Beliefs (Jesus, creation, atheist, scriptures, bible)

[Lightkeeper]

Do they help or hinder? Are your beliefs set in stone? What happens when one of your beliefs is challenged and/or doesn't work? Do we need beliefs?

[Master Vigil]

The only thing constant in this universe is change. So as the universe changes, so do my beliefs. If they are challenged and don't work, they change.

[Melody]

Originally Posted by Lightkeeper

Do they help or hinder? Are your beliefs set in stone? What happens when one of your beliefs is challenged and/or doesn't work? Do we need beliefs?

I live in a home with an atheist husband. Figure the odds on getting through a day without my beliefs being challenged. It's not comfortable because he makes me really think about what I believe and why...which sometimes leads to doubts...which must then be resolved. I haven't resolved all of them yet.

My beliefs are not set in stone. They're set in the Bible. I will qualify that though by saying that the longer I read and study the Bible and some of the scrolls that didn't make it into the Bible, along with learning more of the Hebrews culture, that I have doubts on how some people interpret it.

I would have to say that my beliefs help me and I don't know how you could go through life without any belief at all since life is not a vaccum. Non-belief is still a belief.

[cardero]

Lightkeeper writes: Do they help or hinder?

They should make you think and wonder.

Lightkeeper writes: What happens when one of your beliefs is challenged and/or doesn't work?

Throw it away/make room for a new belief.

Lightkeeper writes: Do we need beliefs?

No, we need TRUTHS but beliefs are a fine place to begin.

[retrorich]

Originally Posted by Melody

Non-belief is still a belief.

I do not accept that oxymoronic argument. In the context of this thread, I take belief to mean a belief in a god or other cognizant, nonhuman higher power. I have no such belief. My nonbelief is NOT a belief, it is a lack of belief.

But I guess this is just an exercise in semantics.

[michel]

Originally Posted by Master Vigil

The only thing constant in this universe is change. So as the universe changes, so do my beliefs. If they are challenged and don't work, they change.

Master Vigil; I have to ask you, do you believe you can read people's minds? (Of course that is a joke). It is that whenever a thread 'pulls' me toward it, I can almost guarantee that you have already answered the question with my own words.

[Scuba Pete]

I agree Melody,

Non-belief is in fact a belief, just as you can make a decision by your indecision. Whether others accept it or not is of little importance to me.

I also agree that my belief in Jesus and his Scriptures are where it's at! I am not sure what it would take to make me renounce Jesus, and I am hoping that the answer is

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[Jayhawker Soule]

Originally Posted by retrorich

My nonbelief is NOT a belief, it is a lack of belief.

My goodness, retrorich, there seems little reason to shout.

The absence of (a) belief results from one of two very different situations:

• an ignorance: You have no belief concerning the middle name of my second grandson.
• a judgement: You are well aware of some, if not many, theological systems and judge them wanting in evidence. This judgement is affirmative and carries with it both ontological and epistemological implications.

Interestingly, as pattern-matching animals it is extremely difficult for us to be aware of a question and have no belief concerning the answer.

Originally Posted by retrorich

But I guess this is just an exercise in semantics.

No, it's an exercise in realiizing that both sides of the argument need to be aware of their respective presuppositions.

[Scuba Pete]

Way to go Deut!

I had never seen it proven like that!