I'm conflicted about the Bible. Will you discuss it with me?
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This is the wrong place to seek answers about the bible friend. The atheists, false-Christians and pagans only want to lead you down a path to nowhere. Since there is not one contradiction in the bible, you shouldn't have any problem "reconciling" beliefs. If you have a hard time believing for example that hell is a physical place, then it's only because you "don't want" there to be a hell, so it's easier and more convenient to hang onto to the intellectual obstacle "why would God send people to eternal punishment?".
It sounds like God is doing his work of salvation in you, and he's "knocking on the door of your heart". Answer the knock. Repent, trust Jesus for forgiveness, ask him to fill your life, find a full gospel church to attend, read your bible daily and obey it.
It's a belief system. To deny one set of beliefs is to affirm another.
Sure, and bald is a hair style and not golfing is a hobby. Elementary logic seems to elude you: the absence of A doesn't necessarily imply the presence of B.
How could it not be a belief system? By definition a belief is a psychological state in which an individual holds a premise to be true. Are you trying to tell me that you don't believe atheism is true?
Yes, word games. I'm saying I believe theism to be false, which does not necessarily mean I believe atheism to be true (although I do), there are other alternatives, like deism. Your error is in calling it a belief system, which is akin to calling disbelieving in unicorns a belief system. It's not, it's just a rejection of a particular claim, e.g. the claim that unicorns exist, or the claim that there's a supernatural entity that has some interest in us. It may be part of a particular world view, but it's not in itself a system of beliefs, it's a rejection of one.
It's holding the premise of atheism to be objectively true that makes it a belief. But words like "belief" and "faith" are dirty words in atheism because you don't want to admit you have them. Rather it's because of intellectual arrogance that atheists say "it's because of science, logic and reason that we've concluded atheism to be true". You hold your philosophy to be true, but at same time you deny holding it to be true is a belief, when by the very definition that's what a belief is. Talk about playing word games!
Every Christian who doesn't believe the way Alley and adopted do is a false Christian. It take a colossal ego to make a judgement call like that.
BTW Alley, lack of belief s not a belief. Having a different belief does not make one wrong or false. Every belief system is just as valid as another. But a belief system does not necessarily equate with faith. In fact, I think belief is the antithesis of faith.
Has anyone who preaches God and Jesus are one and the same the right to tag anyone a "false Christian"?
What do you expect from me? You're missing the difference between a particular belief and a system of beliefs and the semantics around how things are phrased. How's this: on the basis of the evidence available to me and my powers of reasoning I find there is no reason to believe there is a god. Any statement I believe to be true can be reworded into an equivalent statement I believe to be false, so take your pick.
I don't think you have any clear idea of what atheism is really about. The root words simply mean without a belief in god, and that's all most of us use it to mean. There are those who take it too far and say there definitely is not a god, but that's logically indefensible, not even Dawkins and Hitchens go that far, most of us say just that there's no reason to believe there is one, and so we live our lives on the assumption there isn't. You seem to be broadening it to mean a whole philosophy, as if it were equivalent to a set of beliefs and practices all atheists share. It's nothing of the sort, it's just a rejection of a single claim on grounds of insufficient evidence, and in my experience it's probably one of relatively few ideas people who identify themselves as atheists share.
Well, the confliction continues, and so does the frustration.
I've been through my "atheist" phase. It didn't stick. I've explained why as best I know how. Just no way I can accept that. Nevertheless, I still welcome your thoughts.
I do believe in a creator. I do believe the Bible is more than a compilation of writings. I do believe Christianity transcends all other religions. Life does not begin at birth; why assume that it ends at death.
I've attempted to offer several sample topics that continue to pose a conflict with my reasoning as a "believer." The creation story, the flood, Hell, Christ, and the typical Christian mindset. I have other conflicts, too, but I threw these out there as conversation starters.
Thus far, no one has responded to my specific conflicts. I'm not here to provoke anyone, nor can I be provoked. I won't allow it, because I'm above that. I won't attack anyone here, and I'll ignore your attacks. I'm a thinking man. I do not participate in verbal food fights.
So, once again I am soliciting feedback from any mature, civilized Christian who is willing to read what I've posted, examine my concerns, and respond with a desire to explore the issues in a meaningful way.
I've been through my "atheist" phase. It didn't stick. I've explained why as best I know how. Just no way I can accept that. Nevertheless, I still welcome your thoughts.
I do believe in a creator. I do believe the Bible is more than a compilation of writings. I do believe Christianity transcends all other religions. Life does not begin at birth; why assume that it ends at death.
I've attempted to offer several sample topics that continue to pose a conflict with my reasoning as a "believer." The creation story, the flood, Hell, Christ, and the typical Christian mindset. I have other conflicts, too, but I threw these out there as conversation starters.
Thus far, no one has responded to my specific conflicts. I'm not here to provoke anyone, nor can I be provoked. I won't allow it, because I'm above that. I won't attack anyone here, and I'll ignore your attacks. I'm a thinking man. I do not participate in verbal food fights.
So, once again I am soliciting feedback from any mature, civilized Christian who is willing to read what I've posted, examine my concerns, and respond with a desire to explore the issues in a meaningful way.
There are a number of reasons why you are conflicted and the ones you mention would indicate that although you believe the bible is special there is too many things in it that are unbelievable. So, has it ever occurred to you to read the bible as metaphor and allegory instead of literal? It was never meant to be taken literally. If you listen to fundamentalists you are bound to get confused because they really don't understand the purpose for it being written the way it is. Taken literally, it is no more than a fairy tale.
There are as many answers to every question as there are Christians. Even the most dogmatic disagree about the Bible's true meaning. One can't help but step on a few toes in understanding in the way best suited to you.