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Really? Correct me if I'm wrong, but all I heard you saying was the theistic idea I offered was just as ridiculous as us getting morality vibes from The Man in the Moon. You call that sharing a different idea? (Well, unless of course that's what you really believe. Somehow I doubt that.) As for...

Of course it's a what-if. We are talking about our "beliefs" in a "faith" forum, what else do you expect? What if the universe was united by our mental energy ... What if the earth had a mind of her own (like Gaia) ... What if the events in the Bible are true ... What if an angel really...

Yup. That's what I said to the theist guy, and he said this. I see "survival" as a self-centered animalistic instinct that we're all saddled with, "conscience" as a divine instinct that keeps reminding us of our true nature, the part that's made in the image of God. There always is a tug-of-war...

If the reason we make self-sacrifice is "the community will look upon you badly, if you don't", how do you make sense out of what this German officer did? This is the movie Karol I watched recently and was deeply moved. Watch the scene from around 1:18:50 to 1:23:00. Don't you think what he...

NJ, Thomas, thanks for your replies. I need to go back and re-read Matthew and Mark too, and think it over ... then I may ask you guys more questions later. I have a busy weekend and the following week ahead, so could take a week or two. I do appreciate both of your input!

Naturalism doesn't fully explain "love"(something we consider beautiful), and "self-sacrifice"(something we consider noble). At least that's how I feel. When I thought I was an atheist, I participated in fora mainly to argue with believers. I thought they're naive uninformed unintelligent...

RE: OP I don't think you are an atheist ... well, not according to my definition of an atheist. I believe (I could be wrong tho) atheists don't believe in any transcendent existence. I read that Wiccans' beliefs, which you say a lot of your beliefs line up with, are based on duo-theism (God &...

I name two that I watched recently. I immensely enjoyed them both ... 1. Karol: A Man Who Became Pope 2. Strike Back (a TV show) These two are, I suppose, in a completely different category from each other. But the courage that's shown in both is equally awe-inspiring. I'd call the leading...

RE: OP I don't mind being told I was wrong. As long as accompanied with a reasonable argument for why they think I'm wrong. I believe firmly that many of the fundamentalists arguments are wrong, like the ones coming from Ken Ham. I'd say so whenever I happen to talk to the supporters of his...

Where can I find this 'specialist' religious forum with more objectivity and less opinion? Can a non-specialist (like me) join, just to observe? By the way, I was quite bummed when you hinted about leaving the forum. Please don't do that again Thomas! I'm very intrigued with your beliefs +...

It's been a while since I last posted. I've been quite busy. But I've not forgotten about this forum. I've been reading you guys' posts from time to time. There were many conversations I found interesting, but just couldn't find the time to participate. It turned out, my newly found world-view...

Holy smoke, Thomas, your mind is like a spring, once flowing, there's no stopping it! (Which I benefit from.) You really give me different perspectives, something for me to think about. But you gotta give me some time to absorb your thoughts and contemplate them. I can start a new thread from...

Thomas, thank you again for such a detailed reply to my questions. I'm happy to hear your honest admission of the Church's dark past, that there were 'bad popes'. As long as the Church recognizes its wrongdoings in the past and pledges not to ever repeat that part of history, I have no...

Thomas, your theological input gives me points to ponder. Thank you. A couple more questions if I may ... Forced conversion is totally pointless. I remember Joe (once again) expressing my exact sentiment in my other thread. . . . there is nothing I could do to force someone into a belief...

OK ... so you're saying Jesus meant this as a metaphor? He is not really talking about obtaining actual swords ... - Two swords (v38) would not be enough. Are you saying it was rather a satirical remark when Jesus said "It is enough"...? My initial interpretation was Jesus wanted to ensure...

Yup it's on my list. Along with American Sniper. Ha-ha, good one. But somehow I don't wanna follow his philosophy for I may accidentally bite someone's ear. :D (But I heard he's changed now.) Yeah, I heard about this and was wanting to check what it's about. I saw Fr. Jonathan Morris (I...

As some of you may have taken a look at my other thread, I've been pondering the issue of self-defense. I'd like to think I'm a peace-loving guy, but I don't think I can be a complete pacifist. This issue didn't seem murky when I wasn't a believer. I always thought using force in self-defense...

Now back to the OT ... Another question ... In many ancient tribal wars Israel was involved in ... Their warfare rhetoric, expressed in the voice of God, is also troubling to me. A couple of examples: <In the quotations, the Italics are the original, the underlined are mine> I came...

Thomas, thank you very much for sharing your insights with me. It really helps. I am also finding it somewhat surprising that your views and mine, so far, are more similar than not. It's interesting, you know, considering you're a traditional Catholic and I'm a former disbeliever who had...

BigJoe, farhan, thank you very much for educating me with the basic knowledge of Islam ... I'll try to read the websites farhan provided and I may ask you guys more questions later. I'm glad I met you two, as I have no Muslims in my family or friends' circle.