Christianity Defined

[ChrisL]

God really does love you. Unconditionally.
But we are taught by society that love means protecting us from harm and hurt.
Love means sacrifice.

There is no God. It is just wishful thinking on your part.

You are entitled to believe that, I have never denied it.

All the evidence points in that direction.

 

[defcon4]

Lol. More malarkey. Some people are needy and need something like a "god" to cling to in order to give their lives meaning.

The question remains: when "people are needy and need something like a 'god'...." are they hurting your person physically or your legal interest in any way?

 

[Bonzi]

Does this baby suffer because of God's will or his own?

He's obviously not a Christian and hasn't read the bible. The kid chooses hunger (and rejects god) of his own free will. But then suffers the consequences of his choice. Geez, everyone knows that!

Because it's all a bunch of BS, IMO.

Hopefully someone you will encounter will present it in a way that will reveal God to you and thus it will make sense to you.....

Why Does God Allow Evil and Suffering?

Lol. More malarkey. Some people are needy and need something like a "god" to cling to in order to give their lives meaning.

I don't call what you believe malarkey, that's not very nice.

 

[ChrisL]

Does this baby suffer because of God's will or his own?

He's obviously not a Christian and hasn't read the bible. The kid chooses hunger (and rejects god) of his own free will. But then suffers the consequences of his choice. Geez, everyone knows that!

Because it's all a bunch of BS, IMO.

Hopefully someone you will encounter will present it in a way that will reveal God to you and thus it will make sense to you.....

Why Does God Allow Evil and Suffering?

Lol. More malarkey. Some people are needy and need something like a "god" to cling to in order to give their lives meaning.

I don't call what you believe malarkey, that's not very nice.

Well sorry, but that is what it is in my opinion, and that is the purpose of this place, expressing our opinions on topics.

 

[Bonzi]

He's obviously not a Christian and hasn't read the bible. The kid chooses hunger (and rejects god) of his own free will. But then suffers the consequences of his choice. Geez, everyone knows that!

Because it's all a bunch of BS, IMO.

Hopefully someone you will encounter will present it in a way that will reveal God to you and thus it will make sense to you.....

Why Does God Allow Evil and Suffering?

Lol. More malarkey. Some people are needy and need something like a "god" to cling to in order to give their lives meaning.

I don't call what you believe malarkey, that's not very nice.

Well sorry, but that is what it is in my opinion, and that is the purpose of this place, expressing our opinions on topics.

Yep, it goes both ways...

 

[ChrisL]

Because it's all a bunch of BS, IMO.

Hopefully someone you will encounter will present it in a way that will reveal God to you and thus it will make sense to you.....

Why Does God Allow Evil and Suffering?

Lol. More malarkey. Some people are needy and need something like a "god" to cling to in order to give their lives meaning.

I don't call what you believe malarkey, that's not very nice.

Well sorry, but that is what it is in my opinion, and that is the purpose of this place, expressing our opinions on topics.

Yep, it goes both ways...

Sorry, it's still malarkey to me.

 

[ChrisL]

Lol. More malarkey. Some people are needy and need something like a "god" to cling to in order to give their lives meaning.

The question remains: when "people are needy and need something like a 'god'...." are they hurting your person physically or your legal interest in any way?

What does that have to do with anything? This is a discussion board. If people can't handle their beliefs being challenged, then perhaps they shouldn't make such threads?

 

[Bonzi]

Hopefully someone you will encounter will present it in a way that will reveal God to you and thus it will make sense to you.....

Why Does God Allow Evil and Suffering?

Lol. More malarkey. Some people are needy and need something like a "god" to cling to in order to give their lives meaning.

I don't call what you believe malarkey, that's not very nice.

Well sorry, but that is what it is in my opinion, and that is the purpose of this place, expressing our opinions on topics.

Yep, it goes both ways...

Sorry, it's still malarkey to me.

Well like I said, I understand, it's not like I'm nice all the time either... but I have never said you were not entitled to believe what you want or will.

