boasts of Athiests II

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maybe she's send them to you because you don't get on with her very well?

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I wish this were the case.No, she likes Geddes.She also stenciled her kitchen and bathroom, and gives me "country cute" Christmas decorations like this every year at the holidays: I've given most of them away, they are so completely NOT my taste.

grr, i hate when i typo, and only notice once someone replies. that should have said "she's sending."*sigh* one of these days i'll learn how to type. and you're related to this person?

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Well back to boasting while looking through this thread this post: EvC Forum: Unethical practices in Evangelism. What is the value of the conversions?turned up an interesting non-aethist boast:Iano says I would be inclined to agree, his testimony is very true, be very careful as this statement may run very close to being boastful if Iano tries to say that this is what another person should feel. I do though appreciate his assurance and confidence in that he speaks. It indicates a strength of character that is difficult to find.andIano says To learn at Iano's feet would be a treat. Iano's knowledge of rotten fruit would assuredly help me in my own life, and help me making the correct choices. But by the same token, what are the rotten fruit that Iano speaks of? I must ask how the fruit is identified because i would think an episcoalian has a different take on bad fruit, then say a protestant, luthern or baptist. I would nominate him to be the leader of all christianity.EvC Forum: Unethical practices in Evangelism. What is the value of the conversions?
Iano says I wish Iano's skill at to know the emptiness of a person. For surely it would make my life easier. I could better help those in needs, to get on their feet and back into life, be it with Christ or with anything else. However, I would like to put forth for all that Christ does not satisfy all needs for if it did, we surely would live through him alone.I am not immune to boasting either. The biggest boast I can think of is that I'm pretty sure I don't make the best decisions and the time I make this post is definetly not a good time for this kind of thing.Edited by Discreet Label, : fixing some stuff a couple of added sentances, and to make more coherrant

Assurance has nothing at all to do with ones salvation. A person doesn't need to feel as I feel about it in order to be saved. Some do, some don't. Nor has it anything at all to do with strength of character. Arrogance, pride and boastfulness (a plague on their house) reside within me in most recognisable fashion. Just not when it comes to a statement like the one you were referring to. If your not a Christian then I would be of no help at all I am afraid. Biblically speaking Satan would be your father and you would do his bidding with relish. Not exactly a recipe for "helping you make the right choices" is it?My relationship with God could be described as lite-weight - I would not make a good candidate for the tenure you propose. That is not false humility speaking there - honest. Its not a finely honed skill unfortunately. My neighbours case should have demonstrated that. The emptiness of her own life was something that came from her own lips. As it happens it wasn't all that long ago that I felt the same way (not that life is full to overflowing at the moment - but in comparison...) so its not rocket science to come to the conclusion arrived at. More like adding 1+1. If anyone is to put her back on her feet it will be him - not me.I'm beginning to form the notion that you have a rather strange definition of what it is to boast DL.

Interesting comment about being inside your head. But I was wondering if you (or anyone who wants to comment) would agree with any of the following statements:1. One of the qualities of the human mind is HABITUATION. We grow used to things. We grow tired of things. We after awhile are unmoved or much less moved by that which moved us before.2. Most of life is spent neither joyfully nor sadly but in an in-between state that might be characterized as moderate satisfaction or moderate dissatisfaction.3. There is a "hunger of imagination" in us that outraces reality. Reality cannot possibly fulfill that which our imagination craves. This quality is more prevalent when one is young, but it never goes away entirely. The result is an occasional feeling of "vacuity."(the phrases in quotation marks come from an 18th century writer).

All accurate descriptions of the human condition, and signs that human beings have a nature that cannot be satisfied with anything that this life has to offer, that we were made for a fulfillment beyond our imagination. Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

I agree with what you say. Its as if (to invoke another automotive picture) we have a 1000cc engine but it is fitted with the carburettors and air inlet system of a 200cc motorcycle. And fitted in a 200cc motorcycles chassis. We sense the potential but no matter how much we spanner on it we cannot release that potentialThere is an alternative road open aside from vacuity - which many appear to take. It is the road of increasing stimulation. As the thrill wears off and we settle back into the middle ground we add something new in order to rise again to the point of happiness we prefer to be at (happiness is nice so there is good reason to suppose we all want to be there. This leads to bigger, better, faster, more exciting, more stimulating. The world seems geared towards accomodating this tendency in people and the impression is given that in following this path we are heading upwards and onwards - whereas in fact it really is a case of maintaining position up a side slope at the bottom of which is this middle ground you speak of. Ever-accelerating in order to maintain position.Sometimes the world would consider the behaviour extreme, sometimes not - but the motivation seems to me to be the same all the same.

