US religious landscape shifting

The biggest problem with religion is that it breeds irrationality. You can find in the bible arguments to justify ANY argument, from slavery to homophobia and everything in between.

A logic driven life coupled with the golden rule and the pursuit of happiness is all we need.

 

Hmmm, so there has to be something in the bible about f***ing little boys. Otherwise, the various churches wouldn't have tried to blame the victims and protect the assailants. Right?

 

I am almost ashamed to admit it; I was looking at a picture of Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin bagging a deer and realized she is America's uncovered hotty. As she stands between us and communism, wearing a plunging neckline blouse, with her buxom breasts expressing american independence, and the 'come and experience our independence'. Love Sarah!

 

I gotta admit I like gals like her. Very ... earthy

Quite frankly, I could care less if she started quoting from the Book of Satan (Is there such a thing? I don't know ...), once I got a gander at those "buxom breasts" all I'd hear would be humming sounds ...

 

You know, maybe I'm just flat out wrong and am missing something here. I don't like children, they make my skin crawl in close proximity. Glad I never made any of the little buggers ... at least none that I know about

:doh:

I sure hope I'm not setting myself up for a surprise one of these mornings ...

Ding Dong

Me: What do you want?!

14 year old boy: Um .... Dad?

Me: :doh:

Nope, I take it back. Kids = bad. So how the hell can anybody even *think* of f***ing a kid?

 

"He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death." Exodus 21:16

Perhaps you'd like to read more, but then, you know it all so well already! It's funny how those who know so little about the Bible seem to know so much.

Does God Approve of Slavery According to the Bible?

In addition, our pastor has never taught us to be homophobic nor can I find any Scripture relating to "homophobia." We, as Christians, are not in the business of judgment and if you find one that is, kindly remind them that God alone is Judge.
"There is only one Lawgiver and one Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you-who are you to judge your neighbor?" James 4:11 or "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1-2
[/quote]
A logic driven life coupled with the golden rule and the pursuit of happiness is all we need.[/quote]

Amen to that, Brother! Isn't that all that God was asking of us in the first place? And where do you stand in that statement?

 

Still searching for that bit o' Scripture about sex with little boys?

Do we call Democracy evil, or do we find fault with those who corrupt it? Do we call Muslims evil, or do we reserve that word for those who pervert it? Should we call every homosexual vile and evil, or should we reserve that for those who rape little boys?

And for those "priests" or those who claim to be Christians, "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them...every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit." Matthew 7:15-17

 

Ah, so it's a very handy way out of responsibility for the various Churches.

"Hey, don't blame *us* it's those evil false prophets ..."



Anything in Scripture about blaming the victim?

I'm also curious about how this "god" dude is supposed to deal with reward and punishment. Seems to me, reward (Eg, success in business running a Ponzi scheme) is considered a blessing and folks appear to get to enjoy it immediately.

Instead of waiting until they kick and go past those pearly gates

How about punishment? Say the aforementioned "priests" who were f***ing little boys under their care. Do these "priests" get immediate punishment? Apparently not, the various Churches appear to back them up. If you believe these "priests" it's quite apparent little boys are quite hot, and actually were the ones who made all the moves on the priests

That's odd. When I was 10 or thereabouts, I don't recall having any sexual thoughts. Maybe that's abnormal, and "priests" are real magnets for horny kids?

So when do these "priests" receive punishment? After they kick and reach them ole pearly gates?

I guess I'm a wee bit confused after all over how this religion thing is supposed to work. Reward = immediate, but punishment = much, much later, if at all?

Help a heathen out here

 

So you have to put words in my mouth to make your point, or you just assume that's what I meant?
Where in my statement did I say what you just posted? I say, as would any other true Christian, go after them to the fullest extent of the law, and, go after those who were complicitous to that behavior. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we side step due process. "Give to Ceaser what belongs to Ceaser." Jesus In other words we are held to and must abide to the laws of the land in which we live, fully.

I'd say your ole priest gets his punishment when he gets in prison and murdered by the inmate who was raped himself. Pedophiles don't fair well in prison. And then he'll get it again when he stands before The Judge.

Jayman, what kind of quacky "Christians" you been gleaning theological knowledge from?

