Comments

  • Is there a religion or doctrine that has no rules to be obeyed?
    Unlike some philosophers, I don't think it's my duty to undermine the faith of other people. But since you noted that you are not well-read in literary works, I don't think you should say that Jesus' "revelations" are "unlike any other man throughout history". Instead, they are simply "natural truths".Gnomon

    From what you say, it seems, in your knowledge, it is possible that someone, other than Jesus, said clearly that a rich man cannot, even if he wants to, be honest and sincere before the multitudes. This is a real fact because if a rich man (a real rich one who is approved by the powerful rich group that rules his region) reveals one or more of the hidden truths (he knows) he would affect badly the interests of his rich colleagues (if not his own interests as well). If he does it, he likely risks his life, if not much worse.

    I am all ears always, to hear about someone who could be seen as an equivalent to Jesus as the teacher of 'Life Reality'.
  • It is more reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Christ than to not.
    lmao only you, muslims and WWII fascists think so. I have no problem discussing with an atheist and I even read hindu scriptures with Shânkara's commentary, sufi poems, etc.hithere

    Sorry for upsetting you. You have the right to be a dreamer. I am talking about reality and how things run in the world, we like it or not.
    If you cannot see it, you have no choice but to keep dreaming :(
    A mature wise person tries his best to discover the world as it is. He doesn't keep seeing it the way he likes it to be (as almost every newcomer into life does... including me in my early years).

    Have a good day.
  • It is more reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Christ than to not.
    Then you're lost, because even science is dependent on faith.Gus Lamarch

    You are right, because having faith is the 'prerequisite' to discover (or arrive to) something. So while I was at school, I had faith in math (besides physics, chemistry... etc.) that it is the right path, for me in the least, on which I can discover or understand many things which I may need in my life later.
    Since many decades, this faith did its supposed role and I became (since 1975) the boss of a small private business (producing whatever the local consumers may need) as a designer in electronics.

    This could be applied too on how I knew Jesus and his teachings that describe what I was looking for about the reality of my being and the world I was brought into it. If I am not wrong, faith is usually related to hope. Therefore, after getting all the knoweldge I need, faith/hope had no role/importance in my life :)
  • Belief in god is necessary for being good.
    Good moral judgment is essential. How do people gain good moral judgment?Athena

    Sorry, I personally have no reason to judge anyone. I just live with others the way they are.

    But I also understand that most people in the world have no choice but to be guided by their instincts only. So, to me in the least, they have the right to judge me the way they like.

    For example, many decades ago and during my military service (for about 2 years), someone liked to send me to prison for a month in the desert. On the same day he accused me of something I had no idea of, the accusation was dropped. But, by curiosity, I asked him about the reason for which he did that to me. His reply was simply:
    "You treat all around you here in good ways. Such attitude is not supposed to exist in a military environment. So I liked to teach you this, though in a hard way".
    How could I judge him for seeing my goodness wrong? He simply did what his instincts told him it was the right thing to do.
  • Belief in god is necessary for being good.
    That's a lot of people.

    What I find interesting is that they tend to die more in countries with mad right-leaning irrational leaders.

    Curious.
    Banno

    Well, I witnessed certain years in which the flu killed in my country not less than 1 of 100 while about half the population (50%) were affected by it. But, in these years, no system/organization, local or abroad, saw it even an epidemic. This year with 1 of 10,000 is called a pandemic!!!
    By the way, in these years, I had to stay in bed with high fever for not less than 10 days (usually 1 to 3 days) before my brain was able to synthesise the proper ant-virus in my blood.
    This year (I am 71), it took me 3 days to recover but with moderate fever, so I didn't have to be in bed all the day.

    https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/comment/462404
  • It is more reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Christ than to not.
    The neo-atheist mods would ban the thread. Not worth discussing here.hithere

    You are totally right.
    Even some atheists have faith to defend at any cost exactly as some believers of a doctrine do.

    This is life, we like it or not. Whoever possesses the strongest gun in a room has the legitimate right to impose his truth on all ones in his room :D
  • Belief in god is necessary for being good.
    Regards, stay safe 'n well.Torus34

    You too, thank you.

    You may like reading this:
    https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/comment/462404
  • Belief in god is necessary for being good.
    In my book, people who are not considerate of others are not good people.Athena

    I personally read it (based on my various experiences in life and my personal observations on the ground for many decades):
    people who are not considerate of what their ruling system asks them to believe and do are not good people in the eyes of 'the system's people'.

