Why do/don't you believe in a higher power? (Any HP)

[The New California Republic]

Assuming proficiency in a subject you know little about is textbook Dunning–Kruger. Nothing about your posting history suggests that you are competent at biology.

In fact I'd wager that you can't given an accurate definition of evolution in your own words.

???????????????

Oh, look at who is stalking someone’s posts... for something I never really talked about in the past few months.

I sincerely doubt that Neanderthaland has time to waste stalking you across the forums.

I am wagering that you think I am dumb, but that doesn’t matter. After all, nothing matters in the end anyway.

What a childish argument.

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Hit the nail on the head. It's an old story: argue seriously and then claim it was all in jest when said argument collapses. If NationStates got a dime every time someone did that on the forums then they wouldn't need advertising to pay site costs.

?

What I said doesn't really require a response from you.

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Hit the nail on the head. It's an old story: argue seriously and then claim it was all in jest when said argument collapses. If NationStates got a dime every time someone did that on the forums then they wouldn't need advertising to pay site costs.

And the saying also goes: Know your enemy.

It appears you don’t have a good assessment of how Korhal thinks.

Oh I know exactly what kinds of bullshit my enemy is capable of; I have called it out enough...

[Lost Memories]

Praying is a waste of time and never got me anything good. If higher power wants respect from me, they have to earn it. Still I'd consider myself a "cultural Christian" because of my upbringing.

Praying isn't only for showing respect, but also for showing gratitude, which is a facet of respect. Or if looked in a more cynical way, praying is a method for introspection.
Praying isn't something you do to get something back, it's rather something you do to give back. If you have something to give, or if you want to have something to give, you may find that in prayer.

It's important to note that praying isn't just the repeating of some verses. At least for christianity, praying isn't some voodoo magic ritual, or some pagan magic formula for good luck.

[Alvecia]

Praying is a waste of time and never got me anything good. If higher power wants respect from me, they have to earn it. Still I'd consider myself a "cultural Christian" because of my upbringing.

Praying isn't only for showing respect, but also for showing gratitude, which is a facet of respect. Or if looked in a more cynical way, praying is a method for introspection.
Praying isn't something you do to get something back, it's rather something you do to give back. If you have something to give, or if you want to have something to give, you may find that in prayer.

It's important to note that praying isn't just the repeating of some verses. At least for christianity, praying isn't some voodoo magic ritual, or some pagan magic formula for good luck.

And yet so often it is used as a way to prompt action from god. As an appeal for action.
"God protect us from....God help us to...God watch over us...etc"

Which makes it rather indistinguishable from a magic spell.
"I call upon the forces that can make things happen to make this thing happen"

[The New California Republic]

Praying isn't only for showing respect, but also for showing gratitude, which is a facet of respect. Or if looked in a more cynical way, praying is a method for introspection.
Praying isn't something you do to get something back, it's rather something you do to give back. If you have something to give, or if you want to have something to give, you may find that in prayer.

It's important to note that praying isn't just the repeating of some verses. At least for christianity, praying isn't some voodoo magic ritual, or some pagan magic formula for good luck.

And yet so often it is used as a way to prompt action from god. As an appeal for action.
"God protect us from....God help us to...God watch over us...etc"

Which makes it rather indistinguishable from a magic spell.
"I call upon the forces that can make things happen to make this thing happen"

Even in the Lord's Prayer alone there is a whole host of requests:

"Give us this day our daily bread"

"forgive us our trespasses"

"lead us not into temptation"

"deliver us from evil"

[Beggnig]

Knowledge and logic are impossible without divine revelation.
If you could be wrong about everything you think you know you have destroyed any ability to have knowledge.
If you could be a brain in a vat how can you know anything?

[The New California Republic]

Knowledge and logic are impossible without divine revelation.

Not really, as shown by the existence of both those things before Christianity.

If you could be wrong about everything you think you know you have destroyed any ability to have knowledge.

Again not really. Justified belief in cogent truth while maintaining an openness regarding those truths being challenged is still possible without the divine.

If you could be a brain in a vat how can you know anything?

...the actual fuck is this?

[Alvecia]

If you could be a brain in a vat how can you know anything?

When you think about it, we are all just brains in vats.
Fleshy, mobile vats, but vats nonetheless.

[Lost Memories]

And yet so often it is used as a way to prompt action from god. As an appeal for action.
"God protect us from....God help us to...God watch over us...etc"

Literalism doesn't apply well to prayers.

Those (christians) who pray with the expectation of getting something back are in the wrong, in the wrong from christian doctrine itself, or rather they are still subjected to a renmant of old pagan customs or habits.
(it could also be that some denominations of christianity teach prayer in a shallow way)

Though, as christianity is very complex, making mistakes or being in error is understandable, as it's all a route for betterment, it wouldn't make sense if we were perfect from the start. Perfect people are unable to improve and grow.

[Minzerland II]

Every Atheist in the thread prayed that God would give them five hundred bucks, but He didnt and now they’re salty.

[The New California Republic]

Every Atheist in the thread prayed that God would give them five hundred bucks, but He didnt and now they’re salty.

Why the fuck would I want a foreign currency?

[Minzerland II]

Every Atheist in the thread prayed that God would give them five hundred bucks, but He didnt and now they’re salty.

Why the fuck would I want a foreign currency?

To buy foreign prostitutes?

[The New California Republic]

Why the fuck would I want a foreign currency?

