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Heroes Community > Other Side of the Monitor > Thread: Questions about religion
Thread: Questions about religion This thread is 100 pages long: 1 10 20 30 ... 40 41 42 43 44 ... 50 60 70 80 90 100 · «PREV / NEXT»
Salamandre
Salamandre


Admirable
Omnipresent Hero
Wog refugee
posted April 12, 2013 09:55 PM

And here Satan hide in the shadow, ready to hit!
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Zenofex
Zenofex


Responsible
Legendary Hero
Kreegan-atheist
posted April 12, 2013 10:07 PM
Edited by Zenofex at 22:08, 12 Apr 2013.

Quote:
I must be having some sort of disconnect, or some brain burp.  Since nature and other outside influences can affect how people act, all a parent can do is to raise a person the best they can.  Teach them right from wrong, etc.  If that person ignores them, because of rebellion and outside influences..how exactly has the parent failed?  What, you want to lock up kids and never let them out of the bubble?  Cause that is the only way a parent could be the ONLY influence in a child's life.
Apparently you think about something pretty different from what I'm talking about. The parents are the single couple (or in a worse case - single person) with an overwhelming influence on a child's development until certain age. They shape it into a person, they tell it what's right and what's wrong, what's allowed and what's not, they encourage or limit its development. With such an enormous influence - which you will be very foolish to deny - also comes the responsibility of balancing between leaving the child form its own character and keeping it out of harm's way. If your methods, your lifestyle, your whatever oppress the child, make it unhappy, make it lose respect for you, etc. during the period when you exercise such a great influence on it, then you're the main responsible person when it ***** up its life later. This has nothing to do with total control over the child, bubbles and such - kids are certain to make mistakes due to inexperience and keeping them on a short leash will achieve nothing. But if you remember where this all started, if you begin directly with punishment without even considering where the whole thing might originate, you're just displaying a brainless reaction to your own sense of authority being hurt (and ultimately revealing inner insecurity, which is YOUR problem, not the kid's).

Anyway, let's go back to the original point, shall we? The whole comparison is meaningless in the context of this discussion because you can't really make an adequate logical construction out of the Christian assumptions about God and the Devil. On one hand, God doesn't have flaws. On the other hand, the Devil (i.e. "the kid" in this case) starts acting badly, so obviously he has flaws. How did that happen? Since the Devil is the source of all evil and God created him, he either deliberately created him imperfect to check if he'll rebel, or had the evil "built-in" in the design of its creations because he couldn't create them in any other way (which contradicts his omnipotence). Also, God had all the means to teach the Devil what's right/wrong and to reconcile with him before casting him down to Hell (if you think that he didn't, this also contradicts both his omnipotence and omniscience), yet he chose to kick his ass to the pit and eventually expose all his other creations to the vengeful Devil's influence. Now that's some fine parenting, eh? Humans are imperfect parents because they are limited but what is God's excuse?

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JollyJoker
JollyJoker


Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
posted April 12, 2013 10:29 PM

One reason why I'm losing interest here is, the fact that people are wasting so much time building if-then combinations that amount to arriving at a contradiction, letting it sound like omnipotence and omniscience were kind of a curse.

In fact, however, if this god was FORCED to ALWAYS BE omnipotent and omniscient - wouldn't that be a contradiction as well?

So, very simply, very easy - omnipotence quite obviously offers the option to deliberately not making use of attributes to the fullest. Everyone can do that. Just because someone is a genius with an instrument, it doesn't mean that person always has to play like one. He/she can also play simple - or even faulty. Just for kicks.

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Zenofex
Zenofex


Responsible
Legendary Hero
Kreegan-atheist
posted April 12, 2013 10:39 PM

Why sure, this is an option. But then again, if you let something follow its own path, you don't hold it responsible that it doesn't follow your path, no? You can't really have both.

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Seraphim
Seraphim


Supreme Hero
Knowledge Reaper
posted April 13, 2013 12:47 AM
Edited by Seraphim at 02:03, 13 Apr 2013.

