Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You've heard me say a hundred times in here, Mink: if religion gets you off then go for it. I'm not adverse to ANYONE turning to God whether through my rants or yours. This world is a miserable place...a sewer of filth, sorrow, and pain. Use whatever means you have at your disposal, whether it's sex, drugs rock-and-roll or Jesus, to make it successfully to the end of another in an endless chain of misery-filled days.
LOL! I'm sorry, thrill m'love...But my great grandfather used to say the same things about "this world" Seems like each generation is worse than the one before it...
Quote:
All I want to do is to make sure they get the whole picture of what Christianity is all about that no Christian will ever give to them
Sorry to say this, thrill, but from what you've written, in the short time I've been here, I really don't think that *you* know what Christianity is "all about". Spaghetti monsters...men 'flying around in the sky'...expecting almost daily miracles like they're wishes granted from a genie-in-a-bottle, is HARDLY what is "all about" what Christians think of God.
So, if you really don't know who we think God is, how in the world can you be the spokesperson?
Quote:
--the fact there's no evidence to support the Biblical Jesus ever having lived,...
No, there IS evidence. *YOU* and some others, simply refuse to yield to that evidence.
Quote:
...the lies and nefarious skullduggery
You'll have to be more specific than...oh, wait...o..k. I think I know what "lies and nefarious skullduggery" you're talking about (good word usage on your part, thrill! As a writer myself, I'm proud of you! And no, I'm not being sarcastic!)
Quote:
the document-tampering
O.k. You and I will have a 'slight' issue here. After all, if I wrote in my own hand, that my birthday is 2/24/57...and later corrected it to 12/24/57...is that "document tampering" or simply correction?
Quote:
the political machinations the early church leaders engaged in to try to get more and more members into their fledgling faith
Maybe there was some...then again, did Jesus try to "get members", or did 'members' just 'flock' to him, because of what he was saying?
Quote:
: the invention of their mythological god, Jesus who was created to compete with other more well-established gods like Dionysus and Mithra--gods who, I should mention, had lots of traits and markers that the inventors of Jesus copied for their avatar god (I mean if that fact alone doesn't clue lurkers in that Jesus was just another man-made god like all the others, then I don't know what will.) If after lurkers know ALL the facts they still want to adopt Christianity as their religion then I will buy them a front-row ticket.
Uhh...as far as Jesus being "created to compete with other more well-established Gods" goes, I don't think that's the case. After all, the "other gods" had shape and form. Jesus had 'shape and form', but God (that is, Yahweh)...doesn't. If I understand Yahweh as the "essence of the existence of all", how in the world would one draw/sculpt that? It's like asking you to 'draw' gravity! Or, love...
And I'm sorry...but I don't think that either gravity or love is "mythical".
Last edited by mensaguy; 04-09-2022 at 11:04 AM..
Reason: Tried to replace a missing quote tag
Yep, he sure did some special favors for you, Mink. He's definitely a favorites-player--his "elect" I think the term is.
He's not a "favorites-player", thrill. He sees each of us as his "favorite". [
Quote:
Should the millions of others he shortchanged who I think he refers to as "vessels of destruction destined for wrath" be as grateful for being born blind, without limbs, deaf, crippled, I wonder? Or should they too be grateful for the meager little God has given them?
LOL! Ask Nick Vujicic if HE feels like he was "short changed"! Born without arms or legs...going on to marry a beautiful woman...having 4 children with her...going on to speak about his disability, and the BENEFITS of believing in God.
How about Helen Keller? Born blind and deaf, yet having nothing but good things to say about God, despite whatever disabilities she had.
And Bethany Hamilton. Lost her arm to a shark attack in her early teens. Did THAT slow her down? Nope.
And that's only a few of the people who don't have what MOST of us have. Yet, their lives became better for it.
I'm willing to bet you my whole social security check that if you interviewed 100 disabled people, MOST of them wouldn't fault God for their disability. The one's who would fault Him, would probably be new to their circumstances...or simply bitter atheists.
Yes, that's a particularly good question. In my whole adult life until recently, I only knew one man who was probably an atheist (never talked about religion in any way at all), and for the most part, he was a pretty happy guy.
In my life I've known thousands of christians and maybe 3 atheists. Where are all these atheists that Mink and others have known?
Can't determine absolute veracity, of course...but "studies" have indicated that Religious people/Theists are overall happier than those that "Lack Belief".
