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His Name Is John
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Welcome!

Post #1

Post by His Name Is John »

It seems to me, that new members rarely post a introduction thread anymore. As such I am making this thread as a way that new members can say hi, and get to know a couple of people on the forums.

So to all the new members:

First of all, hello! :wave:

Second, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?
“People generally quarrel because they cannot argue.�
- G.K. Chesterton

“A detective story generally describes six living men discussing how it is that a man is dead. A modern philosophic story generally describes six dead men discussing how any man can possibly be alive.�
- G.K. Chesterton

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Re: Welcome!

Post #461

Post by Clownboat »

rondonmonson wrote: [Replying to post 1 by His Name Is John]

Hi all, new member, retired, Christian of 33 years.

I seek to discover all truths, my God knows all truths. So my idea is to learn those truths by asking him to show me His vast knowledge.
Welcome to the forums!

"I seek to discover all truths, my God knows all truths."

Your best bet at discovering truths IMO would be to not assume to have them already.
(Or in this case, to have a God that knows all truths).

I trust you will learn much here if open to it.
Be well!
You can give a man a fish and he will be fed for a day, or you can teach a man to pray for fish and he will starve to death.

I blame man for codifying those rules into a book which allowed superstitious people to perpetuate a barbaric practice. Rules that must be followed or face an invisible beings wrath. - KenRU

It is sad that in an age of freedom some people are enslaved by the nomads of old. - Marco

If you are unable to demonstrate that what you believe is true and you absolve yourself of the burden of proof, then what is the purpose of your arguments? - brunumb

Saber Bob
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Just joined!

Post #462

Post by Saber Bob »

OK, first things....

Catholic, Western Rite (aka "Roman"), a revert; was 26 years away, 16 of them as a gutless atheist (agnostic), returned to Christian faith via mainstream Protestantism, reconciled to the Catholic Church February 2002.

59 years old this month. Married, though not sacramentaly to a non Catholic.

I'm the founder of NEKCA, the Northeast Kansas Catholic Apologists, which right now is myself and my desk in the basement.

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Re: Just joined!

Post #463

Post by benchwarmer »

Saber Bob wrote: ...16 of them as a gutless atheist (agnostic)
Care to expand on this? You were personally gutless or you think atheists in general are gutless. If the former, thanks for sharing your journey, if the latter then you are not off to a good start here as baseless insults are not welcome.

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Re: Just joined!

Post #464

Post by Clownboat »

benchwarmer wrote:
Saber Bob wrote: ...16 of them as a gutless atheist (agnostic)
Care to expand on this? You were personally gutless or you think atheists in general are gutless. If the former, thanks for sharing your journey, if the latter then you are not off to a good start here as baseless insults are not welcome.
I sure hope that:
"You will know them by their fruits" does not apply so early!

I guess we will find out.
Welcome to the forum!
You can give a man a fish and he will be fed for a day, or you can teach a man to pray for fish and he will starve to death.

I blame man for codifying those rules into a book which allowed superstitious people to perpetuate a barbaric practice. Rules that must be followed or face an invisible beings wrath. - KenRU

It is sad that in an age of freedom some people are enslaved by the nomads of old. - Marco

If you are unable to demonstrate that what you believe is true and you absolve yourself of the burden of proof, then what is the purpose of your arguments? - brunumb

Saber Bob
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"gutless atheist"

Post #465

Post by Saber Bob »

i.e., someone who uses the label agnostic to seem nicer, not so aggressive, but for all intents, is actually an atheist.

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Re: "gutless atheist"

Post #466

Post by Clownboat »

Saber Bob wrote: i.e., someone who uses the label agnostic to seem nicer, not so aggressive, but for all intents, is actually an atheist.
That doesn't even make any sense though.

Atheists are not defined as 'not nice' nor are they defind as 'aggressive', though some are both I'm sure. They simply lack belief in all the available god concepts. I would guess you are an atheist towards all the gods, except one of course. You have a lot more in common with atheists then you might presume it would seem.

Therefore, to call oneself agnostic would not be done for either reason you suggest.

An unkind person is unkind, even if they identify as a Christian or atheist. The label matters not.

If you disagree, I would love to know where you think I should refine my thinking.
Be well!
You can give a man a fish and he will be fed for a day, or you can teach a man to pray for fish and he will starve to death.

I blame man for codifying those rules into a book which allowed superstitious people to perpetuate a barbaric practice. Rules that must be followed or face an invisible beings wrath. - KenRU

It is sad that in an age of freedom some people are enslaved by the nomads of old. - Marco

If you are unable to demonstrate that what you believe is true and you absolve yourself of the burden of proof, then what is the purpose of your arguments? - brunumb

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Re: "gutless atheist"

Post #467

Post by benchwarmer »

Saber Bob wrote: i.e., someone who uses the label agnostic to seem nicer, not so aggressive, but for all intents, is actually an atheist.
I suggest some research on the difference in meaning of these terms.

Atheist simply means not having a belief in any gods.

Agnostic means not having the information to claim with certainty.

You are not one or the other. You are a combination. i.e.:

1) Agnostic atheist - does not believe in gods, but does not have the info to make a definite claim 'there are no gods'.
2) Gnostic atheist - does not believe in gods and also makes the claim 'there are no gods'
3) Agnostic theist - believes in one or more gods, but does not definitively claim they know they are correct.
4) Gnostic theist - believes in one or more gods and definitely claims they know they are correct.

Atheism/theism is about belief. Agnosticism/gnosticism is about knowledge.

In other words, I'm gnostic about whether my shirt is blue, but I'm agnostic about whether yours is even if you claim it to be so. Only by me seeing (and then having all the information I need) would I switch from agnostic to gnostic on your shirt color.

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Nolo contendre

Post #468

Post by Saber Bob »

As in, your distinctions are not worth debating.

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Re: Nolo contendre

Post #469

Post by benchwarmer »

Saber Bob wrote: As in, your distinctions are not worth debating.
Correct, definitions are not worth debating because they are a known entity if one looks them up. Incorrectly using the terms simply means others will disagree with you or not understand what you are talking about. Continuing to use specific terms in incorrect ways makes actual debate pointless.

Anyways, welcome to the forum. Not trying to have a debate in the Welcome section. Pick an interesting discussion/debate on the site and jump in or create your own. Have fun!

lullabee7957
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Hey

Post #470

Post by lullabee7957 »

I'm Korean and am also curious about others think about God from the other countries. Thanks for welcoming me :p

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