Quote:

if-then combinations that amount to arriving at a contradiction,

Thats just the atheists here. The theists constantly write about bible verses, warped interpretations of the bible and personal beliefs.

LOL, how are we supposed to discuss hypothetical beings without if/thens?
Oh, I know the answer. "Personal" Experience. Just laughable. There are logcal contradcitions because of numerous reasons and the primary one is that the whole concept of an all "Powerful" being is just bollocks.
Not to mention the use of words such as "God" , "Bible", "All-Powerful", "Truth", justified eternal punishment and so on.



Quote:
In fact, however, if this god was FORCED to ALWAYS BE omnipotent and omniscient - wouldn't that be a contradiction as well?


This entire sentence makes no sense whatsoever.
I am not even gonna bother to deduct what nonsens you wrote here.
Are you forcing god? Who is forcing it?
We are talking about religion here and how god is defined there, not your personal interpretation.

Apoloogists like you are sad. Trying so hard to make sense out of nonsense is amusing, its like a kid trying to make sense for Santa.

Quote:

So, very simply, very easy - omnipotence quite obviously offers the option to deliberately not making use of attributes to the fullest. Everyone can do that. Just because someone is a genius with an instrument, it doesn't mean that person always has to play like one. He/she can also play simple - or even faulty. Just for kicks.

Suddenly, JJ logic says that a heavenly being is like a human.
Seriously, the example with the genius is even more amusing.

What you said is just babble. it leads to nothing ,says nothing and just stated the obvious, but only so by assuming something out of thin air.
By implying that "Omnipotence" is actually possible, You assume something about Omnipotence without a snowing shred of reasoning.

The point you ignore so conveniently is that god should be "Omnibenevolent".

What a joke.

Instead of throwing bible verses, you throw nonsense. Just stop it.



Let me bring in some "Definitions" here:
Quote:

The term omnipotent has been used to connote a number of different positions. These positions include, but are not limited to, the following:

A deity is able to do anything that it chooses to do.[1] My point and my argumentation from earlier on was based of this.

A deity is able to do anything that is in accord with its own nature (thus, for instance, if it is a logical consequence of a deity's nature that what it speaks is truth, then it is not able to lie).
Hold that it is part of a deity's nature to be consistent and that it would be inconsistent for said deity to go against its own laws unless there was a reason to do so.[2]
A deity is able to do anything that corresponds with its omniscience and therefore with its worldplan.
Every action performed in the world is 'actually' being performed by the deity, either due to omni-immanence, or because all actions must be 'supported' or 'permitted' by the deity.

Omniscience (pron.: /ɒmˈnɪʃəns/[1]), mainly in religion, is the capacity to know everything that there is to know

Omnipresence or ubiquity is the property of being present everywhere.

Omnibenevolence (from Latin omni- meaning "all", and benevolent, meaning "good")[1] is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "unlimited or infinite benevolence". It is often held to be impossible, or at least improbable, for a deity to exhibit such property alongside omniscience and omnipotence as a result of the problem of evil. However, some philosophers, such as Alvin Plantinga, argue the plausibility of co-existence. The word is primarily used as a technical term within academic literature on the philosophy of religion, mainly in context of the problem of evil and theodical responses to such. Although even in said contexts the phrases "perfect goodness" or "moral perfection" are often preferred because of the difficulties in defining what exactly constitutes 'infinite benevolence'.

-Wiki


And the counter argument for your "Evil must exist for good to come forth" nonsense:
Quote:

As it appears that the defenses and theodicies which might allow the theist to resist the problem of evil can be inverted and used to defend belief in the omnimalevolent being, this suggests that we should draw similar conclusions about the success of these defensive strategies. In that case, the theist appears to face a dilemma: either to accept that both sets of responses are equally bad, and so that the theist does not have an adequate response to the problem of evil; or to accept that both sets of responses are equally good, and so to commit to the existence of an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnimalevolent being as plausible.


