John Dub

I know you’re kidding, but as Mike says, point being, if you believe that God created nature using whatever mysterious powers there might be, and believe the people created fictions to account for all the horrors nature provides us, that is indeed madness. Nature can’t really be argued with, so believers and non-believers tend to agree on what it…[Read more]

Earlier, you said;

And the numbers for Jesus’s religion was much bigger than Paul’s Christianity. I don’t remember the numbers but there was a big difference in the numbers for the first 3 hundred years of Christianity. Jesus’s religion was said to be larger than the Christianity that Paul was preaching.

Which was confusing since you are using y…[Read more]

That’s a bizarre twisting of the Hypatia story.

In my one brief tour as a forum admin, I was attacked by Russians selling heavy equipment and travel information. I am not making up that up. It started slow and picked up speed, then I logged in one day and the site didn’t load. It was just for a few friends, and they had already lost interest, so I gave up. I have a ton of sympathy for anyone…[Read more]

You ask – What Would I need to Convince me of God? You better start asking yourself what you understand about God. Get with the science.

Did you read my post? You are not responding to what I said. It’s quite clear that I’m referring to the natural world and the concept of gods as mythical creatures representing our aspirations.

Just as an example about five minutes ago the kitchen lights just flipped on and flipped off after about 10 seconds.

I just timed myself. It took me 5 seconds to pick up my phone and start video recording.

I think I expected understanding, similar experiences and  more resources to understand what I am experiencing and not told that witnessing bizarre happenings in my home is me taking things out of context.

If electrical things are flickering, that has a normal explanation, not a spiritual one. If objects are moving that don’t have a physical ca…[Read more]

I can’t keep reading your ramblings Mike. I don’t know where you get your data, or your conclusions. Oh, right, from a dark place inside yourself.

But any way you look at it the atheists are only at 2%. If you count China, it is 7%.

Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist is 16%

And there are an awful lot of humanists going to church on Sundays in…[Read more]

How do you connect these two completely separate things?

You made that connection. You need to consider that there is no connection and find some other explanation and consider it. Then examine what evidence you have and conclude what is plausible. Since what you are describing has never been verified anywhere in the history of stoves, you are…[Read more]

there are a million miracles a day taking place in America alone. What does he want to do? Debunk every one of them with science? Can’t physically be done.

One person couldn’t, but that’s why we have education. With 327 million each person only needs to take on a little more than one miracle a year.

I believe Neoplatonism is what I am heari…

[Read more]

When you walk into the main visitor’s center for Denali National Park, you can’t miss the giant display on the wall of the globe centered on the north pole. Arrows cross over it showing bird migrations, completely ignoring our geopolitical boundaries. It shifts you from feeling like you’ve traveled “way up north” to some remote location to being…[Read more]

We know what Jesus thought — Mike

There’s the problem. When history becomes religion. When knowledge is claimed without evidence.

Wisdom is just what your ancestors have learned and passed down to you as a gift so you can prosper and have a better life. — Mike

No God or religion required for that

Verses on hate, with apologetics

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/if-you-dont-hate-your-father-you-cannot-be-my-disciple

You’ve upped your game Xian. I still don’t know what to believe about you. The article also says sleep comes from false thoughts. Do you think sleepers are bad? Should we cure ourselves of sleeping?

We shouldn’t sleep every time we feel tired. Not while driving for example. We shouldn’t give in to every sexual desire either. Obvious examples.…[Read more]

A sort of line that will not be crossed over. One is about our founding fathers being Deists. All the proof is there, and it is past the point of even debating. — Mike

I never questioned this

Caste – there, I said it

 So, why are you debating so call scholars talking about the powers of deities is beyond me. — Mike

Because the average pe…[Read more]

The first two paragraphs are barely comprehensible. What does he mean? For example,

The love and compassion that are the perfection of the conditionally-produced life is the light of no-self mind, so leaves no place for the sexual appetite and its images.

And a website, and an interview.

Can you teach an old dog new tricks, might be what you are asking? We took completely different pathways to understanding religion. Your views are from the bible and Paul’s pathway.

My question does not require any particular god. Although difficult to pin down, there is a loose definition of what constitutes a god. It’s defined well enough so p…[Read more]