Would you buy a car, a house, a yacht on just the seller's

[Zzyzx]

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Would you buy a car, a house, a yacht on just the seller's word (assuming you had access to necessary funds)?

Wouldn't you carefully check (or have checked) those items before paying substantial amounts of money? Of course you would, you're no fool – not gullible – not a rube who just fell off the pumpkin truck. Right?

Checking for truth and accuracy is wise before committing to a course of action or making significant decisions. Right?

If someone tells you he can walk on water you're not likely to believe that unless you can see it done without tricks. If someone tells you that he saw a person walking on water you are even less likely to believe (if you have a lick of sense). If an anonymous person claims that another anonymous person saw the trick "long ago and far away" it would seem as though that would be STRONGLY doubted – unless it was told in religion promotional literature and/or by prophets and priests.

Why set aside judgment and rational fact-checking in order to accept what is said by religion promoters or religious literature?

[OnceConvinced]

Can you at least consider that you are inventing tales? Your religious stories?

What tales? What stories? I'm just saying the way it was for me. There is no religion involved.

Also you are basically denying free will? Is that the sort of scams you want to get involved in?

Sorry, I don't know what you're getting at here. Due to the scam of Christianity I am now very cautious not to be scammed again, which is why I required evidence of something before I will be taken in by it.

[Wootah]

[Replying to post 60 by OnceConvinced]

Your description of yourself is your tale or story of who you are.

If you really cannot not be a nice guy then aren't you saying you have no free will?

Is that the kind of beliefs you want to be associated with?

[OnceConvinced]

[Replying to post 60 by OnceConvinced]

If you really cannot not be a nice guy then aren't you saying you have no free will?

Umm, I said I couldn't be a nasty guy. I guess I could be a nasty guy if I really tried hard enough, but it would be completely against who I am as a person - against my inherent nature. It would require me to violate too many principles and I know how awful I would feel afterwards. Why would I ever do anything to cause that sort of anguish for myself?

Is that the kind of beliefs you want to be associated with?

Would you rather I could just switch nastiness off an on and do horrible things at a whim? Would that make you feel better? Allow you to believe that Atheists are evil scum who have no real ability to be good? Sorry, but no can do. I can't go against my own nature. I can't be nasty just because Christians might want me to, so they can hold onto their abnoxious fantasies.

[Wootah]

[Replying to post 62 by OnceConvinced]

Would you rather I could just switch nastiness off an on and do horrible things at a whim? Would that make you feel better? Allow you to believe that Atheists are evil scum who have no real ability to be good? Sorry, but no can do. I can't go against my own nature. I can't be nasty just because Christians might want me to, so they can hold onto their abnoxious fantasies.

I would rather you stopped inventing stories like:

- Wootah believes atheists are scum
- Christians have obnoxious fantasies

My point, is that you are offering opinions not arguments and when you use terms such as brainwashed, repeatedly, you will start to run foul of the repeated unsubstantiated claim rule. Regardless of whether you get reported or not.

[Grove]

Even with friends or “trustworthy” sellers, I double-check everything when it comes to big purchases. When I sold my bike last year and bought a newer one, I didn’t just take the seller’s word that it had “no issues.” I had the VIN checked, inspected the tires, and ran the engine before agreeing on the price. Trust is good, but it doesn’t replace good sense.