 

[ChrisL]

Lol. More malarkey. Some people are needy and need something like a "god" to cling to in order to give their lives meaning.

I don't call what you believe malarkey, that's not very nice.

Well sorry, but that is what it is in my opinion, and that is the purpose of this place, expressing our opinions on topics.

Yep, it goes both ways...

Sorry, it's still malarkey to me.

Well like I said, I understand, it's not like I'm nice all the time either... but I have never said you were not entitled to believe what you want or will.

Well what makes you think that you can preach to others? You don't practice your own beliefs half the time!

 

[defcon4]

What does that have to do with anything? This is a discussion board. If people can't handle their beliefs being challenged, then perhaps they shouldn't make such threads?

I just asked to see if you like to dish it out but not taking it. I was right... when someone tells you that you look over 50 you start asking... "why are they hurting me?" Maybe you hurt others' feelings too when you ridicule their beliefs, no?
You are right about the discussion board is for discussion of opinions and have no issue with you other than pointing out that you can hurt people too... Makes sense?

 

[ABikerSailor]

You know, the wars, starvation and most of the suffering in this world ISN'T caused by God, it's caused by man having free will and choosing to exercise that free will by taking power, money and sex from others against their will.

It's not God that causes suffering, it's mankind.

In the case of disease and sickness? Many times it is caused by us doing things to ourselves, like smoking, drinking too much, etc., and sickness results from our free will exercise in indulging ourselves.

Does God exist? I like to believe so, because there are many strange things that have happened in my life, and I can't attribute them to anything other than God, and His watching over me, and guiding me through various choices.

One example..........................When I was 16, I got tired of living with the foster family that I'd been placed with, because they were using the checks from the foster program to finance their new house and other things, so I ran away to go talk to my case worker in Helena. After I contacted him, he said that I had to go back to Missoula, or else pay rent to stay at the runaway home.

I didn't have the cash to stay, so I reluctantly agreed to go back (even though I really didn't want to), and, as luck would have it, the bus was running early and I just barely missed it. I called my case worker back and told him I'd missed the bus, and he told me to stay at the station until I could catch the next one to Missoula.

Well............still didn't want to go back, so I asked the ticket agent how much a bus to Chicago would cost (don't know why, just the first place that jumped into my mind), and he said 300.00. Well, I only had about 30 bucks, and I asked when the next bus was leaving and where it was going. He said it was going to Great Falls (where my Grandparents lived), and the cost was 25.00.

I bought a ticket and ended up in Great Falls. Well, my Grandparents were 11 miles outside of there in another town called Vaughn, and so I started walking. About midnight, I came by the truck stop on the edge of town, and since I still had 5 bucks, I stopped in and got something to eat. As I was leaving, I got halfway across the parking lot and a VW beetle pulled up next to me and asked if I needed a ride. I asked where they were going, and they said Missoula, but were willing to drop me anywhere along the way. I told them Vaughn was just fine, and got out when we arrived, slept in the schoolyard that night (by this time it was around 1:00 am), and knocked on my Grandparent's door at 7:00 am, and was taken back in, where I spent my Senior year and then joined the Navy.

Now.............I really didn't want to go back to the foster family, but was told that I had to, and it just happened that I showed up at the right time to catch a bus to Great Falls, because they only ran once a day. I also found it interesting that the ONLY people to offer me a ride were people going to Missoula (where my foster family was), and that was kind of like God telling me that I had a choice, and He gave me a couple of places where I could have changed my mind.

That's only one example, there are many others. I believe that when extreme coincidences happen to me, that's God answering my questions, and asking which way I want to go.

Coincidences are how God shows me that He's listening.

 

[ChrisL]

You know, the wars, starvation and most of the suffering in this world ISN'T caused by God, it's caused by man having free will and choosing to exercise that free will by taking power, money and sex from others against their will.

It's not God that causes suffering, it's mankind.

In the case of disease and sickness? Many times it is caused by us doing things to ourselves, like smoking, drinking too much, etc., and sickness results from our free will exercise in indulging ourselves.

