[Elmer G. White]

Re: Introduction to OpenMind2000

...in my mind its just as possible a 3 eyed, 2headed, 5 limbed being that farted and made the universe (not to try to be disrespectful towards your particualr biliefs, as i am familiar with the intensity of the bond belief can have, whether it be true or not). ... you have a 1 in 200000001 chance of getting the right one. with those odds youre more likely to win the lottery in one ticket...by about 25000000 units. i dont know, you may be very correct, but i heard a saying once that said worry not of tommorrow, for today has its own problems, and so does tomorrow.

Dear Friend,

Your notion seems attractive unless you have an education and can unravel the uselessness of simpleton calculations based on apparent mathematics of statistics.

If all the alternatives were equal, your post would have an actual point. But... are the alternatives equal? In this case, do all the religions in the World have equal chances of being the correct one? If they have, then it would really be a random choice that would probably yield false and potentially disastrous results to most of those who choose.

However, the probabilities are NOT equal. The likelihood is determined by evidence. At this point random numbers and simplified divisions become actual Spiritual Statistics. Not all opinions are equal; not all probabilities are at the same level.

Let us look at the opinions first. Obviously, the opinions of God and Jesus matter the most because regardless of their acceptance, they have the power to enforce them in Eternity. Enter evidence? Is there any evidence that the opinions of God and hence the Truth™ value of True Christianity™ would score higher than, let's say Scientology, Raëlism or Catholicism?

Yes, there is!

1. Eyewitness testimony. There are the words of those people who actually lived and witnessed the events during Biblical times. Furthermore, lots of archaeological evidence supports the Bible. For instance, there are descriptions of cities that have been confirmed with archaeology. See also Genesis 10:11.
2. There is the testimony of us True Christians™. Our lives have been changed and these wonderful, awesome changes are consistent with SCRIPTURE! See also Luke 1:47.
3. Look at the prophecies in the Bible. They HAVE BEEN FULFILLED!! Daniel Chapter 2 predicted the Roman empire and much more. For reference, see Daniel 2:34.
4. There is a unique and miraculously consistent nature of manuscripts of the Bible during a time when there was only illiteracy, unreliable greedy scribes and slow methods of communication. See also Psalms 12:6.
5. There is a prerequisite of God for secular logic and science. In science, the satanic concept of evolution embraced by atheists and false Christians gives absolutely no possibility of a mind that could be trusted at all. How could quantum fluctuations in the alleged spacetime produce a mind that could RELIABLY examine anything?! If evolution were true, we would not be able to trust anything. The same for human, worldly logic. See also Ruth 2:12.
6. Jesus and His actions were predicted before He was incarnated in many pivotal passages of the Old Testament, as the New Testament tells us. Please check Luke 24:44!

Acts 3:18
But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.

No other religion can claim as much. Thus, the odds are not equal and your theory collapses. What remains is Jesus. He is a door.

John 10:9
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.




Yours in Christ,

Elmer

[Alan Swallows Waiting for Email Confirmation]

Re: Introduction to OpenMind2000

humans have a bad habit of believing things without looking into it themselves

I agree with you there. Do you know some people have never even bothered to google "Bible," "God," "miracles," etc? Such appalling ignorance is inexcusable.

[Basilissa]

Re: Introduction to OpenMind2000

Hello, dear, and to our Godly forum!

Before I proceed to decipher that wall of text you posted, may I offer a suggestion? Could you possibly open your mind to the idea of using paragraphs? They come in very handy as they make text easier to read.

I have known the sensation of belief, as I was for many years of the faith. This was passed from my forefathers to me, and eventually I rejected the inconsistencies I saw. The tongues that were spoken were not one language,

How many languages were there? How many languages do you speak? Parlez-vous frances? ¿Habla español? Panimayetie pa russkiy? Runasimita rimankichu? Etc, etc.

So now the only thing I seek is peace of my own definition that I can rest my head and not have the fear of death while I sleep.

Wait, what? Do you have an illness that may cause you to die while you sleep?

So basically, I'm trying to sift through the opinions, the proposed solutions to all lifes problems, the countless "one true religions" to see if any one of them speaks to me on a divine level, for it is through this that my entirety, all my knowledge, my skills of speech and relating with others that I will be put to the revealed ultimate truth.