I wouldn't be too happy either if I lacked a perceptive ability (perceive God) that 85 to 90% of all the people that lived over the last few thousand years possessed.
I mean...being blind does not guarantee unhappiness...but you'd probably be happier if you possessed vision. No?
When religion is responsible, or plays a role in that negativity, then yes, we should complain (regardless of our religion or lack of it). But for some religious people, it is OK for the religious to complain (such as about creationism in schools), but when an atheist does it, we are bashing, mocking, interrogating, etc.
If you ARE bashing, mocking, interrogating, then yeah...it's a problem.
Quote:
[How did you know the unhappy people were atheists?
Ummm...gee...because I ASKED them if they believed in God...? I didn't make assumptions, if that's what you're getting at. If I first meet someone, I don't just say, "Hi! I'm Mink! I believe in God! Do YOU?"
It usually comes up in different ways in the first few minutes of conversation.
Quote:
Again, his apparent behavior does not match your description of an all powerful, all loving god. And all you can do is to refer to some unknown possible reason why any god allows evil. But then all you are doing is inventing a possibility, that is, you do not know.
Depends on what *your* idea is of an all powerful, all loving God is...
Yes, God is all powerful. And yes, He's all-knowing. But people (a.k.a. atheists) seem to forget that part...
Can't determine absolute veracity, of course...but "studies" have indicated that Religious people/Theists are overall happier than those that "Lack Belief".
I wouldn't be too happy either if I lacked a perceptive ability (perceive God) that 85 to 90% of all the people that lived over the last few thousand years possessed.
I mean...being blind does not guarantee unhappiness...but you'd probably be happier if you possessed vision. No?
Majority thinking does not make something 'right'.
Majority thinking does not make something 'right'.
No..but it typically makes it "rule".
That is how we make our laws...a majority of the lawmakers vote how they think things should be...then, that's what controls & rules. Regardless of those that don't like the law, think it's "wrong", etc
Penalties for noncompliance, whether you like it (or not), think it's "wrong" (or not) or whine/rejoice over it.
But, then, you knew this.
No..but it typically makes it "rule".
That is how we make our laws...a majority of the lawmakers vote how they think things should be...then, that's what controls & rules. Regardless of those that don't like the law, think it's "wrong", etc
Penalties for noncompliance, whether you like it (or not), think it's "wrong" (or not) or whine/rejoice over it.
But, then, you knew this.
Oh, so really what your posts are about is using raw bully power.
He's not a "favorites-player", thrill. He sees each of us as his "favorite". [
LOL! Ask Nick Vujicic if HE feels like he was "short changed"! Born without arms or legs...going on to marry a beautiful woman...having 4 children with her...going on to speak about his disability, and the BENEFITS of believing in God.
How about Helen Keller? Born blind and deaf, yet having nothing but good things to say about God, despite whatever disabilities she had.
And Bethany Hamilton. Lost her arm to a shark attack in her early teens. Did THAT slow her down? Nope.
And that's only a few of the people who don't have what MOST of us have. Yet, their lives became better for it.
I'm willing to bet you my whole social security check that if you interviewed 100 disabled people, MOST of them wouldn't fault God for their disability. The one's who would fault Him, would probably be new to their circumstances...or simply bitter atheists.
The bitter atheists I guess are atheists who get tired of hearing everything good is because of God and everything bad is because of man. If God is respinsible for all the God how is his not responsible for any of the bad and if man is responsible for all the bad why is he never responsibe for any of the good. We atheists get accused of hating God if we say that but you do not get accused of hating humans when you only blame and never credit man.
I do not blame or credit your God for anything but I do respond to what believers say. IMHO nature and man share the credit and blame if credit and blame need to be assigned. Man for the horrors we see in Ukraine and developing insulin and nature fo earthquakes and sunsets.
I do not blame God or Satan or anything else period. I am not bitter but seeing images of the war in Ukraine or of homeless people does make me angry and sad. If you get a chance watch the drama God On Trial. It is set in a camp during the Halocaust and in it Jews are debating about God's role in all that. Two opposite conclusions from the exact same situation. Ibam sure that if you took all the blind people of the world some would agree with Helen Keller and some would not. Same with is there a God or not or which is the cirrect religion or is football better than basketball ( thevtruth is hockey is by far the best
Oh, so really what your posts are about is using raw bully power.
Do you think the way democratic governments make laws (majority rules) is "raw bully power"?
Lots of laws I don't like...and they were put in place by a majority vote. So......
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
And no, I'm not being sarcastic!)
