Searching for GOD...

[Stranger]

This theme was echoed in Sunday's Gospel reading just over a week ago.  In John's Gospel, Jesus talks of people who prefer to live in the darkness than come out into the light.  It does take strength and courage for people to leave their comfort zones and embrace the challenges of the Christian message, but God gives strength to those who seek Him.

Wow - people preferring darkness, needing strength and courage to leave their comfort zones - the irony!

I wonder if you'll ever have the courage and strength to leave your comfort zone and face the challenge of the questions and arguments that have been posted here, face on and without evasion and avoidance...?

[bluehillside Retd.]

This theme was echoed in Sunday's Gospel reading just over a week ago.  In John's Gospel, Jesus talks of people who prefer to live in the darkness than come out into the light.  It does take strength and courage for people to leave their comfort zones and embrace the challenges of...

Such a shame AB doesn't "do" irony. That's a humdinger.

[Alan Burns]

Wow - people preferring darkness, needing strength and courage to leave their comfort zones - the irony!

I wonder if you'll ever have the courage and strength to leave your comfort zone and face the challenge of the questions and arguments that have been posted here, face on and without evasion and avoidance...?

Having discovered the truth of God's love for us, I know without any doubt that nothing can ever take this away from me.

[Nearly Sane]

Having discovered the truth of God's love for us, I know without any doubt that nothing can ever take this away from me.

  Look at the cheese mountain, artichokes are further away. The dreams are like shrapnel.

[Stranger]

...
I wonder if you'll ever have the courage and strength to leave your comfort zone and face the challenge of the questions and arguments that have been posted here, face on and without evasion and avoidance...?

Having discovered the truth of God's love for us, I know without any doubt that nothing can ever take this away from me.

I guess that's a 'no' then...

[bluehillside Retd.]

NS,

Look at the cheese mountain, artichokes are further away. The dreams are like shrapnel.

Wise words for us all there I think.

[bluehillside Retd.]

AB,

Having discovered the truth of God's love for us, I know without any doubt that nothing can ever take this away from me.

You seem to be proud of telling us that you have a closed mind. Why?

[torridon]

Having discovered the truth of God's love for us, I know without any doubt that nothing can ever take this away from me.

and the reason why God would hide this love, such that people have to search for it, some never finding it, some never knowing they have to search for it in the first place, is ....

[ippy]

Having discovered the truth of God's love for us, I know without any doubt that nothing can ever take this away from me.

Don't worry Alan, this can't possibly be taken away from you.

The usual sympathetic commiserations to you Alan, ippy.

[Alan Burns]

AB,

You seem to be proud of telling us that you have a closed mind. Why?

I am proud to witness to the truth of God's love.

[Alan Burns]

and the reason why God would hide this love, such that people have to search for it, some never finding it, some never knowing they have to search for it in the first place, is ....

It is not God who hides His love from us.

[Stranger]

I am proud to witness to the truth of God's love.

The transparent evasion and avoidance of logic and awkward questions really isn't a great advert for your beliefs. More likely to elicit pity than anything else, I would suggest...

[torridon]

It is not God who hides His love from us.

So why the Searching for God then ?

If it wasn't hidden people wouldn't have to go searching would they.

[Alan Burns]

So why the Searching for God then ?

If it wasn't hidden people would have to go searching would they.

I did not say God was not hidden from us - just that it is not God doing the hiding.

[Nearly Sane]

I did not say God was not hidden from us - just that it is not God doing the hiding.

so your god cannot choose but to be hidden

[torridon]

I did not say God was not hidden from us - just that it is not God doing the hiding.

So what or whom has hidden God ?

And if God is omnipotent, why does he allow this to happen ?

[Stranger]

I did not say God was not hidden from us - just that it is not God doing the hiding.

So why is it allowing itself to be hidden?

There really is no rational reason why an omnipotent, omniscient god, who has an important message for its creation, would have any difficulty making it plain to everybody. Indeed, if the message was really important to us, it would make said god unjust and unfair if it did not make it clear.

Yet here we are, without a hint of a morsel of a scintilla of a reason to think that there even is a god, let alone have any clarity as to any message - just lots of different groups of people, all with different beliefs and 'messages', that look for all the world like nothing but primitive superstitions. Exactly like there is no god at all...

[bluehillside Retd.]

AB,

I am proud to witness to the truth of God's love.

What you actually said was, “Having discovered the truth of God's love for us, I know without any doubt that nothing can ever take this away from me.” If nothing can ever change your mind on something, then by definition your mind is closed – that’s what these words mean.

