blackbird

Well, I am only trying to show why one should believe God exists and he revealed himself to mankind through the Bible. It has immense importance. We are speaking about matters of eternal importance. You can't say I didn't try to tell you. My conscience is clear on that.

I didn't say I am getting a "reward" and you are not. I also didn't say my behavior is better; in fact it is likely worse than yours. The point I am trying to make is the Bible teaches contrary to most other religions, salvation is not by our works or good deeds. Many people believe their deeds and works will get them to heaven. This is a false hope. If you doubt what I'm saying, check what other religions believe on the internet. They have all got certain things you must do. Then check the Bible in Romans ch3, 4, and 5. and other places. Even Rome teaches salvation by works. At the time of the Reformation around 1540 they had the Council of Trent where they condemned the (biblical) teaching that salvation is by faith alone. They teach right up to today that salvation is by works, and possibly by some sacraments, which is a kind of works. Also, I would add that it is still a good thing to try to be good. I'm not questioning that.

"So God's allowing this to happen?" Yes. I would agree. Yes God allowed Trump to be elected. He permitted Hitler and Stalin. What the reasons are I am not sure. There are some things we don't have the answers for other than perhaps in a general sense. If you read Genesis and the account of Adam and Eve, you will find that they rebelled against God and disobeyed him by eating the forbidden fruit. As a result they fell from the previous state they were in. Because they were our first parents, they were representative of the whole human race. The Bible makes it clear all have sinned and the transgression of Adam and Eve was passed down on all of their posterity which includes us. So the world became a fallen race and that may explain why we have all the wars, Hitlers, and Stalins. So perhaps because of the fall of man, God allows the good and bad to become leaders. I am not saying Trump is bad. Maybe he is better than many others. He says we have the N. Korea problem as it is because previous presidents like Obama neglected to deal with it. They allowed N. Korea to proceed down the nuclear path without any opposition or very little opposition. So what is happening in the world may be a judgment upon ourselves in a general sense, caused by our first parents rebellion against God. They were representing the human race much like a President represents the people in his country. If he goes to war or whatever he does, he is acting on behalf of the whole country.

I hate to burst your guys bubble but the Bible makes it clear salvation is not by works. Read Romans ch3, 4, and 5. Ephesians 2:8 A feature of false religion is salvation by works or a "golden rule" or "ethical path". The Bible says our best righteousness are as filthy rags. Maybe it's because of that "selfish" thing, that we can't seem to shake even with best intentions.

I have already made the case a number of postings back, which you probably skipped. I have argued the only sensible thing is to believe in God. God is in control and you better start reading the Bible and praying for peace. That's why it is important to believe in what the Bible says. It is relevant for all kinds of reasons.

The U.S. is armed with nuclear submarines and aircraft loaded with nuclear bombs, plus the nuclear missiles that are land-based all ready to go. There are thousands of nuclear bombs and missiles. If N. Korea goes ahead with it's threat to strike the U.S. or any of it's allies with a nuclear weapon, there will be a massive retaliation, obliterating N. Korea. The UN seems powerless and China has done very little. It is safer to take the Bible seriously.

Genesis is not a scientific manual. It is an account of a supernatural event, which is the creation. It is not in conflict with science. People misunderstand because they try to look at it through a scientific perspective but that's not how to look at it at all. It is a record of the miraculous or supernatural. The way the world is now with North Korea and Iran, a nuclear holocaust could be not far distant in the future. The Bible prophesied several thousands years ago something that sounds like it could be a nuclear holocaust. North Korea's leader sounds like he is on a suicide mission, sort of like Waco's cult and Jonetown's suicide mission. North Korean's leader is worshiped as a kind of god; it is similar to a cult that is ready to sacrifice themselves for what they believe. Iran is starting to get their backs up as well. Their Ayatollah may also be on a mission. All this doesn't bode well. The cults that opted for suicide in Waco and South America involved hundreds or a thousand people in S America. A suicide mission with nuclear weapons could involve millions of people or worse. An atomic world war would obliterate most of the world's population.

