false 2343943 2945437 D.G. McLeod Port Saint Lucie, FL 05/2009 08/2009 1 1 1 true 5655187 read 0 true 5082741 currently-reading 0 true 5082740 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/167544-a-serious-question http://photo.goodreads.com/groups/1241973804p2/10907.jpg 2343943 D.G. Mcleod http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1243623844p2/2343943.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2343943-d-g-mcleod Sun, 09 Aug 2009 08:19:27 -0700 You always put it all together so beautifully! I rarely need to say anything. You make it so clear, I don’t understand why it is so hard for some to get the picture. Maybe they just like to argue.
Thanks.
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/115995-discussing-religion http://photo.goodreads.com/groups/1241973804p2/10907.jpg 2343943 D.G. Mcleod http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1243623844p2/2343943.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2343943-d-g-mcleod Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:50:41 -0700 Rodney wrote: "...But, I did not SEE the big picture until I had a traumatic brain injury and relearning life all over again, 18 yrs ago. It was like Jesus wanted me to see this big picture because I think He had big plans for me and my life...."

How did you know Jesus or any divine power had anything to do with your experience? What rational evidence do you have to share with us? Are you just grateful and scared and letting that bias taint your testimony?
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/164345-this-is-pretty-cool http://photo.goodreads.com/groups/1241973804p2/10907.jpg 2343943 D.G. Mcleod http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1243623844p2/2343943.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2343943-d-g-mcleod Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:59:33 -0700 Coyle wrote: "Faith" is a response to the evidence present in the Bible....It's certainly not that there are no facts in Christianity, it's that our response to the facts is the basis for faith"


I repeat, quotes from the Bible are useless until you can authenticate it as being the complete words of God. The Bible cannot be used to authenticate itself and man cannot do that by himself, only God or His direct emissary can do so. I have yet to encounter a Christian who can honestly claim to have done so. Anyone can quote from any book and claim it was God-inspired. That does not make it so! Yet people continue to use quotes from it as “evidence”.

You can redefine “Faith” as much as you like to try and suit your argument, but it does not change the true meaning. Faith is believing something without adequate evidence!

Even by using your definition your argument falls flat. Your so-called “evidence” of 1)-6) does not exist, and all you are doing is presenting your beliefs as facts without any supporting evidence to back them up. That is misleading and deceptive.

Examine the chained truths (things that must also be true if another thing is) in what is claimed, since sometimes it may be easier to verify the status of the chained “truth”. If any is false, then obviously the original claim is also false. For example, if you believe the Bible then God condones the rape of innocent women and the murder of women and children. Since these are evil deeds, that makes God an evil being. The only way to correct this conclusion is to admit the related sections of the Bible to be inaccurate, such as they merely reflect the beliefs of the writer and are not factual!

So far I have yet to meet a Christian who is not willing to make stuff up (lie) in attempts to support his/her beliefs. But there is a universal standard to truth, facts are facts, not just what is convenient to support someone’s beliefs. It is very difficult for religion and facts to coexist because religion is usually based on delusions! This fact is borne out constantly, even in these discussions. That is why it is called faith (your definition, you accept the dogma of your religion as factual although it is blatantly false)! There are clever Christians too, but that does not make them accurate ones.

Some people cannot face reality and need delusions. There is nothing wrong with that if it only affects you and you don’t force them on others - It is your life to live.
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/123760-this-is-funny-i-thought-i-would-share-d http://photo.goodreads.com/groups/1241973804p2/10907.jpg 2343943 D.G. Mcleod http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1243623844p2/2343943.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2343943-d-g-mcleod Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:45:47 -0700 ♥Pudding♥ wrote: "then read my post because millions of people have it written down,so there's my evidence,people that don't have their books or stories in the Bible"

Pudding,
The wise among us know that a lie remains a lie:
• No matter how passionate, forceful, or sincere you proclaim your point of view, or how popular the platform you use;
• No matter the strength of your belief;
• No matter how many people believe it;
• No matter how many years it has been believed.

Moreover, one should take note of the following:
• To analyze evidence objectively, no exceptions can be made if one is to come to a rational conclusion.

• Since the number of people who accept a lie bears no relationship to its measure of truth, one should always be very wary of those who use a count of believers as proof of accuracy.

• Our success at deceit is hardly a measurement of our own cunning, but merely a manifestation of the level of trust the deceived have instilled in us.

• The worst use of the brainpower with which one is born is for one to blindly believe a lie simply because one is more likely than not to pass the lie on to others as being true. The second worst thing is to be so mentally lazy as to let others do your thinking for you. Knowledge is power and one surrenders such power when one does not think for oneself.

• The first step towards understanding the truth involves stopping the lies that we tell ourselves.

(Reference: Then Man Created God: The Truth about Believing a Lie.)
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/155906-debating-on-christianity http://photo.goodreads.com/groups/1241973804p2/10907.jpg 2343943 D.G. Mcleod http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1243623844p2/2343943.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2343943-d-g-mcleod Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:04:16 -0700 Tommy wrote: There is no evidence to back it up...All the evidence points to intelligent design; that is, creation by God. ..."

Tommy,
I am not sure if you are demonstrating true scientific ignorance, religious logic, just being provocative or a combination of all of these. I wish I had the time and talent of RGB to try and help you, but I don’t and do not think it fruitful to try and use facts and logic with a religious person, - he must first thirst for truth. When you reach that stage, this is the correct procedure to follow:
a) Gather all relevant evidence
b) Analyze all relevant evidence
c) Form opinion based on that thorough analysis.

I bet you will then see your post in a different light!

Let’s face it, if someone is very happy with their idea of reality, what incentive would he/she have to do anything that could prove him/her wrong and jeopardize the status? Add to that mix, the fact that some people are not brave enough to defy the “believe or die” doctrine. Such a person is willing to believe anything to “save” his life, no matter how farfetched.
]]> Then Man Created God: The Truth about Believing a Lie (Paperback) by D.G. McLeod]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57764038 http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41atj1VizDL._SL75_.jpg 2343943 D.G. Mcleod http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1243623844p2/2343943.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2343943-d-g-mcleod Fri, 29 May 2009 12:14:40 -0700