If God is so merciful, then why did Jesus have to be sacrificed?

[Greta]

Why should I believe the Bible over all of the competing claims?

Which other religions deny the existence of God?

There are thousands of religions. Then there are those who ask for require evidence before believing what they are told, a solidly reasonable position. Hinduism posits multiple influential spirits. Buddhism and Taoism don't specify a deity at all. Meanwhile, the nature of posited deities and their alleged actions and requirements differ markedly between monotheistic faiths.

The question remains: amongst these disparate groups, whom should I believe? What of the Aboriginal Rainbow Serpent? What of Sun and Earth worship? The latter nature based religions theoretically make more sense to me than any. The Sun created us from the protoplanetary disc, continuing to provide the energy needed to sustain the Earth, which in turn gives us ungrateful post-apes everything. What of worshipping Sigittarius A* or the Milky Way and Laniakea? They won't care or answer our prayers, but they will continue to make everything possible for us.

[thedoc]

Why should I believe the Bible over all of the competing claims?

Which other religions deny the existence of God?

There are thousands of religions. Then there are those who ask for require evidence before believing what they are told, a solidly reasonable position. Hinduism posits multiple influential spirits. Buddhism and Taoism don't specify a deity at all. Meanwhile, the nature of posited deities and their alleged actions and requirements differ markedly between monotheistic faiths.

The question remains: amongst these disparate groups, whom should I believe? What of the Aboriginal Rainbow Serpent? What of Sun and Earth worship? The latter nature based religions theoretically make more sense to me than any. The Sun created us from the protoplanetary disc, continuing to provide the energy needed to sustain the Earth, which in turn gives us ungrateful post-apes everything. What of worshipping Sigittarius A* or the Milky Way and Laniakea? They won't care or answer our prayers, but they will continue to make everything possible for us.

Which other religions deny the existence of God?

[Dubious]

Which other religions deny the existence of God?

There are thousands of religions. Then there are those who ask for require evidence before believing what they are told, a solidly reasonable position. Hinduism posits multiple influential spirits. Buddhism and Taoism don't specify a deity at all. Meanwhile, the nature of posited deities and their alleged actions and requirements differ markedly between monotheistic faiths.

The question remains: amongst these disparate groups, whom should I believe? What of the Aboriginal Rainbow Serpent? What of Sun and Earth worship? The latter nature based religions theoretically make more sense to me than any. The Sun created us from the protoplanetary disc, continuing to provide the energy needed to sustain the Earth, which in turn gives us ungrateful post-apes everything. What of worshipping Sigittarius A* or the Milky Way and Laniakea? They won't care or answer our prayers, but they will continue to make everything possible for us.

Which other religions deny the existence of God?

Why is the question important since you asked twice and has already been answered. Do you need more than two and if so why?

[Immanuel Can]

Why should I believe the Bible over all of the competing claims?

Read it. Decide. Don't stand at a distance, pretending to know what it says, telling yourself that it says nothing to you.

Think of this: by taking up this strand, you've confessed you know the issue. By what I've written back to you, I've told you how to answer that question. Whether you came here to speak against God or to know the truth, that will be manifest by what you choose to do now. I do not presume to -- and cannot -- judge you; but the truth is that as of this moment, you will judge yourself by your choice of action, just as Jesus Christ Himself said.

Make a good choice; that is all I can advise.

[Immanuel Can]

Which other religions deny the existence of God?

Communism, National Socialism, Humanism, Atheism, some forms of Buddhism and Taoism (but not all), and so on. Eastern traditions (Pantheistic) do not have the same God conception as Western ones (Personal), and among the Western ones, Islam's concept is characteristically different from that of Judaism and Christianity. Polytheism denies the God concept (i.e. that of the necessary, preeminent Being), and replaces it with demigods (sort of super-powered aliens like Zeus, Odin or Astarte, powerful-but-contingent beings, often with a birth and death story attached).

But this is a useless observation in our context, because the existence of multiple wrong answers does not argue against a right answer, and religions don't become "true" simply by being believed by a large number of misguided people. That's Bandwagon Fallacy at its worst. Besides, 2+2 will still remain 4, regardless of the existence of an infinite number of wrong answers.

Facts are facts, and truth is truth. Reality is reality. That people don't always know the facts or the truth or acknowledge the reality says nothing about the non-existence of such things.

So Greta's right here, but only trivially so. Her observation gives no warrant for disbelief...only for a confession of personal confusion or uncertainty at the moment, which can be understandable. However, when the truth is in front of her, it gives no one any excuse for not looking at it.

[uwot]

However, when the truth is in front of her, it gives no one any excuse for not looking at it.

Uh huh. And what is your excuse for ignoring anyone who knows what they are talking about?

[Noax]

Why should I believe the Bible over all of the competing claims?

Read it. Decide. Don't stand at a distance, pretending to know what it says, telling yourself that it says nothing to you.

But you're asking us to stand at a distance and say the competing claims say nothing to us. So I should accept the bible story over the others for the same reason you do: The decision is made first, then the bible speaks to you.

I did read it. I even bought it for a while, being raised Calvinist. Then it became clear that the Church did not represent the bible, so I detached from the church and took the bible on its own terms. But it didn't speak to me without the church telling me how it speaks to me, so I stood only a little more distant and the clarity of it all hit me like a ton of bricks.

So I conclude: IC is correct in advising not to pretend to know what it says, but is incorrect about advising not to stand at a distance, which is the only vantage from which one can make an informed choice. What is being suggested in IC's post is something you do after the choice has already been made.

