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12 Steps that Show Christianity is True


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On 12/2/2016 at 10:37 AM, Apologetics Evangelism Guy said:

Truth about Reality is Knowable! (It's Undeniable) 

You imply in your podcast that non-duality is incompatible with this step, but I don’t see it that way, and that is why I had a problem with step 3, not steps 1 or 2.   Non-duality is more about the illusory nature of ‘thingness’, or the objects that we use nouns to describe.   These things do not exist independently of the rest of the universe, but they are mentally separated from the rest of universe when we consider them.   

Here is a scenario: you are standing on a beach looking at a beach ball.   The nouns in this situation are you, the sand and the ball.   That is how we break it down, because that is the way that is most useful to us, but there are many more ways to describe it.   We can zoom in, and describe you not as a whole, but as 37.2 trillion cells.   Or we can zoom in even further and describe you as the molecules that make up those cells.   Or we can zoom in even further and describe you as the atoms that make up those molecules.   And we can also do the same thing with the molecules that make up the ball and the sand.   So instead of there being 3 nouns, there are centillions.   Or, we can zoom out.   Now the noun we are dealing with is “the beach” which includes you and everyone on it.   We can zoom out further and talk about the entire region.   If we zoom out even more we are talking about a country and you and everyone else in your country are an aspect of it - its ‘population’.   If we zoom out further still the noun becomes the earth.    More than that and it becomes the solar system…until eventually we zoom out as far as possible and we are talking about the entire universe.   The universe is defined as everything that exists.   Everything that exists, or ‘being’ or ‘existence’ if you will, is our true self - not the finite, separate entity that we think ourselves to be.   

As far as Descartes, he was wrong.  The ability to think doesn’t prove the existence of a separate self.   It just proves awareness of a stream of words and mental images.   The reason that we are not aware of each other’s thoughts is because we do not have the same brains, but this doesn’t prove that you are separate from me or anyone else.   There is one aspect of reality that has your thoughts, the 'Dylany' aspect, and another that has my thoughts, the 'nooney' aspect.  Not two separate entities, but two aspects of the same reality. 

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18 hours ago, noone said:

You imply in your podcast that non-duality is incompatible with this step, but I don’t see it that way, and that is why I had a problem with step 3, not steps 1 or 2.   Non-duality is more about the illusory nature of ‘thingness’, or the objects that we use nouns to describe.   These things do not exist independently of the rest of the universe, but they are mentally separated from the rest of universe when we consider them.   

Here is a scenario: you are standing on a beach looking at a beach ball.   The nouns in this situation are you, the sand and the ball.   That is how we break it down, because that is the way that is most useful to us, but there are many more ways to describe it.   We can zoom in, and describe you not as a whole, but as 37.2 trillion cells.   Or we can zoom in even further and describe you as the molecules that make up those cells.   Or we can zoom in even further and describe you as the atoms that make up those molecules.   And we can also do the same thing with the molecules that make up the ball and the sand.   So instead of there being 3 nouns, there are centillions.   Or, we can zoom out.   Now the noun we are dealing with is “the beach” which includes you and everyone on it.   We can zoom out further and talk about the entire region.   If we zoom out even more we are talking about a country and you and everyone else in your country are an aspect of it - its ‘population’.   If we zoom out further still the noun becomes the earth.    More than that and it becomes the solar system…until eventually we zoom out as far as possible and we are talking about the entire universe.   The universe is defined as everything that exists.   Everything that exists, or ‘being’ or ‘existence’ if you will, is our true self - not the finite, separate entity that we think ourselves to be.   

As far as Descartes, he was wrong.  The ability to think doesn’t prove the existence of a separate self.   It just proves awareness of a stream of words and mental images.   The reason that we are not aware of each other’s thoughts is because we do not have the same brains, but this doesn’t prove that you are separate from me or anyone else.   There is one aspect of reality that has your thoughts, the 'Dylany' aspect, and another that has my thoughts, the 'nooney' aspect.  Not two separate entities, but two aspects of the same reality. 

Hi Noone,

I like your beach analogy. And I can see what you're saying. But at the same time, you are using distinct terms to describe reality. You are using distinctions to explain non-duality. That's self defeating because you are using distinctions to claim that distinctions don't exist. It's impossible to escape distinctions in reality. And that fact points to my second step - the opposite of truth is false....

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1 hour ago, Apologetics Evangelism Guy said:

Hi Noone,

I like your beach analogy. And I can see what you're saying. But at the same time, you are using distinct terms to describe reality. You are using distinctions to explain non-duality. That's self defeating because you are using distinctions to claim that distinctions don't exist. It's impossible to escape distinctions in reality. And that fact points to my second step - the opposite of truth is false....

