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What convinved you that there was/wasn`t "something else"?
Comments
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Your point was why so many starving children though!it's their choice to make the decision to bring a child into that situation though.
hence so many starving children!0 -
munsterdevil wrote: »Fortunately I fall under the "wasn't" something else category.
The reasons were numerous:
1: Who created the creator?
2: The vast amount of different gods that are worshipped on this planet, they are millions.
3: The idea of heaven is not compatible with evolution, for instance at what stage did god decide that we as a bipedal humanoid species had evolved far enough to enter heaven, I mean was there an exact cut off point
4: As for the Christian Judea god, the Bible is totally unreliable, it was written decades after Jesus was on Earth, so it is merely hear say. Also, why would god send his son to an illiterate society?
5: How can you believe in something that you cannot see touch or smell?
If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way.
Bertrand Russell, Paths to Freedom
I thought I might respond to some of those questions.
1: Who created the creator?
This question is tied into the inevitable paradox that arises from the fact that eternal and infinite realities co-exist with temporal and finite realities. I doubt that this question can be fully resolved until we stand in the presence of Deity.
2: The vast amount of different gods that are worshipped on this planet, they are millions.
Similarly with the vast amount of names for the sun or water, it does not follow that there exists millions of suns. Individual cultural and personal approaches do not, in and of themselves, create individual gods, just the individual's experience of God.
3: The idea of heaven is not compatible with evolution, for instance at what stage did god decide that we as a bipedal humanoid species had evolved far enough to enter heaven, I mean was there an exact cut off point
I recognise your confusion. Could you not see evolution as a divine technique for maximising potential? Your concept of 'heaven' is partially responsible for your confusion. The kingdom concept put forth by Jesus was the inner spiritual experience/realisation of the fatherhood of God with the corollary truth of the brotherhood of man. The higher worlds may indeed be idyllic but they are still populated by imperfect though perfection motivated beings. The idea of 'war in heaven' shows that free will and imperfection are still realities that must be contended with as we journey into eternity on our path toward the encounter with eternal deity. Milton once famously said that: Mind is a thing unto itself and of itself can make a heaven of hell or a hell of heaven. Thus we see that 'heaven' isn't so much a place as the attitude born out of a sublime faith in a loving God. Heaven is experienced right here, right now, not on some other world or plane of being. If you are waiting for the next life to enter the kingdom, then you'll have missed it in this one. From this you might be able to see how your confusion might arise and how there isn't much argument between heaven and evolution.
4: As for the Christian Judea god, the Bible is totally unreliable, it was written decades after Jesus was on Earth, so it is merely hear say. Also, why would god send his son to an illiterate society?
These statements are a similar mix of error and confusion. 1. It is possible to believe truths you don't understand. For example; one can tell a child that men went to the moon in a great, big ship. That's not false, but it is appropriate to their level of understanding. In time, as they grow, they can be taught exactly how such things are possible. Similar is true of God: God is our father. How this is possible is not easily explained, but time {eternity might be sufficient}, reason and faith will yield the ultimate insight 2. That society was not illiterate, they did have reading and writing, after all. I'll admit that literacy may not have been widespread but not having 'letters' is not the same as being dull. Many of our great visionaries were 'unlettered'. The truths of God can be appropriated by an innocent child easier than they can be by an adult whose imaginative faculties have been dulled by an over sophisticated education system. Even during Jesus' ministry he made a note of how his words were gladly received by the 'simple' but their truths remained hidden from the wise.
It may be hearsay but a sincere searcher for truth, someone truly desirous of knowing God, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, will be supported in their endeavour by the work of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, even the angels, for they are charged with the task of leading you into 'all truth'. Our starting point is the same, confusion and ignorance similarly our end point is in clarity and wisdom. However, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink, similar is true of mere mortals, we can be led to truth but will often refuse to sup it – often because it is poisonous to our fondly held illusions, with which we so heavily identify ourselves. As for the last question, because HE LOVES THEM.
5: How can you believe in something that you cannot see touch or smell?
Okay... can you see, touch or smell numbers? Numbers are super-physical realities, non-material actors, they are mechanisms that allow us to peer beyond the limits of the senses. Our physical sense reveal only so much reality but where the senses stop mind pushes further on, into the strange and charmed domains of quantum realities with its own unique flora and fauna of photons, quarks, muon's and gluons. Though we cannot perceive such things with the senses, we can reached them through mind. They exist, have a function and a purpose, oblivious of our ignorance. Consequently, where limits of mind are reached {for mind has its limits just as surely as do the senses} the domains of the spirit press on, exposing to us the realities of truth, beauty, and goodness, which are not accessible by any other mechanisms.0 -
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2: The vast amount of different gods that are worshipped on this planet, they are millions.
