For Miracle

"Miracle" <GetLost DeleteThis @yourexpense.com> wrote in message
news:12ca0q7bs09c555@news.supernews.com...
> Andy Smith wrote:
>> ..Well, I just googled what's been going on, and I was shocked to
>> read about your lung cancer. That disease took my grandfather, father
>> and uncle. My mom survived throat cancer. All from smoking, but that
>> is spilt milk. When stuff like this happens at my wife's workplace,
>> they usually say "I'll put you on my prayer list", but I want to do
>> better than that. I will pray 7 times every day for 7 days. I know it
>> sounds stupid and sappy, but I'm way past caring who thinks I'm
>> stupid or sappy. Each day I will pray:
>> That each day God bring you renewed hope.
>>
>> That every day God brings you laughter and joy.
>>
>> That every day God gives you comfort and relief.
>>
>> That every day you feel loved.
>>
>> That every day your wisdom increases
>>
>> That every day you behold beauty.
>>
>> And finally that God remembers your name and shows His power by
>> making a miracle for Miracle.
>>
>> Just remember that God can do anything, Miracle. Best wishes to you
>> and your family.
>>
>> Andy
>
>
> Andy, atheist that I am, I thank you for your prayers. I figure
> it this way- it's like chicken soup: It might not help, but it sure
> couldn't hurt!
>
> I dig the part about "way past caring who thinks I'm ......". At a
> certain point in life, if you're smart, this dawns on us and we begin
> to *really* live our life.
>
> --
> {{{{{HUGZ!}}}}}
>>^,,^< Miracle
>
>

Athiest huh? Well, I've heard that there's no atheists in foxholes!

I work with a young russian woman who was raised to be an atheist. But when
her baby daughter had life-threatening illness, she ended up telling her
that little children who die go straight to heaven.

I used to think that the Bible was just fairy tales and myth...before I read
it. Now I realize that God is real and all kinds of strange and wonderful
things have actually happened right here on this earth. It's not what I
thought it was at all. Freaked me out for sure. A real page turner once you
get into it. I'm on my second read through. I really dig the old testament.
An incredible, epic story, with many surprizes. Did you know that there's a
talking donkey in there? I love that part. The donkey is granted the power
to speak so that he can ask his master "why are you beating me?" Sweeeet.

But I'm not one of those people who thinks that you have to believe all the
correct things in order to get to heaven, so I wouldn't try to recruit you
for Yeshua (Jesus). Heck, God favored Nebuchadnezzar, and he was a pagan!

Andy
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"Andy Smith" <andygwen RemoveThis @bellsouth.net> wrote in news:Kcbxg.27086$iP1.6748
@bignews2.bellsouth.net:

> Athiest huh? Well, I've heard that there's no atheists in foxholes!

I don't like the term "atheist" because it's so widely misunderstood. (Most
people think it means an active belief in the non-existence of gods, not
the passive lack of belief in their existence.) So I describe myself as a
"skeptic".

I also like Stephen Roberts' formulation:

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours."

How do the atheists in the foxholes decide which gods to believe in?

> But I'm not one of those people who thinks that you have to believe
> all the correct things in order to get to heaven

What is it that leads millions of Christian scholars to believe the
opposite?

I was just reading a science fiction time travel story in which 17th
century Lutherans are debating whether to allow rival Lutherans with subtly
different beliefs to worship in their parish. It's in the first volume of
the Grantville Gazette, a collection of stories about Eric Flint's 1632
universe:

http://www.baen.com/chapters/W200411/0743488601.htm?blurb
 >> Stay informed about: For Miracle 

Andy Smith wrote:
> I used to think that the Bible was just fairy tales and myth...before I read
> it. Now I realize that God is real and all kinds of strange and wonderful
> things have actually happened right here on this earth. It's not what I
> thought it was at all. Freaked me out for sure. A real page turner once you
> get into it. I'm on my second read through.

