Did Jesus Ever Really Exist?

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03-19-2012, 12:58 PM
antiquity

Quote:

Originally Posted by hadit

Yes I do, because I know God. If you want to find Him, you will.

If I want to find Disney Land I can always Google it and find the way.
03-19-2012, 12:59 PM
kellyb

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyclone Ranger

Perhaps,. but they sometimes happen to people who are dead set against believing in them as well.

Only in the movies, really.
03-19-2012, 01:01 PM
Cyclone Ranger

According to who? You?
03-19-2012, 01:09 PM
kellyb

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyclone Ranger

According to who? You?

Yeah, my own anecdata. It's a subject of great interest to me, though. There might be some actual research out there on beliefs and personality traits that predispose people to supernatural experiences.
03-19-2012, 01:09 PM
jwreck

Have you been haunted by ghosts Moe?
03-19-2012, 01:09 PM
Cyclone Ranger

In other words, you have nothing other than a prejudice.
03-19-2012, 01:10 PM
jwreck

Quote:

Originally Posted by kellyb

Yeah, my own anecdata. It's a subject of great interest to me, though. There might be some actual research out there on beliefs and personality traits that predispose people to supernatural experiences.

There's actually compelling evidence that stimulation to a specific area of the brain induces a religious experience.
03-19-2012, 01:11 PM
kellyb

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyclone Ranger

In other words, you have nothing other than a prejudice.

Anecdotal evidence and prejudice are different.
03-19-2012, 01:11 PM
Cyclone Ranger

Stimulating the brain with electrical current can create any type of experience, as can sensory deprivation. So what?
03-19-2012, 01:12 PM
Cyclone Ranger

Quote:

Originally Posted by kellyb

Anecdotal evidence and prejudice are different.

No, they aren't. As in the case of prejudice, a million pieces of anecdotal evidence still prove nothing.
03-19-2012, 01:13 PM
jwreck

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyclone Ranger

Stimulating the brain with electrical current can create any type of experience, as can sensory deprivation. So what?

Just pointing out that people's "knowledge of God" could just be a tumor. :|
03-19-2012, 01:14 PM
kellyb

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwreck

There's actually compelling evidence that stimulation to a specific area of the brain induces a religious experience.

There are a bunch of neurological explanations for a variety of supernatural experiences. I think belief systems determine a lot of how it plays out in tandem with the other neurological stuff. Memories can morph over time, etc.
03-19-2012, 01:17 PM
jwreck

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyclone Ranger

No, they aren't. As in the case of prejudice, a million pieces of anecdotal evidence still prove nothing.

Funny that you didn't say that after this post...

Quote:

Originally Posted by hadit

Personal experience. Basically, He brings you to a point where you have to decide whether you believe Him or not. He doesn't force Himself on you, because if He did, faith wouldn't be an issue. But I DO know this. God will always reveal Himself to the sincere seeker.
03-19-2012, 01:18 PM
kellyb

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyclone Ranger

No, they aren't. As in the case of prejudice, a million pieces of anecdotal evidence still prove nothing.

Ha! There is research:

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=...C43&as_sdtp=on

Quote:

That is to say, the subject's interpretation of his or her hypnopompic imagery is determined by
a prior belief system predisposing to a paranormal interpretation.

This just seems like common sense. If you're predisposed to not look to the supernatural, you're more like to just go "I feel weird. What's wrong with my brain?" if your cognitive processes turn goofy.
03-19-2012, 01:21 PM
optimus

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwreck

Just pointing out that people's "knowledge of God" could just be a tumor. :|

Or a sudden surge of DMT released by the pituitary gland.
03-19-2012, 01:42 PM
kellyb

More research:

http://personalitylab.tamu.edu/files...alJPSP2007.pdf
03-19-2012, 04:13 PM
hadit

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwreck

Just pointing out that people's "knowledge of God" could just be a tumor. :|

So what? A leg can hurt because it's growing or because it's bruised. It still hurts, but from different causes. The difference is in the results. If you want to claim that billions of people throughout history have all had brain tumors, go right ahead.
03-19-2012, 04:14 PM
hadit

Quote:

Originally Posted by antiquity

If I want to find Disney Land I can always Google it and find the way.

Very good, you're on the right track. Now, if you really want to find God, start reading His word. Not just the parts some atheist thinks don't make sense, all of it. You will see the way. Whether you take it or not is, of course, up to you.
03-19-2012, 04:18 PM
lily

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwreck

Yeah, I always loved that one. If you don't believe in God its because you didn't look hard enough. :rolleyes:

Nope, it has to do with one's attitude, as well as other things that can block people from God.

I've been wanting to write a blog post on this topic, because I see a lot of people with a very prideful, stubborn, 'God needs to prove himself on MY terms' mindset. From what I've seen, that doesn't usually happen. One would be lucky if God opened the eyes of someone with that kind of attitude. Where a person is heart-wise makes a huge difference, iyam.
03-19-2012, 04:20 PM
Cyclone Ranger

None of those hypotheses explain it all: there have certainly been people who have experienced spiritual epiphanies that can't be explained by hallucinations, brain insult, or drugs

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