I am offering a verse that Paul wrote to the Romans, which included people who believed in many Gods--or no God. He noted that God's ways are written on our hearts, meaning within us. It is part of who we are as humans. There is no need for you to agree with Paul. In fact, I "insist" you make up your own mind.
Why predict? Seek and find.
Seek and find what?
No he's thinking of his own salvation and doing what he is told he as to do to get it.
The claim that someone named Paul wrote ''God's ways are written on our hearts'' is presumed to be true and unassailable? Other than someone having a predisposition or compelling need to believe that, why should anyone but a Christian believer accept it as true?I am offering a verse that Paul wrote to the Romans, which included people who believed in many Gods--or no God. He noted that God's ways are written on our hearts, meaning within us. It is part of who we are as humans. There is no need for you to agree with Paul. In fact, I "insist" you make up your own mind.
It's perfectly okay, but it would be nice if they were honest about their intentions and acknowledge that they have a problem with people holding beliefs they don't like. You KNOW why Evangelical Christians knock on your door, they're concerned for your eternal situation, but there's no such incentive for an atheist to, as the OP has stated, hold thousands of debates on the subject. Again, what does the atheist gain?
Life is of greatest value, whether it was lived before any religion, before science, before a democratic government. Whether a person has a religion or no religion, human life has meaning/value. Period. Of course that is independent of belief in God! Who is arguing that it is not?
We were speaking of God. Seek and find God. If you want. If you don't want, that is fine, too.
No. I know/depend on those who are. I also look for independent translations. I've been doing this for years, decades now. Why? Because in places, the modern English version of the Bible--when the English is taken literally--to me seemed like a jumble that made little sense. I highly recommend the original languages and the study of Biblical cultures and histories.
What we know is that those words are attributed to Paul. Whether you believe that or not is immaterial. Do those words have a point? If your answer is, "No" then move on.
Questioning and challenging can be done sitting down. For people who are more interested in action, I recommend seeking. You will find.
Even if you believe the Bible, there is nothing that "proves" or provides evidence that it is the Word of God. If you are looking for proof, you will not find it. That is like searching for dinosaurs in a beehive.
The Bible is clear about "belief" and consequences for the heathen. And, according to the Bible, the gods are very quick to ruthlessly slaughter masses of people on a whim - being a disappointment to them. The slaughters committed by the Christian gods are, you know, biblical.
From someone who has studied myths, fables, folklore, etc., if it is "plagiarism" someone did a terrible job at plagiarizing. Bet we can find most schools of thought in the Bible, just as we can find most schools of thought in fables, myths, and folklore. Humanity shares common experiences, so I find it astonishing you seem to expect the Bible to be something isolated and unrepeated.
"the Bible is testimony from those who have either experienced or believed in God"
And here is the ultimate circle back to the English/Modern Western Culture literally interpreting the Bible. I repeat: It pays to do the research on the history/culture/intent of the original author(s) and what they wished to teach their original audience. That is who they were speaking to...not you.
In part. I seek to gain an acknowledgement that we can live our es free from ancient fears and superstitions, that we are the ones responsible for how we live our lives and also, to understand the dangers in allowing religious extremists to force fundamentalist Christianity into the school system.
