Stoped Smoking and Play Pool 4 hours a day

[Terry Ardeno]

Very interesting. I'm glad this came up. I have learned something. In The New English Bible 2nd Thessalonians ends with chapter 2. In The King James Version however, 2nd Thessalonians goes through chapter 3.

Verse 3:16 reads"Now the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all."

I wonder why god didn't take care that his word was transmitted to us humans in a more consistent manner?

Dave Nelson

1. Don't be stupid. Here's a link to your version (NET) that shows everybody that New English Bible, the King James, the New International Version, the New American Standard, etc ALL have the same books, chapters and verses.
http://net.bible.org/bible.php?book=2Th&chapter=3

So this shows that you lied about your bible not having the same info as others. Either that, or you wanted attention so bad that you tried to be a smarta$$ and it backfired on you.

2. Your little dig about God not caring....Since all Christian bibles do have the same books (66), chapters (1189) and verses (23,214 in the Old Testament and 7,959 in the New Testament), I guess God does care enough about our souls to preserve His word to us. So, wrong again Dave.

3. It's funny that you never met, spoke with or knew the founding fathers of our country, yet you have no issues with the Declaration of Independence being authentiaclly preserved for future generations. But, no way could the bible ever have been preserved, right?

4. God loves you enough that he allowed His son to die for you as the penalty of your (and all of our) sins. Here's something to consider....in Hebrews 9:27(King James Version) the bible says "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."

If YOU'RE right Dave, and despite billions of people thru out history believing in God, YOU are right, and there is no God, then you lose nothing.

BUT, if you're wrong...if God really exists and His word is true, then you've lost everything for eternity. Matthew 16:26 (New International Version)
'What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

You're betting your eternal soul that there is no God.....Matthew 10:28 (New International Version)
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

Here's one more scripture that really is in all Christian bibles...Matthew 10:32-33 (New American Standard Bible)

"Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.
But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven."

Be careful Dave. Psalm 14:1 says "The fool says in his heart that there is no God"

Those aren't my words, they're God's words.

You take care, Dave.

PS-Johnny, you quitting smoking may also someday save Dave! Good job!:smile:

 

[ScottW]

3. It's funny that you never met, spoke with or knew the founding fathers of our country, yet you have no issues with the Declaration of Independence being authentiaclly preserved for future generations. But, no way could the bible ever have been preserved, right?

Well, it seems we still have the *original* of that document, tucked away in a glass case somewhere in Washington D.C. Where's the original manuscript of the Bible?

Nevermind that the Declaration of Independence has never required translation from a different language. You're not going to tell me that modern English was spoken/written back when the first version of the Bible was first available, are you? And nevermind that when translating any text from one language to another, there is no "literal" translation - the translator(s) invariably leave their own marks on the translated text - either innocently (they chose what they thought was the best way to translate the given text) or not-so-innocently (chose to make adjustments in the process) - because they are, like you and I, mere men, and fallable.

If YOU'RE right Dave, and despite billions of people thru out history believing in God, YOU are right, and there is no God, then you lose nothing.

Looking at Dave's post, I see nothing saying "there is no God". Or is this you translating Dave's post in a not-so-innocent way, making your own adjustments?

Edit: Enjoy the following. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal's_Wager

 

[Dave Nelson]

You'r right, it's there. I missed it through careless reading. Those are of course the words of a man named Saul, called Saul of Tarsus, a tent maker who later had a seizure of some sort and fancied that god had spoken to him. He then invented the Christian religion.

You answer is a perfect example of how enraged a Christian can become at the slightest criticism of your beliefs. In your typical reaction you resort to calling me stupid and a fool. I'm used to it. I've been exchanging views with Christians for a good many years now.

Have you ever heard of Pascal's Wager? It's a ridiculous piece of sophistry frequently used by Christians to provide a reason to believe. I doubt that Pascal was serious when he stated it, but you repeat it in your letter as though it makes sense to you.

