former theist turned atheist....

[fish hawk]

Parables were around before Jesus, were they also earthly stories with heavenly meanings?

Did Jesus use parables in order for only the disciples to understand so that the leaders and even common citizens did not know that he was speaking out against the authorities?

Has anyone ever told you that you ask too many questions?

 

[bullethead]

Has anyone ever told you that you ask too many questions?

In fact YES, Pastors, Priests, Rabbi's, Deacons, and Devout Followers of a few religions all have asked that same question. That very question is asked about the time they run out of answers, or the answers they want to give are trumped by logic and they don't want to continue after painting themselves in a corner.
Questions and Knowledge are two of religions worst enemies.

 

[bullethead]

No. He used parables to make things simpler for every one interested in hearing.

Then why in scripture do even his own disciples continually ask him what the parables mean? 2000+ years later those parables can are taken to mean different things by different people.

 

[bullethead]

No. He used parables to make things simpler for every one interested in hearing.

“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not hear” (Luke 8:10).

Sounds like you had to know the secret handshake or they were not meant for you. Which leads me to believe they(parables) were used to talk about the authorities in front of the authorities without the authorities knowing. Most likely to avoid being charged with blasphemy. A form of political satire like Humpty Dumpty and Little Jack Horner.

Kind of like in deer season when guys use radios to alert their buddies deer are heading their way. It is illegal here in Pa, but instead of saying a 10pt buck is heading your way, the radio crackles with "Hey BigDog(nickname) it looks like that guy(buck) is heading your way with 10 Dollar Bills(10 antler points) to return to you(because you missed him in archery season). The wardens hear that but is it two hunters, two truckers, or two guys at the mini-mall grabbing lunch. They know what it is, but hard to prove.

 

[fish hawk]

In fact YES, Pastors, Priests, Rabbi's, Deacons, and Devout Followers of a few religions all have asked that same question. That very question is asked about the time they run out of answers, or the answers they want to give are trumped by logic and they don't want to continue after painting themselves in a corner.
Questions and Knowledge are two of religions worst enemies.

Dude your brain is gonna burst ......So why do you question whether there is a God or not?Why not say there is no God and be done with it?A God can be anything you want it to be.....What do you want your God to be?

 

[bullethead]

Dude your brain is gonna burst ......So why do you question whether there is a God or not?Why not say there is no God and be done with it?A God can be anything you want it to be.....What do you want your God to be?

I like to discuss it. I like to bring other avenues of thought into religious discussions. I try every possible angle to get honest answers. I like this forum. NONE of it bothers me or upsets me so why would my brain burst? In fact some free thinking is quite refreshing!

I(and guys like me) are on here either rocking someone's faith or strengthening it. Either way it gets us all thinking and learning. I guess you could just say there is a God and be done with it also??? BUT there is a reason that all of us on here keep coming back.

I am not going to make up a God and pretend he is just like me, likes the same things I do and hates the same things I do, thinks like me, and has created me to worship him so he could bask in the limelight. I am trying to find out IF there is a God (any God) and am interested in all the pro's and con's brought up here. I am not trying to disprove a God. I would love for someone to provide that undeniable proof that a God exists. It is just that so far no one has come remotely close to swaying me and the main reason is that when pressed with honest questions and facts that counter their reasons there is never any slam dunk real answer. It always boils down to FAITH and I am kinda cool with that, except that the Faith required is based off of man made writings and rules and based of what I have found....or NOT found......I can't put much faith into that.

 

[fish hawk]

It always boils down to FAITH and I am kinda cool with that, except that the Faith required is based off of man made writings and rules and based of what I have found....or NOT found......I can't put much faith into that.

Well there you go you can cross God of the Bible off your list.

 

[bullethead]

Well there you go you can cross God of the Bible off your list.

Been.

 

[fish hawk]

Been.

Good luck in your quest. I'm gonna go analyze Some football and food now!!!Later.....

 

[bullethead]

Good luck in your quest. I'm gonna go analyze Some football and food now!!!Later.....

Peace Out! Lots of games on today, I've been flicking back and forth between 3 games myself.

 

[kyle86]

I believe in something, just not sure what it is. Maybe it is Jesus, maybe Jesus was/is part of something bigger. I had some strange experiences...

 

[ambush80]

I believe in something, just not sure what it is. Maybe it is Jesus, maybe Jesus was/is part of something bigger. I had some strange experiences...

More power to you! Keep looking!

 

[bullethead]

I believe in something, just not sure what it is. Maybe it is Jesus, maybe Jesus was/is part of something bigger. I had some strange experiences...