I looked at a website that gives a purely speculative theory of how atoms came into being. Contrary to what you said that science has the answer, it does not. It is pure speculation. Since it makes assumptions and builds speculation on that, it really is no answer. Science has no real answer on how the universe came into being. https://www.quora.com/Where-did-the-first-atoms-come-from

How can you say it doesn't exist when N. Korea has already set of atomic bombs and possibly a hydrogen bomb which might be 1000 times more powerful? Sadam didn't have WMDs but N. Korea has nuclear weapons and is working on their delivery system to enable them to reach North America.

If you say the state of the universe is not at all in favour of a designer, let me ask you how would you explain the incredibly amazing structure and functioning of atoms or molecules for example? You know an atom is said to be made of protons, neutrons, and electrons which orbit it. Where did they come from. Such as amazing thing that unites with other atoms to form molecules. These make up the structure of an infinite number of things. All this is something you should consider that it could not exist without a designer who created it. It's pure logic. I can't see why anyone would not believe that. There is no alternate explanation. There is the amazing fact how different molecules react with other molecules to form chemical compounds or biological structures. This could not have happened purely by chance. I would implore you to at least consider how this could have happened. Science does not even attempt to answer where the created matter came from which is the central issue. The big bang theory falls flat for several reasons. One is it still does not explain where atoms and molecules came from and very importantly the laws of chemistry and physics that govern how they operate.

Accepting variety in nature, where people are from or skin colour should not be a problem. That's not the same as different beliefs. Some beliefs should not be accepted or agreed with obviously because they are not good beliefs or may be harmful to others.

Now you are grasping at straws. Theologian Charles Hodge said in his Systematic Theology books all men have some knowledge of God. (all meaning in general, not counting those claiming to be atheist, which is probably a very small percentage of mankind) He gives three reasons: 1. Knowledge of God is innate "which is due to our constitution, as sentient, rational, and moral beings" 2. The knowledge of God is not due to a process of reasoning. 3. Knowledge of God not due exclusively to Tradition. The knowledge of God was passed through our first parents, Adam and Eve, and later God chose to reveal himself to Abraham and gave this truth by means of Holy Scripture to Abraham's posterity. "Knowledge of God being intuitive, cannot be subject to scientific proof." The existence of God has been believed by the wisest men down through the ages, is validated by the creation, and taught in the inspired Holy Scripture. If there is no God, then man is reduced to a mere animal and came about by accident or chance, which is an untenable and illogical argument.

ab absurdo

The reasoning is faulty to begin with. Your argument is based on the premise that the correct elements to create the conditions for life just appeared out of nowhere. Hydrogen and Helium are very special atoms, each with a very unique structure. All these atoms had to have been created by a Creator. They just didn't just accidentally appear. So the basic premise that life evolved is built on faulty assumptions. There had to have been a Creator to design all the atoms, laws of physics to govern how all the atoms, molecules, and heavenly bodies were going to behave. Just to say it happened by itself doesn't make sense.

Excellent subject you raise. I agree. Unfortunately I don't see any party putting forward viable solutions. Trudeau is a master at sweet words, but practically no action. He knows how to speak fair things that will appeal to minorities, but accomplishes very little. It's all talk and no action. Even an ordinary citizen has very little input. I've had the feeling for a long time, that communications such as letters or Emails to elected officials just fall on deaf ears, but maybe I'm being too cynical. One problem is that significant improvements would probably take a vast amount of money and then there is the suspicion that much of the money would be wasted in government bureaucracies or siphoned off by special interests and not get to where it should go. I don't trust government with taxpayer's money. I think they waste vast amounts and often make bad decisions.

