Maybe it's a mistake to see it as winning or losing rather than an open exchange of views. That way it's possible to at least find out what atheists think and why, and why they disagree with you. And they to understand you. As it is, you're coming off very poorly.
I agree that it's wrong to see it as winning or losing. I'd like to believe that you want an open exchange of views, but since you refused to answer the even one of the thousands of the entire collection of questions I'd asked in the former edition of this forum, I find this to be quite disingenuous of you to state this. I wish I could believe you, but you lost that right. And yes. I did in fact once think it a right to have questions answered. So, you screwed yourself big here.
Now if you want me to believe you, you're going to have to take a completely different tact than you did in the past. I've been asking atheists questions on the previous forum since 2013, and since it's long been obvious that any questions they don't like, they dismiss, call strawmen, meaningless, and a few other popular terms they like. This has made it clear to me that atheists here only like to play games, and answer questions they deem deserving. So, this has definitively demonstrated to me that for them it is a win-lose agenda. If they cannot control, and manipulate the discussion, they refuse to engage on "open exchange of views" formats.
So, kudos WiF. You've achieved what you're now saying wasn't your goal.
And in doing so, you've lost all credibility. Quite frankly, I find this statement by you amusingly sad.
I gave you exactly what you wanted, and you didn't like it. I.e., the opportunity to explain what you think, why you think it, how you developed your thinking, and why it works for you.
I then castigated you for complaining about it, and you still didn't like it.
This I pointed out, and stated how it reminded me of what Jesus told his hearers regarding John the Baptist.
16 “But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, 17 and saying:
‘We played the flute for you,
And you did not dance;
We mourned to you,
And you did not lament.’
See, this is typical of your way of responding to points put.
Ah, so it's ok for you and your fellows to do it, but God forbid when anyone else does what you claim?
How does this work?
You go off on a tangent rather than directly responding to the point you're replying to, with an unnecessary insult at the end.
And yet you complain instead of focusing on actual conversation.
How do you see this playing out here? Do you think I'll see you as you claim to want to be seen, instead of how I've seen you based on your practices?
This is why people say you misrepresent them, because it has little to do with what they're trying to say, as is the case here. So to answer your question, no, that never occurred to me. I meant what I said which was....
It's rather curious how this plays out.
First, you think that I'm supposed to take you seriously here. Next, that you assume I'm concerned by your dislike/dis0greements with how I see things.
Which tells me that this is entirely about you, and has absolutely nothing to do with me.
You answer doesn't shed any light why on the one hand you dodge and insult people, and on the other you pray for them. It's two opposite attitudes.
Why should I have to, after almost 8 years of being dismissed, disregarded, disrespected, maligning, called a liar, fraud, etc.... You said that highly tgrained medical professionals, who saw to my medical care couldn't have known what they were talking about with regards to my cancer, so they must be deficit, or somehow insignificant. Yet you have no medical training, no professional medical experience. I even invited you, at least a couple of dozen times to come talk to them for yourself, and you repeated refused. Further demonstrating that you weren't actually interested in knowing, learning, or understanding.
You have the mistaken idea I owe you anything.
It's ironic, considering this is a forum where people come of their own accord, discuss ideas on their own terms, and either engage or don't.
You didn't, so you've been dismissed, and excused.
Do I like that?
Nope!
I actually enjoyed telling people about who Jesus is, and what he has done for the human race. Not just for the ENTIRE human race, but for us as individuals. You included. You however decided that you were unworthy of eternal life, so refused to engage on mutual terms.
Just incredible. You said..
....to which i replied....
It's a pity you don't remember the thousands of things you said that maligned, and disrespected me. This would have gone a long way to have at least opened up the door to genuine conversation.
Even further had you actually owned up to them, and apologized for them.
I mirrored your reply to me, and you call me arrogant and the thought police. Did you so quickly forget what you had said that I replied to? Do you think you are being fair?
Ironic. I've been mirroring your practices for years, and yet you never once actually got that it was you who'd been "off the reservation" and acted poorly, and completely rude on more levels than I could count.
Fine. But if you are going to pray on my behalf, pray for God to stop all disease.
lol..... You don't get to demand how, and what I pray about. God will stop all disease. But if he did it on your timing, you'd wind up in hell, because you've refused to deal with your sin before him. As He's made it crystal clear he's not willing that any should perish, and that all should come to repentance--- you don't get to demand that. Unless you really want to be in hell, and spend your eternity in the lake of fire.
Just like you having no idea what atheists think. Now you know what it's like.
IF this was true, you'd have answered all the questions I'd asked, WHEN I asked them.
Your failure to answer them demonstrated to me that you didn't actually want to be understood.
So, Your refusal to answer, is itself evidence of what you think.
Yep. I've got under your skin alright.
Only in so far as I now pray for you more than you realize.
Just like you here, telling me what to think and do? There is a perception in England that Americans don't understand irony. Of course it's a broad generalisation, but you are living up to it.
You're the one who said you wanted to engage in open-conversation (open-exchange of views).
That's ok. We here in America have our own ideas of irony, and I've been describing it here on this forum for years because you demonstrated it so well, and do so in your post too. Apparently you don't understand it.