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Hi guys, my name is Mark. I like Starcraft, lists, statistics, liberalism, literature, Claude Debussy, Metalcore, Mumford and Sons, and Jesus.
I've decided to create a small blog to keep my life straight. My brain can't always handle the high intake of information I force into it on a daily basis, and writing things down just seems like something that may help.
Before you continue reading I would like to address my faith, as that will most likely be the reason you clicked this blog in the first place. I am Christian. Catholic. I am not your generic Christian. I differ in many ways. I've read the Bible, for instance (What a shot!). I'll tell you first hand that it isn't all its cracked up to be. Do I believe its the Word of God? Yeah. I guess. Maybe. I'm not an Evangelical. I'm not the crazy Southern Baptist guy down the street. In the most surprising of circumstances, I'm not Republican. Yes, thats right. A non Republican Christian? I bet you're reeling right now. Your world is shattered. Well thats what I'm here for. 
I believe in three core values of Christianity. I'm pretty much all over the board doctrinally for everything else. I do not believe in the conscious eternal torment of Hell for instance. The idea is preposterous to be frank. I do not believe that all scripture is timeless, inerrant truth.
But yes. I am still a Christian. I love Jesus with my all my heart, soul, mind (especially mind), and strength.
I have been lurking and occasionally trolling internet forums for a few years now. I have always taken a particular interest in the God debate threads. As you all have noticed, the internet is primarily one great, big, vehement atheist. I will let you know that this blog is not going to be a debate. Like, ever. I am knowledgeable on Christianity, Atheism, and Philosophy in general, but my debate etiquette is astoundingly poor. I will instead focus mainly on my brain, and the grind of my life. And I will rant. Be sure of that.
If you have questions for me, I will happily guess an answer for you. In the mean time, I have a question for you. How do you feel about religion? Do you believe in a God? Let me know.
Until next time, peace out guys.
To come to the pleasure you have not, you must go by a way in which you enjoy not
-St. John of the Cross
  
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I comprise a small piece of the vast vehement atheist that is the internet.
If I wasn't an atheist, I would probably be one of those crazy Southern Baptist guys down the street like the rest of my family, and would take offense to that. Good thing I agree that those guys are crazy! 
Good luck with your blog, I made a blog about how much I loved being an atheist and the people posting took it far to seriously and got it closed after a somewhat mild flame war.
Edit: I do have a question, actually. As a Catholic, have you ever paid tithing to a church? If yes, how have you justified that?
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Hi GeneralissimoNero,
I've got two questions for you, considering you don't seem to be closed-minded and you seem to be a breath of fresh air (very different in opinion from most religious people I've talked to recently):
1. Are there any scientific facts or theories that you reject on religious grounds (like evolution or the big bang)?
2. Why do you believe in God and, in particular, the Christian god (as opposed to any other deities)?
Thanks I look forward to your responses.
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Ex-Catholic atheist here. I see the Church as a mix of smug self-congratulatory intellectual laziness and blue-collar immigrant ignorance. Nice folks, though.
Out of curiosity, why do you consider yourself Catholic when you're consciously "all over the board" theologically? The catechism is clear that this is NOT OK, unless you're one of those folks who thinks you can "interpret" your way out of the plain meanings of scripture and church teachings.
Also, you seem very proud of yourself for reading scripture. That's a nice starting point for our protestant brothers, I guess, but do you read the fathers?
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I think believing that everything is going to be alright and that everything happens for a reason, coupled with the promise of everlasting life in exchange for blind faith appeals to more people than accepting the obvious.
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Cool, I was looking for someone to help lead one of those 'Religion Discussions' in general about educating the ignorant/lazy masses about the different denominations of the church, how just because you're a Christian doesn't mean you believe in polygamy and crazy Southern-Baptist nonsense PM me if you're interested
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I'm rather shocked. You don't believe in Hell nor that the Word is completely true? So where do people who don't believe in Jesus go? And if the Bible is God's word, then what do you think of the verse that goes, "all scripture is god breathed", and that God cannot lie? Very confused, please elaborate.
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Contrary to popular belief, only about 60% of christians [http://religions.pewforum.org] are republican so it's not suprising. I'm a protestant libertarian and most of my family is the same (thanks to me converting their political beliefs ).
So common questions about your theology.
