Newbie here!

[Jason78]

You could have never been an atheist because there is no such thing as an atheist converting to christian. The fact is that you were a person that didn't know what to believe in and you allowed someone to brainwash you. An atheist thinks for themselves and isn't taken in by things that have no bearing in fact.

Oh come on!  Everyone is born an atheist!  Little babies don't get born praising Jesus and asking for a cracker and a glass of wine!

[Jason78]

BUT how can you actually be an atheist unless you have actually applied thought and logic to the issue. Atheism isn't so pedestrian, there is actually a requirement. You have to consciencially understand that people believe in myths and nonsense and decide that you won't be fooled by any of their bullshit.

You just have to not have any belief in gods.  You don't need to apply thought and logic to the issue.  You don't need to be particularly smart not to believe.

[WitchSabrina]

Oh poor Stephanie............  eeegads we're a tough room.

Welcome Newbie.  At least you know what you're getting into.  Sorta wonder though why a newly converted christian - who used to be an atheist (grin)- would want to join an atheist's forum? LOL  Seriously.......  are you testing your new-found faith?  That just sounds kinda harsh to me.

anyyyway........ welcome to the snake pit and batten down the hatches.

[Plu]

are you testing your new-found faith?

Putting your convictions to the test is a good trait, though. Only way to find out if they're right for you.

[WitchSabrina]

are you testing your new-found faith?

Putting your convictions to the test is a good trait, though. Only way to find out if they're right for you.

I can imagine a few different ways for a christian to test their faith without joining an Atheist's forum.   :rollin:   That's like stepping into a lion's den and smelling like bacon.


joke for the day:
Catholics are against abortions.
Catholics are against homosexuals.
But, I can't think of anyone who has less abortions than homosexuals! -- George Carlin

[Plu]

I can imagine a few different ways for a christian to test their faith without joining an Atheist's forum.  :rollin: That's like stepping into a lion's den and smelling like bacon.

It's the scientific approach :) You don't test a theory against people who agree with you, or against known circumstances. You throw it for the lions :)

[WitchSabrina]

I can imagine a few different ways for a christian to test their faith without joining an Atheist's forum.  :rollin: That's like stepping into a lion's den and smelling like bacon.

It's the scientific approach :) You don't test a theory against people who agree with you, or against known circumstances. You throw it for the lions :)

[FrankDK]

> Incidentally, what's a god?

It's a supernatural being that can do anything merely by willing it, but who needs money every Sunday.

Frank

Why is it whenever I ask a theists this question, atheists feel the need to chime in?

Because theists don't seem to be able to agree on the characteristics of their gods, while atheists do.

If you ask a chemist in India about the qualities of oxygen, he would say something like, "It's an odorless, colorless gas that supports combustion.  Atomic number eight, atomic weight sixteen," etc.  If you ask a chemist in Indiana the same question, you will get essentially the same answer.  That indicates there is something to this "oxygen thing."  That is, it's a real thing with real properties that actually exists.

If you ask a theist in India about gods, you might hear something about Rama, Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesh, etc.  The average theist in Indiana will give you very different answers.  That's because gods are made up, and each culture makes up a god or gods that fit their situation.

If God really existed, why would he appear to different cultures in such different forms?  Just so he could sit back and watch the bloodshed that ensued?

Also, it was a joke.  (Infinitely powerful but asks for money every Sunday.  Get it?  It's not funny if I have to explain it.)

Frank

[FrankDK]

Hi, Stephanie,

Here's a way to do a good deed and convert all the atheists on this forum at the same time.

First, are you a believer?  From your initial post, I assume the answer is, "Yes."

Read Matthew 21:22: If you believe, you will receive whatsoever you ask for in prayer.

Pray that tomorrow morning, when we wake up, all the sick children in the world will be healed.  That will make the morning news for sure.  When we hear that, we will know that the Bible god exists, and will all become believers.

Of course, if you pray and it doesn't happen, then either the Bible is wrong (in which case, the only motivation for believing in Jesus is flawed), or you're not a believer; you're one of us.  (Remember the scene in the movie, "Freaks"?  "One of us...one of us..."  Sorry, couldn't resist.)

And if you don't ask for that in prayer, then you aren't really a believer.  You know the whole thing is a hoax.

I await the morning papers.

Love,
Frank

[AlwaysLearning]

Good Morning All!

Glad to be back :-D

Now, I'll address the whole LU thing quickly: //http://www.sacscoc.org/ click on the link, there's a map to the right, click on VA and Liberty will be in there. LU is in the same accreditation association as schools like Texas A&M, University of Florida, and Rice University (to name a few). So, it's legitimately accredited. Also, the name Lynchburg actually came from the last name of the man who founded the city (//http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynchburg,_Virginia), John Lynch whose last name originally meant "hill" (//http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynch_(surname)) but, I don't really care about all that. The only reason I really bring it up is to point out that little research was done to make such a strong claim. I expect more than that from such smart people; try to not let emotions get to you, do some research first. As far as "brainwashing" goes, I would argue that the point of any University is "brainwashing". However, if you know that going into it then you can better guard yourself against what and how they teach you. I have in fact seen the biases of LU in my studies here, but have remained true to my own thoughts and ideas, a free thinker if you will; doing my own research on some of the things they teach. I told you before not to hold me to their beliefs and I meant it, but I am finished with that.

