Started By
Message

re: Do you think human giants ever roamed this earth?

Posted on 1/1/25 at 12:47 am to
Posted by Rust Cohle
Baton rouge
Member since Mar 2014
2143 posts
Posted on 1/1/25 at 12:47 am to
You aren’t “forced” to believe that unicorns don’t exist, but rather, you simply have no reason to believe in their existence due to the absence of evidence.

there is a distinction between skepticism or agnosticism and faith. Skepticism/Agnosticism: When we don’t have proof of something (such as the non-existence of unicorns), we might suspend belief or withhold judgment. This is a position of skepticism rather than faith. It’s not about believing in the non-existence of something without evidence, but about not asserting belief in the absence of evidence.

it’s an important distinction, but may not be typical for people to be true agnostics and lean one way or the other on any topic.
Posted by Methedup77
Member since Dec 2024
288 posts
Posted on 1/1/25 at 6:41 am to
Innocent children go to heaven…so why are they born to suffer? For us? For them? Makes no sense. If they were to go to heaven they’d just be stillborn. If that’s the case why do some suffer horrible deaths and some die in the blink of an eye? How do you interpret that? Seems you’re reaching

Miracles are completely associated with god. Fact is it’s simply probability in a statistical model. Your miracle only happens in a low number. Say 1 in 100 million times. So we might be dead before the next person encounters this type mentioned but it shall happen. Of course that’s only for some of it. I don’t believe divine intervention took place. Low probability doesn’t mean no probability. It just means we nah not see it again in our lifetime.

For instance: a 1 yr old baby waking up tomorrow. Probably a 99% chance any 1 yr old wakes up tomorrow. High probability.

A 1 yr old not strapped in a car seat gets into an accident, low probability of survival however one will survive over the number of times it has ever taken place…
Posted by Stinger_1066
On a golf course
Member since Jul 2021
2899 posts
Posted on 1/1/25 at 8:23 am to
quote:

The translation is literally “southern ape”. So you do believe humans evolved from apes? If so evolution should still be occurring, and there should be many "transitional" forms that we could observe. We still have apes but none of them evolve for some reason.
Nothing observable today has evolved into a completely different species. It’s never happened.

quote:
Evolutionary geneticists have often experimented on fruit flies and other rapidly reproducing species to induce mutational changes hoping they would lead to new and better species, but these have all failed to accomplish their goal. No truly new species has ever been produced, let alone a new "basic kind."



quote:
Humans and apes share a common ancestor.


How did that ancestor get here?


OK,so "southern ape" it is. Humans evolved from southern apes (in theory - evolution is still a theory, not proven).

I believe the theory of evolution is directionally correct. Certainly more directionally corrent than any sky wizard creation theory.

How did that ancestor get here? Hundreds of millions or years of evolution, since the time when a random combination of amino acids came together and percolated in a stew of nutrients warmed by the sun.

Again, that is a theory, and I subscribe to it at a high level. I expect the theory will change over time and more evidence is collected.
Posted by Stinger_1066
On a golf course
Member since Jul 2021
2899 posts
Posted on 1/1/25 at 8:31 am to
quote:

Yet none of you non believers can tell me where the complexity of the human body came from? Why didn’t the first species have serious deformities. Like 3 heads and a heart outside of its body or 5 feet coming out of their head? Surely science couldn’t have gotten it that perfect right. Why do species have the ability to reproduce? Why would science care if there were more of something? A man built the automobile right? Well if you think about it the body is much the same as a car the way it functions


Because the very first organisms were single-celled. They didn't have heads and feet.

And we don't know how many other single-celled organisms may have come into being and never have evolved and died off due to environmental conditions not being right.

Or maybe they evolved for a period of time and then died off due to a variety of reasons.

Earth is what, 6 billion years old? There are lot of things that may have happened way back when that we will never know about because no historical record exists.
Posted by Stinger_1066
On a golf course
Member since Jul 2021
2899 posts
Posted on 1/1/25 at 8:39 am to
quote:

I think you are. Or maybe we’re both misunderstanding each other. You seem to be claiming that religious affiliation is determined solely by one’s cultural background and/or their family upbringing, as opposed to their own investigation and conclusion. That would imply that no one ever switches religious affiliation- which is easily disproven.