Similarly with the vast amount of names for the sun or water, it does not follow that there exists millions of suns. Individual cultural and personal approaches do not, in and of themselves, create individual gods, just the individual's experience of God.
Sorry but that analogy and the point behind it just don't hold up. There are many names for the sun but they all describe the big hot bright thing in the sky. The multitude of gods mainly contradict each other. It can't be simutaneously true that Yahweh created the universe in days and then made man out of dust and a woman out of his rib. That two Ungambikula carved the first humans with stone knives. And that Coatlique was impregnated with an obsidian knife and gave birth to children that became the moon and stars. Either one of those stories are true making the other two false or they are all false.0 -
It was definitely the birth of my first child,
I went into labour at 30 weeks, was told that the baby isn't going to live, it was hearth braking, but with some medications and two hospitals, they've managed to stop the labour and I've carried for another 4 weeks, In those four weeks my partner has seen his grandmother (who he was very close to, she passed away a few years ago) and felt her hand on his shoulder a number of times. One night he woke up to see her sitting at he foot of the bed and just smiling and nodding as if to say "don't worry it'll be fine" an hour later my waters broke and I was taken into hospital, all throughout labour he could feel her presence and 8 hours later our little girl was born, she was still 6 weeks early and was very small, I didn't even get to hold her, she stopped breathing and was taken straight into SCBU, they wouldn't even let me in to see her, meanwhile my partner still had the feeling of his grandmother been there, about 15 most agonising minutes of my life, we were called in to see our little angel, they've told us that she is very week and would be in the incubator for a while, but that she will be ok. At that moment my partner felt a squeeze on his arm and she was gone. Our little girl has spend two months in SCBU, but came out in the end a perfectly healthy baby, she is now 4 years old and is a strong, healthy happy child, and we like to think that her great grandmother had something to do with that, and we think of her every day.
So I think that has really convinced us both that there is definitely something out there. And even if it was all in his head due to stress and what not, we just like to believe that that's not the case, and that his grandmother is now looking over our little angel.0 -
1: Who created the creator?
This question is tied into the inevitable paradox that arises from the fact that eternal and infinite realities co-exist with temporal and finite realities. I doubt that this question can be fully resolved until we stand in the presence of Deity.2: The vast amount of different gods that are worshipped on this planet, they are millions.
Similarly with the vast amount of names for the sun or water, it does not follow that there exists millions of suns. Individual cultural and personal approaches do not, in and of themselves, create individual gods, just the individual's experience of God.3: The idea of heaven is not compatible with evolution, for instance at what stage did god decide that we as a bipedal humanoid species had evolved far enough to enter heaven, I mean was there an exact cut off point
I recognise your confusion. Could you not see evolution as a divine technique for maximising potential? Your concept of 'heaven' is partially responsible for your confusion. The kingdom concept put forth by Jesus was the inner spiritual experience/realisation of the fatherhood of God with the corollary truth of the brotherhood of man. The higher worlds may indeed be idyllic but they are still populated by imperfect though perfection motivated beings. The idea of 'war in heaven' shows that free will and imperfection are still realities that must be contended with as we journey into eternity on our path toward the encounter with eternal deity. Milton once famously said that: Mind is a thing unto itself and of itself can make a heaven of hell or a hell of heaven. Thus we see that 'heaven' isn't so much a place as the attitude born out of a sublime faith in a loving God. Heaven is experienced right here, right now, not on some other world or plane of being. If you are waiting for the next life to enter the kingdom, then you'll have missed it in this one. From this you might be able to see how your confusion might arise and how there isn't much argument between heaven and evolution.4: As for the Christian Judea god, the Bible is totally unreliable, it was written decades after Jesus was on Earth, so it is merely hear say. Also, why would god send his son to an illiterate society?
These statements are a similar mix of error and confusion. 1. It is possible to believe truths you don't understand. For example; one can tell a child that men went to the moon in a great, big ship. That's not false, but it is appropriate to their level of understanding. In time, as they grow, they can be taught exactly how such things are possible. Similar is true of God: God is our father. How this is possible is not easily explained, but time {eternity might be sufficient}, reason and faith will yield the ultimate insightThe truths of God can be appropriated by an innocent child easier than they can be by an adult whose imaginative faculties have been dulled by an over sophisticated education system. Even during Jesus' ministry he made a note of how his words were gladly received by the 'simple' but their truths remained hidden from the wise.It may be hearsay but a sincere searcher for truth, someone truly desirous of knowing God, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, will be supported in their endeavour by the work of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, even the angels, for they are charged with the task of leading you into 'all truth'. Our starting point is the same, confusion and ignorance similarly our end point is in clarity and wisdom. However, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink, similar is true of mere mortals, we can be led to truth but will often refuse to sup it – often because it is poisonous to our fondly held illusions, with which we so heavily identify ourselves.As for the last question, because HE LOVES THEM.5: How can you believe in something that you cannot see touch or smell?
