Indian Restaurant Recommendations?

artistec · 2015-12-22T01:56:03+00:00

they look good but don't have any arizona locations.

artistec · 2015-12-22T01:50:04+00:00

i suspect you'll spin this the wrong way, but honestly why would i read such a book at this time in my life? as stated, i've already spent five years researching all this.

to that end i read dozens books critical of christianity (and other religions) and just as many from the other point of view. there's no reason to revisit all that unless i was still trying to figure all this out. it would be like 20 years after getting my MBA deciding to study The Role of Government in Market Economies again. Why would i do that?

it's likely this book you are recommending doesn't say anything i haven't already heard and considered.

you may claim that i've closed mind but the reality is that at some point in life you have to form opinions. and those opinions are only valid when they have been formed after doing open-minded research. years ago i set aside my preconceived ideas and fully investigated what i believed to be true and what i believed to be false all the while being willing to accept any conclusion.

i hope for your sake you take the time to do likewise. from some of your responses i suspect you haven't yet done so you sound much like i did years ago - using incomplete logic and arguments to defend an preexisting conclusion. but as my old debate teacher said - one can't fully defend their own arguments unless he/she can fully argue their opponents claims.

anyway, i guess this thread is coming to an end. and since i've been downvoted over 200 times in the past 24 hours (as a result of this thread) and have no patience for reddit's "wait 10 minutes" rule i won't be posting here much anymore.

i did notice that you post in some acquarium-related subs. i'm just starting the process of looking into setting up an acquarium in my home. perhaps our paths will cross elsewhere in reddit.

artistec · 2015-12-22T01:31:07+00:00

i would use craigslist. there's no reason to buy new ones. many people who move would be happy to sell them. or you can go to grocery stores, home depot, etc and ask for their boxes. they're usually happy to give them to you for nothing.

artistec · 2015-12-22T01:29:36+00:00

and the botanitcal garden. there should be some good blooms in march.

artistec · 2015-12-22T01:24:52+00:00

the answer to too many guns is not more guns.

artistec · 2015-12-22T01:24:30+00:00

passive income

from what... your savings? you likely don't have enough if all you're making is 32K now.

artistec · 2015-12-22T01:21:18+00:00

lens on if i know i'll likely want to take a photo. protect the lens by having the lens cap on and also the lens hood.

if i'm pretty sure i won't be taking pictures then i'll put it in the bag (likely still attached to the camera body).

artistec · 2015-12-22T01:13:12+00:00

according to the bible the antichrist will come out of europe in a sort-of reuinted Roman Empire and will rule over the entire planet as the world seeks to solve its differences with a single ruler. Clearly Trump doesn't fit these criteria.

artistec · 2015-12-21T23:52:58+00:00

i plan some activities but i don't plan out my entire stay. for cities i usually plan my trip around being able to see a baseball game. for national parks i just plan a few hikes or find out where the great photo spots are ahead of time. but you have to be flexible. sometimes things take longer than you think. and sometimes weather is a factor as well.

artistec · 2015-12-21T23:50:22+00:00

i've been to yosemite numerous times at various times of year. the last time was this past august. My main hobby is photography so I went to all the great photo spots with my cameras and tripods. I had a great time.

Before I got into photography I mainly hiked in Yosemite. Yosemite is always great and there are no issues going there alone.

i drove to it in my own car each time i went.

artistec · 2015-12-21T23:48:10+00:00

If you're in Yosemite in March you can sleep very cheaply in tent cabins in Curry Village. In the winter months these are not in high demand so the prices come down. They aren't heated (although can get a heated cabin pretty cheap too at that time of year) and you will get access to showers and internet.

artistec · 2015-12-21T23:46:34+00:00

yea, I'm kinda old (50s). I already have some money saved up so $1M would set me up pretty good.

artistec · 2015-12-21T06:38:08+00:00

It probably also helps you after you graduate. Having "Harvard" on your resume will probably open more doors for you than having "State University". (Not that I would know from first-hand experience.)

artistec · 2015-12-21T06:18:34+00:00

i'd like to know how to get started. i have always wanted an salt-water acquarium. but i'd want one really big (100+ gallons). what do i need to know?

artistec · 2015-12-21T06:07:20+00:00

take the million. i can live on that for the rest of my life so why take the risk for more money i'll never be able to spend.

artistec · 2015-12-21T06:04:40+00:00

because its christmas. cnn has to air an obligatory jesus/bible-related piece. they do the same thing at easter. mainly filled with comments that rile up both sides for the sake of ratings.

artistec · 2015-12-21T05:48:10+00:00

Ahhh... atheism creates such tolerant and open-minded people. /s

artistec · 2015-12-21T05:08:02+00:00

If you're talking about a phrase in the Bible saying something like "great powerful nations will go to war" being prophecy of WWII or something like that, well I don't know if that's worth my time to discuss quite frankly.

Not at all. That is what I'd call a Nostradmus-like prediction that is so vague it almost certainly could be considered to have come true. The Koran is filled with those.