He absolutely DID NOT claim that. Go back and read his post again, very slowly so as to not allow any of it to go over your head.
Posted by Prodigal Son
Member since May 2023
1602 posts
Posted on 1/3/25 at 5:00 pm to
quote:

Not solely, but a majority, like the stats suggest 80-95%. Their conversions don’t mean they are more likely true(veracity).

Right. It also means that it is not an objective fact that cultural and familial relationships determine religious beliefs- which was my point. The fact that it’s not a guarantee, means that it is a subjective decision, rather than simply a consequence of being born into a particular culture or family. Though I don’t dispute that most people will go back to what they’re comfortable with.


quote:

The lack of conversion to people who are exposed to Christianity seems like a testament against Christianity.

Or a testament to it. The whole bible seems to convey this message of people choosing self over God.


quote:

I don’t believe in free will, or if we do the little that we have is predetermined

I think we have, essentially, limited free will. Meaning that we make our own decisions within a pre-ordained framework. For example, we often find ourselves in situations with limited options, yet we are fully responsible for the decisions we make.


quote:

We are definitely dealt a certain hand, maybe how we play them is in the margins.

I tend to think it’s rational that we can’t control our desires, but that we create them through patterns of decisions that are influenced by external factors beyond our control.


quote:

I think god and determinism could co exist.

Depends on how you define determinism, but I certainly think that if God is who He says He is, than determinism seems to be the best option.


quote:

I can wave off the problem of suffering with god doing god things

Then you’re well ahead of the game, friend. It’s probably the number one issue preventing people from accepting Christianity. I agree though. When you try to see it from the perspective of this life vs eternity, it seems plausible that all evil may indeed serve a greater good.


quote:

But divine hiddenness is harder, only cause it’s at the cost of eternal damnation.

For me, too. I can only speak for myself, but, having been a Christian, then walking away from the faith, and returning to it; that it was definitely me- not Him (when it comes to searching). I realize that means nothing to someone who has never known God. The problem with the excuse of hiddenness, first of all, is that it places blame on an omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent God- instead of on a fallen creation that is in direct rebellion to that God. By invoking this claim, we are placing ourselves in the judgment seat- a seat which we are not qualified to occupy. We don’t know the beginning from the end, nor do we understand how our decisions affect all of creation- which is why the core tenets of Christianity are faith and humility.


quote:

None of it is a problem if universalism is true

I pray this without ceasing! At least in some form. I’m not Roman Catholic, but I hope they’re at least right about purgatory. I won’t pretend to make a case for it (universalism) being scripturally irrefutable, but I just really really deep down hope that winds up being the case. I’m totally fine with God forging Adolf Hitler post mordem.


quote:

and Jesus‘s sacrifice was truly a non-transactional gift.

This? No. Jesus is God in flesh. He paid our fine. It absolutely is transactional in that sense. I get what you’re saying though- that it shouldn’t be relegated to your own un-informed decision; a crapshoot of Pascal’s wager. I would contend that we are fully aware of what we’re doing; which is freely choosing to put ourselves on the throne and effectively choosing our own fate. My greatest hope is that there is some sort of afterlife offer; in which we are fully informed and then offered a decision. But, as I am convinced that it is at least plausible that the Bible is the inspired word of God, I can’t advocate for universalism. I just really really want it to be true.


When questioned, Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God with all you have- and the second is to live your neighbor as yourself. Faith and humility. Everything else derives from those two.
Posted by jeffsdad
Member since Mar 2007
24164 posts
Posted on 1/3/25 at 5:34 pm to
Have any of you considered how life would be if God hadn't given us free will? What would that look like? You do something wrong and God slaps you upside the head. You want to do something wrong really bad but you don't because of punishment. Your heart is full of hate because you can't do what you want to do. IDK, sounds like no free will means you're a robot.
Posted by Howyouluhdat
On Fleek St
Member since Jan 2015
8939 posts
Posted on 1/3/25 at 6:45 pm to
quote:

OK,so "southern ape" it is. Humans evolved from southern apes (in theory - evolution is still a theory, not proven).



Why don’t modern apes evolve?

quote:

I believe the theory of evolution is directionally correct. Certainly more directionally corrent than any sky wizard creation theory.


