Sure, but I was hoping you might provide a link or two. I googled it and found a few surveys but not any scientific studies. Can you help out?
What I know of God comes from following The Way that Christ taught, passed on by the Catholic Church, which stays strictly in line with Apostolic teachings of the first century which were given by Christ. Note that The Way is not simply teachings about God, but The Way to God, an encounter with God.
For me, one of the most powerful forms of prayer is taken from the song lyrics, “I will come to you in the silence.” And, “Be still and know that I am God.” Creating a silent place for God to absorb who one is, their dreams, their needs, their hopes (I find) can do more in minutes than hours of chatter. That’s not to say we should lose all words. I am saying sometimes it is in the silence that God can be perceived most clearly.
People are unique, we all come with different perceptions. Knowledge is vast, and we all seem to assemble pieces of knowledge in very different ways. Look at all the constructs in this thread alone. The knowledge we should all embrace is: God is. How we go about encountering Him is up to us. As has been pointed out: There are many religions, therefore many ways. People have many choices–including giving up or not bothering to begin with.
Regarding something like morality I would say compare the lives of say someone like Mother Theresa to that of say someone like Ted Bundy (if your not sure who they are look them and really take some and read and contemplate what Ted Bundy did). Now according to an atheist there’s no moral distinction between them. Simply put I thoughtfully concluded that a Theistic Worldview provided a better framework to make sense of that.
False. The atheist determines the moral distinction. As do you. You are responsible. Are you just following moral orders? Correct me if I misinterpreted
Tell me Eagle Keeper…in a theistic worldview, does God declare actions as morally good because those actions ARE morally good, or are acts morally good because God declares them to be so?
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God isnt. Embrace it!
Interesting question. If God all of a sudden declared murder was good, would you feel ok with murder?
Or the stories of a deity are just that…stories we tell ourselves.
Humans are great storytellers…it’s actually a huge competitive advantage.
Human society couldn’t exist beyond small tribes without this storytelling ability.
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It is tough to accept that the universe has no moral code. There is no objective moral code that I am aware of. Morals are individual, and/or decided on by the society.
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Moral codes are a calculus arising in complex societies so they can function. They are emergent.
That’s why certain precepts are so ingrained they FEEL like they are objectively built into the universe, while others change with the changing times.
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Idk exactly what qualifies as moral code, but even animals have feelings about right and wrong, show altruism, selflessness, empathy, etc.
There was a reason I didn’t type “complex HUMAN societies”.
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I can. But I’m not going to. Any google of something like “study prayer healing” will find it for you. Stuff is out there concluding both sides of the question. And that’s all I said in the first place.
I know how the game is played around here. I’m not interested in getting into a nitpick fest with you (like you tried to do with the Pirhas.)
Right. Take my general statement to the absolutes, so you can nitpick with some counter-example. (Shrug.)
I could suggest that PRACTICALLY ALL make that choice, but I know how that discussion would go as well.
Of course your response was about you.
In a thread like this you’re overly sensitive to your choice to eschew God, and you need to justify it. Not sure why. You’re perfectly entitled to that choice. But anyone reading the thread can see right through your posts. They’re essentially the same in thread after thread when it comes to the question of faith in God.
Two questions. First are claiming atheists believe there are moral absolutes? Second how would you prove that whatever view you hold on such matters is true?
How about you discuss what’s actually been said here first as opposed to going off in some new direction?
Thanks!
Let’s disregard “Afterlife” as a reason for belief and focus why belief in God has value and is a worthwhile pursuit in this life.
Alternately, people can present why someone should not believe in God, and from this question I would like to eliminate, “No evidence” from the equation.
So–if we can–in this thread we eliminate the afterlife and lack of evidence as discussion points to present better and different reasons for belief or non-belief.
In my observation (i.e. based on family members and friends/acquaintances), those who believe in God and actively pursue following that belief, are happier and better adjusted than those that don’t. The believers have a certain peace of mind. I grew up as a child of a devout Catholic and an agnostic/raised Baptist. My mother has much more peace of mind than my father had. For that reason, I chose to stay Catholic as an adult, married a Catholic woman, and have raised my two boys in the Catholic Church.
You always waltz into these threads with strawmen, get pissy when you get called out, and then leave.
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“Absolutes” in the sense that they exist outside of one’s own opinions, no. I believe morality is simply a sort of aesthetic and code of conduct, mixed with complex emotions. This doesnt mean morality doesnt exist, it just means morality is something we are responsible for. Otherwise we are just robots following orders. Do you not murder because you are commanded? I know I’ve never considered it and the idea is repulsive.
I dont need to prove that my morals are true anymore than I need to prove that a particular food tastes good or a particular song sounds good. HOWEVER, if I have a deep moral conviction about the freedom and safety of others, I will fight for it - as humans have for 1000s of years, and most recently in the Civil War and WW2. That doesnt mean might makes right. That simply means you are responsible for defending yourself and your beliefs. And I would argue that moral structures as an aggregate of society hold evolutionary advantages- societies filled with tape and murder and theft generally arent as successful and stable
Those types of questions pertain to what theologians view as the nature and character of God. Personally I don’t have much to say about that. There are plenty of authors out there who look to address that question if you’re really interested.
Not a strawman. I showed how to get your own link.
You like being wrong, eh?
That you and other trolls don’t want to do a simple search shows the lack of sincerity in your participation here. And that’s part of the game I won’t play.
If anyone is pissy here, it’s you trolls who take umbrage when someone won’t take your bait.
I left? News to me.
You like being wrong, eh?
