US church membership less than 50% now... and falling (Methodist, created, origin)
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If evolution decides to takes someone's life, then it should've some sort of intelligence to make this decision? no?
Then the we get into another question, how about someone getting killed in an auto accident? Such a life is also taken by evolution?
(And I guess what's not encouraged do be discussed in the forum is the subject of human evolution where some people believe that they came from a chimp/common ancestors/monkey. Good for them, I don't have an issue with their belief).
Evolution is not a "being". It doesn't "decide" anything.
If evolution decides to takes someone's life, then it should've some sort of intelligence to make this decision? no?
Then the we get into another question, how about someone getting killed in an auto accident? Such a life is also taken by evolution?
(And I guess what's not encouraged do be discussed in the forum is the subject of human evolution where some people believe that they came from a chimp/common ancestors/monkey. Good for them, I don't have an issue with their belief).
evolution is not a being. Its the process that the biosphere used to create us.
evolution is not a being. Its the process that the biosphere used to create us.
If fundies had a rudimentary (junior high school) science education and were possessed of at least an average IQ and a lick of common sense -- they wouldn't be fundies.
The reason church attendance is down is because with the rise of social media, people are becoming more aware - waking up to all of the propaganda they've been fed their entire lives (family, school, church) - seeking their own truths.
It's positive.
The sooner organized religion goes away, the better. It's mainly about indoctrination and control.
Just ask yourself who you would be without the specific programming you've had - give yourself some space to actually consider that.
Are you speaking about us as humans or of life which isn't part of evolution. Not sure which you mean
Your "lack of belief" is based on gaps. The fact that I would have to ask you to DM you so I can explain it is the proof I use for my "strawman" and the position that some of us here are not here to talk about beliefs as they relate to us but rather they are here fighting religion only and using a general religion forum to, deceitfully, do it.
In truth, the entire rabbit hole this thread has gone down is why Christianity has declined. It's not that people do not still harbor metaphysical beliefs, but they have seen that the institutions of Christianity have been found wanting.
The very fact that we're debating evolution or worrying if Social Security numbers and Covid vaccinations are marks of the Beast show how backwards we're justifiably seen. I mean the fact that there are literally people out there prompted by some obscure Bible verse to argue that the world is flat.
Evolution is a a reality. I personally don't have the energy to debate point by point whatever nonsense you dredge up. And the world certainly wasn't created in 5400 BC. A Covid vaccine doesn't enlist you in the legion of Satan. It's a sign that you actually give a damn about the wellbeing of your neighbors, just as Christ commanded us. Likewise with Social Security. It's a way to safeguard elderly and widows, the way Christ commanded us to do.
But that doesn't deter the lunatic fringe of Christianity. Because they're not really about the spirit of the Bible so much as obsessed with its legalisms. Yet Christ Himself warned against such pharasaical thinking. Need a stark reminder of how badly such an approach can go wrong? Bone up on Calvinist Zurich. It's the closest Christianity has ever come to ISIS. Or check out the dark side of the Puritans in New England. They didn't come to Massachusetts for religious freedom so much as to do what they pleased. And sometimes that meant oppressing the views of others besides them. If you were discovered to be a Quaker in Boston, they'd march you to the gallows.
And yet there are people in far right Christianity who don't have a problem with establishing a theocracy. They argue we're a Christian-based republic, which couldn't be further from the truth.
I mean, it's not even as if they pay attention to the Bible. They just pay attention to the verses they like and ignore the ones that are inconvenient. You'll hear them braying for prayer in schools, yet they ignore Christ's commandment to pray nowhere but in the privacy of one's room. They're constantly trotting out convoluted theories about when the world is going to end, despite multiple warnings to not worry about such things. Christ tells us multiple times to not judge others, yet that seems to be their particular obsession. Personally, my theory is that the more someone is obsessed with the sexuality of others, the greater their inner freakishness really is. All you have to do is read the headlines about misbehaving preachers who minister a little too closely to select members of their flock.
Meanwhile, in Catholicism, you have the ongoing festering sore of the sex abuse scandals with fresh new revelations emerging every month. I don't think we need to venture into that territory again, do we?
This is the problem with theology. Mind you, I'm not discrediting it. However, I am a bit wary of being a slave to it. It's the equivalent of nuclear energy. Harness it in the right way and you can light up a city. Use it in the wrong way and you can obliterate it. The same is true with slavish Bible study. It's important to know and understand the Bible. But its also not spiritually healthy to comb scripture for a verse or a half verse that supports whatever you happen to believe. Or, more to the point, to condemn the actions of others. Pretty much, if you read the Beatitudes you'll learn everything you need to know.
Christ's teachings were very simple. Christianity isn't a rule book we have to follow. It's a spirit in approaching the world, one of generosity towards others with both our gifts and resources. It's about the helping hand, the listening ear, the kindnesses that we exhibit as an example of God's benevolent presence in the world. It's certainly not about blow-dried preachers zooming around in private jets to prop up politicians while the poor, the broken, and the dispirited await our comfort and help. Doing those things argue against church attendance eloquently.
When Christianity finds its mission once again, the churches will fill up once again. When the churches become the agent of positive change in the world--change that is substantive, not just shouting Bible verses at one another--then people will see His word in action. And not one second before.
Last edited by MinivanDriver; 04-05-2021 at 06:44 AM..
We are part of a larger more complex system. That's what the science shows.
lack belief in everything to fight religion is not the same thing and really this is not the forum for that fight. Well, to an honest person it aint anyway.
"died and rose for our sins" makes no sense at all.
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