    I am sorry for not being able to give you all the necessary evidences of what I said (claimed, in your view) because I would need to write a thick book (if not many books) and I am far from being a good writer in any language.

    But, what you said: "people who are not considerate of others are not good people." is also totally right if it is not about something from which the ruling system (the powerful high class) gets profits, usually not seen/noticed by most ordinary people.

    Anyway, I am not here to convince anyone about anything. We are all given intelligent brains, so every one knows what is good and bad for him (and for the ones who trust him) more than anyone else.

    For example, did anyone here hear that knowing how to control/paralyse (temporarily and permanently) the body's immunity was one of the greatest discoveries in medicine a few decades ago?
    Without this discovery, transplanting live organs would fail always, as it was clearly revealed in the 70's. Doctors found out that the original immunity system of the patient has to attack and destroy the new (stranger) planted organ. But the peoples around the world heard of this as AIDS besides all the fairy tales about it which were created, and updated year after year, for adults.
    Unfortunately, those who know the truth behind the worldwide propaganda of AIDS, other than certain men on power, are the few professional surgeons only who transplant successfully life organs by applying the discovered technique before their operations. Soon after an operation, they apply the reverse technique and revive the immunity system of their patient which sees the new organ as if it were original.

    In brief, what was planned to happen after attacking the people's economy, almost in all countries in the world, in the name of flu/cold virus (sorry, this year I have to call it, corona virus) is much worse than what is happening now. So I think the only thing the powerless ordinary good persons, anywhere on earth, can do is to wish each other be safe (as you did already).
  • It is more reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Christ than to not.
    When you start to have individual interpretations of the message of Christ, it is no longer Christianity, but GnosticismGus Lamarch

    You are right in this. I am not Christian, but nor Gnostic as well. Being a man of reason, I don't have faith in the first place. It happens that the 'Science of Life Reality' I know (that defines/explores some important natural rules of one's existence and the world as it is) was already revealed by Jesus. So thanks to Jesus, I know that I am not imagining things.

    I bet you didn't like hearing me say: "the science I know...". Well, even about scientific knowledge, I had the chance to discover things that the world (at the universities in the least) is not aware of. But, at the same time, many other persons in the world had also the chance to know things that, in my turn, I am not aware of.
    So while in speeches we talk about absolute 'science', actually and speaking practically, many people, as individuals or groups, have their 'own' knowledge of science from which they, unlike others, can take advantage of it in their own projects.

    By the way, ANY new discovery starts from ONE person only who knew it. Then, how it will be seen by others as useful, harmful or even non-sense is another question :)
  • Belief in god is necessary for being good.
    Regards, stay safe 'n well. Remember the Big 3: masks. hand washing and social distancing.Torus34

    Yes, also in these days, one is seen good by his ruling system (anywhere on earth) if he believes in the 'worldwide' propaganda concerning the world's flu of this year as being a pandemic; after all it killed about 1 of 10,000 so far.


    .
  • It is more reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Christ than to not.
    It is to be expectedGus Lamarch

    But the period of time for which they hid is 40 days, not 30 or 50 :)
    These 40 days have their particular meaning anywhere on earth.

    I cannot understand how you can see the existence of Christianity as a miracle.Gus Lamarch

    Did I say the existence of today's Christianity is a miracle?
    I said just the opposite :)
    But sorry for not being clearer :(

    while all formal systems (religious or political) around the world don't allow preaching OPENLY (via satellites for example) many Jesus teachings 'as clear as he did'KerimF

    The formal religious systems, I am referring to, are also all well-known Christian Churches and Denominations in the world.
    By the way, I was ignored (if not worse) in all Christian forums I heard of and joined, anytime I referred to what Jesus says (on their own Gospel!) about a certain subject, instead of what their doctrine says.

    But, I also understand that my point here could not be clear to you. Perhaps, you didn't have the time or interest to notice the few but crucial contradictions between Jesus sayings and the teachings of any Christian Church. After all and truth be said, if they preach openly Jesus sayings exactly as Jesus does on the Gospel, a formal Church won't have the chance to survive for long (due to lack of serious donations). So they used reviving Judaism to hide what they like ignoring in Jesus sayings.

