RESPONSE TO WAYNE...Are you a pantheist that just wants to make sure the God of the Bible is dismissed?
No, I say similar things to Muslims, Jews, New Agers, Wiccans, and the like. You're all practicing credulity. That's the difference - critical thinking vs. superstitious will.
The God that has performed the works described in my episodes is the God of the Bible.
Prove it. Don't just ASSERT IT. Prove it. Demonstrate how exactly you know it's Yahweh who created these unlikely occurrences (b/c all we've seen so far is Wayne FILTERING/SLANTING what actually happened to fit his presupposition). That is dishonest (just like the other religions practice).
I cannot dismiss what he has done nor can I attribute those works to another non biblical God. You continue to repeat that my parents lied to me and that I'm gullible. It is your recurring theme, you cannot stop asking it because you8 will never accept anything but that which satisfies you predetermined result.
NOPE. I used to think just like you for over 20 years. I attempted the same bad arguments and confirmation bias tactics you are using (all while completely ignoring, as you are doing, absolutely ANY other interpretation of the facts). I do not have a predetermined result. It is you, Wayne, that has that - and you have already demonstrated that here (with your spun stories of coincidence). Again, these aren't "greater works" (as Jesus supposedly told you). You are clinging to naturally occurring events (
lesser) and calling them supernatural because of your presupposition, instead of looking at all the available interpretations. Your bias is clearly corrupting your judgment because you WANT these things to confirm what you assumed from your childhood. You are practicing the very definition of confirmation bias. It's sad that you have poisoned your mind such that you shun good reasoning and refuse to see that.
What you need to admit to yourself median is that for all your effort, the one thing you are not allowing into your reasoning is that there is one true God that performs the kinds of works that I have described. You are the one locked in an endless loop, not me. My God is capable of proving himself to me and all you can say is that my parents lied to me and that is the only place I could be getting my information. I don't just mine it form my past indoctrination, I have a personal experience that completely reinforces it
Two things here Wayne. One, I never said your parents lied to you. I said they just
told you, and you bought it. Well, they were mistaken (as you are, and as the other religions are - which you agree!). See? You're just as much of an atheist as we are Wayne - about every other "God" but the one your parents told you to believe in.
Secondly, the question of whether your "Yahweh Elohim" deity exists has nothing to do with "allowing into...reasoning". To this point, it seems you are quite confused. The reasoning process only works with the arguments (propositions, premises, and conclusions) that are fed into it. Do you know the difference between a valid argument and a sound argument?
What YOU, Wayne, need to admit to yourself is that you are practicing confirmation bias and in denial about it (all while refusing to allow critical thinking in). And this is hypocrisy because you would (and most likely do) practice very critical thinking when it comes to nearly everything else in life (i.e. the salesman at the door, bank accounts/money/finance, friend/foe judgments, etc).
You need to read four or five of the accounts of intervention by god and ask me questions with regard to those examples of proof I have because all your questioning along the same lines will not persuade me that the supernatural events I report didn't occur. There is apossibility that you have read none of them and are only talking to me from what you have read here, If that's the case, we are both wasting time. Please tell me what of mine you have read so I can determine whether to continue this discussion with you.
No actually, you are quite mistaken here Wayne (though I have read at least two of those "accounts"). First, I did NOT say all of the events, that you claimed, did not happen. For one, I have no way of verifying if such events took place in the exact manner you stated. However, that's not even the important point here. What IS relevant is YOUR INTERPRETATION of the facts. So far, what you keep pointing to (even if accurately depicted) are RARE occurrences. So tell us Wayne (please),
How do you distinguish a natural occurring event from a non-natural occurring one? I know what you are thinking when you think I'm being credulous for believing there is a spirit. You are flat out wrong, but I don't fault you. I'll give you an example. The Spirit prompted me to do an unusual thing. While getting ready to leave my house for church I stopped at the door and my attention fixed upon a rock my daughter picked up on a hike. I put it in my sport jacket side pocket, and I had no idea why. During the first meeting at church someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I wouldn't mind sitting in for an absent teacher and team teach a class. I had never been asked to do anything like it and I agreed. The other teachaer had prepared the lesson but in the middle of the lesson came to a part that required a rock, and confess that he had failed to bring one. I took the rock out of my pocket and tossed to him and I knew that the spirit prompted me to pick the rock up because the spirit knew the lesson plan and I didn't. I didn't even know I'd be in the class. I was amazed when that happened, but not surprised because I had many encouters of the Spirit leading and that was just another example. So, you may want to abstain from accusing me of simply being credulous. It may apply to people worshipping false gods, it does in no way apply to those worshipping the God of the Bible in Spirit and in truth.
