Belief, part 4 (more transcripts)

At this point, I'm just logging for posterity. Everyone gets to stand by their words, and I'd rather them be archived publicly rather than privately. Remember, this all came about because I replied to a piece of hateful anti-Muslim email, pointing out the email was factually incorrect as well as insulting.

In response to the following automatically-syndicated one-liner indicating a new post:

Amy [cat.net] Belief, part 2 (http://ping.fm/d20SY)

 James Pruitt at 12:03am April 1
Wow, that never ceases to amaze me.
 
 
 
 Ricky Ellis at 6:39am April 1
DOES" IN GOD WE TRUST MEAN ANYTHING TO PEOPLE!!"

Some people have no common sense......they think to hard....thats what the devil wants......only fools fall for this.....being smart is trusting in god!

Throw away the percentage ratings......and pick up the the life god made for you......or just keep thinking..and thinking.....then you know your ...  Read Morelistening to that lil voice in your head.....and if you think it you......well your in for a big surprise......GOD DOESNT NEED YOUR BRAINS....you can never figure him out.....deal with it!!!

 

 

 

In response to the following automatically-syndicated one-liner indicating a new post:

Amy [cat.net] Belief, part 3 (http://ping.fm/JIq8j)

 Lissa Potter at 9:10pm March 31
The problem is that, for religious fanatics like Ricky, belief and faith are the only important things. Logic can't touch them.

Religious freedom has a very rocky history in this country. All too often, it has been defined as the right to believe exactly what the others in your community believed, and only that.

 
 Amy Arthur at 9:22pm March 31
Heavy. Intelligence can sometimes be our damned enemy.
 
 
 
 Amy at 9:27pm March 31
It can be, and it can often keep us up at night.

I write all this with great hesitation; I never discussed my religious beliefs in high school because I recognized it wouldn't go over well.

Now? I can't say that I don't care about the opinion of others. I do. It's human nature to want to be liked and appreciated. But it's past time to be clear about who I really am, regardless of how much it may surprise or disappoint the people who knew me fifteen years ago.

 
 Amy Arthur at 10:03pm March 31
Refreshing! Damned if you do; damned if you don't. I haven't read much of your site. I myself have no beliefs. To believe in anything seems to make oneself foggy. Change, perspective, imprinting, social awareness etc., all mold and remold our surroundings. Nothing is perfect, nothing is certain, people are faulty, history is biased and our future is simply what it is. Most people think this is sacrilege or pessimism. It's just accepting life around you as what it is. Taste, touch, smell, sound and sight are our realities. If we have a creator, then great! I can't wait to meet her. If I don't, then great! It is what it is. God is an alien by every definition, yet when I ask people if they believe in aliens, most say no. Perfect example of the ways language, social stigma and black/white thinking can pollute our judgment. It all exhausts me. I do my best everyday. I'm harder on myself than anyone. Hope and family are why I'm alive today. If it's God, then thank you!
 
 Ricky Ellis at 6:30am April 1
Intelligence can sometimes be our damned enemy,,,,why wouldnt you think the devil would use a great mind to get you to not believe in anything....why.....becuase you cant understand it......so you dont beleive......faith has nothing to do with Intelligence!!

The devil is using your great mind against you...beleive it or not!!

 
 Lissa Potter at 6:32am April 1
There is no devil. I firmly believe this, it is written in many books, so I know you are wrong, Ricky.

See? I can play that game, too.

 
 Lissa Potter at 7:47am April 1
How do you know the "devil" isn't speaking through you, since you refuse to use your God-given brains?
 
 
 Ricky Ellis at 8:19am April 1
YOU WILL .......FIND OUT!!

IM USING MORE OF MY BRAINS THAN YOU ARE!!

ONE DAY YOU WILL FIND OUT!! PROMICE!!...

AFTER I FOUND MY MOTHER DIED...WITH MAGETS ALL OVER HER...IS WHEN I FOUND GOD....BUT NOT BEFORE I COULD GET THE DEVIL FROM HAUNTING ME WITH IT!!

THE DEVIL HAS YOUR GREAT MIND FOOLED......AND YOU DONT EVEN NOW IT!!

HES GOT YOU THINK HE DOESNT EXSIST...HAHAHHA....IT WASNT VERY HARD FOR HIM TO CONVINCE YOU.....AND YOU SAY YOUR SMART.....OMG.....PLEASE...HELP THIS LOST SOUL!!

IF YOU WAS A GODLY PERSON....YOU WOULDNT DOWN SOMEONE FOR BELIEVING IN GOD......YOUR BRAIN ISNT WHAT YOU THOUGHT IT WAS!!!