You should make some effort to shed your arrogance and examine your beliefs a little.

Dave Nelson

 

[Terry Ardeno]

Looking at Dave's post, I see nothing saying "there is no God". Or is this you translating Dave's post in a not-so-innocent way, making your own adjustments?

Scott,
Since Dave saw fit to make sure we all saw (The Atheist) in his name, here is dictionary.com's definition of Atheist, since you don't seem to know what that word means...

atheist

adjective
1. related to or characterized by or given to atheism; "atheist leanings"

noun
1. someone who denies the existence of god


WordNet? 3.0, ? 2006 by Princeton University.
Cite This Source
Atheist

A"the*ism\, n. [Cf. F. ath['e]isme. See Atheist.]

1. The disbelief or denial of the existence of a God, or supreme intelligent Being.

So Scott, do you see how dave's proud exclaimation that he is an atheist is the same as him saying he doesn't believe in God?
Does that make sense to you now?

 

[TATE]

Johnny,

Great for you. I smoked a ton of cigarettes for 30 years, getting to about 2 packs a day for the last decade or so before I quit. It took me several years to quit. I never had problems with blood pressure or anything but I was always prone to bronchitis and was concerned about getting lung disease. My dad passed away from lung cancer and I had seen enough smokers with emphezema to scare me. My wife and I were also really motivated by the birth of our daughter 13 years ago.

There are a lot of mental and emotional issues with quitting smoking and I was a hard core addict. When I finally did quit about 10 years ago, it took a monumental effort (my wife really helped me), but I was still getting bronchitis every year. My doctor kept giving me antibiotics but I knew that my lungs still weren't healthy.

I decided to try running. It was tough at first, one block at a time, but in a few months I built up to a mile, then a few more months it was two, then three. Now I run 5 to 6 miles at a time, 2 to 3 times a week. I also recently took up cycling and swimming, and I'm planning to enter triathlon events for fun (short versions) starting next year. I haven't had bronchitis once since I started running!

When I look back at my past, it's seems like it was a different life and I was a different person.


Chris

 

[ScottW]

(more insulting drivel)

Sorry, Terry, I was looking at the post of Dave's that you quoted, not earlier in the thread. I must be a complete moron. Or an atheist. Or an atheist moron. I imagine in your eyes, there's no difference.

And naturally, you ignore the rest of my post and go for the easy bit.

Regardless, this is terribly off-topic noise and I'll stop contributing to it.

 

[Terry Ardeno]

You'r right, it's there. I missed it through careless reading. Those are of course the words of a man named Saul, called Saul of Tarsus, a tent maker who later had a seizure of some sort and fancied that god had spoken to him. He then invented the Christian religion.

You answer is a perfect example of how enraged a Christian can become at the slightest criticism of your beliefs. In your typical reaction you resort to calling me stupid and a fool. I'm used to it. I've been exchanging views with Christians for a good many years now.

Have you ever heard of Pascal's Wager? It's a ridiculous piece of sophistry frequently used by Christians to provide a reason to believe. I doubt that Pascal was serious when he stated it, but you repeat it in your letter as though it makes sense to you.

You should make some effort to shed your arrogance and examine your beliefs a little.

Dave Nelson

Don't ry that ageless argument that I answered you in an "enraged' manner. I was civil and I answered your statements with scripture.

I answered because you saw fit to throw a dig in about the Christian faith. YOU started with the "oh my, God made another mistake...' And what is a Christian supposed to do when Dave The Atheist" says something that we all know is wrong...lay down and die? Roll over and be quiet? Be real. You got exactly what you asked for.

You have the right to attack the Bible, but I don't have the right to defend it?

Re-read my post, since you like to blur things. I said "don't be stupid", which is a lot different than saying "You're stupid". So don't whine for some pity that poor old Dave "The Atheist" is getting picked on by those mean spirited bigotted Christians again.

