Harumi

It's just a saying I suppose, to demonstrate the power of faith. Some Christians take it literally. Others don't.

There's also something else about drinking poison and handling snakes too...

monkey mind

This is a good point. The word god is just another word that people use. The problem is that it doesn't have any meaning at all. If I say the word chair chances are your thinking of something at least remotely similar to what I'm thinking of. The word god only points to thoughts and ideas. There is no physical god that we can all point to and experience. To make things more incomprehensible people use the word to represent such a huge variety of conflicting ideas that it really doesn't have a meaning.

My theory is that people just throw in the word god as a filler for things they don't understand. Then, afterwards, in order to give the word a meaning for themselves they attach all kinds of attributes to it. everyone who uses the word is attaching different attributes to it in their mind. I don't think any two people who've ever existed have believed in the same god.

I definately think it's possible to come to believe in god by means of reasoning, the problem is that eventually you'll realize that god is totally meaningless. And I don't mean that to have any positive or negative connotations. god is just the ultimate fill in the blank nothingness. The irony is how worked up people get over nothing.

Seraphim

by Harumi

It's just a saying I suppose, to demonstrate the power of faith. Some Christians take it literally. Others don't.

There's also something else about drinking poison and handling snakes too...

And IF they die of the poison or the snake bite them, does it means that they didn't have faith OR God allowed them to die?
In my opinion, neither ... it simply means that they are stupid ...

Faith is something to have, which you use throughout your life to LIVE your life, NOT to throw away life in a meaningless test such as this.

sigh ... no wonder this world is coming to an end ...

Anti-Creedance Front

Though constructive criticism is good, I feel deists and liberal religious people should be included in freethought. After all, an open mind comes through transition, it doesn't just happen out of nowhere. If we don't like religious fanatics making unprovoked attacks on us, there's no reason to make unprovoked attacks on deists. And many atheist freethinkers act like agnostics are atheists too. We're not. We just don't like organized religion. I stay steadfast in my position as an agnostic, but many of my friends are atheists, some Christians. I try to maintain a mutual respect for both.

Jet Grind

Anti-Creedance Front,

I would certainly consider deists freethinkers, as the ones I've met are indeed rational, freethinking people. Liberal Religious people I'm not so sure about. If you're talking about say, Anglican Christians then I would have to say no. Freethought means thought independant of religious dogma (among other things). Liberal Religious people don't quite fit that description.

I wholeheartedly agree.

There are different kinds of freethinkers, just like there are different types of individuals in every group. There are two doctors, one of them is completely bald and the other has a $40 hair cut. I would trust them both in the field of medicine, but I wouldn't go to the former for info on cosmetics. Similarly, I wouldn't go to a deist for information on cosmology, but it's safe to say we're pretty much on the same page when it comes to organized religion. You're right, we should all be respectful of others beliefs, so long as they are not attempting to push them on others.

Sincerely,

Jet Grind

Supergirl

The pantheist!

They are few and far between, and would not even think of themselves as atheists (I think they are, but that is a whole different discussion) It is difficult to relate the concept and refering to god makes it easier for some when refering to their belief system.

I hate that! Popular theism is so narrow minded :banghead:

Supergirl

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matt 17 Verse 20

A man brings his son to be healed. The disciples cannot do it. JC gets pis$ed off and "rebukes the devil", the eveil spirit leaves the child and the child is cured "from that very hour".

He reprimands the disciples for their lack of belief and tells them to have faith. Some translations even add - faith that can only be achieved by fasting and prayer.

Harumi

Well, he calls himself a deist.

But yes, he does annoy me too in this aspect. For example, he's trying to tell me that there is no difference between agnostics and weak atheists, but I'm trying to show him otherwise. He doesn't seem able to grasp this point, but ah well.

He doesn't care much about the 'God' he believes in. I personally don't see how that thing can be a god, but well, suit himself. He's a freethinker, sensitive, kind, and caring, and that's all I care about. That's the important thing, I think.

Even if he wants me to slap him upside the head sometimes.

Goober

I was kind of a deist for a brief while, but I realised that it is a less logical postition than atheism, because it postulates the existence of an unprovable being, so I became an atheist.

But it's certainly a much better belief than any theistic belief system.

Harumi

Agreed.

It's one theistic position that doesn't raise my hackles at any rate.