Materialism is an unsupported claim just like supernaturalism. There could certainly be a plane of existence that is not material. It is not rediculous to consider such notions. Invoking a God to terminate the infinte regress does not add more problems than it solves. A God would be non-material. There are no moving parts to explain or describe, it is actually the anti-thesis of complication.

I hate to sound rude, but evolution is a few steps beyond theory at this point. especailly in the realm of genetics. It is simpily the best explaination of currently presented facts. It could be untrue, but I think most scientists are willing to take that in stride. I don’t see many avid supporters of evolution, just people like me who are like “I don’t want to believe this, but it makes sense, so let’s give it some creedence.”

I would say that some of christianity’s core concepts are good. Loving all people, we are all related(EVOLUTION!), casting away materialism, humbeness; all of these are fantastic.
I just think it is not true that there is a being watching us at all time, that we will be alive after we die, and that there was a fellow a couple thousand years back who could do miracles and rise from the dead.
No matter who says it, there is no reasonable evidence for those.

Yes, you’re right. Its really wrong what i did: to say that some scholars think christianity is true. It really doesnt matter who thinks it, but if the thinking is straight. But i think christianity is straight thinking as well as evolution and that s not based on “a few” [:)] books.

I agree on your point about evolution. But i have read a few scholars that show christianity to be as solid.

@lucasdasilvemaria. i would ask, how many evangelical pastors do you know? because i happen to know many, and out of those that i know there are about the same amount of ‘level-headed’ pastors as there are level headed secularists that i know. maybe you should interact with evangelicals a little more often

just keep searching for truth bro. you’re clearly an intelligent person, and I appreciate your reply about grace narrative.

i agree I cannot defend these beliefs with conclusive proof and a Q.E.D. stamped at the end, but fruit can be seen and there is a change of heart.

but For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. (ephesians 8-9)

faith is crucial. look to the cross and gaze upon Christ.

it’s exactly this attitude that totally undermines the assertion that the “grace narrative” makes it so that you “can’t feel superior to anyone” (39:55)

once you make the assertion that every rejection of Xianity is due to an immoral impulse, you then are definitely pretending to be morally superior.

furthermore, such assertions are cop-outs designed to make you feel good about your beliefs even if you can’t defend them reasonably or evidentially.

“The root of all rejection of Christ is the desire of self-will to reign supreme.” -Alexander Maclaren

Altruism does sometimes benefit the ‘wrong’ species, like when humans want to nurture an injured bird or cute puppy. Misfiring altruism still benefits the same species more often than not to grant it survival value, though natural selection can also favour ‘parasites’ that live at the expense of other species, eg birds feeding a cuckoo instead their own chicks, or human immune systems being attacked by viruses. Many factors can affect a species’ survival, including both altruism and selfishness.

Nope, human morality is the coupling of our higher intelligence with learned behaviour, so that children not only instinctively copy their parents behaviour (good or bad), but should eventually understand the reasons why something is good or bad in later years (unless their faculties of reason have been overwritten by uncahangeable ancient religious concepts of morality). Animals with instinctive empathy and altruism do not possess the intelligence to understand why their actions are beneficial.

we are all closed minded to some extent…i believe in Jesus for my life…therefore I’m relatively closed minded to things I don’t believe to be true. Others don’t believe Jesus to be more than a teacher..therefore they are relatively closed minded to anything other than what they deem truth. Christians don’t have much of choice in truth claims because Jesus said he was the only way..if we believe in him we have to believe what he says.

Time for me to be honest: I’m not sure I buy your implicit claim to be open-minded. How can you be open-minded if you have closed your mind to those answerswhich actually claim to be truths? Unless it makes no such claim and instead chooses to be arbitrary, the point of your reasoning is not to be reasonable, but instead to be open-minded for the sake of “open-mindedness”. Why compromise the prospect of truth for an open-minded attitude you yourself don’t even uphold…