The Lord Is Calling Us To The Table

[Ally Bongo]

6 hours ago, DonnyTJS said:

Since belief in God is the harder to these two positions to hold in our society in this day and age, surely those that hold it are showing the stronger character?

 

I dont think that's how i would phrase it no

And as for Stoppard, Atheism is not a thing

Edited April 16, 2017 by Ally Bongo

[Dillinger]

Thanks a lot to Jesus for coming back as a chocolate bunny or whatever 

[Eisegerwind]

9 hours ago, DonnyTJS said:

A character has a line in one of Tom Stoppard's plays, Jumpers I think: "Atheism is a crutch for those who can't bear the reality of God" or words to that effect - always thought that was quite good.

A 'character' in a 'play' says something written by Tom Stoppard, that's the sort of top class 'evidence' god botherers use to justify their position. Have you considered that it might be wrong and what non god botherers would describe as 'bollocks'.

Also I don't recall anyone on this thread describing themselves as an athiest.

[DonnyTJS]

3 hours ago, Ally Bongo said:

 

And as for Stoppard, Atheism is not a thing

It's as much a 'thing' as theism, which is often described as a crutch - that, in so many words, was what scooby-doo was describing it as in the post to which I replied.

1 hour ago, Eisegerwind said:

A 'character' in a 'play' says something written by Tom Stoppard, that's the sort of top class 'evidence' god botherers use to justify their position. Have you considered that it might be wrong and what non god botherers would describe as 'bollocks'.

Also I don't recall anyone on this thread describing themselves as an athiest.

Evidence? What are you on about? I said I thought it was quite a good line, which it is. Obviously it's not 'evidence' of anything. I pointed out that neither theism nor atheism were subject to scientific proof, so why would I be attempting to post 'evidence'?

Nor am I justifying a position, I hold a position in neither camp. I am mildly mocking a position. I'm sorry if that was lost on you.

[Ally Bongo]

It isnt a crutch though

Atheism is not an affirmative belief that there is no god

Nor does it answer any other question about what a person believes. It is a rejection of the assertion that there are gods.

If you can't bear the reality of God then you are surely acknowledging it exists 

[DonnyTJS]

2 minutes ago, Ally Bongo said:

It isnt a crutch though

Atheism is not an affirmative belief that there is no god

Nor does it answer any other question about what a person believes. It is a rejection of the assertion that there are gods.

If you can't bear the reality of God then you are surely acknowledging it exists 

 

Maybe you need to bring that up with Stoppard, but since he's not on the board ...

Surely atheism is an affirmation of the belief that there is no god - hence it is an affirmative belief.

Stoppard's line is a joke (something that Eisegerwind seems to have missed), but it is playing on the time-honoured idea that those who profess a religious faith do so because they are unable to cope with the reality of a Godless universe. I don't think that suggests such people acknowledge that the universe is Godless. It works both ways...

[Third Lanark]

Scotty:

Thanks for posting that. Much as I like Johnny Cash I have never heard that song before! It's truly magnificent.

[Scotty CTA]

1994 'American Recordings'

This is the track that precedes it on the album...

[Verse 1]
There's a place I know where the train goes slow
Where the sinner can be washed in the blood of the lamb
There's a river by the trestle down by sinner's grove
Down where the willow and the dogwood grow
You can hear the whistle, you can hear the bell
From the halls of heaven to the gates of hell
And there's room for the forsaken if you're there on time
You'll be washed of all your sins and all of your crimes
If you're down there by the train

[Chorus]
Down there by the train[x3]
Down there where the train goes slow

[Verse 2]
There's a golden moon that shines up through the mist
And I know that your name can be on that list
There's no eye for an eye, there's no tooth for a tooth
I saw Judas Iscariot carrying John Wilkes Booth
He was down there by the train

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
If you've lost all your hope, if you've lost all your faith
I know you can be cared for and I know you can be safe
And all the shamefuls and all of the whores
And even the soldier who pierced the side of the Lord
Is down there by the train

[Chorus]

[Verse 4]
Well, I've never asked forgiveness and I've never said a prayer
Never given of myself, never truly cared
I've left the ones who loved me and I'm still raising
Cain I've taken the low road and if you've done the same
Meet me down there by the train

[Chorus][x2]

[Scotty CTA]

57 minutes ago, DonnyTJS said:

It works both ways...

Absolutely.

Dawkins claims that folk are 'delusional' for believing in God, and I know that folk are delusional for not acknowledging God.

"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20

So... no creation, no God... but since we have creation, there is no excuse for not acknowledging the Creator.

We learn about God by learning about Jesus, and we learn about Jesus by studying the Bible. 

