Because of inexplicable personal experiences that a flying spaghetti monster couldn't explain.

 

 

lol,you can call it flying spaghetti monser if you want, it is just a name, it doens't change who God is or what He does for me on a daily basis. It has nothing to do with my parents though, I came to this conclusion on my own (well and through God's infinant mercy), I was curious looking around me and knowing their had to be a God and went searching for Him and He revealed Himself ot me and I have a daily relationship with Him. Though through the Bible I know His name to be Yahweh. Sure God has a name, but I don't worship Him because of His name, but what He does. If you want to think of the FSM as the being that created the heavens and the earth and earnestly seek Him and want a relationship with Him (which I wouldn't doubt as I belive all human were created to have a relationship with God and without him we have an empty void) He will reveal Himself to you too, and He will probably tell you His real name, but untill then, honestly seek the creator and provider and call Him the FSM, I would encourage it. The what you think of as imaginary FSM might just surprise you. I don't mean that in a joking manner either, of course if you do it is a joking manner, it isn't really seeking. But if you feel an emptyness that nothing can fill be it money, drugs, family or niceness, IF you feel that emptyness and want to be fulfilled, then seek the creator and provider, and God will find you.



That is also why you can't shake me or my religion/God, it is something I expereince daily and not just something taught to me at a religious place or from a book. My faith comes from God, my actions come from the religious places and books, the reasoning for my actions come from God. I know that whatever circumstances I am in it will always be the same. That is why FSM and evolution don't intimidate me, I have no need to argue it, I like science, IMO science proves God more and more, it doesn't scare me, it reveals truth, God is truth, I like truth. I am not like many Christians who believe some things they were told but don't know much themselves, and want to shunt science because they are scared it will porve god wrong or something. You can't shake my foundation of God, it just can't happen, you could kill me or damge my physical body, but you can't shake my spirit, thanks to God.



So what you are telling me is your whole purpose in life is to be happy? I am not trying to aruge or anything I am curious when you think about the meaning of life and its purpose, what is it? To attain the most wealth or to be the nicest person and then you die and you no longer exsist? Then what, lets say it is to attain the most wealth and you achieve it, then what is your purpose of life or do you kill yourself because you are done? Or is it to be happy? I don't belive any material thing or anyone on earth can give this to you, but IF you honestly do find something that makes you happy, I say go for it, all God wants is for our happyness.....but He knows He is the only one that can give us true happyness. So I think you are lieing to yourself if you say anything else gives you true happyness, but I wish you the best on it and hope it doesn't get taken away from you or change, because God can never be changed or taken away from me, and that is very comforting.





You can't arugue that, you can't attempt to use Christianity (wrongly) that you don't believe in, to invalidate it. If you believe in Christianity, then it is another story, I can point out Bible verses that contradict that and we could discuss, but since you don't believe in it, you can't use it to make a point.

 

I guess there's a reason it's called "blind faith". For me, faith comes from truth, truth does not exist because I have faith.

 

This is the second time in a week I've had this exact conversation. I typed up a summary and posted it here.



There are enough words in this thread already and this sort of thing very often ends up with an obvious set of differing first principles preventing anyone being convinced. I think this is as good a jumping-off point as any so you all have fun not-reading each others' arguments!

 

What is truth? Where does truth come from? Are there Moral Absolutes? Or is it just flavor of the month or whatever happens to be culturally acceptable at the time?



If truth is based on what people find acceptable, or what has been traditionally done (whatever "traditionally" even means), does that not mean that truth will change? I have no interest in changing truths, chaning absolutes.



Which is why truth for me is based on God and the Bible. It's unchanging truth. Sure doctrines change slightly and people's interpretations change, but the original truth is still always firm. Yes it's grounded in faith, but I'd rather have faith in an unchanging God that rely on changing people/cultures/societies.

 

fyi, stocker. I still disagree For being so sparse in the Bible, and "reward" not explicitly stated (glory? recognition for works performed? another jewel in his crown?). Due to the limitation of its discussion in the Bible, I profess it's not important, thus agree to disagree. For what it's worth, the church in Corinth was having mad problems, and his letters were direction for how they should be acting and changing. If their focus was on AA, he'd try to show that X didn't matter and propose they focus on BB.



Just for S&G... interesting no matter which side of the debate you're on.



http://arstechnica.com/science/news/...condensate.ars

 

For me personally, religion/spirituality is a very personal thing, so personal in fact, that the idea of "God" or lack of it should be different for every individual. And it some ways that it how it plays out. Even Christians of the same denomination have varying beliefs, though they all believe in the "same" thing. So, I love to read what people think about such things, its always interesting the hear the varying opinions.



For me, I don't concern myself with what happens when I die. Honestly, there are so many different scenarios out there, and none of them I can fully commit to. So, I just tell people that I dont know what happens when I die, and I'm ok with that. The only real belief that I have on the topic is that after your physical body dies your "spirit" somehow lives on.

 

^This is why I love pnut!



I agree, exactly. It's interesting discussion, and I love debate, but in the end it's all speculation. I just live my life to the best of my ability, take time to reflect, pray, and seek guidance from whatever God may be out there, and enjoy what life has to offer.



I don't like denominations. They focus on rules and restrictions, what can't be done or what must be done, and forget about living life. I started studying the Bible and decided to become a Christian when I was 17 in a Baptist church. Spent time in a Nazarene University (with mostly non-Nazarenes), even experienced Muslim prayer time at a local Islamic Center.



This will probably upset many Christians, but I believe God may accept you right along with the rest of us even if you refer to Allah in your prayer rather than Jesus. Stipulations exist of course