Religion Thread: Is there a God or Not?

[Luigitoilet]

People have even converted homosexuals into heterosexual Christians.
.

This is a few pages back but holy ****, really?



like, are you for real with this?

 

[~N9NE~]

Concerning the whole issue about debating religious ideas and beliefs and whether it's worth it.

If what we are debating is true, that is, if issues like eternal salvation and eternal condemnation are real, than in that case, other issues pale in importance and the discussion of religious beliefs must not be avoided but embraced.

Discussing these issues is vital. I'm glad to see the mods allowing this thread.

 

[Chill]

...The purpose of our creation, theoretically, was that some type of imperfection must exist in the universe to make it complete and to give God meaning. Without imperfection, perfection is absolutely meaningless. They are like two sides of the same coin, so to speak. Though we are imperfect and infinitely below God, he walked the earth in human flesh, as one of us, and suffered the punishment we deserve. That punishment is suffering and death. We believe Jesus Christ was God, though, because it was recorded that he never sinned against God's will. By comparing Christ to his followers and the people who lived during that time period, you will realize how innocent and perfect he actually was. According to the recordings, he never contradicted what was believed to be God's will, in actions and words. But it also requires faith to actually believe that Christ was God in human flesh...

Yet Adam and Eve were created perfect. In order to subscribe to this theory you would have to believe that god had created Adam and Eve with the intention of them becoming imperfect. That doesn't seem like something god would do.

 

[GOD!]

Yet Adam and Eve were created perfect. In order to subscribe to this theory you would have to believe that god had created Adam and Eve with the intention of them becoming imperfect. That doesn't seem like something god would do.

As far as I know, the parent-child bond that we feel as a species is supposed to be a weak echo of the God-human bond that Christianity holds true. If this is the case, then I would still want to have kids that were imperfect, than to never have them at all. That's just from a human perspective, and correct me if I'm wrong about this.

God's intention wasn't that they become imperfect, but that they be perfect. However, he also gave us a choice. If we have no choice, then all Christianity falls apart, because then the world would be a terribly unjust place. But the ability to choose between good and evil is rooted in the scriptures. God never intended us to sin, but he gave us the ability to.

And with the homosexual conversion thing, I heard about something like this happening in a church in England. There was a visiting pastor at this church where a lot of the members were lesbian and gay couples (the pastor didn't know this). Before he was supposed to preach, he went for a run through the fields where he was staying. He felt an incredible heaviness while he was running, and he just kept crying for grace and for mercy over the congregation. When he went to talk to them, he took the sweaty shirt he had been running with. Part of the way through his prepared message, he just stopped and took out the shirt, and then waved it out towards the congregation. As he waved the shirt, people got knocked out of their seats and fell under the power of God. And everybody in the place who was gay became straight.
That's just what I heard. I believe it, but you don't have to. I am just confirming that I've heard stories like the one Dre brought up before.

 

[#HBC | Dancer]

I am an atheist. I use to be a devout catholic, but I let go of my religion about two years ago. I feel that the main reason I was, at a point, deeply religious, was not because I felt a unity with my fellow catholic, or that I needed the religion to help steer my life, but because I was scared at the thought of what happens after we die. Hell, eternal ****ation, or whatever you call it. isn't what scared me. What really scared was the thought that nothing happens after we die. I'll admit that the thought still scares me today, but I now know that just because a thought is comforting, doesn't mean it's correct.

Being a catholic never really helped me, in matter of fact, I think I was probably worse off religious. I was always thinking about it, scared that I might be wrong. I used Pascal's Wager to justify my believes. I actually, at times, would persecute my dad, for he was an atheist. I probably "sinned" more when I was religious than I do now.

Btw, I'm not saying anyone here who believes is like this, I'm just telling my own personal story.

 

[Chill]

@God, I was replying to the idea that god created humans because imperfection must exist. I was saying that doesn't seem like it could be true as Adam and Eve were created perfect and thus god would have wanted them to be imperfect for that idea to hold.