    Kerim
  • It is more reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Christ than to not.
    Christ's life, death, passion and resurrection is a fact. His resurrection alone had more witnesses than Caesar's murder. Of course, for those who have no faith, not all the miracles in the world will convince.hithere

    I am afraid that if someone 'now' believes what Jesus says because of his miracles (which happened) then he is ready to believe 'at the same level' whatever one said and many people have witnessed his miracles too.

    By the way, in your opinion, what could someone learn from Jesus?
    Thank you.
    I understood from many that they learnt a sort of magic from him.
    In other words, if they believe really in Jesus as being their Saviour, admit they are sinner and repent before God, they are saved in the afterlife.
    But such question may need the start of its own thread.

    Kerim
  • It is more reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Christ than to not.
    The miracles of Jesus, including the resurrection of his body, were very important for the early apostles and disciples only.

    Jesus knew in advance that he couldn't come as a rich powerful man to get the attention of the multitudes as it is the norm throughout history (including these days). Otherwise he would be also the rich man of {Matthew 19:24}.

    Now, believing or not the resurrection of Jesus body (and his other miracles) is no more important.

    The today's living miracle that no one can deny is that... the message of Jesus was resurrected and could be accessed by almost anyone in the world, now till the end of times.

    Why it is a living miracle?
    while all formal systems (religious or political) around the world don't allow preaching OPENLY (via satellites for example) many Jesus teachings 'as clear as he did', no one of them dares considering the printing of the Gospel (as hard copies or eBooks) as a crime that deserves punishment.KerimF
    https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/comment/461664)

    Kerim
  • It is more reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Christ than to not.
    decided not to comment because they are points about your personal interpretation of Christianity, something that has nothing to do with the initial proposal of the OP. :grin:Gus Lamarch

    You are right in this :)

    By the way, do you think I am exaggerating or imagining things in:

    https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/comment/461664

    Thank you.
  • It is more reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Christ than to not.
    I can assure you that 90% of people know nothing about history, let alone about the history of the Church. Therefore, it is not surprising that you were also unaware of these facts.Gus Lamarch

    Should someone be aware of all what happened in history?

    No one can deny that the best tool by which the powerful rich families (the world's Elite) around the world can divide ordinary people (local and/or abroad) to better controlling them... is teaching them history (which is certainly presented differently in different regions/countries).
    And even for an international event which may happen in our days, one likely hear many different, if not opposite, stories of it. So I may imagine the case about events that happened many years, decades, centuries or millennia ago.

    Therefore, in my precious post, saying that I wasn't aware of how Christianity was described by early Romans was just a sort of a soft introductory to describe my 'actual' Christianity that no Christian Church or Denomination in the world approves. On your side, you were interested in my introduction and said nothing about what came next :)
  • What does the Biblical 'unpardonable sin' mean?
    There are cases in which folks become so full of themselves that there really isn't room for much else.Mayor of Simpleton

    Even at work, I don't base my designs 'blindly' on any work done by someone else. And every time I had a chance to discover a novel solution (in electronics), I took advantage of it in my own projects without waiting someone to confirm it is a useful solution.

    Yes, there is no room in my reality for 'OTHERS'physics. But this doesn't mean I don't respect other's works, ideas and beliefs. I also believe that they surely know what is good and bad for them more than I do.

    Therefore and concerning this thread, should I imitate others who used focusing on the resurrection of Jesus body while ignoring that the entire world witness now the living message of Jesus (after its total death 2000 years ago, as I explained on my first reply on this thread)?
    Edited: sorry, on
    "It is more reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Christ than to not."


    By the way, I don't argue or debate because I didn't meet yet one mature person who thinks he may be wrong in whatever he believes is true and/or real... and useful to him.
  • It is more reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Christ than to not.
    Each person can examine Christian suggestions for themselves, try out those suggestions which engage them, and then come to their own conclusions regarding the value of those suggestions. It doesn't really matter who wrote the suggestion, or when they wrote it, or if they actually wrote it, or whether the suggestion is a misinterpretation of someone else's ideas, or any of that. If one can set aside authority worship and do one's own homework, then every person one meets can be one's teacher.Hippyhead

    :up:

    Me as an example, if I followed blindly the teachings of any Christian Church or Denomination in the world, I wouldn't discover that Jesus (directly from the Gospel, I have on my hands) brought me the knowledge, Science of Life Reality, I was looking for and not another magic based on faith.
  • What does the Biblical 'unpardonable sin' mean?
    The 'me' of metaphysics... no matter how much happens in the universe... it's all about 'me'.