Indeed its called entropy, the desire not to expand possibilies through the expending energy. Which is why people like Schraf attempt to avoid the habituation you describe. One partiuclar way you can avoid this habituation, is to continually re-explore or re-discover particular occurances, attempting to percieve things in a novel way each time it is done. By all means its not possible to experience novelty everytime, but everyone can probably vary there life enough to prevent complete habituation. For example theres a book by the name of Wizard's First Rule, i've read it a dozen times anywhere from 1-3 times a year for the past 5 years, but each time I've read it I feel I discover something new that the book touches upon. Even though I know what will happen in the story, I try and suspend it my knowledge or try to think in a different context when I read the story. You could characterize that as being true for yourself. But why must moderate satisfaction or dissatisfaction even be a part of life? For myself I don't spend much time satisfied or dissatisfied, i spend my time exploring and feeling either of those interrupts my exploration. After i've made a new connection then i feel a bit of joy at a new piece of knowledge that i've put together. I try to lose myself in what i'm doing, so i can fully enjoy the experience of doing it, and then reflect upon that later. I would counter, why must you even feel the vacuity if at all? By all means at some point a person does feel empty for all that they have done because there is so much left. And surely the vacuum of the unaccomplished imagination is the majority of the human experience, yet a person could instead take joy in the small fraction of life they have experienced. For myself I feel there is so much open to me in life, that I wonder how at all I will be able to touch it all and experience it, yet counter to that I must temper my pursuit so that I can experience in what my understanding is the heart of the pursuit.

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or example theres a book by the name of Wizard's First Rule

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I liked that Book a lot however i hear the next next sequel is called "oh please god make it stop!"

I probably do have a unique idea of what boasting is. For example: I feel that in this statement you have a paradox of knowing that assurance has nothing to do with salvataion. Yet while assurance has nothing to do with salvation you are confident, assured that arrogance, pride and boastfulness reside within me in most recognizable fashion. Just not when it comes to a statement like the one you were referring to. Demonstrates a certitude of knowledge that is boasting. You know for a certainty that having assurance of salvation is false, yet that same statement I feel you must maintain a pride, or arrogance to state it is truth. Christianity, does it not speak to all who have accepted (your term of accepted) Christ into their hearts and homes? And even if I were still be the offspring of Satan if I were to follow your perscribed life would it not demonstrate a Christian stance that would it not be difficult to say I was the offspring of Satan?And to the second what what makes a pastor or a church leader any more qualified then yourself to lead a congregation? A church leader are they not the same as you? In that they are equally sinful and equally attempting to work towards Christ, yet the only difference is that they have devoted their life to help others in their journey toward Christ? Perhaps but even a sinned man, can they not help anothers walk toward the path of rightousness? I would assume the 12 apostles, being human, have the same problem that we do in that they were all equally as sinful as ourselves yet they maintained that they could still help others walk toward Christ, and to better their fellow man's life? What makes you any less qualified then the next human to help your neighbor? For are you not at least as bad as the next one?Edited by Discreet Label, : Some bolded stuff was supposed to be in quotes.

Definetly know this is off topic. Yes indeed it probably is 'oh god please make it stop.' Its getting to be a great deal like Robert Jordan's own writing.However, I would hazard that Goodkind's writing is far more enjoyable then Jordan's. And I was a little unhappy at the way his last book, chainfire, totally had the most diabolical cliff hanger, most of his books usually were one complete story. And you could be satisfied in leaving the series at any point.

I ask why at all must we be satisfied in this life? To say that this life is a hollow one, would it not be akin to saying your birth was an empty birth, a birth of just chance? Does GOD not have a plan for all things? And from that would it not follow that life could be a lesson in learning how to become closer to GOD? Why cannot the human condition be a plan of GOD's for a person to learn to walk the path of rightousness?

Why must at all everything to be done must be taken over by something more stimulating? For example cooking, a basic human necessity, is as stimulating as watching paint dry. Yet can I not shape my perception of the cooking experience into something of joy? I mean could I not percieve the prepartion of a salad to be an excerise of wonder in how such simple beginnings of individual vegies can make the beauty of a simple salad? How perfectly lettuce, carrots, tomotoes, red onions etc, fit so beautifully to create a marvelous salad?Why at all must be something bigger, better, faster, more exciting or more stimulating to even draw any joy from the action?

I took the quotes Robin gave as reflecting the condition of humanity without God. What is missing IS God since we were made for Him. So those who have God have found that fulfillment, at least have it to look forward to after a lifetime of that very learning you are talking about.

So what other fulfillments aside from that of GOD are there present?