Magus55

I do present evidence. The Bible is in fact evidence. You may not agree with it, or not think its valid, but disagreeing with something as being invalid, doesn't make it so. The Bible is all the evidence I need. You may need science or more observable evidence to believe in something, but I don't necessarily. I don't cite myself as an authority, I cite God as an authority, and to me He is a very real one. I try to explain and answer questions the best I can. You don't agree with anything i beleive, so obviously you have a bias towards all my explanations as being invalid or false.





Maybe if the conversations persisted with a more civil tone, instead of ridicule, insults and sarcasm, I might be more inclined to engage in debate. Although, care to explain to me the reason you want me to engage in debate? Atheists ask a question or make a claim, I defend it or try to explain it, atheists disagree every time. How does that make room for debate when you will never accept my explanations?

Mageth

Magus, that's a completely misguided rant against demigawd, who did not mock you, insult you, or say you're stupid on this thread, or anywhere as far as I know.

I think atheism is irrational, but i don't constantly ridicule atheists every post about how stupid or mentally disturbed they are.

Perhaps not, but you persist with your meaningless threats such as:

You will be answering to God, not me.

and with your constant whining, as illustrated in this post.

Mageth

I do present evidence. The Bible is in fact evidence. You may not agree with it, or not think its valid, but disagreeing with something as being invalid, doesn't make it so.

No, disagreeing with something doesn't make it invalid, just like agreeing with something doesn't make it valid.

What makes the entire Genesis Creation (and flood) account is the real-world evidence, which clearly, and indisputably, shows the Genesis creation and flood accounts are both myths.

So what we're really criticizing here is a myth; a mythical tree, mythical people, a mythical god, and mythical interactions between the god and the people.

Atheists ask a question or make I claim, I defend it or try to explain it, atheists disagree every time. How does that make room for debate when you will never accept my explanations?

Huh? Look up "debate" in the dictionary. I don't think it says anything about accepting someone's explanation without question.

Hedwig

For the record, Magus, I have tried very hard to be nice and non-confrontational with you (which is a chore in and of itself because I'm an extremely confrontational person IRL.) But when you make statements like this it makes it far more difficult for me to remain nice and non-confrontational. This "poor abused Magus" routine got old really fast. Why is it that you resort to it over and over again? Do you realize how irritating it is? If your god told you that you were going to be persecuted, which is a claim I've heard in the past, shouldn't you buck up and get a tougher skin? The only thing you've convinced me of is that Christians will come back parroting the same thing time and time again and then run and hide and play the "poor and abused by the mean atheists" card when said atheists punch holes in their arguments.

What is the point in you even being here, Magus?

winstonjen

No, you don't want 'salvation' for us, because you're succeeding admirably at deconverting us.

Demigawd

Well, frankly, Magus, I've kept an eye on you since you first began posting here. Why? Perhaps because I see a little of my former self in your religious conviction, and I feel some sort of sympathy (empathy?) with you.

I've witnessed you providing christian dogma as an "alternative" to secular scholarship. Instead of considering the points, you retreat into your scriptures for ideological safety. Did you ever go to a library or search the web concerning astronomy when your biblical passages were disputed in Science and Scepticism way back when? Why not?

The christian (and, to be fair, many other theistic religions) concept of faith strangles honest inquiry into reality. I remember, back in the day, rejecting a high school teacher who wanted me to learn critical thought because I sincerely held the belief that "God said it (in the King James bible). That settles it". Any intellectual tool of questioning, consequently observing, and then critiquing actual evidence was the influence of Satan, meant to shake and shatter my submission to God. And subsequently damn my eternal soul to hell.

Later events challenged that conviction, and I could no longer hang on to my fearful superstitions. The hatred and fear I held for my fellow humans who believed, lived, etc., differently than me washed away, and I began to appreciate the fact I could learn from anyone and any one culture, particularly in terms of similarities rather than differences.

I seek to learn these days, rather than judge. However, when I see anyone claim to know The Truth (tm), I feel compelled to challenge that assertion. You resent that challenge because it aims straight at the center of your religion's requirement of faith.

If I mock or ridicule, it's because I'm frustrated, and resentful, that people still fall for the intellectual castration that faith demands. And I so dearly want those years back in which my mind was shackled by the emotional manipulations of fundamentalism and its pitbull preachers. Priests and politicians are the ones who profit from blind obedience, not their imaginary divine masters.

Witnessing you here at II casually and sometimes caustically dismissing the wealth of information and discussion provided by learned people around the world because they won't bow to your mythology frankly breaks my heart at times. And that sadness often gets transformed into anger because I wish I could reach out through my monitor and shake some sense into you. I want to shout "listen to these people! Consider honestly what they write! Stop knee-jerking!" into your face.

Why? Probably because I wish someone had done so to me earlier in my life, before the fundamentalist christian meme got its claws into me.

Mageth

Demigawd's post echoes my sentiments, and experience, almost exactly. :notworthy

Magus, I've told you before that, when I reply to one of your posts, I'm not attacking you. I'm honestly trying to get you to think about what you believe, and what you say.

Magus55

I have thought about what I believe. Do you not think Christians question our faith alot? But no matter how much I learn and question, I still feel a pull from God that is undeniable. Guess i'm just incapable of giving up on God, like He won't give up on me.

winstonjen

But if you think the wrong thing, you'll go to hell. That's what's worrying you, right?

Only between other Xians. You're too close-minded to take anything we post seriously.

Note to Magus: we feel a pull towards rationality and atheism.

Demigawd

If by questioning, you mean anything that reinforces your belief to be the influence of the Christian God's Holy Spirit, and anything that contradicts or casts doubt on that belief to be the manipulation of Satan, then I believe you do, in a fashion, question.

Unfortunately for your cherished belief, reality is not at all that black and white.

If you value believing that the supposed creator of this reality cares whether or not you believe in him, and that belief determines your eternal pleasure or pain after death, then knock yourself out. Keep it to yourself, however, because when you or any other dogmatic theists attempts to exploit the fear of mortality alot of us hold to bring us "into the fold", I will be there to cry "bullshit!" Don't like the challenge and consider it mockery and ridicule? Sucks to be you then.