why is there no roman record of Jesus execution

[Wattsthematter]

for instance, you just characterized an entire organization as bigoted

That is a startling misrepresentation of "modern day religion often just allows hateful and bigoted people to proudly lean on 'holy' messages that they've twisted and contorted to fit their bias"

[Pengwinja]

FWIW, I’m sorry that you had a bad experience with the Baptist church. Still,
I didn’t challenge anyone about their lack of belief, I challenged them about being lazy and not truly thinking their positions through.

I think my point is that a lack of faith doesn't need to be defended?

Any position needs to be defended once you make it public. for instance, you just characterized an entire organization as bigoted, but you don’t think that statement needs to be defended? Once either of us gives a public statement, we invite criticism. If I stand up to make a statement, I’ll defend it. I don’t try to hide behind semantics. Once you criticize something, it’s no longer a disbelief in it, it’s criticism of it. Therefore it’s a claim, not merely disbelief. Claims call for defense. That’s why I perceive the attitude here to be lazy.

This is true to point, yet I don’t know if he criticized anything, he was just restating a bad experience with a church.

[Pengwinja]

for instance, you just characterized an entire organization as bigoted

That is a startling misrepresentation of "modern day religion often just allows hateful and bigoted people to proudly lean on 'holy' messages that they've twisted and contorted to fit their bias"

Well, you are right and wrong. As a Christian, I believe in the Bible, and if someone read the entire thing, not just one verse, it never condones any hate. People just love to twist things into their own words, so that’s definitely true, but the Bible, which is the base for Christian religion, never condones any thing like this.

[Jamiet99uk]

Am I the only one who is a little underwhelmed by the level of atheistic opposition here lately?

This is a bothersome challenge to me. You would challenge a group of people on their lack of belief of something that you admit leans more heavily on faith than it does factual findings and historical evidence? I genuinely wish my experience with the Baptist church and the hate that it okays wasn't one that tore me from my faith, and I'm happy for anyone that can still have a supportive system of higher belief in their life, but I think many people share my sentiment that modern day religion often just allows hateful and bigoted people to proudly lean on "holy" messages that they've twisted and contorted to fit their bias. To me this horrific experience has outweighed the faith I was willing to have.

FWIW, I’m sorry that you had a bad experience with the Baptist church. Still,
I didn’t challenge anyone about their lack of belief, I challenged them about being lazy and not truly thinking their positions through.

I've thought my position through over 42+ years of existence on Earth.

I cannot conceive of God.
I cannot conceive of God existing.
The concept of God appears absurd to me.

From that point it is deeply, rationally, practically sensible for me to assume there is no God, and to proceed accordingly in my life.

[Pengwinja]

This is a bothersome challenge to me. You would challenge a group of people on their lack of belief of something that you admit leans more heavily on faith than it does factual findings and historical evidence? I genuinely wish my experience with the Baptist church and the hate that it okays wasn't one that tore me from my faith, and I'm happy for anyone that can still have a supportive system of higher belief in their life, but I think many people share my sentiment that modern day religion often just allows hateful and bigoted people to proudly lean on "holy" messages that they've twisted and contorted to fit their bias. To me this horrific experience has outweighed the faith I was willing to have.

FWIW, I’m sorry that you had a bad experience with the Baptist church. Still,
I didn’t challenge anyone about their lack of belief, I challenged them about being lazy and not truly thinking their positions through.

I've thought my position through over 42+ years of existence on Earth.

I cannot conceive of God.
I cannot conceive of God existing.
The concept of God appears absurd to me.

From that point it is deeply, rationally, practically sensible for me to assume there is no God, and to proceed accordingly in my life.

Ah, so you say the concept seems absurd, and… unbelievable, so you don’t believe? That would make do on the unbelievable word, also, how do you think we got here OR you do not care at all. (Humanity as a whole, not just us on this website.

