Calling all spiritual atheist.

originally posted by: Stormdancer777
a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Many people know the Bible few of us truly understand it.

Are you saying that I don't understand it?

Some of you might want to sign up for something different

I have often seen the ridicule and hatred of the Biblical text, but this course takes us through past present and future, something that I always thought were lacking in the church.

The Bible's Prehistory, Purpose, and Political Future

How and why was the Bible written? Drawing on the latest archeological research and a wide range of comparative texts, this course synthesizes fascinating recent research in biblical studies and presents a powerful new thesis: Facing catastrophic defeat, the biblical authors created a new form of community—what today we would call "peoplehood." Their achievements bear directly on modern questions of politics, economics, and theology. - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

“The Bible’s Prehistory, Purpose, and Political Future” - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

free course offerd by the Biblical archeology society
www.abovetopsecret.com...

studied and debated on ATS, maybe lol

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic

originally posted by: Stormdancer777
a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Many people know the Bible few of us truly understand it.

Are you saying that I don't understand it?

I don't think any of us fully understand it, no, I was not saying you specifically.

It has and still is debated within the many sects and schools of thought.

a reply to: Stormdancer777

I do not hate the biblical text. I actually love a lot of what the bible has to say and use it in my life. I just don't believe it was divinely inspired.

Seems like you're turning you "spiritual atheist" thread into a bible study, so I'll take my leave. I got enough of that as a kid.

The bible? It is a book of chosen script. Script that was translated/transcribed by God believers. I often wonder if it was translated/transcribed by atheist scientists would it read the same. I doubt it.

As far as the Jesus story, compare to the story of Johnny Appleseed. Yes John Chapman was a real person -- and that's about when fact and myth take a fork in the road.

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic
Well, I don't believe in your definition of God. But if I'm wrong...

FACT, You ARE wrong...

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic
And I have zero indication...

So WHO exactly is doing all of these countless miracles that so many of us have experienced?

SID: Now there’s something I don’t understand. Did the car actually hit you? Were you injured?

GARY: No, I walked right out in the middle of the highway. A car literally, I remember it. I thought… I don’t know what happened. I thought I hit the car. I don’t know what I did but I was on the side and I just kept on running. ...the only thing I know of that car, I had to have gone through that car because I remember seeing her face. She saw mine on the windshield, and the next thing I knew, I was standing on the side of that road; and she was parked, just shaken because she was a State psychologist. She worked at the mental hospital and knew anybody with this shirt on and that hair had to be escaping.

SID: And you explained that you did escape, but you had just become a Christian; your mind that was finished; totally messed up; all of a sudden was clear.

GARY: Totally clear.

GARY: As it turned out about, oh my goodness, 12 or 15 years later,I’m pastoring a church in Delaware and this lady’s hearing my testimony. She’s one of the parishioners in a church; she said “I was the woman that was driving that car.I worked at the mental hospital that day that you escaped.” And she said “This guy with long red hair, beard, and piercing blue eyes came right up on my windshield. I looked at him, she thought she ran over me; pulled off the side of the road; and God spoke to her: “do not call the police. He is mine.”

originally posted by: Murgatroid
FACT, You ARE wrong...

FACT, No, I'm not. See how that works? LOL

I don't appreciate you editing my quote, to make it look like I said something I didn't.

GARY: I don’t know what happened.

Just because we don't know something, doesn't mean that Jesus did it.

a reply to: Stormdancer777

Sounds like an absurd contradiction in terms, to me.

Something like . . .

--a celibate philanderer
--an evil saint

--a white blackboard
--a south north-pole

--a straight pretzel
--an icy inferno

--a blazingly white black light
--an honest globalist politician

--Hillary caring for "the children" and "the little people."

. . .

I realize that TPTB have been working for 60+ years to twist reality into a hellish pretzel devoid of all traditional meaning . . . but doodness!

I guess I keep forgetting that they are intent on trashing the old dictionary wholesale.
ONLY THEIR dictionary;
THEIR "art;"
THEIR Molach 'government;'
THEIR "education" system;
THEIR economic system;
THEIR serf & slave monitoring system;

. . .

shall be allowed to endure.

But if one can't depend on an atheist to be in stark, cold, pseudo-scientific, techno-draped hostility to all that is Godly and remotely spiritual . . . then . . .

what's the world coming to?

a reply to: Stormdancer777

Everyone is spiritual by default and possesses a 'spirit', which at all times throughout history, is the creative drive, will or inner-dialogue that seeks to govern the other drives of the body. Spirituality has always been wisdom.

