Christians and Anger

[sky dancer]

I know you do. But, the attempts by Christians to insist that god conforms to the beliefs they hold about their deity definitely falls into the category of delusion, as described.

We could discuss what we consider 'delusion' for quite some time.

 

[sky dancer]

That might of been it. Most recently, I've been reading up on Buddhism more and more.

I'd be interested in knowing what you're reading, if you don't mind sharing sometime.

PM?

 

[ABikerSailor]

My favorite book on Buddhism (which I still have) is

"What the Buddha taught", by Walpole Rahula.

If you're interested in what Taoists have to say about it, I'd recommend a book called "The Tao of Pooh" as a good starting point. After you read that, launch into a translation of "The Tao Te Ching" as translated by Red Pine. What I like best about it is that it shows the Mangwari texts, next to the translation, with about 10 different Zen sages' commentary on it. And......there are only 2 pages per verse, and they are both facing each other, so it's really easy to cross reference.

 

[Care4all]

God gave Adam and Eve one chance, can you refute otherwise?

They ate from the apple, and were tossed out of paradise pretty quickly.

It's not that He gave them only 1 chance....

First, we have no idea HOW MANY times He warned them about not eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Second, Eve was seduced by Satan and ate the forbidden fruit from this tree.

Third, Adam was seduced by Eve and ate the forbidden fruit as well.

If Adam had not eaten the forbidden fruit but Eve had, Paradise would still be their home imo....I base this on how i know God reacted to Lot, when Lot begged him time and time again that if he could find 10 good people in the whole town would God prevent the disaster from happening and God said yes but Lot could not find 10, if Lot could find 5 good people would God save them all and God said yes, but Lot could not find 5, and so on and so forth till finally down to if Lot could find one good person in the towns would God save the whole town from the castastrophy....God said yes He would, but Lot could not find one.

So to me, if Adam had not eaten the fruit from the Forbidden Tree then God would have saved both of them...

HENCE, God gave them, 2 chances at minimum and who knows how many warnings he gave them ahead of time....seems like it was pretty clear and imbred in them that they should not eat from this tree.

This story also shows us the nature of man...it took someone as great and powerful as the Devil to seduce Eve yet it took just a woman to seduce Adam! Men are easily seduceable by women! lesson learned!



How about making Abraham bringing his son Issac up to the hill to almost kill him for a test? A TEST?

What kind of sick fuck does that? I can tell you right now, if Abraham did anything of the sort today and it was reported to the police that they arrest Abraham's ass so fast. Hell, they especially be interested when he says that God told him to do it.

Ye of little Faith, the onmi past, present, and future God, already KNEW Abraham's response.

The test was to see if Abraham knew how strong his own faith in God was....God already knew.

How about the Story of Job? When God decides to give Satan permission to fuck with Job because Satan ACCUSES Job of only being pious because he is prosperous. Satan puts Job through trial after trial. Finally, at the end God restores everything and doubles it because Job passed his "test."

Now if God is omnipotent, why did he do this? To prove Satan wrong, a bet basically. Put a man through hell, kill his children, and inflict much damage upon him to just prove someone wrong.

God did this for Satan, one of His most beloved and brightest Angels at one time...the entire spiritual battle on Earth and in Heaven between God and Satan is giving Satan another Chance and another chance and another chance is what I believe is going on in this book....it wasn't simply to humor Lucifer....imo!



God approves of slaughter for many things we'd balk at today in the O.T. Things such as killing sons of sinners (God had quite a obsession with killing first born sons in the O.T), killing the good Samaritan, killing people who work on the sabbath, killing false prophets, killing followers of other religions, killing women who are not virgins on their wedding night, killing an entire town if one person worships another God, death for cursing parents, killing witches, killing homosexuals, killing people who don't listen to priests. (I'm sure the priests quoted that one often).

God did not kill them so to say....they killed themselves and God let them do this to themselves through giving them their own free will....for every one of these disasters or bad things that happened, God says both....first He says He did it (He takes the blame), then He goes on in later passages and says (the human entity that caused such, did it.)

There are so many passages as such, where the passages seem so hypocritical....as example it says that God killed soloman, but then in a passage just a few lines down it goes on to say that Soloman threw himself on his own sword, or something like that....

So when God is saying that He did it, He is saying that because He gave us Free will and allowed us our Free will, we made decisions and did things to put us in to a path that can kill us....should He get rid of Free will.....so that we are all like zombies or should we let things fall, where they may and allow us our free will? I don't really know the anwer, other than the immediate gut feeling that i would rather have it a situation where we all have free will...

Basically, we reap what we sow. This is precisely the whole gist of the old testament to most Christians....God warns us, but He lets us make the final decision and lets the chips fall....imo.

And here is the thing, Christians can not ignore the O.T or invalidate it simply because it does not fit their views. It exists, it is still taught today in the church, and it's part of the history. It would be like if the U.S. decided to ignore the fact we had Slavery for all those years or the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

There is no invalidating the old or the New, they both work together fine, God is of the same nature in both, you just need to do further reading and search for this understanding.

Personally, before I open the Bible to read, I say a little mini Prayer for God to Please help guide me in understanding what He is trying to teach me and tell me....

