Did you ever notice?

Quote: Evenbob

Once again, you don't get it. There are
3000+ variations of Christianity.

For the majority of the time there has been Christianity there has been only one denomination.

Quote:

People go along with a specific religion
for many reasons, the truth can never
be one of them. Just the fact that there
are so many religions, and so many past
religions, shows the truth has nothing to
do with any of it.

Nothing you say above makes any logical sense.

Quote: FrGamble

Nothing you say above makes any logical sense.

You said it's because of truth that people
join a religion. That can't be right because
every religion can't be true. If they involve
a god, none of them are true. In fact that's
why there are so many religions, people
flailing around trying to find the truth
that god doesn't exist.

I see all religions as the same, just people
fooling themselves, people worshiping
themselves and calling it prayer. What a
colossal waste of time.

Quote: Evenbob

You said it's because of truth that people
join a religion. That can't be right because
every religion can't be true.

That doesn't follow. I'm sure people of various religions all believe what they believe is true as you seem to believe there is no God is true. The big difference here is that those who believe in God in the various religions have at least some aspect of truth, while an atheist (as far as I can tell) has no truth on his/her side and yet considers all the vast majority of the human race just wasting their time and fooling themselves.

Quote: FrGamble

That doesn't follow. I'm sure people of various religions all believe what they believe is true as you seem to believe there is no God is true. The big difference here is that those who believe in God in the various religions have at least some aspect of truth, while an atheist (as far as I can tell) has no truth on his/her side and yet considers all the vast majority of the human race just wasting their time and fooling themselves.

Bull. Just because a majority of the population believes that something is true doesn't make it so. 500 years ago a great majority of the world thought the world was flat. 50 years ago people believed homosexuality was a disease. The existence of a deity for most involves attempting to explain the world in terms that they can fathom.

My truth in a Christian God is an unprovable belief, a faith, based on the Bible. I have to believe in it or I don't. While I am quite certain of my afterlife, I am not going to discount other people's beliefs, including EvenBob's or your Catholic belief system, which other Christians of other faiths (not me) discount tremendously.

Any explanation that I attempt to explain why what I believe is truth is unprovable and involves a leap of faith or using words (also unprovable) in the bible to support my "facts".

The people in my church have similar beliefs and our services cater to our congregation in accordance to what its leaders think will please God and conforms to their interpretation of their teachings in the Bible. I recognize that my church and its beliefs will not appeal to other Christians of other denominations, but the church that I go to comforms closely to what I think a church in this age should be, which is why I attend.

But I also recognize that my faith is just that. I can build a reality in my brain to confirm the existence of God but no scientist would ever accept my reasoning as being based on fact, just as a delusional person can form a set of beliefs where they believe that the government is watching them every minute of every day (paranoid schizophrenia). I get that.

How I feel is that my service in the Church, my reading of the Word, and my relationship with others of like mind provides me with a closer relationship with God and overall, a better quality of life from purely a happiness standpoint (and not from a financial or job POV). And to me, that's a good thing.

Quote: FrGamble

the vast majority of the human race just wasting their time and fooling themselves.

That's pretty much it. You have to do
something in between incarnations,
so people kid themselves that they're
the apple of some gods eye. It takes
all the actual work away, their religion
tells them what to believe and how to
act. It's a lazy way to live, all the heavy
lifting has been done for you already.

The Christians I know do very little
thinking about life in general, why
would they. They're innate curiosity
had been neutered by their religion.
Ignorance is bliss.

Quote: Evenbob

The Christians I know do very little
thinking about life in general, why
would they. They're innate curiosity
had been neutered by their religion.
Ignorance is bliss.

That's a pretty blatant insult to the Christians that you know. The Christians that I know are pretty smart people from all walks of life who are pretty curious about pretty much anything, including science.

Quote: boymimbo

The Christians that I know are pretty smart people from all walks of life who are pretty curious about pretty much anything, including science.

But not religion. All that work has been
done for them, from cradle to grave.
Just tithe your 10% and it's a sure thing.

What a racket.

Quote: rxwine

Here's an idea for you, Nareed. A story about a writer who uses a Holodeck to work out storylines. (of course misadventures occur)

I should think if a holodeck existed, I'd write interactive stories for it, like the Doctor did in Voyager ("Photons Be Free"??)

Quote: Evenbob

But not religion. All that work has been
done for them, from cradle to grave.
Just tithe your 10% and it's a sure thing.

What a racket.

I don't tithe 10%, and I'm doing fine, thank you. For the great majority, ministers are not getting rich via the giving from their congregation.

Quote: boymimbo

Bull. Just because a majority of the population believes that something is true doesn't make it so. 500 years ago a great majority of the world thought the world was flat. 50 years ago people believed homosexuality was a disease. The existence of a deity for most involves attempting to explain the world in terms that they can fathom.

If I have to explain this again I am going to scream. Just because the overwhelming majority of people believe in something, like the existence of God, does NOT make it true. However, it is something that should be reasonably looked at and not just brushed aside as meaningless. You could conclude that they are all idiots or that people are gullible, but I think you would be hard pressed to have that much arrogance and hubris.

Also I find it interesting that as you pointed out in the midst of all these scientific advances the constant is our belief in God. The God of the gaps used to explain away the things you mention is gone and good riddance. The God of truth and love is alive and well and is only supported by the continuing discoveries of the world He has created.

Quote:

My truth in a Christian God is an unprovable belief, a faith, based on the Bible. I have to believe in it or I don't. While I am quite certain of my afterlife, I am not going to discount other people's beliefs, including EvenBob's or your Catholic belief system, which other Christians of other faiths (not me) discount tremendously.

It is a technically unprovable belief but it is not unreasonable, blind, or without credible evidence. For example you know the Bible is far and away the most attested to ancient document in existence. You do have to believe in it for sure but I hope and pray you don't do so without thinking about it.

I also am glad you do not discount other people's beliefs however you should challenge them. When you do you will find for example that Evenbob has some glaring holes in his belief system and that Catholicism does not. You will find that most of the discounting of the Catholic belief system is based on misunderstandings and errors about what we believe.

Quote:

The people in my church have similar beliefs and our services cater to our congregation in accordance to what its leaders think will please God and conforms to their interpretation of their teachings in the Bible. I recognize that my church and its beliefs will not appeal to other Christians of other denominations, but the church that I go to comforms closely to what I think a church in this age should be, which is why I attend.

I have no quarrel with you fine sir and fellow brother Christian, however I must say herein lies my major problem with Protestants. If you notice closely you mention that your congregational leaders have their beliefs based on their interpretation of the Bible. They are in doing this making themselves the arbiter of what the Bible says based solely on their interpretation. Are they taking into account the historical interpretation of the Scriptures, the Church Fathers, the Tradition of Christianity? What about when they are uncomfortable with a text, do they ignore it, change it, or find a way to interpret it again to their own liking? You also admit that your beliefs may not appeal to other Christians and you are fine with that. Aren't we all supposed to be one? Why would God want us all believing in different things? Surely there will be different emphasis on certain teachings and different ways to worship but it is against the will of God who wants us all to be one (Catholic means universal) and believe the same fundamental truths.