Economies are in a bit of a pinch right now. People are losing jobs, companies that have been a part of communities are shutting down, it is a time of change. And even if you aren't part of a layoff or haven't seen empty strip malls in your neighborhood, you know someone that has.

I came across this article this morning and I wanted to present it in this forum for some discussion. READ HERE

The article got me thinking about how I personally deal with hardships and thought this would be a great time for each of us to share some ideas and thoughts on how we are handling the current state of the world. Do you look to a higher power for strength? Do you seek the strength from within? This is a bit different as it isn't the typical "VS" call for debate (although debating any of the points brought up is fine here...just don't derail the thread please)

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THEISTS: Here are a few questions to consider:

-How often do you search the bible for words of strength?

-Do you believe in the god of the bible?(or just use the bible as a source for inspiration- think deist etc.)

-Are there any other sources of inspiration you call upon during tough times?

ATHEISTS: Here are a few questions to consider:

-How do you find strength during tough times?

Hello Everyone,

I've been reading for awhile and love the site.  Many thanks to all of the wonderful people here.

I haven't seen a thread on this topic so I wanted to start up a discussion on it.  If this has already been covered somewhere let me know.

In the story of Adam and Eve (in a nutshell), God instructs them to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because they will surely die.  The snake then tells Eve that when she eats from the tree she won't die, but have knowledge of good and evil (go figure, right).  Following the eating of the apple we know how the rest of the story goes.

My question is, how can Eve be expected to know that disobeying God is wrong if she doesn't even possess the concept of wrong and neither does Adam?

There are many other things wrong with this story, I just wanted to discuss this one particular point.  It seems kinda fishy.

 Some statements and concepts keep popping up in various discussions that take place on these boards and others that I find puzzling.

Please let me know if any of these statements are incorrect. They mostly pertain to Christianity.

- Every mainstream theist will tell you their religion is all about piece, love thy neighbor, being pious, humble, etc.. 

- Every mainstream theist believes that only their god(s) exist.

- Every mainstream theist also believes that they are compelled to spread the word of there god one way or another.

Is it not a conflict of interest to spread the belief that your god is the one and only true god (and thus irrevocably believe anyone else is wrong) and be humble at the same time? 

Maybe this would have to presuppose that their respective religious claims are unsubstantiated to an outside observer (Which I do, and maybe that's the reason). I guess one would think you'd have the right to tell everyone else they're wrong if you truely believed you were correct but to me almost every religion's claims look the same. They all tell me something is wrong with me and that I don't know or just can't see the truth yet and that only they have the fix for it. This is where the conundrum of humility comes in for me. Maybe this is just quibbling over definitions...

Anyway, let the apologetics fly.

Also, my apologies if something similar has already been argued to death.

 LINK

Sir David Attenborough gets my respect for calling a thing what it is and standing up for science:

I would like to inform you all the the Jesus bus campaign is underway and more information can be found at http://www.awonderfullife.org.uk.

do you really beleive there is no God or do you prefer to discuss something that is inconclusive to the natural man?

I have looked at the atheist bus campaign and the Jesus bus campaign and to be honest the Christians are right. We need to Love one another.

Have a nice day

Here's the source site for these:

http://christiananswers.net/q-aila/questions-for-skeptics.html

How do you explain the high degree of design and order in the universe?

Maybe Odin or Zeus or Allah did it.

How do you account for the vast archaeological documentation of Biblical stories, places, and people?

Provide some examples, please. While archeology confirms the existence of places the Bible mentions, this does not give credence to many of the mythological stories that are set in those places. Indeed, archeology disproves many Bible myths.

Since absolutely no Bible prophecy has ever failed (and there are hundreds), how can one realistically remain unconvinced that the Bible is of Divine origin?

Wrong. Dozens of Biblical prophecies have failed, including Jesus' that he would return to establish God's Kingdom on Earth within the time of their generation.

How do you explain David's graphic portrayal of Jesus' death by crucifixion (Psalm 22) 1000 years before Christ lived?

I have no idea what you think you are talking about. Psalm 22 says nothing about Jesus or about anyone dying by crucifixion.

How do you explain that the prophet Daniel prophesied the exact YEAR when the Christ would come and prophesied that the temple would be destroyed afterward 500 years in advance? (Daniel 9:24-27)

hello I no I don't post often(or at all) but I need a bit of help, so any way ware I cum from there is a lot of Muslims I don't just mean  the middle east Muslim f undies but also Muslim converts how they are having a meeting in my town and I have been asked to speak in a debate with them now thay are not your tipical theist they not stupid they have degrees and genroley dont fall for the tipical traps theist fall in to . (it is verey refreshing talking to them )

but ass I am alone and they are many I would like some help so can you point me to some treads or webs its that can help or just give me some pointers

thanks

btw i carnt spell

 This video speaks for itself.

 LINK

What do you folks think?  How far can we extend the analogy of a virus?  Is there anything to be gained from the use of this analogy?  If we accept the idea of a viral meme, what implications does this have for discussions of human culture?

Thoughts?

Though I am an atheist and a skeptic, I must confess I fully support the teaching of creationism - sorry, Intelligent Design - in our public schools.  In any serious consideration, especially in scientific ones, we must weigh the evidence and take into account all possible explanations of it before pronouncing ourselves satisfied with the answer.  The path to knowledge lies amidst the broken remains of ideas and theories discarded for their inadequacy.  We must not be afraid to kill our darlings, to borrow from literature, and if evolutionary theory is found wanting, it must be discarded as wholly useless.

Even if we concede that every fossil is a transitional form, we must also aknowledge that every fossil leaves two gaps in our knowledge of biological history where before there was only one.  If we cannot reasonably expect the skeletons of every living thing that ever died to be preserved in the fossil record, we must seriously consider that evolution may be fatally flawed. Of course, I have been having trouble finding any articles published in peer-reviewed journals demonstrating that no clear line can be drawn between light-spots on certain single-celled organisms and the irreducible complexity of the human eye.