Care

 

[sky dancer]

I like the Taoists a lot. I am familiar with the book, What the Buddha Taught by Walpole Rahula, but I no longer have it in my library.

 

[sky dancer]

There is no invalidating the old or the New, they both work together fine, God is of the same nature in both, you just need to do further reading and search for this understanding.

Personally, before I open the Bible to read, I say a little mini Prayer for God to Please help guide me in understanding what He is trying to teach me and tell me....
Care

That brings up a question. When you pray to God, do you consider God to be outside or inside yourself?

 

[ABikerSailor]

That brings up a question. When you pray to God, do you consider God to be outside or inside yourself?

Interestingly enough, I find it to be both.

Think of it like a tree. The branch is part of the tree, but the tree isn't really part of the branch, but the tree DOES feed and nurture the branch via sap, so it's inside, but, also via the outside by surrounding it with other branches.

BTW Sky, if you get a chance, watch a movie called "The Fountain". It has Hugh Jackman in it, and it's a damn good movie!

 

[sky dancer]

I'll check out the movie, Rob. BTW. I missed you under the mistletoe, you'll have to catch me next year!

 

[ABikerSailor]

I'll check out the movie, Rob. BTW. I missed you under the mistletoe, you'll have to catch me next year!

Not a problem dear, I'll be sure to make it next time.

BTW.......start practicing your puckering now sweetie!

 

[chloe]

Not really......Uma Thurman's character, when she tried to leave, was forced back in, and therefore, ended up with the tragedies and pain.

Ralph Macchiato's character was forced into it by virtue of getting beat up in school, so the tragedy befell him, and then he was forced to go through the training required, so that he could walk around as a full human.

Matter of fact, I've kinda ended up with a bit of a story kinda like Job. Was sold for 25,000 by my real father to get me adopted by my mom's second husband. Went through lots of pain and extremely ugly experiences until I was 8, then was orphaned. Shifted around from relative to relative until I was 12, then put into foster care until 16, when I ran away to go back with my grandparents.

Then I joined the Navy.

Did I ask for those experiences? Not really......would have much preferred to keep a family and go to college, maybe become a DJ or a writer.

Am I glad that I went through them? Well.....up until I was 30, I was plenty pissed off about what had happened to me growing up. I then met a friend of mine who told me that God doesn't give us more than we can handle, it's just that sometimes I wish He didn't have such faith in my abilities. Off of that, I'd learned that I'd survived, and came through reasonably whole, and, applying the lessons in my life, as well as figuring out how to avoid the whole death and despair thing, makes me super potent.

My friend told me that I'd had experiences growing up that most 50 year olds didn't have. What's more, is that I'd figured out how to identify with others who were going through the same experience, and show them my solution for getting through.

Nope......didn't ask for those experiences, and while I was going through them, I kept asking "why me?" The answer I always got back was "why NOT you"?

After that.......I didn't bitch much.....just looked for more solutions to share with others.

Does that mean God is a bastard? NO. What that means is God saw something in me to make me an instrument to help others, which is why I'd received such a varied life.

I just get mad, and have a bad temper. Thats how I deal with it.

 

[ABikerSailor]

I just get mad, and have a bad temper. Thats how I deal with it.

I've got a pretty bad one myself on occasion Chloe. What I generally do is bluster and holler for about 30 seconds, and then start looking for something else to do that will allow me to be happy.

 

[chloe]

I've got a pretty bad one myself on occasion Chloe. What I generally do is bluster and holler for about 30 seconds, and then start looking for something else to do that will allow me to be happy.

I take it out on the person who deserves it and show no mercy and no forgiveness, i carry the grudge against them for years....there only hope is repentance.

 

[sky dancer]

I take it out on the person who deserves it and show no mercy and no forgiveness, i carry the grudge against them for years....there only hope is repentance.

Remind me to not piss you off!

 

[chloe]

Remind me to not piss you off!

you would have to do a lot worse then just piss me off. But I doubt you would do even that because your a sweet darling !

 

[sky dancer]

you would have to do a lot worse then just piss me off. But I doubt you would do even that because your a sweet darling !

Aw shucks. That's sweet of you to think of me that way. I've been known to attact an on-line nemesis--so obviously, I'm not a 'sweet darling' ALL the time.

 

[DiveCon]

Aw shucks. That's sweet of you to think of me that way. I've been known to attact an on-line nemesis--so obviously, I'm not a 'sweet darling' ALL the time.

yup

 

[chloe]

your a sweet darling to me

 

[sky dancer]

Not a problem Sky. Took care of it for ya!

You know I really love you, right?

I'm just baskin' in the glow...

 

[sky dancer]

your a sweet darling to me

Thanks chloe. It is true, that what you pay attention to, you tend to get more of.

We all have the choice to either attend to our own and other people's flaws or point out the loveable.

Luckily, on forums, we get to do both. Some people are more loveable to me because they cop to their flaws.

 

[chloe]

Thanks chloe. It is true, that what you pay attention to, you tend to get more of.

We all have the choice to either attend to our own and other people's flaws or point out the loveable.

Luckily, on forums, we get to do both. Some people are more loveable to me because they cop to their flaws.

This board needs a kissing & hugging and cuddling smile faces