If You Truly Believed, Would You...

[Colonel Sanders]

...Go on your own personal Holy War against ISIS?

What I mean by "true belief" is that one believes in their god as much as they believe that by going to McDonald's, ordering a Big Mac, and paying the requisite amount for the Big Mac, that such action will indeed net them a Big Mac.

OTOH, it seems a good bet that the more vocal and demanding a believer, at least in the U.S. Christian sphere of Whatever, the more they doubt it. For example, the yelling and whatnot seems like a way for them to stuff it down and quiet the doubting voices. This can be applied to sexuality, fear of God not actually being there, or an unhealthy fear of death. Of course there are some people who are aggressively uneducated or lack the intelligence to articulate a serious doubt, but at the same time it doesn't take a genius to doubt the existence of god.

Anyway, if one truly believed that the End Times were near and that they could fast-track their way to Heaven, why not gather up the family as soon as Little Billy turns 18, and go join the fight? It's certainly possible. Maybe not easy to do, but with enough fortitude, it can be done.

Yet none of them do. Or at least the number is so small that it's insignificant.

So really, it seems that they don't really believe. Look at suicide bombers. They're sick fucks, but dammit, they believe. They strap that vest on and run for the Big Mac that they really think is going to be there.

So are the loud and proud really just atheists trying to get out?

 

[funinspace]

Well to be fair, only about a quarter of the American Christians buy into the whole God-breathed Bible thingy and the "End is Nigh" crap.

Also, the fundagelicals in the US have the option of joining the Marines or other special forces to get a chance to "legally" join the fight. And don't forget, they get the chance to click "Like" on warhogs like Cruz, McCain, and other neocons within Facebook.

 

[braces_for_impact]

I think if you're a Christian that really believes that the end times are near, and that Islam vs. Christianity is ushering in the return of Jesus Christ you could honestly believe without heading over to confront Isis. Not everyone's a soldier fighting with a gun. Some are soldiers bravely taking on the front lines against the gays, for example.

 

[Malintent]

In another thread, a Pew study was sited that indicated that 80% of American Christians attend church regularly. A response to the study was that according to church records, only 40% of American christians attend church at all.

this implies that 50% of American Christians are completely full of shit when it comes to actually doing anything other than talking shit.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

I think if you're a Christian that really believes that the end times are near, and that Islam vs. Christianity is ushering in the return of Jesus Christ you could honestly believe without heading over to confront Isis. Not everyone's a soldier fighting with a gun. Some are soldiers bravely taking on the front lines against the gays, for example.

But there are plenty who are capable.

I mean, this is fucking Forever. The greatest place ever possible for anyone or anything to be and it's for all of Eternity.

Shit. I'd smuggle a nuclear weapon up my colon and into Mecca and detonate it if I actually believed it would get me and my family to Heaven.

Like Braces for Impact said, not everyone is a soldier fighting with a gun. But man, none of these motherfuckers are soldiers with guns. To say that there are only ten thousand of these loud, preachy fucks in the U.S. that are of fighting age is highly conservative. There are likely a million+.

ISIS is recruiting people from all over the world. Conservative Christians make up words like "Obummer" to show their disdain over their fellow Christians being beheaded and generally massacred by ISIS.

So who really believes?

That isn't to say it would be desirable for American Christians to actually believe in their religion.

 

[aeebee50]

...Go on your own personal Holy War against ISIS?

What I mean by "true belief" is that one believes in their god as much as they believe that by going to McDonald's, ordering a Big Mac, and paying the requisite amount for the Big Mac, that such action will indeed net them a Big Mac.

OTOH, it seems a good bet that the more vocal and demanding a believer, at least in the U.S. Christian sphere of Whatever, the more they doubt it. For example, the yelling and whatnot seems like a way for them to stuff it down and quiet the doubting voices. This can be applied to sexuality, fear of God not actually being there, or an unhealthy fear of death. Of course there are some people who are aggressively uneducated or lack the intelligence to articulate a serious doubt, but at the same time it doesn't take a genius to doubt the existence of god.