 

[Bomber7]

I am an atheist. I use to be a devout catholic, but I let go of my religion about two years ago. I feel that the main reason I was, at a point, deeply religious, was not because I felt a unity with my fellow catholic, or that I needed the religion to help steer my life, but because I was scared at the thought of what happens after we die. Hell, eternal ****ation, or whatever you call it. isn't what scared me. What really scared was the thought that nothing happens after we die. I'll admit that the thought still scares me today, but I now know that just because a thought is comforting, doesn't mean it's correct.

Being a catholic never really helped me, in matter of fact, I think I was probably worse off religious. I was always thinking about it, scared that I might be wrong. I used Pascal's Wager to justify my believes. I actually, at times, would persecute my dad, for he was an atheist. I probably "sinned" more when I was religious than I do now.

Btw, I'm not saying anyone here who believes is like this, I'm just telling my own personal story.

Ouch, sorry to hear about that man. I hate to hear stories that involve people who stop believing in God because of the "hell" thing. It makes me sad because the life shouldn't be about worrying about whether every little thing we do if it's wrong and if we will go to hell for it. To me that's just wrong to preach that if you sin, you go to hell (assuming that is what you were exposed to but I'm basing that on common experience). Besides, as an ex-Catholic you know as well as I that there are way to redeem ourselves; some people are stupid and people who make the whole "hell" thing a big deal are responsible for people not wanting to be Catholic anymore or at all.

I give and take on the whole Catholicism thing. I don't believe 100% of what I am supposed to but in my opinion I believe in the stuff that actually matters, like doing my best to live a moral lifestyle, good stuff like that. But like in my previous post, if not believing in God works for you then good for you. Besides, there's nothing in the Bible that says in order to live a good life you have to believe in God.

(back on topic... well one of the topics I saw mentioned)
Plus what's everyone so concerned about? You die, you die. If nothing happens to you then nothing happens, if something does then it does. Realistically speaking, if you are that worried about not getting into an afterlife (heaven, or whatever other name it may have elsewhere) then simply just do the right thing while you're living, which includes making up for sins/mistakes/bad things that you've done and when you die, you'll die with a clean conscious.

 

[Fuelbi]

Got a question, where do the dinosaurs exactly fit into christianity?

 

[GOD!]

@God, I was replying to the idea that god created humans because imperfection must exist. I was saying that doesn't seem like it could be true as Adam and Eve were created perfect and thus god would have wanted them to be imperfect for that idea to hold.

Oh sorry. I'm not sure if I buy that whole "perfection needs imperfection" idea. It's not really biblical and it is also incompatible with heaven (unless you count hell as the place of imperfection; and even then, hell seems to be very just itself). I wouldn't put too much faith in that imperfect/perfect idea. God doesn't need evil to be good, he just is good (according to the bible, only if you believe that, etc.)

Edit: @ above question. I actually don't know. They are definitely animals that walked across the earth, and they died out before humans were a species afaik. As a theistic evolutionist, I would just say that while mammals were still evolving, dinosaurs came and went.

 

[Chill]

Some believe that dinosaurs were created before humans, that god eventually tired of them and then created humans.

Others believe that humans and dinosaurs co-existed and were then wiped out during the flood.

I'm not aware of any other beliefs aside from those two.

 

[jamlosingthegame]

Got a question, where do the dinosaurs exactly fit into christianity?

IIRC, back then, fossils were something against God and that they were planted by Satan to throw Christians off, or something like that. As for today, not sure.

 

[Bomber7]

IIRC, back then, fossils were something against God and that they were planted by Satan to throw Christians off, or something like that. As for today, not sure.

I find that kind of hilarious because it's so radically outspoken. All I can really think of is that nature was just being nature. Dinosaurs came to be from microorganisms/cells, ruled the earth for a long time and then nature just decided to wipe them out and then the age of man began. Probably we can best relate it to the rise and fall of great empires. One rises as another one falls. Aside from that I don't know.

I think that God is what Philosophy calls "the first cause". I believe that God created everything but I also believe some of the theories that science has as to how the world was created. Basically, I believe that God was the big scientist that was behind it all. But since God can't be proved or disproved and alot of science's explanations on creations are just theories, I really won't ever know but that's fine with me. Unless of course heaven does exist and God is like "here is The Truth". XD

 

[Fuelbi]

Some believe that dinosaurs were created before humans, that god eventually tired of them and then created humans.