[Wattsthematter]

I've felt sure for a long time that there is a greater power at work. I used to think this was a "God" in a conventional sense, but that changed a while ago. I felt pretty spiritually homeless after doing a lot of thinking by myself until I took a class in college on ancient philosophy. There is a key concept in a lot of philosophy that basically claims that there is a "one" and a "many." The "many" could really be anything, but I like to think of it as the questions we can't quite find an answer to anywhere... What leads a person to a life of cruelty? Why does power corrupt? What is "fair" and "just" in a capitalist society? Why did the chicken cross the road? A lot of people turn to religion to find these answers, and I truly believe this is a better route than struggling to cope with these troublesome realities. However, in the same way that God can be the glue that holds all of reality and its uncertainties together, (the one) many ancient philosophers believed that there were energies or certain properties that held this same role.

Is the story of genesis, where the sin of man is boiled down to one bad apple, a mere extension of this idea? What of the concept of rebirth? One of humanities oldest known philosophies is that of burial and rest in death, is the promise of heaven a confirmation of this, or a retelling of what was already believed?

[Jamiet99uk]

I've thought my position through over 42+ years of existence on Earth.

I cannot conceive of God.
I cannot conceive of God existing.
The concept of God appears absurd to me.

From that point it is deeply, rationally, practically sensible for me to assume there is no God, and to proceed accordingly in my life.

Ah, so you say the concept seems absurd, and… unbelievable, so you don’t believe? That would make do on the unbelievable word, also, how do you think we got here OR you do not care at all. (Humanity as a whole, not just us on this website.

I am moderately intrigued by how life was created, as I assume you mean, but it does not vex me on a daily basis because it is highly probable that I cannot find out for sure.

I am compelled by the idea that the universe has existed forever in an ongoing flow of big bangs / big contractions / big crunches / new big bangs, etc., but I cannot verify this at the present time.

The idea that God created all life is not compelling, because it does not explain how God was created. (And, if God can exist without being created, then so can the Universe, so God is not a necessary answer in that case either).

[kingofthepirates]

If I may ask, why does it seem are we now debating our various reasons for believing/disbelieving in religion/God? The original title has been answered definitively, and now we're just going on tangents and have (seemingly) sparked new argument/debate. Also, is it really that difficult to ask of people to simply let everyone believe what they choose, and not need to grill them over every single reason and nitpick the details?!

[Crazy Anglican]

for instance, you just characterized an entire organization as bigoted

That is a startling misrepresentation of "modern day religion often just allows hateful and bigoted people to proudly lean on 'holy' messages that they've twisted and contorted to fit their bias"

True enough. Taking an additional look at your response, it seems you fell short of calling any organization bigoted. Would it be a better interpretation to say that modern religion is often complicit in the bigotry of its adherents? T be clear, I am extrapolating from your statement that if they do not denounce bigotry within their organizations they are complicit.

Do we agree that if someone openly criticizes something (an idea, institution, etc.) that they should at least be prepared to provide some basis for the critique? I'm simply stating that when one makes a critical statement, it shouldn't be a surprise when others disagree and ask for supporting detail. For instance, in your statement, you provided an anecdotal background for your lack of faith. I don't think I challenged that at all. I wasn't there; I can't provide any meaningful commentary. My statement was merely to point out that people (myself included, as you rightly pointed out) can be long on opinion and short on support.

[Jamiet99uk]

If I may ask, why does it seem are we now debating our various reasons for believing/disbelieving in religion/God? The original title has been answered definitively, and now we're just going on tangents and have (seemingly) sparked new argument/debate. Also, is it really that difficult to ask of people to simply let everyone believe what they choose, and not need to grill them over every single reason and nitpick the details?!

This forum loves debating the existence of God.

[Crazy Anglican]

I've thought my position through over 42+ years of existence on Earth.

I cannot conceive of God.
I cannot conceive of God existing.
The concept of God appears absurd to me.

From that point it is deeply, rationally, practically sensible for me to assume there is no God, and to proceed accordingly in my life.

Fundamentally, there is nothing wrong with that. If that is your position, it doesn't need defending. Mine is summed up in this creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

That wasn't what I said you were being lazy about. Simply asking "Have you ever heard of the Church of Scientology?" and leaving it to everyone else to guess what you were trying to say, was a bit lazy.