Except macro evolution doesn’t stop. It went on for millions of years and then stopped when we were able to observe it?


quote:

amino acids came together and percolated in a stew of nutrients warmed by the sun.


And yet in 3.5 billion years not one new life form has been created from a single cell. Not in a lab or in nature. I’m guessing you believe in the Fermi Paradox too right? You surely have to believe another advanced life form does exist?
Posted by Prodigal Son
Member since May 2023
1602 posts
Posted on 1/3/25 at 10:50 pm to
quote:

You aren’t “forced” to believe that unicorns don’t exist, but rather, you simply have no reason to believe in their existence due to the absence of evidence.

Forced is probably not the right word. It’s more that you really only have two options when it comes to anything that you don’t possess complete knowledge of- to believe in, or to believe against. You and I believe that there’s no such thing as unicorns. But we can’t prove it. Yet, their possible existence is not dependent upon our belief. Insofar as that is concerned, unicorns and God are the same. BUT, unicorns are not necessary (I would argue that God is), and while you may argue that God isn’t either, I would contend that God is the only logical explanation that we currently have for things such as objective truth and morality, the beginning of the universe, the origin of life, the existence of love, and the hope of any accountability- to name a few. Someone/anyone/everyone may have other ideas about how we can account for these things, but it will be just as faith-based as what the Bible teaches.


quote:

there is a distinction between skepticism or agnosticism and faith. Skepticism/Agnosticism: When we don’t have proof of something

No doubt. They both originate from a perceived lack of evidence. But atheism is a positive statement: “There is no God.” Agnosticism is really just a see saw between theism and atheism, with an unwillingness to commit to theism, while effectively living the life of an atheist. At least from my personal experience.

I think that most Christians struggle with doubt. Some more than others, and for different reasons at different times. It reminds me of Mark 9:23-24

23And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” 24Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” .
Posted by Prodigal Son
Member since May 2023
1602 posts
Posted on 1/3/25 at 10:57 pm to
quote:

Have any of you considered how life would be if God hadn't given us free will?

Never crossed my mind.
quote:

What would that look like?

quote:

no free will means you're a robot.

Right. We have free will. But it’s limited. We have choices to make. The question is to what degree do we/can we affect which choices are available to be made.
Posted by FLBooGoTigs1
Nocatee, FL.
Member since Jan 2008
58725 posts
Posted on 1/3/25 at 10:58 pm to
Look I waited 20 pages to post in this thread so here goes.....,


what page the picture of the giant on? 20 pages shite got to be somewhere
Posted by tiger2180
Member since Nov 2015
465 posts
Posted on 1/3/25 at 11:36 pm to
quote:

what page the picture of the giant on? 20 pages shite got to be somewhere


Ask your wife baw! No one wants to catch the ban hammer and post a pic.
Posted by Globetrotter747
Member since Sep 2017
5347 posts
Posted on 1/4/25 at 2:03 pm to
Creationists expect a lot out of science and very little out of God.

Assume for a moment that Earth and all life upon it formed by natural means. I think we can agree that attempting to figure out all the details and dynamics of that is a massive undertaking and that our ability to seriously study the topic is very new. We have some answers now, but we will certainly have more in the future. Science is always progressing.

The creationist doesn’t have to be bothered with field work, research, developing new techniques and theories. He just says, “God did it… somehow.”

But I do have a few issues with “God did it” as it relates to Christianity.

1. The Bible speaks of Noah’s Ark and a global flood some 5,000 years ago. Now, conventional science could have difficulty explaining how Species A and Species B might have diverged 643.45 million years ago in what is now a desert in the midlatitudes but was a tropical rainforest near the equator eons ago. That is difficult.

But creationists propose an event that happened very recently and affected all life on Earth in impossible ways that are beyond ridiculous and have no support in contemporary science.

The notion that polar bears, kangaroos, anacondas, giraffes, tigers, and all other species (some would include even extinct species such as T-Rex) converged on a giant wooden boat in the Middle East that was built by a man centuries old and his family and that they survived a flood that covered Mt. Everest is perhaps the most absurd thing I have heard that otherwise normal people honestly believe.

