:)

[Compassionist]

Latest post of the previous page:

[Dave B]

As usual they can only answer in terms of that which is being questioned, which is no valid substantiation. "God is God because He says he is," proves nothing.

You will not win agsinst such, Compo, their minds are closed and it is futile to waste your time and energy on them.

Unless, of course, you just want to wind them up

I am not winding anyone up! I really want to explore different worldviews and I enjoy discussions and debates. I have been referred to study http://www.berenddeboer.net/sab/ and https://carm.org/why-believe-in-christi ... -religions I have begun examining them. If you want to and have the time to, you are welcome to check them out. Thank you.

Sorry, Compo, I was not suggesting you wanted to wind them up, that was the generic "you". Perhaps a case where "one" would have been better! There are those who enjoy the process of poking holes in the beliefs of others for almost malicious motives.7

However, if this is an academic study you seem to be getting very involved in it, is that a good thing? There comes a time when adding more data, especially if it is similar to ground covered before, but adds nothing new, makes finding a conclusion very dificult. One needs to confirm but there is no great gain in going over and over the same area.

[Compassionist]

[Dave B]

Compo, all thinking people have questions about life, about truth and fantasy and how these things affect them as individuals. So they may spend a great deal of time and effort seeking answers.

Sometimes the very "seeking" takes over from the original purpose - the same question is asked over and over again until the nuances become so cluttered that one cannot "see the wood for the trees". There is possibly no wholly accurate answer, or perhaps a different answer for every individual.

At some point the good researcher in such areas as this can only work on percentages, going for a statistical analysis, picking the big bulge in the middle of the curve. There are no hard and fast rules, laws, formulae in things like belief. Even if one is not carrying out an academic study one can still become inundated in the plethora of detail.

My concern is that you are seeking answers to your own questions by investigating the "answers" others have found. From my own experience this rarely works, one has to seek a dolution within oneself, seek that which gives one the least anxiety, guilt or whatever, the most peace.

I cannot tell you how to find that last etate, there are various methods from meditation on a personal, individual state of being that still fits into the world to complete surrender to a "herd" mentality where the person accepts a "higher" state in which he or she is merely a component.

Perhaps a further layer, at the personal end, is the "hermit" tendency, the withdrawal into some kind of shell (not necessarily of a religious nature) a seperation, hiding from all those pressures rather than coming to terns with them. This is the worst possible outcome, even submersion in mass belief might be considered better!

[Compassionist]

[Dave B]

I don't seem to find existence a burden. Life has demands if you want to live it invtge "real world", responsibility, taxes, ethics, morals and all tgat stuff. Once much of it did weigh me down but sonehow I git through ti it.

Now, perhaps because of the threat to my life that my heart attack was (and still is) I got a kick in the arse that shook me out if my introspective funk.

Tbe "new" fashion of "mindfulness" (a technique very similar to one I practiced about 30 years ago, but was not ready to benefit from then) is a good one I think,0. Becoming aware of the mundane things in life, and accepting and cherishing them, can help.

[Compassionist]