askyourmind

There is an interesting relationship between what we believe, why we “think” we believe it, our life experiences, and who we perceive ourselves to be. For some people the theory of evolution is no longer a theory and is now a part of their personal truth. Evolution in particular, but science in general, is now a shield between them and anything outside the domain of science like Spirituality, Creationism, Metaphysics, etc.

If you are a subscriber/supporter of evolution or the Big Bang, can you tell me at what point this transformation occurred for you? When did these ideas and theories stop being “just” ideas and theories and become your personal truth? Was this epiphany something that you experienced by yourself or was it the result of outside influence, peer pressure, or a professional necessity? I have also posted a separate question asking Christians and Theists when the Bible stopped being just a book and became their personal truth.

The reason this question is significant is because ONCE something becomes our “personal truth” we stop looking at it objectively and our ego feels the need to defend and protect it with the same fervor and zeal as we do any other possession that we hold dear. It is now, “MY” belief or “MY FACTS” and just as much a part of who I am as my arm or leg! This is 10 TIMES more detrimental when it occurs in the scientific community because it means that science is NO LONGER looking for other explanations! Great leaders, successful politicians, and snake oil salesmen know that once a person makes “a belief” into “their belief” or “an apparent fact” into “their fact” it doesn’t matter whether or not it is really true - - at that point they will defend it with their life! Or in the case of a scientist, with their honor, career, and credibility. Interesting, huh? :)

Agree? Disagree? Put on your armor, mount your steed, and let the intellectual jousting begin.

Please answer and star this question.

There is an interesting relationship between what we believe, why we “think” we believe it, our life experiences, and who we perceive ourselves to be. For some people the Bible is just a story or perhaps a loose account of ancient history, mixed with parables, metaphors, songs and poems. For others, the Bible is actually the Word of God and a kind of “Living Text”; no longer just ink and paper, the Words themselves are believed to have power.

If you are a believer, can you tell me at what point this transformation occurred for you? When did the Bible stop being just a book and become your personal truth? Was this epiphany something that you experienced by yourself or was it the result of outside influence? I have also posted a separate question asking atheists and evolutionists when the theory of evolution stopped being a theory and became their personal truth.

The reason this question is significant is because ONCE something becomes our “personal truth” we stop looking at it objectively and our ego feels the need to defend and protect it with the same fervor and zeal as we do any other possession that we hold dear. It is now, “MY” belief and just as much a part of who I am as an arm or a leg! Great leaders, successful politicians, and snake oil salesmen know that once a person makes “a belief” into “their belief” it doesn’t matter whether or not it is really true - - at that point they will defend it with their life! Interesting, huh? :)

Agree? Disagree? Put on your armor, mount your steed, and let the intellectual jousting begin.

One last note. My husband is a Christian and said that this question might be crossing the line. If so, I want to apologize in advance to my Christian friends because it is not my intention to offend. I’m just trying to stimulate thought and get some honest feedback.

Please answer and star this question if you think you have something of value to contribute. Thanks.

What child actually says to themselves, “I want to be a failure or I want to be bad?” At what point in a persons life do they come to the realization that they have decided to be bad or a failure? I agree that people may choose to do things that cause harm, but who actually consciously wants to be hated and despised or viewed as a failure by others?

We know that once a person reaches a certain level of self awareness, emotional intelligence or spiritual development there are certain things that are outside of the domain of their “free will.” In other words, they have reached a level where there are certain things they are simply incapable of thinking or doing. But, the reverse is also true. Until a person reaches a certain level of development they are incapable of making better decisions than they have made in the past.

Here is proof that no one actually chooses to be evil or a failure. First, none of us get to choose the time period in which we are born, our genetic gifts, our nationality, gender, or the influences that we will have in our lives. All of these things are “outside of the domain” of our individual free will, but these things 100% determine what “choices” we will have in life. Understand? It is our egos that convince us that we are the captains’ of our ships. In reality, we really can’t take credit for what shore we reach because we weren’t the ones who put the boat in the water.

The decisions that you make today are based on two things: One, your past experiences; two, the tools and resources you got from those experiences. The second one is the most important. We will continue to repeat the same lessons until we get what we need from the experience to move on. Nobody and I mean NOBODY chooses to be a failure, looser, or a bad person. Some of us are just better at extrapolating data from our life experiences than others. Understand? So in that way you can see that it isn’t so much a question of free will or fate as much as it is a question of achieving a certain level of emotional intelligence and self awareness. Free will isn’t what we think it is because our present level of understanding will always limit (either for good or bad) what we perceive our choices to be. Until you have the necessary “tools” in your tool box you can’t make better decisions and there is no way for anyone to give you those tools or “turn on the light” for you - - you have to experience the gain in wisdom yourself.

Agree? Disagree? Put on your armor, mount your steed, and let the intellectual jousting begin!

