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My question is, what led you to your conclusion? Who or what affected this decision?
Belinda... & Zig... I don't know much about the Da Vinci Code... but, if it promotes unbelief, I can tell you who its author is... and that is Satan. It is his job to destroy faith, as fast as it is trying to take root in a persons life, and he has been around since the begining of time, he knows all the tricks, he knows our weaknesses... and he preys upon them... he is a vulture... snatching away any grain or morsel of truth that comes our way... however... if we are persistant, we can overcome all his objections... with Gods help... faith if the key...
EXU... Do not be afraid of bashing... consider it as Goliath... and take the tiny stone that God has given you, and hit it right between the eyes, just as David did!!! RESIST THE ENEMY ... AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU !!! YOu know the truth, and you have the armies of heaven behind you, along with the word of God, in your hand, and in your heart, and in your mouth...SPEAK IT!!! As for the truth that you have found about evolution, please pursue this... many do not know about this truth... you do... I urge you to shout it from the housetops... find the courage within... you are Gods messanger... speak...Make a post... share it everywhere you go... this is your tibbit of information... that many do not have. ... This is the way God works... you appear to be a very young man... yet.. you have found or been led to a profound truth... Many are held out of the Kingdom, because of the teachings of evolution... and this truth... is powerful enough to shatter the previous thinking on this subject... it needs to be known... I urge you to continue speaking this, and elaborate on it, pursue it, with all your heart, for it is a key that will unlock multitudes out of their cell of unbelief... If you did nothing else, in your lifetime, but share this one truth... it is more than enough... Do not be afraid... God has intrusted you with this knowledge... go with it...
I was brought up without belief in gods or goddesses. When I came home from school with bible stories, my mother told me local polynesian tribal stories to put them in perspective. So I can't really understand people's desperate need to believe in gods or goddesses - or just one. It seems too much like an Invisible Friend to me.
Most things, we believe in them because we have lots of direct evidence. We are told to believe in god/dess/es with only the flimsiest of indirect evidence, and then told that believing itself is virtuous and part of the process, but that ('faith") is cheating. Anything else, if you believe it without enough evidence, we call "gullible". What makes religous claims different?
And on the other side there's that whole fear trip - if you don't believe, you'll go to Hell! Oh foo. I go with Tom Paine: "Scorn bribe of heaven or threat of hell." These are just tricks the religion meme uses to promote its own survival.
Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion" is very simply written and clear. For evolution, read any of his other books, like "Climbing Mount Improbable". Evolution is just common sense when you look at how:- cats, tigers and lions; dogs, foxes and wolves; apples and pears; oranges, lemons and limes; bees, wasps and hornets; etc etc - are so obviously related. Just take it that one step further - we're ALL related. I find that idea very uplifting.
Hugh, Before you get on your High horse I'd like to tell you I'm an Avid Creationist. . . But Given the size of the Ark if we had 2 of every type of animal including each of every type of Dog, cat, mouse, horse,cow and so on we would need to make the ark about 20 times larger. we have types of Animals that we didn't have 100 years ago like the timber shepard (Dog) and others they are a stable breed of dog like other animals and 100 of species have vanished over the last couple of hundred years. With out micro-evolution we would all be the same color with the same color skin,eyes and hair and the same height. . . and we would all look just alike and sound alike. . . I'm not the worlds smartest guy but I am pretty well versed in the subject of creation And understand DNA lose is part of getting older but don't see what it has to do with micro- Evolution which is governed by diet and breeding. . . and there is a differance between Mico and Macro evelution Micro is possible with diet and breedin in a few generations while Macro takes millions of years. . . the world is only about 6000 years old.
Satans greatest ability is to persuade men something other than the truth. We believers may be taking a beating now... but, when Jesus splits that eastern sky... we will see who has the last say...