My claim is not that distinctions do not exist, it is that they only exist in human thought, and the thought of some animals.   It takes a certain ability for conceptualization to make them.   Simpler animals do not necessarily have to conceptualize a predator as a separate entity, a ‘self’ in order to avoid it or defend against it.   Human infants also do not make distinctions and do not conceptualize selves for themselves or others.   The human infant is thought to identify more with its mother’s breasts than it does with its own feet and only slowly learns about selves and bodies.   What the newborn experiences is pure non-dual reality.   Slowly, as its mind develops, the non-dual nature of reality is covered up, the way that clouds block out the sun.   

One can never explain non-duality accurately because human thought, based on distinctions, is finite, and is not capable of explaining it.  Human thought and language has its limitations in many respects.   For example, the word ‘apple’ is only a mental object, or symbol.   It doesn’t contain the flavor or chemicals or color of an apple, and you cannot eat the word apple.   You can read a whole book about what an apple tastes like, but the only way to know what an apple tastes like is to eat one.   Similarly, you can’t know non-dual reality through words, but you can know it through experience.    

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On ‎20‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 3:12 AM, Apologetics Evangelism Guy said:

12 Steps that Show Christianity is True

Here's a Twelve Step argument for the Truth of Christianity. This is adapted from an Apologetics workbook by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.

  1. Truth about reality is knowable.

  2. The opposite of true is false.

  3. It is true that a theistic God exits.

  4. If God exists, then miracles are possible.

  5. Miracles can be used to confirm a message from God (i.e., as an act of God to confirm a word from God).

  6. The New Testament is historically reliable.

  7. The New Testament says Jesus claimed to be God.

  8. Jesus' claim to be God was miraculously confirmed by"

    1. His fulfillment of many prophecies about Himself;

    2. His sinless and miraculous life;

    3. His prediction and accomplishment of His resurrection from the dead.

  9. Therefore, Jesus is God.

  10. Whatever Jesus (who is God) teaches is true.

  11. Jesus taught that the Bible is the Word of God.

  12. Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God (and anything opposed to it is false).

I will deal with each point in my Christian Apologetics podcast, Apologetics Evangelism.

You can listen to my apologetics podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Or, you can listen on Podbean, my podcast website.

Hi AEG,

Thank you for that great post. I am so, so pleased to have them in a nut shell. The people I mentor will be so delighted to read & we can discuss them together. They are all reaching out to others step by step, & to have those keys, is a wonderful tool. I am working through your podcasts & very thankful you have done all that work by the Holy Spirit. My main area is eschatology, Eternal purposes, but in my mentoring I see that those I help really need the early stages to also pass on to their disciples.

Blessings, regards, Marilyn.

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.

17 hours ago, Marilyn C said:

Truth about reality is knowable.

Y'SHUA said several things about TRUTH:

"I AM TRUTH"

"TRUTH shall set you free"

"The world cannot know you, even as it does not know ME." (i.e. not just TRUTH, the world cannot know, but also YHWH, Y'SHUA and Ecclesia --- all hated by the world).

"At all cost, get TRUTH"

"Stop lying to one another" (HIS WORD to a group of already saved people).

i.e.  TRUTH is rare,  like pure gold.   It is also COSTLY.  (re per what is written)  And not found nor obtained by study.

The COST?  Y'SHUA'S PRECIOUSNESS.  HIS LIFE.   HIS BLOOD.

The BENEFITS? Y'SHUA'S PRECIOUSNESS.  HIS LIFE.  HIS BLOOD. 

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22 hours ago, Marilyn C said:

Hi AEG,

Thank you for that great post. I am so, so pleased to have them in a nut shell. The people I mentor will be so delighted to read & we can discuss them together. They are all reaching out to others step by step, & to have those keys, is a wonderful tool. I am working through your podcasts & very thankful you have done all that work by the Holy Spirit. My main area is eschatology, Eternal purposes, but in my mentoring I see that those I help really need the early stages to also pass on to their disciples.

Blessings, regards, Marilyn.

Thanks Marilyn! I got the 12 points for Dr. Norman Geisler. You can view his overview here http://apologeticsevangelism.com/2016/12/26/norman-geisler-12-points-show-christianity-true/

It's interesting to see all the responses in this thread. I appreciate your feedback. Marry Christmas!

 

Dylan

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33 minutes ago, Apologetics Evangelism Guy said:

Thanks Marilyn! I got the 12 points for Dr. Norman Geisler. You can view his overview here http://apologeticsevangelism.com/2016/12/26/norman-geisler-12-points-show-christianity-true/

It's interesting to see all the responses in this thread. I appreciate your feedback. Marry Christmas!

 

Dylan

Hi Dylan,

So pleased to meet you & see your lovely family. wow you are `new ` - 2002. And there God is equipping you to equip others. Wonderful. I believe God is doing a quick work out in the `streets & lanes` of this generation, to bring the Body to maturity in Christ. The messages I hear from friends this year is that God is turning family members towards Him. As I said, I`m so looking forward to going through your podcasts & receiving more. So need to be equipped to help the `workers` out there.

Your last name stuck out to me for I had a Pastor, who had that name, a very Godly man. I wonder if somewhere you are related. He was a former leader of the Apostolic denomination of Australia.

regards, Marilyn.

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