Please star this question. Thanks.

I’ve been told that my sin nature makes me “not good enough” for God unless I’m saved. That doesn’t make any sense. God is PERFECT, right? So why would God create something with the POTENTIAL to fail him! That doesn’t make any sense at all! A PERFECT being would NOT do that! There is no logic, reason, or emotion that can rationalize or justify why a perfect being would create something with the potential to fail him UNLESS that failure was part of his plan and that is just sadistic!

So why is it necessary for the creator to judge its creation? Can the creation exceed the expectations of its design? Of course not! And, the only reason it may not meet those expectations is poor craftsmanship, LOL!

Put on your armor, mount your steed, and let the intellectual jousting begin!

In most countries, children have certain rights; adults must provide food, shelter, and education. In fact, on the news the other day they were talking about passing a law that will put parents in jail if they don’t attend at least one parent teacher conference a year. If you don’t appreciate your children and take care of them they will be taken away from you.

Well here is what’s confusing. If you believe that God made you and has the power to destroy you if you don’t please him, have you ever wondered if God actually deserves you? Seriously! Just because a parent has a child it doesn’t mean that they deserve that child so if follows that just because God made you it doesn’t necessarily mean he deserves you. Would you terminate a friendship simply because they don’t agree with everything you say? Would you divorce a spouse because they don’t worship you? Would you burn your child because she doesn’t believe in you? Let me say it another way. If your child DOESN’T believe in you as a parent, whose fault is that?

This world seems to work overtime at making people feel inferior or unworthy. I was thinking today that maybe the people who are being put down need to turn all of that around. If children are indeed born innocent, maybe they aren’t the ones who are lacking; maybe it’s the world that doesn’t deserve them! What do you think?

Put on your armor, mount your steed, and let the intellectual jousting begin!

Is free will just an illusion? Does this maze called life which you are trying to navigate really change every time you or someone else makes a move or was the exit fixed before you entered?

Most people believe that we control our own destines and that free will is what gives us that control. I won’t argue that the decisions we make may “influence” the direction our life takes; however, since we don’t get to choose the situations life presents to us that influence doesn’t appear to be very significant and may be altogether irrelevant.

For example, you may “choose” to stop at the gas station to fill up your car and find yourself in the store while someone decides to rob it. You didn’t “choose” to be part of a robbery, but now you are a part of a reality that someone else has forced upon you! Suddenly the robber confronts you with a gun and asks for your purse or your life. Clearly, you have free will to choose, but who is going to argue with me that neither choice is very attractive.

Similarly, none of us got to choose our parents, genetic gifts, nationality, gender, or the time period in which we were born. All of these things GREATLY influence what “choices” are available to us and ALL of these things are OUTSIDE the domain of our individual free will!

Here is where it gets really interesting. Some of you are going to say that ALL we can do is make the best decision(s) with whatever information we have available. Folly abounds again because often that information isn’t sufficient; even when it is we may not have progressed enough to make proper use of it. Now, think about that for a moment.

My Grandfather has a saying, “Once the tracks are laid there is only one place the train can go!” Even the tiny free will that we appear to have is an illusion because any decisions that we make are done so with our limited understanding of the present situation. In other words we make the decisions that we do BECAUSE of our past experiences and the resources those experiences provided us - - that’s not really free will its “extrapolation!” In order for you to have made “different” decisions in the past you would have had to be a “different” person. More precisely, you would have to be the person you are today and that is impossible! Like Granddad said, once the tracks are laid there is only one place the train can go. Free will? No! More like dominos on a table.

Free will is enormously overrated even for those of us who try to think for ourselves since the ability “to make better decisions” can not be used in retrospect. How many children still touch that hot kettle on the stove even though their parents told them they’d get burned? I don’t believe in predestination, but free will is just as false. How can anyone take credit for the shore their boat finds if they weren’t the one who put it in the water to begin with? Free will? Not so much! Are you getting hungry for that piece of cheese at the end of the maze, LOL?

Put on your armor, mount your steed, and let the intellectual jousting begin!

Think you are an expert at love and relationships? See if you can get this one right!

What is the #1 reason you should marry someone you can love, but NOT someone you are in love with?

Some of you are pretty sharp so this time I’m not giving any hits! Please star this question so your friends can take a whack at it!

Good luck!

I heard this one from one of my girls today and I thought it was so cute. So why is there a letter between u and w? Because that’s just how it must “v” LOL!

I was outside talking to one of my neighbors who is also a good friend of mine. She said that she and her husband were going to Jamaica in August. I told her I hated her guts and she laughed and said it was the first vacation they’ve planned in years that they didn't have to share with the waffle-longs.

