<p>i guess its unfortunate that more and more people in today's world are beginning to deny his existence eh?</p>
<p>thesloc u have the most flawed arguments i have every heard. ive debated religion numerous times and usually hardcore christians do a good job standing up for what they believe. u on the other hand just pop out bs and make up crap and grab watever u can (even though most of it is random nonsense) to support ur stance. using science is not going to help u lol.</p>
<p>OnTheRock, you're confusing a scientific theory with the common usage of the word. In everyday English, the word "theory" implies uncertainty, even a guess. However, a scientific theory is a well-supported, rigorous, repeatedly tested, falsibiable explanation for natural phenomena, and little uncertainty is involved. Of course, nobody is 100% sure about any scientific theory, but there are certain theories, such as the theory of gravity, atomic theory, or the theory of evolution (yes evolution. Please don't start, thesloc), that scientists have been so rigorously tested and well-evidenced, and which explain natural phenomena so well, that scientists are at a level approaching 100% certainty. Also, the existence of God could never be a theory, in the scientific sense, unless God almighty provided irrefutable empirical evidence of his existence, say a giant cross in the sky popping up over Jerusalem. This is because God's existence is not a testable or falsifiable hypothesis; in other words, even given unlimited technology, there would be no way to perform a "test" for God, nor would there be a way to disprove his existence.</p>
<p>"No one really knows how the atom bomb works."</p>
<p>Bull****. I know how an A-bomb works, and I'm sure most of the people here do, as well. I know I promised not to debate thesloc, but I found this particularly humorous.</p>
<p>"No one is trying to make anyone belive anything...God exists; and that is all there is to it."</p>
<p>What an arrogant little *****..."that's all there is to it" huh? How does belief in God explain the existence of life? Belief in God explains NOTHING, because all that events that occured in the Bible can be proven false either by scientific evidence or through common sense. You realize there are SCIENTIFIC RECORDS (yes, TANGIBLE specimens) that show the first organisms that existed on our planet, and I assure you it isn't Adam and Eve
"How did the Big Bang occur? What was before it?"</p>
<p>I'll tell you that if you can tell me how God came to existence, and what was before him.</p>
<p>As for your little statement about computers. The difference between computers and humans as opposed to God and humans is that we can actually PROVE that humans created computers. Prove to me that God created "Adam." Prove to me that a guy named Adam existed when the earth started. Is there a single event in the Bible you can prove? Also, explain to me how the people who wrote the Bible obtained information about events that occurred millions of years ago? During a time when there was no writing and very likely no English (or any modern language).</p>
<p>a bigger god created god. duh =P</p>
<p>Oh my God!!! Deciphering God is impossible!! Us trying to decipher God, is like an ant trying to decipher us!</p>
<p>And so your justification for anything you say is...</p>
<p>"if it weren't for God, I would be a complete failure, I would live to the stereotypical Mexican"</p>
<p>I don't mean to offend or anything, but isn't the stereotypical Mexican Catholic? =</p>
<p>Yeah, the stereoptypical Mexican is Catholic, but I'm Christian.</p>
<p>Seventh-Day Adventist; that is.</p>
<p>Um, Catholicism is a branch of Christianity. Do you mean to say "protestant"?</p>
<p>edit: Never mind.</p>
<p>I really don't want to argue anymore; my beliefs are set; at least for along time....</p>
<p>The sad truth is that more nonbelievers become believers, than belivers=>non-belivers...So whoever said that there are more and more nonbelivers is full of ********.</p>
<p>Catholism is a branch of Catholism? No. I don't belive in that Mexican "Virgin Mary", or belive in Saints. I don't belive in those miracles that pop out of nowhere, like when the "Virgin Mary" appeared on a 40ft building. That is work of Satan.</p>
<p>The Ten Commandments</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.</p></li>
<li><p>Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; Thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; And showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me and keep My commandments.</p></li>
<li><p>Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.</p></li>
<li><p>Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath in honour of the Lord thy God; on it thou shalt not do any work, neither thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.</p></li>
