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I've read it, it has like 50 questions, and it's quite obvious that this atheist has no concept of the bible and what it's all about - none whatsoever)))
I hope you don't expect me to answer 50 questions, but from what I know, I'll address a few, related to this thread)))
If faith is your answer, how would you reach someone with an equal but opposing faith? I personally wouldn't
Do you think Muslims are deluded when they believe strongly enough to martyr? No, not really.
Do you think they view you as deluded for following Jesus instead of Muhammad? Yes, they might and they might not.It depends.
How do you know which one of you, if any, is right? You wouldn't. The final decision is up to god, since he set this particular scheme in place.
Is your faith more valid than that of the Muslim’s? If you believe so.
If you were born in the Middle East, do you think you would be a Muslim? Yes.
Is it wrong for a Muslim to teach his child his beliefs and isolated her from others views? No, not where Islam is concerned.
Is it fair to isolate a child deep in one religion and insulate her from other opinions? No, not where Islam is concerned.
Do you consider this indoctrination? Why or why not? Good or bad thing? Why? Yes, Islam IS indoctrination.
If children are too young to hold political views, how can they hold religious views? The question is incorrect to begin with, since Soviet children for example were indoctrinated with "political views," which were substituted for "religious views."
As i said, the thread is mostly interesting because of its first part, where it shows that many of God's teachings have no place in our modern society, most of those questions aren't much of an issue, but it's the first part which should be a challenge to respond to for a Christian, but instead you just skipped it. I'm waiting for that response now
This is true. Islam has had a positive intellectual, artistic, and scientific impact on the whole world. The trick is to not let about 25% of modern day Islam continue to revert to a medievel mentality. I say 25%, because it is a lie when people say that radical Islam is limited to ISIS or some terror groups. It is actively funded and passively supported by wahabists/salafists all over the world and most larger intelligence gathering agencies (even private ones like Jane's Defense) estimate that up to 25% of the entire globes population of Islam (1.6 billion) either actively or passively support what we call extreme Islam. 25% of 1.6 billion is a huge chunk of people and cannot be passed off as a small minority or a fringe group.
Twenty five percent you say? Over 80 percent of Egyptians favored death for apostates. Let that sink in. That's in a country where 8 or so percent is Christian. That leaves just over 10 percent sanity. Egypt is a very important Arab state.
As i said, the thread is mostly interesting because of its first part, where it shows that many of God's teachings have no place in our modern society, most of those questions aren't much of an issue, but it's the first part which should be a challenge to respond to for a Christian, but instead you just skipped it. I'm waiting for that response now
God never changed, no matter how the world is now or becoming God is still there and unchanged.
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever
I aware most Germans don't care about religion or even Christianity. That the same case as my country.
Yet even so if Germany is atheist there will still be believers even for years to come. Even in North Korea today all religious activity is banned but pockets of Christians still exist. Not all young people in Germany are atheist or not Christian and that the same for much of the rest of Europe. Of course a majority of young people are not Christians.
Even though a large majority of people are not interested in going to Church in Germany there is still Churches that exist in Germany that the congregations that are has large number of young people.
Even former Muslims are now Christian in Germany now.
God exists and he is more of a loving god than an angry God. He loves all of us even us being sinners.
(John 3:16-17) "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. {17} "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.
I don't think so, churches are increasingly empty (and of those that still go there 90% are old people), some have already been turned into mosques. Religion is mostly associated with the intellectually inferior, among the educated few are religious. If educated religious people turn towards foreign religions, it is often Buddhism because it is associated with wisdom and intelligence.
There is no noteworthy conversion in any direct in Germany because Germans don't like change. Muslims stay Muslims (almost exclusively of foreign background) and Christians stay Christians, at least on paper (else the number of Christians would be even lower than it already is; I observe it in my family, they are Catholics on paper, but really just because they never bothered to have themselves unregistered; I, however, did that as soon as I turned 18, on my birthday if I remember correctly).