So now I was hurt because I was thinking if she was going to take some friends with her it should be my husband and me and not whoever these waffle-longs people are anyway. I know all my neighbors last names, but that one didn’t sound familiar so I ask my husband who are the waffle-longs and he start laughing! He says the waffle-longs aren’t a who they are a what. Then I asked what are the waffle-longs and he says you know, TWO’s. Okay, what’s a TWO’s, I asked. Then he says, you know kids, it’s a nickname like Tax Write Offs (TWO's), crumb snatchers, lice magnets, tag-alongs, booger eaters, fun killers, noise boxes, stink makers, germ breeders, rug rats, snot factories, and keeps on going with all these outrageous nicknames! Finally I said whoa stop, those nicknames are not very nice. Then he asks, didn’t your parents ever call you any nicknames like that when you were a kid? I said no they didn’t and he just laughed some more!

I get where a lot of those other nicknames come from, especially booger eater, LOL, but I don’t get what waffle-longs is about or why people call their kids that? Does it have something to do with long underwear? Cool Moms like me are supposed to know all this lingo so please help if you know the answer. Thanks! :)

I have wondered why Y!A only gives 2 points for answering but a dime (10 points) for Best Answer. Are they trying to say opinions are only worth 2 cents?

When you've put a lot of thought into your answer and your answer still doesn't get chosen as Best Answer are you disappointed or are happy with the two points for trying?

If you were to make a check-off list of the most important questions you should ask before allowing yourself to become emotionally invested in someone what would they be?

A lot of people don’t have a clue and just leap in a relationship and wind up with a lot more than just a broken heart. Of course, people can lie or simply just tell you what they want you to hear, but at least you made the effort to protect yourself, right. So what else would you ask that person besides do you have any STDs, are you married, do you have any kids, do you do drugs, have you done time, are there warrants out for your arrests, etc. Please give me your most complete list! Share your horror story if you like. :)

Star this question so your friends can take a whack at it!

Thanks!

True or false?

Okay so you think you are an expert at relationships? Let's test your knowledge and see if you can get this one right:

A relationship can not be successful without this one thing, what is it?

Here is a hint: It's not love. It's not honesty. Yes, those things are important, but this is even more important than that! There is actually only ONE right answer to this question. So, lets see how sharp your relationship skill really are!

Oh, star this question so your friends and contacts can take a whack at it!

Good luck!

What is the absolute WORST thing you can do on a first date? Yeah, killing your date is bad, but that's not the right answer, LOL! There is actually ONE right answer to this question as it pertains to progressing into a healthy relationship so test your dating knowledge and give it a shot!

Have fun!

Oh, star this question so your friends and contacts can take a whack at it! :)

If God doesn't have a beginning or an end then He didn't create Himself because He simply always is, right? Can a thing that is not created even exist? Atheist assert that the universe wasn't created either so it kind of falls into the same category.

So you have God that wasn't created (except maybe by man) and the universe that wasn't created (except maybe by God) and neither one created each other because they are both supposed to have always existed, right? Doesn't that kind of make us all imaginary beings?

Does knowing personal things about an author change your opinion about the things they have written? Does questioning their motives in anyway invalidate their "facts?"

For example, my husband is a devout Christian and there is nothing that you could say about God that would change his mind about the contents of the Bible. I'm wondering if the same is true for evolutionist. I'm sure that Darwin marrying his First cousin is common knowledge, but if someone was to unearth some incredibly ugly truth about him would that in anyway invalidate his theories or illuminate that he was only trying to push some agenda?

If you've been on Y!A any length of time then you are used to the constant battle between theist and atheist. One thing both have in common is reverence for the printed word; that is, if it is in a book then it must be true! Wouldn’t that give religion one up on science since their book is written by a God (sorry, I couldn’t resist that one, LOL!)? It is established fact that History is written by the victors and their agendas are always glorified as being righteous. To quote the Christians, “we are not robots,” so wouldn’t it be foolish to think that our science books don’t contain agendas and biases as well?

Put on your armor, mount your steed, and let the intellectual jousting begin.

Does knowing personal things about an author change your opinion about the things they have written? Does questioning their motives in anyway invalidate their "facts?"

For example, my husband is a devout Christian and there is nothing that you could say about God that would change his mind about the contents of the Bible. I'm wondering if the same is true for evolutionist. I'm sure that Darwin marrying his First cousin is common knowledge, but if someone was to unearth some incredibly ugly truth about him would that in anyway invalidate his theories or illuminate that he was only trying to push some agenda?

If you've been on Y!A any length of time then you are used to the constant battle between theist and atheist. One thing both have in common is reverence for the printed word; that is, if it is in a book then it must be true! Wouldn’t that give religion one up on science since their book is written by a God (sorry, I couldn’t resist that one, LOL!)? It is established fact that History is written by the victors and their agendas are always glorified as being righteous. To quote the Christians, “we are not robots,” so wouldn’t it be foolish to think that our science books don’t contain agendas and biases as well?

Put on your armor, mount your steed, and let the intellectual jousting begin.