Others believe that humans and dinosaurs co-existed and were then wiped out during the flood.

I'm not aware of any other beliefs aside from those two.

What? But, how is that possible? It says in teh bible that god created water, if I'm not mistaken. But, in teh dinosaur age, there were dinosaurs that lived in teh water. And not to mention that there were great seas in the days of Pangea and Gondwanaland and such

 

[Wrex]

lets ask our good friends in texas. hey texas, what do you think happened with the dinosaurs?

.....

oh

 

[jamlosingthegame]

lets ask our good friends in texas. hey texas, what do you think happened with the dinosaurs?

.....

oh

Wait, 101% on the chart to the right? lul.

Oh just a question. Who here takes the the creation stories of the Bible word for word? I don't. I myself feel that they are just myths with all that symbolism stuff. That's what I've been taught anyway.

 

[~N9NE~]

To me the creation story should be taken as a theological account. God created earth.

I don't think it should be taken as a scientific account.

 

[Dre89]

The creation story isn't meant to be taken literally, it wasn't six 24-hour days. Back then in the Bible they didn't have a different word for dinosaur.

[citation needed]

Here's one of my arguments against the Christian version of God, for what it's worth:

Evil exists
God is benevolent
God is omnipotent

These three statements cannot simultaneously be true. If the last two were true, then there is no possibility of evil. If God can get rid of evil but chooses not to, then God is evil. If God can't get rid of evil, but does want to, then he's not almighty.

Firstly, that's not really your argument, that's the classic atheist problem of evil argument. Secondly, the problem of evil issue is far too big to answer in one post.

Also, you stated it wrong. You're supposed to say that He is meant to be omniscient as well, then say that because evil exists, God cannot be all three.

Eg. If God is omniscient and omnipotent, then he must not be omnibenevolent because he allows evil to exist etc.

Academics need thousands of words to justify their opinions on this issue, you can't just do it in one post, that's there's no real point to posting things like this.

 

[IAmBlu3]

I feel that the main reason I was, at a point, deeply religious, was not because I felt a unity with my fellow catholic, or that I needed the religion to help steer my life, but because I was scared at the thought of what happens after we die. Hell, eternal ****ation, or whatever you call it. isn't what scared me. What really scared was the thought that nothing happens after we die. I'll admit that the thought still scares me today, but I now know that just because a thought is comforting, doesn't mean it's correct.

we're in the same boat : ). i mean, i'm not atheist though. but this idea is pretty much in my head all day, every **** day. the only thing that lessens my fear is really just how ****ed up life can be. a fear of death is healthy though. it shows that you have something worth living for.

 

[~N9NE~]

I know this might sound like a hollow statement because it's hardly something you can prove until you're dying, but honestly, death doesn't scare me.

The thought of losing loved ones is stressful undoubtedly, but death itself doesn't scare me.

 

[McFox]

Firstly, that's not really your argument, that's the classic atheist problem of evil argument. Secondly, the problem of evil issue is far too big to answer in one post.

Also, you stated it wrong. You're supposed to say that He is meant to be omniscient as well, then say that because evil exists, God cannot be all three.

Eg. If God is omniscient and omnipotent, then he must not be omnibenevolent because he allows evil to exist etc.

Academics need thousands of words to justify their opinions on this issue, you can't just do it in one post, that's there's no real point to posting things like this.

This is the most arrogant thing I've seen you post yet.

1. There's no reason it can't be his argument as well. Things can be independently thought of.

2. He probably meant to say exactly what he did, considering that it was his argument, and not yours. I was able to follow it just fine.

3. Since you haven't already noticed, this isn't a theological peer-reviewed journal or something. It's specifically a web forum for a video game, and this topic was specifically made for Average Joes to come in here and talk about their beliefs. Continuining to complain that everyone here isn't a religious scholar just makes you look, if I may use the term, holier-than-thou.