Do I believe that all gods in the past were real?

The question is rather vague, but I'll do my best! First, it depends on how you define a "god"; if you mean something that is worshipped and given praise to, then yes. There are, and have been, TONS of those! People would (and still do) worship trees, animals, stars, music, and even other people. By this simple definition almost anything can be made a "god" and it is indeed very real to the person worshipping it (and to the observer who sees the reality of it in the actions of the worshipper). If by "god" you mean a spiritual being that plays an active role in being worshipped, then also yes. It is claimed that there are spiritual beings that God made, commonly known as angels and demons, but I beg you not to allow yourself to be influenced by the cultural understanding of angels and demons, because that it not a true or reliable depiction of what they truly are. I don't want to go into great detail trying to explain it, but I will mention a couple of things for the sake of understanding. First, angels and demons are the exact same thing; but, some serve God and others serve satan. That is the only difference (to my current knowledge). Second, with the first point in mind, the whole goal of satan, and thus his servants (demons), is to keep us from knowing God; so, they distract us, sometimes in the form of "gods" to be worshipped. They are indeed very real. However, there is only one God; who created (and is still creating) the universe and everything in it. HE is the only true and real God that I call King and Father.

Do I have any questions for atheists?

Yes! A lot! Here's a few:
What do you know about hermeneutics?
What do think about relativism?
How do you explain the beginning of life?

And when I ask these questions, I really want to know what you think, with explanation and not just a whole bunch of flaming. I'd love to share my own opinions and conclusions if you'd like to know :)

[WitchSabrina]

Flaming?  
Noooo.................  that never happens here.

**cough, gag, cough, spit, sputter**

 :rollin:

[Plu]

What do you know about hermeneutics?

Nothing. Doing a quick wiki on it, it's apparently the interpretation of religious/philosophical texts. So I don't really feel like I need to know much more about it, either. It sounds like something that could very easily be abused, since it's by definition about vaguery and the original authors aren't around anymore to complain. You'd need someone seriously objective to be able to take their "interpretations" seriously, and those are hard to come by when it comes to religion.

What do think about relativism?

Sounds like something a philosopher could come up with. I don't think it applies within the realm of science itself, either. And it (again) seems like something that could very easily be abused by people trying to lend validity to their statements, or trying to mask their inability to back up their claims.

How do you explain the beginning of life?

I don't. I leave that to people who actually study the subject. They know a lot more about it. Unless you want to hear it like I'd explain it to a 4-year old, but I can only answer complicated questions with "ask someone who actually studies this stuff, they know it a lot better."
Of course, the easy return question is "how is this relevant to anything?"

[AlwaysLearning]

WitchSabrina...is your name actually Sabrina?

[WitchSabrina]

WitchSabrina...is your name actually Sabrina?

It actually is.   I was named for the famous movie in 1954 - Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart.  Mom saw the movie, loved the name and had me a few years later.
lol

[stromboli]

Beginning of life?Let's see....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenesis

Abiogenesis (/?e?ba?.??d??n?s?s/ ay-by-oh-jen-?-siss[1]) or biopoiesis is a natural process by which life arises from simple organic compounds.[2][3][4][5] The earliest life on Earth existed at least 3.5 billion years ago,[6][7][8] during the Eoarchean Era when sufficient crust had solidified following the molten Hadean Eon.
Scientific hypotheses about the origins of life may be divided into several categories. Most approaches investigate how self-replicating molecules or their components came into existence. For example, the Miller–Urey experiment and similar experiments demonstrated that most amino acids, often called "the building blocks of life", can be racemically synthesized in conditions thought to be similar to those of the early Earth. Several mechanisms have been investigated, including lightning and radiation. Other approaches ("metabolism first" hypotheses) focus on understanding how catalysis in chemical systems in the early Earth might have provided the precursor molecules necessary for self-replication.

It is constantly being examined and tested
http://telicthoughts.com/the-current-st ... -research/

Problem 1) Homochirality: Biology is universally homochiral.

Solution: Circular polarized light from interstellar molecular clouds can give amino acids an enantiomeric excess, irradiated iron ore can also tilt the balance of chirality, and grinding crystals can amplify chirality.

Problem 2) Nucleic acids don't spontaneously arise prebiotically.

Solution: Mix cyanamide and glycolaldehyde, let sit overnight, then add glyceraldehyde, incubate overnight, react with cyanoacetylene in a buffered aqueous solution of pH 6.5, then phosphorylate with urea and ammonium salts under heat, dehydrate and rearrange via intramolecular nucleophilic substitution, then cool, rehydrate and irradiate with ultraviolet light. Repeat. Etc., etc.

This is called science. Science begins with first observation and then forming an hypothesis, (assumption based on limited observation) and forming a theory, which is the working explanation derived from experimentation. Testing, more observation, revision of theory, more testing until some conclusions can be drawn. When conclusions are uncertain, the process continues.

As opposed to religion, which begins with the unprovable assumption that a God breathed life into a lump of clay to form life; based on "teachings" from late Neolithic, Copper and Bronze Age myths.