To those of you with faith... hold onto it with all your might, it is under attack now more than ever, don't let those without God rob you of what you have. God knew this time was coming and he warned us about it, you see the evidence of it all around... do not let it sway you, the word says that the times that we are in, and going toward, are the worst that ever have been or ever will be again... expect this kind of thing... and expect it to grow worse, not better... But, take heart, God is preparing himself a bride... one without spot or wrinkle...and he is taking out of this world a people for himself... ones that have been proven and are true... ones that will follow him, his word, and his spirit, no matter what the personal cost, is to them... ones that will stand fast, in the face of persecution... Ones that will hold fast to the truth...
God be with each of you...That believe...
Satan? Why doesn't God kill him? He could give/kill his own Son, you say...
"To those of you with faith... hold onto it with all your might ..." Faith ... in Adonai, Adonis, Ahura Mazda, Allah, Amon, Anubis, Aphrodite, Apollo, Astarte, Atlas, Azarial, Baal, Baast, Bacchus, Baldir, Bangputtis, Beelzebub, Belial, Bellona, Bendis, Brahma, Bran, Ceres, Cupid, Dagon, Demeter, Diana, Dionysus, Eris, Freia, Fricka, Gaia, Ganesh, Hanuman, Hekate, Hephaestus, Hera, Hercules, Horus, Imhotep, Inanna, Indra, Ishtar, Isis, Janus, Jeebo, Jesus, Juno, Jupiter, Kali, Krishna, Kwan Yin, Lakshmi, Loge, Ma'at, Manannan mac Lir, Mars, Mercury, Merodak, Minerva, Nana Buluku, Nanook, Neptune, Nut, Occupim, Odin, Ogma, Osiris, Pan, Parvati, Persephone, Pluto, Pomona, Poseidon, Potrimpos, Priapus, Ptah, Quetzalcoatl, Ra, Rama, Saraswati, Saturn, Set, Shiva, Sophia, Tangaroa, Thanatos, Thor, Thoth, Uranus, Venus, Vesta, Vishnu, Waaq, Wotan, Xochiquetzal, Yahweh or Zeus?
See the problem?
(Just continuing to answer your question, Silverwings.)
xiigzag: maybe you're not used to books that stick to the facts. For extended rants, just look at the bible, and worse, the qu'ran. People admire Dawkins because he's one of the clearest thinkers in the world, and unlike a cult we're free to disagree with him on any issue, and do.
Yes, ethically we shouldn't eat our close kin such as the gorillas and chimpanzees, and few of us do. As for the rest, eating and being eaten is part of nature, and we are part of nature.
rnealw: you're absolutely right that the Ark would have been far to small to hold the extraordinary diversity of life on earth - just another reason not to believe in it. To clarify, the mechanism by which one animal or plant becomes different breeds is exactly the same as the mechanism by which it becomes different species, genera, classes, etc, it just takes longer.
As for believing that the earth is only about 6000 years old, that's been compared to believing that New York is only a few yards from San Francisco
Mr. Smed, to try to answer your questions as to my understanding,
The bible came from God, thru the direct inspirition of the Holy Spirit, as he moved upon men of God. (that were already believers)
God talked to certain individuals, in order that his words would be recorded for the rest of us, he does talk to us now, but, we have to be believers first, and second, we have to then discern how he is talking. That is an idea for another post... Thank you !!!
As to the praying to a god... little g... any god... I think that shows faith on your part in believing that there is a power out there that is greater than what we see in everyday life, and that believing as I do, that God... big G... is above every god... little g... that eventually you will come to the realization that every god... little g... has failed you... so, in effect, your pursuit of faith, will lead you to the one true God... big G.
There is no difference between microevolution and macroevolution except one takes longer. No innate boundaries have ever been found between species. When they become sufficiently different, they can't breed together any more, that's all. Humans bred dogs from wolves, but now they are different species. That's artificial selection. When it happens naturally, it's evolution.
Theology? A study without a subject. And Dawkins is not Darwin. You may disagree with The God Delusion, but whatever else its faults, it's not "a horrible piece of crap."
Another answer: I don't believe in God or YHWH or Allah for the same reason you don't believe in Thor or Zeus or Osiris or Odin or Tangaroa or ... Just one God less (or three, depending how you count them).