1. Is Christ God?
2. What is required to have salvation from sins?
3. What is the punishment for sin?
The answer to those 3 questions is usually quick enough to determine someone's theology.
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Are you actually a theologian? Do you study religion academically?
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On March 15 2011 06:56 krndandaman wrote:
^when did Christians and polygamy ever become associated? lol
@OP these days many people identify themselves as either 'Christian' or 'Catholic', not both. Quite curious as to why you identify yourself with both.
In addition to that, I feel like your belief is very eclectic and doesn't fit into any one type of 'religion'. To me it sounds paradoxical that a Christian doesn't believe in a conscious eternal torment of hell and that the scripture is timeless, inerrant truth. The teachings of Jesus claim both to be facts.
So, what exactly do you define yourself as? Or do you just stick with Christian/Catholic for simplicity's sake?
Really? Since Catholicism a subset of Christianity, I think that a Catholic must necessarilty identity one's self as Christian o.O I think he meant something along the lines of "I'm Christian. Catholic, in particular." That's how I read it, anyway. That being said, he appears to be more of a Casual Christian, or a "Christian out of tradition", although I'm definitely interested in hearing his responses to our questions so that he can provide clarity
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I have a question: Where did the writers of the Bible 'knew' how God created everything?
Also how are Christians sure that God loves us or even cares about us?
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On March 15 2011 05:29 Meta wrote:
I do have a question, actually. As a Catholic, have you ever paid tithing to a church? If yes, how have you justified that?
I don't pay tithing, as I am quite young. I don't quite understand what you mean by how do I justify it. Do you think it is bad?
On March 15 2011 05:40 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:Hi GeneralissimoNero, I've got two questions for you, considering you don't seem to be closed-minded and you seem to be a breath of fresh air (very different in opinion from most religious people I've talked to recently): 1. Are there any scientific facts or theories that you reject on religious grounds (like evolution or the big bang)? 2. Why do you believe in God and, in particular, the Christian god (as opposed to any other deities)? Thanks I look forward to your responses.
I do not reject Evolution or the Big Bang. You may not know this, but this stance is the generally accepted official stance of the Catholic Church. Pope John Paul said a decade back that he has officially accepted Evolution. On another note, I would believe Evolution anyway. I refuse to be "that guy", the one who lives in ignorance and "consecrates" himself from basic knowledge. I've studied Evolution and have decided for myself that it is true. Also anyone who has read Genesis thoroughly and has read the first few chapters in the original Hebrew would no beyond doubt that there is no quarrel between Evolution and Christianity.
On March 15 2011 06:01 SiegeMode wrote:
Out of curiosity, why do you consider yourself Catholic when you're consciously "all over the board" theologically? The catechism is clear that this is NOT OK, unless you're one of those folks who thinks you can "interpret" your way out of the plain meanings of scripture and church teachings.
Also, you seem very proud of yourself for reading scripture. That's a nice starting point for our protestant brothers, I guess, but do you read the fathers?
I feel very strongly that denominations encompass all Christians. We have denominations for everything. I also feel that I can't completely agree with all 2865 articles of the Catechism. I don't think anyone really does. If everyone read it cover to cover they would find something that they didn't really like. I consider myself Catholic because I put large emphasis on tradition, rather that scripture alone.
Also, I do read the Fathers. The defining point of Christianity was in 325 AD, at the Nicene Council. I own EVERY SINGLE WRITING of the Ante-Nicene era. Well, actually, theres this guy named Origen, who wrote about 6000 letters, and most of them haven't been translated to English. But other than him, I have everything. Since I put such an emphasis on tradition, I feel that I should know what the early Christians thought.
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On March 15 2011 06:02 TheGreatWhiteHope_ wrote:
I think believing that everything is going to be alright and that everything happens for a reason, coupled with the promise of everlasting life in exchange for blind faith appeals to more people than accepting the obvious.
Duh.
On March 15 2011 06:46 happyft wrote:
I'm rather shocked. You don't believe in Hell nor that the Word is completely true? So where do people who don't believe in Jesus go? And if the Bible is God's word, then what do you think of the verse that goes, "all scripture is god breathed", and that God cannot lie? Very confused, please elaborate.
Lets address the Bible thing first. THE BIBLE states that THE BIBLE is written by God. It has no merit but its own. Therefore, if I don't believe that the letter written by Paul in which he says "All scripture is god breathed", is of God, then it immediately negates the idea that all scripture is God breathed.