Anyway, if one truly believed that the End Times were near and that they could fast-track their way to Heaven, why not gather up the family as soon as Little Billy turns 18, and go join the fight? It's certainly possible. Maybe not easy to do, but with enough fortitude, it can be done.

Yet none of them do. Or at least the number is so small that it's insignificant.

So really, it seems that they don't really believe. Look at suicide bombers. They're sick fucks, but dammit, they believe. They strap that vest on and run for the Big Mac that they really think is going to be there.

So are the loud and proud really just atheists trying to get out?

I think it is someone blowing steam.

- - - Updated - - -

It would be harder to determine what nationality they are. It seems everyone has an opinion.

 

[Kharakov]

...Go on your own personal Holy War against ISIS?

What I mean by "true belief" is that one believes in their god as much as they believe that by going to McDonald's, ordering a Big Mac, and paying the requisite amount for the Big Mac, that such action will indeed net them a Big Mac.

 

[popsthebuilder]

You can't do things for the reward.
You are to be wholly peaceful, and selfless.
Our battle is indeed to be by the word of God and non violent at this time. We are to unify peaceably with any who can be saved, and not judge.

Not that general Christians do or do not act or even think this way, just my opinion, technically.

Peace

Faith in selfless Unity for Good.

 

[abaddon]

nm Had to rethink what I was writing about the OP.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

You can't do things for the reward.

I gotta disagree. I was among other things, brought up to believe that my behavior here on Earth would dictate my reward in Heaven. It's a common concept among Protestant sects (I was brought up Baptist FWIW). I get the idea that it's suppose to be all about faith, but if that's the case, then what are the churches for? They need money and therefore a congregation to give money in order to support it. Tithing is an act that God specifically refers to as necessary. And it takes acts to go to church and participate either minimally or as much as you can. Without a church and without people acting to Spread The Word, then there is no religion and therefore no faith.

You are to be wholly peaceful, and selfless.

Sounds good, but the more dedicated the Christian (in the U.S.), the more warlike they are as a whole. Look through the political forum here and you'll see one or two people who want to bomb the Middle East back to the stone age, but by and large, atheists tend to be a rather peaceful group. With that in mind, aren't atheists acting more in the manner you claim that Christians act?
As far as selfless goes, and I won't even mention the Syrian refugee crisis, it's conservatives, who are overwhelmingly Christian, who just last year were determined to send families and children fleeing atrocities south of our border. That's not an isolated incident.

Our battle is indeed to be by the word of God and non violent at this time. We are to unify peaceably with any who can be saved, and not judge.

I don't understand. What does "...at this time" mean? There are no specific dates in the Bible about when to start warring against non-Christians. And another thing; you have to judge. We all do. It's impossible not to. To not judge the behavior and beliefs of others would result in a society with no moral standards. Surely, as a Christian, you must believe in a Hell. Therefore, you must judge that those who are not saved are bound for hellfire.

Not that general Christians do or do not act or even think this way, just my opinion, technically.

Most Christians live their lives like everyone else does and they do no harm. This thread is not about those people. This thread is about the extra-vocal, hyper-intense Christians calling for an all-out war on the nebulous Muslim Terrorist community. And a good number of them are up in not-arms about the Christians being slain by ISIS. So if they really believe what they say, then they can actually take concrete action to go save other Christians. Of course, the Christians they would find there would be almost unidentifiable to them in terms of Biblical interpretation, custom, and ritual, but that's a different matter. The point is they want other Christians saved and dammit they want anyone but them to do something about it.

Peace

War.

On Christmas.

 

[popsthebuilder]

Colonel Sanders,

Firstly, I stated that most Christians, like those of other religions, are not true followers as much as going through the paces for self and show.

Our actions dictate our eternity or the lack there of. To act because of some reward only is wrong, and not of God. Someone should do things because they are right, not because of benefit to self in any way. Church and charity have should have nothing to do with reward. Do you give to be seen giving, or because you know it's right? Do you help strangers and those in need out of compassion and the desire to positively affect life, or for praise?

Not only the bible, but many scriptures speak of peace and unity, not division and violence.

At this time means now, as now is not the end time technically. By judge I mean condemn. Judge not lest thee be judged. If you are willing to judge then you must be prepairrd for judgement to the same scrutiny.

