I am Wiccan [img]graemlins/tgestar4.gif[/img] Blessed Be [img]graemlins/tgestar4.gif[/img] [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 06-13-2002, 12:55 AM: Message edited by: Xero279 ]

<font color=pink>Youre Wiccan? Thats awesome :D . A member of the BGMW is Wiccan. She enjoys arguing about it with Mikey for some reason...very funny :D </font>

I voted for theism.

As can the presence of the Holy Spirit. ;) :D

The point I was making was that ABSTRACT things are not able to be experienced with the five senses. If you only believe in things you can sense, you are limiting your experience of life big time.

Abstract concepts (philisophical ideas, morals, ideologies fictional creating etc) have given much enhancement to life for many throughout history.

Of course, God is more than an abstract concept, as one can indeed feel his presense or the effect of his actions (healing, the planet earth, renewed confidence etc), but I was focussing on your perception of limiting awareness to things concrete, rather than belief in God or not.

Abstract thought is part of what makes us human.

As can the presence of the Holy Spirit. ;) :D

The point I was making was that ABSTRACT things are not able to be experienced with the five senses. If you only believe in things you can sense, you are limiting your experience of life big time.

Abstract concepts (philisophical ideas, morals, ideologies fictional creating etc) have given much enhancement to life for many throughout history.

Of course, God is more than an abstract concept, as one can indeed feel his presense or the effect of his actions (healing, the planet earth, renewed confidence etc), but I was focussing on your perception of limiting awareness to things concrete, rather than belief in God or not.

Abstract thought is part of what makes us human.</font>[/QUOTE]While I'm not denegrating your opinions or beliefs I think that abstract thoughts stem directly from the physical, biological functioning of the brain. The uplifting, euphoric, 'spiritual' sensations that are attributed to the supernatural and metaphysical are (in my *belief*) just subsets of the truly remarkable mechanisms of the physical, human brain. I don't think the human body gets enough credit. Alot of people seem to attribute rational reasoning with a kind of spiritual energy, whilst the sensation of this 'spiritual energy' itself is merely a mechanism developed by the homo sapiens brain.
But who CREATED the homo sapiens brain? That's the one that get's atheists every time. You can ask 'But who created the...' all the way down the evolutionary ladder.

I voted other because in my book Infinite Omnipresent Joyous Intelligence Ect. is impossible to comprehend except in the abstract. Joyfully, God is all life, everything and alltime, and has infinite intelligence and imagination, not to mention is within every process of nature. The only proof I have, I cant tangibly offer, it is my own expirience knowing I have a connection too and that I am part of Divinity.

Theism.
If you've never experienced something, how can you know about it? On the other hand, if you know you've experienced it, how can anyone else deny you that?

For example, the atmosphere of a huge, patriotic crowd at an international sporting event. If I've never been in the middle of it, I can't truely know what it's like. I can only hypothesise, imagine, theorise etc But I'll never really know until I'm there.
This works for my experience of God too. I know I experience a relationship with The Creator, so I also know those who haven't, don't know about it. Regardless of what anyone else believes (and this is not a dig at other beliefs) one would have to remove my experiences to remove faith.

I'm an open-minded Athiest! If a God showed himself to me in any shape or form, I'd have no trouble at all in believing in him. Until that time occurs, it's my opinion that a major part of the world's population has a serious case of mass delusion!

I'm definitely atheist.

Well said Leonis.