Also, I pity people who thinks that humans and dinosaurs lived together, or (even more hilariously) that Satan planted fossils to confuse us (I guess he also planted to them so that we could run our cars by burning them?). Dinosaurs were awesome (and I mean that in the traditional sense of the word, not the modern "Thats awesome, bro!" meaning), and new discoveries are bringing them closer to life every day. For instance, did you know:

• We now have two dinosaurs whose colors we know for a fact? Look up Sinosauropteryx and Anchiornis.
• There is now a dinosaur believed to have a venomous bite? Look up Sinornithosaurus.
• Dromeosaurs (such as Deinonychus and Velociraptor) are now believed to be secondarily flightless? This means that scientists now believe that the Dromeosaurs actually evolved from ancient flying birds, instead of birds evolving from them.
• Although not a dinosaur, that the recently-discovered Hatzegopteryx is believed to be worlds biggest-ever flying animal? It is estimated to have had a 45-foot wingspan. To put it in perspective: when it was on the ground, Hatzegopteryx wouldve been taller than a giraffe. And it could fly under it's own power.

And new discoveries are being made all the time. So I really don't have a lot of patience for young-Earth creationists.

 

[Melomaniacal]

The creation story isn't meant to be taken literally, it wasn't six 24-hour days. Back then in the Bible they didn't have a different word for dinosaur.

Well, isn't that just convenient?

If it doesn't make sense or promotes terrible things: "LOL YOU CAN'T INTERPRET THAT LITERALLY, MORON!"

If it is logically acceptable or promotes something good: "OF COURSE THAT'S LITERAL, FOOL!"


Also, stop with your whole "you can't debate anything on religion unless you have studied every course and read ever book on the subject" attitude. We can still discuss these things without a PhD in philosophy, theology, or whatever else you require of us.
Oh, wow, didn't see that McFox beat me to it.

 

[Dre89]

This is the most arrogant thing I've seen you post yet.

1. There's no reason it can't be his argument as well. Things can be independently thought of.

But the way he said showed he most likely had taken it from somewhere else, because it's always stated that way.

2. He probably meant to say exactly what he did, considering that it was his argument, an not yours. I was able to follow it just fine.

But the argument isn't really that strong the way he did it.

3. Since you haven't already noticed, this isn't a theological peer-reviewed journal or something. It's specifically a web forum for a video game, and this topic was specifically made for Average Joes to come in here and talk about their beliefs. Continuining to complain that everyone here isn't a religious scholar just makes you look, if I may use the term, holier-than-thou.

I actually don't think I'm better than anyone here. If anything, I'm probably one of the only people here who realises that they aren't really qualified to talk about these issues. Most other people here don't because they don't realise that there are whole disciplines devoted to these issues, and to think you can answer these questions in a few lines is an insult to them.

The Smash equivalent is like a tier vs. anti-tier debate between casual players who have never been to a tournmanet before. Pretty much everything they're going to say will be incorrect, because they don't have enough knowledge of the game. The same goes here.

So my frustration doesn't come from thinking I'm better than anyone, it comes from the arrogance/ignorance of other people who think they're authorities on these issues.

Also, I pity people who thinks that humans and dinosaurs lived together, or (even more hilariously) that Satan planted fossils to confuse us (I guess he also planted to them so that we could run our cars by burning them?) Dinosaurs were awesome, and new discoveries are bringing them closer to life every day. For instance, did you know:

• We now have two dinosaurs whose colors we know for a fact? Look up Sinosauropteryx and Anchiornis.
• There is now a dinosaur believed to have a venomous bite? Look up Sinornithosaurus.
• Dromeosaurs (such as Deinonychus and Velociraptor) are now believed to be secondarily flightless? This means that scientists now believe that the Dromeosaurs actually evolved from ancient flying birds, instead of birds evolving from them.
• Although not a dinosaur, the recently-discovered Hatzegopteryx is believed to be worlds biggest-ever flying animal? It is estimated to have had a 45-foot wingspan. To put it in perspective: when it was on the ground, Hatzegopteryx wouldve been taller than a giraffe. And it could fly under it's own power.

And new discoveries are being made all the time. So I really don't have a lot of patience for young-Earth creationists.

No one ever said humans and dinosaurs lived together. Secondly, I've never heard of that Satan planting fossils thing, and I doubt it's the belief of the Catholic Church.