Okay... can you see, touch or smell numbers? Numbers are super-physical realities, non-material actors, they are mechanisms that allow us to peer beyond the limits of the senses. Our physical sense reveal only so much reality but where the senses stop mind pushes further on, into the strange and charmed domains of quantum realities with its own unique flora and fauna of photons, quarks, muon's and gluons. Though we cannot perceive such things with the senses, we can reached them through mind. They exist, have a function and a purpose, oblivious of our ignorance. Consequently, where limits of mind are reached {for mind has its limits just as surely as do the senses} the domains of the spirit press on, exposing to us the realities of truth, beauty, and goodness, which are not accessible by any other mechanisms.
Numbers do not claim to be watching us all the time, and if we do bad things we will go to hell.
We do not worship numbers or wage wars in their name (at least not officially).
Numbers are not going to appear at the end of the Earth and judge the living
Bit of a difference...0 -
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I used to believe in God pretty strongly until I was 15/16. I'd gone to Mass with the parents, read at it, gone to services in school... and it would be nice to believe in something after. I don't know, maybe there is. But if it is there (and it's a big if) it is beyond human comprehension because it's much bigger than any of us- and no human organisation on Earth could understand it. With regard to the Catholic Church I've met great people working in it but we've all heard the horror stories and that hasn't helped my faith in the Catholic Church. I also find it funny how Jesus questioned the Sanhedrin on how they practiced religion and today folllowers of Christ swiftly defend Jesus' teachings. He was a rebel, why don't people follow that and challenge established wrongdoing?
If I was God I would want my followers to think for themselves, not follow me blindly. If I get to the pearly gates and he is there I won't be afraid to ask him why I cannot ask questions. If he truly "knows me" then he'll understand my inquisitive nature.
To paraphrase a quote (by Douglas Adams maybe): why can't we appreciate and respect the beauty of the world without immediately searching for a "Creator" to worship?0 -
munsterdevil wrote: »Define this "Deity"
But it is a very arrogant thing to assume that one's god that they worship is the correct way to follow, and the Yahweh god and the millions of Hindu gods are radically different, thus it is not all down to "individual experience"
I'm not confused in the way you are defining it, I am confused as to why people believe evolution and religion to be compatible, such as followers of the Roman Catholic Church for example, and I fail to see the connection, despite your explanation, of the connection between heaven and evolution. If evolution was a way of maximizing potential, then it has miserably failed. We as homo sapiens sapiens are far from a perfect design. Why allow the dinosaurs to exist and then get them killed off, the list is endless against that argument.
It's been over 2,000 years now and it still sounds as outlandish as ever.
I think you are actually supporting my argument there, In my opinion those with a sophisticated education will not be gullible enough to believe in the outlandish stories of the Bible. I will rephrase the last part of your sentence "Even during Jesus' ministry he made a note of how his words were gladly believed received by the simple (uneducated, gullible and who wanted to believe in something) but their truths remained hidden from the wise (educated, skeptical and logical).
Sorry but I don't buy that, relying on works that are thousands of years old that try to convince us of a benevolent god that watches our every move is not the way to "all truth".
So he didn't love any other illiterate society all over the world?
Numbers do not claim to have sent their only son to Earth to save us from all our sins, and enduring a horrific death in the process
Numbers do not claim to be watching us all the time, and if we do bad things we will go to hell.
We do not worship numbers or wage wars in their name.
Numbers are not going to appear at the end of the Earth and judge the living
Bit of a difference...
seems like you have a problem have a problem with the christian religon??
how do you explain miracles?
the other ladies post regarding her daughter-grandmother etc.
stigmatics..0 -
seems like you have a problem have a problem with the christian religon??
how do you explain miracles?
the other ladies post regarding her daughter-grandmother etc.
stigmatics..
2. To which miracles are you referring to?
3. I am not going to comment on the other ladies post, it would not be fair on her, as she herself has not asked me personally to do so.
4. Whoever claims to have them (stigmata) is obviously inflicting the wounds unto themselves.0 -
munsterdevil wrote: »1. I don't really have a problem with Christianity in general, it's just the one I was brought up with, thus I find it the easiest to find holes in.
2. To which miracles are you referring to?
eh.....the resurrection??
3. I am not going to comment on the other ladies post, it would not be fair on her, as she herself has not asked me personally to do so.
c'mon.......who asks for comments on their posts??
i'm asking for your opinion...do you think its bullsh1t?
4. Whoever claims to have them (stigmata) is obviously inflicting the wounds unto themselves.
obviously:rolleyes:......never ever heard ofanyone faking stigmata.
i'm genuinelt not religous but i do believe in 'something' ..
unquantifiable,unexplainable,spiritual/supernatural ---whatever,
example:
good friend of mine,his granny's dead.
on the anniversary of her death,
his sister was very very upset--bawlin her eyes out.
his niece{sisters daughter} reassured her,"don't worry-was talkin to Nana last night..."
