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I agree. While i do feel for the young man and his family and others have taken chances for what they believed the had to do (Captain Scott of the Antarctic or those who dies on Everest) I'm not willing to see Christianity get credit for this rather than blame.
Religious bigots rarely do want to see religion get any credit for anything.
Because you'd rather torture it and make it say what you want than to see what it actually says?
What did I just say?
I don't get involved in those debates.
If I talk about the Bible at all, I say what it actually says.
Not once have I misrepresented the printed words.
Now, I get the fact that far too many Christians will bend over backwards trying to defend an indefensible position because the Bible has to be right - even when what the Bible says is flagrantly immoral.
And I get the fact that far too many Christians like to use post hoc rationalizations by claiming, "That's not what the Bible really means!" or they'll call it a metaphor because that's easier than facing down the prospect of taking it literally even when they take the rest of it literally.
"No, evolution is bunk - Adam and Eve really existed. But God killing the first born of Egypt, nah, that was just a metaphor representing God's rage. Yeah. Something like that."
The irony is that I'm the last person to torture the Bible. I argue against it based on what is actually written. It's Christians who tend to torture the hell out of it. For instance:
"God didn't send two bears to rip apart 42 children. No! They were older than that. Yeah. Teenagers. No, actually they were in their 20s. They were technically youths. And they were like a street gang. And they had weapons. And they threatened Elijiah!"
Only very modern Bibles started playing semantic games to hide the truth of what the Bible says. "Little children" was changed to "youths." The word "slave" was changed to "servant" and on and on. The mere fact that modern Bible publishers are trying to erase these terms is proof enough of the Bible's guilt at being immoral. Why else do it, then?
Modern Biblical scholars are now even trying to say that God really isn't omnipotent - he's only powerful within the bounds of logic just to get around all of those paradoxes like, "Can God make a rock so heavy even he can't lift it?"
I find it hysterical that things atheists have been criticizing for decades are now suddenly getting a rework as if publishing new Bibles with different terminology actually changes anything.
And then you accuse me of torturing the Bible? Name one false thing I've said about the Bible.
Religious bigots rarely do want to see religion get any credit for anything.
LOL @ "religious bigot"
You can't be a bigot against a belief system.
Seriously, man ... you have some major issues regarding terminology.
By the way, what's there to credit Christianity with, anyhow, in this story?
That God was too busy finding some other pastor's car keys and forgot about the guy trying to spread his word to a new group of people in a dangerous part of the world?
"Let's see, maybe those keys are under the couch."
Looks under the couch.
Chau is killed
"Whoops, guess I dropped the ball on that one, heh heh" (Sheepish laugh)
Sadly, Chau exhibited all the negative hallmarks of fundamentalism: a profound lack of awareness of reality, exacerbated by natural stupidity, and eager gob-swallowing of bible-babble.
What's more sad than his stupid death, is there are fundies out there now appointing him a martyr and hero to the "great commission."
And they walk and post and vote and breed among us.
Sadly, Chau exhibited all the negative hallmarks of fundamentalism: a profound lack of awareness of reality, exacerbated by natural stupidity, and eager gob-swallowing of bible-babble.
What's more sad than his stupid death, is there are fundies out there now appointing him a martyr and hero to the "great commission."
And they walk and post and vote and breed among us.
I know what you mean. I marvel that these people can actually tie their own shoelaces. Breeding is more instinctive and can be done in one's sleep (I kid you not).
Seriously, man ... you have some major issues regarding terminology.
By the way, what's there to credit Christianity with, anyhow, in this story?
That God was too busy finding some other pastor's car keys and forgot about the guy trying to spread his word to a new group of people in a dangerous part of the world?
"Let's see, maybe those keys are under the couch."
Looks under the couch.
Chau is killed
"Whoops, guess I dropped the ball on that one, heh heh" (Sheepish laugh)
...
Only very modern Bibles started playing semantic games to hide the truth of what the Bible says. "Little children" was changed to "youths." The word "slave" was changed to "servant" and on and on. The mere fact that modern Bible publishers are trying to erase these terms is proof enough of the Bible's guilt at being immoral. Why else do it, then?
...
I feel badly for this young man and his family. I don't like the idea of missionaries as I think people have their own beliefs and should be left alone with those beliefs. But it saddens me that this young man felt that this was what his god required him to do. When we were Christians decades ago and very, very young, DH and I put ourselves in very dangerous situations and circumstances, believing that our god would protect us. We did it out of ignorance and unbridled naivete thinking we were fulfilling the great commission. I have a precious niece who just returned from a missionary trip, and although I'm not a Christian now, it would have broken my heart had anything happened to her.
My sentiments exactly.
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That cracked me up! 
