Quote Originally Posted by ninja pirate View Post
God is responsible for creating the universe and for granting us free will. Given that we have free will, we are responsible for using it as we see fit.
And yet it was not me who chose to exist and take the responsibility. Somebody else has taken their responsibilities and dropped them onto me... at least from this religious perspective. If I'm to be judged by every choice I make, then it should be noted that every choice I made is a result of a single choice - God's choice to create me.
Quote Originally Posted by ninja pirate View Post
You are well aware that they may and probably will make the wrong choices from time to time. Is this a reason not to have children at all?
If their choices mean that they will go to a hell for an eternity, then it's definitely a reason not to have children at all. As I said. Some Christian who believes in a hell is doing what, as I see it, God has done. Taken the responsibility for some action then dumped it onto the child. So suddenly it's their child's fault if he gets to hell... how illogical. I don't see a reason to create more potential burn victims.
Quote Originally Posted by ninja pirate View Post
If you believe there is no free choice, and therefore that emotions like love are programmed, then you have to surrender all freedom of thought whatsoever.

If you do not have freedom of thought, your entire philosophy on this forum falls apart (as you are simply programmed to hold that philosophy). Do you really believe we do not have free will?
I don't really understand what freedom of thought means here. If you're saying that without this transcendental free will I cannot form my thoughts, then I say that's incorrect, since simple causality can result in thought. If a soulless monkey can have complex thoughts, then so can a human.

Saying that my argument falls appart because I actually have an argument is therefore invalid, since thoughts haven't been corelated to souls with free will, neither have souls been proven for that fact. If I am programmed to have an idea, an idea doesn't disappear if a soul wasn't the one to make it, why would it?
Free will can just be an illusion. I don't see how it would hold any meaning in the objective universe. I'm not saying that I hold absolute knowledge... but one way or the other, I am being determined. If things don't just pop into existence out of nothing, then I don't see why thoughts are exempt from this.
Quote Originally Posted by ninja pirate View Post
God will reveal Himself when you seek Him with all your heart. You have been told He loves you unconditionally and that is all the revelation you need. The next move is yours.
Apparently that's not all I need. What I need is tangible proof, from which I can either conclude that I'm hallucinating (which only supports my point that it's immoral to punish me for something I have no control over), or that Jesus is real. Since "revalations" surprisingly happen for every form of religion, it's safe to conclude that dieties are in the eye of the beholder, so no matter how much time I waste praying, Jesus won't exist untill he exists for me. Which won't happen since you say that the only way to see him is to believe in him.
Quote Originally Posted by ninja pirate View Post
I acted against my faith and considered myself agnostic for a couple years. I then acted against that faith and am now a devoted follower of Christ.

People act against their faith every day. We are very capable of choice.
Prove this by making a choice not to be Christian this very moment. I'll take a big guess that you didn't do it.

We are very incapable of choice.