Why didn't God...

Not true at all, I have a faith, and it does not interfere with me accepting reality. If reality and my faith have a conflict, then obviously reality is correct.

 

That one sentence wasn't. And it was pretty clear to anyone who wasn't being silly that it wasn't. When it's clear that something isn't literal, it's a bit silly to take it literally...

Thanks for providing an illustration.

But, this is very offtopic. Maybe we should leave it there.

 

In other words the effects of prayer are indistinguishable from the effects of not praying.

Not a very compelling argument.

 

The professor is on a roll!

 

From what I have read on this forum, I have not seen any compelling arguments being presented by the non-theists.

 

Now you attempt to establish yourself as being capable of reading the intent of another persons mind or heart? Wow. How privileged we are to have you on this forum.... lol.

Now illustration has been presented... as for the matter being off-topic... speak to the one who introduced the subject.

 

Well now let's see shall we...

DID you mean an actual, literal, green eyed monster?

Or DID i read your intent correctly enough to deduce that you were not in fact being literal?

 

Did you not see the word "most" in the statement I made about my writings? Duh! Reading comprehension 101 is a nice class in which you should indulge yourself.

 

That would be a No.

Blaming religion is futile. Please, world war 2 had nothing to do with religion and over 70 million people died in it. Religion is a part of human culture,always has been and I would hazard a guess that it will last through both of our natural lives. I will let you in on a little secret. You don't have to use a tragedy such as the one that just happened to try and turn people away from God, the tragedy either does that all on it's own or it makes a person draw closer to him. You can't change anyone's belief the way you do it, you only fan the flames.

Yes Jesus covered that many times over. Killing anyone was against Jesus teachings,don't be absurd.

 

The push to end slavery started when the Haitians defeated the French and kicked them out of Haiti. Whites, including some white Christians, are still pissed about that.

The initial push to end the transatlantic slave trade started with a handful of Englishmen in England. Eventually they persuaded the government and business interests to use the English navy to make it happen.

In the meantime American Christians were busy making and selling slaves. The Mexican Christians ended slavery in Mexico without having to fight about it. The English navy continued to suppress the transatlantic slave trade. A few Americans wanted to abolish slavery. After that they wanted to deport them to other places.

The Southerners started plotting in the early 1830s how to get out of the Union. When Lincoln was elected they took action and started the Civil War. They lost. Lincoln was killed. The Repubs went on to pass the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Slavery was ended, blacks became citizens with equal rights under the law, and black men could vote. If Lincoln had lived he might have pushed to deport them.

Jesus didn't preach freedom and equality.

 

Crock of crap is what you are promoting. The 14th amendment did not end slavery.... it established a new form of slavery which disregards color of skin, ethnicity, religious preference, sexual preference, or any other personal and private preferences... and it focuses on economics... making all people in the United States economic slaves to the monetary system that was looming in the near future. That 14th amendment introduced the new law which prohibits the citizens of this country from auditing the books of the US treasury.... fast forward to 1913... the implementation of the Federal Reserve sewed up all the seams nice and tight.... the Fed Res being a private company in control of the monetary affairs of the US is shielded from any audit and it imposed upon the citizens a never ending debt that under the contract conditions can never be paid off... economic slavery became official.

 

There was also that group called "Friends of the blacks" in France about the same time th slaves in Haiti rebelled. They seemed to of been inspired by ideals of the French Revolution.

The Bible didn't condemn the institution of slavery directly, but seemed to focus on the betterment of the lives of slaves.

There is though the book of Philemon, where Paul writes to Philemon, informing him he is returning a runway slave to him named Onesimus and asks him to let him free. What made the Church conservative about slavery was not political indifference, but rather their respect for law an order as can be found in Romans 13.

 

Dude, the 13th Amendment ended slavery. The 14th established equal protection. The 15th gave black men the right to vote.

 

Those Englishmen: William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce The Abolishment of Slavery
[video=youtube;6uJ3oYwkQdw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uJ3oYwkQdw[/video]

 

So I'm going to go ahead and presume that to be a 'yes' to the second question. In other words, i WAS capable of reading your intent correctly in this case, despite you sarcastically inferring that I wasn't. You should try not reading everything literally sometimes, it works FAR more often than you seem to think.

Incidentally, why do you suggest a reading class? I *did* read your statement correctly, I was merely asking you for confirmation. Did you just see an opportunity for another baseless insult and go for it?

 

Let me guess. If I read my Scriptures more carefully, I would have known this to be true, right?

Consider asking for more intelligence without providing any Incorporeal's modus operandi. That and just saying bat-crazy stuff.

 

what is really scary is that we have no idea what the interest the tax payers pay the fed is spent on...

 

It instructs on the proper way to beat them!

 

If he did, he would have preached about democracy, instead of approving of monarchies, like he did.

 

I equate it to hearing people talk about how a gaurdian angle sent by God saved their childs life when he/she should have died. Thousands of children die from horrible diseases, are kidnapped raped and murdered and die from all manner of accidents every year. But because God decided to lift his all powerful finger and save this one childs life hes worth our praise. When one looks at the statistics it appears as though he either a. doesn't exist or b. doesn't concern himself with us.

If ever there was a time for his intervention I would think it would be preventing the massacre of 18 children.

 

It would be better for them to take the position of God being imaginary. What I'm talking about is Gods morality. Talking about the existence of God when there are not tragedies like this is easy almost like a game but as I said this was never a game for me and though it's not something I revel in doing I feel I have no choice, I am driven by my conviction on the matter and though I will accept being wrong I will not accept apathy for the sake of those who are not victims of this tragedy hiding behind the death of these children.

The world unfortunately will not stop for any of us and time is always waning.

In regards to telling the parents their kids are just memories vs with God, I suggest you do some research on the many people who have come forward over the years about their inability to mourn the loss of their children because of that very notion. How can they feel pain for the fact that their children are now as safe and happy as they could ever be? Their desire to have them here on earth instead of with God seems selfish and they become conflicted with the overwhelming pain the feel at their loss and there need to be happy that they didn’t really lose anything.

It seems for many people this notion of heaven and being with God actually causes a pain they would have otherwise never felt.
This is not true for everyone of course but things rarely if ever are. It simply suggests that it is not the cure people make it out to be.

 

You consider that a valid comparison?

Here's a question for you. What if there was a police officer at the school who instead of trying to intervene followed the shooter around and simply watched as he killed everyone until he took his own life?

Would you hold the police officer responsible for his actions? Would you not want him punished? Would he not recieve the same contempt as the killer?

Why does God not only get a pass but your praise?

 

Because he has bought into the worst part of religions....the FEAR of this invisible man in the sky. With a non-falsifiable belief system it's pretty easy to get gullible people to fear an imaginary all-powerful invisible sky fairy. Some of us have moved beyond that, however. We've seen the consistency of science, and the ridiculous inconsistency and immorality (Jesus, Mohammad, Moses, the Hindu texts, etc.) of the magic-based ancient superstitions, and the choice for what's best for our families is clear.

 

that myth stinks...