Win Prizes Ask an Atheist - Shoe's on the other foot now!

[Gethelred]

Alright, we're going to have a change of tack.

As I'm sure you can see, the thread title has been changed to Ask an Atheist. People who have a question to ask of the atheists who populate this thread - more than the christians do - should feel free to ask questions of them.

If you've still got a live question posted to a christian, feel free to continue conversing for the time being.

Standard board rules apply.

 

[Total Power]

Alot of the "law" in the OT is vague, I admit it. It contradicts itself multiple times over. The commandments are different, they are fundamentals. I like that about them. They are not lower order issues. That's what Jesus was talking about. It's a good way to live. And I love his simplification.

3 of the commandments state 'i am the lord' basically' .I would have put something else into it, something bigger, like slavery, sexism, racism, hompphobia, instead of patting my own back.

 

[Baltimore Jack]

 

[Saint]

Alot of the "law" in the OT is vague, I admit it. It contradicts itself multiple times over. The commandments are different, they are fundamentals. I like that about them. They are not lower order issues. That's what Jesus was talking about. It's a good way to live. And I love his simplification.

3 of them are absolute tosh about God. Which shouldn't really be necessary, they're extremely narcissistic.



I've probably posted this before, but it's timeless and should be replayed any time talk of the commandments starts

 

[Not Important]

oops!

 

[Markfs]

Good deeds will be rewarded. Did someone say that or did I just make it up?

Anyway, Scott Morrison is joining a speaking circuit. He spoke at marg court's church but he will be speaking on the new circuit and make upwards to $100K for a lazy afternoon speaking about what he knows about. That's what I call a reward. Obviously not as much as god would give him for speaking at Marg's church but a pretty penny nonetheless. I'm in the wrong gig and I've known that for some time.

 

[carltonchelsea]

oops!

Nice carpentry ahaha, lucky timber ain’t a great conductor or those christians would be wearing AC/DC around their necks!
The absolute stupidity of the Yeshua cult summed up in one short video!

 

[carltonchelsea]

I was going to “ask a Christian” about why is a god necessary or a necessity, then I remembered all of WLC’s work amongst others including the obvious in Aquinas.
Here’s Willy

So much mumbo jumbo and special pleading, my fangs begin to grow.

 

[ElectricG]

I was going to “ask a Christian” about why is a god necessary or a necessity, then I remembered all of WLC’s work amongst others including the obvious in Aquinas.
Here’s Willy

So much mumbo jumbo and special pleading, my fangs begin to grow.

You’re becoming my favourite comedian on this site

 

[carltonchelsea]

You’re becoming my favourite comedian on this site

I ignore almost everything you post, I only post emojis under posts because I know they’re pointless and that that’s all you deserve!

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

I was going to “ask a Christian” about why is a god necessary or a necessity, then I remembered all of WLC’s work amongst others including the obvious in Aquinas.
Here’s Willy

So much mumbo jumbo and special pleading, my fangs begin to grow.

“Special pleading” is right. Some monster sized assumptions in all that, but he just moved on like it’s a fait accompli.

 

[Markfs]

i was just thinking about the good news message of jesus and how it related to people in conquered lands over the last 2000 years. In retrospect, was the process of becoming christians a good news experience for them? I know these people were inflicted with a lot of negative stuff, and I am concentrating solely on the process of giving up their traditions and old religious practices and taking on christianity. Was that good news to them? I just dont see it. It seems something was lost, more than anything gained. Were they happier as a collective because of the conversion? Maybe individually, you could find cases, but from the outside, you would think that people would be better off inside their heads, if they converted to the right god...but I just dont see it. In fact, I would argue that the people doing the converting dont seem to be any better, or happier or fullfilled after finding christianity than what they had before they had it. And the same for those converted. For something that is heralded as being good news, it just hasn't warranted the hype.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

i was just thinking about the good news message of jesus and how it related to people in conquered lands over the last 2000 years. In retrospect, was the process of becoming christians a good news experience for them? I know these people were inflicted with a lot of negative stuff, and I am concentrating solely on the process of giving up their traditions and old religious practices and taking on christianity. Was that good news to them? I just dont see it. It seems something was lost, more than anything gained. Were they happier as a collective because of the conversion? Maybe individually, you could find cases, but from the outside, you would think that people would be better off inside their heads, if they converted to the right god...but I just dont see it. In fact, I would argue that the people doing the converting dont seem to be any better, or happier or fullfilled after finding christianity than what they had before they had it. And the same for those converted. For something that is heralded as being good news, it just hasn't warranted the hype.