Secondly, I don't think you need to believe in Jesus to go to Heaven. Not knowing or believing does not mean rejecting. Some people are so disillusioned to the Christian faith that no amount of evidence would convince them that God exists. A child who dies at the age of 5 from starvation, and never even had the time to THINK about whether there is a God, because he was too busy scrounging for food to feed his younger sibling, does NOT go to Hell. Thats not biblical.
That being said, he appears to be more of a Casual Christian, or a "Christian out of tradition", although I'm definitely interested in hearing his responses to our questions so that he can provide clarity
I was raised in the Catholic Church, but I was consciously atheist at the age of 5. I was a deep thinker. I was atheist until 2008.
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On March 15 2011 07:10 GeneralissimoNero wrote:Show nested quote +On March 15 2011 05:40 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:Hi GeneralissimoNero, I've got two questions for you, considering you don't seem to be closed-minded and you seem to be a breath of fresh air (very different in opinion from most religious people I've talked to recently): 1. Are there any scientific facts or theories that you reject on religious grounds (like evolution or the big bang)? 2. Why do you believe in God and, in particular, the Christian god (as opposed to any other deities)? Thanks I look forward to your responses. I do not reject Evolution or the Big Bang. You may not know this, but this stance is the generally accepted official stance of the Catholic Church. Pope John Paul said a decade back that he has officially accepted Evolution. On another note, I would believe Evolution anyway. I refuse to be "that guy", the one who lives in ignorance and "consecrates" himself from basic knowledge. I've studied Evolution and have decided for myself that it is true. Also anyone who has read Genesis thoroughly and has read the first few chapters in the original Hebrew would no beyond doubt that there is no quarrel between Evolution and Christianity.
I am indeed aware that the Catholic Church officially accepts evolution (and that multiple recent popes have said this), and I'm glad that you do too Would you mind answering my second question, which is really two parts? Here it is again:
Why do you believe in God and, in particular, the Christian god (as opposed to any other deities)?
Thanks!
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On March 15 2011 07:22 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:I am indeed aware that the Catholic Church officially accepts evolution (and that multiple recent popes have said this), and I'm glad that you do too Would you mind answering my second question, which is really two parts? Here it is again: Why do you believe in God and, in particular, the Christian god (as opposed to any other deities)? Thanks!
The first part is kinda tough. I believe in God, not because of one thing, but because of many. I have many reasons to believe that God doesn't exist, also. So really I don't know if I can give you one concise answer.
As for the second part, its a bit easier. I have studied other religions quite seriously, and know for a fact that Christianity has much more evidence to its name then others. To assess Mormonism, it is on the word of Joseph Smith alone that we must believe him. That he was confronted by Moroni. For Islam, it is on the word of Muhammad alone. He was confronted in a cave by Gabriel, and we must believe him. Christianity is quite different. Yes we must believe on Jesus' merit alone that he is God. However, unlike the Book of Mormon, written by one man, or the Qu'ran, written by one man, we have the New Testament, written by many, all of whom were eyewitnesses to the ministry of Jesus. We also have people claiming that Jesus was resurrected, and we have them willing to die horrible deaths for that claim. Thats just the tip of it, I guess.
Edit: I am aware that the Qu'ran was not actually written by Muhammad, but were just a record of his sayings written 25 years later. I consider it entirely similar to the Book of Mormon though. It is on the word of Muhammad, filtered through his scribes.
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On March 15 2011 07:18 GeneralissimoNero wrote:
Lets address the Bible thing first. THE BIBLE states that THE BIBLE is written by God. It has no merit but its own. Therefore, if I don't believe that the letter written by Paul in which he says "All scripture is god breathed", is of God, then it immediately negates the idea that all scripture is God breathed.
Interesting point. If the bible has no merit but it's own, and if you (or I, for that matter) believe one part of it is false, what legitimizes the rest of it? Why is it worth believing or studying if you get to pick which parts are true and which parts aren't?
And with regard to your previous question, yes I do think paying tithing to the Catholic church is hard to justify. They are already one of the wealthiest organization in the history of mankind, and they've been proven dozens and dozens of times to financially support pedophiles.