A Christian calling for war based in ignorance isn't a true Christian. To attempt to save only those of one religion is not of the direction of God, nor is violence of any sort, at this time. We may indeed be called to physically fight at some point, I'm just not certain at this time.

Hypocrites are of all religions and the lack there of.

Peace

Faith in selfless Unity for Good.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Look at suicide bombers. They're sick fucks, but dammit, they believe. They strap that vest on and run for the Big Mac that they really think is going to be there.

They believe alright, like the bank robber who rubbed lemon juice on his face thinking it made him invisible so he could get away with the heist.

All these suicidal fucks believe is that they have this inheritance coming. That's why they do it. They're young, stupid and gullible. It doesn't take courage and honor and pride to blow yourself up if you're greedy and selfish enough. Living takes a lot more guts than that.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

Colonel Sanders,

Firstly, I stated that most Christians, like those of other religions, are not true followers as much as going through the paces for self and show.

But you are a True Follower?

By what interpretation?
By what objective standard?

Also, it's obvious you do judge--or "condemn" as you like to put it. If you're judging other people to not be of the same quality of faith as you, then in your judgment they're condemned. Unless of course, you don't believe in Hell.

And how does one not worship the Christian god out of a sense of self, that is, out of a sense of self-preservation? There is no choice. Worship or burn. So what other possible reason could there be to worship the god you believe in?

Leaving aside the obvious atrocities encouraged by the Bible, it's only necessary to mention the positive values. But here's the rub: those values are not unique and they were written down and codified in other civilizations before the invention of the Hebrew god. People didn't think stealing and murder were okeedokeee before the Jews came along. Those are human values that belong to all human beings. If nothing else, the human race couldn't survive without them.

Our actions dictate our eternity or the lack there of. To act because of some reward only is wrong, and not of God. Someone should do things because they are right, not because of benefit to self in any way. Church and charity have should have nothing to do with reward. Do you give to be seen giving, or because you know it's right? Do you help strangers and those in need out of compassion and the desire to positively affect life, or for praise?

As covered above, people worship out of sense of self-preservation. As for giving and whatnot, why does the motivation for trying to make the world a little bit better make any difference? It feels good to help someone out. And it feels really good then a person will probably want to do it again. If it felt bad to help others out, no one would do it. It is utterly inescapable that we act in our self-interest first when doing any good deed. If you don't help the old lady across the street, you'll feel bad. If you do, you'll feel good. And the actual bonus is that the old lady gets helped across the street regardless of your motivations.

Not only the bible, but many scriptures speak of peace and unity, not division and violence.

Don't come to an atheist forum and hope that we aren't intimately familiar with the Old Testament God and the promise to burn for eternity that's fond in the New. Further, division and violence are inherent in a belief that says that all who are not us are either inferior, less good, and not deserving of what we are.

At this time means now, as now is not the end time technically. By judge I mean condemn. Judge not lest thee be judged. If you are willing to judge then you must be prepairrd for judgement to the same scrutiny.

A Christian calling for war based in ignorance isn't a true Christian. To attempt to save only those of one religion is not of the direction of God, nor is violence of any sort, at this time. We may indeed be called to physically fight at some point, I'm just not certain at this time.

Hypocrites are of all religions and the lack there of.

You need to understand that you don't hold the copyright on True Christianism. If somehow you do, then it is an accident of astronomical proportions involving time, space, and circumstance. At any rate, one who calls himself a Christian bases that belief on what they read from scripture and hear from the pulpit. And because there is no objective test and because people can legitimately interpret a vague ancient self-improvement manual in myriad ways, no one can say who a True Christian is and who is not.

And don't worry, you won't need to fight for anything anytime soon. Christians are vastly over-represented in our government and while the Constitution holds that there is no religious test for holding office, we all know that reality says otherwise. There's one atheist in Congress yet the nation, depending on what poll you read, is at least 5% atheist, but no more than 12-13%. Either way, 1 out of roughly 500 people is not 5%.

