Unfortunately, this will be much harder to achieve when, on the one hand, you have bigoted xenophobes who are given unnecessarily gross attention and, on the other, ardent multiculturalists who brand anyone that criticises the religion an Islamophobe. These two extremes play off one another to prevent decent attempts at raising Islam into an Enlightenment Age.Quote by: Cephus
I'm not an Islamophobe, I don't fear it one bit. I am anti-Islamic, but I'm also anti-Christian and anti-Jewish and anti-Buddhist, etc. I'm also anti-Bigfootist and anti-Raelian. I'm against any ridiculous belief for which there is no credible and objective evidence. You have to remember, the media is an attention-whore, all they want is sensationalism, which is where you got Terry Jones and his Qu'ran-burning stupidity. But the Muslims play right into that by declaring fatwas every time someone draws a cartoon they don't like. Jones and much of the Muslim faith need to grow the hell up and get over themselves and their idiotic beliefs. Lots of people on the left need to do it too with their ridiculous multi-culturalism as well.
In short, you have a lot of irrational, illogical, immature people who need to grow the hell up.
Hear, hear.
I'd only add to that by distinguishing between the different religions and their relative threat to humanity in any given period or civilisation. For example, I'd see it as very unfair to lump the ideologies and practices (as diverse as they may be) of Islam with those of Buddhism. Unfair to Buddhism, that is. But, as you say, religions are equally ridiculous in their shared claims of the supernatural.
I agree that there are some that are a more demonstrable short-term threat, but all religion, and indeed all irrational thought is a threat to humanity's long-term success. Believing stupid crap is going to harm humanity, even if it might not be excessive in the short-term.
So you believe in reincarnation?
Why? Why is the bible so perfectly suited to use as a bludgeon as well as a bosom? Could it be because men wrote it and men have the capacity for good and evil?
Would humanity be better off without the nuclear bomb?
NoJingoLingo
Not in the sense that I'm going to reborn as a sperm whale, or bamboo tree, no.
Buddhism and Taoism aren't religions. They are philosophies. Completely different.
I didn't say they are religions. You claimed to believe their philosophies 100%. That would include reincarnation. There are forms of Buddhism and Taoism that are religions.
Yeah, but I don't follow the religions. The aspects of them that involve reincarnation stem from the concept that our spiritual energy is recycled back into the world.
Whatever.
Here is Wikipedia's definition of cherry picking:
Cherry picking is the act of pointing at individual cases or data that seem to confirm a particular position, while ignoring a significant portion of related cases or data that may contradict that position.When Christians engage in online discussion of the Bible we are often accused of cherry picking by choosing Bible verses that support our postion and ignoring those that oppose it. Usually this takes the form of quoting some law found in the Old Testament and asking why we don't practice it. Since we consider all of the Bible, including the Old Testament, to be the Word of God this is a reasonable response and I will try to answer it.
God has given two kind of commands in the Bible. One kind consists of moral laws that are given to all people and are always in effect. Jesus said that these laws can be summarized in two commands:
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."All of the other moral laws of the Bible are simply detailed instructions on how to carry out these commands.
In addition to giving universal commands that apply to everyone God also gives commands to specific individuals and groups that apply to them but to no one else. For example, he told Noah to build an ark to keep all life from being destroyed in the flood. This command was for Noah and his family alone and God never intended for anyone else to obey it.
After he had delivered the Israelites form slavery in Egypt he chose them to be his people and gave them laws which they were required to obey. These laws included all the moral laws which apply to everyone but they also include commands which weren't ever given to anyone else. The question is, which of these commands must we obey today and which were only for Israel and don't apply to us?
Israel was a nation but the Church isn't a nation but is a body of believers who are subject to the laws of the nations in which they live. A nation has the authority to enforce its laws and punish those who violate them, even executing them if their offenses are serious enough. A church doesn't have the authority to impose any kind of physical punishment but is limited to expelling from its membership those who continue in sin and refuse to repent. A nation has the right to engage in military activities to protect itself against other nations. Christians are engaged in warfare but it is spiritual, not physical. If church leaders in the past had kept this distinction in mind the Crusades and the Inquistion probably wouldn't have taken place.
God commanded the Israelites to offer animal sacrifices to atone for their sins and he established a priesthood to carry out these sacrifices. These sacrifices were intended to show what Christ would do when he died for our sins and now that he has done this they are no longer needed. The book of Hebrews explains how he fulfilled the sacrificial laws.
Many of the commands were intended to illustrate spiritual truths. For example, Deuteronomy 25:4 forbids muzzling an ox which is treading out grain. In 1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:8 Paul quoted this command to show that Christians are to financially support those who work full time at preaching the gospel. When you read a command in the law you should think not just about its literal meaning but what spiritual truth it illustrates.
The fact that we are not required to follow some of the laws in the Bible doesn't mean that we shouldn't study them. Second Timothy 2:16,17 says,
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
Yes, the bible is clear that Noah was the only one to build a boat. No argument here.
Good question. The answer is cherrypick.
I'm far from a bible expert. I only read through it once and skipped large areas that I was afraid would cause me brain damage. Yeah, cheap shot there I suppose.
Anyway, for the supposedly most perfect book ever written by the most perfect being in the universe it sure leaves lots to be desired don't you think? From what I can gather it's so open to "interpretation" and "context" that a person can pretty much decide it tells them anything they want to hear. Now that's pretty convenient for the parasitic priest class but it does squat for the regular guy who just wants instruction from the big boss without all the middlemen.
Also, I can't help thinking that any part of the "perfect" bible could be rewritten by your average third grader today and it would be an improvement. A vast improvement in most cases. You disagree?
Okay, I'm sorry. But I think it is too soon for ANOTHER topic on this.
http://www.volconvo.com/forums/philo...y-books-4.html
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