O'Reilly -Tides prove God!

[elder999]

I'm not sure what Christians you are seeing, but in my 13 years of Christian education, being married to two devout Christians, attending their churches, and having Christian friends, I have never heard that just because you are not Christian that you are inferior, immoral, or incapable of being good. That is with exeptions, of course, namely people like Phelps and his ilk.

Well......in all my life: being the son of an Episcopal priest, the grandson of an Episcopal priest, the descendent of multiple generations of ministers, a religious studies student,having numerous Christian friends (of various stripes), friends of other faiths (of various stripes), being married to two Christians myself, attending various churches-having made something of an.....er....hobby of other churches in my teen years, I can say that I've seen all kinds, and I have heard that just because you are not a Christian you are inferior, immoral, incapable of being good and surely going to hell. In fact, I've heard that if you're not a fill in the flavor of Christian, then you're not really a Christian, and you're inferior, immoral, incapable of being good and surely going to hell. Over the years I've seen all kinds of people do all kinds of beating each other up with the good book, and years before I heard of Fred Phelps-and these weren't active "haters," like Phelps-they didn't say that God "hated" anyone, or anything of the sort-just that in their interpretation of scripture you were going to hell if you weren't a Christian-you were "worshipping a false God," or-sometimes worse-not worshipping any God at all. I've heard ministers say that they "like Jews, but they're damned to hell for not accepting Christ," and worse......

I mean, have you never seen a Chick Tract?:

Jesus hates this false religious system(Catholicism)

In fact, God calls all of us his children and to love your fellow man, not just fellow Christian. Who want's to love someone that is incapable of those things.

And I'd agree with you-but there are those who don't. Scripture is confusing for some-especially interpreting it.

During the Cerro Grande fire-after the whole town of Los Alamos had been evacuated- one of the people I worked with suggested to another that they should get their congregations together somewhere for a service. The older one, who was some sort of minister for his congregation said, "That'll never happen..." and proceeded to quote a whole series of verses showing why. I was flabbergasted-I liked an respected both men, but was a little taken aback by the silly pettiness of his misinterpretation. It easily could have been worse, though.....

And just to clarify, I am not a Christian.

Neither am I.

People are not being told that they are inferior, immoral, or incapable of being good..

People are being told that-just not by the Christians you know.

 

[5-0 Kenpo]

Fair enough.

 

[Blade96]

I will also beg to differ. I was told by two christians out preaching at university in 2008 that 'i must have such a terrible life because i didnt believe' This despite the fact I told em I was agnostic and open to the possibility of God.

 

[Cirdan]

I remember the local priest visiting us in primary school and telling a story about how africans used to be wild cannibalistic savages (their favourite dish was boiled white man) before the missionaries taught them how to live by the word of god.

If I had to pick a religion it youd be the old Nordic one.. there you could spend every day of your afterlife feasting and fighting and if you died you would be resurrected to do it again tomorrow. Hail Odin!

 

[Blade96]

if I ever need a religion I'll worship tetley tea.

 

[Sukerkin]

:chuckles: Good lass!

I'm more with Cirdan tho' on such matters, except that I'd replace fighting and feasting with dinner and theatre ... sort of a Middle-England Valhalla ... maybe with some Ecky-Thump Tea-Geisha's added in :lol:.

 

[Cirdan]

Valkyries beat Geishas every day of the week Sukerkin.

 

[Sukerkin]

:lol: Aye, true that - well the ones that I've seen in mythological imagery anyhow . Sci-Fi imagery too - do a Google of "valkyrie battle beyond the stars"

Then again, this Valkyrie has more than a touch of the Geisha about her I reckon:

[URL]http://www.rankopedia.com/CandidatePix/30812.gif

And this one, to quote Zaphod Beeblebrox, freeowwn! She might be mean but ... oh my:

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kvgvvveYqb1qac5qao1_400.jpg[/URL]

 

[granfire]

:lol: Aye, true that - well the ones that I've seen in mythological imagery anyhow . Sci-Fi imagery too - do a Google of "valkyrie battle beyond the stars"

Then again, this Valkyrie has more than a touch of the Geisha about her I reckon:

http://<a href="http://www.rankoped...www.rankopedia.com/CandidatePix/30812.gif</a>http://www.rankopedia.com/CandidatePix/30812.gif

And this one, to quote Zaphod Beeblebrox, freeowwn! She might be mean but ... oh my:

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kvgvvveYqb1qac5qao1_400.jpg

Having a guy moment....

:lfao:

 

[Sukerkin]

On the subject of using the tides as a prop for belief in a creator deity, it befuddles me how someone can make such an association.