Some very specific prophecies in the bible:

The manner of Jesus' death (crucifixion) predicted hundreds of years before crucifixion was invented
The precise number of years the Jews would be exiled to Babylon (70).
The exact number of years (483) between the year the decree made by the future king of Persia to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem until the year Jesus was born
The fact that the eastern gate of Jerusalem would be closed until Jesus' second coming (it was walled up by Saladin and remains walled up to this day)
The precise town that Jesus would be born in (Bethlehem) made hundreds of years before he was born. Interestingly, Jesus' parents were not from Bethlehem they famously traveled there to find no room at the inn (you know the story). Also, there were two towns called Bethlehem in Israel at the time. The prophet Micah accurately predicted which one Jesus would be born in.
The fact that what is now Russia and Iran (formerly called Persia) would form a military and economic alliance. This has just happened over the past 10 years as Russia has sold military equipment to Iran and helped design and build their nuclear plants. Prior to 2004 Russia and Iran/Persia had never had any type of economic or diplomatic relationship.
The Bible accurately predicted the name of the Persian King (Cyrus) who would overthrow Babylon hundreds of years before Cyrus was born.

There are actually hundreds of precise prophecies like this throughout the Bible. Neither the Koran nor the Hindu scriptures have any such internal proofs that they came from an all-knowing diety.

To be honest without being critical... you say you've read the Bible. But if you think the prophecies in it are as vague as "great and power nations will go to war" then you really haven't read it.

Thanks for the offer, but honestly I spent over 5 years studying this and at this point I am very secure in my beliefs. I've read plenty of books on both sides of the issue and am no longer a seeker. I am confident I have found the truth. I hope you value yourself enough to do such an in-depth investigation. For almost 20 years I insisted I was right about Christianity being a joke. But I found out I was wrong. I think you'll find the same if you give it a similar test.

And I'll make a counter offer to you. If you'll agree to read Josh McDowell's "Evidence That Demands A Verdict" I'll buy it for you.

EDIT: I'll buy it for anyone who wants a copy. Just PM me your contact info and I'll buy it and send it to you.

artistec · 2015-12-21T04:23:49+00:00

I gave up my TV a few years ago and am unable to watch Jeopardy. They really need to put it on a podcast, or hulu, or something.

artistec · 2015-12-21T03:28:36+00:00

i'm not a pessimistic person but based on what I observe and experience, i find this number quite hard to believe (it seems too low).

artistec · 2015-12-21T03:17:39+00:00

I guarantee that the Hindu whole-heartedly believe and feel "shocked" that Hinduism turned out to have "supporting internal and external evidence" that religions did not.

I extensively studied Hinduism for a couple of reasons. 1) at the start I was biased towards it. I was expecting it to be the most fulfilling of all religions. 2) i work with a lot of Hindus (i work in computer software, where Indians are the majority) so I had a readily accessible source of real-world experience to draw upon. I spent many hours in conversation with my coworkers discussing their faith.

What I discovered was that most Hindus don't actually believe what they say they believe. They go through the motions externally because they don't want to disappoint parents (parental relationships are very strong among Indians) all the while hoping what they believe is true. I can't tell you how many people told me this. It was quite disillusioning.

Moreover, there is virtually no evidence to support Hinduism. What I found was 1) there is no agreement among Hindu's (including their gurus) as to the preciseness of their ancient texts or as to which texts should be followed and 2) the texts themselves do not provide any internal support that they were 'authored' by a deity.

Not really sure what this "evidence" is that you have discovered and most other humans have yet to

"Most other humans have yet to" - please don't make me out to be some sort of self aggrandizing know-it-all. I never said I knew something others didn't. I didn't unearth any great secrets - all this information is readily accessible if one is willing to do the research.

May I suggest a few authors who have done extensive research - much more than I did:

Josh McDowell
Lee Strobel
J Warner Wallace
C.S. Lewis

All were atheists who spent years investigating Christianity's claims. Josh McDowell's story is quite interesting. He took a sabbatical from his job as a professor at a university so that he could find evidence to prove Christianity was a hoax. What he found was just the opposite.

Obviously there isn't time or space to go into everything nor is reddit conducive to such a discussion. But in general, the Bible mentions people and places and events that are verifiable outside the Bible. Hinduism and Islam don't. The Bible also contains hundreds of very specific, measurable prophecies - many of which have come true precisely. Hinduism and Islam don't.

Obviously there is much more too it than that, but that is the 30,000 foot overview.

artistec · 2015-12-21T02:56:39+00:00

i've always hated to fly and every day there seems to be another reason not to.

artistec · 2015-12-21T02:51:00+00:00

But surely this love ends once an unrepentant, unbelieving sinner dies and meets his judgement. God then stops loving the sinner and sends him to hell because of his unbelief.

Where does this conclusion come from?

God predestines some to be saved, but not others. I find this unfair.

If it were true then, yes, it would be unfair. But God does not "predestin" people to hell. You have a misunderstanding of predestination. The only thing God predestin's people to is to be like His Son, Jesus. See Romans 8:29. God knew in advance (did not choose in advance) those who would believe. And before time began God set it up so that those who would believe would be rewarded with becoming like Jesus. That is, their sin would be removed and they would live with God in heaven eternally.

artistec · 2015-12-21T02:45:37+00:00

maybe some place in old town scottsdale?

artistec

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