- Nov 17, 2023
- 47
- 32
Brief Intro
My screen name is Data, but my real name is David. You can call me by my full screen name, David, Dave, etc. Whichever you like or catches on. I consider myself a skeptic, but that doesn't imply I'm not a believer. I am a firm believer in Jehovah God, Christ Jesus and the Bible. I also consider myself irreligious inasmuch as I've never and will never be a part of any organized religion. I'm also apolitical, meaning I have no political affiliation, don't vote, or try to otherwise influence legislation or sociopolitical issues. I am no part of the world. I do, however, often have an opinion on temporal topics through my own personal observations. I'm also not nationalistic which I think many believers tend to be. I don't acknowledge divisions created by borders, race, religion, politics, or other social or political issues. My beliefs are more similar to that of the Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs), so, although I'm not a JW, never have been and never will be I agree with many of their Biblical teachings.
Bible Beliefs
I believe the Bible is the uninspired and fallible translation of the inspired and infallible word of Jehovah God. The meaning of the Bible can be summarized as being, after a brief introduction (Genisis 1:1-3:15), all about the vindication of Jehovah God's name through the ransom sacrifice of Christ Jesus.
Forum Participation
I have posted on forums such as this for a number of years and it's my primary hobby because it allows me a sort of virtual, interactive study accompanied with constructive feedback. The study of religion and especially the Bible is my favorite pastime. Unfortunately, on most forums there is always a great deal of politics and it can become extremely unpleasant. I understand that the subject matter can be intensely personal and heated exchanges are to be expected, but often ideological fixations can be very frustrating. I'm very thick skinned with a really good (and sometimes odd) sense of humor, but the intense clash of world views can create distractions not at all conducive to civil discourse and debate, not least of these distractions are egocentric. Like everyone else I am naturally inclined to these and try very hard to control them.
I don't know how often or how long I will participate here, but I hope to have a lasting and educational experience.
Discussion Preferences
Normally, being naturally skeptical, I prefer to discuss and debate with unbelievers. There are a few reasons for that; I was raised in an atheist/irreligious family and was myself agnostic/irreligious half of my life. All of my friends and family have usually been unbelieving, I relate to them more than I do religious people, I consider the believer to believe for good reason, whatever that may be, and so informed to whatever extent they feel necessary. Though I prefer discussion over debate the former always becomes the latter and that's fine. However, having done this for some time I'm not as interested in debate for the sake of debate or ideology. I can walk away from a debate without giving it a second thought. It doesn't get to me on an emotional level. I don't have to correct everyone on the internet.
Mission Statement
My intention, my reason for being here, is simple. I want to learn and discuss subjects of interest to me. I don't believe in conversion, or that the purpose of participation in a forum such as this is a service to God or man. I believe that as a follower of Christ my obligation is to inform interested persons according to the accurate knowledge of the Bible so that they can make an informed decision on whether or not to pursue the matter. To plant the seed. The rest is up to the individual and Jehovah. I'm not really here in that capacity. Though I used to think this sort of discussion was a good purpose in that respect I no longer think it is realistic. I'm here to learn and discuss.
Personality
Some people find me intelligent; most find me arrogant. Some people find me interesting most people find me weird. The irony is that no one ever finds me because I don't think I am any of those things. I'm not particularly bright, having the intellectual capacity of, say, Winnie the Pooh. I'm not as arrogant as I sound, I'm just confident and concise, I prefer boring - the goal for me is to live as boring a life as I can. I'm not really weird, I'm just unique in my perspective as a true skeptic (as opposed to a naysayer), and an irreligious apolitical one at that. I'm not afraid of controversy but not for the sake of controversy. I think in occidental culture we're dumbed down and taught to be suspicious of intelligence and so people act as if that intelligence is something they want to suppress or they are aggressive towards anyone who doesn't do that. I don't so I may seem more intelligent or arrogant than I am. My grammar is atrocious, if you didn't notice. I don't because, well, how would I? Sometimes I get into arguments with my spellchecker and I often wonder if maybe it's not dumber than I am. But we all have our burden to bear.