{In her dream obviously.}
so to humour her she asked "what did she say,what was she wearing .."etc
"she said not to worry...."
"She was wearing her favourite coat with the big round buttons on it .
here's the rub:
the littlegirl never saw this jacket before,
no photo of it exists....
its the jacket that the granny used to wear when my mates Sister
was a little girl......30 years ago....
spooky.
i could go on.....0 -
Being one with nature.0
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munsterdevil wrote: »1. I don't really have a problem with Christianity in general, it's just the one I was brought up with, thus I find it the easiest to find holes in.
2. To which miracles are you referring to?
3. I am not going to comment on the other ladies post, it would not be fair on her, as she herself has not asked me personally to do so.
4. Whoever claims to have them (stigmata) is obviously inflicting the wounds unto themselves.
heres 10 of em......
http://current.com/1l6na4c0 -
eh.....the resurrection??c'mon.......who asks for comments on their posts??
i'm asking for your opinion...do you think its bullsh1t?obviously......never ever heard ofanyone faking stigmata.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2739751.ece
So now you have heard of someone faking the stigmata.;)good friend of mine,his granny's dead.
on the anniversary of her death,
his sister was very very upset--bawlin her eyes out.
his niece{sisters daughter} reassured her,"don't worry-was talkin to Nana last night..."
{In her dream obviously.}
so to humour her she asked "what did she say,what was she wearing .."etc
"she said not to worry...."
"She was wearing her favourite coat with the big round buttons on it .
here's the rub:
the littlegirl never saw this jacket before,
no photo of it exists....
its the jacket that the granny used to wear when my mates Sister
was a little girl......30 years ago....
spooky.
i could go on.....
It's not spooky, it's ridiculous :rolleyes:heres 10 of em......http://current.com/1l6na4cBy the way, if you talked to a doctor they would probably call it something like "medical ingenuity" not "medical miracles"
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munsterdevil wrote: »Sorry, but I'm not going to believe in a 2,000 year old outlandish story that a man rose from the dead, moreover the story was written decades after the event allegedly occurred. Miracle? No, superstition.
She clearly does not want someone to attack her beliefs, let it go
It really is clutching at straws if one uses the stigmata as evidence for god. Take a look at this link of Padre Pio where even a Pope believed him to be a fraud, and far more likely explanation of his wounds is given.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2739751.ece
So now you have heard of someone faking the stigmata.;)
That's actually worse than the stigmata example, how accurate was she on the jacket, did she give the make of it, how long it was, how many buttons on it? I'm guessing she got the colour right and they jumped to conclusions.
It's not spooky, it's ridiculous :rolleyes:
Those were medical miracles you posted i.e. the website is not putting it down to some supernatural force, they are putting it down to medical brillianceBy the way, if you talked to a doctor they would probably call it something like "medical ingenuity" not "medical miracles"
"For those that believe in God, no explanation is necessary, for those that do not believe in God, no explanation is possible."0 -
Becoming a policeman
Throwing in my 2 cents here, What I've always liked about the spirituality forum is that we don't get the arguments that happen in the christianity forum. What generally happens there is continous arguments about who is right and who is wrong, leading in to sometimes aggressive posts and slanders from christians and atheists and even different factions of christianity.
My suggestion here is to keep the OP's request that it becomes a place where people can give there reaons why they are CONVINCED either way. This then becomes a place where people can share their experiences. Trying to convince another is pointless as you can see from our posts if we try we fail. This counts either side of the was/wasn't debate.
So how about we all just surrender and let go our stuff so others who would like to share won't feel discouraged? What say you all? Or there could be a place where a new topic could form around an argumentative level? Say in the christianity forum, where they are used to it.Just kidding but seriously lads, do we all want this to degenerate further?
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whilst its a sh1tty newspaper....nevertheless.....
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1267061/Clinically-dead-boy-saw-grandmother-Heaven.html
Doctor:'But then suddenly his heart started to beat again ... it was a fantastic miracle.
Miracle at Fatima, Portugal in 1917. In short, three poor children mentioned publicly that a lady spoke to them in a remote field where they were watching their flocks. According to the children this lady mentioned several things to them in line with Catholic doctrine, and asked them to relay the message to the people in Fatima. She also told the children to tell the people that she would perform a miracle at the same location three months later to “make the people believe”, and gave the children a date and time this would occur. The children relayed the message and word quickly passed throughout Western Europe, resulting in 70,000 people (including non-religious who came to laugh and disprove the miracle) arriving at the site three months later in expectation of this miracle.