I find it odd when you defend your god by citing texts from the bible. That is like saying a pizza simply must taste great because it says so in the commercial
It's clear to anyone that your god was modeled after a human father. In other cultures/religions, especially in the distant past, they had a goddess (obviously modeled after a human mother), others have gods and goddesses, like in a good old human family
I hear many (not all) Europeans saying stuff like Muslims live in the middle ages, are religious fanatics and etc.
Which is a pretty fair criticism considering that groups such as Isis explicitly want to establish a Caliphate. Perhaps you should read up on it a bit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by globby_832
But let me tell you something that can surprise you.
I could already tell at this point that not only were you not going to surprise me, but that you were going to say something anti-historical.
Quote:
Originally Posted by globby_832
Most textbooks usually give the Greeks and Romans for civilizing Europe. Sure Italy pulled Europe out of the Middle Ages and started the Renaissance,
All good here. I corrected the spelling of Renaissance in your quote for you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by globby_832
but Muslims helped a lot.
Not really. It is generally accepted that Europe re-learned a bit about architecture from the Crusades due to having to build stone castles. Other than that the Renaissance was fueled by the re-discovery of Greco-Roman knowledge.
The Moors and Arabs were one of many influences on Europe, but it must be remembered that the Arabs first were influenced by Greece and Rome. At best this is a sort of cross-fertilization. In any event, Greco-Roman knowledge survived in Italy and Byzantium...hell, the IRISH influenced Europe more than the Muslims by preserving that knowledge and re-fertilizing Europe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by globby_832
While Europe suffered from diseases, plagues, and wars....the Islamic world was culturaly blossoming. Arts, sciences, literature were on top of the world! Many of their cultural ideas spread throughout Europe by crusade soldiers.
What has any of this to do with the original gripe about Europeans lamenting that there are Muslims who want to live in the Middle Ages?
In any event, what cultural idea are you talking about? Europeans did not start writing in Arabic or reading Arabic literature. Algebra was known to the Greeks, and even "Arabic Numerals" are actually Indian and were already known to the Byzantines before Muhammad. You say that the Crusades introduced knowledge to Europe..what idea were adopted by what courts and when?
Quote:
Originally Posted by globby_832
Check out the map from below, during the age of 1500-500 bc, the only people that were civillized were the Greeks and Middle Easterners. The rest of Europe just had hunters and gatherers, farmers or barbarians.
I don't think so, churches are increasingly empty (and of those that still go there 90% are old people), some have already been turned into mosques. Religion is mostly associated with the intellectually inferior, among the educated few are religious. If educated religious people turn towards foreign religions, it is often Buddhism because it is associated with wisdom and intelligence.
There is no noteworthy conversion in any direct in Germany because Germans don't like change. Muslims stay Muslims (almost exclusively of foreign background) and Christians stay Christians, at least on paper (else the number of Christians would be even lower than it already is; I observe it in my family, they are Catholics on paper, but really just because they never bothered to have themselves unregistered; I, however, did that as soon as I turned 18, on my birthday if I remember correctly).
I find it odd when you defend your god by citing texts from the bible. That is like saying a pizza simply must taste great because it says so in the commercial
It's clear to anyone that your god was modeled after a human father. In other cultures/religions, especially in the distant past, they had a goddess (obviously modeled after a human mother), others have gods and goddesses, like in a good old human family
Intellecually inferior? I have 2 University degrees. In my very Church I know guys that are Lawyers, Doctors, Business people, teachers and engineers.
I used to be atheist myself. Yet there was a time I suffered a lot of tribulations and I was depressed and suicidal. I prayed for the Lord to get me out of my depressive state. After I prayed I started to feel calm. Eventually I felt a strong urge to go to Church. Not long after that I gave my life to Jesus Christ.
Since then I have felt an inner peace I have never really felt before. My anguish, depression and mental illness is a thing of the past.