If it happens to you so much, why keep attacking? You'll never win because you're wrong. The Bible says people who don't believe in God are fools. I quoted the bible verse. You read it wrong again dave. I never called you a fool. You proudly proclaim you're dave "The Atheist". I showed you what God says about atheism. And now, pity party....I'm calling you names?

Get real. You started this and from the rest of your whinning about how mean Christians are when attacked, you would think you would learn by now. What SHOULD we say dave "The Theist"? Something like... "Gee wiz Dave, YOU ARE RIGHT! I think I'll quit my faith now and disown my Lord and Savior!" Yea, right.

I also learned something a long time ago. Guys like you throw the digs (bait), guys like me respond. And no matter HOW nice our response is, guys like you will write back about how we're "enraged' or mean spirited, etc.

Since you still don't get it, saying the bible is wrong (and then finding out YOU made a "mistake', is not, (and I'm quoting Dave "The Atheist" now),...."the slightest criticism of your beliefs."

If you can't even figure out how many chapters there are in a book that says 3, and you believe strongly enough to post publically that there are only 2, then you find out there really were 3 after all, then it's YOU who need to really re-examine your belief, or better yet, lack there of.

Guess what Dave "The Atheist"? I'm still not mad, hurt, or in a bad mood. I never was mad at you. Frustrated that you are so closed minded and sad for you, but never once angry, enraged or even miffed at you.

This is a good day. Know why? Psalm 118:24 (New International Version)

24 This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

 

[Terry Ardeno]

Sorry, Terry, I was looking at the post of Dave's that you quoted, not earlier in the thread. I must be a complete moron. Or an atheist. Or an atheist moron. I imagine in your eyes, there's no difference.

And naturally, you ignore the rest of my post and go for the easy bit.

Regardless, this is terribly off-topic noise and I'll stop contributing to it.

Scott,
You're certainly not a moron and hopefully not the dreaded "A" word...
Even though we disagree on some things, that don't make us enemies.

I'm done contributing to it also. Let's get back to pool....

 

[Dave Nelson]

Why specify a version if they all say the same thing?

"This is a good day. Know why? Psalm 118:24 (New International Version)"

Dave(Atheist)Nelson

 

[Terry Ardeno]

Why specify a version if they all say the same thing?

"This is a good day. Know why? Psalm 118:24 (New International Version)"

Dave(Atheist)Nelson

Dave,
That's a very good question. And here's the answer.

Psalm 118:24 (New International Version) This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24 (New American Standard Bible) This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24 (King James Version) This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.


As you can see, I quoted the 3 main versions of the modern Bible, and they all say the same thing, yet reflect the various times they were written.

The KJV was written in 1611 and uses "ye, thee, hath, and many other old english words.

The newer NIV and NASB say the same thing but in today's english. Some very minor word changes made be found in the various translations. For example, "they went to Jerusalem" vs "they traveled to Jerusalem."

Here's some resources that explain it in much more detail.....
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Issues

http://www.gotquestions.org/search....o+many+bible+versions&search.x=10&search.y=14

http://www.wayofthemaster.com/videolessons.shtml

Dave, debating on a pool forum about whether God exists or not is a bit unusual. If you want to open a thread in the NPR section, let me know and we can discuss this as much as you like there.

There's some good reading and listening in the links above. Open your mind and if you still deny there is a God after all that, then I respect that as being your choice.

Take care.

 

[enlightphoto]

Today is my one year anniversary for quitting cigarettes. I'd made myself a promise; I wanted to buy a boat. I said if the boat showed up in the driveway, no more cigs. The boat arrived, the cigs left.

A key (read: KEY) part of staying off was having a good stress outlet. I have a 9 year old boy & 7 year old girl; 'nuf said. Having my table out in the garage made a great substitute for those times when kids not following instructions would drive me out for a smoke. Now I'd head out back, slam the garage door shut (read: don't bother me) grab the cue and break a few racks or run a few drills. Instead of taking 5-15 minutes to grab a cig, I used the same amount of extra time grabbing the cue. Stress goes down, skills go up.