On a very rainy, muddy day at the exact time and location foretold by the children, while the thousands of people waited in the rain, the clouds seemed to clear and the sun then appeared to swirl in the sky and hurl toward the earth according to eyewitnesses. Fearing the world was coming to an end; the crowd fell to the ground in fear, and screamed out for God to spare them. The phenomena lasted for approximately 10 minutes according to eyewitnesses, then suddenly stopped. Afterward, though it had been raining all day, all immediately noticed that their clothes were completely dry and the ground, which was previously flooded and muddy, was now dry earth. Eyewitness accounts (including from many atheists and other non-religious people) were in several Portugal newspapers the following day, and many of the eyewitness accounts from the articles can be seen here. In summary, we know a crowd of thousands of religious and non-religious, with no reason to lie, all could not have hallucinated the same thing, yet they all agree on what happened there that day. And not only has such an incident with the sun never been seen before or since this incident, but neither has the phenomena with the instantaneous drying of the earth and clothes at the scene been seen before or since either..........
... And with the 3 poor children foretelling the event 3 months in advance to the exact time and location (something no human can possibly do), this leads back to the source of their information, a lady in a field speaking Catholic doctrine to them.....
still don't believe?0 -
sorry DH,
i wuz typing while you posted:D
i'm NOT religous but i DO believe in something else...
the original Miracle at Lourdes, France in 1858 and the countless miracles that have occurred there since,
No scientist can explain the healings there and the phenomena witnessed there can only be explained as supernatural.0 -
sorry DH,
i wuz typing while you posted:D
i'm NOT religous but i DO believe in something else...
the original Miracle at Lourdes, France in 1858 and the countless miracles that have occurred there since,
No scientist can explain the healings there and the phenomena witnessed there can only be explained as supernatural.
Likewise!!! Just thought it would be nice to chill it down a bit, as I'm very guilty of becoming involved with topics of interest which I say most of us are too.
You have no reason ever of being sorry :cool:0 -
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... And with the 3 poor children foretelling the event 3 months in advance to the exact time and location (something no human can possibly do), this leads back to the source of their information, a lady in a field speaking Catholic doctrine to them.....
still don't believe?
i'm NOT religous but i DO believe in something else...
the original Miracle at Lourdes, France in 1858 and the countless miracles that have occurred there since,
No scientist can explain the healings there and the phenomena witnessed there can only be explained as supernatural.
Just out of curiosity....how come you aren't Catholic then? You seem to believe the story of the three children that Mary appeared and spoke Catholic doctrine to them and then performed a miracle later on.....
So either it was Mary (who only is only believed to appear by Catholics) who then went on to confirm Catholicism is the way to go...... Or do you believe that it was some sort of "spirit" or something that was just pretending to be the virgin Mary and confirming Catholic doctirine as some sort of big meta joke on everybody?
My own opinion of "the miracle of the sun" would be similar to my opinion of "the miracle of the sun" at knock recently. This following applies to both instances.
First of all, not everybody witnessed the same thing, as you claimed. Some claimed to witness images of Mary and/or Jesus. Lot's claimed only to see the Sun change shape and colour, others claimed the Sun spun and grew. Again others, even many die hard Catholics, claimed to see nothing at all.
Secondly we come to why anyone saw anything at all. Is there any reason why a bunch of people in a field staring straight into the sun would see things, apart from Mary or God suspending the laws of physics temorarily to prove that three little girls weren't telling fibs or mistaken. Well one other explanation is that 70,000 mostly deeply religious people were gathered together creating an immense atmosphere and were told to expect a message from the creator of the universe. They were then instructed to stare directly into the Sun.
If you are feeling adventurous and open minded, here is a little experiment you could try. Buy a red lightbulb somewhere, (clear red glass not frosted) they will probably have them in Woodies or somewhere similar. Then when it's dark put it into a lamp in a room and turn off any other light. Now stare at the lit up bulb for about a minute or two. The lightbulb will seem to change colour from red to green to yellow ect. It might also seem to pulse in and out as if it is breathing. Or spin and shift shape. You might even see faces or buildings or pyramids in the bulb. It's a common phenomenom. And a less damaging way to replicate the things you could see by staring at the sun.
Now imagine you lived in a deeply religious country and were standing in a field amongst thousands of excited fervent praying people after being told that the supreme being of the universe was going to make a appearance and then being subject to the natural phosphene phenomenom (without being aware that the phenomenon existed) that results when someone stars into a bright light for too long and then hearing the screams and gasps of "the Sun is falling!!!" and "I can see Jesus" from a lot of people around you........You think there is any chance you might come away thinking you had witnessed a miracle when it could have been something else?
Now I'm not saying for an absolute fact that Mary didn't chose 3 little Portugese girls to appear to without anyone around to verify their story and then God didn't take time out of his day to make it seem like the Sun was jumping all over the sky, but only to the people near the sight and not to everyone else in the hemisphere who could see the same Sun at the same time. But only decided to make it seem that way to some people that were there and not others, and chose to make the people that did see things see slightly different things...........