Intellecually inferior? I have 2 University degrees. In my very Church I know guys that are Lawyers, Doctors, Business people, teachers and engineers.
I used to be atheist myself. Yet there was a time I suffered a lot of tribulations and I was depressed and suicidal. I prayed for the Lord to get me out of my depressive state. After I prayed I started to feel calm. Eventually I felt a strong urge to go to Church. Not long after that I gave my life to Jesus Christ.
Since then I have felt an inner peace I have never really felt before. My anguish, depression and mental illness is a thing of the past.
Intellecually inferior? I have 2 University degrees. In my very Church I know guys that are Lawyers, Doctors, Business people, teachers and engineers.
I used to be atheist myself. Yet there was a time I suffered a lot of tribulations and I was depressed and suicidal. I prayed for the Lord to get me out of my depressive state. After I prayed I started to feel calm. Eventually I felt a strong urge to go to Church. Not long after that I gave my life to Jesus Christ.
Since then I have felt an inner peace I have never really felt before. My anguish, depression and mental illness is a thing of the past.
There are some intelligent religious people and some stupid atheists, but by and large there is an indirectly proportional correlation between religion and intelligence.
Something like that would never work with me. You never were a real atheist to begin with (maybe some lost agonistic or whatever), because there is no way back once you have understood that there are no gods. Of course it is more comfortable to believe in fairy tales because being an atheist can be gloomy, it takes a strong personality. Although I find the world and life depressing, I could never brainwash myself into believing in gods, it's like lifting yourself out of quicksand when you are already in it up to your neck
This is true. Islam has had a positive intellectual, artistic, and scientific impact on the whole world. The trick is to not let about 25% of modern day Islam continue to revert to a medievel mentality. I say 25%, because it is a lie when people say that radical Islam is limited to ISIS or some terror groups. It is actively funded and passively supported by wahabists/salafists all over the world and most larger intelligence gathering agencies (even private ones like Jane's Defense) estimate that up to 25% of the entire globes population of Islam (1.6 billion) either actively or passively support what we call extreme Islam. 25% of 1.6 billion is a huge chunk of people and cannot be passed off as a small minority or a fringe group.
No ofense, but a religion that says there are flying horses can't bring so much progress. It was not Islam that generated the cultural achievements of Muslims but the historical circumstances, the access to the libraries and knowledge of the conquered civilisations, as I said.
Christianity on other side, has really had a progressive impact of the world, no matter what some atheists would say. Beside all the fairy-tale stories from the OT and NT (life of Jesus, miracles etc), Christianity has come with some progressive social and philosophical concepts: altruism, equality of people, (the notions of) absolute and infinite etc. Christianity is a blend of infantilism found at ther religions as well (the cosmogony e.g.) with some strong practical and theoretical teachings. The OT as well has some sections that are of a level of applied wisdom that most people have not put in practice even today, like the Book of Wisdom and few others.
Myself, I adhere to the philosophical and moral values of Christianity but I reject the historicity of most of the events described in OT and NT so I can consider myself a Christian. that if anybody is curious what sort of belief I share. And I think that any honest person would agree on the aforementioned ideas about the contribution of Christianity. The fact that the movement from a social-economic system based on slave work to a more human one, based on feudal relationships appeared in Europe is in connection with the penetration of the Christian ideas about compassion and equality and there are few more concrete aspects that appeared because of the Christian influence.
Oh, right, I suppose that's why you wrote: "(lol I have seen Hindus folding hands in front if computers)"
old old thread... but anyway..
Hindu here. not religious, mostly agnostic. culturally pretty hindu though.
Nothing offensive about what he wrote. We would totally do what he mentioned, during certain festivals dedicated to tools of our trade or instruments of learning, like books.
I also don't step on books, even accidently. They embody the Goddess of knowledge. It was drummed into my head at a young age and now it feels kind of nice to have that rule. I can convey to my
kid that education and learning is prized.
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but from what I know, I'll address a few, related to this thread))) 
