Originally Posted by MissBrattified
Brad,
Do you have any foundation upon which you base your conclusions? Is it human reasoning or logic? Many people base their beliefs upon logic, reasoning, or science, perhaps. Philosophy, maybe.
No matter what you choose to base your conclusions about all matters on--at some point, you will find there are holes or errors in either your judgment or that of any man-formed foundation. For me, I have never found any holes or errors in God or His Word, so I base myself and my values upon a firm, true foundation.
It isn't that your question isn't valid. It's just that I can't answer it to your satisfaction, if our reasoning is different, and our conclusions are drawn from different sources. Therefore, while the conversation in and of itself may be enjoyable, entertaining or provocative, the end result will still have to be an agreement to disagree.
My post, above, was very blunt, but it wasn't intended to be offensive--just honest. I don't retreat from conversations to that which is "safe." It's not that I'm frightened of examining my foundation. It's that I've already examined it and determined that it's strong and sure, and I don't wish to step off of that which is sound, into error. I'm willing to acknowledge the influences of culture and society on certain issues, such as our language, or modesty. But ultimately, if there is a gray area, I will turn to God's Word to give me the absolute. Once I find the absolute, I draw a final, non-negotiable conclusion.
The conversations are fruitless at some point because my side of it will end with scripture. And every rebuttal will point me back to scripture to find the answer. It's not the the conversation isn't "worth it", it's just that I do come to this forum for edification (mostly), and sometimes for entertainment, and pursuing questions from a non christian worldview is neither uplifting for me, or even entertaining. (Most of the time.) Kind of like the thread Joelel has up right now...his questions have already been answered by numerous apologists over the years, and are not hard to find--but honestly, it only interests me for a little bit to go look up the answers and provide them, and then I just get tired of it. They are so easily found, and there are no real contradictions there.
I don't believe that I said anywhere that you or Michlow shouldn't post here, nor do I think that. I enjoy reading both of your posts. It's just that I've already decided the course of my life. I'm not IN questioning mode. I've been there and moved beyond it. And there are certain things I do not allow myself to question, such as the existence of God or the validity of his spoken Word. Not because I am fearful of finding that He doesn't exist, or that His Word isn't true, because I have possessed those beliefs for as long as I can remember, and have never found proofs against them. No, it's more because I think He has cautioned us, with good reason, against even pursuing those lines of thought in the "academic" sense.
I hate to spring this on you again, but I memorized these verses when I was very small:
"Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against you." (His Word keeps me from making bad choices, both intellectual and lifestyle.)
"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." (If I can't see the way, His Word will open my eyes.)
"The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'" (I do not want to pursue that thought, because I do not want God to call me a foolish person.)
"Beware lest any man spoil you, through philosophy and vain deceit; after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (Let God be true, and every man a liar.)
And I fear for those who are on any path to "self-discovery." We should be about discovering God--not ourselves.
"A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself."
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"
I can't imagine, nor do I even wish to pursue, a life without God's Word to guide me. I don't believe that questioning God's existence makes you (or anyone else) of superior intelligence or bravado. In fact, I believe it is careless, and self-destructive.
God will not be undone by any questioning of His existence. However, the person who questions must be careful that they are not undone by their own musings.
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