Originally Posted by MTVN (Post 4812009)

That's a good point, never thought of that before :laugh:

Originally Posted by joeysteele (Post 4812014)

I am not joking but I got a whack across the head with rosary beads for saying that.
They were hoping to encourage Boys approaching their teens to consider a vocation to the Priesthood, needless to say, I didn't explore that avenue after that and I very much doubt this Nun in particular would have even wanted me to.

Originally Posted by MTVN (Post 4811753)

There's a few things that have made me pretty sure that the Christian God doesn't exist:

- He supposedly gave us free will and yet also everything is preordained and God knows how our entire life will go.. those two things seem contradictory to me

- He allows atrocities to happen, fair enough you could use the free will argument and say he gives everyone a choice, but if he has the power to intervene to stop murders/genocide/etc. and refuses to, then what kind of a God is that?

- Natural disasters, I see no reason why a supposedly perfect being would create an imperfect world

- If we have to believe in God to go to heaven, then why did he not instil this knowledge of God into every human being, surely it's not fair to those who lived completely ignorant of Him to go to Hell because they didn't believe in something that was unknown to them..

- A lot of the Bible is just so contradictory

- Christians have had to constantly change their beliefs over time, as the more we understand about our existence the more it undermines what is written in the Bible. A few hundred years ago it was just fact that the World was made in 6 days, and everyone believed in Creationism, as it became clear this probably wasn't true then suddenly the Church no longer preaches these things, and instead completely changes their belief system and their teachings

- I just don't think it's fair that someone could be damned to eternal suffering just because they weren't sure of the existence of God, while someone who had lead a terrible life would go to Heaven simply if they told Jesus they were sorry

- So much of Christianity has just been borrowed from other faiths and religions


There are probably similar criticisms you can make of other Religions, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism etc. etc. but I don't really know those very well. I think that most evidence would point to there not being a God, and I think it's more likely we're just the result of a scientific accident or whatever, but then there's still so much we don't understand about the Universe and our existence so I wouldn't rule out the prospect of a higher being, but I don't think it is to be found in any of the conventional religions

Originally Posted by joeysteele (Post 4812014)

I am not joking but I got a whack across the head with rosary beads for saying that.
They were hoping to encourage Boys approaching their teens to consider a vocation to the Priesthood, needless to say, I didn't explore that avenue after that and I very much doubt this Nun in particular would have even wanted me to.

Originally Posted by Marczipan (Post 4812095)

I'm nothing.

Originally Posted by christmas_cake (Post 4812110)

I don't think it's complicated either you believe or you don't imo

Originally Posted by Rudolph (Post 4811911)

I am Catholic but I don't go to Church every week. I've been a few times this year and make sure I go at least once a year but I don't feel the need to go every week. I used to go every Sunday when I was little but stopped going as regular as I got older. I do believe that there is some sort of God out there and that there is a Heaven. It's sort of comforting to think that there is a place we go to when we die. Don't believe there is a Hell and don't believe some of the bibles scripture i.e. world was made in 6 days by God, Noah's Ark, Jesus' miracles (walking on water, curing the leper)etc. I wouldn't say I was extremely religious, neither are my family but I do believe in God and am Catholic.

Originally Posted by Scrooge (Post 4812124)

Fence sitters just aren't deep enough thinkers :idc:

Originally Posted by christmas_cake (Post 4812110)

I don't think it's complicated either you believe or you don't imo

Originally Posted by GypsyGoth (Post 4812132)

I'm just curious, but for people who believe in heaven, do animals go there too when they die?

Originally Posted by Snowball (Post 4812131)

:devil:



Judging by Fruitcakes reply above: she's doesn't anyone needs to be a deep enough thinker: fence sitters or not.

Originally Posted by christmas_cake (Post 4810613)

I think I am it does seem to answer a lot of questions about life

Originally Posted by christmas_cake (Post 4812110)

I don't think it's complicated either you believe or you don't imo

Originally Posted by Scrooge (Post 4812134)

But at least she has thought it through and come to a conclusion..

Originally Posted by Scrooge (Post 4812135)

No. Humans are meant to be above Animals.

Originally Posted by Snowball (Post 4812149)

Does it say that in the bible?

Doesn't it say that we are all God's creatures?

Originally Posted by christmas_cake (Post 4812110)

I don't think it's complicated either you believe or you don't imo

Originally Posted by Scrooge (Post 4812124)

Fence sitters just aren't deep enough thinkers :idc:

Originally Posted by Snowball (Post 4812145)

Really, that's quick a fairly quick decision to arrive at, in the space of merely a few hours; between someone not being too sure themselves and then deciding that it's a simple yes or no.

Originally Posted by Snowball (Post 4812149)

Does it say that in the bible?

Doesn't it say that we are all God's creatures?

Originally Posted by GypsyGoth (Post 4812132)

I'm just curious, but for people who believe in heaven, do animals go there too when they die?

Originally Posted by Rudolph (Post 4812165)

I believe they do. I know not everyone does but I like to think that they do.

Originally Posted by joeysteele (Post 4812004)

From being 11 and I challenged a Nun on this one who was giving us a talk,as to if you are bad and offend God then you will go to hell to be tormented by the devil, now please, come on,if we take the Bible as right, the devil was thrown out of heaven, cast aside completely, if there was such a place as hell,then for goodness sake what on earth would the devil be tormenting anyone for if they had sinned against or offended God, such people would be heroes to the devil.

Originally Posted by MTVN (Post 4812163)

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
Genesis 1:26

Originally Posted by Scrooge (Post 4812166)

*knew he was right*

:D

Originally Posted by Scrooge (Post 4812135)

No. Humans are meant to be above Animals.

Originally Posted by Snowball (Post 4812149)

Does it say that in the bible?

Doesn't it say that we are all God's creatures?

Originally Posted by MTVN (Post 4812163)

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
Genesis 1:26

Originally Posted by Scrooge (Post 4812166)

*knew he was right*

:D

Originally Posted by GypsyGoth (Post 4812180)

There was a very good documentary about the bible a few months ago bbc2, I thought this was one of the best eps of it

Originally Posted by Snowball (Post 4812183)

The question was however




Where does that say exactly that animals don't go to Heaven when they die?

Oh....it doesn't.

*Nah nah nah nah nah*

:D

Originally Posted by Scrooge (Post 4812190)

If you use logical thought, it will come ;)

Originally Posted by MTVN (Post 4812189)

That looks quite interesting, might watch it later

I saw a good film the other day as well called Agora about Roman Egypt where Christianity had only just been allowed to be legal and there was loads of conflict with the Pagans until they driven out, then that just got replaced with conflict between Christians and Jews which also ended with the Christians again violently wrestling power from them. I think that's one of the problems with organised religion, all of them, there's a constant power struggle going on for supremacy, so that they can exert more influence and hold a more powerful presence in the world

Originally Posted by Scrooge (Post 4810658)

I think you need to read the Bible if you think that's true :idc: Hardly forgiving

Originally Posted by 08marsh (Post 4812200)

Actually if you have read the bible you'd know that it says God can forgive anything as long as there is genuine sorrow and regret in your heart. :tongue:

No crocodile tears.