2. The Bible speaks of Earth being a fallen world and that all death and suffering are to be blamed on man’s sin. This doesn’t really make sense, though, considering that species on this planet have lived, died, gone extinct for a much longer period of time than man has been around. Our ancestors also survived nightmarish conditions for hundreds of millennia before the Abrahamic religions were formed and anyone talked about Jesus and sin.

I don’t understand how Christians assert the need for Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross when the conditions that made it necessary did not happen as explained in the Bible.

People like to blame birth defects, cancer, predation, natural disasters, etc., on man and not God (definitely not God), but how can man be blamed if we were born into a world where these things already existed?

Why does Jesus deserve praise for supposedly saving believers from death if God placed us (through no fault of our own) in a frail, mortal state in a harsh and dangerous world?
Posted by RIPMachoMan
Member since Jun 2011
8604 posts
Posted on 1/4/25 at 3:01 pm to
quote:

The notion that polar bears, kangaroos, anacondas, giraffes, tigers, and all other species (some would include even extinct species such as T-Rex) converged on a giant wooden boat in the Middle East that was built by a man centuries old and his family and that they survived a flood that covered Mt. Everest is perhaps the most absurd thing I have heard that otherwise normal people honestly believe.


All those animals not only made it to the boat, but also made it back to their habitats

Always a great story though. Ricky Gervais tells it best imo
Posted by rattlebucket
SELA
Member since Feb 2009
12617 posts
Posted on 1/4/25 at 3:26 pm to
It wasn’t every animal. It was 2 of every “kind or sort”.

We as Christians believe He had just created everything out of nothing. Why would it be hard to believe he was able to make 2 of every kind walk to the ark?

Creation museum does a great job laying this out plainly
Posted by 62Tigerfan
Member since Sep 2015
5377 posts
Posted on 1/4/25 at 3:33 pm to
quote:

Do you think human giants ever roamed this earth?


Yes, it’s known as the Shaquillian Epoch by scientists.
Posted by FutureMikeVIII
Houston
Member since Sep 2011
1647 posts
Posted on 1/4/25 at 3:39 pm to
quote:

We as Christians believe He had just created everything out of nothing. Why would it be hard to believe he was able to make 2 of every kind walk to the ark?


Lol, we already believe nonsense why not extra nonsense. What a stellar argument.
Posted by rattlebucket
SELA
Member since Feb 2009
12617 posts
Posted on 1/4/25 at 3:51 pm to
Im not here to convince you. We serve an amazing God but I also recognize its considered folly to unbelievers 1 Cor 1:18.

If you do want me to present some sort of debate I would argue it takes a lot more faith to believe we are here by chance
Posted by The Third Leg
Idiot Out Wandering Around
Member since May 2014
12020 posts
Posted on 1/4/25 at 3:53 pm to
quote:

Watchers weren't giants. Their offspring (Nephillim) with the daughters of man were the giants. Lots of giant things in those days though. Trees were 40K ft tall and the archangels came down to cut them down before the flood. The Earth and human gene pool were truly corrupted. Animal slicing. Everything. True wickedness far beyond just some random bad decisions by civilizations. Fallen angels also taught women about makeup and taught men how to make metallic weapons and astrology, etc. Truly crazy times.



Posted by Globetrotter747
Member since Sep 2017
5347 posts
Posted on 1/5/25 at 8:23 am to
quote:

All those animals not only made it to the boat, but also made it back to their habitats

Delicate ecosystems that would have just been submerged by up to 30,000’ of water in the months prior to the Ark’s landing.
quote:

We as Christians believe He had just created everything out of nothing. Why would it be hard to believe he was able to make 2 of every kind walk to the ark?

Because animals cannot “walk” across oceans for starters.
quote:

If you do want me to present some sort of debate I would argue it takes a lot more faith to believe we are here by chance

Considering we live in an environment that makes us work for sustenance and constantly tries to kill our frail bodies at every turn with excessive heat, excessive cold, dangerous animals, poisonous plants, natural disasters, saline or contaminated water, and countless other things, I am inclined to believe it wasn’t all created special for us by a loving entity.

And “chance” is just a lazy counter used by people who prefer easy and vain answers to the big questions. Answers that originated with primitive men who knew nothing about the world and proliferated through religion.
Jump to page
Page First 18 19 20 21
Jump to page
first pageprev pagePage 20 of 21Next pagelast page

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookXInstagram