No. More about her taking money from known criminals, her oddly haphazard theology of suffering, and her consistent and arguably dishonest use of funds to open new convents and missions as opposed to actually alleviating poverty. I'm not saying she was bad or that praise for her work is unwarranted. I'm simply saying that she, like anyone else, had faults. And, accordingly, "seeing God in her" is...too strong.
hmmm...I'll agree with you that she has faults...but I can see God in people who have faults. doesn't make them God...but I think we all have slices of that. To the extent she gave of herself for other people, I can see God in that. but that's more of a theological discussion. i admit i was unaware of all the critiques of her except doubt...which many of the writers of the bible had in spades anyway.
me?? like me the real me or me the BBS posting me? i'm here at the gym with brian cushing. he says hi.
Here's a start. Some interesting info about Ghandi as well. <iframe width="420" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Sc732uzUkw4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
a 10 minute clip of Penn and Teller is not the best form of succinct, effective communication in the internet age.
Sounds like an Ad hominem attack to me. Especially since you couldn't have possibly watched the video in the time it took you to bash it. And personally, if I truly want information about something I don't dismiss it because the material presented to me isn't succinct. Perhaps you're more willing to watch these. <iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UdYKsiredbM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="420" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HL8MDnuUsE4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
What if a study found that prayer actually had a negative effect on the sick? http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friend...yer-doesnt-work-christians-twist-the-results/
The one I was meeting for lunch at Guadalajara Grill before religion got in the way Tell Brian I expect a playoff run this season and another failed dt suspension next season
Dude, nothing at all was intended as a personal attack and I do live a very moral life. I do agree with most of Jesus' moral teachings. Thanks for judging me though. You do realize that this is simply a discussion/debate - nothing more, right? I'm sorry I didn't sugar coat the arguments as if I was writing to a two year old. I don't believe in prayer - so I pointed out the flaws. I think it's irrational to believe in god, so I explained why. Just because some people have liberal views of God doesn't mean their view is more correct. It is definitely a lot easier to get along with somebody like MadMax who is very liberal with his views... but like somebody else pointed out, I bet most Christians would see him as heathen or at least walking a very dangerous line. I'm glad there are Christians like Max, but if we're going to be discussing the psychological value of religion as a whole, we could wander all over the place such as 'speaking in tongues' or children holding up their hands and weeping at Bible Camp.
I was looking for that link to counter the 'psychological' argument. Thanks for posting it. Also, if prayer is only intended as a placebo effect. Why not just use a medical placebo? That'll probably trick a bit better...
The rational reason for cheering on the Rockets is that they represent your city - and therefore they represent you in a way. It might not be the most sane thing in the world, but it's quite a bit different than thinking something magical is going to take you away to wonderland when you die (and send people who disagree with you to a bad, bad place). I don't think anybody felt better except for the kid - at least from what I heard. So yeah, the little girl who thought she met Avril was happy. But I still don't think the right thing to do is to trick people into happiness. If the little girl had self-esteem issues, then she needs proper care and attention. Find a real solution rather than making her think she's hanging out with a rock star. I didn't make the claim. The claim from the Bible is that prayer does work. I am simply saying 'prove it'. And I'm not saying there is no God of any kind. I can comfortably argue against a personal god, but even then I cannot prove its nonexistence. But once again, I'm not making the claim. You're probably familiar with Carl Sagan's analogy called "The Dragon In My Garage". If not: http://www.users.qwest.net/~jcosta3/article_dragon.htm
The Fox News version of this thread: http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/1130350023001/what-do-atheists-do-in-crisis/
David Silverman is a double-edged sword as an atheist spokesperson. You can count on him not to back down, but he expresses his views with a degree of certainty that no other atheist I know or have even come across on the internet ever does. It's off-putting.
Agreed. His points are made a little too bluntly. But the host defeats his own argument: Silverman: There's no such thing as a "spiritual life". Host: "Of course there is!" Silverman: "No, there's the perception of a spiritual life." Host: "That is not a fact, it's an opinion!' If the disbelief in something that hasn't been empirically proven is "opinion", how is the belief in something that hasn't been empirically proven "fact" (as evidenced by his "Of course there is" outburst)?
I glanced at the study and will read through it later when I get the chance. That said looking at it the differences don't appear to be very statistically significant with only a 1% difference in those who received prayer versus those who didn't. A 6% difference for those who knew they were being prayed for is interesting but not significant depending on what the margin of error. Anyway if you are arguing against a psychological effect from prayer wouldn't the same rather than worse? Also a study of complications regarding heart bypass surgery might not be the best way of measuring psychological effects as their are many many other factors that could cause complications beyond one's mental state. A better study might be a survey of well being which could be measured both by asking those who were prayed for and those who were not how they felt mentally and also reinforced by testing for physical signs of stress. Many studies have been done looking at meditation which shows that there are actual physiological benefits.