    It should be called 'ME'physics.

    OH... the humility! ;)
    Mayor of Simpleton

    Do you mean that on has to think of 'OTHERS'physics?!
    It happens that the only object/device under test that I can be sure that the results of any test on it are real genuine is MY BEING.

    I mean, do you think there is another object, in your reality, which could be more important to test and analyse than your own being?!
    If it is the case, I am real curious to know what it could be. Thank you.

    Sorry if I didn't understand well your point.
  • What does the Biblical 'unpardonable sin' mean?
    A god intentionally creates beings to be imperfect, then subsequently blames and holds accountable the imperfectly created beings for the imperfections that same god intentionally placed into them?Mayor of Simpleton

    Yes, God intentionally creates beings, also as humans (not just microbes and viruses) to play bad roles against me.
    Without the existence of such humans, I would have no chance at all to feed my soul with the permanent joy by living the unconditional love and care towards them.

    By the way, these humans, you call imperfect, are also made/created so that they are very satisfied, if not happy, the way they are... till they return back to the state of void (the state before their birth).

    As you see, there are no losers but winners (though a few winners only in reality).
    So where is the problem?!!!
  • What does the Biblical 'unpardonable sin' mean?
    it would mean that there would be no one left to do the pardoning. In short, a sin that annihilates the sinned, is unpardonable.TheMadFool

    Actually, when someone hurt another (he sinned due to a self-reaction in response to an unexpected external action, by mistake or lack of knowledge) and for one reason or another:
    {1} he couldn't meet the other side to ask him forgiveness
    {2} it was impossible for him to correct what he did.
    ... he won't feel bad (guilty) if he really admits he did wrong, before himself and anyone he knows.

    Believe me there is always a way to correct any damage indirectly; in case doing it directly is impossible.

    Only denying the unifying love... has no cure in this life and afterlife as well :)
    Denying it is expected from a human who perceives he has a living flesh only to take care of and let it survive, at any cost and as long as possible; as an individual or species. After all, this is exactly what all other non-human living things are supposed to do... guided by their instincts.
  • What does the Biblical 'unpardonable sin' mean?
    While I started out in life worrying about committing an unpardonable sin, the more real concern is the shadow aspects of the Catholic and Christian moral stance, especially those about sexuality.Jack Cummins

    One doesn't have to worry, at all, about the sole unpardonable deny of the divine spirit of love.
    If someone cannot (or is not supposed to) love others, as revealed and lived by Jesus, he simply lives following his instincts of survival that also guide him how to serve life in the world as all other living things are created for. He serves it by building in time of peace and/or destroying in time of war. He, as all other zillion of living things, will end up returning back to the state of void (the state before birth).

    My uncle is a Catholic priest (I am not sure where he is now). He insisted always that 'Jesus only' has the right (and the ability) not to be interested, at all, in having any sort of sexual relationships (by marriage or friendship). The irony is that he used seeing in me a big sinner for my total lack of interest in such relationships. Doesn't this mean he was fortunate for having the chance not to be a sinner, as I am, in this respect?!!! By the way, he used living and working in Paris since many decades ago.

    In reality, the sexual moral (its limits) is always defined by man. Therefore, it is different in different religions and doctrines. And It is also different in the different inherited cultures and rituals.
    For example, I recall when I was much younger (studying at the university), I went to Nantes (West of France, by the Atlantic) as a trainee at the 'Electricité de France' for 2 months (in summer). It took me a month before realising that trying to be an ordinary friend with any boy, I met at work, was a sign of being gay. Naturally, soon after I discovered the city moral of friendship, I was able to become a friend to a local young girl (also a trainee) and, on the same day, she invited me to her family house, I used to be with her most of the day, visiting many places in Nantes (I had enough money to cover any expenses). Unfortunately, I disappointed her because she was very beautiful, to me in the least, but I didn't try to kiss her even once; I was just a good sincere friend.
    Back to the city where I live, the exact inverse moral of friendship in Nantes is applied in it :)
  • Belief in god is necessary for being good.
    I’m terrified of people who are only moral because if they’re not they’ll get punished. It seems that genuine morality is impossible with the constant threat of hell. What will they do if God instructs them to murder and torture I wonder?khaled

    Also, Caesar (equivalent to the today's powerful rich families that run a ruling system) instructs his followers and soldiers to be morale and obedient with him; otherwise he has to punish them. And he also instructs them that they have the right to murder and even torture his enemies who oppose his will.