I'd ask you to explain how I knew to take a rock without the supernatural guidance, but I'm afraid that you will parrot everyone else here and say I have super intuition, or I just got lucky, or that statistics allowed it, but I'm hoping you don't because it's embarrassing to see people make fools of themselves. There is one very simple explanation. God was blessing me and that teacher with proof of his favor and guidance. Please don't try to explain it away.... It's just how it is. And don't tell me I can't prove to you that I took the rock to church, or that I imagined it, or I forgot the account. It's gettin tiring. Oh, and by the way I'm totally qualified to report exactly what happened to me, I don't need a theology degree or a doctorate in statistics, or psychology, or critical thinking. Read the stories and you will know that God intervenes.
LOL. Notice the automatic confirmation bias you BEGAN with in this story, Wayne. Before even beginning to recount this tale you say, "The Spirit prompted me..."
STOP! How do you know it was "the Holy Spirit"?? I encounter this SAME exact argument from Hindus and Muslims online all the time (indeed I used it myself for years). It simply fails. You were already ASSUMING the very thing that needed to be tested for falsification. What you are practicing is slanted and biased - for one because you are actively LOOKING to confirm it (based on your presupposition), and two because you have lots to lose if you're wrong (emotionally, socially, etc). You are not doing disinterested work here and that is why it is suspect Wayne. An internal head-voice (self talk) is NOT a demonstration of a spirit (and neither are rare events - which happen all the time). You need more than this (as your own bible says you should be able to do).
God demonstrates to me, I don't demonstrate anything.
So then you are disobeying your own scriptures (all while trying to twist them in order to avoid refutation). You're not doing anything new Wayne. Every religion does (and claims) what you're doing/claiming. Again,
how is this any different from superstition? Three times now you have failed to answer.
God might be hiding something from you but I have no intention of hiding anything from critical thinking.
Whether or not you
intend to be doing it doesn't matter. You ARE in fact going through those motions (defense mechanisms) in an attempt to shied your faith (assumption) from critical analyses - which is in fact the OPPOSITE of someone who truly cares whether or not their beliefs are actually true.
Some things are subjective, but my spiritual faith in God has been a good result.
Lots of false beliefs have "good results" (for a time). So what. They have lots of bad results as well (especially psychological results on children and the promotion of uncritical thinking [faith], and justifying the diminishing of human liberty). Good or bad results is irrelevant to the question of what is actually true and what is not. Just because you had some
feeling of goodness doesn't make your faith true. Again, every religion claims good results.
You say I have beliefs, I say they aren't just imaginations that have no basis in fact and experience, what I know about God is supported by solid examples of intervention so they are anything but the result of being irrational arguments, credulity, gullibility, and uncritical examination. You may as well give up on those charges, they may work in other cases they are useless in discussing my case.
They may be "useless" to you, but that is only because of your strong presupposition, which you are unwilling to analyze. Merely having "experiences" does not make your interpretation of those experiences "fact". Just saying they are facts doesn't make it so. Lots of Muslims claim their experiences with Allah confirm Islam as the only true faith. Are they right?
Once again Wayne, you are practicing confirmation bias (just like the other religions) - plain and simple. It's hard to hear (I know) but it's quite clear.
God is forbidding you to have the evidence you demand.
Prove it Wayne. Just saying so, doesn't make it so. Every religion
just says so (like you keep doing) and they claim their god is forbidding YOU from seeing their "truth". FAIL.
