Religious people seem to have more bias in these debates.

[Blues Man]

I believe the voice of God comes from within the mind.
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The Minds of the Bible: Speculations on the Cultural Evolution of Human Consciousness - Kindle edition by Cohn, Rabbi James. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

I believe in Julian Jaynes "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind"

So you're saying that people create that voice?

The mind body duality is a great topic. I don't think there is a duality but rather that the mind is a product of the brain and the brain is of the body so the mind and body are all the same.

 

[Anomalism]

If you were to pick a God, how hard is it to look at the various world religions, study and compare them and see for yourself which one is backed up with evidence and compelling reasons to believe?

Lol


And which one is that?

 

[Blues Man]

Consolation for the certainty of death for themselves and everyone they love. They cannot cope with the possibility that their parents and grandparents no longer exist in any meaningful form. Never underestimate how much these people fear death. For this reason I am loath to attack anyone's personal faith. I keep all my criticism on the point where faith intersects politics.

I don't fear death, as a believer. And I didn't fear death when I was an unbeliever. Why should I have, when I didn't believe in God or heaven and hell? And why should a Christian fear death, when we believe that we will be with God in heaven after we die? As someone else mentioned, I can't think of any Christians I know who fear dying.

The Christian obsession with the afterlife is 100% rooted in the fear of death. If you are not worried because you think an eternity of bliss awaits you then your faith has served the purpose for which it was designed. There's no shame in that but I can't do it anymore. The faith of my youth died from a thousand cuts inflicted by this cruel world we were born into.

You didn't get what I was saying. I don't know any Christians who became a believer out of fear of death. That makes no sense, because when you're an unbeliever you don't believe there is anything to fear. When you die, that's it, that's all there is, right? So why would you fear death as an unbeliever? And once you become a believer, there's no need to fear because you will be with God in heaven. So what you're saying makes no sense. The only people who I have heard fear death are lifelong unbelievers who are on their deathbed and then have a last-minute conversion, out of fear that they were wrong.

And yet the bible mentions a reward for obedience as eternity in paradise and the punishment for disobedience as being condemned to living an eternity suffering in hell.

That is nothing but playing on peoples' fear and greed in order to get them to comply.

So if a person chooses to live a good life with no expectation of any reward of eternal bliss and no expectation of eternal punishment if he doesn't how does he compare to the person who lives a good life because he wants to live in eternal bliss as a reward or because he fears the eternal punishment ?

 

[Meriweather]

there is no scientific proof that any gods exist.

Correct. The realm of science is limited to what is physical. God is outside the realm of science.

 

[Meriweather]

And here we go. I disagree with you and you now say I am telling you or anyone else how to live your life and by doing so you validate my very first post in this thread.

You are not telling me how to live my life; therefore I did not say you did. I am explaining my life is not limited to the physical; if the physical mark the boundaries of your life, I truly understand. Not everyone can or want to be explorers (such as those who launched into the sea and those who launched into space.) Nor does everyone want to launch into an area beyond that which is spiritual. I am merely pointing out the boundaries we choose and what we choose to explore further. You detailed your boundaries and I noted I do not limit myself to them.

 

[Meriweather]

and what does taking risks have to do with some invisible spirit?

You might be surprised. But a simple one is to step onto The Way Jesus taught.

 

[Meriweather]

And yet the bible mentions a reward for obedience as eternity in paradise and the punishment for disobedience as being condemned to living an eternity suffering in hell.

That is nothing but playing on peoples' fear and greed in order to get them to comply.

This is a very poor understanding of scripture. Scripture speaks of the eternal. Paradise and hell are eternal, or always with us. Obedience to God's commands results in immediate entrance into paradise (peace, love, joy, goodness) as we live out our lives here on earth. Disobedience to God's commands opens the other door into turmoil, hate, depression, evil (hell) right here, right now, in our life today on earth. Jesus described this latter choice as choosing to live in the city dump where there are always flames and worms. I don't know about you, but I prefer not to live in the city dump.

There is nothing like pointing out the effect to the human spiritual, emotional, and psychological well-being to encourage people to choose well.