Another general criticism is that though a theodicy may harmonize God with the existence of evil, it does so at the cost of nullifying morality. This is because most theodicies assume that whatever evil there is exists because it is required for the sake of some greater good.
But if an evil is necessary because it secures a greater good, then it appears we humans have no duty to prevent it, for in doing so we would also prevent the greater good for which the evil is required. Even worse, it seems that any action can be rationalized, as if one succeeds in performing it, then God has permitted it, and so it must be for the greater good. From this line of thought one may conclude that, as these conclusions violate our basic moral intuitions, no greater good theodicy is true, and God does not exist. Alternatively, one may point out that greater good theodicies lead us to see every conceivable state of affairs as compatible with the existence of God, and in that case the notion of God's goodness is rendered meaningless


but what i am trying to say. I might just aswell present this to a brick wall because deluded people have no chance whatsoever to understand this.
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artu
artu


Promising
Undefeatable Hero
My BS sensor is tingling again
posted April 13, 2013 06:23 AM

Quote:
Apoloogists like you are sad.


Oh, Jolly Joker is no apologist. He just mimics their arguments cause  he thinks he's smart enough to make a success of it and he likes the game. But it does not work that way.

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Drakon-Deus
Drakon-Deus


Undefeatable Hero
Qapla'
posted April 13, 2013 08:36 AM

Quote:
I must be having some sort of disconnect, or some brain burp.  Since nature and other outside influences can affect how people act, all a parent can do is to raise a person the best they can.  Teach them right from wrong, etc.  If that person ignores them, because of rebellion and outside influences..how exactly has the parent failed?  What, you want to lock up kids and never let them out of the bubble?  Cause that is the only way a parent could be the ONLY influence in a child's life.


My mom tried to not let me out of the bubble. It didn't work, I broke free. And I'm not a bad boy or anything.
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master_learn
master_learn


Legendary Hero
walking to the library
posted April 13, 2013 09:19 AM

Quote:
One reason why I'm losing interest here is, the fact that people are wasting so much time building if-then combinations that amount to arriving at a contradiction, letting it sound like omnipotence and omniscience were kind of a curse.


The purpose of atheists here is building if-thens only in their attempts to proove that they are right and theists are wrong about God.

They don't even CONSIDER that God is NOT equal to religion.
Get the greek religion or roman religion for that matter-plenty of gods,one religion.

Discussion without respect to the other group is leading to processes that kill it.
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artu
artu


Promising
Undefeatable Hero
My BS sensor is tingling again
posted April 13, 2013 09:51 AM
Edited by artu at 10:01, 13 Apr 2013.

Omnipotence and omniscience are not specific to Christian God, besides as I mentioned, in here it is the Christians who come up with lame excuses so they are the ones being opposed to.

Nobody is personally insulting anybody but if you present arguments that has more holes in them than a Swiss cheese, you cant expect people to take them seriously.

You link civilizations being wiped out to their religion, while religion has almost nothing to do with  what you can do against a superior military force, famine or natural disaster.

Religion is a cultural force but don't give it more credit then it deserves. Kuwait, Niger, Malaysia are Muslim, Texas, Denmark, Congo are Christian. What do they have in common other than that? Culture molds religion more than religion molds culture.  

P.S. For people who seriously wonder why some civilizations got lost along the way, I suggest watching this or better read it.

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Drakon-Deus
Drakon-Deus


Undefeatable Hero
Qapla'
posted April 13, 2013 10:08 AM

I believe you all also noticed that Christianity never managed to become domninant in countries other than the old Roman Empire and European colonies.
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artu
artu


Promising
Undefeatable Hero
My BS sensor is tingling again
posted April 13, 2013 10:14 AM

Well, I wouldn't call Russia that. Anyway, it has to be transferred in some way and colonization is one of the most regular ways of this.