Peace

Tell it^ to Super Christian George W. Bush

 

[popsthebuilder]

Colonel Sanders,

I try hard to follow the direction of God at all times.
The interpretation is mine shown to me by the word of God and experience, verified on numerous occasions in many forms.
Objective standard: all peaceable monotheistic core scripture I have read thus far.

Condemnation is of God. Judgment may be needed in some form for the preservation of the more innocent, and self preservation for some. What I meant was judge if you are without flaw, or judge if you judge you are ready to be judged in like manner. I am nothing but the small piece God instilled in all. Other than that I am nothing and generally regard others as having more worth, not less. If I thought someone was somehow of less Faith than me then I would try to help them to find direction under God. No one is condemned through ignorance. Hell and earth and heaven and everything we can perceive is going to be wiped from God's slate. The end isn't here but it is coming and it will be the end of all but whatever GOD wills. This includes hell.

Worship in all forms is for rememberance of direction under God in order not to stray from what is right. Man without God has a wretched horrible capacity for the opposite of existence in many forms that are readily observable through direction under God and henceforth introspective utter honesty with self. Following the word of God and the selfless conscience is wholly benifitial for existence as a whole. Hope is not for elevation of self in any form, but for the mere chance at a better tomorrow. Potential in this universe is a funny thing. It is infinite yet nearly inpercievable. One should do what is right for the sake of doing what is right. It can multiply if actually observed. It can benefit all on an unimaginable scale. No rightious martar has ever died for the acquisition of gain, but for the will of God.

The rub, funny. All your doing by trying to discredit the Bible is confirming the truth that lies within it. Have you heard of Christ? What about the godhead or Crist conscienceness or Krishna, or the light of God? Through actual research or core scriptures you will find that they are fundamentally the same. They span the globe and time before written word. They transcend the language and border in a time prior to worldwide communication with the same teachings, reasons, and philosophy. Have you ever heard of someone proclaiming adamently that their God is the only God? This is true in a way. There is but One Creator. Division is of greed and deceit and not God. Man gives names to God for profit by instilling fear. You're still stuck on the Torah for your little reasons. Try reading the Gita, Qur'an, Book of Enoch, and other core scriptures. You may learn something, or you may continue to be veiled by deceit on some level. You are right about the moral compass though. It is our conscience and is of God, or at very least has a capacity to be as much. It is a natural thing that is tossed aside in childhood in favor of what is instilled by society in general(greed).

If you can make a situation or thing better for another then why wouldn't you do it? Some have little to no regard for self in many ways. Some actually harbor anger, or spite, or shame towards self. Some dwell in pain and call it home.
So to assume that all do things strictly, primarily for self gain is just flawed. Most may, but that doesn't make it right. I went through a long example previously but lost it, and won't be retyping it on my phone. If you can't understand that benifiting life at all conseivable chance can have a ripple effect of sorts then I can only hope that you may one day. The main benifit of a good thing is the good that it spreads in one form or another. Just as the negativity of a wrong thing, when acted upon in like fadhion generally produces more negativity.

No one is inferior. All are equal. All are deserving of whatever the acts of this life weigh against them or in their favor. If one is of sin and intentional misdirection of others regardless of the knowledge of the direction of God then they will be cast out with sin upon the end. It is of void and naught and will return to exactly that, absence, the lack there of.

You need to understand that Faith and direction under God is to be verified by works and tested by scripture. Did I mention that I am not strictly Christian and that there are no coincidences?

Worry? Not me friend. Who said anything about congress anyway. That has little to do with anything we are talking about except maybe greed, and corruption. What comes will be Universal in the end. I worry about somethings, but I won't always, and government issues aren't really reasons to worry. Especially not on a national or local level.

Peace still.

Faith in selfless Unity for Good.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

Colonel Sanders,

I try hard to follow the direction of God at all times.
The interpretation is mine shown to me by the word of God and experience, verified on numerous occasions in many forms.
Objective standard: all peaceable monotheistic core scripture I have read thus far.

What is "the direction of God"?
There were some really bad people in Paris last week who followed their version of the direction of God. Same with the 9/11 hijackers and all the other maniacs who are True Followers (as you like to put it).

I have no idea what you think qualifies as verification. I will bet my dog, whom I love very much, that it won't stand up to scientific scrutiny. And if it's your own interpretation, that makes it even less reliable.

