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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">A little bit of a joke... but as taken from Nacho LibreQuote:
Originally posted by SarahS:
I think Miss Nellie has a good point. I will definitely listen to science and history before Bible quotes.
"I don't believe in God... I believe in SCY.. ENCE... I know this water gypsy..."
Oh that movie made my so happy..
Well the problem with that is that some poeple you are speaking to don't believe the bible you have to show them why to believe the bible... such as if the bible said the world is going to end tomorrow... yes according to science the sun will be rising tomorrow... and shouldn't implode for another few million years... however science can't predict every metor in route... if north korea will use its nucs... or if some obscure terrorist has created a deadly bio-weapon that will infect the world inless the 24 hours killing people instantly.
Science tells us these things ARE possible, and that leads to the bible being accurate about end times.
For example... 100 years ago grapes and oranges blooming in the Holy Lands would have been unbelievable...with today's genetic engineering and advanced algriculture methods... not only is this fictional idea a possibility, as stated in the bible, but a REALITY.
Yes, science, true science, is always compatible with the Bible. Actually, so is history (which shows that all of the prophecies (that are not set for the future) have come true.)
I believe faith is much more important than science (read Hebrews 11), though. I guess some people need science, even if only to lead them to faith. But those who need science to prove everything to them will never be sure because there are some things about God we are not able to and are not meant to know.
A few things:
If you're talking about the world ending, you need to explain what the means. Sounds like you're talking about people going extinct? I guess, define "the world". Because that just makes me think of the planet, and none of the things mentioned will destroy the planet, unless it's a really, really big meteor.
How does science explain people living for 100s of years in the Bible?
Isn't it odd that we capitalize "Bible" but not "the"? I mean, it's a title of a book. And if the title is just supposed to be "Bible," then why do we put the "the" in front of it at all?
Science can agree that some things we are not able to know (though we hope in the future we are), but the issue of not being meant to know is more ethical than scientific (we do see discussions on scientific porgress of this sort). So science isn't completely different than faith.
I cannot believe that any one religion is right and the rest is wrong, so I believe they are all right. They are interpretting something so far beyond our current comprehension that it's scary. We find ways to make it more familiar and less scary. God is anthropomorphizing It. Other religions have animorphized It. I'm cool with thinking we don't know jack. But I imagine It to be something closer to what we call energy or spirit. The beauty of religions is that they allow people to form communities, which I think is an important part of It. Unfortunately, I have trouble getting past the negatives of religions. In order to form communities, others have to be left out.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You know, I think that's a really interesting philosophy. Terry Pratchett onece wrote that "I think perhaps the most important problem is that we are trying to understand the fundamental workings of the universe via a language devised for telling one another when the best fruit is."Quote:
Originally posted by SarahS:
I cannot believe that any one religion is right and the rest is wrong, so I believe they are all right. They are interpretting something so far beyond our current comprehension that it's scary. We find ways to make it more familiar and less scary. God is anthropomorphizing It. Other religions have animorphized It. I'm cool with thinking we don't know jack. But I imagine It to be something closer to what we call energy or spirit. The beauty of religions is that they allow people to form communities, which I think is an important part of It.
I'm sure I don't know what's going or why it's happening on most of the time. But hey, that's how it is, so I'm cool with it.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I really don't agree completely with any religion, so I sort of take the good stuff that makes sense and leave the rest.Quote:
Unfortunately, I have trouble getting past the negatives of religions. In order to form communities, others have to be left out.
Religions are more than just communities. They are ways of life...at least Christianity is supposed to be that way. It is supposed to permeate everything we do. Also, everyone is welcome to become a Christian, so really, no one is left out.
While there are some things we aren't meant to know, there are some things we can and do know, that which is in the Bible. There is no "making God into something we humans can understand." We were made in His image, so we already know somewhat what God is like. Then we have the Bible, which tells us the rest of what we're supposed to know. There are some things we just won't know until we get to Heaven.
One day, all will know that Jesus is the Christ and Son of the Living God. Then all will bow to Jesus...no matter what they may have previously believed.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I just meant that communities are the good thing that comes out of all religions. I find everything else questionable. Religion as a way of life leads people to do really good and really bad things.Quote:
Originally posted by Tra:
Religions are more than just communities.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">There's a writer I like quite a lot that wrote (and I'm paraphrasing here) that it's better to have ideas about things than it is to have beliefs because it's a lot easier to change an idea as you grow and get new information and form your own opinions than it is to have beliefs that you never change and never question.Quote:
Originally posted by SarahS:
Religion as a way of life leads people to do really good and really bad things.
Personally I just try to be a good person, try to help people when I can, etc. If that's not enough in the end, whatever.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">But how are people supposed to know what "the right thing" is unless they think for themselves? Wiccans believe that Wicca is The Right Thing. You've stated that you believe that Christianity is The Right Thing. Muslims believe that Islam is The Right Thing. Buddhists believe that Buddhism is The Right Thing.Quote:
Originally posted by Tra:
I think I prefer beliefs, because it is so important to believe the right thing and to believe it all the time, not just change it at the drop of a hat.
People have different life experiences. Some people are raised into their faiths, while others convert from one to another later in life. What exactly, without quoting any holy books, makes any one faith more valid than another?
There are many different beliefs that are The Right Thing to many different people, so perhaps it's just best for someone to decide what is The Right Thing for them.
It seems to me that different people have different needs, emotionally and spiritually. Some of these needs can be met better by different forms of faith. Personally I don't think a god that can't understand that is a god worth believing in.
Everyone may think they are truly the happiest they can be in their religion...they're not. Only Christianity leads to true happiness as only following God and doing His will leads to good.