[Scotty CTA]

[Ally Bongo]

1 hour ago, DonnyTJS said:

 

Maybe you need to bring that up with Stoppard, but since he's not on the board ...

Surely atheism is an affirmation of the belief that there is no god - hence it is an affirmative belief.

Stoppard's line is a joke (something that Eisegerwind seems to have missed), but it is playing on the time-honoured idea that those who profess a religious faith do so because they are unable to cope with the reality of a Godless universe. I don't think that suggests such people acknowledge that the universe is Godless. It works both ways...

Something that resonated with me is that there isnt a word for people that dont believe in The Loch Ness Monster, The Roman/Greek Gods, monsters that live under your bed etc but there is for those that dont believe in the God of Abraham .............

[Scotty CTA]

What word is that?

[Scotty CTA]

18 minutes ago, Ally Bongo said:

Something that resonated with me is that there isnt a word for people that dont believe in The Loch Ness Monster, The Roman/Greek Gods, monsters that live under your bed etc but there is for those that dont believe in the God of Abraham .............

I don't believe in those things.

(Watch you don't paint yourself into a corner, now.)

[Ally Bongo]

13 minutes ago, Scotty CTA said:

What word is that?

Atheist

 

Edited April 16, 2017 by Ally Bongo

[Larky Masher]

1 hour ago, Scotty CTA said:

What word is that?

Grease

[Padre Andrew]

On Friday, April 14, 2017 at 10:13 PM, Eisegerwind said:

Really, is this how you get your kicks. Looks nothing like Jesus, rubbish.

Not looking to get my kicks, and not trying to look like Jesus either.  Think you're confusing this with a Passion Play.

A Walk of Witness is a remembering, and a reminder to anyone who's around, of the story of Good Friday.

[Eisegerwind]

12 minutes ago, Padre Andrew said:

Not looking to get my kicks, and not trying to look like Jesus either.  Think you're confusing this with a Passion Play.

A Walk of Witness is a remembering, and a reminder to anyone who's around, of the story of Good Friday.

No, I'm not.

[Eisegerwind]

4 hours ago, DonnyTJS said:

It's as much a 'thing' as theism, which is often described as a crutch - that, in so many words, was what scooby-doo was describing it as in the post to which I replied.

Evidence? What are you on about? I said I thought it was quite a good line, which it is. Obviously it's not 'evidence' of anything. I pointed out that neither theism nor atheism were subject to scientific proof, so why would I be attempting to post 'evidence'?

Nor am I justifying a position, I hold a position in neither camp. I am mildly mocking a position. I'm sorry if that was lost on you.

Evidence wasn't the best word to use, and I wasn't implying that you were attempting to post evidence. The point I was trying to make was that, that's the sort of neat literary gymnastics that god botherers write and preach all the time in order to justify their positions. It all sounds very clever but it's got absolutely no substance.

[thplinth]

You remind me of a previous poster. Someone who was a fan of Scottish Italian fusion food. 

 

[Eisegerwind]

25 minutes ago, Padre Andrew said:

Not looking to get my kicks, and not trying to look like Jesus either.  Think you're confusing this with a Passion Play.

A Walk of Witness is a remembering, and a reminder to anyone who's around, of the story of Good Friday.

A bit like an Orange order march to remind us of the Battle of the Boyne then. Remarkably enough, if I was that interested in the Battle of the Boyne I'd rather go and get a book and read about it, I don't really need some men in daft clothes walking down the road singing songs about it.

[Mindimoo]

11 minutes ago, thplinth said:

You remind me of a previous poster. Someone who was a fan of Scottish Italian fusion food. 

 

I'd forgotten about him!  

[Padre Andrew]

Nobody dressed up (maybe you're thinking of the Passion Play), and there's plenty of books where you can find out about this story.

It's about a man who challenged the religious authorities of the day and was put to death, but the twist in the story is that killing him didn't work, and that love (and being nice to people generally) wins out in the end.

[Eisegerwind]

6 minutes ago, Padre Andrew said:

Nobody dressed up (maybe you're thinking of the Passion Play), and there's plenty of books where you can find out about this story.

It's about a man who challenged the religious authorities of the day and was put to death, but the twist in the story is that killing him didn't work, and that love (and being nice to people generally) wins out in the end.

I actually said 'daft clothes', dog collars and sally army 'uniforms' count. Still definitlely not thinking of a passion play, no matter how many times you say it.

[phart]

Fashion policing seems to be a trait of theists and atheists.

[thplinth]

11 minutes ago, Mindimoo said:

I'd forgotten about him!  

Well he's not forgotten about scotty! That is what you get for trying to get him banned. Anyway if it is who i think it is... hope you are doing well.