Again, this is what I'm talking about, uneducated theists misrepresent their religion. I'm not really putting my personal opinions accross, just correcting factually incorrect things other people say.

The funny thing is, many evolutionists look down on creationists as if they're so stupid, but I doubt you've even looked at the evidence that supports Catholicism.

I'm not saying people all have to believe religions, but it gets annoying when people say there's no proof of God or religion when they haven't looked at the evidence first.

 

[Melomaniacal]

I actually don't think I'm better than anyone here. If anything, I'm probably one of the only people here who realises that they aren't really qualified to talk about these issues. Most other people here don't because they don't realise that there are whole disciplines devoted to these issues, and to think you can answer these questions in a few lines is an insult to them.

The Smash equivalent is like a tier vs. anti-tier debate between casual players who have never been to a tournmanet before. Pretty much everything they're going to say will be incorrect, because they don't have enough knowledge of the game. The same goes here.

So my frustration doesn't come from thinking I'm better than anyone, it comes from the arrogance/ignorance of other people who think they're authorities on these issues.

Has anyone here claimed to be a super-expert on the subject? I didn't see anyone making such claims (granted, I didn't go through the whole thread, so please correct me if I'm wrong). What I'm seeing is people trying to have an open debate on religion, discussing what they know, then I see one guy who came in and told everyone "none of you know what you are talking about, stop discussing now."

No, we are not experts. No one is pretending to be (again, correct me if I'm wrong). So what do you expect? Do you expect the topic to be opened, and then have 50 responses of "wow, I would totally toss my opinion in, but I haven't quite finished my 48th theology book, so my opinion means nothing"? No, it's going to be an open discussion.

Have you considered that maybe some people learn a lot through these discussions? Instead of telling people that they don't know anything, join in the discussion, tell them what you know, how they're wrong, and teach them.

 

[Livvers]

Well, isn't that just convenient?

If it doesn't make sense or promotes terrible things: "LOL YOU CAN'T INTERPRET THAT LITERALLY, MORON!"

If it is logically acceptable or promotes something good: "OF COURSE THAT'S LITERAL, FOOL!"

Considering how many metaphors and what not are in the bible, and how time was definitely represented differently(some people were hundreds of years old), I think it's a pretty sound argument that the creation story can be interpreted as non-literal.

McFox totally used this thread as an excuse to talk about dinosaur facts =3

 

[Melomaniacal]

Considering how many metaphors and what not are in the bible, and how time was definitely represented differently(some people were hundreds of years old), I think it's a pretty sound argument that the creation story can be interpreted as non-literal.

McFox totally used this thread as an excuse to talk about dinosaur facts =3

Or maybe much of the bible stories were completely pulled out of thin air.

But it doesn't matter, I'm not through my 18th reading of the bible, and I have only read 23 criticisms on the bible, so my opinion doesn't matter. I'll come back in 20 years and try to debate this.


I do actually want to know what people think about the massive amounts of similarities between different creation myths (Greek, Christian, Chinese, etc, etc). Or things like Krishna vs. Jesus.

 

[Mizu Moonchild]

I'm not sure if anyone already mentioned this, but what about Pagan beliefs? I became a Wiccan two years ago because Christianity just didn't make sense to me. A lot of people I know don't seem to see the Old Testament as a metaphor. I'm nearly 18 and my mom still tries to tell me that people lived to be hundreds of years old back then (which is strange considering we don't even have the technology to make that happen).

Well anyway, I love being a Wiccan because it's so democratic and it allows me to choose what to believe in. Science makes sense to me - there's proof and evidence that just make sense. Wicca just allows me to use the Gods and creation stories as beautiful and creative metaphors (after all, the gods were created in man's image, not the other way around). Since there's no evidence about the afterlife, every individual is free to his or her own imagination, I think.

On a similar matter, spells/rituals/divination are mainly things such as strong prayers and fortune-telling that work if you believe, (Why not? No one knows if there are Gods and Goddesses or not, so what stops us from believing that a little faith can make even a small difference in reality in that aspect?) and "potions" generally work if done correctly.