<li><p>Honour thy father and thy mother; in order that thy days may be prolonged upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.</p></li>
<li><p>Thou shalt not kill.</p></li>
<li><p>Thou shalt not commit adultery.</p></li>
<li><p>Thou shalt not steal.</p></li>
<li><p>Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.</p></li>
<li><p>Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his mule, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>What sets Seventh-Day adventists apart from other Christian religions is that we keep the 4th commandment..on Saturdays.</p>
<p>Thesloc: Speaking from a demographic point of view, you're wrong in your projections.</p>
<p>In Europe, people are moving away from religion at an intense clip. It's becoming virtually irrelevant in political matters, and losing its strength morally and spiritually as well. In the powerful Asian nations (Japan, China, Singapore, etc.) people are very irreligious, especially by Western standards.</p>
<p>The United States is really the only developed country that's seeing an upsurge in religious adherence, most likely due to the unique role that religion has in American culture. Nevertheless, Americans are moving to a form of religion that is farther and farther away from organized religion. Instead of adhering to a central doctrine, many Americans want to be able to pick and choose what they like from a religion and adopt only those parts (the best parts). This is weakening the hold of central authorities like the Catholic Church, which has seen collections stagnate and decline.</p>
<p>In Latin America and Africa, the most religious parts of the world, people are nevertheless following the US trend. They're picking and choosing amongst religions, and applying the rules selectively to their own lives.</p>
<p>Religion is being hollowed out at the core; once it becomes legitimate to pick and choose amongst religions, any single claim by any single deity to exclusive existence becomes logically inconsistent. In essence, religion is becoming more of a utilitarian construct, and less of a total model of ethics and existence. I, personally, applaud this development, recognizing the positive role that religion can play in the world, when properly adopted and applied.</p>
<p>
[quote]
What sets Seventh-Day adventists apart from other Christian religions is that we keep the 4th ammendment..on Saturdays.</p>
<p>emphasis mine
[/quote]
</p>
<p><em>Smiles</em></p>
<p>I'm sorry, but that just made me laugh. You finally said something intelligent (that Virgin Mary sightings are BS), and then you attributed it to Satan.</p>
<p>Kill God.</p>
<p>I find it very ridiculous how people just "pick" a religioin...I don't understand...My family has been christian for generations...what is the world coming too? Certain destruction, just like time of Noah.</p>
<p>Yeah, Virgin Mary sightings are BS, so go and make Christian buddies.</p>
<p>Although I would prefer that people choose not to be constrained by any set of somebody else's ideas, it at least shows a trend toward critical thinking that people now choose among religions. Why does independence from a socially constructed religious morality lead to "certain destruction?" By all means, take me down that slippery slope!</p>
<p>-If God exists, I hate him. Fortunately, I am relatively sure that he does not.-</p>
<p>That possibly contradicts every statement I said about God existing, but the irony is that our faith is powerful.</p>
<p>Three wods: Read the Bible</p>
<p>
[quote]
I find it very ridiculous how people just "pick" a religioin...I don't understand...My family has been christian for generations...what is the world coming too?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'm sure you do find it ridiculous, but it has a very rational basis in reality. Religion was created in order to establish a system of culture and morality conducive to survival and productivity back at the time. It has since evolved into a more liberal and less political institution that nevertheless has often been a force for promoting progress throughout the last millennium. In the modern era, however, it's losing its relevance. Society, technology, and the economy have changed dramatically, and education is now widely available. People are now looking to develop a more sophisticated system of ethics that's more applicable to the modern world. So they take the positive aspects of religion (work hard, be honest and loyal, be charitable, etc.) and incorporate them into their lives, while leaving the anachronistic legacy baggage behind.</p>
<p>Doing this has presented great problems and created massive social strife, of course, but that's another topic.</p>
<p>By the way, thesloc... Both Catholics and Protestants follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. They are Christian denominations.</p>