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What makes you think Christians don't learn from parents and peers?
At least they have an absolute moral compass to guide them in addition to that. Those who don't, have to depend on people around them to "teach" them their morals, whatever they be and let's hope that parents and peers are not morally corrupt.
You seem to have a limited view of sins. Is there nothing outside of killing, rape, lying, cheating, stealing that you can think of that is wrong?
What good is a moral compass if it's one designed by oneself, to suit oneself? Anybody then can have a different moral compass, cafeteria stye. How nice. You can make it what you want it. That's why we have to have laws and law enforcement, because people have their own moral compasses.
When did they become believers? Perhaps the light didn't come on until they were faced with their hopeless state behind bars. At any rate, I'd sure like to see some credible sources to back up your opinion that "most criminals in jail" are Christians.
People did in that day. It took someone with vision and courage to look at things differently. If he hadn't, he would have listened to his parents and peers, and never gone searching. He had people on all sides battering him with their opinion that the earth was flat. Sort of like now, some people insisting that there is no God. How do you know unless you seek to find out?
Jesus (yes, he is a real historical person) said, "Seek, and you shall find."
Why don't you test the truth of his words.
I did seek, I'm tired of the assumption that non-believers have never done any searching when in fact most atheists and agnostics I know are former religious believers who searched their way out of religion. I know I did. I did seek, I sought out "the lord." You know what I found? Nothing, not a damn thing. I found a bundle of contradictions, half truths, quotes taken out of context and just pure bull****. If there is a god out there I hope that he doesn't rely on organized religion to spread his message because religion if full of some sick people who prey on people's fears and superstitions to extort money, power, and fame. Religion is a cancer upon the human race that causes hatred, war, violence, and death. It's a form of mental slavery.
So don't tell me to "seek" because I did. Perhaps YOU should seek some honest, objective answers and facts about your precious belief system because you might not like what you find. I sought out god already and found him M.I.A. But I'm not the only one. Millions of people die everyday, where is god?
Where's god when a little child gets raped, or their parents refuse medical treatment because of their "religious" beliefs? Where was god in Japan? Where was god in Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, the Holocaust? Where's god in the face of religious warfare? Does he not see the turmoil his followers are inflicting on each other and the world? Could he not come down and put a stop to it? Does he even care? Who knows, no one does that's who. There's no proof this alien ghost even exists. All we have is a collection of bronze age fairy tales, superstitions, and riddles. If a god is out there he's doing a pretty ****ty job running the world.
Quote:
If he is infinitely good, what reason should we have to fear him? If he is infinitely wise, why should we have doubts concerning our future? If he knows all, why warn him of our needs and fatigue him with our prayers? If he is everywhere, why erect temples to him? If he is just, why fear that he will punish the creatures that he has filled with weaknesses? If grace does everything for them, what reason would he have for recompensing them? If he is all-powerful, how offend him, how resist him? If he is reasonable, how can he be angry at the blind, to whom he has given the liberty of being unreasonable? If he is immovable, by what right do we pretend to make him change his decrees? If he is inconceivable, why occupy ourselves with him? IF HE HAS SPOKEN, WHY IS THE UNIVERSE NOT CONVINCED? If the knowledge of a God is the most necessary, why is it not the most evident and the clearest.-- Percy Bysshe Shelley
Use of the term "christer" in the same sentence with the claim that Christians are not being persecuted is revealing.
Dictionary definition: Christer (krīs′tər) Slang, a Christian, a term of contempt or disparagement.
Why the hate, the intolerance, the contempt? Those are the things that lead to persecution.
Point made. Whether it's the media, or individuals, those who harbor such attitudes do, indeed, foster persecution either by word or deed.
Oh woe to the poor helpless American Christians. Oh woe is them!! Some random internet poster....was a meaniehead to them!! Oh lawd, deliver us from this here persecution...and holy LAWD save us from those bullies in the media who have the AUDAC-I-TYYY to write mean things about us! Oh it's all too much to bear!! Stick and stones may break our holy bones and words will surely crush us. Spare me.
Where's god when a little child gets raped, or their parents refuse medical treatment because of their "religious" beliefs? Where was god in Japan? Where was god in Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, the Holocaust? Where's god in the face of religious warfare? Does he not see the turmoil his followers are inflicting on each other and the world? Could he not come down and put a stop to it? Does he even care? Who knows, no one does that's who. If a god is out there he's doing a pretty ****ty job running the world.
NGA, I ask the same questions. I do. I have problems with this part of it and I don't mind admitting there are things that are beyond my understanding.
I do know that He's not the one running this world. The problems you mention are all caused by evil people, natural disasters. The first can/could/should be prevented. It's up to us to do that. The disasters will happen, and it's up to us to step up and help where and as we can. Which many countries do. It's when people give put everything aside to help others that we see the best in people. And they never stop giving, doing, helping, whether it's in huge disasters on the other side of the world, or in their local communities.
There's a Rabbi who has written a couple of pretty good books on this subject as he, also, struggled with the same questions.
In the end, there is far more that convinces me there IS a God, than there is that which raises doubt. God gave us all we needed in this world, and we mucked it up.
In the end, there is far more that convinces me there IS a God, than there is that which raises doubt. God gave us all we needed in this world, and we mucked it up.
Then you might agree with this?
"People in general do not know what wickedness there is in this pretended word of God. Brought up in habits of superstition, they take it for granted that the Bible is true, and that it is good; they permit themselves not to doubt of it, and they carry the ideas they form of the benevolence of the Almighty to the book which they have been taught to believe was written by his authority. Good heavens! it is quite another thing; it is a book of lies, wickedness, and blasphemy; for what can be greater blasphemy than to ascribe the wickedness of man to the orders of the Almighty?"
- Thomas Paine
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