Does God exist? I like to believe so, because there are many strange things that have happened in my life, and I can't attribute them to anything other than God, and His watching over me, and guiding me through various choices.

One example..........................When I was 16, I got tired of living with the foster family that I'd been placed with, because they were using the checks from the foster program to finance their new house and other things, so I ran away to go talk to my case worker in Helena. After I contacted him, he said that I had to go back to Missoula, or else pay rent to stay at the runaway home.

I didn't have the cash to stay, so I reluctantly agreed to go back (even though I really didn't want to), and, as luck would have it, the bus was running early and I just barely missed it. I called my case worker back and told him I'd missed the bus, and he told me to stay at the station until I could catch the next one to Missoula.

Well............still didn't want to go back, so I asked the ticket agent how much a bus to Chicago would cost (don't know why, just the first place that jumped into my mind), and he said 300.00. Well, I only had about 30 bucks, and I asked when the next bus was leaving and where it was going. He said it was going to Great Falls (where my Grandparents lived), and the cost was 25.00.

I bought a ticket and ended up in Great Falls. Well, my Grandparents were 11 miles outside of there in another town called Vaughn, and so I started walking. About midnight, I came by the truck stop on the edge of town, and since I still had 5 bucks, I stopped in and got something to eat. As I was leaving, I got halfway across the parking lot and a VW beetle pulled up next to me and asked if I needed a ride. I asked where they were going, and they said Missoula, but were willing to drop me anywhere along the way. I told them Vaughn was just fine, and got out when we arrived, slept in the schoolyard that night (by this time it was around 1:00 am), and knocked on my Grandparent's door at 7:00 am, and was taken back in, where I spent my Senior year and then joined the Navy.

Now.............I really didn't want to go back to the foster family, but was told that I had to, and it just happened that I showed up at the right time to catch a bus to Great Falls, because they only ran once a day. I also found it interesting that the ONLY people to offer me a ride were people going to Missoula (where my foster family was), and that was kind of like God telling me that I had a choice, and He gave me a couple of places where I could have changed my mind.

That's only one example, there are many others. I believe that when extreme coincidences happen to me, that's God answering my questions, and asking which way I want to go.

Coincidences are how God shows me that He's listening.

Why would you think a god would watch over you but let children in Africa starve to death?

 

[ChrisL]

You know, the wars, starvation and most of the suffering in this world ISN'T caused by God, it's caused by man having free will and choosing to exercise that free will by taking power, money and sex from others against their will.

It's not God that causes suffering, it's mankind.

In the case of disease and sickness? Many times it is caused by us doing things to ourselves, like smoking, drinking too much, etc., and sickness results from our free will exercise in indulging ourselves.

Does God exist? I like to believe so, because there are many strange things that have happened in my life, and I can't attribute them to anything other than God, and His watching over me, and guiding me through various choices.

One example..........................When I was 16, I got tired of living with the foster family that I'd been placed with, because they were using the checks from the foster program to finance their new house and other things, so I ran away to go talk to my case worker in Helena. After I contacted him, he said that I had to go back to Missoula, or else pay rent to stay at the runaway home.

I didn't have the cash to stay, so I reluctantly agreed to go back (even though I really didn't want to), and, as luck would have it, the bus was running early and I just barely missed it. I called my case worker back and told him I'd missed the bus, and he told me to stay at the station until I could catch the next one to Missoula.

Well............still didn't want to go back, so I asked the ticket agent how much a bus to Chicago would cost (don't know why, just the first place that jumped into my mind), and he said 300.00. Well, I only had about 30 bucks, and I asked when the next bus was leaving and where it was going. He said it was going to Great Falls (where my Grandparents lived), and the cost was 25.00.

I bought a ticket and ended up in Great Falls. Well, my Grandparents were 11 miles outside of there in another town called Vaughn, and so I started walking. About midnight, I came by the truck stop on the edge of town, and since I still had 5 bucks, I stopped in and got something to eat. As I was leaving, I got halfway across the parking lot and a VW beetle pulled up next to me and asked if I needed a ride. I asked where they were going, and they said Missoula, but were willing to drop me anywhere along the way. I told them Vaughn was just fine, and got out when we arrived, slept in the schoolyard that night (by this time it was around 1:00 am), and knocked on my Grandparent's door at 7:00 am, and was taken back in, where I spent my Senior year and then joined the Navy.

