MollyMac

Disciple, one of the functions of religious belief is social control which, thoughout the history of mankind, has been deemed necessary to ensure mankind’s survival. Put very simply, a belief in a supernatural being, a set of rules supposedly dictated by this same being and the threat of punishment by said being should these rules be broken, have proved an extremely effective way of ensuring the group conformity necessary for communities and the individuals within them to survive and to reproduce.

The ‘states of bliss’, feelings of love, warmth, relationship and all the rest of the stuff that religious people experience are simply the result of the release of endorphins into the body. A lot of religious practices – including long periods spent in fervent prayer or collective hymn singing - are very likely to induce these feelings, but you can feel exactly the same way doing things which have nothing to do with religion: singing secular songs (as someone mentioned), dancing, laughing, smoking opium.
I would say that there is an enormous amount of evidence against the Christian God which has been presented on these boards time and time again: the problem of evil, for example, and the evidence for evolution both give the lie to what is written in the scriptures. You may say there is no conclusive proof that there is no god, but the evidence in favour of there not being one is extremely convincing to many of us. Your suggestion that the “only way to GOD is through Christ”, however, is nothing more than an appeal to blind faith.

MollyMac

Hmm, maybe. Or it could be evidence that our brains allow us create supernatural beings because believing in a supernatural being has been perceived as essential for the survival of humanity.

Take your pick

Mageth

You'll have to forgive Mageth, he's been (and evidently remains) confused about my position.

Nope, I understand your position, I just think it's untenable.

I don't think I ever said that "all knowledge is unknowable" - whatever that means.

My statement was actually "all knowledge is unknowable outside of revelation from God." Is that not your position, as indicated below, and elsewhere on this board?

Yes, knowledge is impossible apart from some apriori informaiton. It cannot be derived from either sensation or reason. This is not my position, it is the inescapable conclusion of a materialistic worldview.

Please define what you mean by "materialistic worldview". I'm not convinced I hold the worldview you seem to be accusing me of having.

The fact that we do "know" things is evidence that we all know God and assume the truth of his revelaiton, even while denying it.

Please tell me how that is different from my assessment of your position, stated above as "all knowledge is unknowable outside of revelation from God."?

I do not deny god or his supposed revelation. I do not know a god to deny, and therefore do not assume the truth of his revelation. There is no god and there is no revelation. Your protests to the contrary does not change that fact.

BTW, how do you explain IRONY as a materialistic entity?

Easy; I use your posts as examples.

Autonemesis

So is the top of a billiard table.

wordsmyth

I thought I felt Christ once when I was younger.

Turns out it was just gas.

Clutch

Christ is indeed one of those little felt characters used on felt storyboards at Sunday Schools.

Mary is felt too. Make of that what you will.

(Sorry for the drive-by.)

Anson

Christ is felt...

Does that explain why Jesus is coming?

Waning Moon Conrad

My observation is that you are making some allegations.

My merely-a-suspicion is that you're making these allegations for your own benefit as much as for ours but I could easily be wrong about that.

You're quite welcome, don't mention it.

Chimp

Interesting...

The human mind, existing within a limited universe cannot perceive an immense entity that extends beyond the confines of the system. Given any set - however large that set may be, there exists a larger set, which is the set of all subsets of the given set, or system.

So, God, would then be defined as the largest possible set, or system, that cannot be contained by anything else. The absolute infinite cardinal number, absolute infinity. Impossible for the human ...or chimp, mind, to comprehend.

What does such an absolute infinite being-mind, want with the miniscule little minds down here below?

Are God, and gods, an invention of the finite human mind?

Chimp

Nowhere357

Don't chimps have gods?