well then there's your side and everybody else's side or my side and everybody else's side. in which case there are more than six billion sides on the planet. i never said an agnostic is someone who cannot prove or disprove god. what i said was that an agnostic is someone who can never know either way.

your world might revolve around faith but mine revolves around the n/s axis. that you have faith and that faith leads to a belief doesn't mean that i have faith. two people might have faith that their marriage will last but that doesn't make it likely that it will last, especially if it's a second marriage for each as more than seventy percent of those end in divorce. so what value was the faith of those seventy percent?

i believe nothing. question everything. things of tomorrow are never true to me. the only things true to me are those things i experience. as i've not experienced tomorrow there's no truth there. probabilty and plausibility, even doubt yes, but no truth. what is said to ME about yesterday or thousands of years is never taken on faith by ME. i might opine that what you tell me is plausible or i might think it unlikely as i see certain scientific theories as plausible and god as unlikely. but unless i actually experience either they are never true to me. that would require me having faith that what you say is true and since i don't take what stephen hawkings says on faith why would i take what you or the bible or jesus said on faith?

If you view it as "two sides" then there must only be two people. Everyone has a different point of view. There are only "sides" if you are engaged in an argument. A "discussion" does not have sides.

well said jeannie.

You have indeed missed the point and your statement here shows it.

You claim that this is a place for discussion and sharing our "beliefs".

Fine.

But then what do you actually do?

You state your "beliefs" as if they are absolute undeniable facts and you even state that they are indeed "Truth".

You continually state: "Jesus is the only begotten son of God" as if that cannot be denied.

Fine.

But then what do you do when someone else states their "beliefs" in a very similar manner.

"I believe the biblical stories are fables"

You scream FOUL and INSULT!

"How dare you say that the bible is fables!"

Well sheesh!

I could react the same way to your claims of "absolute truth".

As long as you insist on demanding that your "beliefs" are "absolute truth" then shouldn't other people be permitted to present their "beliefs" in a similar manner?

What gives you superiority over other people to demand what is true, and what is insulting if held to be true?

Why should you be insulted by my beliefs, yet I'm not supposed to be insulted by yours when you demand that your beliefs are "Truth"?

How did things get to be so one-sided that only you are permitted to say what is "Truth" and what is considered to be "offensive" if it's held out to potentially be the "Truth" (i.e. that the Bible is indeed fables).


~~~~~

All you're doing is demanding that you should be able to claim what truth is and no one should be offended by that, but if anyone else claims what truth might be you start whining and crying, "Insult and Injury".

How is that supposed to work on a public forum where everyone is supposed to be voicing "Their beliefs"?

You belief that Hebrew Biblical story is truth.

I believe that it is fables and/or totally misguided superstition and rumors.

These are equally valid views cowboy.

In fact, as you well know, I will clearly argue rationally why I believe that my conclusions are perfectly reasonable.

And you're offended by that?