[thedoc]

There are thousands of religions. Then there are those who ask for require evidence before believing what they are told, a solidly reasonable position. Hinduism posits multiple influential spirits. Buddhism and Taoism don't specify a deity at all. Meanwhile, the nature of posited deities and their alleged actions and requirements differ markedly between monotheistic faiths.

The question remains: amongst these disparate groups, whom should I believe? What of the Aboriginal Rainbow Serpent? What of Sun and Earth worship? The latter nature based religions theoretically make more sense to me than any. The Sun created us from the protoplanetary disc, continuing to provide the energy needed to sustain the Earth, which in turn gives us ungrateful post-apes everything. What of worshipping Sigittarius A* or the Milky Way and Laniakea? They won't care or answer our prayers, but they will continue to make everything possible for us.

Which other religions deny the existence of God?

Why is the question important since you asked twice and has already been answered. Do you need more than two and if so why?

No, the question has not been answered, the question is only about other religions and the existence of God.

[thedoc]

Which other religions deny the existence of God?

Communism, National Socialism, Humanism, Atheism, some forms of Buddhism and Taoism (but not all), and so on. Eastern traditions (Pantheistic) do not have the same God conception as Western ones (Personal), and among the Western ones, Islam's concept is characteristically different from that of Judaism and Christianity. Polytheism denies the God concept (i.e. that of the necessary, preeminent Being), and replaces it with demigods (sort of super-powered aliens like Zeus, Odin or Astarte, powerful-but-contingent beings, often with a birth and death story attached).

But this is a useless observation in our context, because the existence of multiple wrong answers does not argue against a right answer, and religions don't become "true" simply by being believed by a large number of misguided people. That's Bandwagon Fallacy at its worst. Besides, 2+2 will still remain 4, regardless of the existence of an infinite number of wrong answers.

Facts are facts, and truth is truth. Reality is reality. That people don't always know the facts or the truth or acknowledge the reality says nothing about the non-existence of such things.

So Greta's right here, but only trivially so. Her observation gives no warrant for disbelief...only for a confession of personal confusion or uncertainty at the moment, which can be understandable. However, when the truth is in front of her, it gives no one any excuse for not looking at it.

Some of those "ism's" are not considered to be religions, especially by those who believe them. My question is which "RELIGION" denies the existence of God in any form, I'm not asking which religion has the correct image of God, that is another question. The only question here is which "Religion" denies the existence of a God?

[Greta]

Why should I believe the Bible over all of the competing claims?

Read it. Decide. Don't stand at a distance, pretending to know what it says, telling yourself that it says nothing to you.

I've read enough of it. Don't you know that many secularists have had the Bible and its memes shoved down their throats since early childhood?

I would say that the Bible is far from the only source of insightful mythology around - Buddhist, Hindu and Taoists each have tremendous insights. Yet so do many scientists. There's a lot of inspired and insightful people spraying around competing claims, not to mention the dreamers, wishful thinkers, poseurs, the conditioned, charlatans, con artists and delusionals.

So I choose none but my leanings are towards nature and science.

[HexHammer]

Enough for what?

.........................../facepalm!!!

You obviously don't know the meaning of the remark you made.
You might want to think about it, though I know this is hard for you.

.........................../facepalm!!!

[Dubious]

The ONLY answer a theist will ever accept is one that confirms his views. If not, counter arguments are to be simply ignored or mutilated into something it was never meant to be. How many examples of that just in this forum. Anti-theistic views including those based on logic, history, science are revised into some absurd caricature in order to establish their beliefs in their god. This is what's left in the arsenal of theists to defend their god...the pathetic modalities of long debunked beliefs in their composted divinities.

[thedoc]

Which other religions deny the existence of God?

Communism, National Socialism, Humanism, Atheism, some forms of Buddhism and Taoism (but not all), and so on.

Some of those "ism's" are not considered to be religions, especially by those who believe them. My question is which "RELIGION" denies the existence of God in any form, I'm not asking which religion has the correct image of God, that is another question. The only question here is which "Religion" denies the existence of a God?

The question is still "Which Religion denies the existence of God", and the answer, as far as I know, is that there is no religion that denies the existence of a God. Most religions are an ism of some form but not all ism's are religions, some definitely are not, especially to the believers of that particular ism. If you know of a RELIGION that denies the existence of a God, please let me know what it is. Just because someone on the outside of an ism claims that they are really a religion does not make it so. Usually someone on the outside doesn't know all the fine details of the belief (or lack of belief) system. Scholarship does not replace the actual immersion and experience of a particular ism.

[Immanuel Can]

But you're asking us to stand at a distance and say the competing claims say nothing to us.

Ha. I never said that, and never would, as a matter of fact. I think it's best to know what you're believing, and what you're choosing not to believe. Standing at a distance doesn't give one that.

However, at the end of the day, what have I to do with it, one way or another? I doubt anyone suffered under the delusion that I'm God. So even were I a complete hypocrite about this, it would remain the fact that dismissing me does not dismiss God. What He says, every person must face; for it is not to me they will give answer.

But an answer they will give, most certainly. We all will -- just as I will answer for what I have chosen to believe, so will everybody else. All I can advise is, be prepared to answer.

[Immanuel Can]

Some of those "ism's" are not considered to be religions, especially by those who believe them.

Oh, true: but they may not be right about that.