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Drakon-Deus
Drakon-Deus


Undefeatable Hero
Qapla'
posted April 13, 2013 10:22 AM

The presence of Christianity in the Russian territories was largely thanks to the Byzantine Empire.
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artu
artu


Promising
Undefeatable Hero
My BS sensor is tingling again
posted April 13, 2013 10:33 AM
Edited by artu at 10:34, 13 Apr 2013.

Really? Well, I wont claim anything but I've never read anything like that.

Here's the Byzantine (East Roman) empire at it's strongest:



And here's a few hundred years before it was completely gone. This is after the Seljuk Turks kicked them out from Anatolia in 1072.



Both maps show no Russian territory, but as I said, I'm not sure so I wont proclaim anything.

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Drakon-Deus
Drakon-Deus


Undefeatable Hero
Qapla'
posted April 13, 2013 10:43 AM
Edited by Drakon-Deus at 10:44, 13 Apr 2013.

It wasn't part of the empire but the empire had a great influence over how Christianity spread in the Russian area.

wiki:

By the end of the first millennium AD, eastern Slavic lands started to come under the cultural influence of the Eastern Roman Empire. In 863-869, Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius translated parts of the Bible into Old Church Slavonic language for the first time, paving the way for the Christianization of the Slavs. There is evidence that the first Christian bishop was sent to Novgorod from Constantinople either by Patriarch Photius or Patriarch Ignatios, circa 866-867 AD.

By the mid-10th century, there was already a Christian community among Kievan nobility, under the leadership of Greek and Byzantine priests, although paganism remained the dominant religion. Princess Olga of Kiev was the first ruler of Kievan Rus to convert to Christianity, either in 945 or 957. Her grandson, Vladimir the Great, made Kievan Rus' a Christian state.

As a result of the Christianization of Kievan Rus' in 988, Prince Vladimir I of Kiev officially adopted Byzantine Rite Christianity — the religion of the Eastern Roman Empire — as the state religion of Kievan Rus'. This date is often considered the official birthday of the Russian Orthodox Church. Thus, in 1988, the Church celebrated its millennial anniversary. It therefore traces its apostolic succession through the Patriarch of Constantinople.


The Kievan church was originally a Metropolitanate of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Byzantine patriarch appointed the metropolitan who governed the Church of Rus'. The Metropolitan's residence was originally located in Kiev. As Kiev was losing its political, cultural, and economical significance due to the Mongol invasion, Metropolitan Maximus moved to Vladimir in 1299; his successor, Metropolitan Peter moved the residence to Moscow in 1325.
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JollyJoker
JollyJoker


Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
posted April 13, 2013 11:05 AM

Quote:
[What you said is just babble. it leads to nothing ,says nothing and just stated the obvious, but only so by assuming something out of thin air.
By implying that "Omnipotence" is actually possible, You assume something about Omnipotence without a snowing shred of reasoning.

The point you ignore so conveniently is that god should be "Omnibenevolent".

What a joke.

Instead of throwing bible verses, you throw nonsense. Just stop it.
I think, you may just be overestimating your mental capacity to actually understand the things you are talking about. Let's see:

Quote:
Let me bring in some "Definitions" here:
Quote:

The term omnipotent has been used to connote a number of different positions. These positions include, but are not limited to, the following:

A deity is able to do anything that it chooses to do.[1] My point and my argumentation from earlier on was based of this.
Exactly. But you did the two words ABLE and CHOOSES, right? Which means, he isn't BOUND to choose, and he isn't BOUND to do the impossible. He is JUST ABLE, IF he chooses to.
YOU are the one who says that all-powerful should mean that God is able to do the im possible against all logic.

For omnibenevolence - not something that is really required for our universe - that would mean, it can be cancelled by the omniPOTENCE (as well as omniSCIENCE).
Also, due to his position as an absolute being, HE defines good and evil, not WE, and he HAS seemingly defined GOOD as FOLLOWING HIS ORDERS (and evil as not to).

