It all begins and ends in your mind.

@secondson said
Yes. I'm the world's greatest forum saver! If it weren't for me this place would dry up.

What an odd perspective; I’m of the view that if you weren’t posting here anymore no one would notice.

@secondson said
"...I am happy to stand before the living God an explain myself on this matter."

While you're at it ask God why He flooded the earth killing billions of innocent men, women and children. Maybe you don't believe that happened either.

I noticed you (and indeed every Christian here) avoided my literal/metaphor challenge. You are all tough guys with your he’ll fire stories of God’s perfect justice but when it comes down to it you are just following what’s been drilled into to you.

@divegeester said
I have neither and issue with you (I’m not sure why you are inferring I think that), nor with the scriptures.

I am comfortable with metaphor and symbolism in the bible; I note that you avoided my post recently challenging any Christian to decide which was literal and which was metaphor in a passage from Revelation.

If you have a doubt take it literally! Attempting to cloud the text by casting doubt
on its truthfulness isn't going to dispel what God holds us to. He will know what
is real and true in both our lives and our arguments.

@divegeester said
I noticed you (and indeed every Christian here) avoided my literal/metaphor challenge. You are all tough guys with your he’ll fire stories of God’s perfect justice but when it comes down to it you are just following what’s been drilled into to you.

No one has "...drilled into" me anything. It is the text, you can read it for yourself,
attempting to make it nothing of note, or not true is something you are doing and
has nothing to do with me.

@kellyjay said
If you have a doubt take it literally! Attempting to cloud the text by casting doubt
on its truthfulness isn't going to dispel what God holds us to. He will know what
is real and true in both our lives and our arguments.

Why did you avoid my literal/metaphor challenge then?

Would you like me to post it again so you can demonstrate your wisdom?

@kellyjay said
No one has "...drilled into" me anything. It is the text, you can read it for yourself,
attempting to make it nothing of note, or not true is something you are doing and
has nothing to do with me.

I’m not saying it has anything you to with you why are you now inferring that as we’ll as inferring that I have an “issue” with you?

@divegeester said
I’m not saying it has anything you to with you why are you now inferring that as we’ll as inferring that I have an “issue” with you?

Ignore this...I'm not cutting you any slack here.

@divegeester said
Why did you avoid my literal/metaphor challenge then?

Would you like me to post it again so you can demonstrate your wisdom?

Go ahead post it again lets see how it goes.

@kellyjay said
Go ahead post it again lets see how it goes.

Done.

New thread

@divegeester said
What an odd perspective; I’m of the view that if you weren’t posting here anymore no one would notice.

Neither would I.

@divegeester said
I noticed you (and indeed every Christian here) avoided my literal/metaphor challenge. You are all tough guys with your he’ll fire stories of God’s perfect justice but when it comes down to it you are just following what’s been drilled into to you.

You think you noticed. I've been busy for the last 5 hours. I just saw that thread. Maybe, if I find it interesting enough, I'll make a post.

"...you are just following what’s been drilled into to you."

Another misperception. I'm following what the scriptures teach.

Try it sometime. Maybe then you wouldn't be so full of fear of the reality of God's wrath, which is sure to come on a Christ rejecting world.

@divegeester said
Incidentally, do you still hold the view that (the now banned from the site member) Romans1009 is one of the best posters here?

Yes, he was one of the best posters here.

It is sad to say "was."

@fmf said
Sorry, I am not really interested in what you are talking about.

I am interested in how the quote applies to things like ideology and religious belief.

Personally, when it comes to a belief in supernatural beings, supernatural phenomena and supernatural causality, I don't think people can use their mind to decide to believe in them if they do not find them credible, just as ...[text shortened]... ion/religiosity work. Edit: ...nor is how it works with a lack of religious belief, for that matter.

This second part I did not think was so pertinent to the quote, but I guess I can kind of see it now that I think about it more.

You are suggesting that we can 'free' ourselves from superstition by not allowing superstition to dominate our mind, correct? Something like that?

But at the same time you are almost sympathetic with the theistic side of the discussion because you imply that one cannot help but be X or Y on this issue, but it also seems to be a bit muddier because there seems to have been some kind of transition into atheism for you.

Perhaps you'd like to elaborate a bit more as I am not quite all the way there.

@secondson said
You think you noticed. I've been busy for the last 5 hours. I just saw that thread. Maybe, if I find it interesting enough, I'll make a post.

"...you are just following what’s been drilled into to you."

Another misperception. I'm following what the scriptures teach.

Try it sometime. Maybe then you wouldn't be so full of fear of the reality of God's wrath, which is sure to come on a Christ rejecting world.

The challenge is reposted in a new thread. So far only KellyJay has responded to the challenge in the OP.