I should read it fully myself at some point, it being a rather important
work. But there is no one god. To deny all the others would be saying
that people's claims were wrong without presenting a more (or less)
credible counterclaim, and that's just playing silly buggers.

Personal view (working on it):
Divinity is a human aspect. What you may perceive to be the glory of God
is simply the glory of a man or men(m/f) . Helping someone in need, or
walking away, or actively hurting someone or some thing; none of that
is, ultimately, directed by anyone other than you. Your actions and
inactions define the world you live in, and so you are your world's god
or devil. And everyone else has their world to live in. Mostly these
overlap and influence each other.

The Bible is a book penned by other men, other gods. It does not teach,
being a book, but you can learn from it. To say that what you learn from
the Bible is the TRVTH would be to deny your own ability to shape the
world to your vision, and that's a real shame.

> But I'm not one of those people who thinks that you have to believe all the
> correct things in order to get to heaven, so I wouldn't try to recruit you
> for Yeshua (Jesus). Heck, God favored Nebuchadnezzar, and he was a pagan!

Believing the correct thing is actually a Christian/Islam (Chrislam?)
thing. Pagans, at the time Christianity started, just considered it
important for themselves that the gods were honored, and didn't care
what you actually thought of them.

--
Frank
Feeling pedantic, philosophical and tired, and taking this all way too
seriously for a tuesday night. So take it with a grain of salt.
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Andy Smith wrote, snipped muchly:
> Now, if you want to know who Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) are,
> then you have to read The Book. Hey, by the time you get to Joseph's
> brothers selling him into slavery, you can not put this book down.


Wanna make book on that?

Here's my humble observation of the night: You're going
to be mighty surprised when you first meet the Mother God.

And that, I think, is all I want to add to this convesation.


--
>^,,^< Miracle
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Miracle wrote:
> And that, I think, is all I want to add to this convesation.
>


F00king spell check.

Make that "conversation".

Sheesh.
 >> Stay informed about: For Miracle 

"Miracle" <GetLost.TakeThisOut@yourexpense.com> wrote in message
news:12cdrf39uj9n2f7@news.supernews.com...
> Andy Smith wrote, snipped muchly:
>> Now, if you want to know who Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) are,
>> then you have to read The Book. Hey, by the time you get to Joseph's
>> brothers selling him into slavery, you can not put this book down.
>
>
> Wanna make book on that?
>

Well, I couldn't put it down, anyway.

> Here's my humble observation of the night: You're going
> to be mighty surprised when you first meet the Mother God.
>
> And that, I think, is all I want to add to this convesation.
>
>
> --
>>^,,^< Miracle
>
>

LOL! Thanks for that.
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"Andy Smith" <andygwen.DeleteThis@bellsouth.net> wrote in
news:swzxg.32810$iP1.19244@bignews2.bellsouth.net:

> So you just don't believe that there's any evidence of God? I can
> understand that.
> Skepticism is good, as long as you do it in moderation. I wouldn't ask
> anyone to substitute my beliefs or judgement for their own. People
> need to think for themselves.

For the most part, sounds good. But why moderation? Why turn your brain to
half-brightness? Skepticism is just questioning and not blindly accepting
what you're told. That doesn't mean you can't make assumptions (because
usually you don't have enough data not to), just that you can't do it
permanently. Everything must remain open to question.

I don't buy the gods thing because it seems to me to be a cop-out, a way of
saying "I don't understand how this works, so I'll assume that a magic guy
in the sky is responsible." If I don't understand something, I don't need
to invent an explanation. I'm happy to say that I'm ignorant and still
investigating.

Over the centuries, the things that needed explaining by invisible beings
has shrunk. I could say that science has done that, but most people don't
know what "science" means in that context. "Science" is just skepticism and
experimentation. It's a procedure, not a belief, a way to converge on a
reasonable explanation that doesn't fall apart with the next set of
experimental findings. Science doesn't "prove" things. It's really the
opposite, a way of disproving assumptions, like shaving off clay until your
sculpture finally reveals what you intended.
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