My screen name is Data, but my real name is David. You can call me by my full screen name, David, Dave, etc. Whichever you like or catches on. I consider myself a skeptic, but that doesn't imply I'm not a believer. I am a firm believer in Jehovah God, Christ Jesus and the Bible. I also consider myself irreligious inasmuch as I've never and will never be a part of any organized religion. I'm also apolitical, meaning I have no political affiliation, don't vote, or try to otherwise influence legislation or sociopolitical issues. I am no part of the world. I do, however, often have an opinion on temporal topics through my own personal observations. I'm also not nationalistic which I think many believers tend to be. I don't acknowledge divisions created by borders, race, religion, politics, or other social or political issues. My beliefs are more similar to that of the Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs), so, although I'm not a JW, never have been and never will be I agree with many of their Biblical teachings.
Bible Beliefs
I believe the Bible is the uninspired and fallible translation of the inspired and infallible word of Jehovah God. The meaning of the Bible can be summarized as being, after a brief introduction (Genisis 1:1-3:15), all about the vindication of Jehovah God's name through the ransom sacrifice of Christ Jesus.
Forum Participation
I have posted on forums such as this for a number of years and it's my primary hobby because it allows me a sort of virtual, interactive study accompanied with constructive feedback. The study of religion and especially the Bible is my favorite pastime. Unfortunately, on most forums there is always a great deal of politics and it can become extremely unpleasant. I understand that the subject matter can be intensely personal and heated exchanges are to be expected, but often ideological fixations can be very frustrating. I'm very thick skinned with a really good (and sometimes odd) sense of humor, but the intense clash of world views can create distractions not at all conducive to civil discourse and debate, not least of these distractions are egocentric. Like everyone else I am naturally inclined to these and try very hard to control them.
I don't know how often or how long I will participate here, but I hope to have a lasting and educational experience.
Discussion Preferences
Normally, being naturally skeptical, I prefer to discuss and debate with unbelievers. There are a few reasons for that; I was raised in an atheist/irreligious family and was myself agnostic/irreligious half of my life. All of my friends and family have usually been unbelieving, I relate to them more than I do religious people, I consider the believer to believe for good reason, whatever that may be, and so informed to whatever extent they feel necessary. Though I prefer discussion over debate the former always becomes the latter and that's fine. However, having done this for some time I'm not as interested in debate for the sake of debate or ideology. I can walk away from a debate without giving it a second thought. It doesn't get to me on an emotional level. I don't have to correct everyone on the internet.
Mission Statement
My intention, my reason for being here, is simple. I want to learn and discuss subjects of interest to me. I don't believe in conversion, or that the purpose of participation in a forum such as this is a service to God or man. I believe that as a follower of Christ my obligation is to inform interested persons according to the accurate knowledge of the Bible so that they can make an informed decision on whether or not to pursue the matter. To plant the seed. The rest is up to the individual and Jehovah. I'm not really here in that capacity. Though I used to think this sort of discussion was a good purpose in that respect I no longer think it is realistic. I'm here to learn and discuss.
Personality
Some people find me intelligent; most find me arrogant. Some people find me interesting most people find me weird. The irony is that no one ever finds me because I don't think I am any of those things. I'm not particularly bright, having the intellectual capacity of, say, Winnie the Pooh. I'm not as arrogant as I sound, I'm just confident and concise, I prefer boring - the goal for me is to live as boring a life as I can. I'm not really weird, I'm just unique in my perspective as a true skeptic (as opposed to a naysayer), and an irreligious apolitical one at that. I'm not afraid of controversy but not for the sake of controversy. I think in occidental culture we're dumbed down and taught to be suspicious of intelligence and so people act as if that intelligence is something they want to suppress or they are aggressive towards anyone who doesn't do that. I don't so I may seem more intelligent or arrogant than I am. My grammar is atrocious, if you didn't notice. I don't because, well, how would I? Sometimes I get into arguments with my spellchecker and I often wonder if maybe it's not dumber than I am. But we all have our burden to bear.