Your problem is that there are two levels of discussion here, 1) the god based on the bible, 2) that god as an abstract concept, independent from the bible.
You should concentrate on proving that THE BIBLE is not in keeping with the abstract idea of a creator god behind everything, because that's what's a lot easier to "attack". Practically spoken, it's a lot easier to disprove a special case of god (like described in the Bible) than the general abstract idea of one.

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Ghost
Ghost


Undefeatable Hero
Therefore I am
posted April 13, 2013 01:50 PM

I have subscribed to the Book of Mormon. Interesting reading? Have you already read?

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Drakon-Deus
Drakon-Deus


Undefeatable Hero
Qapla'
posted April 13, 2013 02:10 PM
Edited by Drakon-Deus at 15:00, 13 Apr 2013.

Book of Mormon is a scam.

Of course that's only my opinion, no offence to Mormons
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Drakon-Deus
Drakon-Deus


Undefeatable Hero
Qapla'
posted April 13, 2013 09:53 PM
Edited by Drakon-Deus at 21:55, 13 Apr 2013.

Why would someone want to have more than one wife though? I thought the whole purpose of it was to find your soulmate and be happy and have children. How does that work when you have more wives... I suppose you can love two women at the same time but still...
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Hobbit
Hobbit


Supreme Hero
posted April 13, 2013 10:02 PM

Quote:
Why would someone want to have less than two wives though? I thought the whole purpose of it was to find your soulmates and be happy and have children. How does that work when you have one wife... I suppose you can love one woman only but still...

Fixed.
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Elodin
Elodin


Promising
Legendary Hero
Free Thinker
posted April 13, 2013 10:20 PM
Edited by Elodin at 23:38, 13 Apr 2013.

Quote:
As it happens I'm just watching a Terra X episode about the search for the "lost ark", and something has been quoted from the book of Moses, something a lot of people know:

Quote:
Genesis 22 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
...
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.


Does that make any sense? I mean, I thought, God was all-knowing. Here, however, he TEMPTS Abraham in order to test him, saying, NOW I know that...

Any interpretation that makes God not either not all-knowing or a mean snow (because if he knew what old Abe would do, why did he have to torture him, making him think he'd have to sacrifice his son)?



As I've said before, God is indeed all knowing. But God also lives each and every moment of time, so he "experiences" things too.  So he had the intellectual knowledge of what would happen but Abraham had to actually obey for God to experience the obedience.

Also, the Hebrew word translated "know" is "yada", the same word used when the Bible says Adam "knew" Eve. Adam had an intimate relationship with Eve.

God is all about living relationships, not head knowledge. God is spiritually Father only to those who will be sons/daughters. Jesus said he "knows" his sheep (John 10:27) and his sheep know him. He has a relationship with them.

Quote:

Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.



Jesus said on the day of judgment he'll say to many who confess him as Lord, "Depart from me, you who work iniquity, I never knew you." Not that he will not have a clue about who the person is or what he did in life but that the person never had a relationship with Jesus. He never "knew" Jesus and Jesus never "knew" him. (Matthew 7:23, paraphrased)

We are told in Hebrews (Hebrews 11:17-19) that Abraham believed God's promises (which needed a living Isaac) and believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead if necessary to fulfill those promises. So, on that mountain God experienced Abraham's faith and Abraham experienced God's faithfulness.

On the mountain God "knew" Abraham and Abraham "knew" God. God declared Abraham righteous because of that "work" wrought by Abraham's faith (James 2:21-23) and Abraham became a "friend of God." This was a defining moment in Abraham's life and a landmark on the road of salvation.

Abraham effectively offered up himself that day. Abraham's entire future, hopes, and dreams and promises from God lay in Isaac. This was a prophetic picture (called a "type") of the day when God would "provide himself a lamb" (Genesis 22:8) by manifesting himself as the man Jesus Christ and sacrificing himself for us on that very mountain.
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