Sam Harris

Beam_Me_Up - 10 June 2008 09:11 PM

Bruce, I have just read this thread for the first time today. You and I have generally disagreed on most things. I am genuinely impressed. I have never doubted your intelligence. I just want to say that your posts on this thread have been particularly rational. Perhaps you are converting to a non-theist philosophy. 

I know you are still a Christian. That is just my way of complimenting your evenhanded posts.

Yes, Bruce is a pretty good sport.  Let’s give it up for Bruceter!  Really Bruce, you do hang in there with the best.

Don’t mock Champ because he’s got some of his facts wrong.  Champ still has the right spirit, as does anyone seeking God, including some atheists who it seems to me are just searching for what they know is there but can’t put their finger on it just yet, still suffering from repression, from a persistent, annoying cognitive dissonance.

I pray that God make it easy.

O God! Lift the veils from our hearts that we may be able to know you as you ought to be known and to worship you as you ought to be worshipped. Amen.

Jack Shooter - 12 June 2008 08:31 PM

Don’t mock Champ because he’s got some of his facts wrong.  Champ still has the right spirit, as does anyone seeking God, including some atheists who it seems to me are just searching for what they know is there but can’t put their finger on it just yet, still suffering from repression, from a persistent, annoying cognitive dissonance.

I pray that God make it easy.

O God! Lift the veils from our hearts that we may be able to know you as you ought to be known and to worship you as you ought to be worshipped. Amen.

Hmmmm, interesting. Do we have a newbee Christian on the boards?

TheChampion - 13 June 2008 02:19 PM

Hmmmm, interesting. Do we have a newbee Christian on the boards?

Jack Shooter is Muslim.

Beam_Me_Up - 13 June 2008 06:38 PM

TheChampion - 13 June 2008 02:19 PM

Hmmmm, interesting. Do we have a newbee Christian on the boards?

Jack Shooter is Muslim.

Perhaps we have the beginning of a detente here.

burt - 14 June 2008 10:12 AM

Beam_Me_Up - 13 June 2008 06:38 PM

TheChampion - 13 June 2008 02:19 PM

Hmmmm, interesting. Do we have a newbee Christian on the boards?

Jack Shooter is Muslim.

Perhaps we have the beginning of a detente here.

I thumbed through some of his stuff. He uses long winded explanations to try and turn the meaning around of some obviously difficult passages of their scripture. Isn’t Christianity so easy, ‘lean not unto thy own understanding, but trust every word that comes out of the mouth of God’, easy, ‘husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave up his life for it,’ easy stuff, easy….

TheChampion - 14 June 2008 03:45 PM

burt - 14 June 2008 10:12 AM

Beam_Me_Up - 13 June 2008 06:38 PM

TheChampion - 13 June 2008 02:19 PM

Hmmmm, interesting. Do we have a newbee Christian on the boards?

Jack Shooter is Muslim.

Perhaps we have the beginning of a detente here.

He uses long winded explanations to try and turn the meaning around of some obviously difficult passages of their scripture.

In this sense, he is much “better versed” than you are in twisting reality to fit his particular mythology.

Isn’t Christianity so easy, ‘lean not unto thy own understanding, . . .  ‘

This is why you’re such a good Christian.  By default of your unfortunate mental condition, you reject common sense.  Jack has gone to much more trouble than you have trying to explain why his fairy tale makes sense.  Both of you are waist-deep in shit, but you’re sort of flinging the shit in the air and making slide whistle sounds, while Jack is trying to draw diagrams in his shit while making “wa-wa” Charlie Brown teacher sounds.

Aaron - 14 June 2008 04:18 PM

This is why you’re such a good Christian.  By default of your unfortunate mental condition, you reject common sense.  Jack has gone to much more trouble than you have trying to explain why his fairy tale makes sense.  Both of you are waist-deep in shit, but you’re sort of flinging the shit in the air and making slide whistle sounds, while Jack is trying to draw diagrams in his shit while making “wa-wa” Charlie Brown teacher sounds.

I don’t have to explain anything really, the bible says it all. It is easy to understand, but also easy to reject on the grounds that people would rather continue sinning instead of repenting. No long winded explanations required. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son and that whosever should believe on him will have everlasting life.” Sounds simple to me. It certainly does not require a full explanation….(shoulders shrugg)......

TheChampion - 14 June 2008 06:08 PM

Aaron - 14 June 2008 04:18 PM

This is why you’re such a good Christian.  By default of your unfortunate mental condition, you reject common sense.  Jack has gone to much more trouble than you have trying to explain why his fairy tale makes sense.  Both of you are waist-deep in shit, but you’re sort of flinging the shit in the air and making slide whistle sounds, while Jack is trying to draw diagrams in his shit while making “wa-wa” Charlie Brown teacher sounds.

I don’t have to explain anything really,

If you want to talk with sane people, you do.

the bible says it all.

There’s that slide whistle.

It is easy to understand,

As are the short Wyoming stories of Annie Proulx.

but also easy to reject on the grounds that people would rather continue sinning instead of repenting.

Or on the grounds that “sinning vs. repenting” gibberish can be understood as so much white noise emanating from a whole chorus of slide whistles.

No long winded explanations required.

A cop-out way of admitting that none are possible.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son and that whosever should believe on him will have everlasting life.” Sounds simple to me. It certainly does not require a full explanation….(shoulders shrugg)......

For Champ loved his religion so much that he gave his only brain, and that whosoever should disbelieve him will hear everlasting slide whistles.” Yes, it is very simple. You’ve perfectly explained yourself!  Thanks.