Well, that's my two cents. Everyone has a different path, so to each his own ^__^

 

[McFox]

I actually don't think I'm better than anyone here. If anything, I'm probably one of the only people here who realises that they aren't really qualified to talk about these issues. Most other people here don't because they don't realise that there are whole disciplines devoted to these issues, and to think you can answer these questions in a few lines is an insult to them.

Well, if I decided to publish a book on what's being said here, then your complaining might have more merit.

Additionally, what I said about dinosaurs: there are people who actually believe that, and I never said it was the official stance of any religion. I was talking about regular people who don't know any better.

And finally, I went to Catholic school until I graduated high school and have literally gone to Catholic mass every Sunday (not to mention Holy Days of Obligation!) for the past 23 years, so maybe you shouldn't be so quick to assume what I do or don't know about Catholicism.

And Livvers, I saw the word dinosaur and had to throw those in.

 

[SuperBowser]

I don't think people need to be theologians to discuss the topic.

Everyone has an opinion about the existence of god. Why not have a discussion about it? Maybe people will learn something.

 

[Phantom7]

Yet Adam and Eve were created perfect. In order to subscribe to this theory you would have to believe that god had created Adam and Eve with the intention of them becoming imperfect. That doesn't seem like something god would do.

I believe that Adam and Eve is a metaphorical tale that describes how humans interact with God. "Adam" actually means "mankind", and I don't remember what Eve means. "Eating from the fruit of the tree of knowledge" is probably a symbol that represents the period in which human minds grew to decipher right from wrong.

Even if this is not so, God is all-knowing, and therefore knows everything that will occur in advance. So he would have intended that they become imperfect.

Everyone has an opinion about the existence of god. Why not have a discussion about it? Maybe people will learn something.

This is why I created the thread.

 

[Dre89]

Has anyone here claimed to be a super-expert on the subject? I didn't see anyone making such claims (granted, I didn't go through the whole thread, so please correct me if I'm wrong). What I'm seeing is people trying to have an open debate on religion, discussing what they know, then I see one guy who came in and told everyone "none of you know what you are talking about, stop discussing now."

I understand people want discussion, but on sensitive issues such as religion and homosexuality, it's not best to do it in a general discussion thread, because people will say incorrect and offensive things.

I don't have a problem with people stating their beliefs and why they believe it, its just that it becomes a problem when people turn it into a debate. Throwing out problem of evil questions doesn't really help either.

No, we are not experts. No one is pretending to be (again, correct me if I'm wrong). So what do you expect? Do you expect the topic to be opened, and then have 50 responses of "wow, I would totally toss my opinion in, but I haven't quite finished my 48th theology book, so my opinion means nothing"? No, it's going to be an open discussion.

The problem is it's turned into a debate rather than a discussion. Once people start trying to prove the objective truth of their viewpoint, or dispoint others, it's not good.

It's the debating that I don't like, because it serves no purpose when uneducated people like us debate on it. When I mean educated I mean Professors with PHDs who have spent years of high-level study. So based on that criteria, I don't consider myself adequately educated to talk with authority on these issues.

Have you considered that maybe some people learn a lot through these discussions? Instead of telling people that they don't know anything, join in the discussion, tell them what you know, how they're wrong, and teach them.

Again, the problem is that we're uneducated. You're not going to learn much, or learn mostly incorrect things. The Smash equivalent would be getting tips on competitive play from a casual player who's never been to a tournmanet before.

I have no problem with relaxed healthy discussion, it's just bad when people start attacking other people's beliefs and turn it into a debate.

 

[McFox]

Also Mizu, James Randi will literally give you a million dollars if you can prove your fortune-telling or potions actually work.

 

[GOD!]

Or maybe much of the bible stories were completely pulled out of thin air.

But it doesn't matter, I'm not through my 18th reading of the bible, and I have only read 23 criticisms on the bible, so my opinion doesn't matter. I'll come back in 20 years and try to debate this.


I do actually want to know what people think about the massive amounts of similarities between different creation myths (Greek, Christian, Chinese, etc, etc). Or things like Krishna vs. Jesus.