Spirituality nowadays, however, is basically a big colorful display of who can believe the least meaningful of doctrines and act them out in public. Try it sometime; listen to what the so-called spiritual are actually saying and see how much meaning you can derive from their sentences. It's always nothing and empty. Nowadays, one isn't spiritual unless one speaks of anti-spiritual topics, ie. spirits, afterlives, gods, dimensions—all topics that are neither physically nor mentally within the reach of humanity, save for in the dreams and imagination. That isn't wisdom, that is superstition, which has never been a precondition of wisdom nor spirituality. The precondition of wisdom, creativity and spirituality is vitality every single time and in every single case. If one is alive, one is spiritual. If one can utilize the spirit beautifully, one is wise.

Atheists simply repudiate the modern version of spirituality, which is simple superstition.

a reply to: BO XIAN

But if one can't depend on an atheist to be in stark, cold, pseudo-scientific, techno-draped hostility to all that is Godly and remotely spiritual . . . then . . .

what's the world coming to?

Contrary to your apparent beliefs, spirituality does not require a god.

a reply to: Murgatroid

All I gathered from that account is that assumptions are the easiest path to God.

a reply to: AfterInfinity

In many respects, I knew that 40+ years ago.

When I contacted M M OHair because of my involvement with atheists in my dissertation . . . she sent me a copy of the AMERICAN ATHEIST, I think it was.

I was SHOCKED.

All I had to do was change a few key words and phrases and it READ LIKE A PENTECOSTAL CHRISTIAN EVANGELISTIC magazine.

I was stunned.

originally posted by: BO XIAN
a reply to: AfterInfinity

In many respects, I knew that 40+ years ago.

When I contacted M M OHair because of my involvement with atheists in my dissertation . . . she sent me a copy of the AMERICAN ATHEIST, I think it was.

I was SHOCKED.

All I had to do was change a few key words and phrases and it READ LIKE A PENTECOSTAL CHRISTIAN EVANGELISTIC magazine.

I was stunned.

Too bad you don't have a copy to demonstrate that with, eh?

a reply to: AfterInfinity

I don't know if I still have that box or not. Probably not.

A library might have such an old subscription.

originally posted by: BO XIAN
a reply to: AfterInfinity

I don't know if I still have that box or not. Probably not.

A library might have such an old subscription.

I have a hard time believing that you could come so close to appreciating any atheist articles. Must have reminded you of home, eh?

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic

Seems like you're turning you "spiritual atheist" thread into a bible study, so I'll take my leave. I got enough of that as a kid.

DITTO

Don't like what you hear? Put a condition on it.

Seems to me, maybe the thread title should be edited. I've tried to be diligent at staying on topic according to the thread title.

originally posted by: Stormdancer777
Some of you might want to sign up for something different

I have often seen the ridicule and hatred of the Biblical text, but this course takes us through past present and future, something that I always thought were lacking in the church.

The Bible's Prehistory, Purpose, and Political Future

How and why was the Bible written? Drawing on the latest archeological research and a wide range of comparative texts, this course synthesizes fascinating recent research in biblical studies and presents a powerful new thesis: Facing catastrophic defeat, the biblical authors created a new form of community—what today we would call "peoplehood." Their achievements bear directly on modern questions of politics, economics, and theology. - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

“The Bible’s Prehistory, Purpose, and Political Future” - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

free course offerd by the Biblical archeology society
www.abovetopsecret.com...

studied and debated on ATS, maybe lol

But why Christianity specifically? If you want to educate us atheists on spirituality, it should be a more rounded study, don't you think?

a reply to: AfterInfinity

You probably have almost negative data on the depth and breadth of my capacity for empathy.

However, empathy does not equal agreement on a given perspective etc.

originally posted by: BO XIAN
a reply to: AfterInfinity

You probably have almost negative data on the depth and breadth of my capacity for empathy.

However, empathy does not equal agreement on a given perspective etc.

I was being sarcastic. I'm not even sure what the point of that post was, other than to make some barbed remark regarding atheism.

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic
a reply to: Stormdancer777

I do not hate the biblical text. I actually love a lot of what the bible has to say and use it in my life. I just don't believe it was divinely inspired.

Seems like you're turning you "spiritual atheist" thread into a bible study, so I'll take my leave. I got enough of that as a kid.

I didn't mean to, honestly I didn't, you guys go ahead I just read what you have to say.