Does it concern you that gospels were written so many years after Jesus died?

[DNB]

From your perspective anyway
I need to question.
Have you heard of faith and reason?
We don't totally ignore reason.

No, but you haven't once argued in favour for Christianity, on a single point.
There is no such thing as blind faith, all faith is based on evidence and reason. It merely projects what will occur due to the analysis that it has made based on the facts - it's tantamount to wisdom.

 

[saintiaint]

Your doubt is tantamount to unbelief in both God and His revealed word. It is absolutely the opposite of faith.

This post reveals more about you than me. You fear doubt. You think doubt is disloyalty. It's not.
Honest doubt can lead to more authentic faith imo.

 

[Michiah-Imla]

I agree. But how much of it is historical truth?

The Holy Spirit does not lie.

Everything in the Bible is truth (the Spiritual things and the natural things).

 

[kcnalp]

This post reveals more about you than me. You fear doubt. You think doubt is disloyalty. It's not.
Honest doubt can lead to more authentic faith imo.

If you don't believe in God of the Bible then which God?

 

[saintiaint]

No, but you haven't once argued in favour for Christianity, on a single point

Ok fair enough I guess. I might be playing devil's advocate.
The symbol of Jesus sacrificial love, the cross has affected me deeply. He challenges me to follow a humble path in life. To believe his commandment to support others in love. To transform me into a better more mature person. To let go of my addictions. I need Jesus in my heart. Otherwise I am lost.

 

[saintiaint]

Everything in the Bible is truth (the Spiritual things and the natural things).

So is everything in the Bible historical truth,? Did Jonah enter a whale?

 

[saintiaint]

If you don't believe in God of the Bible then which God?

You don't deserve a response because I never said that.

 

[kcnalp]

You don't deserve a response because I never said that.

But you have admitted you don't believe in God of the Bible. Don't blame me.

 

[saintiaint]

There is no such thing as blind faith, all faith is based on evidence and reason. It merely projects what will occur due to the analysis that it has made based on the facts - it's tantamount to wisdom.

Ok so how much faith and much reason for you have? Percentage wise. 80...20?
50...50 ?
There is such a thing as blind faith. But I don't say you have that. But possibly you could research more.
Reason doesn't help us understand supernatural things. But it can't be discarded either.

 

[saintiaint]

But you have admitted you don't believe in God of the Bible. Don't blame me.

That's annoying for you to jump to that conclusion. You deserve the ignore button.

 

[Michiah-Imla]

So is everything in the Bible historical truth,? Did Jonah enter a whale?

Yes, Jonah was swallowed by a whale. I believe it.

Do you believe that Jesus fed thousands of people with about 2 or 3 servings of food?

 

[friend of]

This post reveals more about you than me. You fear doubt. You think doubt is disloyalty. It's not.
Honest doubt can lead to more authentic faith imo.

I don't "fear" doubt. I simply hold to faith. God expects us to trust His word.

 

[saintiaint]

Yes, Jonah was swallowed by a whale.

Do you believe that Jesus fed thousands of people with about 2 or 3 servings of food?

Fundamentalism is not my cup of tea. But if it works for you, go ahead.

 

[kcnalp]

That's annoying for you to jump to that conclusion. You deserve the ignore button.

By just picking the parts of the Bible you like you make up your own god, not God of the Bible.

 

[Michiah-Imla]

Yes, Jonah was swallowed by a whale. I believe it.

Do you believe that Jesus fed thousands of people with about 2 or 3 servings of food?

Fundamentalism is not my cup of tea. But if it works for you, go ahead.

Yikes!

You have no anchor for whatever you have faith in my friend.

You might as well be walking around in the dark with a VR headset showing you a fantasy.

Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

John 1:5
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

 

[DNB]

Ok fair enough I guess. I might be playing devil's advocate.
The symbol of Jesus sacrificial love, the cross has affected me deeply. He challenges me to follow a humble path in life. To believe his commandment to support others in love. To transform me into a better more mature person. To let go of my addictions. I need Jesus in my heart. Otherwise I am lost.

Wonderful, ...you need to keep your posts balanced in this manner.
Play devil's advocate as much as you like, it's a good challenge for all of us, but don't make it sound that you are entirely disparaging Christianity.
Put forth your devout Christian sentiments first, and then say, '...but, what about...?' or '...how do we deal with ...'

 

[saintiaint]

Wonderful, ...you need to keep your posts balanced in this manner.

That sounds amusingly authoritarian.

 

[DNB]

Ok so how much faith and much reason for you have? Percentage wise. 80...20?
50...50 ?
There is such a thing as blind faith. But I don't say you have that. But possibly you could research more.
Reason doesn't help us understand supernatural things. But it can't be discarded either.

They are inseparable, faith is not blind (for this argument), bling faith is credulity. God does not want credulous people supporting Him, they do more damage than good.
People, including atheists, excercise faith every day. They have faith in their children, or not, or some more than others, all based on previous behavioral patterns. They let one drive alone for the 1st time, and not the other, based on instinct and wisdom, not empirical evidence. Meaning, they showed competence and responsibility in other things, not necessarily driving.
The list of analogies goes on forever, we hire people, outside of the resume, based on indirect evidence often not related to the job. Wisdom perceives the intangible, which is why it is written '..the (blind) fool says in his heart that there is no God..'

Man's behaviour clearly exudes that he is a spiritual being, unlike any other creature on earth. His actions absolutely defy his intelligence, both for better or for worse - there must be a source for that spirit.
Something cannot be derived from nothing, especially as structured, self-propagating, and self sustaining as this universe - there has to be an architect.

Faith is never blind, that is for fools. Faith is wisdom and depth of insight.

 

[DNB]

That sounds amusingly authoritarian.

...didn't mean to come off that way, but I know that it definitely sounded so.
I meant to say, you do need to, if you are going to be understood correctly.
It's obviously up to yourself of course, but you're evoking more antagonism rather than inspiring thought, if you're not giving credit where it's due.

...do you see the irony, you who went on a lengthy diatribe about forced and imposed preaching, and how subjectively offensive it was? Look at you now, the anti-preacher, incessantly imposing your pessimism on everyone, on several threads, as if you're the authority on wisdom and knowledge.

 

[saintiaint]

do you see the irony, you who went on a lengthy diatribe about forced and imposed preaching, and how subjectively offensive it was? Look at you now, the anti-preacher, imposing your pessimism on everyone as if you're the authority on the wisdom and knowledge.

Oh you mean the other thread.
Look I'm just making conversation here.
It's more interesting when we disagree. I'm not here to win friends and influence people. If I connect with one or two, that's fine.