Posted by Ezekiel 25:17 on April 03, 2001 at 06:22:13:
Hey Aslan, Sorry, I was not in a very good mood when I wrote that last reply. I admire your infinite patience :)
: Do you have proof that it's not true? Demonstrative proof that will debunk an entire religion? Absolute proof that there is no God?
Ochum's Razor - The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. I can no more demonstratively prove that God does not exist, then I can demonstratively prove that Santa Claus or the Easter rabbit doesn't exist, because where there are believers and hope, such symbols will always exist. Furthermore, I didn't deny the existence of God, as I can't possibly fathom a reasonable argument for that, however I can feasibly deny the entire existence of Christianity.
: It's just that the ones who say 'there's no proof for your belief', never seem to be able to produce proof for their disbelief.
In regards to belief. You tell me you think you have ten dollars in your pocket, either because you feel it or someone tells you about it. I ask you to prove it. You either pull ten dollars out and prove me wrong, or you don't and prove me right. You don't turn to me and say 'prove i don't have ten dollars in my pocket'.
>Any more that you could describe to me the >emotion you felt when you discerned there was no >Christian God, or Allah, or anything else that >deserved your worship.
The only emotion I can feel from discerning there is no Christian God is a sense of sadness and disappointment in the world. For everything special and mystical about the world, nothing hurts more than the shattering of illusions, which is why so many ppl prefer to live in denial.
For curiousity's sake, was it a general feeling of wellbeing, or did you actually receive some message in words?
What inspired you to name yourself after this quote?)
I truly admire anyone with the foresight, dedication and perspicity to actually look up the biblical reference :)
Partially for the irony of a supposedly merciful God who in the Olden days where it was still popular desired vengeance :) Partially because its just such a snappy quote :) The passage actually begins "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities and selfishness of evil men. Blessed is he who shepherds his brothers thru the valley of darkness for he is truly his brother's keeper. And Ye I shall strike down upon thee with righteous anger and great vengeance, all those who corrupt and vex my brothers. And by my vengeance, you shall know, that I am the LORD!"
: Free Will
Interesting, I have run out of character space so I'll leave this discussion for a later post :)
: Fate- defined in what way? What may be fate to one might also be defined as God's will to another.
: I suppose the same goes for Karma. The term 'You reap what you sow' has also been around for quite awhile.
Fate, Destiny, Karma, Kismet - is how you define it. Where mere coincidence transcends belief you have 'fate'. Fate precludes the existence of 'freewill'. You can no more have a being that knows the full path of destiny and the future, then you can have freewill. For foreknowledge of the future, implies an event will happen in its certainty. Which further implies that your decisions are meaningless or unchangeable.
Cheers :) (send me more essay links :P)
P.S. Notice I made my points without any need to resort to unnecessary CAPITALIZATION of words. Without any 'You must BELIEVE' or 'THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED'. Altho, I apologise for any consternation caused by using words not used in common vocabulary. But, hey we're all here to learn right?
BTW: 4000 character limit is suppresing my creativity :P