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i believe suicide is a sin, so no.

 

Please cite a source where Richard Dawkins says Intelligent Design is true. Just know that if you cite Expelled then you're lying for Jesus, just as that heavily edited movie did. Not to mention, even with their heavy-handed editing he said it was a possibility, just as it's possible that we are all controlled by an invisible teapot circling the moon.

And please, tell me about how wonderfully designed the human body is. Explain why light has to pass through the mesh of nerves before hitting the light sensing cells and then explain why those same nerves plunge through the eye itself as the optic nerve, giving us a blind spot. What sort of deranged engineering is that?

Now, explain why the ureters take the pathway they do in men. It's a relatively long and circuitous route that can lead to hernias. Now look at a knee and tell me that any engineer that designed that wouldn't be fired on the spot. If your christian god is the intelligent designer, he should stick to art. He sucks at anatomy and physiology. I'm sure all of this is because some tart ate an apple that any omniscient being worth his salt would know she would eat. We are built on old imperfections that worked well enough and got passed on because of that. There's no going back and fixing it because that's now how evolution works. It works with what's there. You tell us to read your book (and I have, probably more than you) so go read some of ours. Go read The Blind Watchmaker and The God Delusion by Dawkins. I dare you. I'll even have them shipped to your house.

Oh, and that tired old canard about how perfect earth is for life? Please tell me you post that drivel on facebook about how if the earth were one mile closer to the sun we'd burn up and one mile farther away we'd freeze. Sounds so true until you remember 3rd grade science and the fact that planets have elliptical orbits and the earth has a difference of 3.1 million miles from perihelion to aphelion.

I'd remind you of the Douglas Adam's quote: “This is rather as if you imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, 'This is an interesting world I find myself in — an interesting hole I find myself in — fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!' This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, frantically hanging on to the notion that everything's going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise. I think this may be something we need to be on the watch out for.”

If the bible were true why not tell us something useful? Wash your hands! Boil water before drinking! No, it talks about rabbits chewing their cud. Lovely. How can I take a book seriously when

Spoiler

. How tiny is that god?

I see you also just posted Pascal's wager. Are you really that dense? Hope you got the right god and the right version of that god and the right sect of that version and did the things outlined to get into heaven by that sect. I'd also remind you have Stephen Robert's quote: “I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.”

Dwell on that for a bit. Seriously chew on it. Why do you dismiss Thor? Is there not thunder? Why do you dismiss Vishnu? Why do you dismiss Mithras? Why not Yahweh for the same, exact reasons? Hold him to the same standards you do the others and do it in an intellectually honest way. I dare you.

 

There are many problems with this approach according to the bible. Number 1, you aren't the judge of who makes it and doesn't make it. No human is, so it isn't your place to say who will or won't. It's fine for you to believe you know who will or won't get into heaven.

Secondly there are far fewer discussions, proverbs, speeches, address by Jesus on this topic than there are about the Rich needing to give up their possessions. Far fewer.

Thirdly the bible needs to be more than just a list of rules. It needs to provide a complete and whole outlook or philosophy in order to follow Jesus' example.

Fourthly We can look at Romans where it talks about different people believe different things, and that each one should believe whole heartedly in those things. Each one will stand or fall to their own master. But nobody should prove to be a stumbling block in another's belief. That's what it says in the bible.

So if you don't believe in something or do believe in something, then act accordingly, but don't be a stumbling block to folks that believe differently.

We can also look at the verse about the splinter in another's eye before pulling the log/stump out of your own. It isn't your job to tell others they aren't saved or going to hell. Worry about yourself and being a better Christian. Let everyone else worry about their failings or shortcomings. That isn't your job.

We can also talk about the context and the idea that in Greece there were some instances of men taking boys. So many of the men sleeping with men may have actually been a direct reference to this practice.

Again, that's my own take but it is absolutely based on the bible.

 

No, that is an excellent point.

Very unlikely he responds to what either of us wrote.

It should also be pointed out the it was women that played a huge part in the spread of early Christianity, especially in the Roman Empire. It was viewed as extremely progressive for the time period. If not for women and the poor, Jesus would be all but completely forgotten.

 

You want to understand Jesus and his teachings better, you shouldn't just read highlighted portions spoon fed to you by some poorly qualified pastor or religious leader that believes in some form of Prosperity doctrine and the damnation of the poor and oppressed. You should learn about the world Jesus lived in, how the religion spread and just how radical it was 2000 years ago. The modern New Testament is a selected group of writings among many, that a group of various religious leaders (Catholics) agreed upon long after Jesus and all his original followers died. That doesn't even take into account the numerous translations and the lack of a surviving original text.

Your form of Christianity lacks empathy, compassion and sacrifice.... What was at the heart of the teachings and life of Jesus.

 

It's funny, I'm reading a book called What We Talk About When Talk About God. It's by the controversial Christian author Rob Bell.

It fits in to a lot of what's being said here. One of the things it mentions is what kind of God and faith is it that can't handle the discovery of new truths by science?

It talks about how often when people debate over God, they are frequently not talking about the same thing. So they are kind of comparing apples to oranges even though they both are giving the different things the same name.

I won't bother rehashing even the little of it that I've read so far, but it is something that someone who is not a Christian could definitely appreciate as much as someone who is. It may anger some Christians more than anyone else.

 

As far as number six. That isn't what that verse was about. But if you think you've done all the work on your own sin there is to do, then perhaps you may want to search a little deeper.

 

Of course honey, let's just put that one on the refrigerator for everyone to see.

 

If you think god would send someone to eternal damnation for not believing in them, you're wrong about god because that would be pretty stupid, petty and narcissistic for an omnipotent and omniscient entity to do.

 

So you "believe" in God for selfish reasons. Cool.

 

I recommend the book "Love Wins" by Rob Bell, which challenges the notion that the God would damn people to hell for not believing in him.

The ideas of a God who loves everyone as his children and a God who would send somebody to hell who never even knew he existed or somebody who was willing but simply erred in choosing what to believe are incompatible.

 

You do know we don't 'choose' to believe in something?

 

Only focus on the eternal damnation part of God...

I asked you 3 times to answer that question about it and you didn't answer. According to Christians I am going to be sentenced to ETERNAL DAMNATION ... it would be kind of a big deal to me if God is real. You can't minimize something like being tortured in lakes of fire for eternity just for simply not believing. Don't tell me to focus on loving God, when this "loving" God will torture me for eternity if I don't love him. You don't get to pick and choose the fun parts of the religion. Gay marriage... gross abomination and it is God's will to stop it... a woman menstruates and is unclean for seven days and must sacrifice birds to be clean... that is just Old Testament crazy talk. God loves you and is giving you the gift of afterlife... focus on that... God burns you for eternity if you don't believe... nah that isn't a big deal, don't focus on it.



I will ask again...

 

Do you believe God will send unbelievers to eternal hellfire? Yes or no?

 

He ignores whole posts and questions that make him uncomfortable. Cognitive dissonance is a tough to maintain at times.