Mark 16
I wouldn't bother if I was you. This is not a court of law, you must weigh, in my case whether my testimony is accurate, and make your decision. You either call me a liar, or you accept the testimony.
Here is an absolutely perfect (and crystal clear) example of your willingness to use illogical/irrational fallacious reasoning to try and support your faulty case. The statement above is called the fallacy of
False Dichotomy. It is an INVALID argument and fails. You are falsely excluding other possibilities in this dilemma (in this case the fact that you are likely mistaken in your interpretations of your alleged experiences). Please do your homework here Wayne, because your own words are testifying against your own testimony of accuracy. If you are willing to use illogical arguments here (clearly in desperation), where else could you be in error?
If your "foundation" is so solid then you should have no problem scrutinizing your OWN belief system (and presupposition) to it's very core (while being brutally honest with yourself). If you can't/won't do that then you cannot honestly claim that your beliefs are
the one and only truth.
Your demand for the kind of evidence that God is denying you is not proof that my testimony is false, it's that an all powerful God can keep anything he wants from you, he doesn't care how much you demand it.
Paraphrasing/semi-quoting your bible again (Matthew 16) does absolutely nothing to help you demonstrate how you know your bible is "the word of God". You haven't shown how you know God is "denying" me anything (let alone shown he even exists). You haven't demonstrated what you are supposed to be demonstrating (as per Mark 16 and John 14). All you've done (in childlike fashion) is claim Santa Claus (Yahweh) is guiding you and that no one can "prove you wrong".
Well Wayne, if you admit that you are unwilling (at any point) to change your interpretation, adjust your perspective, or entertain the possibility of your own interpretive error why should anyone listen to a thing you have to say? When you are so absolutely closed-minded (and shut off from all critical investigation) why should anyone take anything you say seriously? You clearly don't care if you're beliefs are true. You just want to believe what you want to believe because you want to believe.
You are so wrong! You must know it. God has proved Himself to me, it is ridiculous for you to declare that he hasn't proven himself to me just because it's not proof to you. That is arrogant. Now in time, as you would get to know me and as others have observed that are close to me, you would begin to see that I have exceptionally frequent demonstrations of supernatural occurrences, like that rock in the pocket thing, and you would after a while realise that something abnormal to nature is occurring and too frequently. I know it must be hard to grasp. I can tell you one thing, I personally have nothing to do with it. I have never called up a incident at will, they just happen to me. It's true. You will never be able to crack this case with your critical thinking, it is meant to confound.
I wish you would take this paragraph and read it to yourself in the mirror. Listen to yourself (very carefully) and how irrational you are being. Something "abnormal in nature" is
NOT a supernatural occurrence! Unlikely/abnormal things happen ALL THE TIME, Wayne. This doesn't (at all) make them supernatural. We live in a big world with lots of things going on (for other religions too!). None of that makes things supernatural. Heck, you can't even demonstrate anything NEAR Mark 16, or the alleged miracles of Christ. That is what you need Wayne - not serendipidous coincidences with a "supernatural" bumper sticker.
You'd like to think that I'm not but you are the one blinded by confirmation bias. I'm going to predict that you are going to dismiss the guidance I got to take the rock to church as confirmation bias and you will be demonstrating confirmation bias of your own that has blinded you from the reality you have decided never to face, and that is that there is a true God and he is the one men describe in the Bible.
HA! Another episode of "Because Wayne said so..."
It seems that you do not know what confirmation bias actually is. See Wayne, I am not the one trying to CONFIRM anything. So I cannot be guilty of trying to CONFIRM what you are trying to. What I have been trying to get you to do is actually think critically, and demonstrate that you truly care whether your beliefs are true (which you have naturally resisted - as so many religious people do). Dismissing bad arguments, irrational/invalid reasoning, and SPIN/rationalization is not bad.
It is a GOOD thing. It is one of the things the helps us separate fact from fiction in this life.
So, if you want to validate your beliefs in your Yahweh deity it is easy. Demonstrate (at the very least) the same exact miracles that Jesus supposedly performed. Can you do it?
We are all waiting (willing, ready, and open to changing our minds) - are you?