The claim that science proves there is no God doesn't stand up. The Bible says God is a spirit. Science does not deal with matters to do with the spirit. I am sure you would agree science only deals with the material universe and with what can be observed or measured. The fact the Bible teaches God created the universe out of nothing answers the question of where the universe came from. Nobody has come up with any other sensible explanation. Something does not come from nothing without some external force or power. The answer that God created everything might be a difficult concept for some people to get their heads around, but if you accept the premise that there is a God who is infinitely powerful, then it is easy to accept that the creating the universe out of nothing was a supernatural event which God is capable of. Having said God is a spirit, his creation is measurable and observable. Science does deal with the created universe. However, it does not answer the question of how the universe came into existence and whether there is a Creator God or not, at least not in clear terms that you would want to see. So what evidence do you have which proves God does not exist?

You would be better off to at least admit you can't prove there is no God and take a neutral view. I think that's Altai's point. You can't prove your assertion so why not just say you don't know or there could be a God but you can't prove it either way. At least my point about the complexity of life and everything else and orderly physical laws of the universe lends weight to the argument there had to have been a designer. Your argument it was an accident has nothing to support it.

An accident cannot produce something as complex and intricate as the created universe. Even the complexity of the conditions to enable life to exist on earth had to have had a designer.

I have to give Altai credit for asking the question whether or not there is a God(s). This is a good question and the belief in a God or gods goes back in time as long as man inhabited the earth. Atheists like to claim it is irrational to believe in a God. I disagree based on the evidence of creation which is all around us. Atheists dismiss the evidence of the complexity of human life for example as if it were nothing worth considering. To those who believe in a Creator God, it is obvious everything in creation would have required an infinitely intelligent and powerful designer / Creator. Those who ridicule the belief in God show their own blindness because the evidence is all around us. Even the laws of physics which governs the movement of the Sun, stars, planets, etc. is an amazing result of God's design.

That doesn't prove to be the case in western Europe.

But the christian Bible indeed claims to be the very Word of God. Most christian churches will say it is. Personally I believe the KJV (1611) in the English language is the the only 100% accurate version in English. The other modern versions are corrupted for various reasons, but that is another subject

A bigger concern than DACA would be the situation with N. Korea. Total annihilation is a frightening concept. The possibility that N. Korea and millions of others could be taken out with nuclear weapons puts a whole new idea on the word crisis. It is beyond that. I don't know what to say about it.

Why is Quebec using imported oil while opposing the Energy East Pipeline project? Should cut off the transfer payments to them and stop allowing imported oil into eastern Canada.

The Heritage committee in Parliament apparently starts studying the motion on Islamophobia today. Ezra on The Rebel Media thinks they will come out with a law to try to stop "Islamophobia" in all federal government departments including the Armed Forces. What exactly that will mean remains to be seen because the word Islamophobia seems to mean fear of Isalm. How do you outlaw or ban a fear of Islam? We will see what they come out with.

Correct. People who find themselves displaced by lower paying jobs or are displaced by technological advances need to prepare themselves by making plans to get into another occupation or field and retrain. Society is constantly changing. Telephone companies used to employ large numbers of people to maintain and repair the old mechanical switching system in the telephone exchanges. It took a lot of maintenancemen to maintain, and lubricate those mechanical switches. When those were replaced with electronic exchanges in the 1970s, people had to retrain or transfer to other jobs in the company or retire if they had enough time. The new technology probably reduced the workforce to 10% of what they had before in the telephone exchanges. But they still needed a lot of employees in all kinds of other jobs in the company. But newer technologies create some jobs in computer sciences, programming skills and software/hardware engineering. The days of the small town shoemaker, candlestick maker, and blacksmith are gone. Barbers are still needed though. I know a barber who was once a janitor in the hospital but when they announced they were laying off because of government cutbacks and he wouldn't have a job, he re-trained maybe twenty years ago to be a barber and has not regretted it a bit. He said cleaning up blood, etc. in the hospital was not a pleasant job. Now he has good working hours and can choose his own days off and gets to chew the fat with all the customers. It's an easy stress free job. Another barber I know hires a replacement in the winter and takes off to his mobile home in Arizona.