Hahaha you are all over the place.

One second you hold science up as the end all, and a moment later you recognize that science, the scientific method, and our peer review process is dreadfully flawed. The scientific community doesn’t give s lick about peer reviewing, just about new discoveries. And so outrageous and aggregious studies gut pushed through the system with nary a backwards glance. And the scientific process which is so factual and so perfect as to be all but holy is in shambles as a result of all manner of craziness going on. Money. Scientists are people too and they chase the limelight and the money too. So yes, science, our holy writ that has striven to become our lingua Franca has flaws to it. This isn’t a Christian giddily saying yay! A crack in the dike! This is a person that would love science to succeed, and for research, cross checked and validated science, to continue and get better.

And then you pivot on a dime and say that I don’t value life. Hahah. L, if you and your loved ones were in Columbine that day, would you have run towards danger to protect them or away? You’d do anything you could to protect them I’m sure. Does that mean you don’t value life?!? Oh no. Of course not.

It is because of my faith and my belief in God that I value life. If I didn’t, I would shine you and take your wallet. Why not? You are just carbon anyway. It is because my belief in this bigger cosmic story that I want my life now, my life here to be revolutionary. There is a refrain and a metaphor in the Bible about crossing the Jordan. The Israelites were afraid to cross the Jordan while in the desert because the people were Giants. And many today talk about crossing over to the promised land as a metaphor for heaven. But in the New Testament book of Hebrews the author (who I argue was a woman – if you are interested – https://taylorholmes.com/2012/02/09/author-of-hebrews-priscilla/) talks about crossing the Jordan here. In this life. Walking with God now in such a way as to make heaven a logical continuation, not a distinctly different thing.

I would beg to differ that there isn’t proof of life after death, but I would refer you to the Bible, which I’m sure you won’t accept. But I believe that Christ died, and rose again, and told his followers of the beyond, and the life that was to follow. But I’m ok with you not digging that. And I would never say that you can’t live a vibrant life. Of course you can. The glitch and the difference is that you will invariably find yourself chasing things that are vaporous and elusive. Pride. Esteem. Success. Not that I am immune to the advertisements all around me. But if I believed them, I would deserve a break today. Etc etc.

I was reading the Bible on the balcony this morning up in Breckinridge, and thought of you when I read this: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.” 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 a few things jumped out here. To those that see it, that get it, what I am saying to you on this page, right here, when they come across it, they will smell the aroma of God, and of life. To those that don’t get it, these words? They smell like death. And then towards the end, I love that… we aren’t peddling this stuff. We aren’t schlepping the gospel at people. It is in sincerity of heart that we share. It is from God that we share.

You do make an enormous leap that having the empty maw, the void staring us in the face forces us to be kind. Very Nietzscheian of you. Which, I never bought from him either. But that is great, if you believe that is life’s end and purpose. I won’t try and dissuade you. But when you consider death, which, let’s be honest could happen now, or now, now… if that logic makes sense to you, then I won’t dissuade you from it. But it baffles me why my belief in God offends you. You believe nothing. And if you are right, there is no difference in our end. We walked through the same gate holding all the same luggage only to disappear in the vast nothingness of space. So why do you look down on me? It makes no sense. Your system accounts for me and my disallusionment quite handily. Nothing is the great leveler.

Is it because you think I think that I am morally superior? And therefore should be taken down a peg? What? But what you misunderstand about my view of life and death is that I don’t see myself as better, actually I see myself as worse! You have no moral code to measure up against. But I do…. and I am a failure! I am much worse. And only God can intervene and make a difference. And sure. Idiot Christians that don’t get it, and might not be Christians at all, may give you a feeling that you are less than… but that proves they don’t get it.

I did preach. And an atheist responded. It’s cool. I dig it. I love hearing both the explicit words you are sharing and the tone and inferred messages as well.

Taylor

Rule number one, you can’t ask a question and then reply on my behalf. That doesn’t work! Hahaha.

No, I don’t believe in hummingbird signs. If you’d like to know everything I believe, a quick read of the Bible will cover it. A literal reading. And I also assume that the thing is cross checked and validated internally.

But could God choose to use a hummingbird? Sure. He used crazier things. A talking donkey being the best example. A man swallowing whale being another.

