Religion and Ethics Forum

In your post 39498 of the 'Searching for God' thread you said this:

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I have never denied that human will is deterministic.  It derives 100% from the conscious will of the human soul.

Now the word 'deterministic' means:

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relating to the philosophical doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes regarded as external to the will.

Which means that 'the conscious will of the human soul' has to be part of this deterministic process which you had agreed to.

However, now you say that you would like to alter the word determinism to leave the 'ism' out so that you don't have to go along with what you said before.

In my book that's called hypocrisy, Alan!

I came across these words on the voice for justice web site, and thought them very appropriate for this thread:

In this time of enforced isolation, which could easily have one climbing the walls with frustration and loneliness, perhaps there is also opportunity to draw closer to God, free from distraction. 
 
There is real opportunity here to close one’s eyes to the traumas of the world, and focus instead on Christ, seeking to know him better.  To hear his voice.  And as one does that, the realities of existence, of which we are so often unaware, come more sharply into focus.  To win God is to win all.
 
So there is blessing here.  In this time of self-isolation there is a real chance to get to know God and ourselves much better.  To discover strengths and gifts we perhaps didn’t know we had – to try out ‘projects’ that we’ve always wondered about, but for which up to now we haven’t had the time.
 
We are in the eye of a storm at the moment and there can be a real temptation to despair – to shout, ‘I can’t cope.  I can’t bear this separation from loved ones.’  And especially is this true for those witnessing from afar the agonies of a loved fighting for their lives on a ventilator – knowing they can’t be with in their precious last moments.   In that situation, hard as it seems, we really do have to trust God.  But the underlying truth in all of this is that this current crisis will pass.  There is hope.  There will be light.
 
In suffering we are called to endure.  Hard as it may seem, that is where the gold is tempered and refined.   So let us encourage one another and endure, confident that at the last the Lord will bring forth something infinitely precious – in our own lives, and for humanity as a whole.
 
Be encouraged, and be strong - in trust that at the last we will see the glory of the Lord.

In these challenging times, may the Lord bless and
 keep safe you and all those you love,

So instead of searching for reasons not to believe, why not try opening your minds to contemplate the reality of your own spiritual nature.  Try reading psalm 139 or John's gospel and allow the profound meaning of the words to sink in.  There is nothing to fear, and you may well discover something infinitely precious - the gift of faith.

I came across these words on the voice for justice web site, and thought them very appropriate for this thread:

In this time of enforced isolation, which could easily have one climbing the walls with frustration and loneliness, perhaps there is also opportunity to draw closer to God, free from distraction. 
 
There is real opportunity here to close one’s eyes to the traumas of the world, and focus instead on Christ, seeking to know him better.  To hear his voice.  And as one does that, the realities of existence, of which we are so often unaware, come more sharply into focus.  To win God is to win all.
 
So there is blessing here.  In this time of self-isolation there is a real chance to get to know God and ourselves much better.  To discover strengths and gifts we perhaps didn’t know we had – to try out ‘projects’ that we’ve always wondered about, but for which up to now we haven’t had the time.
 
We are in the eye of a storm at the moment and there can be a real temptation to despair – to shout, ‘I can’t cope.  I can’t bear this separation from loved ones.’  And especially is this true for those witnessing from afar the agonies of a loved fighting for their lives on a ventilator – knowing they can’t be with in their precious last moments.   In that situation, hard as it seems, we really do have to trust God.  But the underlying truth in all of this is that this current crisis will pass.  There is hope.  There will be light.
 
In suffering we are called to endure.  Hard as it may seem, that is where the gold is tempered and refined.   So let us encourage one another and endure, confident that at the last the Lord will bring forth something infinitely precious – in our own lives, and for humanity as a whole.
 
Be encouraged, and be strong - in trust that at the last we will see the glory of the Lord.

In these challenging times, may the Lord bless and
 keep safe you and all those you love,

So instead of searching for reasons not to believe, why not try opening your minds to contemplate the reality of your own spiritual nature.  Try reading psalm 139 or John's gospel and allow the profound meaning of the words to sink in.  There is nothing to fear, and you may well discover something infinitely precious - the gift of faith.

errr, yes!

is English your first language?

Your god, Alan, would be an evil, cruel monster if this were true.

FFS, how many more times? Nobody needs a reason not to believe, what is needed is the first hint of any reason at all to take any of your absurd, contradictory nonsense seriously.