Religion

[bbsam]

He is not an atheist (not even remotely) ... he simply does not believe or accept in all the mythological aspects described in the Bible such as the Gospel accounts of the miraculous and the supernatural as factual or historical.
The mythologies in the Bible were used to appeal to the people in those times when science was not known.

If you compare the creation story from the Bible (first day, second day, and so on) is it really far off from science? Don't both begin from a nothingness or everything? An "alpha and omega" as it were. Doesn't all begin in the "heavens" or space? Isn't the sun "created" first and doesn't science tell that all of earth's energy derives first from the sun? Even the first animals "created" are of the oceans and lakes. Doesn't evolution suggest the same?

I never have understood the conflict between science and religion because I don't think there is one. In fact, I'm pretty sure the conflict is the only thing "made up". Science is what it is. Religion is what it is. Neither claims to be the other but folks cling to one or the other to disprove in their own minds that the other is lacking. Weird.

 

[bbsam]

Now this is funny.

Being omniscient, Jesus knew there would be a "War on Christmas" and thus wanted to spare his cup defamation by the unclean secular humanists. You know, the lepers, whores, and tax collectors.

 

[Catatonic]

If you compare the creation story from the Bible (first day, second day, and so on) is it really far off from science? Don't both begin from a nothingness or everything? An "alpha and omega" as it were. Doesn't all begin in the "heavens" or space? Isn't the sun "created" first and doesn't science tell that all of earth's energy derives first from the sun? Even the first animals "created" are of the oceans and lakes. Doesn't evolution suggest the same?

I never have understood the conflict between science and religion because I don't think there is one. In fact, I'm pretty sure the conflict is the only thing "made up". Science is what it is. Religion is what it is. Neither claims to be the other but folks cling to one or the other to disprove in their own minds that the other is lacking. Weird.

Good post.
I don't see a conflict either.
The conflict is with "Brick and Mortar Churches" and Science and Religions.
It takes humans (usually men) to screw up a loving and caring environment.

 

[oldandcrabby]

Good post.
I don't see a conflict either.
The conflict is with "Brick and Mortar Churches" and Science and Religions.
It takes humans (usually men) to screw up a loving and caring environment.

It is also women and children to screw it up too.
You have covered it all. Remember we are all sinners saved by grace.

 

[Catatonic]

It is also women and children to screw it up too.
You have covered it all. Remember we are all sinners saved by grace.

Yes we all fall short of our Marks.
Sin in Jesus time meant falling short of a goal and in religion falling short of God's and your plan for you.
That is why Paul repeatedly said "Don't do it if it makes you feel bad" - paraphrase.

We live in a culture where the concept of sin has become entangled in legalistic arguments over right and wrong. When many of us consider "What is sin?" we think of violations of the Ten Commandments. Even then, we tend to think of murder and adultery as "major" sins compared with lying, cursing, or idolatry.

The truth is that sin, as defined in the original translations of the Bible, means "to miss the mark." The mark, in this case, is the standard of perfection established by God and evidenced by Jesus. Viewed in that light, it is clear that we are all sinners.

 

[oldandcrabby]

Yes we all fall short of our Marks.
Sin in Jesus time meant falling short of a goal and in religion falling short of God's and your plan for you.
That is why Paul repeatedly said "Don't do it if it makes you feel bad" - paraphrase.

We live in a culture where the concept of sin has become entangled in legalistic arguments over right and wrong. When many of us consider "What is sin?" we think of violations of the Ten Commandments. Even then, we tend to think of murder and adultery as "major" sins compared with lying, cursing, or idolatry.

The truth is that sin, as defined in the original translations of the Bible, means "to miss the mark." The mark, in this case, is the standard of perfection established by God and evidenced by Jesus. Viewed in that light, it is clear that we are all sinners.

No disagreement with what you just posted you just put it so much more eloquently than I ever could.

Matthew 22:37 says You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
the next verse states This is the first and great commandment. next verse And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

 

[oldandcrabby]

I think there is a song by the O.C. Supertones where in the chorus goes "Who I am is in between what I want to be and what I am. I find myself there an awful lot.

 

[Sportello]

It is also women and children to screw it up too.
You have covered it all. Remember we are all sinners saved by grace.

Thank goodness someone finally blames them damn children. Hallelujah! Can I get an AMEN?

Amen

Root of all evil.

Kill them like baby Hitler. JK

 

[wkmac]

The Abrahamic god known by the many names of El, Yahweh, Jesus Christ or Allah is the same god, just expressed by different peoples as a result of culture, times and conditions.

That said, many people understandably are asking people to pray but the god to whom many pray on the one hand caused and ordained this carnage while to others, this same god in effect did absolutely nothing to stop it. Both are still the same monotheistic Abrahamic god.

The same process is seen at a football game where both sides pray to prevail and yet only one team does god favor when the 4th quarter ends. Does this suggest that god watches ESPN gameday and follows the lines from Vegas? Or might this suggest there is no one there hearing those prayers to begin with?

 

[bbsam]

The Abrahamic god known by the many names of El, Yahweh, Jesus Christ or Allah is the same god, just expressed by different peoples as a result of culture, times and conditions.

That said, many people understandably are asking people to pray but the god to whom many pray on the one hand caused and ordained this carnage while to others, this same god in effect did absolutely nothing to stop it. Both are still the same monotheistic Abrahamic god.

The same process is seen at a football game where both sides pray to prevail and yet only one team does god favor when the 4th quarter ends. Does this suggest that god watches ESPN gameday and follows the lines from Vegas? Or might this suggest there is no one there hearing those prayers to begin with?

That is to suggest that every life and death, every war and plague, every heart beat and human action must conform to the will of God. Why would that be?

 

[Sportello]

Does this suggest that god watches ESPN gameday and follows the lines from Vegas? Or might this suggest there is no one there hearing those prayers to begin with?

Either that, or he has a close relative who went to the winning school.

That's the only explanation I have for a few games this season

 

[wkmac]

Pastafarian wins the religious right to wear spaghetti colander in MA state ID picture

 

[wkmac]

Polytheism in the Bible

 

[wkmac]

How the Bible has changed over the past 2,000 years

 

[wkmac]

Does religion give rise to violence — or the other way around?

 

[Catatonic]

Does religion give rise to violence — or the other way around?

I thought telephone poles gave rise to violence

 

[wkmac]

I thought telephone poles gave rise to violence

Could be but before the internet they were a great source for obscene phone calls and phone sex.

 

[Catatonic]

Could be but before the internet they were a great source for obscene phone calls and phone sex.

There is a direct relationship between the number of telephone poles per square mile and the crime index.

 

[wkmac]

Rather interesting 7 tenets from what some would deem a religion.

– One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason.

– The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.

– One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.

– The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo your own.

– Beliefs should conform to our best scientific understanding of the world. We should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit our beliefs.

– People are fallible. If we make a mistake, we should do our best to rectify it and resolve any harm that may have been caused.

– Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.

The source of these tenets may shock many if not most.

 

[wkmac]

It seems the problem of child sex abuse is not just limited to the Catholic Church and the grandson of Billy Graham is trying to push the problem out into the open. The idea being to confront the problem in order to save the Protestant Church from itself.


By Grace Alone

As sex-abuse allegations multiply, Billy Graham’s grandson is on a mission to 
persuade Protestant churches to come clean.