rationalskepticism.org

PensivePenny wrote:

SafeAsMilk wrote:

PensivePenny wrote:John, so you are a theist. And you imagine this god in a non-supernatural way? Do you mind indulging my curiosity?

Yeah, I did get a glimpse of your treatment by a few members and figured there was a history I was unaware of.

Well, John's a bit of a bullshitter. If you don't mind anything any everything off the top of his head, you're just fine. He does enjoy a bit of Deepak Chopraism though, where he takes a half-baked understanding of scientific concepts and applies them to, well, anything, whether it makes any sense to do so or not. It's being "creative"

I've noticed on several occasions if something isn't posted in just the right way, someone will read into it some bias that leans away from their own when they'd probably have agreed had they just asked for clarification in the first place.

Folks around here (myself included) can be a bit defensive, but part of it is the sheer quantity of trolling we've seen over the years. John's trolling is merely reactionary -- I think it's safe to say he believes in the bullshit he spouts, ill considered though it is. There's some nice ideas in there, like incense and magic mushrooms approach to Christianity, but it all gets a bit much when he gets all literal with it. Just look at his definition of God -- everything's from the imagination, yet God is an actual creator of the universe. Even most normal theists don't do that much mental gymnastics

Yeah, I get most of what you're saying. Even the troll sensitivity thing. But, John's posts were in line with what I was hoping to get from the OP. I like that even when I asked John about god, he even admits that part is weak. Personally, I've never known anyone with a translation of the bible that DIDN'T require creativity and mental gymnastics! As far as John's interpretation goes, it isn't as batty as most... even if I disagree with his translation. Have you read the whole discussion he and I had? No trolling at all. It was a pleasant conversation.

But, I do appreciate your comments SAM.