A picture is worth a thousand words... (America, bible, quote)
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One could write a lot about the subject, but I think this best describes the issue of how destructive and damaging rote allegiance to a religion, any religion, can be. My perspective is we need to start to realize that whatever was written 2000 years ago, written by the superstitious, uneducated minds of the Bronze Age
Middle East can not be taken as reality, and should not be part of the consideration in public policy or discourse. Keep it at home and the place of worship, but that's it.
Actually, according to God, she is wonderfully made, loved, cherished, redeemed...
Actually, according to God, she is wonderfully made, loved, cherished, redeemed...
You can tell from a photograph that that child is saved?!?! How do you know that that child is not one of the “vessels fitted for destruction”, that the “potter” has not chosen her for everlasting torment? Seems funny that you can tell that from a picture...
Well, I suppose we could nitpick the picture because it merely said "religion" -- though given the rather small space on the paper, writing in the specific religions the left side of the card applies to -- or the specific religions that are exempt -- would have been problematic without an electron microscope to read it.
But I think we all know full well which religion that picture was targeting -- because we all know full well which religion is known for tearing a person down so that it can rebuild said person in the spirit of conformity, obedience, and subservience.
In essence, the criticisms are more semantic than anything else.
Of course. We are all aware of Which religion is the one uppermost in our minds. In Europe (at least) as well as in islamic countries, it's relevant there too. Very very, relevant. In fact Islam is MORE of the problem here than Christianity is as Christianity is on the way out and Islam is making determined efforts to muscle its' way in. Just the way it did in Indonesia and Malaya and India and was only stopped dead by those nasty while colonialists who stopped its' spread, in the cause of peddling Christianity rather than freedom, but neverthless.
But in the US, Christianity is the problem, not Islam. And if the Nones continue to rise, It won't be. Nones who won't allow Christianity to tell them what to do and how to live certainly won't allow Islam to do it.
The other are not, really, a problem, except perhaps in the countries where they dominate. But that's their problem, not ours.
Actually, according to God, she is wonderfully made, loved, cherished, redeemed...
Wonderfully made? That is no credit to her - only to God. Loved? That is because God is wonderfully Good - not because she is. Cherished? With a threat of eternal torture hanging over her simply because she was born? Redeemed? What from?
Sin, and eternal torment, of course.
She is sinful from birth, doomed to burn simply because she exists and everything good she does won't count for single thing; and the only thing that will save her from burning is if she becomes a Christian. You know that this is so. I don't even mention the right KIND of Christianity.
Wonderfully made? That is no credit to her - only to God. Loved? That is because God is wonderfully Good - not because she is. Cherished? With a threat of eternal torture hanging over her simply because she was born? Redeemed? What from?
Sin, and eternal torment, of course.
She is sinful from birth, doomed to burn simply because she exists and everything good she does won't count for single thing; and the only thing that will save her from burning is if she becomes a Christian. You know that this is so. I don't even mention the right KIND of Christianity.
Thank you and for the rep, too (like Hens' teeth these days ) and it moves me to post what I deleted.
"This is the sort of pink -coated crap that is dished out from the pulpits. It is a barefaced lie, intended to pull the wool over the eyes of the sheep. It is disgusting. Almost as bad as the actual original sin and hellthreat -doctrine."
I know that there are many Christians who cannot swallow this toxic teaching and simply reject it in favour of UR. Or at least something less loathesome than this beastly turn or burn message. I have a different argument for them (if we all get to heaven...why Christianity at all?) but it is simply a debatable belief. It is not vile and hateful like hellthreat.
P.s Thanks RR and pardon me folks for begging for Reps (I swap them online for Bitcoin) like a S Wales pavement sleeper. I am of course totally shameless about this as I am terribly Insecure and need constant tokens of appreciation to keep me from smoking myself into an early grave. Which I am working at assiduously
Last edited by TRANSPONDER; 09-02-2018 at 09:12 AM..
Reason: can't have a thripple vileness.
Thank you and for the rep, too (like Hens' teeth these days ) and it moves me to post what I deleted.
"This is the sort of pink -coated crap that is dished out from the pulpits. It is a barefaced lie, intended to pull the wool over the eyes of the sheep. It is disgusting. Almost as bad as the actual original sin and hellthreat -doctrine."
I know that there are many Christians who cannot swallow this toxic teaching and simply reject it in favour of UR. Or at least something less loathesome than this beastly turn or burn message. I have a different argument for them (if we all get to heaven...why Christianity at all?) but it is simply a debatable belief. It is not vile and hateful like hellthreat.
P.s Thanks RR and pardon me folks for begging for Reps (I swap them online for Bitcoin) like a S Wales pavement sleeper. I am of course totally shameless about this as I am terribly Insecure and need constant tokens of appreciation to keep me from smoking myself into an early grave. Which I am working at assiduously
We need to start a smokers club, what should we call it?
Yes. But this is a tricky question. After 6, kids start to ask questions. By about 14 the law wants to make them responsible (religion makes them "Responsible -read 'Guilty' - at age 7) and at 18 - 20 they should be able to form their own views, though some parents still feel that they should be controlling their kids, and religion fully approves of that = so long as it is in the interests of religion.
So in the early years kids are impressinoable and the question is - what do we impress on them? Religion knows how important it is to get hold of the kids at this early age and indoctrinate them. We goddless bastards of course feel that we should teach facts and morality and leave Opinions and beliefs alone. They can choose when they are old enough.
This of course is regarded by the religions as 'teaching them atheism'.
I don't want to answer what to impress on other people's children because I was picky about who our daughter was exposed to up till she was 5 years old. I am a true believer that people should be allowed to raise their children the best they can.
It's pretty simple. Listen to your family first. Then when she hits the age when she is questioning, she can ask why we have the rules we have. As she gets older and wants more independence, such as sleep overs, she must master knowing her parents and our rules. She must also enforce our rules when we are not present. After many months of seeing evidence of this behavior, then and only then can she have sleep overs. It hasn't happened yet. In return, we promise to know her like the back of our hand and to enforce any rules or preferences she has. No science needed to develop this dynamic and culture.
No religious talk such as Jesus loves you because the intention is for the person to love Jesus back in a way that is defined by the one making the claim. Nope. In our house, love is a gift of the best behavior you can give but there is no expectation of receiving exactly what you give. So, yes, our household does revolve around facts, details or anything that can be observed through the senses. We are then allowed to have opinions and beliefs based on those.
Negative thinking is dealt with as well and not just for religious topics. When our daughter came home and said "all boys..." we quickly gave her exceptions to the rule and challenged her claim. Or when my husband once said, "I know you don't care..." our daughter quickly bounced back with "Let's see how you inferred that."
So this lady made a negative list about religion and a positive one about science. Science is neither negative nor positive. Humans define negative and positive and science can answer what effects negative and positive have. But if somebody came into our home with a negative list like that, we would challenge it. The great news is we just open a bottle of wine and talk about our next adventure.
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) and it moves me to post what I deleted.
