faustuz

Dunno.

Amie

I agree with GTX on this one and I also agree that it would be strange to try to build a relationship with a God that you do not believe in. I just think some things in life have to be experienced and felt to be defined...

MortalWombat

Does this apply to the experience of "burning in the bosom" upon reading the Book of Mormon that members of the Church of Latter Day Saints claim to have?

Amie

I guess it would yes. I have never read the Book of Mormon though. I realize that God can not be disproven because you can't prove a negative and God can not be proven because there is no tangible proof that exists, ultimately it all comes down to subjective experiences and personal perceptions.

Ab_Normal

Some antacid should clear that right up.

Defiant Heretic

It's not proof, per se, but it's some damn good evidence at least.

MortalWombat

So what does it mean when believers in every religion all have their own religious experiences? Many of these religions and religious experiences directly contradict those of other religions, so they can't all be true, can they?

xeren

Taffy, You've got it backwards,

If the theist wants to argue that we can't even know for sure that the sensory information that we all receive isn't just some sort of hallucination (Hey, we could all be hooked up to the Matrix), then he sure as hell cannot argue that he is sure that his perceptions of god are accurate.

[ November 13, 2002: Message edited by: xeren ]</p>

Taffy Lewis

xeren,

I doubt many theists would argue that our senses are not generally reliable. The point is the theist would find a demand for independent confirmation of religious experience to be as absurd as a demand for independent confirmation of sensory experience. Clearly one cannot give independent confirmation that our senses are reliable. So why demand more from religious experience?

It's a double standard to require independent confirmation of the reliability of religious experience and not demand the same thing for sensory experience.

[ November 13, 2002: Message edited by: Taffy Lewis ]</p>

Amie

They have religious experiences based on what is familiar to them, I have had experiences that I based as familiar to the teachings I was given...

Absolutely. They are true to them. Everyone is at a different place in their life and no religion is superior to any other religion, we each have our own beliefs and what not...
I personally believe God is love on top of all those omnis and at the risk of sounding like a new age quack, I also believe we each have an angel with us all the time &lt;wince&gt; I must say that although I have my set of beliefs, surely no one else is wrong in theirs by any stretch of the imagination. What's right for me can very well be wrong for you Mortal Wombat and whats right for you can be wrong for me. No harm no foul...

[edit cuz i kant spel]

[ November 13, 2002: Message edited by: Amie ]</p>