How do you distinguish between the belief in God and the occult?

Quote from achilles28:

No, because I've had a personal experience with Christ. When you experience the supernatural, you know it's real.
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Can you share that experience?
 
Quote from Eight:
It absolutely can be both. Science cannot disprove the possibility of some sort of Creator.
Religion will always be able to say that God invented science and utilizes its methods. If there was a Big Bang it was because God used a Big Bang to start the universe. To the contrary, science can support the idea that a certain religious teaching is false. Science can prove that the earth is more than 6,000 years old. But not all religions, or even all christian religions, teach that. So science can prove religious beliefs correct, but cannot prove that some God doesn't exist, only that a particular God doesn't exist.
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The argument that God cannot be proved not to exist, is just as invalid and pointless as saying, it cannot be proved: that some God cannot be proved to not exist.
Asking for proof of a negative ignores reality, in which affirmatives prove things.


Quote from Eight:
What I am actually saying is that most non-religious people are agnostic. They don't trust that god is provable or knowable. Atheism has become a form of activism against religion, rather than against God. People start out as agnostics and some become atheists. IOW, modern atheism has become anti-theism. They aren't just non-believers, they have become anti-believers.
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Let's say for instance...
seeing as how you start without religion as you start without politics.

Then someone explains an imaginary religious God belief concept or other to you. Religion.
Then someone explains a means by which purported beliefs in certain policies can use social relations to gain authority and power. Politics.

but nevertheless...
You don't do religion.
You don't do politics.
You do not become theistic. You do not become political. You are not a theist. You are not a politician.
That is not anti- anything.

You are then, where you started. Atheist. Apolitical.
There's no agnostic in that either.
 
Quote from achilles28:

Ok. With an earnest heart, pray to Jesus, 'if you're real, prove yourself to me'. Then wait. Let us know when you prayed that prayer.
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Jesus??? If I really thought there was something I'd go right to the top and talk to his daddy, don't need to waste time with the number two man. I've seen it too many times a successful old man and his higher than thou privilidged son. Hell didn't god do all the real work and Jesus is just a Johnny come lately. Or why not pray to Jesus uncle Allah too, just to be on the safe side, don't want to leave any gods out do we, with an earnest heart of course.
 
Quote from stu:

The argument that God cannot be proved not to exist, is just as invalid and pointless as saying, it cannot be proved: that some God cannot be proved to not exist.
Asking for proof of a negative ignores reality, in which affirmatives prove things.




Let's say for instance...
seeing as how you start without religion as you start without politics.

Then someone explains an imaginary religious God belief concept or other to you. Religion.
Then someone explains a means by which purported beliefs in certain policies can use social relations to gain authority and power. Politics.

but nevertheless...
You don't do religion.
You don't do politics.
You do not become theistic. You do not become political. You are not a theist. You are not a politician.
That is not anti- anything.

You are then, where you started. Atheist. Apolitical.
There's no agnostic in that either.
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Warning: Extreme cogent argument

+1 :cool:
 
Quote from achilles28:

No, because I've had a personal experience with Christ. When you experience the supernatural, you know it's real. Your original post is better. It's a valid and logical question. It comes down to experience. The supernatural really exists. Christ is really real. When people ask Him into their lives and repent, He - God - reveals Himself to them in a supernatural way. The other side to that, is the occult. That is supernatural, too. And can also prove the existence of the spiritual realm. However, it's straight up evil and dangerous.
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you are delusional. you seem to overlook the fact that most of us skeptics grew up religious. we have already been where you are.
people who talk to a god are religious. people who think a god talks back to them are delusional.

Understanding religious delusion
http://godisimaginary.com/i7.htm
 
Quote from achilles28:

Sure, I will send you a PM.
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Why not share with the rest of us so that our immortal souls might be saved? I know mine is getting a tad ragged and frayed at the edges. Isn't the purpose of all religions to share and spread the good word, especially to the hordes of us nonbelievers? You'd be doing God's work here.
 
Quote from bigarrow:

Jesus??? If I really thought there was something I'd go right to the top and talk to his daddy, don't need to waste time with the number two man. I've seen it too many times a successful old man and his higher than thou privilidged son. Hell didn't god do all the real work and Jesus is just a Johnny come lately. Or why not pray to Jesus uncle Allah too, just to be on the safe side, don't want to leave any gods out do we, with an earnest heart of course.
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It's your decision, man. You asked, and I gave you the answer. What have you got to lose? Other than your precious, precious pride, of course? :D
 
Quote from Brass:

Why not share with the rest of us so that our immortal souls might be saved? I know mine is getting a tad ragged and frayed at the edges. Isn't the purpose of all religions to share and spread the good word, especially to the hordes of us nonbelievers? You'd be doing God's work here.
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I would if I actually thought you were serious. But you're not. This is your big axe to grind, so here we are. Grinding that axe. How's that going for you, btw? Reach any conclusions?
 
Quote from achilles28:

I would if I actually thought you were serious. But you're not...
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Why should it matter either way? The missionaries were spreading the word to everyone, not the select few. Throw enough of it, and you never know where or when some of it might stick. God's will and all that.
 
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