Quote from: Ecbarrowes on April 20, 2024, 04:47:51 PMGod exists and is benevolent.

What is?

Quote from: Unbeliever on April 20, 2024, 06:06:14 PMEcbarrowes, If you want to believe that a God exists and is benevolent, why should that concern any of us?

Believers like to huddle. Mutually supportive delusions, it's a thing with religion.

Quote from: Ecbarrowes on April 20, 2024, 05:47:32 PMEvery individual has the ability to communicate with God. That eliminates the need for one person to trust another (an ugly fallacy, I agree).

Every individual has the equal ability to communicate with God. I.e., none.

Ecbarrowes, If you want to believe that a God exists and is benevolent, why should that concern any of us?

Quote from: Mr.Obvious on April 20, 2024, 05:13:25 PMSo, basically, you are the sole decider of the divine truth? And anyone in disagreeance with you is wrong "because" you are the sole arbiter of divine truth?

Edit:
Thank god we have someone here whom we know to be right because they thought about it long and hard enough without changing their mind, so much so that they MUST absolutely, and without a doubt, be completely right about it.

Every individual has the ability to communicate with God. That eliminates the need for one person to trust another (an ugly fallacy, I agree).

Ah, the because I said so argument. KMA

Quote from: Ecbarrowes on April 20, 2024, 05:09:33 PM"Knowledge" can have such potent force that in all self-honesty, you cannot deny it. Absolute certainty of a thing can be delivered to the soul by God. In order to distinguish such from other ideas which are not truly "known" requires a calm, clear mind, introspection, self-honesty.

So, basically, you are the sole decider of the divine truth? And anyone in disagreeance with you is wrong "because" you are the sole arbiter of divine truth?

Edit:
Thank god we have someone here whom we know to be right because they thought about it long and hard enough without changing their mind, so much so that they MUST absolutely, and without a doubt, be completely right about it.

"Knowledge" can have such potent force that in all self-honesty, you cannot deny it. Absolute certainty of a thing can be delivered to the soul by God. In order to distinguish such from other ideas which are not truly "known" requires a calm, clear mind, introspection, self-honesty.

Quote from: Ecbarrowes on April 20, 2024, 04:47:51 PMGod exists and is benevolent.

How do you know this?

Definitely can't stop at marijuana. Once you start, you HAVE to do harder drugs. Just like people who smoke. One day you smoke a pack, next day you're snorting cocaine. And people who drink? Oh, boy. You start with one bottle of beer, then before you know it, you're constructing a moon shine distillery in your back yard. Don't even get me started on coffee. Think you can just drink one cup in the morning? No, you start and soon you'll be drinking those caffeinated lemonades from Panera Bread, and you die of a heart attack.