When I asked you why you were proud of telling us you have a closed mind, you ignored the question though and posted an irrelevance about being “proud to witness the truth of God’s love”. While I don’t doubt that this is a personal belief you hold sincerely (albeit one you cannot validate with a cogent argument) it has nothing to do with the question you were actually asked.   

So again, why are you proud of having a closed mind - in this case closed to even the possibility that you could be wrong?

I’ll be grateful if this time you’ll drop the slipperiness and just answer the question head on. If you cannot or will not do that though, can I suggest that you at least stop telling us about your “honesty” in future given that we’ll know it’s a busted flush?

Thanks.

[ippy]

AB,

What you actually said was, “Having discovered the truth of God's love for us, I know without any doubt that nothing can ever take this away from me.” If nothing can ever change your mind on something, then by definition your mind is closed – that’s what these words mean.

When I asked you why you were proud of telling us you have a closed mind, you ignored the question though and posted an irrelevance about being “proud to witness the truth of God’s love”. While I don’t doubt that this is a personal belief you hold sincerely (albeit one you cannot validate with a cogent argument) it has nothing to do with the question you were actually asked.   

So again, why are you proud of having a closed mind - in this case closed to even the possibility that you could be wrong?

I’ll be grateful if this time you’ll drop the slipperiness and just answer the question head on. If you cannot or will not do that though, can I suggest that you at least stop telling us about your “honesty” in future given that we’ll know it’s a busted flush?

Thanks.

What's up Alan? Can't give a truthful answer because it'll burst your pathetic closed minded bubble?

I suppose we must all be agents for the devil, and you're like a martyr going through a trial of your faith, it has to be something like that inside your head, nowhere else, or the posts you place, (I nearly wrote, 'your answers'), here wouldn't be so daft.

Have the guts, the manners to give a rational and logical answer to Blue, it's long overdue.

[bluehillside Retd.]

ipster,

What's up Alan? Can't give a truthful answer because it'll burst your pathetic closed minded bubble?

I suppose we must all be agents for the devil, and you're like a martyr going through a trial of your faith, it has to be something like that inside your head, nowhere else, or the posts you place, (I nearly wrote, 'your answers'), here wouldn't be so daft.

Have the guts, the manners to give a rational and logical answer to Blue, it's long overdue.

To be fair, he might have a good reason to be away from here for a bit. My guess if he ever does reply is that he'll collapse into faux honest injun mode ("I can only share what God tells me to") or into circular reasoning ("I know I can be certain of God's existence because God has told me that he's certainly there" etc). He has some other bad arguments as stand by options, but those two are his main fallacies of choice.   

[ippy]

ipster,

To be fair, he might have a good reason to be away from here for a bit. My guess if he ever does reply is that he'll collapse into faux honest injun mode ("I can only share what God tells me to") or into circular reasoning ("I know I can be certain of God's existence because God has told me that he's certainly there" etc). He has some other bad arguments as stand by options, but those two are his main fallacies of choice.

Yes I forgot it's Easter coming up.

It's not as though there's a scrap of evidence that could lend some credibility to these beliefs of Alan's?

It can only be the idea that's outside the forum rules it's not allowed to be said about anyone, extreme gullibility or indoctrination when very young.

It's not worth any kind of discussion about the inns and outs of these beliefs until some form of credible evidence is found, so just as Duggie's well known quote beginning with,why do otherwise intelligent people etc., etc. 

Just a thought, it'd be interesting to hear A B in conversation with 'Our Lord', Sam Harris I'll have a word with Sam and YouTube, how could they refuse once they see who I am.

Regards ippy

[Rhiannon]

Having discovered the truth of God's love for us, I know without any doubt that nothing can ever take this away from me.

Been there, thought that, turned out to be utter bollocks.

I fear for you, AB.

[Rhiannon]

I did not say God was not hidden from us - just that it is not God doing the hiding.

God is hidden but doesn’t choose to be.

How does that work then?

[floo]

I did not say God was not hidden from us - just that it is not God doing the hiding.

If it exists of course it is hiding, we can't see, feel or hear it in reality, only if we have an overactive imagination.

[ippy]

If it exists of course it is hiding, we can't see, feel or hear it in reality, only if we have an overactive imagination.

You wouldn't understand Floo, unless you're wearing your maximum gullability hat and have allready prepared yourself to accept any old tosh handed down to you by some sort of male authority figure, with the R C's only a male can be qualified enough to insruct you a mere female.

Somehow I can't see this nutty stuff would work on you, but I suppose anyone trying to instruct you with any nutty religious stuff could be looked on as some form of a hero for trying.

Regards ippy.