Atheists on this site replied by Uncat @ Mon, 17 Dec 2007 01:24:52 -0000

Uncat — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 01:24:52 -0000

Bluesox said: “I hear this a lot. In all the years I’ve been asking, NOT ONCE has someone managed to find scripture to back this claim up. So again, I challenge you (or anyone who agrees with this): Quote me something in the New Testament (I’ll even take Old Testament, outside Leviticus) that says this.”

Just to take the focus off Leviticus for a bit, the standard response I’ve heard to this question is Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 6. You’ll find plenty of people willing to quibble about what Paul actually meant, though.

What is the Point of This Site? replied by Uncat @ Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:16:47 -0000

Uncat — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:16:47 -0000

Hey, fyi, absoluteliquid, your first link has been 404’d. Probably because of forum redesign, I would guess. Second one still works for me.

How did you get here? replied by Uncat @ Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:09:58 -0000

Uncat — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:09:58 -0000

some free forum set up by a nationstates group. It appeared on every darned page until I clicked on it, but I can’t find it now. Typical.

10 Most Badass Bible Verses replied by Uncat @ Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:50:19 -0000

Uncat — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:50:19 -0000

As regards to the verses that mention Enoch, I don’t know if they’re the scariest ones – they’re just deeply, deeply puzzling. The only other Old-Testament person I recall being taken directly into heaven (no passing death, no collecting 200 shekels) was Elijah. But we have records in the bible of what Elijah did to deserve that special kind of treatment – he was a total badass with faith beyond the ordinary kind. If Enoch was also a prophet like Elijah, then why aren’t his prophecies included in the canonical Bible? How did Enoch come to so great a faith that he was softly and suddenly vanished away, halfway through his normal lifespan? The text is somewhat obscure about these questions.

As to the original question, I think the story of Balshazzar’s feast is pretty scary, bits of hands writing doom on walls and such. That linked article is hi-larious:
“This really puts things in perspective for the anti-religion critics. They can complain all they want about religious “intolerance” and pushy evangelicals trying to censor TV and annoy people into conversion. But, that’s a hell of an improvement over the situation during the Exodus, when God would feed nonbelievers to the mighty Sarlacc.”
HA!

Talk-The-Talk...Walk-The-Walk replied by Uncat @ Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:01:52 -0000

Uncat — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:01:52 -0000

“Do too many people feel that being able to quote religious passages makes them an up-standing member of their faith…?”

That’s a pretty complicated question. What percentage or number of people equals “too many”? Aside from that, I think you mean that some people consider their ability to quote their religious texts as primary evidence of their faith? Some people do think that way, yes, but there are other reasons why someone might want to memorize and quote their primary texts. (I’m trying to avoid the word “scripture” because it has a specifically Christian connotation. My statements could also apply to the Rigveda, or the Principia Discordia.)

One important reason is self-reliance—if you can’t remember for yourself what a text actually says, then you’ll have to rely on someone else to tell you, and who knows what his or her motives might be. That’s how you end up with “some animals are more equal than others”.

Another, related reason is that by having the text (or portions of) in your memory, you can use its teachings to reason and find answers from textual authority. The introductory page of my Gideon New Testament says “It [the Bible] should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.” If you believe that you can find the answers to all your questions in your text, it’s useful to have it at hand, so to speak.

I agree with others who have posted above that quoting scripture left and right isn’t a stunningly effective way to evangelize—like Shakespeare wrote, “the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.” But if one’s belief system has a holy text, memorization is an effective self-teaching tool.

Is organized religion important...? replied by Uncat @ Sun, 02 Dec 2007 22:44:34 -0000

Uncat — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 22:44:34 -0000

I agree that there isn’t an objective answer to the importance of organized religion. I’m curious about the reasoning, or lack thereof, behind other folks’ subjective answers. I’m pretty sure my own opinion, inasmuch as I have one, comes out of my pre-reasoning cultural experience as much as my reason.

I’m right with you re: eastern religions—I make the same generalization, and recently I’ve made an effort to catch myself. I realize I come across as dogmatic, and for that I apologize.

Just like Christian ideas have been grossly misinterpreted by Western politicians in order to justify horrible actions, Buddhist ideas get misused by political movements in Buddhist countries. One example that sticks in my head: I remember hearing the Dalai Lama interviewed, and he was describing a Khmer Rouge soldier saying that karma justified all of the terrible things he’d done – i.e. his victims must have done something wrong in a previous life, otherwise the universe wouldn’t allow the Khmer Rouge to massacre them in this life. The Dalai Lama, as you might guess, was of the opinion that this totally missed the point of what the Buddha said about karma – and based on my (extremely shallow) understanding of Buddhism, I also think the soldier had it way wrong—but was it organized religion that helped the soldier justify his crimes, or would more organized religion have helped him see the error of his ways?

