I also have access to a dictionary. 
entropy-extropy
Duality of the universe.
Do you still not understand my point?
He can’t see the Abrahamic God … so what? Lots of things which exist cannot be directly seen.
But they can be observed. You assume there is air because you feel wind when you go outside. The idea of an atom and the electron was hypothesized since the days of Plato. I mean, there’s even machines out there that supposedly can measure if there is a ghost present in the room. (But that’s not my point.)
My point is, the Abrahamic God has never been observed. People hearing voices in their head, writing it down on tablets, and then forcing people to turn on a dime doesn’t work in the long run.
Also, God has changed his mind … a lot. Newer religions (that aren’t cults) picture God as more progressive and use modern science to back up their claims - something that older religions really can’t do. A subjective God to me doesn’t sound like a God at all. It is possible that a God could change their mind about the nature of reality, but whatever reality that may be always fits with the groups that have the most power. Coincidence? I think not.
That’s not what Carlin said in the quote.
Lots of people disagree. They either claim they had a direct experience of God or that they were able to indirectly observe God by examining the world.
You mean that people have changed their minds about God.
They changed their minds about science as well.
But Christianity was a fringe belief which grew and surpassed the Greek and Roman religions. What does that say about having power?
Emperor Constantine was probably the only reason why the majority of people on Earth are either Christian or Muslim.
Christianity had to have mass appeal or it would not have succeeded. One emperor can’t force a religion on a population.
Constantine wasn’t raised Christian. He converted.
Why, yes, he could. He wasn’t a president or a prime minister, he was an emperor. Around the time of his death, he persecuted many non-Christians and set the standard for Christendom at the time.
Yes, I know that, but he was also superstitious. He made a bet with God if he won a battle he would become Christian. He won the battle and soon Christianity, once considered a cult became the dominant religion of the Holy Roman Empire.
Poor guy didn’t give much credit to himself, did he?
It was probably just the bet which spurred him on to do what he wanted to do in the first place.
Yeah, opponents of Christianity love those myths … Nobody ever wanted Christianity. There was no Jesus. It was all a huge government conspiracy. Everybody has been manipulated and brainwashed. Etc.
I don’t believe that. Didn’t you just say that Christianity has to have some basic appeal to people? Having appeal and being brainwashed are very different things.
Okay, fine, you have a point. Constantine only allowed Christianity to be practiced in his kingdom. Christianity had to have some appeal to the masses or otherwise it wouldn’t have been practiced for so long. I mean, anyone who can save you from your wrongdoings by following an example of a “perfect” person must be appealing to some. Judaism is, “do this, don’t do that, because God says so.” Christianity is, “follow Jesus and you can do anything you want after that!”
Phyllo was displaying sarcastism.
There is no “after that”. Following means doing what he said … continually … through death.
There are a number of appealing ideas in Christianity. For starters :
- a God who cares about you and loves you
- perfect justice
- eternal life