JUST TELL GOD WHAT YOU SAID TO ME....WHEN YOUR AT HIS FEET......ANSWERING FOR ALL YOU DID!!

I PRAY FOR YOU......STOP THINKING SO HARD....AND READ A REAL BIBLE!!

DONT GO FIND EVERY BOOK YOU CAN TO GO AGAINST WHAT PEOPLE BELEIVE.......AND WHAT IS REAL AND ISNT.....GOD MADE EVERYBODYS BRAIN TO SMALL TO UNDERSTAND.......IS SAYS THAT IN THE BIBLE TO!!

 
 Ricky Ellis at 8:22am April 1
ITS FUNNY TO WATCH SUCH SMART PEOPLE.....WITH ALL THEM BRAINS........AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THEM BESIDES...GOING IN CIRCLES!!

GOOD LUCK...I WILL NOT RESPOND TO THIS AGAIN...I GAVE IT TO GOD....AND ITS IN HIS HAND TO SHOW YOU....WERE YOUR GOD-GIVEN BRAINS ARE....YOUR WAY OFF THE BEATIN PATH!!

 
 John Wilson at 8:29am April 1
Ricky: Let us for the moment stipulate that the Bible is right. And furthermore, we'll stipulate that Amy has heard the call of Jesus and rejected Him.

What does Jesus say us believers should do about that?

He tells us to get on with our lives....

What, in fact, does Jesus do in the Bible when people reject Him?

He waits. He lets them live their life, make their own decisions, and make their own choices. He doesn't plead. He doesn't beg. He doesn't manipulate.

And while He is always waiting for us to turn back to Him, while He is waiting He certainly does not stand outside our house yelling "THE DEVIL IS SPEEKING RIGHT THROUGH YOU....AND YOU CALL YOUR SELF SMART..."

I don't know about you Ricky, but I dare not rise up and take a stand for Jesus when I can see Jesus in the Bible refusing to do so in the same situation.

 
 Amy Arthur at 8:47am April 1
First, I didn't intend to offend anyone. I thought by simply stating how I feel about this topic would only lead to some good discussion. Ricky, I'm so sorry about your mother. There are no words for that type of loss. John, good points. I admire your convictions.

Being as this topic deals with our souls and the battle between right/wrong, good/evil, black/white, it's never surprising when people can't discuss it in a respectful manner.

We've all been through mud. We've waded through it, tasted it, smelled it and sometimes didn't think we'd get back out. Everyone is level on a different level and perspective about life....

I respect and sometimes even admire religious and various others sects and cultures. Why then, is it so hard to also respect and learn from my perspective and journey?

And the biggest question: What if we are ALL wrong? All of us? We could have been sowing peace, making love, hugging our children, singing, etc.

We must all find our own peace.

 
 Marcus at 9:06am April 1
To my cousin: I admire your courage in writing about this. Too often, this subject is never breached for all the obvious reasons. I agree with what you believe, or more importantly, what you don't believe. Over the years, I have read all the religions, past and present, and found not a one with any substance that would justify my suspension of reason. Not one held anything other than mysticism that had been developed and used for one thing - control.

All of them; Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism Confucianism, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, Sikhism, & even some of the basic tribal shamanism that still goes on even today - all of them I found to be ancient relics of mankind's burning weakness to dismiss the inevitability of death.

People like us that have shaken that burden of weakness live richer and fuller lives. We are not paralyzed by fear. We do not believe in conveniently distant and liquid concepts that can never be known - such as faith. We do not deny our senses.

 
 Ricky Ellis at 9:07am April 1
Jesus says..he shall not speak...but through the faithfull he can be heard!!!

This is my point with the internet brains....commenting on me standing for god. ...answer one question for me!!

what does WWW= IN HEBREW!!!...  Read More

go find out you got brains.....and when the internet is no longer available.....will you do anything to get it back!!

WWW= 666......IN HEBREW LANGUAGE!!!

 
 Marcus at 9:09am April 1
...continued from above....

As for the people that do continue to believe in the unbelievable, we cannot - and should not - help them. They are already paying the price for their paralysis. Their lives are crippled because of this.

As for us - each new day holds new discoveries and adventures, because we allow ourselves to think and to see the world as it is. ...  Read More

I am pleased to learn of your atheism, and wish you a wonderful day - one of many more to come.

 
 Ricky Ellis at 9:11am April 1
Thanks for understanding john......maybe my fire is bigger than urs!! im not tryn to save the world....but seems to me no one speaks of any godly ways when a religon is on the line.....they just want to take god out of everything.....and call it....freedom of religon!! thats bull in my book!!

You got some great points john!!

 
 Ricky Ellis at 9:18am April 1
These people that call there self smart because they can work a WWW.....like no body else!! Is getting no were!