Here is a picture of one of the untold billions of galaxies that make up the (so far) observable univers):

http://galacticfool.com/uploads/galacticfool.com/2010/06/m51whirlpool-galaxy.jpg

For me, looking up at the night sky does not prove the existence of a deity that created the universe for the sole benefit of mankind - rather the reverse. If such a being existed, it can't think very much of humanity, seeing as how it stuck us off in one of the less fashionable suburbs of the blaze of wonder that is the universe.

It is such points of argument that have finally brought to a close the endless discourse on the existence of otherwise of God that my father and I have engaged in since I was old enough to start to use critical thinking to analyse my world. He points to the stars and says the equivalent of "How can you not believe in God when you look at that!". And I say to him "How can you look at that and still believe that God made all of that and considered us as his finest creation".

Same point of evidence, completely opposite conclusions :shrugs:.

 

[Cirdan]

One thing I don`t quite get is why the wonders of the universe is supposed to be froof of this or that particular supreme being. "god" is no more likely to be the artist here that Kazaar Freem the great pink transdimensional hippo.

 

[elder999]

On the subject of using the tides as a prop for belief in a creator deity, it befuddles me how someone can make such an association.

Here is a picture of one of the untold billions of galaxies that make up the (so far) observable univers):

http://galacticfool.com/uploads/galacticfool.com/2010/06/m51whirlpool-galaxy.jpg

For me, looking up at the night sky does not prove the existence of a deity that created the universe for the sole benefit of mankind - rather the reverse. If such a being existed, it can't think very much of humanity, seeing as how it stuck us off in one of the less fashionable suburbs of the blaze of wonder that is the universe..

On the other hand, the Creator did all of that, and still had some time for 'lil ole me....just sayin'....:lol:

 

[Empty Hands]

Here is a picture of one of the untold billions of galaxies that make up the (so far) observable univers)

This picture to me is somehow even more telling:

That is the Earth, taken from the Voyager spacecraft 21 years ago. Which has barely left our Solar System. We are tiny.

 

[Big Don]

This picture to me is somehow even more telling:

That is the Earth, taken from the Voyager spacecraft 21 years ago. Which has barely left our Solar System. We are tiny.

Shouldn't that say, "You are here"?

 

[Blade96]

:chuckles: Good lass!

:uhyeah:

 

[cdunn]

On the other hand, the Creator did all of that, and still had some time for 'lil ole me....just sayin'....:lol:

I dunno, it seems to me like a body as half-assed as ours must have gotten subcontracted out to a committee, rather than being done by any kind of Great Artist. :idunno:

 

[Nomad]

People are not being told that they are inferior, immoral, or incapable of being good.

As an atheist, I have been told by multiple Christians multiple times that:

1. I'm going to hell since I don't believe in their god

2. I cannot have a moral compass without religion

3. I am stupid for not agreeing with them that the wonders of the universe could only have bee created by God.

4. I've also had children at school tell my kids they can't play with them because they don't go to church.

So in my experience, all of the above does happen quite regularly. I absolutely agree that the central tenet of Christianity is to "love thy neighbor", but it seems that many have missed this lesson.

 

[granfire]

As an atheist, I have been told by multiple Christians multiple times that:

1. I'm going to hell since I don't believe in their god

2. I cannot have a moral compass without religion

3. I am stupid for not agreeing with them that the wonders of the universe could only have bee created by God.

4. I've also had children at school tell my kids they can't play with them because they don't go to church.

So in my experience, all of the above does happen quite regularly. I absolutely agree that the central tenet of Christianity is to "love thy neighbor", but it seems that many have missed this lesson.

I have actually been told by one guy that tirades like that turned him atheist (dawd, that sounds like he caught homosexuality...)

But yeah, his own Mum told him he was a sinner and going to hell. So much for the message of love.

 

[SensibleManiac]

It's strange, I was raised christian and by everyone involved I was never asked what I thought or felt, just that this was the way I had to think and what I had to believe.
There have been countless times that people have stopped me either on the street or came knocking on my door, never once was it to push their atheism on me but every time it was to push their religion or beliefs on me.

Think about this and wonder why there is a backlash of people pushing reason over belief.

It doesn't surprise me, as for arrogance, for every guy like the one on O'Reilly's show there are countless religious types pushing their religion on everyone they see, telling them they have to believe or else they are damned or lost or their life has no meaning.

What's more arrogant than that?

 

[elder999]

I dunno, it seems to me like a body as half-assed as ours must have gotten subcontracted out to a committee, rather than being done by any kind of Great Artist. :idunno:

From a design standpoint, mammals are meant to rear their offspring to the point where their offspring can breed for their own offspring.

That means your body is meant to last to about 30, maybe 40.

And knees were God's afterthought, I'm sure of it! (That leg's gotta bend somehow.....eh, that's good enough; I'm gonna go take a nap! :lol: )