triplew00t

R BAC and emotional... I just wondered if you two would summerize what you believe for me. I see many people arguing against your beliefs, yet, come to think of it, I have never seen them just laid out for me. I would greatly appreciate it.

-Nero

emotional

Here goes:

I believe in a Creator-God, Who is the God of natural law. He created the universe 15 billion years ago, a fully-gifted creation, capable of self-organising (hence evolution everywhere). He is personal and transcendent, other than His creation. He is hidden from us while we are clothed in the material body, but manifest when we die.

I believe in the afterlife. The afterlife is like the life we have now, full of opportunity to progress and evolve, only in a spiritual body instead of a material one, and with an awareness of the spiritual realities. I believe all conscious living organisms have life after death.

I believe that, when a person dies, he stands in front of God (the Loving Light Being of NDEs) and is shown a Life Review. All good deeds and undoings are shown. No sin goes unpunished. God cannot let a sin-stained soul go to heaven. The sinner goes to a hell plane where he repents, is cleansed of sin and then gets out of there and is admitted to one of the heavenly planes.

I believe that, since God lacks nothing, there is nothing that can be done to serve Him directly. Neither ritual nor praise nor faith can please God, for He has everything. Thus the only thing that determines one's status in God's eyes is how one behaved towards other beings during the earthly life.

In sum, I believe in a God of immutable natural law (Deism), in life after death in a spiritual body (spiritualism) and in the necessity to be moral and kind towards other people (humanism).

SimplyAtheistic

Basically you believe in a god just to believe in a god. You fear not having life after death so your conjure up some fairy tale to comfort your nagging worries. I would suggest accepting the facts.
Jake

emotional

I was only complying to triplew00t's request. I have absolutely no intention to debate the existence of God and the afterlife. My beliefs are non-negotiable.

Division By Zero

emotional:

What do you believe God's purpose was in doing all of that? Or is that presently un-knowable?

emotional

As yet unknown. Maybe just for the fun of it. Maybe because He likes to see creatures evolving.

Nowhere357

He was asked a question, and he answered. Your position seems to be that he is not entitled to his beliefs.

First you mistate his beliefs. Then you commit the classic error of telling someone what they must think or feel. You finish by declaring your conclusions based on this error to be facts.

When I read his post, I noticed that the things I find offensive about theism were missing; and that his world-view leads him toward a good moral life. In the context of this thread, I see nothing to complain about.

SimplyAtheistic

I know he was just answering a question, and I was just commenting on his position. And where did I tell him how to feel? I recall suggesting what he do, but not demanding it. And he has admitted that his position is a product of his need for an afterlife, he won't even argue with this. Just because his position is non-offensive, doesen't mean it is a good one. It lacks a logical base. I am sorry if I brought a debate where one really isn't needed, but I felt the need to comment.
Jake

BadBadBad

For the purposes of this thread, emotional, you left out the basis of your beliefs. Since you are not Christian, and you believe the bible is bunk, the basis of your religion is just as important as the substance. Post your links on near death experiences and what was it? That book on Spirit Teachings? Or, are you still grasping for some other authoritative basis? I don't put this out there to ridicule you but to confront your reason with what your emotions are saying.

Your beliefs are indeed negotiable. Perhaps not through your emotions, but definitely through your reason. Do you believe in God, or are you done with all that silly religious crap? Are you an atheist or a deist? What will you be tomorrow?

Perhaps not in this thread, but eventually, we'll come back to that.

emotional

No, we won't come back to that. You don't understand, brettc, that reason plays no part in my beliefs. It is reasonable to believe that there is no life after death, but I'd go insane if I disbelieved in the afterlife, so I've switched reason off regarding that question. My faith is a wall of protection. I'm not going to let that wall fall off just in order to save face with some people. I believe no matter what people say.