Quote:
Originally Posted by sleepy jack
I'd define a Christian the same as the bible would, someone who believes they've found salvation in God. I don't understand how by saying you're a christian so you believe in a higher power with an interest in you contradicts that definition...
I don't understand how a god who created us by accident and doesn't care about our existence is any different than an indifferent universe. You said you choose to believe it was a god because it gives you something to strive for; an indifferent universe gives you nothing but if you were just some sort of celestial sneeze that the means nothing to a god how is that any different then the indifferent universe? I think whether or not the god has an interest in the human race makes all the difference in the world and is completely relevant to having something to strive for. Can you explain how it doesn't matter?
Also just because I'm skeptical doesn't mean I don't feel like I have a purpose. Don't get me wrong; I don't have a theistic purpose or any motivation to be "moral" but I still strive to be an intelligent and good person and I have dreams. They're just not of god, they're of being happy.
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Hmn. Okay, I'll explain why I think your definition is slightly off. Judaists are the ones who believe in salvation through an unscrupulous God; Christians are those who seek salvation in Heaven through the words of Jesus (the son), and who furthermore believe that he died so that human beings could get to this Heaven by acknowleding his identity and methods rather instead of what the rabbi at the local temple would tell you to do. It's a more conveniant path to something that people were once told you had to do a whole lotta **** for. I mean c'mon, what's easier here, taking a goat up on a mountain and slitting its throat, or thanking a 2000-year old dead guy for dying on a Roman cross?
Second, it doesn't matter if the indifferent God created you, can give you things, etc because the very fact that something eternal, powerful, and bodiless exists outside of you is pretty darn incredible. After all, there's quite a lot to learn simply by observing such an entity, assuming a time comes when we could ever see this hypothetical God in action. Learning and seeking are the same as striving towards something new. (And in regards of why a God is important even if It's indifferent: I guess its kinda like wanting to be like your parents even if they don't care what you choose to do with your life. I'm tired so it's difficult to explain well.)
Basically, my faith and my mind are on two different wavelengths here. I like to think and postulate and wonder about the possibilities of stuff, while at the same time maintaining a faith in the optimism of the God I hope exists. Neither my irrational beliefs or mental ponderings interfere with one-another or influence my life in negative ways, so what's the problem with it?
