Random question on God

Originally Posted by Smelnick

I do have my doubts about the religion I follow. But I figure, why chance it. Maybe it is true, maybe it isn't. At least this way I'm covering my bases in case it is true. And at the same time, I build integrity, good morals, and I have a healthy community of people who support me at my church.

Okay, you know, if I were religious, I'd totally flip my lid over this one.

I don't get this at all. "I believe in my faith in order to cover my bases." Yea, I'm sure thats would go over well at the pearly gates.

"Do you accept Jesus as your savior?"
"Yea, so long as I don't burn in hell for all eternity - sure, why not!"

That seems so....opposite to the point.

I mean, I can see where you're coming from, though? You're TERRIFIED of this godawful place called "hell." You've been scared shitless into believing in some stupid crap just because you want to play on the safe side.

Doesn't that OFF THE BAT kind of make you suspicious about your god? He resorts to SCARE TACTICS to get you to worship him?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Smelnick

Meh. I'm human. Obviously I'm gonna have some doubts at times. God is a pretty flimsy concept to believe it.

So you just blindly believe in because it's better than the alternative? I mean, you admit it's a flimsy concept! But yet, you still believe in it because you don't like the idea that maybe, someday, upon arriving at the transcendental juncture of the afterlife, you may get sent to this really fun place called hell.

You admit it's flimsy. But yet you're still making decisions based on the most hilarious concept ever: hell.

Do you see how this is kind of silly? I mean, maybe you haven't really thought about how you regard things out there, as far as spirituality - which is cool, man. But how Christian are you really?

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Obviously I'm not a very devout christian if that wasn't already obvious. But I enjoy the religion so I figure, why not. Really I'm kinda just talking out of my ass now. Lacking in sleep. So enough replies for me tonite.

What, exactly, do you "enjoy" about the religion? The free communion wafers? The thought-provoking metaphor of drinking Christ's blood? Maybe the weekend retreats into a hell hole of Kumbaya choruses and repetitive preaching?

I mean, if you want an "enjoyable" religion, I am sure there's much more awesome things out there that celebrate the individual in lieu of trying to appease some dude in the sky who will throw you into the throngs of hell if you don't worship him properly.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by agreatguy6

Well, it's easy to think of such a thing if you're a dystheist (where God is evil).

Why isn't this listed in the dictionary.

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Personally, it is my belief that 9/11 was evil and God-Allowed, thus meaning He, for all practical purposes, did something evil.

O, WOW. You're a jem.

"9/11 was awful, and God allowed it. Therefore, God must be part EVIL!"

What's wrong with you. Really. Have you thought about this at all? 9/11 is the first thing to spring to mind?

And, I mean, how about every second someone suffers in life? Or every tragedy that occurs - does that all mean god could be part evil, too? Because we don't live in utopia?

Sometimes, I wonder how people make these huge leaps for their faith. Instead of accepting something that is much more probable (ie: god is a figment of your imagination and insecurities), you decide that maybe god isn't as perfect as you thought he was! DESPITE what the Bible has to say about it!

I wonder, is Lucifer perhaps Mother Teresa? 'Cause the duality you're implying with god here must apply equally to the devil, I imagine.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Hydra

God can decide when it is right to end a person's life, but we can't see as far as he can so for us... it would be murder.

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.... yes, he does wrong in the sense that he breaks the rules he sets for us. If he never meant for those rules to apply to him though, the he isn't breaking them, and they aren't evil.

Do you know how flawed this is.

"God" is "perfect," according to you people. You will use anything to explain away the inconsistencies of your argument, won't you. It's a little depressing that you'd go as far as to call your god a murderer and think that's okay because hey! he knows what he's doing.

Your argument pretty much says that it's okay, because we don't know what he's up to, what with him being omnipotent and all that jive.

"Do as I say, not as I do" is fucking right. I just wonder why people want to be babysat by an imaginary dude. Especially one who is bitter and jealous when you stray away.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by packrat

Actually, Sassafrass, that's a rather common theological approach these days.

The argument goes that the root of sin is the assumption by lesser beings of the role which they have no right to hold; in particular, deciding who lives and who dies. These are decisions only god can make, as its pretty much his world, as well as him having omniscience and supposedly a "good" nature and plan.

And that makes as little sense to me as the big guy wearing a toga in the sky. I'm sorry, that's not meant to be personal or anything. I understand what you're saying, but the idea is laughable.

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Sass, you seem to be of the opinion that someone who is conceivably transcendent to this universe, much less humanity, should be subject to the same restrictions applied to it. Fairness and all that, right?

Uh, well, I don't believe in religion, so I think anything that even assumes there's a omnipotent presence that interacts with us is a silly notion. More than silly - straight out delusional.

So I don't really care if this Great Thing holds itself to the same expectations as it holds us to - I think the entire concept is archaic and honestly, a little dangerous.

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However, that "do as I say, not as I do" statement doesn't entirely hold up in the whole schema of the christian perspective, because I guess Jesus came, in part, to say "ok dumasses, here's how you do it."

A "perfect god" needs to send down some hippie to bang prostitutes and die on a cross to prove that "aw, god ain't that bad" ??

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Now, I don't entirely buy the whole argument(or many christian arguments these days) on other grounds. But to say that Hydra is just grasping at straws to explain away inconsistencies is kind of unfair.

It's not so much Hydra as a person that I take issue with. I am sure Hydra is a smart person.

But I see these people explaining away all the inconsistencies of a LOT of their religion with what I think of as the "magic sponge." Religion is not help to any kind of logic or sense. It just is, 'cause "God said so."

I just see people warp and misinterpret some pretty direct text and I get frustrated.

It would also be aggravating to have to abide by some guy's rules when he doesn't even follow them himself. It seems so patronizing to me, and I wonder if there are some people in the world that just enjoy thinking that they'll be a kid forever in the eye's of god.

YOU are responsible for YOUR life. Not God. Not Satan. Not Buddha. Not Allah. YOU.

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