But that's not a point I feel worth discussing in this topic or in general on this website. I'm much more interested in your interpretation of the bible and how/why you believe it to be true
Edit: Ah, I just read your post above mine. Consider this:
Let's just say we assume Joseph Smith "wrote" the book of Mormon, and that Muhammad's words were more or less transcribed accurately into the Qu-ran. These holy texts, then, were written by one person, whereas the Bible was written by multiple accounts, which gives it more merit (this is what you believe, right? I don't want to misinterpret.)
My counterpoint would be that Jesus is no different from Joseph Smith or Muhammad except that he got his account recognized by more than one literate person. Furthermore, there are inconsistencies between the different accounts of the events in the Bible. If anything, shouldn't this remove merit from the Bible in favor of the other texts?
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I am a Christian and I also believe in God. It's interesting to me how quickly people who think they are so intelligent are so dismissive of the existence of god. "I believe in science" is always a classic argument. There is actually no science that contradicts the existence of god. I'm talking about the mere existence of god, not any specific religions or whatever. I don't mind if people have a different view on god from me. (I also have nothing against you if you don't believe in god. People are free to come to their own conclusions.) People just seem to think that belief in god directly correlates with stupidity, and the smart people like to pretend they know better than others.
First, an argument against belief in god is burden of proof. People always say prove it or god doesn't exist. This argument isn't particularly effective in my opinion because I can't prove anyone's existence besides my own. I can't actually prove you exist, or anything exists besides myself, but the fact that I think, and that I think about these things, is enough to tell me they exist and justify my beliefs in their existence from a logical standpoint.
Basically, how could I think up something that does not exist if I exist? Here I will preemptively argue against stuff like unicorns by saying they are clearly grounded in reality, like from a horse or whatever.
The second argument I hear is this: why does god let so much pain and suffering occur? Because ultimately, life is finite while heaven is infinite. So let's look at this from a mathematical standpoint. Let's say suffering in this world = -5000 units of pleasure. Now pleasure in heaven = infinity. Infinity-5000=infinity. Also, the fact that people have experienced suffering during life allows them to recognize happiness and bliss.
But how do you know heaven exists? Well, I don't pretend like there is a physical place up in the sky where we go to chill on clouds after we die. But I can easily believe that the state of our mind is permanent when we die. Clearly, we won't be experiencing new things after we die. If I am happy with my life when I die, then I will be in heaven. This can be simplified to if I did good things, I will be in heaven. And everyone I know, everything I did, will be forever preserved as such.
Now, you might argue that you could be happy when you die even without believing in god. But how can you? You will always want to live longer if you don't believe there is anything for you after death. You can't ever be satisfied with your life. You might come to the conclusion that you can't have any more of life, and come to terms with said conclusion, but you would still readily accept life over death if you had the opportunity, and therefore you can't be satisfied. Therefore, you won't be truly happy with the fact that you are dying, and therefore you won't be in heaven.
Life is so short. Basically, I wish people would believe that life is not meaningless or trivial, which it would be if nothing existed permanently, god.
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On March 15 2011 06:53 DoctorHelvetica wrote:
Are you actually a theologian? Do you study religion academically?
Since this year I've been putting effort into trying to get into the master's program for my school's religious studies department after I finish my commerce undergrad. I've been talking to various professors in the Western Thought area (including the head of the department) and I am going to be writing some research papers under the guidance of one of the professors I have become close with despite ideological differences and differences in our main interests (his focus is in Patristics and he personally is an orthodox leaning {specifically he is a Barthian} while I am interested in contemporary philosophical theology with a liberal leaning {Tillich, Levinas, Derrida}).
One of the main things I've learned ever since I truly dove into these studies last summer is that I really had no idea about what is within the academic studies of religion, particularly the anthropological and sociological streams. Even the people that really do have an interest in philosophy or theology don't actually know anything about what they talk about unless they've really studied it.
So are you in an academic program? If so, then is it under a secular department or at an explicitly religious seminary? What figures and streams of thought are you mainly interested in?
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On March 15 2011 06:53 DoctorHelvetica wrote:
Are you actually a theologian? Do you study religion academically?
I'm curious as well - theological studies are actually quite respectable and would, to me, represent a merit for your case.
Atm this thread is kinda like a "Ask me about being a Nihilist" thread posted by someone who never studied philosophy.
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EPT