    Now you know how the men in charge of any religion around the around were able to imagine the best image to describe their supernatural kings/gods while playing the legitimate representatives/stewards of their supernatural Caesar.
  • It is more reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Christ than to not.
    Quoting Pliny the Younger about how the Romans viewed the young Christian church:

    "Roman investigations into early Christianity found it an irreligious, novel, disobedient, even atheistic sub-sect of Judaism: it appeared to deny all forms of religion and was therefore superstitio."
    Gus Lamarch

    Thank you... I didn't imagine that such description of Christianity could be said in the far past. It reflects how I personally live Christianity with one exception.
    .
    {1} I am 'irreligious'. I don’t follow (belonging to) any formal religion (religious system).

    {2} I am 'novel', if not weird, to most people in the world. I don't have to follow my instincts of survival in my reactions.

    {3} I am 'disobedient' anytime a rule contradicts my unconditional love towards all others.

    The exception is that Judaism, to me in the least, is a thing of the past.
    It was just addressed to certain humans when humans were rather primitive (kids of humanity). Therefore, there was a need to guide them by certain rules (known as God's Law), as good parents guide their little kids to let them be healthy and safe till they become free adults.
  • Belief in god is necessary for being good.
    Thus: the way to kill God is not though petty arguments but through a rugged materialism - good lives for all, security of body and community, to each according to their need, from each according to their ability.StreetlightX

    Yes, this is exactly what every living thing does while being guided by the instructions embedded in it already by its maker (the intelligent energy/will behind the existence of our universe).
  • Belief in god is necessary for being good.
    Religion is opium. Opium is medicine for those in pain.frank

    Yes, this is why Paganism had to exist before medicine.
  • It is more reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Christ than to not.
    Jesus message (on the today's Gospel) is living till our days while it contradicts all man-made laws, religious and civil (including the laws of all formal Christian Churches/Denominations)... period.
  • Belief in god is necessary for being good.


    Actually, when someone says he believes in this or that god, he just says that, by his own will, he decided to belong to this or that religious group/system.

    Obviously, all in the group, he joined, will see in him a good person (as they see themselves).
    I mean, being good is just a man-made notion.

    For example, if one kills an enemy of his group, he is not only good... he becomes a hero.
    At the same time, on the side of his victim, he is seen as a real evil person... a killer.
  • Are humans inherently good or evil


    Actually, life is not about good and evil which are man-made notions.
    The main difference among humans is that:
    Humans may have a living flesh only to take care of.
    Or they are given a living soul too. But if one doesn't know how to feed his soul properly, it just dies and lets him join the former ones.
    While any flesh (human or not) will end up returning to the state of void (state before its birth), a soul can survive for eternity (not in hell or paradise as in the fairy tales made for adults). How? Those who perceive in them a living soul and discover how to feed it properly (though feeding it is not easy at all)... know the answer.
  • What does the Biblical 'unpardonable sin' mean?


    Similarly, in the material world, if it happens that someone in not interested, at all, in loving any other sexually, his attitude is also unpardonable by most people in the world :)
  • What does the Biblical 'unpardonable sin' mean?


    In reality, we have to admit that it is usual that someone cannot perceive the love as I mentioned earlier while he does perceive very well the sexual one :D
  • What does the Biblical 'unpardonable sin' mean?
    That's just more belief in god is necessary for being good. Self-serving Christian bullshit.Banno

    I can't see myself Christian.
    Jesus to me is the source of the perfect knowledge (Science of Life Reality) I was looking for (I am a man of reason not faith).
    So to me, Jesus is certainly not another idol to be worshipped and he didn't bring the world a new magic (believe/repent ==> you are saved :) ) as all Churches/Denominations around the world insist on.
  • What does the Biblical 'unpardonable sin' mean?


    About the unpardonable sin (on the Gospel), Jesus reminds me that... if I meet someone who cannot believe/perceive that a divine spirit of love (somehow as true friendship in the material world) exists and has the power, if accepted by two independent beings, to unify them and let them be seen by any outsider as if they were One Being having One Will/Power... the person in question has a human living flesh only to take care of and has, therefore, no choice but to be guided solely by his instincts like any other non-human living thing.
    The good news is that, such a person (a typical one on earth) is satisfied, if not happy, the way he is. And he is ready always to serve the material world by building it and/or destroying it (in exchange of living one or more natural pleasures); as all other living things have certain important roles to play in the world before returning back to the state of void; the state before birth.

