God is not the Creator, Bible wrongly translated, claims academic

[Levis]

I do not know if your parts of the world have the mindset adopted by a lot of my friends in the ol' homeland - "spiritual but not religious"

[pinkstones]

I do not know if your parts of the world have the mindset adopted by a lot of my friends in the ol' homeland - "spiritual but not religious"

We do. I've often characterized myself that way. I think spirituality is a powerful and wonderful thing, but I also think it can be corrupted easily which is why I choose to refrain from participating in religion.

[Levis]

I don't know what I am, I'm a Don't-Carer who claims Hinduism when Jehova's Witnesses knock on the door ("Well, I already have 300,000,000, 000 gods, but I'm willing to work out a trade...")

[pinkstones]

We don't have Jehovah's Witnesses come to the door around here. It's mostly Mormons and Southern Baptists. We did get one Seventh Day Adventist a couple months ago.

[TheLizard]

There ARE faeries. There ARE.

Be nice Shawna, they prefer to be called homosexuals.

[Lea]

"Spiritual" that would be a good description of me.

I do believe in a higher power. I also believe everyone preys to the same God but just calls him/her by different names.

Just because I don't understand how anyone could not be spiritual in some way, doesn't mean I think their damned or lacking in basic morality.

Everyones entitled to their own beliefs even if they choose to believe in nothing.

My brother preys to tree's and that is his right as long as he doesn't try to get me to do it

To each his own

[edna]

I believe in friends.

[Levis]

I believe in tea and music - they have a theory about that you know.

[Steel2Velvet]

For Radhi, Tea and Wisteria

Pause and meditate for awhile, DD.

[RonJonSurfer]

I love the colors in that photo...

[Levis]

Me too, I love it! Thankyou DD (PS: who does that belong to and does anyone use it?)

[Levis]

And can I see the photographer's reflection in there or is that just my imagination?

[Lea]

Beautiful picture S2V and I think I can see the photographer's reflection in there to.

[Steel2Velvet]

Me too, I love it! Thankyou DD (PS: who does that belong to and does anyone use it?)

It's my shot, now yours. Feel free to use it for wallpaper or whatever. If you need a bigger file, let me know.

And can I see the photographer's reflection in there or is that just my imagination?

This was taken on a friend's veranda, as she served tea. The dark area is a doorway in which sits the unseen camera on a tripod, shot with a timer so I would not be in the picture (normally a photography no-no.) The white reflection is the wall adjacent the doorway.

[MarcM]

Cool photo, Ron!

[Shawna]

wow! I meditated on it for a while (as instructed) and for the life of me I don't see the reflection you all are talking about.

It's just flat-out beautiful, is what it is.

[Ombre Vivante]

I personally don't understand how anyone can claim to know with 100% certainty whether there is a God or is not a God, because I don't believe we humans are qualified to make that distinction.

I can claim with 100% certainty that the tooth fairy, santa claus, unicorns, and dragons don't exist... same goes for a big, invisible man in the sky who dispenses justice amongst men

[pinkstones]

Santa Claus is actually based on a real person. The image of Santa Claus that we have is stylized and mostly fabricated. However the tradition and the name are all real.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas

I'll give you the tooth fairy, unicorns and dragons, though. Except there are such things as "dragons", just not in the way they're portrayed in fairy tales and such.

If there's no way to prove or disprove the theory, how can you take an absolute on the issue? Is there a God? I don't know. I cannot say for certain because there's no way to prove whether I'm right or I'm wrong. And I see no point in saying I know something for certain when I don't.

[Uncle Joe]

Don't confuse opinion with proof. You don't need one to qualify the other.

[Ombre Vivante]

Santa Claus is actually based on a real person. The image of Santa Claus that we have is stylized and mostly fabricated. However the tradition and the name are all real.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas

I'll give you the tooth fairy, unicorns and dragons, though. Except there are such things as "dragons", just not in the way they're portrayed in fairy tales and such.

If there's no way to prove or disprove the theory, how can you take an absolute on the issue? Is there a God? I don't know. I cannot say for certain because there's no way to prove whether I'm right or I'm wrong. And I see no point in saying I know something for certain when I don't.

I meant the vernacular/common Santa Claus who climbs into chimneys and brings presents to children at midnight every 25th of December, and fire-breathing dragons (or a wyvern!): they don't exist. They're persons and creatures of fantasy - just like God. If I said a giant, invisible Zeus exists, does that mean Zeus actually exists? Believing that something exists on mere heresay doesn't mean "it may or may not exist," and you'd be right to claim Zeus does not exist. I may have faith that Zeus does exist, but faith isn't the same as certainty... one takes these beliefs without verifiable proof

[OLD 55]

And for anyone who doesn't believe in God, I say "just look in the mirror".

Each of us is a living miracle. I'll say a prayer for all who don't believe in Him, or aren't sure. Can't do any harm, hey ? And who says there's no Santa Claus ?

Beautiful photo Ron.

[Levis]

Have faith in whatever, I just want people to acknowledge the existence of other religions/faiths. some people believe in teapots, some people believe in trees, some believe in 300,000,000 gods and some believe in invisible pink unicorns. For some reason every time the word 'god' is mentioned, talk immediately moves towards christianity's one-god theory. THERE ARE OTHER RELIGIONS! This is some sort of majority mindset, perhaps?

[Levis]

Zoroastrianism is my favourite but no one ever, ever pays attention that it's a monopoly of christians and atheists I tells you

[Ombre Vivante]

Have faith in whatever, I just want people to acknowledge the existence of other religions/faiths. some people believe in teapots, some people believe in trees, some believe in 300,000,000 gods and some believe in invisible pink unicorns. For some reason every time the word 'god' is mentioned, talk immediately moves towards christianity's one-god theory. THERE ARE OTHER RELIGIONS! This is some sort of majority mindset, perhaps?

You've read excerpts of The Old Testament, right? One of the 10 Commandments is idolatry. I doubt they'd wanna acknowledge other deities because it goes against their very own beliefs. This is a vengeful and jealous God who will punish even the descendants of those who choose to not believe.

"You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me,"

I squarely repudiate this guy and his religion with a clean conscience

[Levis]

I haven't read excerpts of the Old Testament, no. Did that god really (er...) say that? that's lame. How can people willingly follow someone so, er, insecure? (Ganesh pwns you, 'god')