THEY JUST HAVENT BEEN THROUGH ENUFF YET!!

GOD IS MY FATHER AND I GET ANGRY WHEN PEOPLE DONT STAND UP FOR HIM AFTER ALL HE HAS DONE FOR US!!...  Read More

They have more faith in a WWW.....than anything else....they will find out soon....and this will happen!!

THE INTERNET IS GONE.......how are they gonna call there selfs smart.....by trying everything possible to get in back!! its just like a drug addiction, bottom line WWW.....is the way the world will fall, and these people that think there smart....hahahhahha.....they will see!!

WWW+666=MARK OF THE BEAST

 
 Ricky Ellis at 9:30am April 1
IV JUST WAISTED MY TIME!!!

GO BACK IN 15 YEARS.....AND SEE IF YOU CAN SAY THE SAME THING YOUR SAYING NOW!!

AMY ....I WASNT TARGETING YOU HUN.....THANKS FOR YOUR KIND WORDS!!...

I MUST LET THIS STAND......GOD IS WORKING ON THEM...AND THE DEVIL TOO....THEY DONT KNOW WHAT THEY BELEIVE.....AND THIS WERE I LEAVE!!!

 
 Amy Arthur at 10:18am April 1
Marcus: I'm assuming you were talking to me. :) Loved what you said. I don't consider myself atheistic actually. The point I try to clarify is that I find I can live life with no labels. I'm neither denying nor validating what our fellow humans consider as God.

Power comes in opening ones mind to the point where you can honestly say, "I might be wrong". That's the biggest release. If there's a loving Father, I'll see him , but if there's not, it will be as it is. Loving my nature is a much more satisfying and obtainable goal. We are all good and bad people. It's not about getting to 100% good or sliding to 100% bad. For me, it's about maintaining a peaceful balance that will enable me to become an asset but also wise enough to see the world for what it is.

(My opinion only)
Extremism tends to defy peace, forcing one's conscience into making an unnatural decision between black/white and conveniently disguising these fantastical idealistic conditions as faith.

 
 Amy Arthur at 10:22am April 1
Honestly, Amy, I just got here and posted that one posting to you and it looks like I stirred some feelings. Sorry, I'm not even sure what this blog site is about. I'm hoping it was valid to your other discussions. If not, I'll have to email you from now on. ;)
 
 Marcus at 10:32am April 1
To Amy Arthur: I was actually talking about my cousin, Amy, but your post above is excellent. Balance is key in life.

I have always felt that regardless of what people believe, they should TRULY believe in that something, even if that something is nothing. Their belief should have the strength to stand up to their own ...  Read Morequestioning, as well as the questions of others. The moment an individual's beliefs have to be safeguarded from outside opinions or questions - that is the moment that the belief becomes weaker in the eyes of others (and in the eyes of the believer - whether they are willing to admit it or not).

People should embrace debate - it can only make you and your beliefs stronger!

 
 Jeff Eaton at 10:42am April 1
what
 
 
 
 Amy Arthur at 10:44am April 1
Exactly.
 
 
 
 Jeff Eaton at 10:55am April 1
Fun side note: "WWW" is actually equal to 18 in Hebrew numerals due to the quirky binary-esque way large numbers are constructed. 18, of course, also represents 'Chai', the Hebrew word for Life.

WWW 4 LIFE, THUGZ

 

Comments

I love the logic of posting to a website to tell people that "WWW=666".

I also don't understand how someone can disrespect God's creation enough to tell people to not use their brains to reason about the world.  Does this guy want to fold up one leg and hop around on crutches, too?

Your latter statement triggered a thought about reason vs. zealotry. I suspect it'll be part of Part 5.  Which was supposed to be Part 4, but I wasn't expecting sequel-itis.

It's a complicated topic, but the complicated topics are the ones most worth discussing.

 

Well, most worth discussing with people who can be both reasonable and polite, anyway.

 

I dunno ... those are awfully high standards you're setting there. :)

This is why Richard Dawkins says no debate is possible with Creationists. They don't respect logic, so there's no basis for a common understanding of terms. And the more we remain calm and keep pushing logic on them, the more they get agitated. It's a no-win situation.

Sometimes I wonder if anyone over the age of 20 can ever be logically persuaded to give up irrational and tightly held beliefs.

Who is this Ricky Ellis anyway?

Ricky Ellis is a high school classmate of mine.  Bauxite High School, represent!

As for opinions -- I don't know that 20 is the right number, or that there's a magic cutoff date for opinions being set in stone, but I think you're on to something. I think as we age (and, hopefully mature) the propensity for changing belief decreases. You might change, but it takes greater reason and effort than it might have taken at, say, ages 10 or 15.