Now.............I really didn't want to go back to the foster family, but was told that I had to, and it just happened that I showed up at the right time to catch a bus to Great Falls, because they only ran once a day. I also found it interesting that the ONLY people to offer me a ride were people going to Missoula (where my foster family was), and that was kind of like God telling me that I had a choice, and He gave me a couple of places where I could have changed my mind.

That's only one example, there are many others. I believe that when extreme coincidences happen to me, that's God answering my questions, and asking which way I want to go.

Coincidences are how God shows me that He's listening.

It all sounds quite arrogant, IMO, that you would think you are important enough but others are not.

 

[ChrisL]

You know, the wars, starvation and most of the suffering in this world ISN'T caused by God, it's caused by man having free will and choosing to exercise that free will by taking power, money and sex from others against their will.

It's not God that causes suffering, it's mankind.

In the case of disease and sickness? Many times it is caused by us doing things to ourselves, like smoking, drinking too much, etc., and sickness results from our free will exercise in indulging ourselves.

Does God exist? I like to believe so, because there are many strange things that have happened in my life, and I can't attribute them to anything other than God, and His watching over me, and guiding me through various choices.

One example..........................When I was 16, I got tired of living with the foster family that I'd been placed with, because they were using the checks from the foster program to finance their new house and other things, so I ran away to go talk to my case worker in Helena. After I contacted him, he said that I had to go back to Missoula, or else pay rent to stay at the runaway home.

I didn't have the cash to stay, so I reluctantly agreed to go back (even though I really didn't want to), and, as luck would have it, the bus was running early and I just barely missed it. I called my case worker back and told him I'd missed the bus, and he told me to stay at the station until I could catch the next one to Missoula.

Well............still didn't want to go back, so I asked the ticket agent how much a bus to Chicago would cost (don't know why, just the first place that jumped into my mind), and he said 300.00. Well, I only had about 30 bucks, and I asked when the next bus was leaving and where it was going. He said it was going to Great Falls (where my Grandparents lived), and the cost was 25.00.

I bought a ticket and ended up in Great Falls. Well, my Grandparents were 11 miles outside of there in another town called Vaughn, and so I started walking. About midnight, I came by the truck stop on the edge of town, and since I still had 5 bucks, I stopped in and got something to eat. As I was leaving, I got halfway across the parking lot and a VW beetle pulled up next to me and asked if I needed a ride. I asked where they were going, and they said Missoula, but were willing to drop me anywhere along the way. I told them Vaughn was just fine, and got out when we arrived, slept in the schoolyard that night (by this time it was around 1:00 am), and knocked on my Grandparent's door at 7:00 am, and was taken back in, where I spent my Senior year and then joined the Navy.

Now.............I really didn't want to go back to the foster family, but was told that I had to, and it just happened that I showed up at the right time to catch a bus to Great Falls, because they only ran once a day. I also found it interesting that the ONLY people to offer me a ride were people going to Missoula (where my foster family was), and that was kind of like God telling me that I had a choice, and He gave me a couple of places where I could have changed my mind.

That's only one example, there are many others. I believe that when extreme coincidences happen to me, that's God answering my questions, and asking which way I want to go.

Coincidences are how God shows me that He's listening.

According to religions, you are not to use birth control. It is up to God whether or not you have a child. Therefore, God is making these people in Africa have child after child after child, who eventually starve to death, which is a horrible slow and painful death. Do you really think that God would help you catch a ride??? Good grief. This is just one of MANY things that disgust me.

 

[ChrisL]

It's fucking delusional, IMO. Delusional, self-centered, and also responsible for a lot of the problems we have today. There are no "gods."

 

[Taz]

Christianity is the religion of pro-slavers. The Bible clearly approves of slavery in many passages, and it goes so far as to tell how to obtain slaves, how hard you can beat them, and when you can have sex with the female slaves.

