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@3RU7AL
Tell me what they value, show me their life. It isn't usually that difficult to see what makes life for someone, or what people prefer over the truth.
DEISM is functionally identical to ATHEISM
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@Mopac
Tell me what they value...
Just like dogs, monkeys and potato-bugs, humans have a basic survival matrix that drives them to seek food and shelter and procreation.
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@3RU7AL
I've never heard of a dog, monkey, or a potato-bug that nerded out over comic books and patterned their lives around the aquiring and consuming of comic book related paraphernalia.
You will find both pagans and so called atheists doing this.
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@Mopac
I've never heard of a dog, monkey, or a potato-bug that nerded out over comic books and patterned their lives around the aquiring and consuming of comic book related paraphernalia.You will find both pagans and so called atheists [and Christians and Hindus and Muslims and Jews] doing this.
And yet, they all seek food and shelter and procreation.
There are a variety of strategies (instrumental goals) to reach these specified (terminal) goals. For example, [LINK]
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@3RU7AL
Food, shelter, and procreation alone can only do so much for spiritual wellbeing.
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@Mopac
I think what you call "spiritual wellbeing", I call "serotonin". For example, [LINK]Food, shelter, and procreation alone can only do so much for spiritual wellbeing.
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@3RU7AL
I kindly ask you to stop sending me youtube links, I cannot watch videos.
In otherwords, you think that spiritual wellbeing is simply a matter of being on the right drugs.
I would say you are very off the mark on this one.
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@Mopac
In otherwords, you think that spiritual wellbeing is simply a matter of being on the right drugs.
You obviously don't know what serotonin is.
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@3RU7AL
I am pretty sure the right drugs will float your serotonin levels in perpetual happy land.
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@Mopac
I am pretty sure the right drugs will float your serotonin levels in perpetual happy land.
I'm pretty sure the majority of the social activities associated with Church-going ALSO boost your serotonin levels.
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@3RU7AL
Except I am not claiming that serotonin has anything to do with spirituality. You are the one doing this, and I absolutely reject this claim.
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@Mopac
I'm pretty sure the majority of the social activities associated with Church-going ALSO boost your serotonin levels.
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@3RU7AL
Irrelevant.
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@3RU7AL
I'm sure smoking dope will boost your serotonin levels.
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@Mopac
I'm pretty sure the majority of the social activities associated with Church-going ALSO boost your serotonin levels.
Why do you think all religions gather at regular intervals and sing together and eat banquet style meals together?
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@3RU7AL
I am sure you have your theories, but as you do not have the.mind of the church I am certain that they amount to little more than plausible sounding explanations that are off the mark.
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@Mopac
I mean, I'm sure you believe your one true god rewards the members of your Church with a serotonin boost because they picked the right god, but why would your god boost the serotonin levels of all the heathens, you know?
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@3RU7AL
Because serotonin levels, as I stated, has nothing to do with spirituality.
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@Mopac
Because serotonin levels, as I stated, has nothing to do with spirituality.
Why are they so highly correlated?
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@3RU7AL
Social activities tend to make people happy. Social activities have very little to do with one's spiritual development. That is a personal relationship with God. True spirituality does not always involve being happy, indeed if it did, it would not be referred to as the path of sorrows. It is never an easy thing to purge oneself of corrupt influence, addiction, and the passions. This is even harder if you make these things a matter of your own personal identity. It is not always a pleasant thing, and it is often very painful to overcome one's delusions. This can only be done by that helper, the comforter, that Holy Spirit of Truth. God gives grace to those that strive for Him with a pure and humble heart.
I can say in my own life, as someone who has had to do an awful lot of repenting... there have been many times where change was not easy, particularly things that I built my identity around. For those things, change was accompanied by an awful lot of kicking and screaming.
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@3RU7AL
I would suggest that most debate is largely based on automatic gainsaying. One might even say that it is the nature of debate.
Nonetheless as previously stated and assuming that I understand it correctly, I am actually in agreement with the opening premise.
And on reflection I would also suggest that I only question rather than gainsay the ensuing rhetoric.
So I agree and I question, rather than deny and contradict.
Therefore, as lovely a word as gainsay is, I would have to say that your use of it, did not correctly relate to our previous discourse.
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@zedvictor4
I see, so you're abandoning your "this is unresolvable" assertion?
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@Mopac
Social activities tend to make people happy. Social activities have very little to do with one's spiritual development. That is a personal relationship with God.
So why do people participate in social activities at Church/Temple/Synagogue/Mosque?
True spirituality does not always involve being happy, indeed if it did, it would not be referred to as the path of sorrows.
So what about Proverbs 10:28, "The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing." and these too, [LINK]
It is never an easy thing to purge oneself of corrupt influence, addiction, and the passions. This is even harder if you make these things a matter of your own personal identity. It is not always a pleasant thing, and it is often very painful to overcome one's delusions.
Ok, but what about...
This can only be done by that helper, the comforter, that Holy Spirit of Truth.
So doesn't the comfort cancel out all the bad stuff?
God gives grace to those that strive for Him with a pure and humble heart.
There you go, so it's all worth it in the end, ammiright?
I can say in my own life, as someone who has had to do an awful lot of repenting... there have been many times where change was not easy, particularly things that I built my identity around. For those things, change was accompanied by an awful lot of kicking and screaming.
But, just like ripping off a bandage, you feel much better afterward?
So why do people participate in social activities at Church/Temple/Synagogue/Mosque?
To socialize of course.
So what about Proverbs 10:28, "The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing."so it's all worth it in the end, ammiright?Like ripping off a bandage, you feel much better afterward?
Of course, delusion very naturally leads to suffering, and fighting delusion with delusion or medication can only do so much to mask the problem.
With God there is a certain peace that surpasses understanding, a real spiritual joy that transcends the suffering of this life. Joy is certainly a fruit of the spirit.
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@Mopac
So why do people participate in social activities at Church/Temple/Synagogue/Mosque?To socialize of course.
But if your relationship with god is a private affair, why bother going to a Church merely for socialization and not some other place?
Of course, delusion very naturally leads to suffering, and fighting delusion with delusion or medication can only do so much to mask the problem.With God there is a certain peace that surpasses understanding, a real spiritual joy that transcends the suffering of this life. Joy is certainly a fruit of the spirit.
Ok, so god does promise to make you feel better (probably with a steady supply of serotonin).
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@3RU7AL
Do you really find it strange that people who share the same interests, even faith, would meet up together for various reasons? But we are a community, and we look out for eachother like family. It is good for the church to have fellowship.
If you are talking about our liturgy, no, that isn't so much for socializing as it is worship in common.
As long as you are in the meat suit, suffering is a fact of life. God can certainly grant peace, stability, and contentment in times of suffering, such that one can be transcended of one's own sufferings.
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@Mopac
Peace, stability, and contentment are available to many beliefs and many religions that have nothing to do with yours.
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@3RU7AL
That isn't what the faith is about. You will likely find many psychopaths who appear to have peace, stability, and contentment.
Charity work isn't solely the domain of Christians either, but many who are wrong reduce Christianity to a type of moral pietism. It isn't that either.
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@Mopac
+proHUMAN +proFAMILY
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@3RU7AL
We believe that human beings are made in God's image and we consider marriage a sacred mystery. I'd say we are prohuman and profamily.