Philosophy: November 2011

Saturday, November 26, 2011

In response to ...

The "LORD__PROVIDES"

I'm thankful for "HIS__PROVISIONS & CARE" !!!

We determine our own fate to the extent which we can control it. Hundreds of millions of people died from wars during the 20nth century. I am sure that many of them prayed to a god but perished anyway. I do not believe that God intervenes in our behalf. To say that he does is to say that he chooses to help some people while allowing others to suffer and die. "God's chosen people" died by the millions at the hands of the Nazis.

<Here followed a very long response full of religious references and scripture.>

I am sorry that you wasted your time on such a long response. Empty platitudes do no make something true. I understand that you want to argue for your viewpoint, as I often do. I see a harsh reality, and we are better off understanding the world as it is, rather than to believe that some supernatural force is looking out for us or is on our side. If you drive your car too fast around a curve, the laws of physics are not going to care if you hit a tree. Best wishes, John

It's a matter of belief John,& nothing more.

As my Uncle's close friend would say all the time..."We shall see what we shall see".

It is not a question of one belief versus another. I am a pantheist,
but not with any conviction because there is no credible evidence for
any religious belief. Religion is a matter of philosophy.

It is a question of do we trust the world as it is presented to us and
try to survive using the evidence of our experience and knowledge , or
do we believe that some supernatural force is going to provide for us,
for which we have no evidence?

People can choose to think rationally, but that means that they make a
distinction between those things that are speculation and those things
that are fact. People believe because they want to believe, which
means that their reasoning is based upon emotion.

Best wishes, John

Monday, November 14, 2011

Re: Where is Steve Jobs now?

Dean wrote: Where do you think Steve Jobs is now?

(After some discussion ...)

John wrote:

To answer your question more directly as to the current whereabouts of Steve Jobs...

I think that one of three things are possible …

1.       Steve is rotting in his grave. There is no afterlife.
2.       Steve is part of God like everything else. He has reunited with God.

3.       He is part of some unknown afterlife.
I do not think that it is possible to know. All I do know is that I don't believe in the traditional religions, parts of which are evil.

Mardawna wrote:

Dear John,

In my humble opinion your 3 ideas has some flaws.

1. Steve is rotting in his grave. There is no afterlife.

I believe that our bodies do rot in the grave if/when we are buried. But that our spirit rises to what you call the unknown afterlife.

John 3:36 is one example of how incredibly clear the Scriptures are on this point.....

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

Another example of this clarity is found in 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10.....

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

The truth is that the Bible is super clear on this. We have the choice of either turning to God and being saved or rejecting Him and going to a place where God offers no protection.

2. Steve is part of God like everything else. He has reunited with God.

Everyone is a part of God. However, being a part (IE---created by God) does NOT give us the "right" to be reunited with God. This life we can play by our own rules of what we choose to accept or not accept as truth, the next life, it's God's Chess Game Tournament and God's Truth Will 100% Rule.

3. He is part of some unknown afterlife.

Unknown? Just because you don't believe what has been written in the Bible doesn't mean it is "Unknown". I would call it un-accepted by you. Just because people don't believe they are Diabetic, and they are walking around with high sugar counts doesn't mean that they are NOT Diabetic. They can choose to accept what the test results show, or live in denial of evidence given them.

Mardawna Grover

John wrote:

Dear Mardawna,

This topic makes me more emotional than I would normally be.

It is debatable if Steve Jobs was a good person. I am sure to his friends and family he was a good person. Maybe to others not so much. What is certain is that made possible products that benefited millions of people, so much so that huge numbers mourned his passing. At the very least, tens (if not hundreds) of millions of people noted his passing with some regret. To the extent that he benefited others, we can say that he was a good person.

It is clear that Steve Jobs did not believe in Christianity. He wasn't sure if he believed in anything at all. I have known many good people who didn't.

I believe myself to be a good person. I have helped many people whenever I could. I have been generous and I have an enormous amount of empathy for my fellow man.

Dean quotes scripture that says that no one is good except God. I disagree. My mother is a very kind hearted and loving person, and my inspiration.

I feel a little angry and frustrated that some people say that God would send good people to hell. Ask yourself if I am a good person? If you think that I am, then ask yourself if I deserve to go to hell? Do other good people deserve to go to hell? Do you known anyone who is a really good person but not a Christian? Do they deserve to suffer for all eternity? Do you think that God would make people suffer for just being wrong?

The Christian concept of hell is illogical because it says that God would make people suffer for all eternity for no other purpose other than to make them suffer. This concept says nothing of punishment for reform or redemption. This is the same god that supposedly loves us. I am frustrated with this Christian concept of God because it says that God is evil and vindictive. The bible is full of examples of an evil God, who for example punishes children for the sins of their parents, or kills children himself, or commands the Israelites to murder children and pregnant women. This same god commands that people who work on the Sabbath be stoned to death (which is reported to have been carried out in the Bible), and commands that raped women be forced to marry their rapist.

In short, the Christian concept of god is blasphemy, because it says that God is evil.

Your talk of believing in evidence struck a nerve with me. Evolution is supported by overwhelming evidence from several different sciences, yet many people choose to stick their head in the sand not believe it. I'm O.K. with people believing what they want to believe, until they make absurd scientific claims that they have no real understanding of, as some of them do.

Best wishes,

John Coffey

Philosophy

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Finally top Bible scholar "Professor Bart D. Ehrman" leaves Christianity.

Christendom Exposed By Early Christian Documents

Saturday, November 26, 2011

In response to ...

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Capitalist vs Socialist vs Creationist

Monday, November 14, 2011

Re: Where is Steve Jobs now?

Friday, November 11, 2011

The Big Bang Theory - Evolution versus Creationism (funny)

Family Guy - Jews in Egypt

Christianity in a nutshell

Futurama Explains Religion

Monkeys Talk About Religion