 

[Taz]

You know, the wars, starvation and most of the suffering in this world ISN'T caused by God, it's caused by man having free will and choosing to exercise that free will by taking power, money and sex from others against their will.

It's not God that causes suffering, it's mankind.

In the case of disease and sickness? Many times it is caused by us doing things to ourselves, like smoking, drinking too much, etc., and sickness results from our free will exercise in indulging ourselves.

Does God exist? I like to believe so, because there are many strange things that have happened in my life, and I can't attribute them to anything other than God, and His watching over me, and guiding me through various choices.

One example..........................When I was 16, I got tired of living with the foster family that I'd been placed with, because they were using the checks from the foster program to finance their new house and other things, so I ran away to go talk to my case worker in Helena. After I contacted him, he said that I had to go back to Missoula, or else pay rent to stay at the runaway home.

I didn't have the cash to stay, so I reluctantly agreed to go back (even though I really didn't want to), and, as luck would have it, the bus was running early and I just barely missed it. I called my case worker back and told him I'd missed the bus, and he told me to stay at the station until I could catch the next one to Missoula.

Well............still didn't want to go back, so I asked the ticket agent how much a bus to Chicago would cost (don't know why, just the first place that jumped into my mind), and he said 300.00. Well, I only had about 30 bucks, and I asked when the next bus was leaving and where it was going. He said it was going to Great Falls (where my Grandparents lived), and the cost was 25.00.

I bought a ticket and ended up in Great Falls. Well, my Grandparents were 11 miles outside of there in another town called Vaughn, and so I started walking. About midnight, I came by the truck stop on the edge of town, and since I still had 5 bucks, I stopped in and got something to eat. As I was leaving, I got halfway across the parking lot and a VW beetle pulled up next to me and asked if I needed a ride. I asked where they were going, and they said Missoula, but were willing to drop me anywhere along the way. I told them Vaughn was just fine, and got out when we arrived, slept in the schoolyard that night (by this time it was around 1:00 am), and knocked on my Grandparent's door at 7:00 am, and was taken back in, where I spent my Senior year and then joined the Navy.

Now.............I really didn't want to go back to the foster family, but was told that I had to, and it just happened that I showed up at the right time to catch a bus to Great Falls, because they only ran once a day. I also found it interesting that the ONLY people to offer me a ride were people going to Missoula (where my foster family was), and that was kind of like God telling me that I had a choice, and He gave me a couple of places where I could have changed my mind.

That's only one example, there are many others. I believe that when extreme coincidences happen to me, that's God answering my questions, and asking which way I want to go.

Coincidences are how God shows me that He's listening.

Why would you think a god would watch over you but let children in Africa starve to death?

Because God is a white guy, haven't you seen the pictures?

 

[LOki]

Try clearing your cache.

It's about the joy of doing God's good work:
"Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks."--Psalm 137:9

Are those the Babylonians' little ones or the jews' little ones who need to be dashed against the stones?

What's the difference... to decent human beings.

 

[LOki]

Christianity is the religion of pro-slavers. The Bible clearly approves of slavery in many passages, and it goes so far as to tell how to obtain slaves, how hard you can beat them, and when you can have sex with the female slaves.

Indeed. Anyone who understands what the term "sin" means, also understands that Christianity is not about good vs evil; Chrisianity is no concerned with doing what's right rather than doing what wrong; Christianity is solely about doing what you're told.

The fundamental precept of Christianity is OBEY!

Obey, or else!

 

[LOki]

Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks."--Psalm 137:9

The Psalmist is in exile and had probably witnessed the atrocities committed against his people, babies included. In the revenge-style that was common at the time, he wishes the same upon his enemy. Nowhere does it say that God approves of the Psalmist’s request or that he fulfilled it. Just because it is recorded that the Psalmist wrote about this "wish" or curse, doesn’t mean it was approved by God.

The same God that personally murders babies certainly approves His good work done by His faithful minions.

