From: someone@anywheret.net   
      
   "JimD"  wrote in message news:2016121910200918196-email@nowherecom...   
      
   On 2016-12-19 12:07:31 +0000, Ouisie said:   
      
   > Words are tricky.  They often have different meanings to different people.   
   > A religious friend sent me a video link yesterday discussing how atheism   
   > is actually a religion.  The video's approach was to use some big thinking   
   > philosopher's book on what defines a " religion ".    I dont' recall all   
   > the points, but one was that a religion has to have a narrative. It needs   
   > to tell a creation story, have some explination of why things are, why we   
   > exist.  In Christianity, it's because God made Adam.  Skip all that   
   > Genesis stuff about fallen angels and whatnot that came before.  In some   
   > eastern religions, some blue androginous god or another " dreamt "   
   > creation into being.   
      
   The only tricky part are Sneaky Evil people looking for trouble!   
      
   > In Atheism, as currently imagined, the universe created itself out of   
   > nothing. Nothing, then BANG, then time and space and the universe as a hot   
   > thing that expanded and cooled into reality. Of course, hard core   
   > atheists, came to realize this to be nonsense, so they say " science   
   > doesn't address " that issue. Or maybe there was a  - before - the big   
   > bang, but we can't know what it was.  Silly.  And they counter there being   
   > a God by questioning who created God.  Well, samo samo, what was before   
   > the Big Bang.  And Nothing isn't a rational answer, no matter how they   
   > pretend it is :-)   
      
   And they sure keep pretending...and grasping for 'answers' for they are   
   BLIND...BY CHOICE!   
      
   > Atheism is simply a modern religion.  It has all the characteristics of   
   > any religion. It's a belief system, with it's own version of priests (   
   > scientists ), and it's own creation myth ( big bang and evolution ) and   
   > more.   
      
   Only problem is that  it doesn't work, like ANY other God-less system!   
      
   > Faith, religion, call it what you want.  In the end, it's gonna be you and   
   > God working out whether you get to go on after this life.   
      
   It's already been worked out since the beginning...the wide road leads to   
   Destruction and the narrow road leads to everlasting life.   
      
   > Even more, I absolutely believe God, thru his various ways, deals with us   
   > here and now.  Oh, hell, Jim D, you're nuts. You're not important enough   
   > for God to care about you.  Well, ok, whatever.   
      
   And that's only a very small part of it.   
      
   > I do think that tho. It's not arrogant. I don't think I'm special.  I   
   > believe God deals with all of us ...  Big God, little us.   Who and what   
   > God is, that's something I don't know.   
      
   Read the Bible. God is a Spirit.   
      
   > But then I don't believe any other mortal does either. So no one needs   
   > bother trying to convince me they do, they have the inside scoop. They   
   > don't.  We don't know.  We may sometime learn, but now, in the here and   
   > know we only " believe ".  I'm ok with that.   
      
   Jim   
      
   We believe, or not believe because God Created us Free to choose...but the   
   Bible will answer ALL the  questions, so that you'll Know the   
   answers....then it's entirely up to you to either believe or   
   disbelieve...and both choices have Eternally Enormous and Profound   
   Consequences.   
      
   Ouisie   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)