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A buddy had an extra ticket to a charity event about 10 years ago and asked me if I wanted to tag along - free food and open bar for a few hours. Of course I accepted, put on the best suit I owned and was impressed with the setup when we got there: very classy event, everyone's decked out in...

Thoughtful discussion of course, isn't that what we all seek on this board? :D The exceptions would depend on the God you believe in and what that God expects from its followers (if anything). If one believes in a God that has a long list of rules to follow in order to serve him, then...

Yeah, I figured so. Although that's more like God serving the athlete rather than the athlete serving God. If all I need to do is occasionally take a knee and bow or point a finger to the sky to be successful and make millions as a pro athlete, sign me up!

I'll ask my questions from page 2 again: How exactly does one serve God and how do you know you're doing it correctly? And if your top priority is to serve God but there is a mandate that is in direct opposition to serving your family/wife, do you still serve God or do you sometimes make exceptions?

I had the same thing at my house and converted it over to gas logs. I bought the new setup from a local fireplace store and had them take out the old gas starter pipe and hook up a new flexible pipe, new grate and gas logs. I'd also suggest cleaning it up first, scrubbing the shoot off the sides...

So I got to thinking more about the concept of a "soul". I actually find this claim more interesting than whether a God exists as a soul is something that's tangible since it somehow interacts with our physical body. What exactly is a soul? Is there only one soul per person? What if someone...

Hey, those activities aren't only available to children. Plus there are a whole lot of alcoholic beverages that go down so much better in the cold weather.

Ha, ha, none taken. That's why I choose to live in Chicago - I like the snow/cold as much as the summers. I'd hate living someplace without the extreme weather changes.

Aw, come on. We've had a record 291 days without snow here in Chicago. The last 23 days have had above normal temps. I'm ready for some good snow, but unfortunately it only looks like a few inches are headed our way. Hopefully we get a few mega-storms this season with 12"+ to make up for...

You are correct and I should have been more clear on what I meant. While there is still much to learn about the quantum level, I consider virtual particles a byproduct of the natural physical laws of the universe and not a miracle performed by God. I was thinking about something much more on a...

That's not correct on the quantum level. And I strongly recommend you read Lawrence Krauss's fascinating book A Universe from Nothing: Why There is Something Rather than Nothing, or watch his YouTube lecture on the subject. But I do acknowledge that science is far from certain on how the...

I'll throw in a little advice as well. My wife and I sold a 10 year old home a couple of years ago and bought a home in the 'burbs of Chicago that was built in 1890. It sounds like you have an offer on an older home as well. We quickly learned that the standards we applied to a 10 year old...

Pressure and time. That's all it takes really, pressure, and time.....

But hope that something is true is not a good reason to believe that it actually is true. If I jumped off a tall building and hoped I could fly or if I hoped I could cure cancer, would that make it any more true? I personally think it's better to believe what's true in life, even if it means...

I think we agree more than we disagree and appreciate your intellectual honesty. I have many unanswered questions about creation and the origin of the universe and one of my most depressing thoughts is that I will probably never have the answers to most, but that won't keep me from looking. As...

BKB answered better than I could have and I agree with everything he posted. But assuming that God interacts with the natural universe in unnatural ways (such as performing miracles), wouldn't he also leave "footprints"? But I think my standard of "knowing" is really no different than anyone...

But that doesn't mean that all beliefs are equally valid. If I believed that Bigfoot lived in my backyard and my neighbor believed that Bigfoot didn't live in my backyard, are you claiming that can't be tested? You might not be able to disprove one or the other belief with absolute certainty...

And I think that's at the core of so many of mankind's problems.

Okay, then what method do you use to test claims about God and know what is true and what is not true? Let's assume that I was a completely impartial person (yes, I know that's a stretch :D) who had never been exposed to religion or the idea of a God/gods before. In my quest for spiritual...

Assuming that JBaney claims his beliefs are true, then yes - the burden of proof does fall on him to substantiate those beliefs/claims. Such as if I believed the world was flat, the burden of proof would be on me to substantiate that belief if I wanted to be taken seriously.