Just read the Bible, dear. It's all there.

[Dolores de Barriga]

Re: Introduction to OpenMind2000

Hello there, Open!

So basically, I'm trying to sift through the opinions, the proposed solutions to all lifes problems, the countless "one true religions" to see if any one of them speaks to me on a divine level, for it is through this that my entirety, all my knowledge, my skills of speech and relating with others that I will be put to the revealed ultimate truth.

How has it been going so far? Also, when you're done researching the thousands of currently existing as well as thousands of already extinct religions, which will take you a while, how will you be able to discern between all of their contradictions to find the one that is true?

I am a being of curiosity, of passion, and of reason, and so if I find that there is a certain thing that I can say without a shadow of doubt I believe in wholeheartedly and will stand beside always, then I will do so. Because as i understand it, once you discover a solution, it clicks, and it all makes sense. This is what I wander from place to place to possibly find.

If you want to maintain your reason as your defining characteristic, then please allow me to save you half a century or so of research on religions: you will not find a single one that will appeal to your reason. In all religions you need to surrender your reason and your ability to think for yourself.

I dont know though, I've seen some rather chillingly crude and distasteful articles so far, but as I told myself I would do, I will keep an open mind (no pun intended), and see every part of this, my twelfth stumbled upon belief before I judge anyone, as that would instantly make me a hypocrit due to blaming someone for convicting people without giving them a chance, so yeah... I hope to learn something while I observe your faith,

While this lovely community may seem rough on the edges, they are the only Christian denomination that I know of that really believe that the Bible is written by God's inspiration and therefore 100% true. While that means they surrender their reason more often than other religious people, I do admire them for the strength of their faith.

[OpenBehind2000]

Re: Introduction to OpenMind2000

Why hello there, young man! Welcome to God's Favorite Forums™! I can tell Christ has led you by the hand into our room here for a reason.

You say you have known the sensation of belief. That's very interesting. Did it make you cry out in pain? Did you exclaim GLORY for Christ at the top of your lungs in overwhelming ecstasy? Did your toes curl and your eyes roll back in exaltation for the salvation you were receiving?

Young man, you haven't begun to experience the sensation of belief until you've experienced the Lord Christ Jesus deep in you. And I mean really, truly inside, not just the tip
of the iceberg that so many other churches preach.

I do hope we have a chance to pray together. The youth ministry here has so much to show you. You have a lot to show us as well, I'm sure! I'd get you on a bus down to our Boys-Only No-Homo Bible Camp right now, but I've got my hands full at the moment. But, we'll work on it!

Praise Christ Jesus!

Actually...yes. Many days I have... my bad. I forgot all my poetic tendencies are nonsense where grammar nazis and intensive thinking dwell. Anyways, the point is yes. I have several times lifted my words to the heavens and written of my own enfatuation with the christ child and how i am so fragile and all that jazz, ive bawled on my hands and knees alone in a room, ive shed but a tear and held back many more in a feeling of relief as i was so very sure that i was spared because of my devotion. I have studied countless hours trying to find answers in the book. So many nights i was confident because of my cause and i ventured to do what know how when someone threatens what i hold dear, but the times that i begged for a change of heart or a point i could make, an unbeatable argument that would glorify him, there were no responses. And so i started thinking "well maybe im not praying hard enough" so i prayed harder, and i groveled in my unworthiness for so long trying to be a good dog at my masters feet, a good soldier for my commander, but the masters chair lay empty, the commander a fraud impersonator, and so the soldier started to wander, the dog sought to find his place. And in the adventures and misadventures much was learned by both, and the soldier realized through his actions independant of any guide in his quest to discover, and the dog in his quest to survive, that the two realized they never needed another to rule over them, they were highly capable on their own, living day by day and learning for themselves, and not simply trusting the words of the messenger or of the other wolves, that their glorious commander was perfectly requesting this, or his great master would soon come to sit in his throne as the dog lay on his feet, that he may pet the dog, and salute the soldier...crap...sorry. i didnt mean to.