 

[Blues Man]

there is no scientific proof that any gods exist.

Correct. The realm of science is limited to what is physical. God is outside the realm of science.

And therefore there is no reliable way to prove the existence of any gods

 

[Blues Man]

and what does taking risks have to do with some invisible spirit?

You might be surprised. But a simple one is to step onto The Way Jesus taught.

I don't call that a risk.

 

[Blues Man]

And here we go. I disagree with you and you now say I am telling you or anyone else how to live your life and by doing so you validate my very first post in this thread.

You are not telling me how to live my life; therefore I did not say you did. I am explaining my life is not limited to the physical; if the physical mark the boundaries of your life, I truly understand. Not everyone can or want to be explorers (such as those who launched into the sea and those who launched into space.) Nor does everyone want to launch into an area beyond that which is spiritual. I am merely pointing out the boundaries we choose and what we choose to explore further. You detailed your boundaries and I noted I do not limit myself to them.

You seem to be saying that everyone should base their own life on your conclusions,

This is what you said to me.

So is it my understanding that you do not include yourself as being among everyone?

And I have never said anyone should live their life in any way other than the way they choose.

 

[Blues Man]

And yet the bible mentions a reward for obedience as eternity in paradise and the punishment for disobedience as being condemned to living an eternity suffering in hell.

That is nothing but playing on peoples' fear and greed in order to get them to comply.

This is a very poor understanding of scripture. Scripture speaks of the eternal. Paradise and hell are eternal, or always with us. Obedience to God's commands results in immediate entrance into paradise (peace, love, joy, goodness) as we live out our lives here on earth. Disobedience to God's commands opens the other door into turmoil, hate, depression, evil (hell) right here, right now, in our life today on earth. Jesus described this latter choice as choosing to live in the city dump where there are always flames and worms. I don't know about you, but I prefer not to live in the city dump.

There is nothing like pointing out the effect to the human spiritual, emotional, and psychological well-being to encourage people to choose well.

You have been telling me the bible deals with more than just our lives here on earth haven't you?

And that's not my understanding of scripture it's what religious people have been saying for as long as I can remember.

"If you don't go to church you'll go to hell" or one of any variations. So it seems to me that it's believers who have a poor understanding of scripture.

 

[Meriweather]

And therefore there is no reliable way to prove the existence of any gods

It's what I've been saying all along. It is also what you have been saying all along. We have agreed on this all along. ???

 

[Meriweather]

I don't call that a risk.

Good to know.

 

[Wyatt earp]

 

[Meriweather]

This is what you said to me.

So is it my understanding that you do not include yourself as being among everyone?

And I have never said anyone should live their life in any way other than the way they choose.

"What you seem to be saying" is not an accusation of you ordering everyone around. It is a remark about an opinion you seem to hold.

Your remarks do not seem to encourage people to explore their faith or the spiritual realm.

 

[Meriweather]

You have been telling me the bible deals with more than just our lives here on earth haven't you?

The Bible deals with the Eternal, i.e, all that was, all that is, all that will be. It does not dissect the present out of the eternal, but addresses it as part of the eternal.

 

[BS Filter]

W C Fields was found reading a Bible on his death bed. He said "I'm looking for loopholes".

 

[Meriweather]

And that's not my understanding of scripture it's what religious people have been saying for as long as I can remember.

And my response to that is the same as it is to flat earthers. It tells me the place they stopped studying and making their own investigations. It's kind of like proudly saying, The hardest problem I worked in math is 9x9=81. Nothing more to learn.

Here is a thought: What if more religious people don't say that, than do say that, and your experience was only a small sample?

 

[Blues Man]

This is what you said to me.

So is it my understanding that you do not include yourself as being among everyone?

And I have never said anyone should live their life in any way other than the way they choose.

"What you seem to be saying" is not an accusation of you ordering everyone around. It is a remark about an opinion you seem to hold.

Your remarks do not seem to encourage people to explore their faith or the spiritual realm.

nor does it discourage them.

 

[Meriweather]

W C Fields was found reading a Bible on his death bed. He said "I'm looking for loopholes".

Grin. Hope he found, "Sins are forgiven."