 

I’m just getting my information from Catholics and televangelists who all claim they are the Only True Word Of God. Guess I’m tuned into the wrong channel?

Well, I guess I’m just a dumb unwashed heathen who doesn’t understand the marvelous intricate and interwoven bible.

Seems to me, the so-called “Christians†would have to be the Catholic Church, and the various televangelists, who always appear to blame the victim for the bad things that happen. These various groups always protect their own, as they should: these holier-than-thou have stained mattresses, if you catch my drift

Catholic Church denies bishops were ordered to cover up sex abuse claims - Europe, World - The Independent

Pastor denies church knew of child sex abuse on Pitcairn - Australasia, World - The Independent

Of course, it does appear to me the bible is chock full of inconsistencies, Machiavellian schemes, and other “outs†that would make a lawyer squirm.

What I find interesting is the culture of secrecy and deceit among the heads of these so-called “religious†organizations. When in doubt: deny

 

It was written over a long period of time by a bunch of different men, while being edited and censored by various factions. It's no wonder that it seems inconsistent and scheming.

My favorite is the gospel of Thomas, but that got left on the cutting room floor. Thomas was way too pragmatic to survive the final edit.

Tom

 

No doubt

 

And here I didn't think the thread could get any better. This is FUN!

 

Okey-pokey ...

Walking, talking female robot to hit Japan catwalk | Newsweek News | Newsweek.com

I'm eagerly awaiting the mass production version with all the bugs ironed out, and the . um ... anatomically correct stuff

If they send me a prototype, I'd happily test it. I'd even consider testing it over and over and over and over ....

 

My favorite part of that link:

"Biblical scholar Louis Painchaud argued that the text suggests Judas was actually possessed by a demon"



Naturally. It calls into question a lot of things, so Judas just *had* to be "possessed" by a "demon." I'm sure Galileo Galileo was also considered "possessed" by a "demon"

Galileo of course had to have been demonic to suggest the earth wasn't the center of the universe ...

 

The truly horrible and sad part in all of this is that the victims were almost uniformly blamed - by both official church members and by zealot church members - for what had happened to them

I can only hope they line up those pedophile "priests" and chop off Captain Winky, along with The Twins. I'd suggest a dull rusty knife, but that's just the kind of mean SOB that I am

 

I'd say if you're that turned off by religion, yeah, you might be tuned to the wrong channel. I was raised Catholic and have met some that were on the mark and a lot that were off the mark, same for televangelists, Baptists, Evangelicals, Methodists, and so on. There are donkey-orifices in any group of people and unfortunately everyone remembers the repugnant ones.

I definitely wouldn't say you're a "dumb unwashed heathen", after all, you did by a Prius and you do articulate your argument well. Maybe just a heathen then. But seriously, the Bible absolutely can be difficult to read. It is not noted enough that the Bible is indeed a book with hundreds examples of how not to live. It's removed from its original language and culture which takes quite a bit from its meaning, no matter how good the translation. It pales in comparison to what it was, and yes, it is open to the interpretation of the translator though I do feel the NIV and TNIV are very good translations. I'm not critiquing any translation here, I'm simply stating what I'm comfortable with.

The two articles you cite hit home very hard at how difficult a few (in the scheme of numbers) ruin it for the many. It is disgusting and...really, are there any words for what these people did while being supposed representatives of God? How stupid and shameful to cover that up, they[the church] should have blown it wide open and cleaned house. They had the oppurtunity to uncover a deplorable abomination and bring about public awareness which could have prevented probably hundreds of other victims. I am horrified and I am deeply ashamed of these who cowered behind God's name to try to cover their tracks and abuse their power.

As a last note, I do agree with you that the Bible does appear to have many inconsistencies and other issues that might make anyone question its divine legitimacy. Sometimes though, that's the fun and challenge of learning what really is going on with a piece of text and it's context. God never smote anyone for questioning Him.

 

Actually, the Pope at the time of Galileo was in fact a friend of his, contrary to popular belief. It's a more complicated story than what we are taught in history books. Again, it's a story of a few punks in the church making it more difficult for the church as a whole in the long run.