re: Report of Demon Possesion in Indiana

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I have seen and heard "unclean" spirits before. I've also seen them respond to Jesus.

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Or you think you have.

Or am I supposed to take your word for it? do you take the word of those who claim to have been abducted by aliens, or seen ghosts, or those who have had similar things happen to them but have seen it through the eyes of their own religious beliefs?

It's not that I don't think you believe what you think you saw. It's that without any evidence supporting your claim more trustworthy than your own (or the eye witness testimony of other humans) it's impossible to take it more seriously than, "Well...alright then."

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You obviously haven't studied much about Christianity. Don't mock it if you don't understand it.

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What exactly do I not understand about it?

The fact that half of it is base off of the pagan religions that came before it?

I promise you I know the bible better than most Christians

I am no bible thumper, nor do I attend a church, but I believe that science and religion can, and will, peacefully coexist. They are not mutually exclusive. Each may enhance an undertanding of the other. I choose to believe that there is a higher power than myself that gave life and order to the universe. If I am wrong... so what. If Sam Harris is wrong, I hope his ignorance is met with mercy.

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I promise you I know the bible better than most Christians

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And that's your problem.

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I have seen and heard "unclean" spirits before. I've also seen them respond to Jesus.

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I see your point, but for me it appears that there is simply no other plausible explanation to the origin of the universe itself. Why it even exists and what created the matter that led to the creation of the solar systems, planets and life itself. Scientists even maitain that it continues to expand ...into what. Those inexplicable questions are enough for my limiited intelligence.

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Those are all interesting questions for sure...but why speculate an answer when one is not obvious? I'm as curious about those answers as you are, but I feel no desire to have to force an answer there ("...I don't know, so therefore there must be some higher power") simply to make myself more comfortable. I see the appeal, honestly...it's just not for me.

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Carl Sagan's "hard truth" is nothing more than a speculative hypothesis

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How so? He's simply saying that if given the choice between the truth, even if unpalatable, or what appears to be false, but comforting, that he'd take the truth. I agree with him there. While it may make me more comfortable to believe that my consciousness will live on "forever" after I die, there does not seem to be any reason to think that other than wishful thinking. As such, as an adult, it's kind of my duty to accept what appears to be reality in this case.

I love the responses saying those who don't believe in demons are close-minded and don't understand scripture. I guess it's more open-minded to believe something you have seen no tangible evidence for, but were taught to be true at an age before you were old enough for abstract thinking and the abilitiy to rationally form opinions.

Can anyone deny that if you were born in another part of the world, your religion would likely be something different?

And for those who claim to "know" demons are real because of their own experience, or know god because of feeling his presence or speaking to him, do you think people ever attribute something to the supernatural that has perfectly natural explanations? How do you feel about those who claim to have been abducted by UFO's? Or seen bigfoot or the loch ness monster? Children are thoroughly convinced santa clause and the easter bunny are real based on their experiences. If you were born years ago in Salem you likely would have believed in witches and your subjective experience would show plenty of evidence for them being real because you only look for things that reinforce that belief. The question is how can believing in something you have been taught but have no actual evidence for make you open-minded?

For those who are deeply religious, realize that I view your faith exactly the same way that you view the faith of every other religion other than your own.

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The fact that half of it is base off of the pagan religions that came before it?

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Every statement you make is fallacy. If you don't want to follow Christ, so be it. But don't insult those who have actually invested their time to understand the faith more than you have. Following Christ has been a wonderful, uplifting experience. I know the Bible, but I also know the happiness that comes with this faith. I didn't always have it, but I do now.

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Every statement you make is fallacy. If you don't want to follow Christ, so be it. But don't insult those who have actually invested their time to understand the faith more than you have. Following Christ has been a wonderful, uplifting experience. I know the Bible, but I also know the happiness that comes with this faith. I didn't always have it, but I do now.

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Oh so you're actually going on record as saying that a large portion of Christian traditions aren't total rip offs of old pagan traditions?

I just like knowing just how wrong you are

Hell the two most important holidays in Christianity, Easter and Christmas, share the same dates and the same ideas as pre-Christian pagan religions.