But maybe there is another, non magical explanation........?0 -
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the original Miracle at Lourdes, France in 1858 and the countless miracles that have occurred there since,
No scientist can explain the healings there and the phenomena witnessed there can only be explained as supernatural.
Also, Lourdes gets roughly 80,000 people who hope to be cured every year. Now out of this annual number, a combined total from down through the years who claim to have been cured is 66. Compare 66 people out of the millions who have travelled to Lourdes wishing for a cure and gets the picture of how ridiculous the whole concept is. it also asks the question as to why the vast majority weren't cured, did god or the Virgin Mary not like them?
Moreover, you never hear of somebody growing a limb back, it's always something that had a chance of getting better anyway. The chances are that whoever goes there hoping for a cure is going to catch something from the thousands of other people wallowing in the water, rather than be cured of something.0 -
I don't think there needs to be "something else". The mystery of being alive is overwhelming enough in those rare but wonderful moments that I can appreciate it.0
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Just out of curiosity....how come you aren't Catholic then? You seem to believe the story of the three children that Mary appeared and spoke Catholic doctrine to them and then performed a miracle later on.....
So either it was Mary (who only is only believed to appear by Catholics) who then went on to confirm Catholicism is the way to go...... Or do you believe that it was some sort of "spirit" or something that was just pretending to be the virgin Mary and confirming Catholic doctirine as some sort of big meta joke on everybody?
My own opinion of "the miracle of the sun" would be similar to my opinion of "the miracle of the sun" at knock recently. This following applies to both instances.
First of all, not everybody witnessed the same thing, as you claimed. Some claimed to witness images of Mary and/or Jesus. Lot's claimed only to see the Sun change shape and colour, others claimed the Sun spun and grew. Again others, even many die hard Catholics, claimed to see nothing at all.
Secondly we come to why anyone saw anything at all. Is there any reason why a bunch of people in a field staring straight into the sun would see things, apart from Mary or God suspending the laws of physics temorarily to prove that three little girls weren't telling fibs or mistaken. Well one other explanation is that 70,000 mostly deeply religious people were gathered together creating an immense atmosphere and were told to expect a message from the creator of the universe. They were then instructed to stare directly into the Sun.
If you are feeling adventurous and open minded, here is a little experiment you could try. Buy a red lightbulb somewhere, (clear red glass not frosted) they will probably have them in Woodies or somewhere similar. Then when it's dark put it into a lamp in a room and turn off any other light. Now stare at the lit up bulb for about a minute or two. The lightbulb will seem to change colour from red to green to yellow ect. It might also seem to pulse in and out as if it is breathing. Or spin and shift shape. You might even see faces or buildings or pyramids in the bulb. It's a common phenomenom. And a less damaging way to replicate the things you could see by staring at the sun.
Now imagine you lived in a deeply religious country and were standing in a field amongst thousands of excited fervent praying people after being told that the supreme being of the universe was going to make a appearance and then being subject to the natural phosphene phenomenom (without being aware that the phenomenon existed) that results when someone stars into a bright light for too long and then hearing the screams and gasps of "the Sun is falling!!!" and "I can see Jesus" from a lot of people around you........You think there is any chance you might come away thinking you had witnessed a miracle when it could have been something else?
Now I'm not saying for an absolute fact that Mary didn't chose 3 little Portugese girls to appear to without anyone around to verify their story and then God didn't take time out of his day to make it seem like the Sun was jumping all over the sky, but only to the people near the sight and not to everyone else in the hemisphere who could see the same Sun at the same time. But only decided to make it seem that way to some people that were there and not others, and chose to make the people that did see things see slightly different things...........
But maybe there is another, non magical explanation........?
i am a catholic (born),
i just don't go to mass or believe in a lot of the rites/rhetoric of the catholic church.
I'm not religous but i believe in an ethereal/greater being/"something"
if there wasn't "something" then whats the point?
i never said i believed anything.
the miracle of the sun
why do people pickholes in one story and ignore the other ,sometimes more infallible cases?
SECONDLY......if they stared directly into the sun why aren't they blind?????
Thirdly.
maybe there is another explanation.
faith-belief and the mind are a powerful triumvirate.0 -
munsterdevil wrote: »Lourdes, this miracle was claimed in 1858 by a very impressionable young girl and i mean very impressionable
Also, Lourdes gets roughly 80,000 people who hope to be cured every year. Now out of this annual number, a combined total from down through the years who claim to have been cured is 66. Compare 66 people out of the millions who have travelled to Lourdes wishing for a cure and gets the picture of how ridiculous the whole concept is. it also asks the question as to why the vast majority weren't cured, did god or the Virgin Mary not like them?
Moreover, you never hear of somebody growing a limb back, it's always something that had a chance of getting better anyway. The chances are that whoever goes there hoping for a cure is going to catch something from the thousands of other people wallowing in the water, rather than be cured of something.
how the hell do you know how impressionable somebody was 150 years ago:rolleyes:
its more like 500,000 looking to be cured.
up to 1975 there were 63 'cures' i.e. cures accepted by the church./
proclaimed authentic by the Church, which has a rigorous system for confirming them. There must be medical proof that the sick person was indeed sick to begin with, that the symptoms disappeared within hours, and that the cure lasted for several years
whats this about limbs growing back??....is that your criteria for a miracle???
there are animals on this planet who do re-grow limbs,are they "miracles" to you????
i personally know of 12 people who have travelled to lourdes and come back healthier/better/less sick.
maybe not 'cured' in the churchs eyes but better nonetheless.
is this down to
holy water,??
god,???
who knows?
I believe people have the power to help themselves,even unbeknownst to themselves.
Faith,belief and and complete reverence of a 'thing' can produce "miraculous" results imo.
there is one undeniable fact.
nobody ever got sick the day they fell in love.
*what does that tell you*0 -
how the hell do you know how impressionable somebody was 150 years ago
:rolleyes:
its more like 500,000 looking to be cured.
up to 1975 there were 63 'cures' i.e. cures accepted by the church./
proclaimed authentic by the Church, which has a rigorous system for confirming them. There must be medical proof that the sick person was indeed sick to begin with, that the symptoms disappeared within hours, and that the cure lasted for several years[/SIZE][/B]whats this about limbs growing back??....is that your criteria for a miracle???
there are animals on this planet who do re-grow limbs,are they "miracles" to you????i personally know of 12 people who have travelled to lourdes and come back healthier/better/less sick.
maybe not 'cured' in the churchs eyes but better nonetheless.
is this down to
holy water,??
god,???
who knows?there is one undeniable fact.
nobody ever got sick the day they fell in love.
*what does that tell you*0 -
i am a catholic (born),
i just don't go to mass or believe in a lot of the rites/rhetoric of the catholic church.
I'm not religous but i believe in an ethereal/greater being/"something"
if there wasn't "something" then whats the point?
i never said i believed anything.
If you are Catholic then you are religious, Catholicism is a religion. Do you mean you are not devoutly religious?
"if there wasn't "something" then whats the point?".....Why does there have to be a point? But if you need a "point" then how about making the best of your life while you are alive, and making the lives of the people you care about better while they are alive. Seems like a pretty good "point" to me.the miracle of the sun
why do people pick holes in one story and ignore the other ,sometimes more infallible cases?
The miracle of the sun is what the event in Portugal you referenced is known as. Hope that helps with the confusion.
What infallible cases? You spoke of one story and I pointed out the holes in it. If you are aware of another infallible story then please name it and I will consider it's possibility on it's own merits. Surely you don't expect me to just accept your word that an infallible instance of a miracle occuring exists?SECONDLY......if they stared directly into the sun why aren't they blind?????
Go outside and stare at the sun...........Are you back? Did you go blind? There is your answer.
Please don't actually go stare at the sun, there is a good chance you will suffer retinopathy, like some of the people who stared at the sun in knock.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2009/1202/1224259894300.htmlThirdly.
maybe there is another explanation.
faith-belief and the mind are a powerful triumvirate.
Ahh common ground at last.Now the only difference of opinion that remains between us is you think it is just as likely that the all powerful creator of time space and matter decided to reveal himself to a group of random people through a means which could easily be confused with a naturaly occuring and proven phenomenom........as it is likely that a bunch of people got carried away with themselves and confused the natural phenomenom for something else.
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munsterdevil wrote: »Well I obviously don't believe that the "virgin" mary appeared to her, and the flip side to this is, how the hell do you know that mary appeared to her.:rolleyes:
re-read the info i posted earlier.
less of the roll eyes please:rolleyes:its more like 500,000 looking to be cured.
up to 1975 there were 63 'cures' i.e. cures accepted by the church./
Way better off going to a doctor or hospital besides relying on this rigorous system:rolleyes:
they did go to hospital,they were checked out medically,they were cured.
still don't believe?
I'm talking about humans growing back limbs, it has nothing to do with other creatures. The question is, if somebody can be miraculously cured why cant something like a limb grow back? SUrely if an all powerful being can cure someone of a disease it could make an amputated leg grow back? Or is this too hard for it:D
you're talking about humans because its convenient,if i showed you a human who regrew an arm,chances are you'd dismiss it as some sort of scientific abnormality.
Chances are they would have got better anyway :rolleyes:
what are you a gambler now:mad:
how the fuk can you make a statement like that about people i know and you've never met
it beggars belief-it seems no prrof is enough for you.
your moniker is pretty apt.
g'night.
