Turn to the dark side

Originally posted by @ghost-of-a-duke

In response, I would like to offer a rather contentious rebuttal. An atheist rejects the existence of God and with it all biblical myth, which includes stories of devils and demons.

You mean you assume up front what it is you are trying to prove.

And there are no stories of [plural] devils in the Bible.
That word translated devil does not appear in plural form.

The word translated demon does occur also in the plural.

So saying "with these myths we also reject stories of devils [plural]" begs the question and erects a strawman.

An atheist doesn't reject God in order to leave room for the devil, he rejects the whole biblical shebang. (That's not the contentious bit).

I understand that rejecting the existence of God certainly does not have for the Atheist the intended by-product of turning affection towards the Devil mentioned in the Bible.

I understand that that result is not .... intended.

At this point I would only say - be careful for what you wish. You just might get it. Ie. a replacement for the Person of God with ... something else.

Originally posted by @sonship

In response, I would like to offer a rather contentious rebuttal. An atheist rejects the existence of God and with it all biblical myth, which includes stories of devils and demons.

You mean you assume up front what it is you are trying to prove.

And there are no stories of [plural] devils in the Bible.
That word translated ...[text shortened]... You just might get it. Ie. a replacement for the Person of God with ... something else.

The error many Christians make is this assumption that not believing in God leaves a 'void in man' that may then be filled by some sinister force.

I reject your 'replacement' ideology. God is 'your thing' not 'my thing.' - Perhaps, for a Christian, giving up their faith may leave a hole inside of them (on some level) which they may seek to fill. As a lifelong atheist, however, I have never believed in 'your God.' There is no hole to fill and I am therefore not susceptible to any replacement.

Originally posted by @ghost-of-a-duke
The error many Christians make is this assumption that not believing in God leaves a 'void in man' that may then be filled by some sinister force.

I reject your 'replacement' ideology. God is 'your thing' not 'my thing.' - Perhaps, for a Christian, giving up their faith may leave a hole inside of them (on some level) which they may seek to fill ...[text shortened]... d in 'your God.' There is no hole to fill and I am therefore not susceptible to any replacement.

Just because you don’t believe in something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist and can’t exercise control over you.

That said, if Satan’s desire is to keep people from God, he’d hardly bother with atheists.

Originally posted by @romans1009
Just because you don’t believe in something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist and can’t exercise control over you.

That said, if Satan’s desire is to keep people from God, he’d hardly bother with atheists.

Come to think of it, he may bother with atheists in the sense that he would use them to try to keep other people from God or weaken the faith of believers.

Kind of like what atheists are doing in here.

Originally posted by @romans1009
Just because you don’t believe in something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist and can’t exercise control over you.

That said, if Satan’s desire is to keep people from God, he’d hardly bother with atheists.

Creep somewhere else.

Originally posted by @ghost-of-a-duke
Creep somewhere else.

Trolling already? You just got on here!

I know you got discharged yesterday but the visiting nurse will be by soon and I know she doesn’t want to see you trolling like a young un this soon.

Your blood pressure’s gonna be through the roof!

Originally posted by @romans1009
I know you got discharged yesterday but the visiting nurse will be by soon and I know she doesn’t want to see you trolling like a young un this soon.

Your blood pressure’s gonna be through the roof!

If you talked to Ghost of a Duke like this in 'real life' - at an RHP meet up - and he and others found it clumsy and unfunny, would you desist or would you keep saying it over and over again? I know you post this kind of stuff online; would you say it - and repeat it as much as you do - in a face to face conversation?

Originally posted by @fmf
If you talked to Ghost of a Duke like this in 'real life' - at an RHP meet up - and he and others found it clumsy and unfunny, would you desist or would you keep saying it over and over again? I know you post this kind of stuff online; would you say it - and repeat it as much as you do - in a face to face conversation?

If Ghost spoke to me in real life as he has spoken to me in here - especially the first day I was on here when he relentlessly trolled me by saying I was Becker - I think he would regret it.

Originally posted by @romans1009
If Ghost spoke to me in real life as he has spoken to me in here - especially the first day I was on here when he relentlessly trolled me by saying I was Becker - I think he would regret it.

Why would he regret it?

Originally posted by @fmf
Why would he regret it?

I’ll leave that to your and his imaginations

Originally posted by @romans1009
I’ll leave that to your and his imaginations

Well, what do you mean by it? I don't see why Ghost of a Duke would regret rubbing you up the wrong way. If I was there, I'd call you and dj2becker jerks to your faces too for your behaviour. What's the harm in that? You are what you post and you've said that you are the same in 'real life'. I'm the same. If I call you a jerk here, I'll call you a jerk at a reunion too. I'd have no reason to "regret it". Candour has always served me well.

Originally posted by @fmf
Well, what do you mean by it? I don't see why Ghost of a Duke would regret rubbing you up the wrong way. If I was there, I'd call you and dj2becker jerks to your faces too for your behaviour. What's the harm in that? You are what you post and you've said that you are the same in 'real life'. I'm the same. If I call you a jerk here, I'll call you a jerk at a reunion too. I'd have no reason to "regret it". Candour has always served me well.

<<You are what you post and you've said that you are the same in 'real life'>>

Never said that. In fact, I said the opposite. My interest in conversing with you diminishes greatly due to your habit of misrepresenting what people say.

I said I’m like this elsewhere on the Internet but just as a person having beer with friends behaves differently than he does at an office job, so too do people behave differently on and off the Internet.

If you want to keep conversing with me, maybe you should just stick to stating your beliefs and opinions and stop trying to state mine.

Originally posted by @romans1009
<<You are what you post and you've said that you are the same in 'real life'>>

Never said that. In fact, I said the opposite. My interest in conversing with you diminishes greatly due to your habit of misrepresenting what people say.

I said I’m like this elsewhere on the Internet but just as a person having beer with friends behaves differently at ...[text shortened]... maybe you should just stick to stating your beliefs and opinions and stop trying to state mine.

Why would I "regret" calling you a jerk to your face if I found you to be as much of a jerk in real life as I do here? It'd just be a reunion of posters from here right? Why would Ghost of a Duke "regret" telling you he suspected you and dj2becker of being equally creepy and therefore the same poster? I don't see how or why he would "regret" being proven wrong if that did in fact occur.

Originally posted by @fmf
Why would I "regret" calling you a jerk to your face if I found you to be as much of a jerk in real life as I do here? It'd just be a reunion of posters from here right? Why would Ghost of a Duke "regret" telling you he suspected you and dj2becker of being equally creepy and therefore the same poster? I don't see how or why he would "regret" being proven wrong if that did in fact occur.

So no acknowledgment that you misrepresented what I said? You’re just charging ahead with your jackhammer questions? I’d be happy to entertain your questions on substance but not on nonsense like this.

Originally posted by @romans1009
So no acknowledgment that you misrepresented what I said? You’re just charging ahead with your jackhammer questions? I’d be happy to entertain your questions on substance but not on nonsense like this.

I don't think I have misrepresented you. Others can decide if I have.