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Author Topic:   Why Belief?
:æ: 
Suspended Member (Idle past 7185 days)
Posts: 423
Joined: 07-23-2003


Message 4 of 220 (51542)
08-21-2003 1:02 PM
Reply to: Message 2 by A_Christian
08-19-2003 6:40 PM


That Is Unfortunate
A_Christian writes:
The very fact that I cannot do anything right...
How could you ever hope to do anything right if you begin with this belief? If you believe something is impossible, then for you it may as well be.
A_Christian writes:
the change in friends who accepted the LORD & a noted difference between Christians and those of other faiths or of no faith.
I view reports like this as a type of reaction to post-consumer anxiety. Individuals, anxious to believe that they've made a good decision as opposed to admitting a mistake, are far more likely to report positive results from their decision than to report negative ones, and as a result the statistics will be highly skewed. I could easily cite reports of changed-for-the-better Bah'ais, Muslims, Buddhists, etc... I read recently a scientific study that concluded Buddhists are indeed happier individuals than other religious persons according to comparison of activity in the regions of the brain associated with pleasure and overall contentment.
Long story short, I don't find this "evidence" of yours a compelling indicator of the veracity of your beliefs.
Blessings,
::

This message is a reply to:
 Message 2 by A_Christian, posted 08-19-2003 6:40 PM A_Christian has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 5 by kevstersmith, posted 08-21-2003 4:57 PM :æ: has replied

  
:æ: 
Suspended Member (Idle past 7185 days)
Posts: 423
Joined: 07-23-2003


Message 6 of 220 (51624)
08-21-2003 5:25 PM
Reply to: Message 5 by kevstersmith
08-21-2003 4:57 PM


Re: That Is Unfortunate
Welcome, Kevster! Myself I am also a relatively recent addition to this forum, and it excites me to see some new blood in the Christian camp -- especially another that appears quite capable of expressing his views as clearly and coherently as this your first post.
Kevstersmith writes:
I respectfully disagree with your assessment of A_Christian's admission of weakness. Such realization of a person's frailty and or sinfulness is an accurate knowledge of our human condition that God gives those he's called to bring to himself. From my "born again Christian" perspective it is more a curse to not be aware of your condition and miss out on a personal relationship with God himself not to mention the eternal life side of things.
I understand that this is more-or-less fundamental to your worldview, but I think my comment illustrated precisely its detrimental effect on individuals. A person who believes they cannot "do right" will have a more difficult time actually doing right than a person who believes themselves capable.
kevstersmith writes:
That such brokenness seems unfortunate to you echoes what we see in 1 Corithians 1:18: "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
Great propagandist, that Paul. Always skillfully poisoning the well.
kevstersmith writes:
Where other religions appear to be beneficial does not surprise me as they are typically works or behavioral based. I think the man made religions probably compliment our fallen nature better than the Christian faith and therefore should be expected to bring more fleshly pleasure and contentment.
So you concede that other religions have a greater measureable benefit than Christianity? That is what I infer from your statements. If we are comparing evidence, this means that there is greater evidence in favor of non-Christian worldviews by the very criteria that A_Christian put forth. If he(she?) was honest about regarding that evidence, then, s/he would not be Christian.
Kevstersmith writes:
Living by the spirit of the Christian faith, which the NT so often exhorts Christian's to do, runs counter to all that the world teaches. It defies our human fleshly nature and is very much a struggle for most Christian's. It certainly was for me as it led to clinical depression. However, once I got the hang of it, namely living by the power of God instead of myself, I think I've come to enjoy life, albeit a very difficult one, in a way I never thought possible.
How can you say that you enjoy living in this world when you've just spent a paragraph condemning its ways and your own "fleshly nature"?
Kevstersmith writes:
I pray someday God moves on your heart to bring you to him as well.
I thought that happened once. Turned out it was acid reflux.
But seriously, I know that you have the best intentions in making that statement, but you could never convince me that I am as detestful of a creature as the Christian worldview regards me, and in return I wish that you will one day trust yourself enough to confidently assert your own worth and goodness. That, my friend, is true salvation.
Blessings,
::

This message is a reply to:
 Message 5 by kevstersmith, posted 08-21-2003 4:57 PM kevstersmith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 7 by kevstersmith, posted 08-21-2003 6:13 PM :æ: has not replied

  
:æ: 
Suspended Member (Idle past 7185 days)
Posts: 423
Joined: 07-23-2003


Message 9 of 220 (51655)
08-21-2003 6:57 PM


A Question for Dan Carroll and a Comment for Kevstersmith
Dan--
I fear that my posts may have distracted the focus of your thread, and being that I interjected so early I may have deterred other believers from responding to your opening post. Would you prefer that I desist?
Kevster--
In light of my comments above, if you wish to continue this discussion, perhaps you should start a new thread. You can feel free to post again with some material which demonstrates rationale behind your beliefs because that would be in keeping with the intent of this thread, but unless Dan Carroll gives me leave to challenge your beliefs some more, I will not respond. If he does not give me leave, and if you would still like a response from me, please start a new thread. It's up to you.
Blessings,
::
[This message has been edited by ::, 08-21-2003]

Replies to this message:
 Message 10 by kevstersmith, posted 08-22-2003 3:02 PM :æ: has not replied

  
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