Where is your evidence for that a day a person fell in love nobody got sick? bearing in mind that they are 6 billion people on the planet and the billions of people that have gone before us,:rolleyes:
its a saying- and a true one @ that.
whether youbelieve it or not.
if i was to prove it to you i guess you'd be the exception to the rule
as an aside-anybody i've mentioned that to in the last 20 years has smiled and nodded their head in agreement.
not one has disagreed/questioned it
except you.
btw what are you studying in college?
why don't you have any faith?0 -
mmmmmIf you are Catholic then you are religious, Catholicism is a religion. Do you mean you are not devoutly religious?
i don't practice/participate go to mass etc.
so i consider myself non religous.
"if there wasn't "something" then whats the point?".....Why does there have to be a point? But if you need a "point" then how about making the best of your life while you are alive, and making the lives of the people you care about better while they are alive. Seems like a pretty good "point" to me.
i agree;)
but, whats the point of (in relative terms) of our time on earth as a species.?
if there is no ever after/afterlife-why do humans worship/learn/adapt/create/destroy the way we do.?
100 years may as well be planck time.
did humans just hit the evolutionary jackpot?
The miracle of the sun is what the event in Portugal you referenced is known as. Hope that helps with the confusion.
What infallible cases? You spoke of one story and I pointed out the holes in it. If you are aware of another infallible story then please name it and I will consider it's possibility on it's own merits. Surely you don't expect me to just accept your word that an infallible instance of a miracle occuring exists?
re-read my other posts and the ref. material.:)
Go outside and stare at the sun...........Are you back? Did you go blind? There is your answer.
now thats just ridiculous.
Please don't actually go stare at the sun, there is a good chance you will suffer retinopathy, like some of the people who stared at the sun in knock.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2009/1202/1224259894300.html
jaysus its in the times...must be true so.
Ahh common ground at last.Now the only difference of opinion that remains between us is you think it is just as likely that the all powerful creator of time space and matter decided to reveal himself to a group of random people through a means which could easily be confused with a naturaly occuring and proven phenomenom. EH NO
.......as it is likely that a bunch of people got carried away with themselves and confused the natural phenomenom for something else.-Repeatedly,across continents?
in remote area's?
telling similar stories?0 -
less of the roll eyes please:rolleyes:they did go to hospital,they were checked out medically,they were cured.still don't believe?you're talking about humans because its convenient,if i showed you a human who regrew an arm,chances are you'd dismiss it as some sort of scientific abnormality.what are you a gambler now
how the fuk can you make a statement like that about people i know and you've never met
it beggars belief-it seems no prrof is enough for you.
your moniker is pretty apt.
g'night.
No I don't gamble, there is no proof if there was every medical association would be sending their patients there, and goodnight to you too good sir :rolleyes:its a saying- and a true one @ that.
whether youbelieve it or not.
if i was to prove it to you i guess you'd be the exception to the rule
as an aside-anybody i've mentioned that to in the last 20 years has smiled and nodded their head in agreement.
not one has disagreed/questioned it
except you.btw what are you studying in college?
why don't you have any faith?
The reason I don't have faith is that there is simply very little evidence for a benevolent force that is watching over us. Simple as.........0 -
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stuff........i don't practice/participate go to mass etc.
so i consider myself non religous.
We obviously have a different opinion on what it means to not be religious. So let's just leave that there.i agree
but, whats the point of (in relative terms) of our time on earth as a species.?
if there is no ever after/afterlife-why do humans worship/learn/adapt/create/destroy the way we do.?
100 years may as well be planck time.
did humans just hit the evolutionary jackpot?
You obviously don't agree, or you missunderstood what you were agreeing to. It is my position that there is no point or reason. It's just how things turned out.
Why do humans worship? Superstition and a need to come to terms with their morality and a reluctance to accept uncomfortable realities.
Why do humans adapt? Evolution and the instinct of self preservation.
Why do humans create? Necessitiy and curiosity.
Why do humans destroy? Necessity and the instincty of self preservation.
Any more questions?re-read my other posts and the ref. material.
I did. Someone recovering from an accident they weren't expected to recover from is unlikely......It is not by any sane human understanding an infallible example of a miracle. Try again.now thats just ridiculous.jaysus its in the times...must be true so.
The times is just the first source that popped up on google, they were just the carrier of the doctors words. He was also quoted on about another dozen news sources. You can try to claim the doctor was telling lies if you want, and give your reasons for thinking he is lying.......Would you like to try that?Repeatedly,across continents?
in remote area's?
telling similar stories?
Are you even reading the words of mine you are quoting and replying to? Asked and answered twice already. Re-read the last few posts of the thread.
Edit: Regardless I agree with Dermothickey. This thread is gone far too off topic. This will be my last post in the thread. If you want to continue discussing this I will be happy to do so if you start a thread in the Paranormal forum or somewhere else as suitable.
Watch this video and try to be a little more open minded.
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