The bible - fact or fiction???

[karnivore]

Star Cards - very well said.

I have another question that I would be curious to see the opinions of the believers on.

Will I be spending eternity in that "hot" place?

It depends on which religion you would want to base it on, seeing as you don't believe in any (Not a insult, just seeing it as your saying your an Athiest)

Others believe in the reincarnation, but since you don't believe you might be something not worthy and be a bug or something? (Not too known in reincarnation)

But for my personal beliefs, if you don't believe Jesus died and rose again, for the most part most of the people will go to Hell. But it says in the Bible God judges accordingly, so who knows exactly the guidelines for non-believers?

[AUTaxMan]

So you are saying, despite my not accepting Jesus, I still have a chance at going to Heaven. That's good to know.

No, you missed the point. Only God and you know whether you've accepted Jesus into your heart. I cannot make that assessment.

[Star_Cards]

I don't want to be dismissive of what you have said, because you make some good points, and I wouldn't mind delving into certain of these issues at some point in the future. However, in the interest of time (some of us do actually have to work), I'd like to return to topic.

You see the Bible as a story book with some valuable lessons but nothing more. What is the basis of that belief?

I guess my basis, one that isn't by any means set in stone or complete, is because I simply don't believe there to be a book that was written by or through the words of a higher being. Although a bible with God's author photo on the back would be sweet :). I can't see the reality in that and when people tell me it was written by god or by man through the word of god himself I can't and don't believe that. I don't believe early man started with adam and eve and I don't think the bible or even books were around while early man roamed the earth. I'm no expert on the bible/christianity, but it's rather new in the scheme of the world goes from my understanding. If the world was created by god and it's typically seen as being billions of years old, why is the bible and christianity so new when compared to the years the earth has been around? That leaves me to believe that religion was created by man for whatever reason and not by god and presented to man.

I guess one would or could say that it's because that is the timing when jesus was sent to teach of christianity, but like much of religion nothing can really be explained with any sort of certainty. Maybe the problem is that in the past people of power have used christianity to try to control and heard people that I'm jaded.

[habsheaven]

How can science prove how the ACL was concieved? You mean to tell me that through evolution from a single celled organism that pieces of our body was intricately weaved to form it?

Can science explain Ethical Beliefs?

Even one of the most well known scientists even believe in a higher being

"I'm not an atheist. I don't think I can call myself a pantheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws."

Dudes name is Albert Einstein. Alot of other well-known scientists also believed in a higher being (Copernicus, Sir Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton, etc) If most of the leading people in your field believes someone started all of this, and every time you try to prove its fake and fail, why not try to help see why it is real?

Everyone has their beliefs, but if for roughly the last couple hundreds years that people have tried to disprove Christianity, and still haven't, you dont see this as a basis that it could actually be real?

Where in that quote from Einstein do you see him saying he believes in a higher power? I read it as him admitting he doesn't know what to believe. and FWIW, I do not have any beliefs one way or the other. So not everyone has their beliefs.

[sanfran22]

I thought that Gators last post was very well written and wasn't angry at all. I don't know gator at all except from his posts, but his last post was quite well written and level headed in my opinion. It sort of seems like you just want to poke him with a stick. He writes a well thought out post of his ideas and you call him angry and ignorant. Seems a bit ironic to me.

Really? Then you need to read alittle further on...

[sanfran22]

So you are saying, despite my not accepting Jesus, I still have a chance at going to Heaven. That's good to know.

No, you have to accept Him. Only way........"I am the way, the Truth, and the Light. No one enters the kingdom except through Me.
Judging by you comments throughout this entire thread, you have not accepted. It is a matter between you and God. We are just here to "plant the seed" as it were.

[karnivore]

"I'm not an atheist. I don't think I can call myself a pantheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws."

1.When he says he is not a Athiest, who don't believe in the existence of a Higher Power, then what is he?

2. Admitting that "someone must have written these books" to me seems like he is saying a higher being wrote the books, but we have no understanding of it.

3. So we can barely understand the laws, which means someone had to write them, right?

[habsheaven]

No, you missed the point. Only God and you know whether you've accepted Jesus into your heart. I cannot make that assessment.

Okay, well you weren't very clear in your answer. Looked like there was a glimmer of hope, a "stay of execution" if you will. So if I do not accept Jesus in my heart, I am definitely going to HE double hockey sticks.

[karnivore]

Where in that quote from Einstein do you see him saying he believes in a higher power? I read it as him admitting he doesn't know what to believe. and FWIW, I do not have any beliefs one way or the other. So not everyone has their beliefs.

Wouldnt that mean your belief is to not have beliefs? Conundrum!

BTW, I am not in no way saying that I have all the answers to these, just giving my personal beliefs. I enjoy getting to know others ways of thinking, so by no ways whatever I put on here be a insult to anyone else.

[AUTaxMan]

Okay, well you weren't very clear in your answer. Looked like there was a glimmer of hope, a "stay of execution" if you will. So if I do not accept Jesus in my heart, I am definitely going to HE double hockey sticks.

That is correct. The good news is that you still have time. :)