leibowde84
Veteran Member
You are dodging the question. Why are they convinced, but so many others who examine the Bible with an open mind are not? Be specific, please.
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Why do you believe?
- Thread starter TruthSeekers
- Start date
I think FreeCell the card game is a lot like mankind's search for God. Each generation gets cards dealt. Some games have many ways to win and some games a few or just one. I think that some of the games might be win-less, but that is unknowable except for a computer maybe .
The cards which are dealt cannot be changed so everyone has the same cards. With a computer, the game can be undone until the winning arrangement is found which isn't always according to me. Most of the time it can be won.
There is a period during the game that you will know it will win. There are some games which look like they are win-less games but keep at it to find that they are winners not losers.
The games need not be undone completely to find another route. This pictures wisdom to know where behind you you went wrong. People who are stubborn will not be able to complete the game. Patience is required.
Some people call the best they do winning because they refuse to admit they made a wrong play.
The cards which are dealt cannot be changed so everyone has the same cards. With a computer, the game can be undone until the winning arrangement is found which isn't always according to me. Most of the time it can be won.
There is a period during the game that you will know it will win. There are some games which look like they are win-less games but keep at it to find that they are winners not losers.
The games need not be undone completely to find another route. This pictures wisdom to know where behind you you went wrong. People who are stubborn will not be able to complete the game. Patience is required.
Some people call the best they do winning because they refuse to admit they made a wrong play.
Another way FreeCell is like life is that when a game seems impossible to win go away from it. When you come back the answer is right there!
Some good cards must be buried deep for a while. Also putting kings in the free cells should or must be avoided.
Also, the game gets real sticky whenever two of the same value cards are together.
Some good cards must be buried deep for a while. Also putting kings in the free cells should or must be avoided.
Also, the game gets real sticky whenever two of the same value cards are together.
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Lucidarian
Member
What I mean when I say that the universe is increasingly unknowable is that we are things that we did not know that we did not know we now know that we do not know.
No matter how advanced our technology becomes, the unknown unknowns will always exist, this is why something cant be said to be universal without doubt, like a concept as God. I choose polytheism because I'd rather believe that there are no universals or objective realities, because it always allows the existence of a potentially limitless supply of subjective knowledge possible. As a philosopher I find the idea of things I do not know or understand very enticing.
The evidence for me that the Bible is inspired by God and is his Word rests upon the hundreds of prophecies that have been fulfilled, it's historical accuracy, it's internal harmony despite being written over a span of 1,500 years by some 40 separate men of widely varying backgrounds and education, and being completed nearly 2,000 ago. Add to that it's unrivaled distribution over the centuries despite the unceasing hatred and unceasing attacks made upon it, both physical and intellectual. The wisdom found in the Bible has no equal, IMO, in any other book, religious or otherwise. It's counsel, when applied, always is beneficial. These are but some of the reasons I believe the Bible is God's Word.
Please see post #45 in this thread.
Baladas
An Págánach
I love this! Your description here of the gods as being the different domains or elements resonates with me.
I already honor this different things as if they were spirits, or had spirits.
Perhaps my lingering suspicion that I may be a polytheist is correct.
Cephus
Relentlessly Rational
But fact is not.
Fact, like what? The speed of light, the air speed velocity of an unladen laden swallow (the answer depends on whether it's an African or European swallow), how much 8 gallons weighs, that there is only one God?
InChrist
Free4ever
I went through various spiritual journeys, but I believe in Jesus Christ because at the time when I called out to God for answers He answered. When my world was a confused upside down mess He made it right side up. When I was full of bitterness and unforgiveness He filled me with forgiveness, love and peace. When I lived with a vague unexplained fear He cast it out with His love. The Bible used to be so confusing, but after trusting Him it became so alive and made sense. I believe in Jesus because I know He is alive and present in my life with real and eternal love.
The one lump in the pancake batter here is... is Poseidon or Ægir the sea; or is Thor or Perkunas thunder; or ... ? It raises a question as I see it: are the gods the same beings seen through different cultural and linguistic lenses? For me, that's a "kind of sort of in a way yes but not always". I think of myself as a Jarlsberg polytheist... semi-hard.
Thor and Perkunas (and Perun) have many characteristics in common, even carrying similar weapons. They have several characteristics in common with Zeus, Jupiter and Indra, but there are enough differences that make me think they are not the same gods. It's really tricky with the Indo-European pantheons, since they all stemmed from one ancient pantheon. I think it's all very subjective to the believer. There's that saying that everyone sees God in their own way, or maybe more accurate to the original Indian language, God shows him/herself in a way meaningful to the believer.
arthra
Baha'i
I used to think that was true to an extent ... however later in life have come to believe that truth is found in all the great religions and that God ..the Ultimate Reality is one of which we as His creatures and children know little of... You may come to the belief that Krishna was an "avatar" one of many.. His reality of spiritual origin was supposed to be Vishnu. Jesus was another what we Baha'is call "Manifestation".. He manifested God in a similar way to Krishna. The Muslims were not wrong ...they recognize Jesus. The Hindus aren't wrong ...In your travels you may have heard of Kabir...poet philosopher who was well liked by both Muslims and Hindus...You may be familiar with the story of his passing and what happened..
After Kabir's death, both Hindus and Muslims claimed the body. Legend says, however, that when they lifted the death-shroud all they found were two flowers. Each group took one, and both were satisfied.
http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/kabir.html
If you are true to your name you will seek the truth...and having found it ... share it with others!
Why would I want or need to do that in the first place? Such thinking isn't relevant here.
If I had been indoctrinated, I would have been unable to give it up. As it stands, there was nothing to be indoctrinated into.
There was no religion in my house; only a vaguely understood element using European Christian imagery. I do not place any emphasis on "afterlife" or "angels" anymore. What remained from these ideas is pluralism as opposed to monism, and now I've been working to discard puritanical thinking altogether.
Cephus
Relentlessly Rational
There's no objective evidence that there are any gods. The rest, I'll go with for the sake of argument.
Okay, to be fair, there is one thing that I was "indoctrinated" into: Anglo-American culture and values. Yet I've been able to recognize some elements of this culture as harmful, and am working on discarding those elements that are, while reclaiming long-forgotten elements that I can glimpse from research into Northern European pre-Christian culture and Old English.
Unification
Well-Known Member
Just as atheists are more inclined to be born into atheism, same conditioning and belief. It appears that everyone is an atheist to some degree, as also we are all born with no beliefs. For some, some force within pulls an individual away from conditioning that they are born into. If everything is determined, than it's for some balanced reason. We can strip and remove the labels and subconscious "beliefs" and realize what we all have in common is truth, and everything else just separates and divides. Or all of their leaders taught the same exact things, in different ways and symbols.
If we are a part of this universe, and we were formed from its elements, energy, etc, that should suggest that we can discover all that we need to know within our own self and that we are all connected somehow.
I never said that I believed Hinduism is wrong. I said (or at least, implied) that beliefs do change depending upon where your mind is or where your heart is. I've just arrived at that particular point in life where I found something that truly resonates with my innermost convictions, namely, the Christian religion. One very important conviction that I have is that every person is meant to walk their own path in life. Each person ought to think with the mind that God gave them, even if it leads you to different conclusions.
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leibowde84
Veteran Member
Love this!! Hard to find a fault with it.
Just as with any other way of thinking, there are many different varieties of theists out there. Some more reasonable and consistent than others. You occupy the former, my friend.
Bravo!
Why thank you, kindly, my friend!