Prayer is useless?

[Green_Manelishi]

Green, you and i live in very different worlds...

but that's ok, it all comes to the same

Actually we live in the same world.

I have faith in a God with a plan. You have faith in an accident.

And the end of this earthly existance will be the same for us; our physical bodies will die. But what makes us unique, our soul, will live forever, It's just a matter of where.

 

[Soggy]

We are debating and arguing; you are contradicting. As many of us have written ... oh wait .. did you SEE me write it? Then maybe I did not and someone else is writing and claiming to be me?

It is entirely possible that you are not the person who you claim to be.

However, I can investigate whether it is you or not and come to a conclusion based on the evidence at hand.

Let's start with this....I can go to your website, www.green-manileshi.com and read that you are a very devout Christian and your posts indicate the same. I can be fairly certain that your website was composed by you since I have personally met you and you have spoken to me about it.

I also know that your post was composed at 2:43 PM Today because it is time stamped by a computer. Even if the timestamp could be forged, I can verify the time is roughly correct because my responses bracket yours, so I could estimate it within a timeframe of about 15 minutes.

Then there is the IP log which could be pulled up at the click of a button that would show a reverse lookup somewhere in the state you reside in, perhaps even to your home or place of business.

So, while I cannot *prove* that it is you, I can present evidence that it is you writing on this message board so overwhelming that it would be silly to believe anything else.

The reverse also works. I could present evidence that it was *not* you posting if all of a sudden you started writing in Swahili.

That is what scholars do.

 

[H2Andy]

You have faith in an accident.

no, faith is blind. i do not blindly follow anyone or anything.

i am open to the possibility that the universe is an "accident," but that's
not quite right.

perhaps "random" is a better word

 

[Green_Manelishi]

when did you sell all you had, Green, and gave it to the poor?

seems like you're saying it's a pre-requisite to following Jesus

so are you admitting you don't follow Jesus?



(and again with the law thing... jeez... even though you claimed
earlier my profession mattered not ... good thing i'm not a
hog slaughterer or we'd be in pig lard up to our knees)

The rich man asked what must he do to inherit eternal life.
Christ told him to obey the commandments.
The rich man said he had.
Christ then said to sell all that he had, give to the poor, follow Christ.
The rich man was very sad at that thought.

The point is that to attain eternal life one must surrender to Christ and that might cost your possessions or your life. The rich man had a smarmy attitude, claimed he obeyed the law and yet was unwilling to do what Christ asked him to do.

Have I sold all that I have and given it to the poor? Another trick question.
No. So what?

Do I tithe and support those less fortunate than me? Yes. Am I willing to sacrifice my life? Yes. Am I willing to endure ridicule when I am identified with Christ for my beliefs. Yes.

Christ is Lord and, dirty and sinful that I am, He embraces me and is not ashamed of me. Can I do less for Him?

 

[Green_Manelishi]

So, while I cannot *prove* that it is you, I can present evidence that it is you writing on this message board so overwhelming that it would be silly to believe anything else.

The reverse also works. I could present evidence that it was *not* you posting if all of a sudden you started writing in Swahili.

That is what scholars do.

Interesting points. Then I must be silly. Oh well.

And learned scholars have examined the evidence for Christ and the Bible and concluded that it is what it claims to be. Many of those learned scholars originally set out to prove it was false. Again, nay-sayers have tried to prove it's false and cannot; their best attempts are simply to call into question who wrote it (and they can't agree) or point out alleged contradictions/inconsistancy.

You could not prove it was not me unless you had documentation that I do not know swahili.

 

[Green_Manelishi]

no, faith is blind. i do not blindly follow anyone or anything.

i am open to the possibility that the universe is an "accident," but that's
not quite right.

perhaps "random" is a better word

Faith is not blind. Regardless, your faith is that all we see "just happened" despite scientists best, and failed, attempts to understand and explain how nothing ---> simple something ---> complex something. Considering that you are a lawyer (yes, there I go again) I am surprised that you believe a case made with no evidence other than "it must have happened and here are our so-called theories to explain why".

What an absolutely pointless, meaningless and pitiful existance.

 

[Supernal]

 

[Soggy]

What an absolutely pointless, meaningless and pitiful existance.

Some do not require a supernatural being to give their lives meaning or to provide them with knowledge of what is right and what is wrong. Some are able to find meaning and morality on their own.

 

[Soggy]

Considering that you are a lawyer (yes, there I go again) I am surprised that you believe a case made with no evidence other than "it must have happened and here are our so-called theories to explain why".

How is that any different from what you are saying? "There must be a god because I don't have a better explanation."

 

[Kim]

What an absolutely pointless, meaningless and pitiful existance.

Is that called a Christian judgement?