    This hint from Jesus is one of many practical hints that help me live in a balanced stable way with whoever I may meet or know without being confused or surprised :)
  • It is more reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Christ than to not.
    It's very odd to me to characterise Jesus' teachings as a ruling system.Echarmion

    Sorry for not being clearer. I wasn't comparing Jesus teachings to any ruling system. I just liked to point out that the ruling systems, throughout history, couldn't stop spreading ideas/truths that clearly contradict what their powerless subjects (The People) are supposed to do, believe and/or hear.

    But is your argument that teaching harmony and kindness was not only unprecedented at the beginning of the common era, but also not repeated? While Jesus' commitment to unconditional love might have been revolutionary, there were certainly thinkers before and after him that were similarly interested in peaceful coexistence.Echarmion

    Sorry, Jesus, on the today's Gospel, doesn't teach harmony and kindness but reality. For example, a powerful rich man 'cannot', as the world is designed/created, be free to be honest and sincere while he addresses openly the multitudes. So I have no reason to be against any rich man/woman or any of his/her followers. Jesus just reminds me how he/she should be (by design), so that I won't be surprised about anything he/she may say or do (for being expected already).

    I hope you are right that "there were certainly thinkers" who revealed natural truths as Jesus did. I couldn't hear of any of them yet :(
    Back to Jesus, world peace, as another example, is not supposed to happen anytime on earth. He proved this natural fact by reminding us that even the members of one family cannot live in real permanent peace together even if they live in the same environment and share the same language and culture (one may imagine what could be the case outside the family :) ). This hint from Jesus lets me be aware that those who insist on talking about world peace are just deceivers or, at best, ignorant of reality.

    But I have to add now a crucial note about Jesus teachings.
    Although they are addressed to all humans, a few humans only see in them as real useful ideas in their own life. But I am afraid, it is not easy to explain this directly. So I will try to do it by the following analogy:

    Does a born blind be interested in the science of optics or acoustics?
    Does a born deaf be interested in the science of optics or acoustics?

    When the born blind is interested in acoustics and not in optics, it has nothing to do with intelligence.
    The same applies on what the born deaf chooses.
    And being blind and deaf doesn't prevent a person to do things that are much more useful than what many people who have good eyes and ears may do.

    I hope this analogy shows, to some extent, that being interested or not in Jesus teachings has nothing to do with one's intelligence. Actually, it has to do with the 'nature' of which one is made/created.
    The great good news is that, in general, every human on earth feels fine and satisfied as he/she is... despite the various differences among humans.
  • God and Religion Arguments [Mega-Thread, Ver2]

    What I know is that all living things don't need to know anything about their maker. They just follow the instructions, embedded in them already by their maker; usually known as instincts.
    This also applies on humans who see themselves having a human living flesh only to take care of. But this doesn't prevent many of them imagining the image of their maker as being an ideal image of their nature.
    For the few remaining humans, they discover their maker by themselves from whom they get all the knowledge they need to know about their existence (mainly its main/end purpose).
  • It is more reasonable to believe in the resurrection of Christ than to not.


    To me in the least, the resurrection of Jesus' body is not as miraculous as the resurrection of Jesus message that contradicts the human instincts of survival, hence the man-made law of any ruling system around the world.

    Please note that any reader here, deist or atheist, is not familiar with what I will say.

    The day Jesus was condemned to death there was not even ONE person in the world who dared saying he believes him or in him. In fact, Jesus knew how to let even Peter "his Rock" deny him 'three' times on that day (it wasn't a mere coincidence that Peter only used his sword, soon after Judas kissed Jesus). And, by Peter clear reaction (3 times, not just once or twice), Jesus made very clear that, on that day, both his body and teachings (message) died on the cross (not his body only).

    But this wasn't enough.

    Jesus also let his apostles isolate themselves (hide) for 40 days. This is the period of time in which a widow has to be isolated in order to be certain that she has no life in her, from her dead husband (in case he was an important one).

    Then, even after 2000 years (thru too many generations), I hear Jesus saying:

    Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
    That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

    Isn't it a miracle? But, perhaps it is not, and someone here knows one ruling system in the least (in the past or now) that asks its subjects to love their enemies and not applying its justice on the evil and on the unjust.