"Peaceable monotheistic standard." Have you read the Bible? Have you read the Koran? Do you know what's in there??? Or, like most of the Untrue Followers, do you pick and choose the things you like and willfully ignore the rest?

Condemnation is of God. Judgment may be needed in some form for the preservation of the more innocent, and self preservation for some. What I meant was judge if you are without flaw, or judge if you judge you are ready to be judged in like manner. I am nothing but the small piece God instilled in all. Other than that I am nothing and generally regard others as having more worth, not less. If I thought someone was somehow of less Faith than me then I would try to help them to find direction under God. No one is condemned through ignorance. Hell and earth and heaven and everything we can perceive is going to be wiped from God's slate. The end isn't here but it is coming and it will be the end of all but whatever GOD wills. This includes hell.

Oh stop it with this already. You judge people every day you exist. We all do. I refuse to address this nonsense any further.

But I will point this out to you: if no one is condemned through ignorance then wouldn't it be better to never, ever talk of God again? Get rid of all scriptures of all kinds as fast as possible and never, ever introduce the concept of God to kids ever again. That way, it guarantees their ignorance, and therefore, their salvation. Or maybe I'm just too solution oriented for God's liking.

Worship in all forms is for rememberance of direction under God in order not to stray from what is right. Man without God has a wretched horrible capacity for the opposite of existence in many forms that are readily observable through direction under God and henceforth introspective utter honesty with self. Following the word of God and the selfless conscience is wholly benifitial for existence as a whole. Hope is not for elevation of self in any form, but for the mere chance at a better tomorrow. Potential in this universe is a funny thing. It is infinite yet nearly inpercievable. One should do what is right for the sake of doing what is right. It can multiply if actually observed. It can benefit all on an unimaginable scale. No rightious martar has ever died for the acquisition of gain, but for the will of God.

I don't worship your god. I'm not in jail, I do the best job as a parent that I can (usually), and I don't hurt anyone. Why is it that you think so little of people that you believe they need to have some supernatural being watching them when they shower in order to not commence with the raping and murdering?
Do you need the threat of Hell to keep from becoming a violent criminal?

I have no clue what you're talking about in the second half of that paragraph. It's okay, don't feel like you need to explain.

The rub, funny. All your doing by trying to discredit the Bible is confirming the truth that lies within it. Have you heard of Christ? What about the godhead or Crist conscienceness or Krishna, or the light of God? Through actual research or core scriptures you will find that they are fundamentally the same. They span the globe and time before written word. They transcend the language and border in a time prior to worldwide communication with the same teachings, reasons, and philosophy. Have you ever heard of someone proclaiming adamently that their God is the only God? This is true in a way. There is but One Creator. Division is of greed and deceit and not God. Man gives names to God for profit by instilling fear. You're still stuck on the Torah for your little reasons. Try reading the Gita, Qur'an, Book of Enoch, and other core scriptures. You may learn something, or you may continue to be veiled by deceit on some level. You are right about the moral compass though. It is our conscience and is of God, or at very least has a capacity to be as much. It is a natural thing that is tossed aside in childhood in favor of what is instilled by society in general(greed).

Have I heard of Christ? No. Of course not. I've just mentioned my raising as a Christian, referenced the New and Old Testaments, as well as the Koran because of Whatever.

And I don't care how popular belief in any god is. If you woke up tomorrow to find that everyone on earth had come to believe the planet was shaped like a cube, would the planet have morphed into a cube or would everyone but you be wrong? In other words, just because a lot of people believe something, it doesn't mean it's true. And before you start, the ancient Egyptian religion was around in some form or another continuously for about 3500 years. Did it become false when it became unpopular? Or is a better answer is that it was bullshit all along?

Finally, I've read all kinds of religious writings. What they all have in common is a belief in an entity or entities that no one has actually ever seen and that everyone who believes in these critters always dies before ever seeing them.

