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    #16
    Re: Questions for atheists

    Originally posted by B. de Corbin View Post
    Everybody has already answered your questions with the same answers I'd give, but let me throw out one more thing -

    If you want to believe in God (or a god), why not go right to the source? Talk to God. If God doesn't answer, either he's not there, or not at home, or not taking messages, or doesn't want to talk to you. If that's the case, you'll have to figure things out on your own.

    But if God answers, you'll have first hand information which comes direct from above, without the mucky business of the Bible and it's history getting in the way...

    It's worth a shot.

    When pagans worship, or perform a ceremony, direct contact with a diety is, at least sometimes, what they are going for.
    I think this was well put took the word's out of my mouth

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      #17
      Re: Questions for atheists

      Originally posted by tigersgrowl1093 View Post

      At the time I posted this, I was really struggling with wanting to believe, but I was having a hard time doing it. I was raised that way, I'm around that type of thinking all the time, and just thought it would be easier. I was really grasping for straws.
      I don't think I can say much more here on the topic of the Bible and its origins than has already been said (I especially like the suggestion to check out Bart Ehrman - he's one of my favorite religious scholars).

      Just wanted to say this is exactly how I felt. I was raised Christian and realized more and more that I just didn't believe it... I wanted to believe, so frikin' bad. But I just couldn't. Like B. de Corbin said, I tried talking to God all the time - never seemed to get an answer. So I was left on my own to conclude that forcing myself to "believe" when, deep-down I didn't, was just going to be harmful to my spiritual development. That doesn't mean that everything I've ever learned from Christianity is worthless to me now. On the contrary, being able to study religion in college without the veil of "I can't look at anything that offends my beliefs" has made me understand the religion more than most of my Christian friends and family do, and I have gained a greater appreciation for it.

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        #18
        Re: Questions for atheists

        I'm not atheist, but I'm not Christian either because I have always found it difficult to find coherence in the Bible. Why would an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing God: a) have to bargain with Lucifer over the souls of HIS 'children', b) give such control and domain to a mere fallen angel over the souls of his 'children', c) have to sacrifice his son to anyone for the sins of all (still sounds like bargaining), d) give humans free will and then tell them that they pretty much cannot use it and expect them to always be compliant, e) be an interactive presence with man during the first half of our existence and then suddenly only occasionally speak to a select few in visions and dreams? I could go on for a while with the contradictory aspects that I see in the Bible.

        When I was younger, I was ONLY aware of Christianity. I didn't understand why I didn't agree with all that I was being taught about religion, about God. I knew there were certain things that felt wrong. Over the years, I have learned that much of religious writings were meant to inject a sense of ethics into the populaces and to gain control over rowdy communities. To bring order, basically. Superstitions and mysticism evolved from fear and ignorance of the unknown. "Magic" and "miracles" are just words to half-explain the unknown. As science develops and brings greater understanding, superstitions and mysticism makes way for principles and laws of nature. The universe is a great mystery that unravels minutely through scientific study. Just because we don't know a governing principle, doesn't mean there isn't one.

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          #19
          Re: Questions for atheists

          Good Bible scholars all know that the "Holy Scriptures" or "Bible" are a vast collection of myths, tales and legends which were collected and assembled over many centuries. Roughly from about 600 BC to about 400 AD. They come from many different sources such as Egyptian, Persian, Hebrew, Assyian, Babylonian, Indian, etc etc. What most "Believers" don't realise is that almosy as many of these "books" have been omitted from the modern Bible as have been included in it. I am not trying to put the Judeo-Christian-Islamic traditions down, because we all know that they were put together by devoutly inspired and honorable people for the good cause of makining people act decent and get along better with eachother, eventhough they have often worked in the opposite direction. I have nothing against showing respect for the forces of nature and feelings of reverence for the beauty and majesty of our Universe, but I believe science has helped the human race overcome tremendous dificulties without the help of any devine intervention. I respect Pagan lore more than modern Christian tradition because I believe it shows respect and reverence for Nature without the grovelling prostate feafull mindslavery of Monotheism which preaches against human freedom. I believe that human developement is in fact a process of liberation and self-actualization. I believ we are in the process of becomming more natural, more free and more creative evey day. And I believe Humanity is its own creator and has not only the right, biy the moral oblugation to take it future and fate into its own masterful hands. I do not accept the idea of all powerful Father-Dictator-Creator, but rather I believ in the unlimited creative potential of Humanity itself. I also believ that we are an intimate and irreplaceable part of the Universe.

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