"On this article, I had the same reaction as I often do when reading Sellick- sometimes I'd be nodding along, but soon after I'd be shaking my head saying "What?"."

The you go, Trav, a point of agreement - though you probably won't be surprised if I say I'm unlikely to have nodded as often as you. Plus my headshaking tends more to the "What the…?"

The recent references to Karl Barth (which I have followed up) were most instructive - even if my take-home lesson is that it is some of the strangest religious nonsense I've ever read.

I've rewritten the subheading though: It is a pity that Anglican deacons are not fixated on the question of the existence of a God.

Futile was elided because I'm trying to play nice.

Less nice, but funnier for those who know the pronunciation, would be the opinion that it is like receiving a theology lesson from 'Barth' Simpson – but not as satisfying.

If a fundamentalist atheist was honest about their own depravity then they could admit the obvious that they are sinners. They would then admit they need forgiveness (obvious to any truth seeker). Instead they look to men who study boring topics and spend their lives trying to fit their observations into clearly failed theory such as evolution. Looking at the historic and resurrected Christ would just highlight how empty and bereft their moral relativism is. The rotten fruits of this stinking thinking is highlighted throughout history non more so than today. Atheism is more about justifying hollow sinful lifestyles than science or anything else for that matter. That is why Christ the giver of life is the predominant target for their cynicism and mockery. Occasionly Mohammed or Buddha might get a mention just to 'prove' impartiality but just read the hundreds of posts over years and denial is written all over them. No doubt people left as hollow and unenlightened as they were before they forked out their fees. They will however feel that little bit more smug as to their non need of a Saviour. Pathetic really!

If you're an internet atheist and you think it is legitimate to compare Jesus Christ with the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus, then you are merely providing positive proof that you are not the rational thinker that you claim to be.

That's all you're doing, people. You're just telling everyone a lot about yourself. You're telling us you are not a rational thinker. If you want to provide us biographical information, at least make it interesting next time. Tell us what you did on the weekend

Trav - On what basis do you presume that I am an atheist? Because I made fun of your naive pieties!

The point of my comments was to show how the essay by Sells is completely irrational and entirely absurd.
The only thing real about "jesus" is the shape of the word on a page or computer screen, and the sound you make when you say or use the word.

Substitute the name word RALPH for "jesus" and "god" and you might begin to see how absurd and arbitrary our brain created language games really are.

In the "beginning" (whenever and wherever that was) RALPH "created" the world.

Everything else is a naive childish, even infantile presumption, a mass of silliness. All of which complete disappears every night when "you" enter the state of deep formless and dreamless sleep, and are thus relieved of the stress of having to deal with the essential horror of this death saturated world.

peter/quote...""by its nature...a question that resists solution because by positing an entity..in the world""

an entity..which has many validations
[the personal good sustaining life..[science cant claim naturs nurture]

.."""any discussion..must be according to
the precepts of scientific reason,..i.e. it is evidence based.""

nice folks
but decieved..by a bad theory

just like they cant concieve a greater good [god]

hey guys im with you
better no church...than one serving the ignorance

we KNOW*..energy can be created nor destroyed

so here is a link...to what happens next
[ie what the church should be teaching]
http://forum.worldfreemansociety.org/viewtopic.php?f=198&t=13287

here is what happend to sir laurence[of arabia]..at his death
http://forum.worldfreemansociety.org/viewtopic.php?f=198&t=13286

here is what happend to the 'dead' from the titanic
http://forum.worldfreemansociety.org/viewtopic.php?f=198&t=13310

here is a photo
of the greater 'he-aven/he-ll'
http://forum.worldfreemansociety.org/viewtopic.php?f=198&t=13311

lets bbe brave
present our kids the full facts

too many lie to them as it is
who to trust[one good grace/mercy]

your inner god
spoil you..spoil god

but its so much better when you see the good..in other
and decide to heck with it..im going to try to love other

>>That's all you're doing, people. You're just telling everyone a lot about yourself. You're telling us you are not a rational thinker.<<

But your faith in the good lord Jesus Christ specially blesses you with the gift of reason? I think you might be stretching the truth there Trav. So let's see your rational proof of the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth. This should be good.

Cheers,

Tony