Spiritually Curious: Do Christians believe that lying is a good form of argument?

Some are tricksters, too. For instance, write an interesting question and when you open it, it says, "Good, now that I have your attention. Atheists, answer this..." And then they post something completely different.

Lying and tricking for Jesus.

Si doesn't understand the gravity (heh, pun) of the situation when people of a democracy believe fundamentally ('nother pun) incorrect things about the world they live in and vote about.

All this arguing and interpreting the bible people. I thought it was "perfect". What perfect book has to be interpreted, have study guides for it, need learned men to teach, and is wildly misunderstood or even taken differently even by the people who fully believe in it? Wouldn't a perfect book just be something you open up, read and just get it? ... for everyone esp those who want to get it?

Raisin Caine, you support my point. The people who follow the bible *should* get it right. Atheists are just people who don't believe in a god. Atheists are not by definition people who study something deeply.

No Christians are not lying, You just percieve it as such because of your bias presuppositions, as far as the earth being Flat?

Many a skeptic claims that the Bible depicts a flat earth. Scriptural references such as Revelation 7:1 are cited, which speaks of “four angels standing at the four corners of the earth.” However, this passage makes reference to the cardinal directions as seen on a compass – i.e. north, south, east and west. Terminology to a similar effect is used today when we speak of the sun rising and setting each day, even though we know that it is, in fact, the earth which orbits around the sun.

Another passage often referred to is Psalm 75:3, which speaks of God holding the pillars firm. However, the psalms are written in the poetry genre. Rather than referring to literal pillars, this is representative of God’s guaranteeing the earth’s stability. Even when the moral order of the world seems to have crumbled, God will not fully withdraw His sustaining power.

In contrast to the supposed “flat earth” verses, there are numerous Scriptures that clearly indicate otherwise. The earth is described in Job 26:7 as being suspended over empty space, implying a spherical figure. This notion is further entertained in Isaiah 40:21-22, which refers to “the circle of the earth.” This is further supported by Proverbs 8:27 (NKJV), which speaks of God drawing a circle on the face of the deep. From a “bird’s-eye view” of the ocean, the horizon is seen as a circle. Such an observation indicates that where light terminates, darkness begins, describing the reality of day and night on a spherical earth.

The round-earth idea is further supported by Jesus in Luke 17:31,34: “In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back...I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left.” This would seem to indicate the phenomenon of day on one side of the globe while darkness abides on the other.

In conclusion, the curvature of the earth is certainly a biblical concept, and there is little or no basis for the charge that the Bible teaches a flat earth. The Scriptures that seem to present a flat earth can all easily be explained when correctly interpreted and understood.

From what I have seen, no more than atheists do. For example. I have seen the claim that religion has caused a majority of wars, when in fact <7% of wars can be considered caused by religion. Another example is your proclamation that the Bible states the world is flat. Tthe Bible does not do this, though it does make reference to corners of the earth. The actual text may be refeing to quandrant or to the fact the fact that we use four directions (NSEW).

Note the asnwer given by apologists do address your question.

Mostly people are not trying to purposely lie here. They are saying what they think is right. They may be mistaken, but purposeful lying is not frequently done by either side.

Edit:

I note that you claim victory by making some calim to people lying again. You have not produced a Bible verse that says "the world is flat". Instead, you have relied upon Christians to furnish you with the verse talking of "four corners" (them being honest). Further some have described that this is a literary reference to the idea of 4 directions with some actually loooking at the original Hebrew wording as reference.

Now perhaps you do not find this evidence sufficient. If this is what you consider lying, then I must also declare you to be a liar by your own definition. Afterall, how much evidence have you provided as to how these verses that you did not even provide are to be interpreted? Sufficient evidence?

Using my definition of lying, however, neither you nor the Christians are liars. But if you prefer, I will defer to your judgment and promptly ignore a self-confessed liar.

CC,

Athiests, by definition have no onus placed upon them for understanding or caring about the Bible. Neither do they have any onus placed upon them for providing evidence of "no God" by virtue of being an atheist (lacking faith/belief in deities).

When, however, they make a positive claim about the Bible, they have placed the onus for understanding what they are talking about on themselves.

When they make the positive claim that no God exists, they have placed the onus upon themselves.

If they want to whine about not being able to prove a negative, then they should not make the positive claim. If I claim that a drug has no adverse side effects, in the pharma industry, I have placed the onus upon myself to prove that unprovable claim. That is why pharma companies do not make such stupidly outrageous claims.

This is simple logic. You make a claim of certainty, you should be able to back it up. Your special pleading is no different then the special pleading of the religious.

I am a deist. I believe in a God, but do not claim that a God MUST exist. Simply that, it is currently the best explanation of what I see in life. Now I can make that claim and BACK IT UP with evidence. If you want some special type of debate, where you get to make absurd claims and place the burden of proof upon others, then I suggest you find some pre-schoolers, because they start teaching about fair play in Kindergarten too much for you to get away with this any later in life.

Verses that say flat?