And in regards to my “delusions” we can conduct these conversations on the up and up or just keep to movies. I could giggle at your enormous faith in nothing, and your belief in ex nihilo creation and how illogical that is. There is no difference in your saying that I’m delusional about science and me saying you are delusional in your lack of belief. No? You just happen to be in the majority today so you feel emboldened. But that doesn’t mean you are right. The majority of electoral votes gave us Trump after all. The defense rests.

But let me answer your comment about my delusions with regard to science. Why would I attribute man’s discovery of some scientific thing to God? That makes zero sense to me. Man has done amazing things out at the Hadron Collider, out in the outer reaches of space. Kudos to him. I stand slacked jawed regularly with what man has figured out. But yes, they are just discovering the things, the framework, the details that God setup. But you know that already.

As for CRISPR, it’s amazing. Really amazing. But also worrisome. I liken it to me finding someone’s code that I just do get. And I start fiddling with it to try and figure it out. I jack with it and see what happens. Sometimes I am amazed at what it does. And other times it goes really poorly. But no matter how clever man gets with it, they are still jacking with toys they don’t understand, in an ecosystem of other things and entities they don’t understand. Radiolab has done several broadcasts about it, and they always fascinate me. I sometimes download the raw data released by colliders, or other scientists and just marvel at the data.

I’ll respond to your follow up answer on my behalf momentarily.
Taylor

To make it clear: hummingbirds, butterflies or any other “signs” from the “other side” is pure rubbish. Because our brain seeks to find patterns and meaning, we foolishly believe these things, instead of respecting the short life of an already individuated being.

The Bible has reference to such symbology in doves and other things. “Ancient anything” shouldn’t be misunderstood as facts when empirical proof is readily available if one cares to seek research findings published at various reputable sites in these times. But you have to know some math to figure which research is valid. PubMed, where I hang out a lot, is a site which publishes current medical research. The problem is ANYONE can publish their findings. Some countries are biased in their research like China’s pride in acupuncture. But if you do the math provided in research material, it sometimes shows it doesn’t validate a research study.

It seems like religions and New Agers want you to only live or meditate anywhere but here. To give so much emphasis on another place or to a higher being negates the purpose of people’s lives as they live now. It allows people to not value other people’s lives and living here, now. It’s easier to kill or die in this distorted belief system than accepting this life is all we have; that this is it.

Taylor, you think you value life yet by your own admission your willingness to die for your belief in a god negates this. Your belief/love in Jesus is as foreign to me as it is to you that I believe this is the only precious life I’m living. You’ve posted comments you think you’re the happier person because of your love of Jesus? You believe there’s a brighter-ness about you and I am not “awake” because my non-belief?

Despite what you believe, my friend, there’s no proof of what happens after death. I and many others fully see–are awake–to this short life and live just as vibrantly in the now than a devoutly religious person or New Ager. Many intelligent and good people are in acceptance of the ending of life in a way which gives more urgency to live a kinder, fuller, more meaningful life.

You preached and an atheist responded. Maybe god is speaking to you from an atheist’s viewpoint. Absurd to me but possible for you haha!

I do understand any new developments in science you will attribute to God but I don’t care about that delusion.

I liken it to my nextdoor neighbor being in my backyard and noticing a hummingbird flying around my head. She delightedly believed and informed me it was her grandmother’s spirit from heaven/the other side.

Yeah, well, it’s MY backyard the hummingbird is flying around and ME not HER; plus, I’ve got a bunch of newly diseased loved ones so (bad word) her delusion! Haha!

I don’t believe in such nonsense mediums and many New Agers, some Christians, ignorantly believe and tell the grieving to look out for as signs of life after death.

Do you do that?

Changing subject. I read in one of your posts you erroneously call it the “God Particle”. Oh, Taylor. Quit it. It doesn’t serve your intelligence. The atheist who discovered it and is named after is “displeased” with the media term you use. Also, it is ‘universally hated by physicists’.

Hopefully this info, easy to find on the internet, will be of service so you will call this amazing scientific discovery which does not explain the ‘ultimate origin of the universe’ it’s true name: Higgs boson.

The “God Particle” had nothing to do with God and physicists tell us this is because it “leaves open numerous questions in fundamental physics; does not explain the ultimate origin of the universe.”

In case anyone reading this thinks I look down on Taylor or may dislike him, quite the contrary.