    Yes, while all formal systems (religious or political) around the world don't allow preaching OPENLY (via satellites for example) many Jesus teachings 'as clear as he did', no one of them dares considering the printing of the Gospel (as hard copies or eBooks) as a crime that deserves punishment.
    Yes, this is a 'fact' that the world lives while it is beyond human logic... In other words, it is a living miracle that no one, even atheists, can deny :)
  • The Simplicity Of God
    It could be the case that God created the world and His creations are making their own free will decisions and sometimes use trial and error to make those decisions.Naomi

    Actually, God (the supernatural energy/will behind the existence of our universe) programmed all the living things to evolve following certain algorithms (that scientists try to discover) so that their survival has more chance to last in an environment. In other words, evolution could be seen as being based also on 'trial and error'.
    But since all matters and the rules that define their existence in the various environments of the universe are also created (with the preprogramed algorithms), the instantaneous status of the world (at every moment) that results from applying the process of 'trial and error' is already known by God. This explains why many men believe that it may be possible to predict the future, to some extend and about certain situations in the least.
  • What is "rightness?"

    Yes, there is a set of absolute rules (truths) that defines the existence of our universe, Naturally, it includes what is good and bad for you (for the nature you are made of) as it includes too what is good and bad for me (also for the nature I am made of). So whoever talks of a truth suitable to ALL human beings is one of two:
    {1} He didn't have the chance yet to discover the real world.
    [2] He is a smart deceiver.
  • Is there a religion or doctrine that has no rules to be obeyed?
    Thank you for mentioning this reference. This is the first time I hear of it. I seldom read non-scientific books (written in any language).

    By curiosity, I will read his book.
    From what is explained on Wikipedia, Jefferson seems to see in Jesus a source that represents the (best) morale. But I ended up seeing Jesus the source of perfect knowledge (Science of Life Reality), that defines my own existence in the least, besides the real world in which I have to live for a certain period of time.

    Although I am 71, I didn't write any book about this. I am a bad writer (in any language) due to lack of reading other's literary works and being busy always in working with numbers, symbols, equations and various scientific problems (related mainly to electronics).

    So if, I say if :), I will be able to write someday my filtered Gospel, I will certainly present, with it and in details, all the natural truths that Jesus, unlike any other man throughout history, has revealed clearly (though in simple ways) and had the chance to reach me, even after 2000 years, despite most people in the world (past and new generations) are supposed to follow their instincts of survival only and have, therefore, no interest to learn anything else.

    Yes, even in science, what could be, in your opinion, the percentage of people on earth who really need learning advanced math? I doubt it exceeds 1% (if not much less). Does this mean that the knowledge of advanced math is superfluous and should be disregarded?
  • Are humans inherently good or evil
    His main idea is that despite God is omnipotent, omniscient and has the desire to eliminate evil, he could not create beings with free will that would never choose evil; in other words, God cannot create square circles or take self-contradictory actions.Isabel Hu

    In reality, the absolute evil doesn't exist in the first place to be eliminated. Evil is just one of the many notions created by man; as the notion of 'brainwashing' for example.

    Yes, I didn't meet, during my rather long life, even one person who sees himself brainwashed (but what I will say will be totally wrong if you tell me here that you see yourself brainwashed :) ). At the same time, I met many people, from all around the world, who believe, for certain, in the existence of brainwashed people.

    This also applies on 'evil'.
    In movies and series only (not in the real world), I heard some actors confessing they are real evil persons (after all, they had to follow their script :) )
    But again, and sorry to say it, if you see yourself (please note we talk philosophy) an evil person really then I apologize for being totally wrong because in this case, evil (a live example, you :( ) is real and not just a notion which is used to describe some others only.
  • The Simplicity Of God
    Fantastic!. If you have the time and the computing power, no one will hold it against you that you solved a problem using trial and error.TheMadFool

    Sorry, I had to be clearer.
    When the inputs to a system couldn't be known for certain, the programmer assumes estimated values and conditions for every possible input which is not included on the list of the known ones.
    Then, he has to find out suitable algorithms that let the system adjust the primitive estimated values and conditions anytime it is hit by what was considered unknown input. This may be seen as 'trial and error' because the optimum adjust may not be achieved at the first time/try.

    My main worry is that there's randomness in the universe and if one can't control it the best technique is trial and error.TheMadFool

    Sorry, what do you mean by randomness? Perhaps a practical example can clarify it. Thank you.