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Whenever I hear people saying they "used to be Christians or lost their Christian faith," it's easy to conclude they never had a true "Christian" faith to begin with. Invariably, they mean they used to attend church, but, got disillusioned by the church or people claiming to be Christians.
True Christian faith is vested in God/Christ and His faithfulness, power and truth. He alone is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow; righteous, holy and just - and always full of grace, mercy and truth. A true Christian is born again in God's Holy Spirit and becomes a new creation in Jesus Christ, who changes them from the inside-out. That is not a human attitude, belief or feeling, but, rather a confirming work of God and His Spirit.
No. One who "used to be a Christian," based their trust and faith on religion, people, church or a hundred other things, but, not Jesus Christ. No one can truly say, "I truly loved Christ and was born again in the Spirit," but, now I'm not.
Ah! I see! So when the Christians bombard us with the Lee Strobels of this world smugly proclaiming 'I used to be an atheist until....', we can say to them....'No. You never were a true atheist to begin with.'
Ah! I see! So when the Christians bombard us with the Lee Strobels of this world smugly proclaiming 'I used to be an atheist until....', we can say to them....'No. You never were a true atheist to begin with.'
yes. its that simple.
the problem is we have people that try to force us into believing that all or nothing are our only choices. fundy theist with "my god only" and "deny everything" atheist.
some people, not most, will not look at what is going on around them and try to link those observations together to form the best unifying theory they can. Then those extremes try and force their less valid positions on the rest of us. and when confronted with the fact they are pushing less valid stances on us they run away. "run away" means shun, avoid, minimize, and flat change science via word play.
Ah! I see! So when the Christians bombard us with the Lee Strobels of this world smugly proclaiming 'I used to be an atheist until....', we can say to them....'No. You never were a true atheist to begin with.'
It's not the same when one bases their life, truth and faith on themselves, instead of the power of God. Atheists and other non-believers declare in their own wisdom, "God is not real, therefore, one's faith is in imaginary things." But, those who truly know and are born again in the Holy Spirit, know a new power, grace and truth working in them --- beyond their own.
"The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit."
1 Cor 2:14
As long as you continue to think that life and intellligence just magically appeared by "emergence" or "self-organization" or other euphemisms for magical observations, it is YOU who is relying on magical, irrational thinking.
Shorter Mystic, let us just pretend the science we have does not exist.
This is related to a point I've brought up a few times lately, but gotten no response on. So I'll try again. Christians brag about what percent of the population says they believe in god. But I content that it's very often a shallow faith -- as you point out here.
What number of Christians do you think have that deep faith that you're talking about?
It's a good question -- Only God knows the heart and how many of the world's 2.6+ billion professing Christians, are truly born-again believers. Paradoxically, the answer isn't found in whether an individual has 'sufficient faith or religion,' but, on whether God reigns as Lord of the individual's life. Along these lines, many know that Jesus IS Lord, but, only those who know Jesus AS THEIR personal Lord and Savior, have eternal life.
No, it logically followed once you removed your special pleading fallacy.
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Originally Posted by MysticPhD
Then the EXISTENCE issue is solved as you admit.
I note you missed out the important bit. Cherry picking is a fallacy too.
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Originally Posted by MysticPhD
Arguing the myriad definitions and claims ABOUT God are separate issues that you want to pretend are EXISTENCE issues but they are not.
Straw manning Bayes theorem, does your use of fallacies never end?
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Originally Posted by MysticPhD
You capriciously claim all the existing evidence for your preferred Nature label and pretend that the evidence does NOT apply to God as well without ANY substantiation.
Which, I have said the evidence can point to certain gods or I have not said that? And I think you will find I HAVE mentioned probability.
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Originally Posted by MysticPhD
Then you pretend that the probability is on your side because you THINK ONE attribute (intelligence) is missing.
That is not my argument, so now you are straw manning. That too is a fallacy.
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Originally Posted by MysticPhD
It is YOUR understanding and knowledge of probability that is deficient, NOT mine.
so why do you insist on ignoring the probability arguments, preferring to move the goal posts. Which is another fallacy.
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Originally Posted by MysticPhD
As I have repeatedly said, the EXISTENCE issue does NOT rely on gaps.
We have been over this fallacious NoGodFatih default numerous times. That you do not see that it is classic begging the question, there is little hope of educating you further about the serious damage it does to your premises.
An arrogant straw man of probability theory. But thank you for the 'lecture', but I already knew how theists argue.
Whenever I hear people saying they "used to be Christians or lost their Christian faith," it's easy to conclude they never had a true "Christian" faith to begin with. Invariably, they mean they used to attend church, but, got disillusioned by the church or people claiming to be Christians.
True Christian faith is vested in God/Christ and His faithfulness, power and truth. He alone is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow; righteous, holy and just - and always full of grace, mercy and truth. A true Christian is born again in God's Holy Spirit and becomes a new creation in Jesus Christ, who changes them from the inside-out. That is not a human attitude, belief or feeling, but, rather a confirming work of God and His Spirit.
No. One who "used to be a Christian," based their trust and faith on religion, people, church or a hundred other things, but, not Jesus Christ. No one can truly say, "I truly loved Christ and was born again in the Spirit," but, now I'm not.
This says far more about True Christians than you think it does.
But I did compare anti-theism with religious extremism, which seems perfectly reasonable.
So now 'anti-theism' means something else. Your constant use of 'anti-theism' is getting even more suspicious.
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