Baptisms at the Athletics Complex

[TexasTiger 12,961]

7 minutes ago, Proud Tiger said:

You don't have to even belong or go to church to be accept Jesus as your Savior. And to a lot of young men, coaches have a much bigger influence than a minister.

That’s true. So is baptism necessary?

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

1 minute ago, TexasTiger said:

That’s true. But do coaches do baptisms?

Some do yes. Bobby Bowden for example.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

1 hour ago, selias said:

People claim to see UFOs, Sasquatch, Loch Ness Monster, etc.. it doesn't mean I believe them either. Eyewitness reports are not as reliable as their reputation claims.

None of them rose from the dead and was seen by their Mother and the disciples.

[selias 2,398]

Just now, Proud Tiger said:

None of them rose from the dead and was seen by their Mother and the disciples.

As handed down by an oral tradition. An even less trustworthy source than eyewitness.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

6 minutes ago, TexasTiger said:

That’s true. So is baptism necessary?

I believe so just as John baptized Jesus. It is necessary to confirm your faith AND receive the Holy Spirit.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

3 minutes ago, selias said:

As handed down by an oral tradition. An even less trustworthy source than eyewitness.

So you don't believe what the Bible says about Jesus being seen by SEVERAL people after His resurrection?

[selias 2,398]

2 minutes ago, Proud Tiger said:

So you don't believe what the Bible says about Jesus being seen by SEVERAL people after His resurrection?

Not in the least.

BTW, what did you think of the relativistic impact on GPS?

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

10 minutes ago, selias said:

Due to general relativity, the clocks in the satellites are slower than the clocks on earth. Without making corrections to those clocks, GPS positioning would be inaccurate. Let me dig up a link for you. It's really kinda cool

Here you go.

http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast162/Unit5/gps.html

Never thought about that. Just accepted it on FAITH? Hey gotta go watch some basketball. Enjoyed the discussion.

[selias 2,398]

Just now, Proud Tiger said:

Never thought about that. Just accepted it on FAITH? Hey gotta go watch some basketball. Enjoyed the discussion.

The math was obviously sound. Enjoy the game. War Eagle!

[toddc 13,194]

59 minutes ago, selias said:

https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/misconceptions_faq.php#e1

Micro evolution within a species is observable, but there is no observable macro evolution from one species becoming a new species, nor evidence of that. Which is what evolution theory is about.

[selias 2,398]

1 minute ago, toddc said:

Micro evolution within a species is observable, but there is no observable macro evolution from one species becoming a new species, nor evidence of that.

http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/sp.evid.html

[gr82be 14,440]

1 hour ago, MaxP said:

And I'm willing to bet those that do are overwhelmingly self described Christians. I value the separation of church and state almost as much as freedom of speech. Holding a baptism in an athletic building is a tacit endorsement of a religion. 

Actually wouldn't it be a free exercise there of which is what Jefferson said could not be prohibited?

[toddc 13,194]

40 minutes ago, selias said:

http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/sp.evid.html

Just because different species share characteristics in biology does not prove we “descended” from one to another species. It just shows similar biology works in several different species!

[PigskinPat 2,579]

1 hour ago, selias said:

As handed down by an oral tradition. An even less trustworthy source than eyewitness.

You do realize that the life of Christ is not just found in the Bible, that other historians gave account of His life? The same goes for His apostles.

[selias 2,398]

20 minutes ago, toddc said:

Just because different species share characteristics in biology does not prove we “descended” from one to another species. It just shows similar biology works in several different species!

You can lead a horse to water...

[selias 2,398]

3 minutes ago, PigskinPat said:

You do realize that the life of Christ is not just found in the Bible, that other historians gave account of His life? The same goes for His apostles.

Historians relying on oral tradition and eyewitness accounts? Color me skeptical. Give me testable evidence.

[aujeff11 6,243]

8 hours ago, selias said:

Historians relying on oral tradition and eyewitness accounts? Color me skeptical. Give me testable evidence.

Are you this skeptical against the theories regarding how something came out of nothing allegedly billions of years ago? Serious question. I believe there was creation with evolution as part of the master plan. I don’t understand why people have to act like the two concepts have to butt heads.  

I can understand why you’re skeptical about the existence of a supreme being. but rhetoric along the lines of “I cannot explain it clearly but something happened” isn’t much more of an argument than oral histories and folklore either. I am not even talking about you as I realize you’re not  chair of National Scientists Super Mensa Committee, but in general, all the answers I’ve heard are lacking the clarity and the perspective that would allow me to believe it and then defend it.

[PigskinPat 2,579]

36 minutes ago, selias said:

Historians relying on oral tradition and eyewitness accounts? Color me skeptical. Give me testable evidence.

