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Is gullibility a virtue in Christianity?

Audie

Veteran Member
Im not very complicated so if you have a cookie cutter in the shape of a circle, dipped it in paint, and put it on paper, no one started the circle, it just is. Saying life has a starting point is saying that we aren't forming from one thing to another but linear and just poof from existence.

I know people like to find origin and have a secured destination but life just doesnt work that way.

I was reading an article about goals versus intentions. Goals assume that we know the future because we plan for something we will be present and alive to experience the goal completion.

Then you have intentions which isn't based on what you have faith in achieving but your current state of what you want to do now. Not future but present.

When you have a linear shape, we assume it will go on forever without an end. So we yearn for heaven and assume lines dont end. A lot of us on the other hand (of many) see life based on intention. So we are reborn nothing just ends.

The thing is, not all are comfortable with staying on earth. They want to escape.

Our wants and beliefs doesn't make lines go on for eternity and circles have a beginning and ending. But not all accept that their beliefs don't define reality. At least mathematics wise.


The circle was not there till you put it there.

Same with makin' a universe.

A god can be a circle if it wants to, but that wont
make it more or less eternal.

But never mind we did rock a round the clock already
 

Audie

Veteran Member
you say life is a circle with no starting point. don't you?

Uh, no, nothing even faintly resembling that.
I cannot even guess how you came up with that.

Lets drop it, I wont respond again if you do comment.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
The circle was not there till you put it there.

Same with makin' a universe.

A god can be a circle if it wants to, but that wont
make it more or less eternal.

But never mind we did rock a round the clock already

Shrugs.

I dont believe things come from nowhere; so, I guess you can say the circle always existed in one form or another.

@syo

I guess another way to put it is if you have a donut tub with water in it with a motor. The water goes in a circle until the motor stops. There is no beginning nor end point to which the water starts and stops flowing. Thats the definition Im speaking of.

But if a starting point meaning the water just appeared out of nowhere, that, I disagree with. I dont know any other reference to starting point since life works in a cycle and recycles itself into many forms both living and none.

Having beliefs about our origin and destination is fine. Thats different than equating our beliefs and theories as facts and mathematics.
 

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
In John 20:29, Jesus supposedly states "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

In other words, this is a verse praising gullibility as a virtue. It is, according to Christianity, apparently virtuous to believe extraordinary claims that are unsupported. Why is this the case? I find it very strange, especially considering the fact that many Christians are just as skeptical as anyone else about everything, except the claims of their religion.

For instance, if I told you that there was, say, a plane crash in your neighborhood, most of you probably wouldn't believe me, at least not without first checking the evidence and *seeing* for yourself. Yet, when a less believable claim is made about a guy who, 2000 years ago, supposedly died and became alive again three days later, with the only evidence to support this claim being the contradictory reports of documents written by anonymous authors decades or more after the alleged events took place, these same Christians who are skeptical about everything else will believe that these events took place. Do you see the inconsistency? Why do so many Christians believe that gullibility is a virtue when it comes to believing the claims of their religion, yet remain skeptical about much more believable claims? Also, why should gullibility be a virtue at all? Gullibility, or "faith" in the absence of evidence is useless, and helps no one. If anything, it should be considered a "vice" and not a virtue.


I suspect the followers of Jesus were relatively young folks. They had to decide without any knowledge or experience who to follow. We people are young, inexperienced and ignorant, they are as likely to choose the wrong person to teach/lead them as to choose the right one.

We are all gullible when starting out. We lack knowledge/experience needed to make an informed choice. The disciples who knew Jesus at least had some experience to go by. Those that had never seen him had no good reason to follow him. So I don't see this as saying gullibility is a virtue as much as it is a fact. So if you happen to choose correctly from ignorance and inexperience it's more a matter of luck. They were lucky/blessed they happened to make the right choice.
 

Rational Agnostic

Well-Known Member
When people hear a news report, such as this...
[GALLERY=media, 8663]News Report by nPeace posted Sep 24, 2018 at 1:47 PM[/GALLERY]
They are not gullible, just because they accept the news report, although the did not see the actual person, or the events reported.
In fact, there is no way they will be able to get that information to investigate for themselves.
They trust that the report is genuine.

Christians are doing the same.
They did not see Jesus in person, not witnessed the actual events, but they trust the reports, which on the contrary have been supported.

Muslims are doing the same. They didn't see Muhammed ascend to heaven on a winged horse and split the moon in half, but they trust the reports. Why don't you believe Muhammed ascended to heaven on a winged horse and split the moon in half?

You see, those of us outside of any religion's indoctrination can see the miracles of both Christianity and Islam as fables.
 

syo

Well-Known Member
life works in a cycle and recycles itself into many forms both living and none.
that is correct. life's symbol in my opinion is the snake that eats it's tail. and it is a circle. life doesn't need anything apart itself, it has all it needs. who created the unbreakable circle? God in my opinion. that something that started the circle.
 
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