Interesting thread. [ QUOTE ] ...But if your conscious self continues on and you happen to meet this Ancient and eternal being, then what? I truly do not know, but better safe than sorry. [/ QUOTE ] Sounds like Pascal's Wager. That article actually includes several logical rebuttals that might be worth a quick read.
I'm surprised, you guys are actually having (for the most part) a mature discussion on a pretty sensitive topic. It's a good read! Here's my contribution: You cannot get something from nothing. "Nothing" does not exist even the black vacuum of space is something. So if there was never "Nothing" that means there was always…
[ QUOTE ] But God isn't determining it; the robber is. Regardless of whether or not he knows the future (a word and concept that only applies to our 3D world), the robber was the one who made the choice to do it. I don't understand how knowledge of an event causes the event to happen. [/ QUOTE ] It doesn't... but we're not…
[ QUOTE ] This is exactly the reason why I don't think you can use the Bible as anything other than a safety blanket - you can't just "pick and choose" which parts absolutely must be true, and which parts are a bit nasty-and-weird-so-let's-skip-over-that... it entirely defeats the object of using it as a source of truth.…