The Ever Present Problem of Atheism (HOF thread)

Gerald

Resident Fiend
Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Originally posted by Abecedarium
But can you befriend a believer?
Hey, my best friend is a believer! I was Best Man at his wedding!
 

Abecedarium

New member
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Originally posted by Gerald
Hey, my best friend is a believer! I was Best Man at his wedding!

How do you explain your best friend's beliefs? Is he mentally ill? Deluded? Brain washed?
 

Gerald

Resident Fiend
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Originally posted by Abecedarium
How do you explain your best friend's beliefs? Is he mentally ill? Deluded? Brain washed?
Hey, if his delusion gets him through the night, if it gives him comfort and warms him in the cold places, I'm all for it.

But we've had an understanding for many years that he will make no attempt to convert me, and I will make no attempt to convert him.

From there, matters of faith just don't come up between us.
 

Abecedarium

New member
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Originally posted by Gerald
Hey, if his delusion gets him through the night, if it gives him comfort and warms him in the cold places, I'm all for it.

But we've had an understanding for many years that he will make no attempt to convert me, and I will make no attempt to convert him.

From there, matters of faith just don't come up between us.

So you do think he is deluded (a persistent false psychotic [fundamental mental derangement characterized by defective or lost contact with reality] belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self)?
 

Gerald

Resident Fiend
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Originally posted by Abecedarium
So you do think he is deluded (a persistent false psychotic [fundamental mental derangement characterized by defective or lost contact with reality] belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self)?
In a word, yes. But his particular delusion visits no harm upon me or anyone else, and it seems to do something for him.

He's happy, I'm happy.
 

Abecedarium

New member
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

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Originally posted by Gerald
In a word, yes. But his particular delusion visits no harm upon me or anyone else, and it seems to do something for him.

He's happy, I'm happy.

Have you ever tried your "Crushing hope, sowing despair, preaching the Gospel of Cold-Hearted Cynicism" on him?
 

Gerald

Resident Fiend
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Originally posted by Abecedarium
Have you ever tried your "Crushing hope, sowing despair, preaching the Gospel of Cold-Hearted Cynicism" on him?
He's the one who came up with that moniker in the first place!:bannana: :bannana: :bannana:
 

Abecedarium

New member
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

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Originally posted by Gerald
He's the one who came up with that moniker in the first place!:bannana: :bannana: :bannana:

Non-answer.
 

Gerald

Resident Fiend
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Originally posted by Abecedarium
Non-answer.
Non-answer?:confused:

Okay. No, I won't use my Hammer of Cynicism on him because (a.) he's my friend and (b.) he's made up his mind.
However, I'm more than happy to offer my poison to the undecided...:devil:
 

Abecedarium

New member
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Originally posted by Gerald
Non-answer?:confused:

Okay. No, I won't use my Hammer of Cynicism on him because (a.) he's my friend and (b.) he's made up his mind.
However, I'm more than happy to offer my poison to the undecided...:devil:

Do you believe in the devil?
 

LightSon

New member
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

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Originally posted by Gerald
Hey, if his delusion gets him through the night, if it gives him comfort and warms him in the cold places, I'm all for it.
Gerald,

Don't you have any "cold places"?

You have a keen eye for Pascal's wager, I must say. For your sake and consideration, here is a corollary.....

Do you ever wake up in the dead of night and wonder to yourself "maybe God is out there. Sheesh, I might be a little trouble here."

The jailer in the book of Acts saw his life flash before his eyes. His first question was "...what must I do to be saved".

That's a good queston. Don't you think?
 

Abecedarium

New member
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Originally posted by LightSon
Gerald,

Don't you have any "cold places"?

You have a keen eye for Pascal's wager, I must say. For your sake and consideration, here is a corollary.....

Do you ever wake up in the dead of night and wonder to yourself "maybe God is out there. Sheesh, I might be a little trouble here."

The jailer in the book of Acts saw his life flash before his eyes. His first question was "...what must I do to be saved".

That's a good queston. Don't you think?

Gerald wonders: saved from what?
 

Gerald

Resident Fiend
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

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Originally posted by Abecedarium
Do you believe in the devil?
As in a mystical, immaterial volitional entity whose sole purpose is to cause people to sin?

I doubt the existence of mystical entities of any kind.
 

Abecedarium

New member
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Originally posted by Gerald
As in a mystical, immaterial volitional entity whose sole purpose is to cause people to sin?

I doubt the existence of mystical entities of any kind.

But you use their images to make your points? Interesting....
 

Gerald

Resident Fiend
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Originally posted by LightSon
Gerald,

Don't you have any "cold places"?
None whatsoever. I'm so completely covered with scar tissue as to be numb and nigh-invulnerable.

Do you ever wake up in the dead of night and wonder to yourself "maybe God is out there. Sheesh, I might be a little trouble here."
Never. Only a corpse sleeps more soundly than I do.
 

Gerald

Resident Fiend
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Originally posted by Abecedarium
But you use their images to make your points? Interesting....
Yeah, and I use Biblical allusions in my science-fiction writing. Your point?
 

LightSon

New member
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hoo Hah!

Originally posted by Gerald
I'm so completely covered with scar tissue as to be numb and nigh-invulnerable.
Sorry to hear you are scarred, YET I'm glad you included "nigh-" in the characterization of your defense structure. This implies a smidgen of hope for you. If you start to listen for God, He just might speak to you. God can speak life into spiritually dead corpses like yourself; that's just one of the miracles of which God is capable.
 
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