Do you believe Alexander the Great ever existed?

 

 

 

[AUIH1 1,515]

Just win football games.  I am a struggling Christian, but our football coaches  are hired to win football games. If this helps win football games then so be it..

wde

[gr82be 14,440]

By Marilyn Adamson.                          We know God exists because he pursues us. He is constantly initiating and seeking for us to come to him.

I was an atheist at one time. And like many atheists, the issue of people believing in God bothered me greatly. What is it about atheists that we would spend so much time, attention, and energy refuting something that we don't believe even exists?! What causes us to do that? When I was an atheist, I attributed my intentions as caring for those poor, delusional people...to help them realize their hope was completely ill-founded. To be honest, I also had another motive. As I challenged those who believed in God, I was deeply curious to see if they could convince me otherwise. Part of my quest was to become free from the question of God. If I could conclusively prove to believers that they were wrong, then the issue is off the table, and I would be free to go about my life.

I didn't realize that the reason the topic of God weighed so heavily on my mind, was because God was pressing the issue. I have come to find out that God wants to be known. He created us with the intention that we would know him. He has surrounded us with evidence of himself and he keeps the question of his existence squarely before us. It was as if I couldn't escape thinking about the possibility of God. In fact, the day I chose to acknowledge God's existence, my prayer began with, "Ok, you win..." It might be that the underlying reason atheists are bothered by people believing in God is because God is actively pursuing them.

I am not the only one who has experienced this. Malcolm Muggeridge, socialist and philosophical author, wrote, "I had a notion that somehow, besides questing, I was being pursued." C.S. Lewis said he remembered, "...night after night, feeling whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England."

Lewis went on to write a book titled, "Surprised by Joy" as a result of knowing God. I too had no expectations other than rightfully admitting God's existence. Yet over the following several months, I became amazed by his love for me.       

[gr82be 14,440]

18 minutes ago, AUIH1 said:

Just win football games.  I am a struggling Christian, but our football coaches  are hired to win football games. If this helps win football games then so be it..

wde

You are not alone my friend. We all struggle and that struggle is what keeps us reliant on God. When people think they are in charge of their life and everything that happens is due to themselves and circumstances then God is left out of the equation. We are never given a burden we can't handle without God's help. That's a hard concept for the non-believer I suppose. 

[bigbird 60,572]

Pascal's wager

[MaxP 137]

9 hours ago, gr82be said:

Actually wouldn't it be a free exercise there of which is what Jefferson said could not be prohibited?

If it was not held on a governmental institution, yes it would.

[Grumps 3,704]

40 minutes ago, gr82be said:

By Marilyn Adamson.                          We know God exists because he pursues us. He is constantly initiating and seeking for us to come to him.

I was an atheist at one time. And like many atheists, the issue of people believing in God bothered me greatly. What is it about atheists that we would spend so much time, attention, and energy refuting something that we don't believe even exists?! What causes us to do that? When I was an atheist, I attributed my intentions as caring for those poor, delusional people...to help them realize their hope was completely ill-founded. To be honest, I also had another motive. As I challenged those who believed in God, I was deeply curious to see if they could convince me otherwise. Part of my quest was to become free from the question of God. If I could conclusively prove to believers that they were wrong, then the issue is off the table, and I would be free to go about my life.

I didn't realize that the reason the topic of God weighed so heavily on my mind, was because God was pressing the issue. I have come to find out that God wants to be known. He created us with the intention that we would know him. He has surrounded us with evidence of himself and he keeps the question of his existence squarely before us. It was as if I couldn't escape thinking about the possibility of God. In fact, the day I chose to acknowledge God's existence, my prayer began with, "Ok, you win..." It might be that the underlying reason atheists are bothered by people believing in God is because God is actively pursuing them.

I am not the only one who has experienced this. Malcolm Muggeridge, socialist and philosophical author, wrote, "I had a notion that somehow, besides questing, I was being pursued." C.S. Lewis said he remembered, "...night after night, feeling whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England."

Lewis went on to write a book titled, "Surprised by Joy" as a result of knowing God. I too had no expectations other than rightfully admitting God's existence. Yet over the following several months, I became amazed by his love for me.       

Exactly! Your story is just like mine (except you state it much more eloquently. So many people have exactly the same experience. When the Creator of the universe revealed Himself to me I only had two choices, 1. Believe Him. or 2. Tell Him that He was wrong. The choice seemed pretty obvious!

[toddc 13,194]

8 hours ago, selias said:

You can lead a horse to water...

You can shine the Light in a dark place, but if one closes his eyes he won’t see!