ANYWAYS, I nearly lashed out a while ago with a laundry list of things i would use to eviscerate everyone i could. but luckily i decided to sit back and think a while, as i came to the conclusion that in order to get anywhere productive with this, and NOT end up in full on arguing, im probably going to have to just bear most of whats been delt to me in order to see with the eye i cherish, the eye that sees through no- an unbiased point of view, or at least with the smallest possible amount of bias.

Also,

How many languages were there? How many languages do you speak? Parlez-vous frances? ¿Habla español? Panimayetie pa russkiy? Runasimita rimankichu? Etc, etc.

Oui, je suis un estudente de le francais, yo soy muy fluente en la lenguaje del espanol, empezo mis estudias en el cuando fui en kinder y ya continua a esta dia, Ich habe versucht, Deutsch auf meine eigenen zu lernen, aber ich konnte einfach nicht die Zeit, um mit einer dritten Fremdsprache als auch zu halten wie die beiden vorherigen finden. Deshalb bin ich mit einem Übersetzer jetzt. But anyways, the tongues i was reerring to was the supposed sacred tongues, i studied the sound of various examples in person and online and none of them had a single set of at least 5 sounds consistent throughout each oine, signifying a disorganization and a lack of any true meaning to the words, meaning the person is simply spitting out randomly chosen sounds in random order

[Cranky Old Man]

Re: Introduction to OpenMind2000

Bla bla bla bla TL;DR

[Basilissa]

Re: Introduction to OpenMind2000

Actually...yes. Many days I have... my bad. I forgot all my poetic tendencies are nonsense where grammar nazis and intensive thinking dwell.

It's not called "poetic tendencies," sweetie, it's called "stream of consciousness" - which, in your case, seems even less coherent than for most of people.

Anyways, the point is yes. I have several times lifted my words to the heavens and written of my own enfatuation with the christ child and how i am so fragile and all that jazz, ive bawled on my hands and knees alone in a room, ive shed but a tear and held back many more in a feeling of relief as i was so very sure that i was spared because of my devotion. I have studied countless hours trying to find answers in the book. So many nights i was confident because of my cause and i ventured to do what know how when someone threatens what i hold dear, but the times that i begged for a change of heart or a point i could make, an unbeatable argument that would glorify him, there were no responses. And so i started thinking "well maybe im not praying hard enough" so i prayed harder, and i groveled in my unworthiness for so long trying to be a good dog at my masters feet, a good soldier for my commander, but the masters chair lay empty, the commander a fraud impersonator, and so the soldier started to wander, the dog sought to find his place. And in the adventures and misadventures much was learned by both, and the soldier realized through his actions independant of any guide in his quest to discover, and the dog in his quest to survive, that the two realized they never needed another to rule over them, they were highly capable on their own, living day by day and learning for themselves, and not simply trusting the words of the messenger or of the other wolves, that their glorious commander was perfectly requesting this, or his great master would soon come to sit in his throne as the dog lay on his feet, that he may pet the dog, and salute the soldier...crap...sorry. i didnt mean to.

I was wondering for a second if maybe that chunk of text wasn't written by a human but rather is one of these computer-generated things, but on the other hand, a computer wouldn't misspell things, so I suppose there is an actual human writing this crap?!

yo soy muy fluente en la lenguaje del espanol, empezo mis estudias en el cuando fui en kinder y ya continua a esta dia,

Nope, you aren't.

Did you use Google Translate to produce that nearly nonsensical string of words? I mean, I get what you are trying to communicate because I know that literal translation of that text in English looks more or less OK, but if I were your Spanish teacher you would get an F for both vocabulary (wrong articles, wrong word endings, wrong words to begin with, not to mention lack of accents) and grammar (sentence structure is just horrible).

A word of free advice: if you want to look like you know something about something, keep your mouth shut, so your ignorance doesn't show. It's in the Bible, too:

Proverbs 17:28 Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

But anyways, the tongues i was reerring to was the supposed sacred tongues, i studied the sound of various examples in person and online and none of them had a single set of at least 5 sounds consistent throughout each oine, signifying a disorganization and a lack of any true meaning to the words, meaning the person is simply spitting out randomly chosen sounds in random order

Yeah, we don't make up fake languages here. I mean, that's just stupid. It's almost as stupid as you pretending to know some real languages.

[Pastor Ezekiel]

Re: Introduction to OpenMind2000

Guys who write poetry always turn out to be fags. Trust me on this.