🚀 go-pugleaf

"Alex W." <ingilt@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message 
news:6dh49mF2hjcqU1@mid.individual.net...
>
> "Steve O" <nospamhere@thanks.com> wrote in message 
> news:6dg2m3F2d900U1@mid.individual.net...
>>
>>
>> "rbwinn" <rbwinn3@juno.com> wrote in message 
>> news:7b8ae166-6369-43d9-9a73-74e6975c43c2@e39g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>>> On Jul 6, 9:42 pm, BuddyThunder <nos...@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>>>> rbwinn wrote:
>>>> > On Jul 6, 5:06 pm, BuddyThunder <nos...@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>>>> >> rbwinn wrote:
>>>> >>> On Jul 6, 11:02?am, The Natural Philosopher <a...@b.c> wrote:
>>>> >>>> rbwinn wrote:
>>>> >>>>> My definition of sin was willful disobedience of God. ?Bearing 
>>>> >>>>> false
>>>> >>>>> witness about me would fall under the category of willful 
>>>> >>>>> disobedience
>>>> >>>>> of God.
>>>> >>>> In that case you are totally guilty of that exact sin.
>>>> >>>> We have already established by your own definitions that you are a
>>>> >>>> sinful person (onkl Jesus is free of sin you said) , and your lack 
>>>> >>>> of
>>>> >>>> charity excommnunicates you as a Christian. (you wont talk to God 
>>>> >>>> on
>>>> >>>> anyones behalf..)
>>>> >>>> I think you are in deep trouble, dude.
>>>> >>> No, I am fine. I say a little prayer every once in a while about
>>>> >>> atheists.
>>>> >> That one ever get answered? ;-)- Hide quoted text -
>>>>
>>>> >> - Show quoted text -
>>>>
>>>> > Well, I know one atheist who became a Christian.
>>>>
>>>> Ah nice. I was just such a man. I eventually grew out of it though. 
>>>> :-)- Hide quoted text -
>>>>
>>>> - Show quoted text -
>>>
>>> Well, you were just an atheist working undercover.
>>> If you were going back to atheism, you were never really a believer.
>>> Robert B. Winn
>>
>> Every single atheist in this newsgroup started out as an atheist. (so did 
>> every Christian too, for that matter)
>> Some of us converted to Christianity from atheism, then back again.
>> I have a two year old who is an atheist, he has absolutely no belief in 
>> God whatsoever.
>
> I'm not sure that counts, seeing as he believes in Santa Claus, the Easter 
> Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Monster Under The Bed.

Actually, he's also asantaist, abunnyist, afairyist and amonsterist too.
He's only two years old, Alex, he doesn't even know what those things are 
yet, plus, we're very careful about what sort of fairy tales we tell him 
anyway.
Besides, kids aren't dumb.
Any parent could see that kids operate on two levels anyway.
On one level, they like the fantasy/monster stories and enjoy being scared 
by them, and on another level they are fully aware that it's only make- 
believe.
They're not stupid but they enjoy the exciting pretence of it all
The only time it becomes stupid is when they carry that over to adulthood 
and start believing that the magic stories are real.

>
> IME, children are naturally credulous.

Naturally trusting, not credulous.
There's a difference .

>We pick explanations that fit the available facts.  If our environment acts 
>as if Santa Claus is real and we have no evidence to doubt that assertion, 
>we believe.

It all depends on what Mom and Pop tell us, right?
When we're telling them about Jack and the beanstalk, they know we're not 
being serious, but still go along with the story.
The problem occurs when we tell them about Jesus walking on water and 
raising the dead, and they naturally assume we are being serious about that, 
because we always make the distinction either directly or indirectly between 
one magic story and the other.
"Now forget about all of those silly magic stories we told you - here's some 
REAL magic stories"
The Santa story is simply training wheels for the God story any way.
It amazes me that at my daughters school, she can have science lessons one 
minute, where she is taught to examine facts using the scientific method, 
and in the next Religious Education lesson straight afterward, she is told 
to abandon any critical thinking skills and simply believe.
Why does the education system insist on trying to confuse our children like 
that?


-- 
Steve O
a.a. #2240 (Apatheist Chapter)
B.A.A.W.A.
Convicted by Earthquack
Exempt from purgatory by papal indulgence