To buy foreign prostitutes?

Since I haven't and never will use prostitutes then methinks that is unlikely.

[Alvecia]

And yet so often it is used as a way to prompt action from god. As an appeal for action.
"God protect us from....God help us to...God watch over us...etc"

Literalism doesn't apply well to prayers.

Those (christians) who pray with the expectation of getting something back are in the wrong, in the wrong from christian doctrine itself, or rather they are still subjected to a renmant of old pagan customs or habits.
(it could also be that some denominations of christianity teach prayer in a shallow way)

Though, as christianity is very complex, making mistakes or being in error is understandable, as it's all a route for betterment, it wouldn't make sense if we were perfect from the start. Perfect people are unable to improve and grow.

It always seems to loop back round to "those Christians are Christianing wrong"

[Minzerland II]

To buy foreign prostitutes?

Since I haven't and never will use prostitutes then methinks that is unlikely.

Regardless, salty God didn’t give whatever you wanted.

[The New California Republic]

Since I haven't and never will use prostitutes then methinks that is unlikely.

Regardless, salty God didn’t give whatever you wanted.

Not at all.

[Lost Memories]

Literalism doesn't apply well to prayers.

Those (christians) who pray with the expectation of getting something back are in the wrong, in the wrong from christian doctrine itself, or rather they are still subjected to a renmant of old pagan customs or habits.
(it could also be that some denominations of christianity teach prayer in a shallow way)

Though, as christianity is very complex, making mistakes or being in error is understandable, as it's all a route for betterment, it wouldn't make sense if we were perfect from the start. Perfect people are unable to improve and grow.

It always seems to loop back round to "those Christians are Christianing wrong"

Try to be realistic, do you think the totality of christians have the same understanding of their own faith?
It's normal for there being differences, which even more evident when you take into account different christian denominations which also further mark those differences.

Addressing those differences, and not lumping everything together, seems like a more sensible and reasonable approach to me, for understanding anything, particularly things involving lots of people.

And if there are differences, there are also better forms than others. For a religion which aims for improvement like christianity, being able to recognize the better from the worse is crucial. Someone unable to tell the right from the left, won't be able to find their way.

[Alvecia]

It always seems to loop back round to "those Christians are Christianing wrong"

Try to be realistic, do you think the totality of christians have the same understanding of their own faith?
It's normal for there being differences, which even more evident when you take into account different christian denominations which also further mark those differences.

Addressing those differences, and not lumping everything together, seems like a more sensible and reasonable approach to me, for understanding anything, particularly things involving lots of people.

And if there are differences, there are also better forms than others. For a religion which aims for improvement like christianity, being able to recognize the better from the worse is crucial. Someone unable to tell the right from the left, won't be able to find their way.

I just think it's funny that a religion that claims to have the absolute truth has so many differing opinions on what that truth is.

[Lost Memories]

I just think it's funny that a religion that claims to have the absolute truth has so many differing opinions on what that truth is.

Is it odd for humans to be diverse and generally to have an hard time to agree on anything?

I don't find that odd. For the better or worse, that's also part of humanity.

But the agreement of humans on how the world works, doesn't influence itself how the world works. The world is objective, and always the same, regardless of how many opinions are created over it.
Same goes for religion, any religion, there are some fundamental truths, and many lines of thought trying to reach those truths.

You're rather conflating those truths with the opinions over them.

[Wunderstrafanstalt]

Try to be realistic, do you think the totality of christians have the same understanding of their own faith?
It's normal for there being differences, which even more evident when you take into account different christian denominations which also further mark those differences.

Addressing those differences, and not lumping everything together, seems like a more sensible and reasonable approach to me, for understanding anything, particularly things involving lots of people.

And if there are differences, there are also better forms than others. For a religion which aims for improvement like christianity, being able to recognize the better from the worse is crucial. Someone unable to tell the right from the left, won't be able to find their way.

I just think it's funny that a religion that claims to have the absolute truth has so many differing opinions on what that truth is.

T R U T H R E L A T I V I S M

Diving deep enough, the boundaries of what is and what isn't starts to blur

[Beggnig]

Again not really. Justified belief in cogent truth while maintaining an openness regarding those truths being challenged is still possible without the divine.

So if I say that I know the speed limit outside of my house is 20 miles an hour but I could be wrong about that do I know it?

[The New California Republic]

The world is [...] always the same, regardless of hom many opinions are created over it.

Nonsense. The world is changing constantly.

[The New California Republic]

So if I say that I know the speed limit outside of my house is 20 miles an hour but I could be wrong about that do I know it?

What?

[Lost Memories]

The world is [...] always the same, regardless of hom many opinions are created over it.

Nonsense. The world is changing constantly.

Because of the number of opinions over it?

Does the gravity changes according to the number of theories over how gravity works?

If it wasn't clear, that's what i meant, let's not start to run in circles around poor languange understanding, plz.

[The New California Republic]

Nonsense. The world is changing constantly.

Because of the number of opinions over it?

Does the gravity changes according to the number of theories over how gravity works?

If it wasn't clear, that's what i meant, let's not start to run in circles around poor languange understanding, plz.

Opinions shape the world around us, yes, as we as a species have the power to change the world around us to a significant extent. The different styles of architecture is a prime example of opinions changing the world in different ways.

[Minzerland II]

Regardless, salty God didn’t give whatever you wanted.

Not at all.

I would bet five hundred bucks that it is true.