When you look at Genesis one and say that it isn't a metaphor, what evidence do you have for it? I'm not trying to get into a debate, but its hilarious how people who have read the bible and understand christianity less than others can tell those same people that the story isn't a metaphor.
The point is, you think its a fairy tale, but do you have a reason for that belief? You don't have to have a reason or a degree, I'm just wondering.
The creation account was written in verse anyway... there's nothing logically to point towards a literal interpretation, and given actual dating techniques of the earth, it is not very defensible to say the story is meant literally and Christianity is true at the same time.

And you call them creation myths. I can't tell you about that cause I don't think biblical creation is a myth. And the classic argument that christianity just copies other religions is desperately and terribly wrong. Other religions are about moral effort, christianity says that we can't do anything without god's help. Other religions stress rules, Christianity has no law. It's all in the bible.

 

[McFox]

I have no problem with relaxed healthy discussion, it's just bad when people start attacking other people's beliefs and turn it into a debate.

The only attacks I've really seen in this thread are your attacks of other peoples' credibility.

 

[Dre89]

And finally, I went to Catholic school until I graduated high school and have literally gone to Catholic mass every Sunday (not to mention Holy Days of Obligation!) for the past 23 years, so maybe you shouldn't be so quick to assume what I do or don't know about Catholicism.

Going to a Catholic school does not make you educated in Catholicism lol.

Also, I don't know what it's like in your country, but most Catholic schools teach the faith incorrectly anyway.

And niether does going to mass every Sunday mean you know what you're talking about. It's usually the ones who went to a Catholic school and mass who misrepresent their religion the most.

I'm not saying that you specifically, or everyone who goes to a Catholic school and mass misrepresent the faith, I'm just saying that that's no guarantee that you know what you're talking about.

What I'd call educated Catholics, the theologians, Catholic philosophers, some intelligent priests, and anyone who's studied it at depth.

Going to a Catholic school or even teaching religion in a school does not make you an educated Catholic.

 

[McFox]

Other religions stress rules, Christianity has no law. It's all in the bible.

Odd, I couldve sworn that the Ten Commandments came from the bible. I must be mistaken though, as Christianity has no laws.

 

[Dre89]

The only attacks I've really seen in this thread are your attacks of other peoples' credibility.

What I'm 'attacking' is that other people talk is if they comamnd authority on these issues.

Discussion about religion is great, debate really isn't unless you're well prepared.

I don't know what you study, or if you study, but it'd be like me walking and just saying facts when I have done no study on it at all. You would probably be frustrated too at my lack of respect for the discipline.

It's the same as someone coming in saying Ganondorf is not that bad when he has no knowledge of competitive play. To discuss it would be fine, but to debate it as if it were objective truth wouldn't.

 

[Mizu Moonchild]

Also Mizu, James Randi will literally give you a million dollars if you can prove your fortune-telling or potions actually work.

Interesting... I'm not much of a spell-caster myself, but when I do, I can only really do healing spells. Ha. Also, potions are not supernatural, that's just how it's portrayed on the media - unfortuantely. It's like medicine. (However, nonsense like "love spells" and "love potions" are crap.)

 

[Dre89]

Odd, I couldve sworn that the Ten Commandments came from the bible. I must be mistaken though, as Christianity has no laws.

Or the two different formulations of the Beautitudes.

Edit- McFox, do you see now what I mean when I say people who aren't educated in the field misrepresent religions?

 

[Phantom7]

Odd, I couldve sworn that the Ten Commandments came from the bible. I must be mistaken though, as Christianity has no laws.

Yes, the 10 Commandments came from the Old Testament of the Bible. Besides the 10 Commandments, there are no actual laws, except that you must accept Christ as your savior to earn entrance to Heaven.

 

[GOD!]

Odd, I couldve sworn that the Ten Commandments came from the bible. I must be mistaken though, as Christianity has no laws.

You don't have to be be rude about it. I'm trying to say something and all you can do is be sarcastic?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T00199dEipc
Jesus came to fulfill the law (AKA ten commandments plus everything else in deuteronomy). He fulfilled that. We don't live by that. That is what the entire book of romans is about, living by the spirit.
Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial, we don't live under a law, but by the spirit. There is no code, we simply live by love, where our actions are motivated by love, and not things done out of concentration and work.