Jesus

[Pio1980]

Originally Posted by BigElCat

I've read the Book of Mormon.

IMHO, Jospeh Smith was a con man. There were no tablets made of precision metal.

The Christian Bible has a 'closed canon'. The scriptures clearly state that nothing else can be added to it, until all the prophecies decreed by God are fulfilled. Joseph Smith broke that rule.

That view of J. Smith is shared by many, including Fawn Brody after endeavouring to write his bio as a born pioneer stock believer. My older bro and I, also as from Mormon pioneer stock, tend to entertain the notion of a self-serving gifted story-spinner.

[donquixote99]

Here is my faith: I believe that right and wrong exist, and that people, by and large, know the difference.

[Pio1980]

Originally Posted by BigElCat

I've read the Book of Mormon.

IMHO, Jospeh Smith was a con man. There were no tablets made of precision metal.

The Christian Bible has a 'closed canon'. The scriptures clearly state that nothing else can be added to it, until all the prophecies decreed by God are fulfilled. Joseph Smith broke that rule.

Not quite, he didn't add anything to it, but claimed an account of his own "discovery" as a cultural testimony previously unknown.
If it is made-up stuff, it is as credible as anyone else's made-up stuff, if faith based without tangible proof.

[Pio1980]

Re; Islam "false god".
Islam is one of the three major Abrahamic "faiths of the book", the Old Testament. They share the same "one 'true' God".

[watsup1000]

"Yeah. I get that. But I've never met a real atheist face to face. All that claim to be turn out to be agnostic.

Well, it's not face-to-face, but I am indeed a committed atheist/Humanist.
BTW, I don't wear my atheism on my sleeve (my Humanism perhaps, and so I only discuss it with those who seem to have some mental acumen and a deep commitment to their "faith". I'm not out to "win converts", but only to offer alternatives. Although I do mention Humanism more often than atheism because that is what I consider myself.
I have lived next door to a minister for 15 years or so and we have never discussed it. He probably suspects it because he picked up my mail when I was on vacation and it had a letter from the American Humanist Association. Then again, a great many religionists don't even know what Humanism is, not to mention the general public.
No, I am not an agnostic. I'm not a fence-sitter. There is no actual objective evidence for the existence of an entity called "God", any more than there is for wood fairies or bigfoot, and thus I don't "believe" in any of them.

[watsup1000]

"Why are we born? I don't mean "how do we come about". I mean WHY. What is the purpose of our being born? "

You are really asking a rhetorical question, to which you are absolutely certain that you have the answer. To me, it is a made-up question to support your already-read narrative. The only way that I can answer it is that there is simply NO "why". I already said that. We are here because we are born, and so our goal is to become the best person that we can. And then pass away and leave the world to others.

[mpholland]

Originally Posted by Not Insane

Why are we born? I don't mean "how do we come about". I mean WHY. What is the purpose of our being born?

Guess that would all depend on your faith. Some reincarnation proponents actually believe that one chooses parents and situations before entering the next "life" so as to best pick the path to gain the greatest knowledge.

[watsup1000]

Originally Posted by Not Insane

Your post cracks me up. You are like a dog saying it's nutso that his master leaves the house every five out of seven days for 8 hours and it makes no sense. It's because, as a dog, you don't understand the concept of a mortgage, money, etc. You're a dog.

But you are a dog filled with hubris based on arrogan ignorance. You sit in judgement of your master.

And you are right. It makes no sense. No man made religion would be based on such "nonsense". It's because it did not come from man, but from God. As Solomon said, there is a way that seems right to a man but its end is death. We do not have perfect knowledge. Respecting God is the beginning of wisdom. Until you reach that point, all you have is knowledge. That makes you the peer of a computer. It takes someone with wisdom to put that knowledge to use.

You and I are obviously ships passing in the night. None of your witnessing above has the least bit of merit to me. Your analogies are terrible and I must assume that you use them because you cannot actually defend "only get to heaven through grace" because it is, on its face, totally illogical. And so you have to revert to a "just because God says so" explanation.
And BTW, I am not arrogantly ignorant, nor do I have a lack of wisdom, and your use of ad hom does not advance your argument in any way.
And "God" is not my "master", BTW. To my knowledge, I have no actual "master".

[Oerets]

Just why does there have to be a purpose?
A reason?
Other then reproduction of the species.


Trying to make some sense out the unknown that may be all it is.

[watsup1000]

Just why does there have to be a purpose?
A reason?
Other then reproduction of the species.

Exactly, Oerets. Which is why I said that his "question" is just rhetorical with an answer already at hand. And we know what it is.