Hahaha yea I can't wait for people to start describing a real intimate and personal relationship... lovely.

The "relationship with Jesus" is a neat psychological trick believers play on each other.  Everyone says they have one, but everybody is pretending because they don't want to be left out.  In fact, odds are really high that someone's going to respond to this and assure you that he/she has, in fact, got a personal relationship.  That's proof of what I'm saying.  The louder they scream that they have one, the less sure they are.

Out of curiosity, theists, how do you like your own medicine?  You can either remain silent and I will be proven right, or you can say something about your relationship, and I will still be proven right!  Isn't it neat how this kind of loaded statement can control you, and yet seem perfectly logical?

Hahaha yea a one night stand qualifies as an intimate relationship while my relationship with Jesus was more like talking to myself.  See the problem with getting "messages" from God is that even if you come up with it in your mind... you're going to go with it because it MIGHT be some strange kind of "mental note" from God.  Oh man I remember doing some crazy crap. 

Story time:  So at Bible camp when I was 12 we went on this evangelizing mission to a huge commercial ship.  These workers on this ship were from somewhere in Asia (we didn't care enough to learn specifics apparently).  We were to witness to these grown men who didn't speak English well and hadn't seen their families in over half a year.  We rudely approached them and one guy asked us if we wanted a tour.  We walk into their cabin and BAM.. the nastiest porn covering almost every wall.  It was glorious.  Even at 12 I knew it was funny.  The other kids were horrified.  Sadly God then told me to give them a Bible or something and I did... but only after he told me he was already a Christian and had a Bible waiting for him at home.  Damn I can't stand how lame we all were.  How self righteous and full of shit.  Here this poor guy is telling me in broken English about how he missed the birth of his child at sea and all I'm thinking is... God wants me to save him. Lame.

We were having what I consider to be an infidelity-stricken 'relationship' for a while, (that is to say we were both seeing other people while going through the motions), but we aren't really in contact anymore. He was an okay guy, though. We just didn't do very well together.

Ok... so Jesus is god, and God is god, and the holy spirit is god...

So....

God's big plan for saving people from sin (sex) was to um... rape his mother so he could be born and live without sex for 33 years before getting killed, coming back from the dead, and then watching everybody on the planet to see if they're masturbating...

Sorry, not someone I'd like a relationship with. Sounds kind of unstable.

I never looked at it that way.  Hmmmm....I guess I have been divorced twice then.  I tend to leave people like that.

Losingstreak - so do you still believe in a god?  If so, why?  (Sorry Lu, not trying to hijack your thread, but I am curious about the relationship theists have with god too.)

Maybe someone will tell me if I pull a James Randi and I offer $1,000,000 to anyone who can prove they have a relationship that isn't one sided. I don't have $1,000,000, but something tells me that that doesn't matter.

Obviously I want proof though.  Proof isn't "when I pray, I feel good" or "I talk to him a lot".  Proof is a picture of you taking shots of tequila with him during spring break in Cancun.  You get my point.

I heard Jesus and the Holy Spirit were "Life Partners."

Well, of course I believe in my God. I still have my "Theist" badge, don't I? I wouldn't be much of a theist if I didn't believe in a god. As to why, well that seems to be the million dollar question. I certainly don't have rational reasons to believe in my God. All signs point to the fact that my God is merely a fruit smoothie, and nothing more. However, I find that my desire to believe in my God for one reason or another outweighs my desire to mold my beliefs to rationality, truth, or actual reality. I prefer intuition to reason, it would seem. I'm what you would call happily and knowingly deluded.

I had a relationship with Jesus. He gives pretty god blowjobs. B-DUM-CHISH!

*slap* *slap*

Dude! Chill down. Take the logic leap. Take it. We know you want to. Join us!

*satanic laughter*

...Joking.

Seriously now, it is a mystery for me as well why you still hang on. You seem to admit agnosticism, so why not go with an impersonal deity?

Losingstreak, you truly are funny.  You're like one of those kids who hangs out near the cool kids on the playground, but is too scared to get on top of the jungle gym.

(actually, I think they don't allow jungle gyms any more... someone might get hurt... but that's a whole different rant.)

In all seriousness, I respect the fact that you admit your own irrationality.  I'd make you a poster child for religion if I could.  

Oh, and you gave me my signature, which is cool.  All in all, I'd say you're an ok dude.

Wow, I'm surprised that no christians have reponded to this yet because it seems like they usually enjoy talking about this personal relationship thing. But I'll tell you what, I wish that by personal they meant not extending beyond their person, like intended for private use. That would be pretty good.

Maybe that's why they aren't responding the shit is personal. 

I hope it's ok if I cut out the sappy rainbows and butterflies that seems to amuse ya'll so much, sorry to disappoint, but I will endeavor to answer the question. Jesus is the medium through which creation is reconciled to God. He is the Word, and as such a degree of separation from the source, but through his death returns us to God. When categorized in this light, a relationship with Jesus is no longer tequila shots or a "mystical voice," but rather the perception of the transcendental in the world around us. In effect, it is the acceptance of God's presence in creation and submission to his will. Sorry it's brief, happy to expand and discuss any shortcomings...

Perception requires the use of sensory information (sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste) or are you indicating you have a 6th sense about this?

I did attend alot of punk shows in the 80's and 90's that affected my hearing, maybe my 6th sense was messed up then as well.

Are you saying us atheist are handicapped?

Didn't think it would be more enriching talking to atheists than other theists, but solid stuff. The bit about perception, true enough, I also have but 5 senses that I utilize to investigate the world around me, and have done things that may well have left them, umm, I believe you said handicapped. But it is the application of a rational intellect to these observations that allows for the perception of anything. When I observe something, it is categorized by my brain as what it is. I don't understand why my perception of the transcendental would have to be different than my perception of a friend's face.As for the relationship with Jesus bit, it is a very relevant and defensible criticism, and why I have/am investigating Hinduism, Islam, Deism, Agnosticism, and Atheism. I accept Christ because the more I investigate the Christian narrative, the true Christian narrative, not the one that says "harry potter is evil, there were no dinosaurs," the more sense it makes, logically speaking. Why Christ specifically? Christ is defined as the Word of God, the medium through which God speaks to us directly. Through him all of creation came into being, and so his majesty is declared in all things. But after a word leaves the host, the originator, and enters into the open forum, it is subject to interpretation. God's Word is different because he brings it back into himself. We were created apart from God, through the Word, and through its death, we are returned to God. But only if we adhere to the truth present in creation. Shows up a bit in Romans.

I know you answered "Why Christ?" (not to my satisfacting), but let's put that aside.  Why do you think a belief in god--any god--is logical?