Obviously I’ve lost the track of my own thought, so I’ll shut up for now—I just thought it was an interesting story.

Atheists on this site replied by Uncat @ Sun, 02 Dec 2007 21:55:22 -0000

Uncat — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 21:55:22 -0000

Romans 12:2 KJV “And be ye not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

I don’t get “Christians are social hazards” out of that, but I suppose the idea fits in with Paul in general. Care to elaborate, metalboy?

Is organized religion important...? replied by Uncat @ Sun, 02 Dec 2007 21:24:26 -0000

Uncat — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 21:24:26 -0000

“Most religious groups don’t believe that. Especially western religions because they use their religious influence to gain political power and take over more than just their group.”

Why especially Western religious groups? Check out India, or Thailand, or Iran.

I speculate, idly and with minimal evidence, that many folks’ distrust of organized religion is a consequence of being raised in a Protestant culture. Protestantism’s insistence on an unmediated relationship with God is pretty unusual among religions. It’s even more unusual in the context of all human endeavors: I’ve never heard an argument against, say, organized science, or organized language. Humans’ ability to teach and learn from each other is a key difference between us and almost all other animals—if we need teachers to learn how to do almost everything, why shouldn’t we be taught how to understand God? What makes spiritual development different from physical or mental development?

I don’t have the answer to those questions. I assume Martin Luther et al. came up with satisfactory answers, or at least answers that satisfied them.

Website is small right now replied by Uncat @ Sun, 02 Dec 2007 20:48:20 -0000

Uncat — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 20:48:20 -0000

The webmaster can be contacted at webmaster@godstilllovesus.org—at least that’s the contact address given for DMCA issues under the site’s terms of use.

Chatrooms have the disadvantage of being ephemeral, unless you’re using chat logging software—maybe a better idea is to encourage people to link to other threads? AFAIK each thread has its own permanent URL. It’s more helpful to other readers to say “see discussion here” and provide the link rather than just saying “that’s on another thread”.

AIDS gods cure for the sinners replied by Uncat @ Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:49:24 -0000

Uncat — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:49:24 -0000

Just to take one more swipe at your original topic—let me get this straight: AIDS is some kind of manifestation of God’s will, a divine correction of human error. On the other hand, all other infectious diseases are completely different, and aren’t punishment for anything.

And the only basis I can see you’ve presented for making this judgment is….AIDS mostly afflicts people you have a distaste for.

Well, that’s a monumental triumph of reason if I ever saw one. Crikey!

What's with all this gay crap? replied by Uncat @ Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:41:01 -0000

Uncat — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:41:01 -0000

What’s with all the gay crap? Some folk out there feel better about their own lives when they have someone to look down on.

Okay..what in the world is this site all about O.o...I'm baffled. replied by Uncat @ Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:30:39 -0000

Uncat — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:30:39 -0000

It’s a photo-submission contest hyping user-generated marketing of some as-yet-unknown Time Warner product. One probable reason for it creeping you out is that you’re responding at a pre-conscious level to the juxtaposition of the biohazard symbol and a religious phrase.

ima newbie replied by Uncat @ Wed, 28 Nov 2007 05:00:50 -0000

Uncat — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 05:00:50 -0000

Guess and hope and check the “users online” box at the bottom of the main forum screen.

What are we hyping here? replied by Uncat @ Wed, 28 Nov 2007 04:59:20 -0000

Uncat — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 04:59:20 -0000

“Steering”? “They”? Who, our colleagues on the board, or the website? I don’t see much on the website that’s specifically Christian. The page links at the top, I suppose—“Witness/testify/evangelize/redeem” are traditions specific to Christian practice, AFAIK. The phrase+graphic itself is way too vague to tie to one particular religious view.

Which means a wider potential audience, I suppose. I’m still intrigued by the fellow on the other thread who thinks this is all an evil use of memes.

AIDS gods cure for the sinners replied by Uncat @ Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:44:57 -0000

Uncat — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:44:57 -0000

So malaria is God’s cure for people who can’t afford mosquito nets, bubonic plague is God’s vengeance on people who lived in 1347, and ALS is God’s punishment for playing first base for the Yankees? I’m not sure how far you can extend your argument.

What are we hyping here? replied by Uncat @ Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:21:24 -0000

Uncat — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:21:24 -0000

It seems clear to me that this is some Time-Warner-sponsored create-an-ad-for-us contest. Time Warner is apparently too lazy to create their own ads. Presumably the property (film? videogame?) is in production or awaiting release—anybody know what it is? I took a quick look at Warner Bros. movies in production but nothing jumps out. Maybe it’s being released under another label.

Alternately, maybe Time Warner is giving away a laptop because they love God. I’m gonna guess “no” on that one.

So, guesses?

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