"as for evolution, its been disproven cause they realised that when we mutate, we lose DNA codes instead of make new ones. and if we start from single cell organisms, losing DNA would just cause us to become worse and worse."
This doesn't show any understanding of evolution at all. It's not just about mutation. Mutation is one of several ways that genetic variation occurs, providing the raw material on which natural selection acts.
Evolution occurs fastest in bacteria and viruses, because they breed fastest, so we have new forms all the time - that's why we have to have a different flu vaccine every year, why we haven't got a vaccine for AIDS yet, and why MRSA is such a worry. The flu virus, HIV and MRSA don't seem to be running out of DNA!
Silverwings- if you don't like it here and think we're all a bunch of dirty heathens, you have the choice to leave. I live my life the best way I know how- I try not to hurt people, and I follow my heart. That is religion enough for me. Don't you dare tell me that I do not live a good life because I choose not to believe in "God". Your belief does not make you any 'better' than me, just like my membership to Mensa does not make me any 'better' than you.
Everyone here has the right to choose what they believe in. If this website is your latest project, and you're going to try to convert us, I suggest you quit now. Your religion is your religion. I accept you for that. Please accept that many of us do not want it shoved in our faces.
No Hugh, there is no problem, except in your mind, I am speaking of faith in the one true and living God, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, and you know it, you just want to argue the point. Why don't you start your own unbelieving post, with all your gods... this one is about the true God.
Captain, the spirit that you have is the same as the one that put Jesus on the cross... You and your cohorts are only here to tear down others faith, you have nothing good to say, nothing to build up one in the faith, your only intention is to tear down... evil to the bone... I guess the Christians will have to leave if we are to have any peace, and you heathens can have the board...
I meant Dawkins. My mistake.
it's not 'a horrible piece of crap.'
It's an extended rant I'd expect from a twenty-something-year-old, not an intelligent professor who has his own fan club (slash cult) all over the world. I don't disagree with most of Dawkins's thoughts, but my god, The God Delusion is a horrible piece of crap.
Just take it that one step further - we're ALL related. I find that idea very uplifting.
Please explain how that idea is uplifting. I'm not dismissing the theory of evolution, but I personally find it disheartening that I'm currently stabbing my distant relative with a fork.
Chewing it right now.
Silverwings, you asked us why we don't believe in God, and we're giving you honest answers. I don't believe in "the one true and living God, the God of Abraham/Ibrahim (don't forget Ibrahim - your God is also Allah), Isaac and Jacob" for exactly the same reasons I don't believe in any of those others. So why don't you believe in any of them, you almost-atheist? They were all thought to be "true and living" once, and many still are.
As for your response to Captain, the sheep's clothing soon comes off, doesn't it? If you wanted peace, you never should have asked why we don't believe in your god (or any others).
Me, rnealw? You are completely misreading me. I believe in evolution and I don't believe in god/dess/es. But it is not essential to believe in evolution, to disbelieve in god/dess/es. Evolution was the great idea that first made special creation unnecessary, but that doesn't mean that if evolution was overthrown we would have to go back to special creation. There might be some other naturalistic explanation altogether that we haven't thought of yet. Science is a search for answers (constant and probably endless), not a claim to have found answers.
XX... I understand your delima... many are at the same place that you are, but, the good that I see is that you have faith, and hopefully that faith will lead you into all truth. We have to start with the understanding that we have, before we can move into a different understanding.Hearing or reading the word of God, builds faith, and you are in the religion category... so... I see that as an indication that you want to understand more about God , his word, and his interaction people on this earth.
Blessings...
i'm probably gonna get bashed down for this but i believe there is a God. firstly the voice of God can only be heard if u let him. its was never a loud booming voice even in the old testament. its a soft yet clear voice that can only be heard if u keep a close walk with him.
as for evolution, its been disproven cause they realised that when we mutate, we lose DNA codes instead of make new ones. and if we start from single cell organisms, losing DNA would just cause us to become worse and worse.
rnealw: are you seriously saying some ancestral cat on the Ark micro-evolved into lions, tigers, lynxes, leopards, pumas and moggies in the last 6000 years? And the regional ones all migrated to their own areas, such as South America, in that time?
