What are your beliefs?

PHOENIX TRADING · Dec 21, 2012

Quote from Hoofhearted:

I guess I should have started with, What is Agnosticism to you, and How do you define it?

I think you've accurately described the conventional definition of the term.
Just intellectually recognizing the state of not knowing without a doubt, not that it cannot be known.

I believe ( in God ) and I believe it can be known, I just don't manifest that state.

~~~ · Dec 21, 2012

Quote from Hoofhearted:

The first Bible that I ever read multiple times on multiple occasions, was a Gideon's Bible that I stole from hotel room desk drawer.

It was slow going for me because it was full of Shakespearean style prose, and I wasn't fully fluent in the differentiation between The, Thy, Thine, Thee, Thou, etc. It didn't deter me though, because I was simply reading for educational purposes.

I actually enjoyed just trying to view it as a puzzle of sorts. I would try to use context clues to determine the meanings or purposes of certain words or phrases.

Once I was able to understand how to read it, I began to put other pieces of the puzzle together. I'm not referring to just the language pieces, but some of the more important pieces that spoke to my heart, and senses.

Just like with any good story, I was able to place myself within it. I began to connect in a profound way with people who lived and died long ago.

My college's ex-boyfriend was a christian.. he invited me to the church and started to read the bible to me. I listened to him because i had this "big crush'' on him lol

but later, i discovered that the bible is interesting and meaningful .. like you i started to read it for educational purposes only. I know what you mean by "some of the more important pieces that spoke to my heart, and senses." I feel the same way too! However, till today i can't say that i am a christian and i don't attend church.

Hoofhearted · Dec 21, 2012

Quote from ~~~:

My college's ex-boyfriend was a christian.. he invited me to the church and started to read the bible to me. I listened to him because i had this "big crush'' on him lol but later, i discovered that the bible is interesting and meaningful .. like you i started to read it for educational purposes only. I know what you mean by "some of the more important pieces that spoke to my heart, and senses." I feel the same way too! However, till today i can't say that i am a christian and i don't attend church.

I have read Lao Tsu ~ Tao Te Ching a few times, and have extracted a good deal from it's pages. As much as I marvel at it's wisdom, and as much as it inspires me to free myself of the impurity, I doubt that I could ever be a taoist. I'm unsure that anyone is capable of truly practicing its teachings, aside from hollywood monks.

For me, anger takes many good long vacation's, but like any property owner who takes frequent and long vacation's, their return home is usually abrupt and unexpected.

On the same token, my inner-taoist may house sit often, but is aware of whose house he is watching over, and know's it is time to leave when the owner returns.

kmgilroy89 · Dec 21, 2012

I don't believe in God, a spirit, or freewill, because I don't see any proof. I don't understand faith. I trust math, science, and logic, because I see it work.

PHOENIX TRADING · Dec 21, 2012

Quote from kmgilroy89:

I don't believe in God, a spirit, or freewill, because I don't see any proof. I don't understand faith. I trust math, science, and logic, because I see it work.

What a bunch of bullshit.

Hoofhearted · Dec 21, 2012

Quote from PHOENIX TRADING:

What a bunch of bullshit.

Please try to control your anger, Emporer Palpatine

He/she is just being honest which is the point of the discussion. I'm interested to know more about his faith he has put into math and science, and would like a chance to dissect his logic.

PHOENIX TRADING · Dec 21, 2012

Quote from Hoofhearted:

Please try to control your anger, Emporer Palpatine He/she is just being honest which is the point of the discussion. I'm interested to know more about his faith he has put into math and science, and would like a chance to dissect his logic.

That may be what he wants to believe about himself , but other than that it's utter bullshit (as his post history reveals ).

Hoofhearted · Dec 21, 2012

Quote from kmgilroy89:

I don't believe in God, a spirit, or freewill, because I don't see any proof. I don't understand faith. I trust math, science, and logic, because I see it work.

You say you trust math and science. I do to, for the most part.

But, Can you tell me, What is the square root of pi?

You may believe that the universe is only approximately 14 billion years old, because leading science has told us it is so, but can you explain to me, Where is your proof, or even your logic behind such science?

tomdavis · Dec 21, 2012

Agnostic.

âThe fact of the matter is that we are dealing with the cosmic questions of existence and meaning. Thomas Huxley, the great biologist of the last century, said that the question of all questions for science and religion is to determine our true place and our true role in the Universe. For both science and religion it is the same question. However, there has essentially been a divorce in the last century or so between that of science and the Humanists and I think that itâs very sad that we donât speak the same language anymore.â Michio Kaku

kmgilroy89 · Dec 21, 2012

Quote from Hoofhearted:

You say you trust math and science. I do to, for the most part.

But, Can you tell me, What is the square root of pi?

You may believe that the universe is only approximately 14 billion years old, because leading science has told us it is so, but can you explain to me, Where is your proof, or even your logic behind such science?

I thought it more like 4 billion years ago. Anyways, how old the earth is doesn't interest me that much. Why do I trust science? Because I've seen the scientific method work every time when used correctly. It's intuitive probability to me, it works x number of times in a row, it should work again. The square root of pi exists, it's just an irrational number, as is pi.

What interests me is the answer as to how anything exists at all. It's hard for me to think that there's ever been a point where absolute nothing has ever existed, because I exist, so how can anything that exists form from absolute non-existence? That's about as much as I can come to grips with in terms of the history of the universe. It deeply troubles me that I don't know more though.