Search the Community

We talk seldom about emotions. All our discussions, explanations advices, arguments are logical. Yes we think logically and don´t care about our emotions. Also our problems and their solutions we understand logically. Advices we tell logically. We don´t tell that we feel injustice, but we tell that somebody harmed us. We don´t tell that we feel degradation, but we tell that somebody critizised us. We don´t say that we are unhappy, but we say we lost. Advices are also logical. If we do something, we will have something. And there are so many advices, that we don´t know which one we should use. But our lifes we live trough emotions. And it doesn´t matter if happiness makes us nice car or nice natur. And doesn´t matter if our team lose in match, or our wife scream on us, anyhow we feel bad. If we are happy, we don´t care, that it is good. But if we are unhappy we don´t know how to change it to good mood. Even it is easy. It´s enough to ask God to help us remove bad emotion from our hearts and we will feel better. Therefore I suggest that we talk more about emotions, about our problems and life situation from emotion point of view and this way we can easy solve problems with removing bad emotions from our hearts. Than world will be better.

The title above is a Halle Berry line off a movie called, "The Program." One of my continuing frustrations on most forums these days is running into individuals who pretend to have done their homework but haven't. In fact within a few seconds of reading a post it is clear that they haven't even done a 30-second Google search on the topic of which they are pontificating. Method for Pretending to Be Smart: Questioning ad nauseam Don't do research just repeat back you objector's question and put a "What causes that," in front of it. Trick is you don't have to know anything and can produce an infinite amount of questions pretending to be engaged intellectually (especially effective with complex inferences such as philosophical arguments, or historical sciences). Further you can avoid justifying truth claims by pretending you don't have to justify you own claims. Recently after responding to a claim with evidence and arguments the reply came back, "Where is your support?" Yes, you guessed it, they didn't even read my evidence that formed premises that formed an argument. Create and then attack straw men This method is so simple (pronounced in a thick New Jersey accent). Just misrepresent the particular inference such as "Faith is believing something for which there is no evidence." Next attack the ridiculousness of the statement (remember you must pretend that it actually is a fair representation...not your own absurd definition) for more: read any New Atheist publication. Anachronistic fallacy (wait what?) (no, wait when!) Slavery is bad. The bible condones slavery. The Bible is bad. Here we just pretend that values we hold for the last few decades in the west are ubiquitous across all culture and all times. Again, I have yet to see a New Atheist that doesn't return over and over to this method. Don't worry few people have ever heard of the anachronistic fallacy so you can use it on theists with impunity. How to avoid pretense and actually learn something. 1 - Research the topic Use respected sources (not wiki crowd sourced research which can be at times excellent at at other times complete propaganda) Peer-reviewed literature in journals specializing in a particular body of knowledge. "Science News" as opposed to "Scientific American" For philosophical topics try Plato.org or internet encyclopedia of philosophy. 2 - Represent the topic and particular problem and give reasons why you pick one inference over the next. No shifting burden of proof. If you claim no knowledge (agnostic) then fine, but if you claim that a particular inference is true in the real external world be prepared to defend it with reasons and evidence. (Atheists often fall into this fallacy regarding God's existence, theists also make a similar mistake when they refuse to give reasons for God's existence (claiming their faith is superior because they don't have reasons (I will do an entire post on this foolishness, which ignores direct commands in scripture as well as the entire book of Acts! Example: Universe appears fine-tuned for life. The cause is: Chance, or a result of the physical laws, or design. An educated person would represent the best evidence for all 3 inferences. Then give reasons such as explanatory power why one inference is better than the next. I hope I have offended those who are intellectually lazy and just pretend to be smart.

12 Steps that Show Christianity is True Here's a Twelve Step argument for the Truth of Christianity. This is adapted from an Apologetics workbook by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek. Truth about reality is knowable. The opposite of true is false. It is true that a theistic God exits. If God exists, then miracles are possible. Miracles can be used to confirm a message from God (i.e., as an act of God to confirm a word from God). The New Testament is historically reliable. The New Testament says Jesus claimed to be God. Jesus' claim to be God was miraculously confirmed by" His fulfillment of many prophecies about Himself; His sinless and miraculous life; His prediction and accomplishment of His resurrection from the dead. Therefore, Jesus is God. Whatever Jesus (who is God) teaches is true. Jesus taught that the Bible is the Word of God. Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God (and anything opposed to it is false). I will deal with each point in my Christian Apologetics podcast, Apologetics Evangelism. You can listen to my apologetics podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Or, you can listen on Podbean, my podcast website.

Isaiah 1:18 KJV King James Version Come now , and let us reason together , saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. It's too bad that more Christian's don't take that verse to heart. No wonder so often I see fellowships in shambles and many non-believers automatically view Christian's as Pharisee's & hypocrites and aren't interested in listening to what they have to say. I suppose the emotions & personal bias oft tend to trump the spirit of this verse. It's a good one to remember.