Darwin sailed on the Beagle a Creationist, but the extraordinary diversity, and cruelty, of life forced him to find another explanation. Modern Creationists still haven't explained either of those - they don't even seem to be trying.
RNeal... Sorry... when you look at your username on here it looks just like mealw... Maybe if you re intered it in caps... if that is possible... it might read right. I can see it now, that you have pointed it out, but, I didn't see it before... however, I am over 50, and wear glasses... which need to be upgraded to a stronger version...
My memory is not too good either, but, I will try to remember to address you correctly...
Blessings...
Captain... it shows how powerful words are... they are like swords... in the hand of the user... whether to bring faith or unbelief... this is our war... the war of words... our soldiers are fighting the fleshly battle and we at home are fighting the spiritual battle... there are casualties on both sides... but, the one thing that we need to remember is that FREEDOM IS NEVER FREE...
Not the Christians... just YOU.
And others who THINK like you. Your way of thinking is an old festering lesion, on the foot of the Christian community. And LIKE a lesion, your way of thinking will eventually dry up, scab over, and eventually disappear. There are good Christians out there; In fact there are good Christians on this site. You're just NOT one of them...
God be with each of you...That believe...
Condemning the non-believers again? You are truly the poster-child for distorted theistic zeal. And you will surely receive a divine-b*tch-slap from the Jeezinator when he 'splits that Eastern sky' for not knowing your place.
To quote the Gravemind: "This one is but flesh and faith, and is the more deluded."
I don't know much about the Da Vinci Code... but, if it promotes unbelief, I can tell you who its author is... and that is Satan.
Yeah, I have no doubt that Dan Brown is a spawn of Satan. Horrible writing and plagiarism... and he is somehow a best-selling author. He's using his dark power indeed.
There is nothing that led me to believe there is no God. Because I believe there is God if I am wrong then who made us, who made the world, who control everything. The biggest prove when I am ask my God for any thing that I need such us for help and I see the result that’s mean there is God.
Belinda, I have seen this answer pop up before concerning attending a Catholic school, as the reason to not believe in God. Would you mind to elaborate on this, please, so that we can have a better understanding of why this is, when the Catholic religion is supposed to be Christian?
The DaVinci Code is outright slanderous, so I hope that anyone who has read that book will have the good sense not to believe it. I also hope that anyone who doesn't believe in God will one day find Him. If anyone has any questions about faith, please funmail me!
Well be inturept the bible in many diffrent ways. I do belive in god, but on the otherhand I do not! There is two ways of looking at it and one is of course is god and the second evelution. Both ways make sense to me!
Jesus. Someone actually included The Da Vinci Code in their answer. Goes to show how influential Dan Brown is as a fiction writer.
...or L. Ron Hubbard, for that matter.
Ya'll need do define between Evolution and Micro-Evolution. one being man came from asingle cell organism the other that a chihuahua and a great dane come from the same species.
this is getting ugly. Subject locked . If you wih to restart the subject you may ask again. but please be respectful of others and what they believe.
Jesus. Someone actually included The Da Vinci Code in their answer. Goes to show how influential Dan Brown is as a fiction writer.
The God Delusion is a horrible piece of crap. Darwin may be an expert on evolution, but he really should stay away from theology.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1) that i all i have to say
Meal... thanks for the input, but, I am trying to get a feel for what causes people to not believe in God... big G...
I may be completely misreading you. But are you saying you don't believe in evolution and you don't believe in God?
I read the da vinci code and found it interesting but it didn't make me doubt Gods word. . . .
Hey I don't believe in god but I do believe in God. . . . does this question include me?
Why does everyone thing my user name is mealw. . . it's RNEALW
The DaVinci code, Common sense Attending a catholic school.
Uhhh... okay. Are we talking about the same thing?
Ok. . . . Now Back on Silverwings Topic.
