I'm not saying that a traditional religious text has all the answers, or that any person (living or dead) talks to God directly, or that God is something we can quantify and describe in the terms we do.
However, I cannot believe that there isn't something greater. The Kim Jong-il statement is just one in a LONG line of bizarre "coincidences" in my life. Dreams, predictions, etc., that come true with too much specificity for me to say "I'm an atheist". It happens too often and with too much regularity.
This also gets me back to my fundamental proposition: being an atheist is stupid. If you're right you don't benefit and if you're wrong you certainly may suffer. Although God is not a proven quantity, people around the world claim enough divine miracles, and I've personally experienced enough odd things, that stating affirmatively that there is no God is just as silly as stating that he is the inspiration for the Bible, or that he dictated the Qur'an.
However, I cannot believe that there isn't something greater. The Kim Jong-il statement is just one in a LONG line of bizarre "coincidences" in my life. Dreams, predictions, etc., that come true with too much specificity for me to say "I'm an atheist". It happens too often and with too much regularity.
This also gets me back to my fundamental proposition: being an atheist is stupid. If you're right you don't benefit and if you're wrong you certainly may suffer. Although God is not a proven quantity, people around the world claim enough divine miracles, and I've personally experienced enough odd things, that stating affirmatively that there is no God is just as silly as stating that he is the inspiration for the Bible, or that he dictated the Qur'an.
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
Kim Jong-il is dead. Would you become a fervent believer?
- 19/12/2011 03:37:28 AM
1837 Views
If I was a Christian, I'd pray that he would burn forever in hell.
- 19/12/2011 03:47:52 AM
1261 Views
See, I can't be an atheist.
- 19/12/2011 03:53:55 AM
1210 Views
I agree about atheism
- 19/12/2011 04:19:02 AM
1162 Views
It's an approximation.
- 19/12/2011 05:40:05 PM
1123 Views
no, I'm not saying that the sheer number of people alone is sufficient
- 19/12/2011 10:13:09 PM
1001 Views
No, Pascal's Wager is stupid.
- 19/12/2011 03:09:42 PM
1089 Views
You obviously misread my comments or ignored them.
- 19/12/2011 03:39:59 PM
1117 Views
You're answering a different point to the one I was addressing.
- 19/12/2011 04:01:54 PM
1019 Views
For atheism to be a tenable position, one must assume that millions lie about their experiences.
- 20/12/2011 04:11:53 AM
1109 Views
Look, doesn't this go against your most sacred principle?
- 20/12/2011 06:43:27 AM
1061 Views
No, it doesn't.
- 20/12/2011 08:30:55 PM
973 Views
Re: No, it doesn't.
- 20/12/2011 09:21:22 PM
1030 Views
This militant atheism is somewhat amusing.
- 20/12/2011 09:48:57 PM
1029 Views
... somewhat irrational at times too
- 21/12/2011 01:22:54 AM
952 Views
Huh?
- 21/12/2011 10:47:06 AM
998 Views
That's somewhat unrelated to the intended point of the post
- 21/12/2011 12:41:49 PM
1016 Views
My "Huh?" was at your claim that any reasonable definition Kim Jong-il was a millitant athiest
- 21/12/2011 12:58:44 PM
977 Views
You're objecting to me calling the Military Dictator militant?
- 21/12/2011 03:13:35 PM
1064 Views
Your position isn't rational nor logical
- 20/12/2011 12:45:03 PM
1053 Views
I never stated it was either. That's the problem with spiritual matters.
- 20/12/2011 08:43:46 PM
962 Views
How about a faith atheist?
- 19/12/2011 04:28:59 PM
1158 Views
Nevermind. It appears you answered that in your reply to Tim. *NM*
- 19/12/2011 04:32:19 PM
565 Views
Re: See, I can't be an atheist.
- 19/12/2011 04:57:23 PM
1090 Views
It's impossible to tell if worshipping a false god would be worse than worshipping no god at all.
- 20/12/2011 04:14:59 AM
918 Views
Sounds like you must be a modern-day prophet
- 19/12/2011 05:24:24 PM
944 Views
Idiocy. Confirmation bias doesn't explain away external phenomena.
- 20/12/2011 04:19:10 AM
1052 Views
Well.
- 21/12/2011 01:49:36 PM
1066 Views
I didn't forget about it. I was getting ready to give up on it.
- 21/12/2011 02:27:18 PM
955 Views
Also, learn to use the subjunctive. It's "if I WERE a Christian..."
- 19/12/2011 03:54:20 AM
1050 Views
The sad thing about that comment...
- 19/12/2011 04:52:57 AM
1175 Views
I'm pretty sure there's plenty of middle ground between those two examples 
- 19/12/2011 05:31:13 PM
964 Views
- 19/12/2011 05:31:13 PM
964 Views
Tom, I think this means you should take up ForEx trading. *NM*
- 19/12/2011 04:00:20 AM
489 Views
I might. I'm close enough to it as is. I just did some ForEx ISDAs for clients...
- 19/12/2011 04:03:11 AM
1143 Views
I thought you were asking if I believed in KJ-I, the Eternal Leader
- 19/12/2011 06:55:08 AM
952 Views
The article I just read said he died on Saturday.
- 19/12/2011 08:58:17 AM
1027 Views
Yeah, he actually died on a train Saturday morning before Tom made the comment. *NM*
- 19/12/2011 09:13:44 PM
449 Views
I'm not claiming causality. And, for the record, I first made the comment on Friday afternoon.
- 20/12/2011 04:25:07 AM
1030 Views
You know what's really weird?
- 19/12/2011 11:32:23 AM
1028 Views
They took it down, apparently. *NM*
- 20/12/2011 04:40:24 AM
472 Views
Not surprising, still in the revisions if anyone wants to see of course
- 20/12/2011 11:06:05 AM
1221 Views
He's not dead-dead. Neither is his father. Just ask the North Koreans.
- 19/12/2011 04:23:48 PM
1003 Views
Re: He's not dead-dead. Neither is his father. Just ask the North Koreans.
- 19/12/2011 09:15:09 PM
956 Views
The problem with predictions that come true
- 19/12/2011 05:28:24 PM
1067 Views
I don't make a lot of predictions. *NM*
- 19/12/2011 08:18:53 PM
609 Views
Well you should start at least journaling the ones that you do make.
- 19/12/2011 08:40:18 PM
1010 Views
I actually now do tell my friends when I have dreams that have the "feel" to them.
- 20/12/2011 04:36:07 AM
1095 Views
*NM*
I can attest to the fact that this conversation took place on Facebook Saturday.
- 19/12/2011 09:19:06 PM
959 Views
Yes, TMJ, you also contributed in this case. *NM*
- 20/12/2011 04:38:42 AM
458 Views
Jeez, I hope I never get on your bad side
- 20/12/2011 12:06:54 AM
915 Views
- 20/12/2011 12:06:54 AM
915 Views
Things did change for the better with Stalin's death.
- 20/12/2011 02:51:12 AM
999 Views
So I guess you want me to destroy the voodoo doll I have of you? Oh wait...never mind. *NM*
- 20/12/2011 04:37:35 AM
449 Views
*NM*
- 20/12/2011 04:37:35 AM
449 Views