No doubt people have some experiences both good and bad. It is all a matter of what you choose to associate and credit those experiences with. Keep on truckin!

 

[ted_BSR]

No doubt people have some experiences both good and bad. It is all a matter of what you choose to associate and credit those experiences with. Keep on truckin!

I have enjoyed reading the posts in this thread.

I encourage you to follow your heart.

NOT YOUR BRAIN, HEAD OR LOGIC, NOT WHAT YOU LEARNED IN SCHOOL, NOT WHAT I OR ANYONE ELSE TELLS YOU...

BUT FOLLOW YOUR HEART.

Happy New Year to ALL!!!

 

[StriperAddict]

I have enjoyed reading the posts in this thread.

I encourage you to follow your heart.

NOT YOUR BRAIN, HEAD OR LOGIC, NOT WHAT YOU LEARNED IN SCHOOL, NOT WHAT I OR ANYONE ELSE TELLS YOU...

BUT FOLLOW YOUR HEART.

Happy New Year to ALL!!!

I've found many times that God will often offend the brain to win the heart.

Blessings to all in this New Year also

 

[BANDERSNATCH]

I've found many times that God will often offend the brain to win the heart.

Blessings to all in this New Year also

I'm sure the Jews will agree. Stumbling block... confounding the wise.... ever learning, but never able to come to the truth...

Happy New Year to all...

 

[ambush80]

I've found many times that God will often offend the brain to win the heart.

Blessings to all in this New Year also

I'm sure the Jews will agree. Stumbling block... confounding the wise.... ever learning, but never able to come to the truth...

Happy New Year to all...

It still astounds me that the notions that men came up with to create fear and superstition in order to keep the masses stupid and not asking questions are still being used today to defend anti-intellectualism.

 

[BANDERSNATCH]

It still astounds me that the notions that men came up with to create fear and superstition in order to keep the masses stupid and not asking questions are still being used today to defend anti-intellectualism.

lol I ask questions all the time!

Science reinforces my belief in creation!

 

[pstrahin]

“Nope...that's not my position at all.”

What? Yes it is. The OP says very clearly – “Hebrews 6:4 4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away....”

So in which sense of the word ‘impossible’ did you not mean it?

You have testimony from non-believers now, in this thread, who were once ‘saved,’ largely as children, similar to just about all believers of my experience. Nobody who is even marginally thoughtful rejects things they know nothing about, so you will likely find among the non-believers a group of folks who know more about the belief system at hand than the ‘believers’ will ever know.

The believers were handed a set of nonsense stories as children, and never looked back. The non-believers examined those stories, and put them to the smell test, and they didn’t smell right, nor add up. So we began looking into them, seeking truth, rather than comfort. For believers to claim superior ‘enlightenment,’ as the OP suggests, puts them in a position of having to demonstrate that such enlightened superiority is true. They cannot.

Not only can they not demonstrate any such thing, but the very history of all beliefs is a history of retreat from earlier positions, and is a history filled with the rationalization of the moment in the face of advancing knowledge. Belief has never advanced, it has retreated, oppressed, demanded, and retrenched time and time again. Facts are facts, truth is truth, while belief is an ever-shifting shadow made entirely of words and violent passions. That is easily demonstrated.

In order to speak of things such as a ‘heavenly gift’ one would first need to show just what that gift consists of, exactly, and one would of needs be required to demonstrate that ‘heaven’ exists. Neither can be done. In order to ‘partake of the Holy Ghost,’ one would again be put in the odd position of putting this imaginary being into some sort of real context, and show that it is not only extant, but is also both ‘Holy,’ and a ‘Ghost.’ Neither can be done. In order to have ‘tasted the good word of God,’ one is once again asked to show that there actually is a God, and that this particular imagined God actually authored any words whatsoever. This also cannot be done.

So it would be inaccurate to say ‘former theist turned atheist’ unless one counts brainwashed children as ‘theists.’ Perhaps there are still some adults who believe in Santa, but mature, rational, and educated minds tend to reject the fully impossible at a certain point, and start asking simpler questions, like, ‘Who wrote this crap, and why are idiots still killing each other over it?’

See folks, Satan is walking about to see who he can devour.

 

[stringmusic]

It still astounds me that the notions that men came up with to create fear and superstition in order to keep the masses stupid and not asking questions are still being used today to defend anti-intellectualism.

But I thought they were just a bunch of ancient desert dwelling goat herders? Why would they want to "keep the masses stupid and not asking questions? Don't you think they were more worried about keeping their goats from getting eaten by ancient coyotes?

You can't have it both ways, thats not logical.... and it's anti-intellectual