17 church members die in Texas bus crash

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Originally Posted By: damienNot by HCL. He just posted a news story and said something that seemed a little cryptic but made it easy for people to assume he was doing something that I, even though I've rassled with him far too much, don't believe he was doing and was taken aback by the random assumption that he was.This Keroacian sentence brought to you by Dr. Baffled.

Bob,I respect the opinion you gave in your post, however there is just one thing that I can't say I wholeheartedly agree with. ''There is no reason to believe in a god, it's a story''.Some people can go through life believing that there is nothing more than them, however others cannot deal with that, that is some people's reason for believeing in a God. Yes, it is a story, but religion and god allow people to have something bigger than them, they allow them to have a code to live by, a system of rules set down which they follow. Some people cannot cope without the constraints which are set up by religion, which dictate to them what is right and wrong.In saying this I am not saying that I beieve or disbelieve in God, but am simply giving a reson as to why DO people choose to believe in God and his story.As Sigmund Freud wrote in ''The future of an Illusion'':If the sole reason why you must not kill your neighbour is because God has forbidden it and will severely punish you for it in this or the next life - then, when you learn that there is no God and that you need not fear His punishment, you will certainly kill your neighbour without hesitation, and you can only be prevented from doing so by mundane force. Thus either these dangerous masses must be held down most severely and kept most carefully away from any chance of intellectual awakening, or else the relationship between civilization and religion must undergo a fundamental revision.

[I'm just replying to Damien at random; this is not directed at him.]Wow @ the stuff in this thread. What I've learned is that cooldawg hasn't learned about agnosticism, Rad is really obsessed with me, people are pretty choosy about which deaths to concern themselves with, and A.W. says he owns the truth (when it's actually a religious belief) and wonders why people who don't share his beliefs (yes, belefs) might have a problem with that.A.W., maybe the Muslims or the Hindus actually own the truth. Or maybe no religion or philosophy does. There's now way any of them can prove that they do.Most agnostics would not concern themselves with the existence of a god if it wasn't thrust at them all the time, just as (to take bobalicious' example) you wouldn't concern yourself with the pink unicorn I that I think lives in my bedroom.cooldawg, you are a non-believer in the pink unicorn.Also, not believing something for which there is no good evidence is not the same as absolutely believing something for which there is no evidence. On top of that, "believing" in God simply out of fear of the consequences if you don't is an empty gesture, and I would hope that any God with more depth than Brittney Spears would not be impressed by it.You'd better accept my pink unicorn, or you will be eternally damned. Are you willing to risk it?

Well I think I will hop in and say one thing, please flame me if you feel the need.I have noticed that you do have a need to say "the last word." If someone is wrong you are the first to correct it. If someone is a bit hypocritical, you are the one to show the world so. I am getting tired of reading that. I mean we are all human. The best thing in life is to just shut up and read what people say. It may be wrong, mean, right, informative, and quite possibly down right stupid. So put a sock in it dude and let off and just enjoy!Okay I am done, continue on with your... well whatever it is you want to call it.

Originally Posted By: cooldawg2

Atheism means "against god" Atheism means "against god"
No it does not mean "against God"; it means without God.

Originally Posted By: Random House Unabridged Dictionary

1. the doctrine or belief that there is no God.
2. disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings.
The "a-" and "an-" prefixes are Greek-derived. Examples: abiotic, anorexic, anarchic, amenorrhea.

I read every word of every post that I reply to. Originally Posted By: Walken So put a sock in it dudeLOL. No.People can post as much as they want. I don't care. Or should I just let you have the last word?We're not talking about taste in music or sofa colors. We're talking about issues that have large impacts on people's lives.If you don't like to read what I wrote, I suggest you move along to the next thread. No one is forcing you to read anything. Quote:I mean we are all human.Do you suggest no replies to any posts that don't specifically ask for advice? You are free to do that.

I have noticed that you do have a need to say "the last word." That's been the case for years.

People can post until they get bored with a topic. I mean, you wouldn't want to risk losing a good idea because someone said to himself, "Damn, I was going to post a proof of the Riemann Hypothesis, but I don't want people to get the wrong idea about my motivation, so I won't". No, that would be tragic.How about if the thread is one I started?

Originally Posted By: mollydollyBob,I respect the opinion you gave in your post, however there is just one thing that I can't say I wholeheartedly agree with. ''There is no reason to believe in a god, it's a story''.Some people can go through life believing that there is nothing more than them, however others cannot deal with that, that is some people's reason for believeing in a God. Yes, it is a story, but religion and god allow people to have something bigger than them, they allow them to have a code to live by, a system of rules set down which they follow. Some people cannot cope without the constraints which are set up by religion, which dictate to them what is right and wrong.In saying this I am not saying that I beieve or disbelieve in God, but am simply giving a reson as to why DO people choose to believe in God and his story.As Sigmund Freud wrote in ''The future of an Illusion'':If the sole reason why you must not kill your neighbour is because God has forbidden it and will severely punish you for it in this or the next life - then, when you learn that there is no God and that you need not fear His punishment, you will certainly kill your neighbour without hesitation, and you can only be prevented from doing so by mundane force. Thus either these dangerous masses must be held down most severely and kept most carefully away from any chance of intellectual awakening, or else the relationship between civilization and religion must undergo a fundamental revision. Sorry, I wasn't really too clear on what I meant by that line. I wasn't commenting on people being able to live their lives without a god figure to set out rules and so forth. What I meant was that we have no evidence, so signs, no arrows pointing to the idea of a God. The God hypothesis was created as an early attempt to explain the world we live in but it evolved to become a phenomenal structure for civilisation. But despite this, there is still nothing in this world that points to god that we haven't created ourselves. God no longer explains the Earth's orbit or the tides or the stars, freak storms or plagues. God is used to explain our love for our fellow man, yet Altruism is common throughout nature.Where is this God? How does God fit in with any of this? Give me a reason to even consider the possibility of just a being. Please, I'm asking, begging, give me one solid reason why I should believe in God.

Oh

Originally Posted By: sdp I have noticed that you do have a need to say "the last word." That's been the case for years. [emphasis added]Are you suggesting we've had experience with HCL before or are you just saying that's generally how people are?

Are you suggesting we've had experience with HCL before Definitely.

Okay then.

Welcome back HCL.

I guess it's not obvious (although it is) because ALOT of people don't/didn't see from the get go.

I must admit that I haven't read hardly any of his posts unless they're in shit other than the community forum, so I've no idea... other than the topics he likes.

I've heard all the religious arguments before so I haven't been reading 'em and I don't have it in me to argue along with 'em right now. So I haven't paid that much attention to HCL.

Originally Posted By: cooldawg2nahh HCl is a dick head atheist and I know he's posting this to further his reputation as an asshole. I admit I haven't read all the posts in this thread but...I find it funny you call yourself a Christian but you use language like you have above. I think you need to do a little more studying of Christianity before you try and preach the word. As for the topic, I find it very said.