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Can you, personally prove that Jesus is not the Christ, or that the holy spirit does not exist. Another believer in such wouldn’t hold with your analysis that the believer may be nuts!

I do not like to say this, as it tends to be clichéd by atheists and agnostics, but the burden of proof lies with those claiming something, rather than those who do not believe in it. Think about it - if I was to tell you that I had seen an alien craft land on my front lawn and three aliens came out and told me the secrets of the universe, you would want some kind of proof, yes? Either I would have to show you photos (which could be fakes), or what they said would have to be proved to be true. In the case of Jesus and God, neither proofs are evident.

Although it may be acceptable in some circles to call people who have psychological problems or are living with a mental illness "nuts", I don't subscribe to it. My comment earlier was more rhetorical than anything else. It was meant to give two extremes of viewpoint and I made it clear that I subscribe to neither point of view. Whilst I am not denying the probability that some who claim Jesus as the Christ may be suffering from delusions or may even be living with a mental disorder, I also think that some people who profess other faiths and, indeed no faith may be also. Christians do not have a monopoly on people who live with mental disorders ~ mental disorder, in itself, has little to do with religion, politics or social affiliations. I would probably say the same about someone who claimed that Hitler was a lovely guy and really wanted to help the Jews, the Christians and the Ethnic minorities in Germany. It has little, if anything, to do with ones affiliations. However, that being made clear (I hope), religion and extreme politics do seem to attract the more extreme elements, including those who are living with a mental illness ~ now before you take that the wrong way, I am not saying that everyone involved in those factions is suffering from a mental disorder, just that they are more likely to gain respect and, more importantly, an influential position within such groups.

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I guess! My question would be … where is it commanded that agnostics, and other skeptics need to put them down in a lock, stock, and barrel formula, while not seeing what they are about.

Sceptics and agnostics have no reason to "put them down in a lock, stock, and barrel formula" and I know very few who do. It is only when they start spouting off about Jesus and God that there is a need to ask for evidence. I get on very well with Christians, Muslims. Hindus, and every other person who is a person of "faith". However, when someone starts claiming their "faith" to be "fact", then it is time to question them and ask for the evidence of the fact. Facts can only be supported by proof - that is the difference between "faith" (the belief in something which has not or cannot be proved) and "fact" (that which has been or can be proved). The two are incompatable and must be kept separate. If you were to go into a KFC and order a chicken burger, yet received a beef burger, would you not question it? And if they were to insist that it was a chicken burger - what would you do then? It is the same when people pass "faith" off as "fact" to someone who is sceptical or agnostic (or even atheist). We find it offensive.
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It’s easy to say “Some of my best friends are, and so on, but somehow, that doesn’t ring true to even myself!
I'm sorry if I am misunderstanding what you are saying, but... are you saying that you don't believe me? Are you calling me a liar? If you are, then all I can do is assure you that I am not. If you read my previous post again, you will find that I was a Christian - a "man of faith" for many years and, as such, I said that I personally know how they feel. I sympathise with them when they see people like myself and others who are rejecting their faith. I am not insensitive to other people's feelings, in fact, I am quite empathic toward them. It is simply that I don't believe it anymore. I do not deride or criticise those who still do hold to "faith", I simply question why they do. If they say "it makes me feel good" then all well and good - at least they are gaining something from it, and I accept that life is all about feeling good.
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For that matter, John….I, also, have seen an un-identified flying object… UFO!
I suspect that it was the American space station, or just space junk, but have no way to prove it wasn’t from some other planet with little green men onboard.

Me too! I saw two lights above a railway line near where I used to live. At first, I thought it was just a maintenance team checking the line (although I did think it was odd, checking the line in the dark). After I had watched them for about 5 minutes, one light shot vitically into the air untill it was out of sight, the other shot (guessing) about 50 foot into the air and then travelled back the way they had both come. A friend of mine saw the second one as it was travelling back and thought that it was just a low-flying aircraft. I have no idea what they were, but they were certainly "unidentified flying objects". But I don't place any spiritual or mystic significance on the incident - it was simply something I could not, and can not, explain.

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I knew that the visit was from Jesus, because he looked just like the picture that is printed on the cover of my Bible.

And what did the picture in your bible look like? How did the person who drew/painted the picture know what Jesus looked like? If I may presume to guess... a long-haired, long-bearded, blonde-or-dark haired young man, aparently six-foot tall with bright blue eyes? If so, then you saw a reflection of what you percieved Jesus to look like. Looking at the old testament, and taking into account that Jesus was a direct descendant from King David, Jesus was probably Red-Haired, people of that time were no taller than five-foot and, according to the New Testament, Jesus had a short beard, and in the fashion of the time (Roman) probably had short hair, since at the time, it was considered inappropriate for men to have long hair (Paul even said that if a man had long hair, he should wear a hat in the assembly of the church). Which was exactly my point earlier - we tend to see and hear things that we have experienced during our waking hours when we are asleep, drowsy or dozing, though usually distorted.
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I am usually awake, drowsy, but awake whenever a voice speaks to me. It is startling when it occurs for it is, as if I am being called, by someone that is far away from me, or deceased.

Well then, that can explain a lot. When people are in a semi-concious state (drowsy, in meditation, etc.) they can experience "dreams" (we usually call them "daydreams" but that is not the best description, as they can occur at anytime). A person's mind can drift - have you ever been sitting waiting for someone, with nothing to do and suddenly things that you had forgotten about start drifting into your mind? Most people have. It is not a mystical experience, it is quite natural. It is the normal function of the brain to use spare time to sort itself out. It's certainly not abnormal or "supernatural".
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I just consider it normal brain activity, but who knows?

Exactly!

Mac:
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I think "psychological disorder" is pretty much dependent on whether or not it disrupts your life and interferes with how you function in an observable reality.
In a nutshell, Mac! I agree with that entirely! The last thing anyone wants is for people who believe in this-or-that to start questioning their own sanity! A healthy belief system that helps someone in their day-to-day life is just that -healthy and I don't think there is anything wrong in it. It is only when it comes to the point where the person allows the belief to take over their life and thoughts that the person may be in danger of becoming unstable.

Druid:
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There is also, asleep, and awake we all know that!
It is generally accepted now that there is also a mid-way point between sleep and wakefulness. We all experience it at the point when we "fall" asleep or are just awakening. Some call it the "twilight zone". That is the point where most "visions" happen. It is the time when dreams overlap with reality and it can be difficult to discern, at that time, the difference between the two. That would, be the state that you seem to be describing in the rest of your last post and it is by no means "wacky" or strange, it is absolutely normal.
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I hope that I don’t sound to silly, and all that jazz, but I do believe in some other bank, I have to. I’m getting really old, and have always believed in one…. …..

Not in the slightest, Druid. :)

John