If you can make a situation or thing better for another then why wouldn't you do it? Some have little to no regard for self in many ways. Some actually harbor anger, or spite, or shame towards self. Some dwell in pain and call it home.
So to assume that all do things strictly, primarily for self gain is just flawed. Most may, but that doesn't make it right. I went through a long example previously but lost it, and won't be retyping it on my phone. If you can't understand that benifiting life at all conseivable chance can have a ripple effect of sorts then I can only hope that you may one day. The main benifit of a good thing is the good that it spreads in one form or another. Just as the negativity of a wrong thing, when acted upon in like fadhion generally produces more negativity.

I can't help it if you don't understand basic human behavior. This^ is another thing I will not address further.

No one is inferior. All are equal. All are deserving of whatever the acts of this life weigh against them or in their favor. If one is of sin and intentional misdirection of others regardless of the knowledge of the direction of God then they will be cast out with sin upon the end. It is of void and naught and will return to exactly that, absence, the lack there of.

We're not equal. We're not equal in intelligence, looks, social abilities, family background, economic background, etc. But if God exists, and if we're all equal in his eyes, then the dumber we are, the less we know, or if we die as children, the better off we are.

The rest of the paragraph is nonsense that may impress you or someone else, but it's gibberish that means nothing to

You need to understand that Faith and direction under God is to be verified by works and tested by scripture. Did I mention that I am not strictly Christian and that there are no coincidences?

I understand very well how the whole hocus-pocus game works. Better than you do, apparently. And stop lying--or least fudging. Before now you were a True Follower and now you're a hybrid hippie who embraces all spirituality? That's even more insufferable.

Peace still.

Conflict resolution through common sense principles based on rational reasoning while taking into account the foibles of the human being.

Faith in selfless Unity for Good.

Habitats for Hamsters.

 

[popsthebuilder]

Yeah, people who act in violence are not rightly guided under God.

Verification for Mr has shit to do with you.

I've have read them and more and continue to do so. I don't pick and choose anything. The things that are similar are generally true. The very few things that literally condone physical violence or division based on reasons of greed are influenced more by man than God. The truely faithful under GOD won't be violent. Even in the Qur'an for is stated repeatedly that mercy begets mercy, and shuns violence.

I don't generally try not to judge anyone, but I can observe repeat behaviors of individuals and assume their stance or actions based on those observations. Is that judging? You could call it that. Is it unwarranted or detrimental to anyone in anyway? No. I generally give people the benefit of the doubt, repeatedly. If it isn't really clear to you I will point something out; I am not like you even though our worth is equal. What applies to you doesn't necessarily apply to me. I have no need to judge. If I'm wrong explain what need to judge I do have.

Willful ignorance is kin to the only utterly damning sin. Destroying things to prevent the acquisition of knowledge by others is really close to knowing of the truth but intentionally lying about it. By truth I mean the word of God. It is blasphemy and the worst thing anyone can do. It has been done for approximately 2000 years, and has spread to the vast majority. It is coming to an end though. Never said ignorance was equivalent to salvation. It insures that you will be weighed against your actions, and not against anything you where really unaware of.

Who was talking about you? Don't take things I say personally. No one said you need God to be a decent person. But decent in your own eyes has little to do with what I'm talking about. Being decent, and doing what is right for selfless reasons are two different things. Again, hell isn't a threat, it is a warning. Any natuarly good person would naturally do what is right without any threat. But the reality is that most are confused on hat is right on some level or another. Not causing negative things isn't the same as causing positive things. But yeah to answer your question; regardless of what I thought at the time, I needed literal salvation and will forever be grateful to God for it. Salvation is very far from any threat though.

Who said anything about popularity of anything. That has nothing to do with anything I am discussing here. Not too sure about the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, but it was based in worshiping man and materialism and privilege of few with discrimination of many.

It's not that I don't understand human behavior, I just refuse to conform to will of the powers that be and society that has been manipulated by those profiting from it. Frankly, it doesn't matter to me if you reply to none of it.

We are equal in value. I wouldn't expect you to understand. I agree that for most currently lost it would have been better to have died during innocence.

You don't know what I am and pass your assumptions on whatever you have heard elsware.

What hocus pocus?
You don't know who I am or the extent of what I know or Belief so your numerous assumptions are humorous at best. A shame really, I was hoping for stimulating conversation.