Unless you are a Christian and have a relationship with God, it's hard to understand His ways.

This is obvious nonsense.

In fact, if there's any truth to this... that truth is in the exact opposite of the assertion: Christians are least likely to understand God's ways... they just obey.

Even Christian's don't understand all of His ways - some of them will remain a mystery until we pass from this life to the next.

The same thing can be said of hotdogs. I can't wait for you to make a point.

That being said, here is one viewpoint/explanation -
Source: Why would God order the destruction of men, women, and children?

God lawfully has the right to execute judgment upon anyone.

Nonsense. God has no legal right what-so-ever--NONE!--to execute any judgement upon anyone. Not one single person. Not ever.

How about them apples?

The Bible says...

Let's just stop here for a second. "The Bible says" a lot of stuff, and a lot of that stuff is entirely nonsense.

The Bible says that all people have sinned against God and are under his righteous judgment.

Your God's judgment is not "righteous", and decent folks are morally obligated to sin against an evil god.

Therefore, their execution is not an arbitrary killing nor is it murder.

Your God certainly inspired murder, contracted for murder, and personally committed murder. And He celebrates it as "righteous." All of which is documented by your own "authoritative" source.

Murder is the unlawful taking of life.

Correct. Your God is plainly guilty of this crime.

Killing is the lawful taking of life.

Which is what murdering infants most certainly is not.

For example, we can lawfully take a life in defense of our selves, our families, our nations, etc.

None of which your God ever did... and even if He were inclined to defend Himself, His family, or His nation, He wouldn't have to kill ANYONE--certainly not infants--to accomplish such a task. Right?

When God authorizes the nation of Israel to wipe out a people, it is a lawful execution due to their rebellion and sin against God.

No. It's "lawful" by only the most perverse of technicalities. It's not lawful at all to the people being murdered.

The atrocities committed by the Nazis was the exact same kind of "lawful."

Furthermore, such an extermination can be seen to be merciful by delivering the young into the hands of the Lord and possibly saving their souls by not giving them time to become "utterly sinful".2

A perverse rationalization for genocide.

Additionally, further generations that would have arisen from the perverse culture, are likewise prevented from coming into existence and spreading their sin.

Another perverse rationalization for genocide.

Finally, one of the reasons that the Lord is so strong in the Old Testament and orders the killing of people is to ensure that the future messianic line would remain intact.

Yet another perverse rationalization for genocide.

Your God is, or is not, omnipotent?

The enemy, Satan, began his attempt to destroy God's people in the Garden of Eden,...

Nonsense. Never happened. Not even in the Bible.

...by also trying to corrupt the world...

This didn't happen either.

...(which led to Noah's Flood),...

Nor this.

...by trying to destroy Israel with attacking armies,...

Well, who could blame Satan (if he were at all involved) for sending armies against those who were blindly obeying the orders of a documented criminally violent psychopath.

...and by encouraging Israel to fall into idolatry by exposure to other cultures as well as intermarrying women from those cultures.

Racist, xenophobic rationalization for genocide.

The result of both the idolatry and the interbreeding would have been the failure of the prophecies that foretold of the coming Messiah which specified which family line the Messiah would come through.

More racist, xenophobic rationalization for genocide.

The Messiah, Jesus, would be the one who would die for the sins of the world and without that death there would be no atonement.

Well, that didn't happen either. Unless you're telling me Jesus is dead.

Without the atonement, all people would be lost.

I really don't think I'm interested in atoning for sins committed against a murdering psychopath.

So, God was ensuring the arrival of the Messiah via the destruction of the ungodly.

Great. You've just made my case.

I roundly reject your blood-thirsty and sadistic religion of human sacrifice. I am an enemy to your tyrannical "God" of torture and human suffering.

AND I SWEAR, if you offer me salvation through the blood of of the Lord, Jesus Christ(TM), I'll say "NO THANK YOU" to this offer to expunge my "sins" in the blood of an innocent--nor shall I place upon him the burdens of sins he has not committed. In other words, I refuse to make a sacrificial animal of any human being -- including Jesus.