Originally posted by googlefudgeThere are stages to learning. The words I used there were for a reply to that post.
To claim that we are all inherently spiritual you are going to have to define what you mean by spiritual.
Many of the posters on these forums live in or come from countries with high levels of religion which means
significant exposure to religious ideas from a very early age, which make working out what is innate and what
is learned rather hard.
...[text shortened]... at real
statistics.
People are great at spotting patterns, and even better at imagining them.
Whether we are inherently spiritual depends on your definition of "Spirit" , which is at the core of spirituality, but hard to define for the general populace. Rather it's an evaluation of one's own mind, so all your points stand as I have not yet come up with any sort of "bridge " that would connect one stage of learning with another.
"In regard to this Great book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it.”
- Abraham Lincoln on the bible
Originally posted by sumydidmany contemporaries of lincolns testified of him as an avowed infidel. lincolns concept of god is the same as his concept of nature, much like many of the diest founders.
[b]"In regard to this Great book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it.”
- Abraham Lincoln on the bible[/b]
some good stuff on lincoln
http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/john_remsburg/six_historic_americans/chapter_5.html#15.3
Originally posted by VoidSpiritAh, the skeptic's favorite website. And for good reason. It would be my homepage if I were who I used to be. No doubt about it.
many contemporaries of lincolns testified of him as an avowed infidel. lincolns concept of god is the same as his concept of nature, much like many of the diest founders.
some good stuff on lincoln
http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/john_remsburg/six_historic_americans/chapter_5.html#15.3
Anyway, the quote I supplied from Lincoln is very clear; He was a bible believer, he believed morality was taught in the bible, he believed in Jesus as the Savior (Christ).
He may have been a sinner but aren't we all.
Originally posted by sumydidyes, he very clearly tells you what you want to hear. lincoln above all, was a politician.
Ah, the skeptic's favorite website. And for good reason. It would be my homepage if I were who I used to be. No doubt about it.
Anyway, the quote I supplied from Lincoln is very clear; He was a bible believer, he believed morality was taught in the bible, he believed in Jesus as the Savior (Christ).
He may have been a sinner but aren't we all.
Originally posted by VoidSpirityes. very clearly you are labeling him a total liar.
yes, he very clearly tells you what you want to hear. lincoln above all, was a politician.
You are obviously welcome to promote whatever radical views you want, just don't expect many educated Americans to be receptive to, or respectful of them.
Originally posted by sumydideducated americans are perfectly adapt at researching the history of lincoln themselves rather than having emotional responses of incredulity without knowing the facts.
yes. very clearly you are labeling him a total liar.
You are obviously welcome to promote whatever radical views you want, just don't expect many educated Americans to be receptive to, or respectful of them.
Originally posted by VoidSpiritWell you won't find most educated Americans using infidels.org as their primary source for factual information. Of the entire body of evidence available to glean an accurate description of Abraham Lincoln, the vast majority of factual sources would not be in support of your claim that he was a total infidel, fraud, and liar.
educated americans are perfectly adapt at researching the history of lincoln themselves rather than having emotional responses of incredulity without knowing the facts.
Originally posted by VoidSpiritDo you say this merely because we won't "turn the other cheek" and roll over and let you trash our religious beliefs and present your "evidence" to try to discourage others following our example?
it's not a big deal since most christians only pretend being christian anyways, this forum being an fine example. i don't think we have a single christian here. we may have one part timer though.
Some of us do, however, have to pray, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do", before leaving the forum for several days at a stretch to clear our heads.
Originally posted by SuzianneIt is such a common, puerile tactic many Christian-bashers use, typically as a last resort.
Do you say this merely because we won't "turn the other cheek" and roll over and let you trash our religious beliefs and present your "evidence" to try to discourage others following our example?
Some of us do, however, have to pray, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do", before leaving the forum for several days at a stretch to clear our heads.
As if VoidSpirit's opinion on whether ANYONE is Christian is relevant, let alone accurate.
Originally posted by Suziannenot turning the other cheek is just one of the things christians generally ignore, though it doesn't apply to defending your faith. the point is moot however, since i haven't seen anybody refute any evidence i've presented in making my cases. ignore them, yes. refute them, no.
Do you say this merely because we won't "turn the other cheek" and roll over and let you trash our religious beliefs and present your "evidence" to try to discourage others following our example?
Some of us do, however, have to pray, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do", before leaving the forum for several days at a stretch to clear our heads.
Originally posted by VoidSpirit"refute them, no", or "refute them to my logical and evidence-based ideal of the way things should be, otherwise I'll reject it, no"?
not turning the other cheek is just one of the things christians generally ignore, though it doesn't apply to defending your faith. the point is moot however, since i haven't seen anybody refute any evidence i've presented in making my cases. ignore them, yes. refute them, no.
Refutations have been given here, but the best some atheists can do is claim how stupid they sound because they have no basis in logic or proof.
I can defend my faith until the cows come home, but it is all just illogical jambalaya to atheists, because they have no experiential concept of faith. Ask me for evidence or proof, and I have to say, sorry, you got me, I got nothin'. Just like you'd say to me if I asked you for faith. Because your faith is in the proof, and there is no proof, therefore you have no faith. But we have true faith, which only exists in the absence of proof. And that's illogical to you. And so we reach the impasse.