreement here.

I was the one who posted the first of the above, and meant it as a simple answer to the original question of what faith is, i.e., that it is being sure of what you believe even if others do not agree. I don't see that as a judgment of anyone, just a description.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Faith is knowing the truth, even if others think it's a myth.

I think that myth is often truer than so called 'fact'.

Myth and fact are two different things. They are not in competition with each other. Myths are stories, that often have universal "truths" in them about human nature -- e.g. love, jealousy, compassion, revenge.

Facts are based on empirical knowledge that can be scientifically proven, e.g. the earth is round and rotates around the sun; you have a son and daughter who are the biological products of you and your spouse.

Anonymous wrote:Faith is knowing the truth, even if others think it's a myth.

I think that myth is often truer than so called 'fact'.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. We may be talking past each other so I will just say, with respect to peoples' faith, that I still don't think I have bee given a reason why God would choose to set it up this way. Jesus is the path and the light doesn't explain why God would do it that way and have it be the only way. It assumes the answer.

First of all, a correction: Jesus is the way, the truth and the LIFE, not the light! It's an important distinction. And as to your question... I don't get what you're asking. It doesn't explain why God didn't give multiple options to get to Him? No, He didn't... but so what? He gave us what we need. You can take it or leave it.

I realize this may not be your goal but you are th least persuasive prosthelytizer I have ever come across.
"Don't ask your silly questions, He is just the answer."

Well I guess that's a compliment of sorts, because a prosthelytizer I am not. I'm just chiming in on the discussion.

And I've come to see that on this forum, there are people who would argue it was 95 degrees and sunny outside today, in an attempt to spar with those of us who maintain the fact that it was a snowy January day as the "truth."

Be that as it may, you can't think I'm in that position unless you are delusional.

Anonymous wrote:Well I guess that's a compliment of sorts, because a prosthelytizer I am not. I'm just chiming in on the discussion.

And I've come to see that on this forum, there are people who would argue it was 95 degrees and sunny outside today, in an attempt to spar with those of us who maintain the fact that it was a snowy January day as the "truth."

Actually, I went out this morning to shovel, and the snow was melting away because it was 35 and sunny.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. We may be talking past each other so I will just say, with respect to peoples' faith, that I still don't think I have bee given a reason why God would choose to set it up this way. Jesus is the path and the light doesn't explain why God would do it that way and have it be the only way. It assumes the answer.

First of all, a correction: Jesus is the way, the truth and the LIFE, not the light! It's an important distinction. And as to your question... I don't get what you're asking. It doesn't explain why God didn't give multiple options to get to Him? No, He didn't... but so what? He gave us what we need. You can take it or leave it.

I realize this may not be your goal but you are th least persuasive prosthelytizer I have ever come across.
"Don't ask your silly questions, He is just the answer."

Well I guess that's a compliment of sorts, because a prosthelytizer I am not. I'm just chiming in on the discussion.

And I've come to see that on this forum, there are people who would argue it was 95 degrees and sunny outside today, in an attempt to spar with those of us who maintain the fact that it was a snowy January day as the "truth."

Faith is knowing the truth, even if others think it's a myth.

Anonymous wrote:Op here. We may be talking past each other so I will just say, with respect to peoples' faith, that I still don't think I have bee given a reason why God would choose to set it up this way. Jesus is the path and the light doesn't explain why God would do it that way and have it be the only way. It assumes the answer.

Part of the answer is that you assume that God is omnipotent in the sense that he could have done it in any way he pleased. However, the Christian God is not omnipotent in that sense. He is very powerful, yes, but he can not do everything and anything. For example, he can not make 2+2=5.
He can not contradict itself, his nature. He can not lie. It is possible that there might have been no other way to do it.
Also, keep into account that, again according to Christian doctrine, God himself had to suffer in order to accomplish the mission. So perhaps, he might have chosen to avoid this pain if it had been possible.