This wonderful book, while not dealing specifically with Christianity, examines what we lost when traditional societies were overrun by technologically-superior societies.

Diamond is not blind to the wonderful benefits of modern western life, but is in no doubt that we lost a great deal also. Excellent, eye-opening read.

The World Until Yesterday

Booktopia has The World Until Yesterday, What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? by Jared Diamond. Buy a discounted Paperback of The World Until Yesterday online from Australia's leading online bookstore.

www.booktopia.com.au

 

[Markfs]

This wonderful book, while not dealing specifically with Christianity, examines what we lost when traditional societies were overrun by technologically-superior societies.

Diamond is not blind to the wonderful benefits of modern western life, but is in no doubt that we lost a great deal also. Excellent, eye-opening read.

The World Until Yesterday

Booktopia has The World Until Yesterday, What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? by Jared Diamond. Buy a discounted Paperback of The World Until Yesterday online from Australia's leading online bookstore.

www.booktopia.com.au

Its hard to separate the technology from the religion...and that's just one aspect of the enormous changes traditional societies went through. I was talking about the equivalent of watching a friend go on a trip and that person having a life changing experience and then returning....and from the outside you see your friend transformed...obviously better.

I just dont see it. The bible says its the good news but I just dont see it. You would think that finding the one true god after millenia of idol worshipping, would have had a noticeable positive impact, but the most noticeable aspects are the breakdown of traditional customs and ways of life.... a lot of which have been negative. That's the noticeable thing. It just doesnt add up.

 

[Markfs]

I just had another thought. One of the strengths of early christianity was that it incorporated pagan practices, ceremonies into its own practices.
In fact, it was very Roman in its approach and I refer to how the Romans would incorporate and adapt Greek and other methods into what it meant to live and operate as a Roman.

And so I thought about christianity in today's world, particularly america. Some might argue that christianity is doing well. Others might say capitalism is the dominant creed. I would say that actual christian practices are in decline but evangelical christianity has embraced capitalism and morphed itself into a new form - in a way that it might have incorporated other religions in the early years. It has sucked in the aspects of capitalism that americans like - the financial success - but retained the social aspects that capitalism doesn't have. The going to church. The community aspects. These are the things christianity is good at.

Maybe in 100 years, christianity will be indistinguishable from capitalism. If you're a good christian, you're a good capitalist. The doing good deeds aspect further marginalised or compartmentalised into things like giving a few bucks to help the poor.

 

[Markfs]

This wonderful book, while not dealing specifically with Christianity, examines what we lost when traditional societies were overrun by technologically-superior societies.

Diamond is not blind to the wonderful benefits of modern western life, but is in no doubt that we lost a great deal also. Excellent, eye-opening read.

The World Until Yesterday

Booktopia has The World Until Yesterday, What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? by Jared Diamond. Buy a discounted Paperback of The World Until Yesterday online from Australia's leading online bookstore.

www.booktopia.com.au

i did a search and his titles are in the local library

 

[Saint]

I just had another thought. One of the strengths of early christianity was that it incorporated pagan practices, ceremonies into its own practices.
In fact, it was very Roman in its approach and I refer to how the Romans would incorporate and adapt Greek and other methods into what it meant to live and operate as a Roman.

And so I thought about christianity in today's world, particularly america. Some might argue that christianity is doing well. Others might say capitalism is the dominant creed. I would say that actual christian practices are in decline but evangelical christianity has embraced capitalism and morphed itself into a new form - in a way that it might have incorporated other religions in the early years. It has sucked in the aspects of capitalism that americans like - the financial success - but retained the social aspects that capitalism doesn't have. The going to church. The community aspects. These are the things christianity is good at.

Maybe in 100 years, christianity will be indistinguishable from capitalism. If you're a good christian, you're a good capitalist. The doing good deeds aspect further marginalised or compartmentalised into things like giving a few bucks to help the poor.

