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Originally Posted by Richmonder27
Its interesting you mention the word "religious". Religion is not God. Thats man made stuff. Jesus Christ detested the religious Pharisees.
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But see, that alone is part of the problem. If you separate god from the religion, the question then still must be asked, "Which god?" By assuming that the Christian god is indeed god, then you are still stuck in religion! Why? Because it excludes Allah, Yahweh (despite what you people say, the Jewish god is a different god than the Christian god -- a little research into this will shake the foundations of everything you've been told and believed), the Hindu godhead, the plethora of aboriginal gods, etc. You can't separate religion from god because of this.
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God is truth and love. Jesus his son died for our sins, and was witnessed by hundreds of people.
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That is religion because it is based on a doctrine -- the doctrine of Jesus' crucifixion. That it was ostensibly witnessed is irrelevant. Hundreds of people have witnessed all kinds of metaphysical things. If we are to take eye-witness accounts as proof of anything, then we are logically forced to accept as real the Loch Ness monster, UFOs and the Greek gods.
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You wont find God in Religion. Being a Christian is not about being religious. Its about seeking truth and God's love and wisdom and passing his wonderful message on to others. Not hating or judging people for their lack of faith or belief.
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This is back to the same premise. Merely stating "Being a Christian' is back to religion, because it is based on a doctrine. It automatically discounts the possibility that Allah, Yahweh or Brahma might actually be god.
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That is why I pose this question. I am just curious how you can be a free thinker if you close the door on God?
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To expand on what Puddy4lyF already explained about "strong atheists" versus "weak atheists", I am an agnostic. Like our atheistic brothers and sisters, agnostics come in different flavors.
Agnostic Atheists - those who believe that it is very improbable that a deity exists
Agnostic Theists - those who believe that a deity probably exists
Empirical Agnostics - Believe that God may exist, but that little or nothing can be known about him/her/it/them
Agnostic Humanists - undecided about the existence of God. Further, they do not really consider the question to be particularly important. They have derived their moral and behavioral codes from secular considerations. Their ethical behavior would not be altered if a deity were proven to exist.Some agnostics who feel the need for religious discussion, fellowship, or ritual join a congregation of the Unitarian-Universalist Association or an Ethical Culture group
I personally fall somewhere between the Agnostic theist and Empirical agnostics. I think there
may be a god, but I have no idea of what it is and await some concrete proof of what it is. I think if it does exist it would have to be so powerful that it is beyond the scope of human understanding.
For me, Darwin said it best in his book "Life and Letters" about his personal faith:
"The mystery of the beginning of all things is insoluble by us; and I for one must be content to remain an Agnostic."
"I think an Agnostic would be the more correct description of my state of mind. The whole subject [of God] is beyond the scope of man's intellect."
Source:
Agnosticism
Freethinking simply states that we base thought on science, logic and reason. For those of us (agnostics or atheists) who consider the
possibility of a god, we reject orthodoxy, doctrine and dogma. That is what Freethinking is about. Freethinking does not automatically discount the possibility of a god.
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The Bible says we are not of this world- but we do LIVE IN this world. It simply means don't live the lies and hate of the fallen world and harden your heart.
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This once again falls back to religion because it relies on a book written by men. How do you
know that the Koran is not the truth source of the mind of god? You
believe the Bible is the source, but you cannot
know. Two different things.
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God is LOVE. He LOVES YOU. He never forces his love on people, though. If you choose not to be with God, then that is your own free will.
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Demonstration please. Parents makes it clear in a concrete, observable way that they are the parent to a child and that they love that child. This god, whatever it may be, does not do that. My children don't have to have "faith" in me, except to believe that I have their best interests in my heart. My clear observable actions demonstrate this to them. The Christian god, like all other gods, does not do this. Your book says that your god is not a god of confusion. I argue that it is or there would not be so much variety in faiths among different cultures or even division among Christians themselves. The whole concept that "Satan" introduced confusion into the world is silly at best (BTW, the Jewish Satan and the Christian Satan are VERY different fellows - I challenge you to research this). If some other adult came to my children and tried convince them that they were indeed their father, wouldn't I make it clear (in a concrete and observable way) that no, I am their father? Of course I would! I wouldn't sit in the background and hope they come around and start believing that I am their father. I wouldn't wait for them to read it in some book or have someone they don't know to tell them. The premise is ridiculous!
This god of yours, does not do this. It must not be much of a father or has rendered itself impotent to its supposed adversary. It could stop all this by coming down and making it clear in an observable and concrete fashion, just like a human parent would. If there is a god/force/whatever it seems as it is more along the lines of what the Deists believe -- the "Watchmaker" god. But being an agnostic....I just don't
know.
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