Texas teen dies rock climbing, two hours later he revives: 'A literal miracle'

You didn’t watch the whole video. I’m not surprised.

 

If there is a God, why could he not be trusted to reveal himself to man sufficiently and reliably ?

 

If God has revealed himself I wouldn't call it sufficiently, since there are so many religions, each seeing itelf as the true faith. The way around that, I suppose, is to believe that there is some truth in all religions.

 

So many choices. Yet you seem to possess the sagacity to have chosen the most appropriate.

 

Like most people, I was born into one of the major religions. And I was raised in a fundamentalist family. As a kid I couldn't get through a day without asking God's forgiveness three or four times for something.

 

So your beliefs are based on the out-workings of your upbringing ? Put together with a little bit of this and a little bit of that ? I’m not saying that’s uncommon. I suspect it’s very common. I just don’t see the discipline in paring down the scriptures into something found palatable.

 

I can think of something atheists believe in (with all their hearts, minds and strengths) that no one has ever seen. And they believe it exists based on authority and from inference (see: burning bush).

 

A man can’t outrun a toy poodle, can’t climb well (and anyway there aren’t trees in open territory), cannot swim naturally, has teeth useless as weapons, no claws, and poor musculature. (Why the latter? Strength isn’t of value in survival?) He can’t see far or particularly well. He can neither smell nor hear an approaching big cat (say) and, unless armed, couldn’t do anything about it anyway. Hiding isn’t a choice: People are noisy, their children uncontrollably so. When unwashed, humans reek. Our young are extraordinarily helpless for long years.

Why believe in evolutiondiditism ? Let’s start with its coming off like a bumbling retard.

 

I don't see the point in believing in scripture not "palatable," i.e., seemingly not worthy of God.

When I ate a bunch of strawberries a while ago, I only ate the ones that were palatable. The mushy ones I threw away.

 

Smorgasbord religion. Pass on anything that doesn’t agree with you.

 

We know our positions, so I think this conversation has gone on long enough. This reminds me of all the old threads about evolution v. creation. IOW threads that go on and on and don't go anywhere.

 

I’m okay with that. But I’ll part with my surmise that the privatization of faith comes off as, “I won’t tell you you’re wrong if you don’t tell me I’m wrong.”

 

8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,Slow to anger and great in mercy.9 The Lord is good to all,And His tender mercies are over all His works.

 

Thanks to the atheists, who depict God as a plodder, that doesn’t appear to support a God who flies off the handle!

 

I think it's possible that the biblical God is where Robert Louis Stevenson got the idea for "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."

 

Depiction of the God of the spiritual but not religious …

 

I'm always intrigued by the use of the word "random." Some people will use it as a reference to being completely without pattern; some people will use it as a substitute for the unknown; some people will use it as a substitute for the unknowable. It stands to reason that a sufficiently knowledgeable being will not have any use for the term "random" except as applied to the perceptions of other minds that might not have sufficient knowledge.

Go GATORS!
,WESGATORS

 

At least evolutiondiditism is not too proud to reverses course, after billions of years, and purpose to ensure equitable outcomes going forward …

 

Wonderful line of thought. Randomness is such a deep and varied concept, where it seems at first so simple, but then it always appears you can understand it better and/or differently.

 

Great thread and I've appreciated reading the various perceptions people have of God. As I've posted from time to time, I am not a biblical literalist, but view the Bible as a compilation of myths embedding and teaching truth to those of us inclined to look for it and learn from it. Using myth God is the story we tell ourselves, the biblical explanation, central figure in the story that emerged, and continues to emerge and evolve in the light of current scientific knowledge. There are however, never changing morals and lessons in these perennial myths. That is why they have ageless value.

The turn of this thread reminded me of another on Evolutionary Christianity that appeared on this forum some 12 or so years back. For several months interested participants listened to and discussed a series of recordings posted by evolutionary Christian theologian Michael Dowd. He recorded interviews with a number of Christians - scientists and theologians - who embraced evolution. I looked to see if I could locate them, if they were still available and found a soundcloud containing excerpts from a few, and then another link to the audio course.


Hosted by Michael Dowd, these conversations with leading Christian theologians, clergy, and scientists were recorded during the Christian season of Advent in 2010. Ten of the 38 hour-long episodes have been excerpted here for an hour-long podcast. Speakers are: Denis Lamoureux, Joan Chittister, Bruce Sanguin, Kenneth Miller, Gail Worcelo, Ross Hostetter, Brian McLaren, Philip Clayton, Gretta Vosper, and John Shelby Spong. The entire series can be accessed at thegreatstory.org/ec-leaders.html -- Subsets of the series (an Evangelical subset and a Catholic subset) will be sampled in the following two podcasts.


Evolutionary Christianity Digital Audio Series for Group/Course Leaders
What Is Evolutionary Christianity?

EVOLUTIONARY CHRISTIANITY reflects all forms of Christian faith practiced by those who not only accept but cherish the scientific evidence of a cosmos and Earth billions of years old, in which life forms evolved via natural processes. The thought leaders in the Evolutionary Christianity movement share deep-time eyes and a global heart. All embrace scientific discoveries in meaningful, faith-enriching, life-enhancing ways. In their quest to bridge or integrate traditional wisdom with scientific revelation, Christian evolutionaries place immense value on nurturing fresh and inspiring interpretations of scripture and doctrines that arose in pre-scientific times.

Nobel Prize Winning Scientists
Charles H. Townes, William D. Phillips

Templeton Prize-Winners
Ian Barbour, John Polkinghorne

Roman Catholics
Joan Chittister, John F. Haught, Richard Rohr,
Ursula King, Kenneth R. Miller, Ilia Delio,
Diarmuid O'Murchu, Gail Worcelo,
Gloria Schaab, Mary Southard, Linda Gibler

Mainline Protestants
John Shelby Spong, Matthew Fox,
John Cobb, Philip Clayton, Joan Roughgarden

Evangelicals
Karl W. Giberson, Denis Lamoureux,
Owen Gingerich, Edward B. (Ted) Davis

Emergent / Postmodern Evangelicals
Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt,
Spencer Burke, Sally Morgenthaler

Progressive / Integral Christians
Gretta Vosper, Tom Thresher,
Ross Hostetter, Jim Burklo, Paul Smith

Evidential Mystics
Kevin Kelly, Michael Morwood,
Bruce Sanguin, Ian Lawton, Michael Dowd


And also a Tedx talk by Dowd made a few years back. What the man has to say is worth a listen.