[Crazy Anglican]

If I may ask, why does it seem are we now debating our various reasons for believing/disbelieving in religion/God? The original title has been answered definitively, and now we're just going on tangents and have (seemingly) sparked new argument/debate. Also, is it really that difficult to ask of people to simply let everyone believe what they choose, and not need to grill them over every single reason and nitpick the details?!

You're right, of course. The original question and the secondary one have been answered.

[Wattsthematter]

If I may ask, why does it seem are we now debating our various reasons for believing/disbelieving in religion/God? The original title has been answered definitively, and now we're just going on tangents and have (seemingly) sparked new argument/debate. Also, is it really that difficult to ask of people to simply let everyone believe what they choose, and not need to grill them over every single reason and nitpick the details?!

You're right, of course. The original question and the secondary one have been answered.

I don’t think anyones really arguing here. I haven’t felt any animosity from Anglican or anyone else, just feels like curiosity to me

[CaptainFritz28]

I've thought my position through over 42+ years of existence on Earth.

I cannot conceive of God.
I cannot conceive of God existing.
The concept of God appears absurd to me.

From that point it is deeply, rationally, practically sensible for me to assume there is no God, and to proceed accordingly in my life.

This seems like a non-argument to me. Essentially you're saying, "I don't believe it, so I don't believe it."
Notably, your first two statements and the third are contradictory, as with the third you admit that you can conceive of God and His existence, but that that existence seems absurd. So really your only point is that the concept of God seems absurd. Your position assumes your own omniscience.

[Jamiet99uk]

I've thought my position through over 42+ years of existence on Earth.

I cannot conceive of God.
I cannot conceive of God existing.
The concept of God appears absurd to me.

From that point it is deeply, rationally, practically sensible for me to assume there is no God, and to proceed accordingly in my life.

This seems like a non-argument to me. Essentially you're saying, "I don't believe it, so I don't believe it."
Notably, your first two statements and the third are contradictory, as with the third you admit that you can conceive of God and His existence, but that that existence seems absurd. So really your only point is that the concept of God seems absurd. Your position assumes your own omniscience.

What?

I understand you are a devoted believer.

Your brain is different to mine.

I don't even understand what you believe in.

[CaptainFritz28]

Then read the Bible. It lays things out pretty clearly.

I don't fully understand God. None of us ever can, as He is an infinite being and we aren't. That doesn't mean that, just because we can't 100% comprehend of Him, He isn't real.

I don't understand half of the mathematics and technology behind sending a rocket to space and returning with the encased astronaut still alive. If you asked me to explain it in detail, I'd get 90% of it wrong. That doesn't mean I shouldn't believe that it happens.

You've proven, through your discussions on other threads, that you can conceive of God, even if you get some things wrong. Just because you don't 100% understand Him doesn't mean He doesn't exist.

[Pengwinja]

Then read the Bible. It lays things out pretty clearly.

I don't fully understand God. None of us ever can, as He is an infinite being and we aren't. That doesn't mean that, just because we can't 100% comprehend of Him, He isn't real.

I don't understand half of the mathematics and technology behind sending a rocket to space and returning with the encased astronaut still alive. If you asked me to explain it in detail, I'd get 90% of it wrong. That doesn't mean I shouldn't believe that it happens.

You've proven, through your discussions on other threads, that you can conceive of God, even if you get some things wrong. Just because you don't 100% understand Him doesn't mean He doesn't exist.

You see here, the problem with telling someone to read the Bible is that they probably don’t believe the Bible, which then would bring the question why do you believe the Bible.

[brainbomb]

Is there an argument to be made that the Bhagavad Gita is the inspired word of God?

[brainbomb]

Per Hindu mythology, the Bhagavad Gita was written by the god Ganesha, as told to him by the sage Veda Vyasa. The Bhagavad Gita presents a synthesis of various Hindu ideas about dharma, theistic bhakti, and the yogic ideal of moksha