How God works (Introduction)

by Balance_Maintained , U.S.A., Sunday, January 20, 2013, 20:44 (4326 days ago) @ dhw

DHW: Tony, I fear this may lead to more frustration for you. I don't want you to spend your time on such matters unless you feel they are of interest to you too.
> -There is nothing to fear. If I wasn't interested, I wouldn't spend my time on it. In fact, I quite enjoy it, honestly. Frustration is not a bad thing any more than pain is. Frustration, much like pain, is a warning sign that whatever it is we are doing, we are going about it the wrong way. So, in a sense, getting frustrated with our discussions at times is a learning experience for me, and as such is actually greatly appreciated!! Believe me, if I did not have immense respect for the people on this board, and did not find some benefit in discussing these topics, I would not be posting here. -
> DHW: I have answered both points. I have defined evil as "deliberate actions which cause unnecessary suffering to others", so that e.g. we can separate good pain from bad. I do not blame God for human actions. I am suggesting to you, through my subjective view of the earth's history, that the mixed nature of humans may mirror the mixed nature of the God who you think created us.-And I have agreed, repeatedly, that God is a mix of our nature. The prime difference, aside from physical differences and scale, is motivation. We have both agreed that motive is the primary component for something to be construed as evil/wicked. -
>DHW: But the sources of their information, and their credentials for announcing to us the nature of God, his motives for past actions, and his future intentions are unknown and uncheckable.
> -That is why the prophecies and histories are so important. The historical accuracy gives confidence in their credentials. They have never been proven inaccurate. The prophecies give confidence in their credentials as sources of divine inspiration by breaking the Law of Probabilities to pieces in a verifiable way. In this sense it is like science. You get a theory, that makes a lot of predictions. The more of those predictions that come true, the more faith you put in the theory until the point where you call it a Law! -
> DHW: If he exists, I have to agree as far as the scale is concerned. Love and mercy are encouraging, anger and power are scary, and justice makes them even scarier since we do not know whether his idea of justice coincides with our own.
> -Whose justice should coincide with whose?--As for the rest..-This is what I get for including the whole quote and citing the source instead of just the relevant part. The only part I was concerned with was that it is impossible to overcome disbelief externally, regardless of the amount or nature of the evidence. I meant no insult. The truth of the matter is that no matter what I show you, I can not make you (dis)believe. As we ALL said in the conversation with Bella, it is something you come to through your own experiences. If you can not get to the point where you are at least WILLING to (dis)believe, then no one, not I nor anyone else on this earth, could make you (dis)believe anything at all. That is not meant to be derogatory nor is it non-sense. People disbelieve things all the time, irregardless of anything presented to them. --> DHW: Naturally I see them as a rational and coherent counter to the subjectivity underlying the "evidence" as it is presented by both sides. They are not, however, expressions of belief or disbelief. I do not (dis)believe God is a "tyrannical asshole". I do not (dis)believe God is all good. I do not even (dis)believe in God. According to whatever subject is under discussion, I can only explain why I do not believe whatever my interlocutor does believe. Agnosticism can only be negative, and so it might be seen as a testing ground for belief. That is all I can offer ... at least until such time as something tips the balance!-You contradict yourself here... I do not (dis)believe, I do not (dis)believe, I do not (dis)believe .... I can only explain why I do not believe..-What is disbelief but the absence of belief?

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What is the purpose of living? How about, 'to reduce needless suffering. It seems to me to be a worthy purpose.