Peace

Faith in selfless Unity for Good.

 

[Angry Floof]

So are the loud and proud really just atheists trying to get out?

I would say yes. But it's not really that simple. If you never allow yourself to question what you really believe or don't believe, you'll still be operating within a worldview that has been suggested, conditioned, sometimes even punished into you.

I think there's probably a lot of people who do actually experience something - call it divine if you like, but a human experience involving no supernatural entities - that can be life changing, inspiring, etc., something that can serve to free someone from built-up fears or resentments or confusions that previously caused them to suffer. They'll attach a story to it, usually based in what they've been taught, but it's the actual experience that moves them to think and act in more humane ways, not extrinsic ideology.

Having read a few things related to this just this evening, my thoughts are again revisiting the "belief in belief" ideologues (who are the ones I think you are talking about). I wonder if just understanding a few basics about human cognition, such as the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic belief, would have any effect on the "loud and proud." However, that would actually require honest self examination as opposed to the more popular, outward-pointed judge-your-neighbor approach, and I am almost convinced that there is a subset of us humans that have a temperament, a personality, a type of conditioning... or all of the above... I don't know for sure, but they seem to be incapable of the simple self reflection required to notice that their very existence demonstrates something other than the love they claim comes from their belief system.

It doesn't please me in the least to lean this way as I prefer to err on the side of optimism and hope, faith in things like neuroplasticity and education, sort of mentally giving my fellow human beings a chance rather than writing them off in my own mind without knowing for sure. Not that I think everyone would, but that anyone could. That view is not as strong as it used to be. I have to at least admit to the possibility that in our modern world our species could be producing numbers of individuals too psychologically or intellectually stunted for the kind of introspection desperately needed as we all feed and build our collective culture with what's in our heads.

 

[Angry Floof]

Sorry, in hindsight I see that my post was probably not exactly what you were looking for.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

I agree that for most currently lost it would have been better to have died during innocence.

I had actually written a more extensive response, but then came to this^ microphone dropping gem.

Finally. I congratulate you for saying exactly what religious reasoning says you should. Now, most who continue to live, or will be born will be "lost" too, correct?
And if it would have been better for those in the past to have died as children, given that they avoided hell by doing so, then that means hell is indeed a place to be avoided, right?
And if hell is a place to be avoided then it can only mean that it is better for us to die as children now as well, right?

So what kind of fucking monster do you worship that creates a world where children are better off being murdered than growing up?

And I'm officially done with you.

P.S. "Innocence" is the same as childhood. Mental retardation or other conditions of incapacity also serve the same purpose.

 

[popsthebuilder]

I agree that for most currently lost it would have been better to have died during innocence.

I had actually written a more extensive response, but then came to this^ microphone dropping gem.

Finally. I congratulate you for saying exactly what religious reasoning says you should. Now, most who continue to live, or will be born will be "lost" too, correct?
And if it would have been better for those in the past to have died as children, given that they avoided hell by doing so, then that means hell is indeed a place to be avoided, right?
And if hell is a place to be avoided then it can only mean that it is better for us to die as children now as well, right?

So what kind of fucking monster do you worship that creates a world where children are better off being murdered than growing up?

And I'm officially done with you.

P.S. "Innocence" is the same as childhood. Mental retardation or other conditions of incapacity also serve the same purpose.

It's not a problem with the world that God created. It is a problem with greed and deceit. Everything follows the direction of God. The thing that God gave the most power and responsibility to is so selfish and bent on their own will that they literally refuse to do what is right. Then some of them have the ego to claim God is a monster because instead of giving us freedom, choice, dominion over existence, and infinite potential for the benefit of all creation, that God made, they would prefer to just be completely enveloped in their own material wants, left to destroy all existence, blissfully ignorant all the while. It doesn't work that way. People are so closed up in their selfish ways and false sense of worth that they can't even grasp things that are simple and beneficial to All in numerous ways with no negative thing attached to it.

If your done then you could stop cookie cutting what I say, and responding with partiality in a biased fashion as if you know something that you admittedly don't.

Doesn't matter to me either way.

Is that judgement?

Peace

Faith in selfless Unity for Good.