This is an excellent point about how Christianity is struggling to survive in the western world and is only doing so by embracing capitalism and the people who believe in both.

When Christianity came to Latin America it took on most of their pagan rituals and imposed itself into old local stories, like the Virgin of Guadaloupe story in Mexico and others through Sth America.

It's probably not surprise to watch this manifest in modern-day USA as Capitalism-as-god. Deus ex Mercatura t-shirts coming soon.

 

[Festerz]

Alot of the "law" in the OT is vague, I admit it. It contradicts itself multiple times over. The commandments are different, they are fundamentals. I like that about them. They are not lower order issues. That's what Jesus was talking about. It's a good way to live. And I love his simplification.

There are 10 so-called commandments. And 3 of the 10 (30%) are solely concerned with protecting the power and position of the person who it is claimed handed them down to society:

• I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange Gods before me.
• You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
• Remember to keep holy the LORD'S Day.

What self obsessed, narcissistic megalomania.

You are right though in claiming they are simplistic. Deliberately designed to protect the power and position of church leaders and to literally strike the fear of 'God' into those under them from considering free thought and rebellion.

Nothing but a thinly designed ruse to protect the monopoly power of the Abrahamic faiths.

 

[travelli]

There are 10 so-called commandments. And 3 of the 10 (30%) are solely concerned with protecting the power and position of the person who it is claimed handed them down to society:

• I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange Gods before me.
• You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
• Remember to keep holy the LORD'S Day.

What self obsessed, narcissistic megalomania.

You are right though in claiming they are simplistic. Deliberately designed to protect the power and position of church leaders and to literally strike the fear of 'God' into those under them from considering free thought and rebellion.

Nothing but a thinly designed ruse to protect the monopoly power of the Abrahamic faiths.

Do you think it's about the god though? Or more a reminder that people should keep themselves in perspective?

 

[The Ghost of the KPF]

 

[Total Power]

Do you think it's about the god though? Or more a reminder that people should keep themselves in perspective?

Context is important. The sixth commandment is that "thou shalt not kill"....except the bible also outlines many instances where killing is not only allowed, but encouraged. The death penalty is ascribed as the punishment for every crime, from working on weekends to being a rape victim. God also commands Moses and his band of brigands to murder, rape and enslave their way across the Middle East; committing horrendous acts of genocide every step of the way.

Yes i know it's the OT but you can't talk about one 'law' and then say the other law is out of context. See Buddhism for example, killing in any form is discouraged! throughout the entire book. Lying is discouraged, there's no instance where Buddha said "you can only lie when....."

It also states that a father can sell his daughter as a sex slave if he wants to make a quick buck. So I don't consider the bible to be a good moral authority on the relationship between parent and child.

How about the 7TH commandment? Thou shalt not commit adultery. Well...okay, fair enough. That sounds okay. But we have to remember that the bible defines adultery as a man merely looking at a woman lustfully. And it's worth noting that it only counts if the woman is married. A man can have as many wives and sex slaves as he can afford, and it isn't considered adultery. But if a woman has more than one sexual partner - whether she was a willing participant or not - then she'd better get ready to die, because that's what the bible mandates. Exactly like Islam, no difference whatsoever. Show me where Jesus changed any of this? women can't divorce, but men can. Why?

Saying Jesus came to "simplify", well, remember he didn't come to change the moral laws. The only came to change the civil and ceremonial laws and also Christian scholars agree on this.

Simple morals come from within. Not from a bronze age book of fairy tales. How is Sweden such a wonderful place without God? why is Mexico such a dangerous place despite being so religious?

Good men do good things Bad men do bad things Religious men do horrible things. History is the proof.

 

[eddiesmith]

It’s good too see the local churches and Christians out saving Victorian towns from being destroyed by floods. The towns would be ****ed without their support and providing vital equipment.

Lot more useful than the government hiding down in Melbourne.

 

[Boston tiger]

Did you really just reply to that question with the equivalent to 'for the lulz'?

What are you going to do about it ?

 

[Baltimore Jack]

 

[Baltimore Jack]

 

[Saint]

I keep forgetting the pro-incest vibe of the bible. How Adam and Eve, and then Noah and friends fully populated the earth from their own seed.

Sometimes the Bible just makes you want to vom.