Posted on 01/03/2002 11:19:13 AM PST by ArGee
A very rich man decided that he wanted to show kindness to the people of the fair city where he lived. Since he was very rich indeed, he decided to throw a banquet for the entire city. He rented the largest sports arena in the city and began his plans. He planned for huge amounts of the best food possible, making allowances for every religious and medical diet. He advertised the banquet in every possible manner - television, radio, billboard, door-to-door canvassing. Considering that there might be some who could not travel, he arranged for free bus transportation to and from the event, and some special-needs vehicles for all who could not ride busses. He even scheduled the banquet to run for 24 hours a day for several days so that everyone could be sure of being served.
He planned long and hard and finally the big day came. The rich man ate quickly and then went about wishing all his guests well and personally making sure that all had every need met. After a while he went outside to tour the grounds and talk with those who had not yet gone in, and those who had already left. Everyone was happy. Many were profusely thankful. It was a glorious occasion.
At one point the rich man noticed a group of people sitting outside a locked door with most unpleasant looks on their faces. Sensing they were not happy, he went over to them. He did not introduce himself but simply asked them if he could be of service.
"We want to go in through this door," one of them replied.
The rich man explained to them that the hall was arranged to feed a large number of people as quickly and effortlessly as possible. This required order inside, and the entrances and exits had been carefully planned to be as efficient as possible. He then offered to go call one of the golf carts that were avaialbe to help people who could not walk far to take them to the entrance. But the man replied, "We do not want to go in the entrance. We want to go in this door. We don't understand why we can't go in any door we wish. We think the man who set this banquet up is mean and hateful for insisting we go in through the entrance. He has tried to bill himself as a very kind man by offering this banquet, but he is not kind at all if he will not indulge us and let us go through this door.
The rich man was distressed at these words, but still attempted to please these people. He tried once more to explain to them what was behind this particular door, and how if they went in this door they would disrupt the meal service being offered inside. He offered to drive them himself, not only to the door, but inside the hall to their tables if they would only go through the entrance to enjoy the meal. Again the man said, "No, but only a hateful man would keep us from going through the door of our choosing. And we will sit here and tell anyone who will listen to us what an awful man he is until he lets us in."
At that the rich man was enraged and he shouted, "Enough." Then he called a police officer to have them thrown off of the property and ordered that they not be allowed to return until the banquet was over and all the scraps had been hauled away. Then, mourning for their loss, he turned to visit with other guests.
I have noticed that Christians often create God in the image and likeness of themselves. The kindly Christian has a kindly God. The angry Christian has an angry God. And so on...
Ah yes.... The old "God is the definer of morality, and therefore is not subject to it" trick.
Sort of a "do as I say, not as I do" thing on God's part.
That's pretty convenient.
It is my earnest prayer that that little light clicks on for you... soon.
God bless you, OWK.
ru4
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Why not? At least complex molecules can form under certain conditions. Of course no "life" has been produced this way but it has been demonstrated that the spontaneous generation of rather complex molecules is not as improbable as most people believed.
IMO it is also necessary to define what "life" is because it is a somewhat fuzzy term. One can say with a high certainty that animals are alive and rocks not but whether a virus is alive or not is somewhat controversial as far as I know. If a virus is alive then what is a rather simple self-replicating molecule?
I see...
So the word "loving" must be redefined to accomodate the sadistic and tyranical actions attributed to God in the Old testament....
Maybe.... just maybe... those who scribed the Old Testament attributed some pretty nasty things to God which were really not so, and love really doesn't need to be redefined after all.
I'm sick of Christians whose point of pride in their religion is the perceived fact that everyone who isn't a Christian (or the right kind of Christian) is going to hell. Leave it to God to figure that out, and in the meantime mind your own P's & Q's.
An excellent observation.
This is what I mean when I say that Christians create God in the image and likeness of Themselves.
Thank you, and regards
God himself says that He is love. God kills people, sometimes in ways that trouble us as we look at things from our limited human viewpoint. Whose viewpoint is correct?
OWK insists that his is. God giggles.
(Full Disclosure: I have no idea if God has actually giggled at OWK. He hasn't told me about this one way or the other. I suppose I'm saying that if I were God, I would be giggling at OWK right now.)
Surah 19. Mary
1. Kaf. Ha. Ya. 'Ain. Sad.
2. (This is) a recital of the Mercy of thy Lord to His servant Zakariya.
3. Behold! he cried to his Lord in secret,
4. Praying: "O my Lord! infirm indeed are my bones, and the hair of my head doth glisten with grey: but never am I unblest, O my Lord, in my prayer to Thee!
5. "Now I fear (what) my relatives (and colleagues) (will do) after me: but my wife is barren: so give me an heir as from Thyself,
6. "(One that) will (truly) represent me, and represent the posterity of Jacob; and make him, O my Lord! one with whom Thou art well-pleased!"
7. (His prayer was answered): "O Zakariya! We give thee good news of a son: His name shall be Yahya: on none by that name have We conferred distinction before."
8. He said: "O my Lord! How shall I have a son, when my wife is barren and I have grown quite decrepit from old age?"
9. He said: "So (it will be) thy Lord saith, 'that is easy for Me: I did indeed create thee before, when thou hadst been nothing!'"
10. (Zakariya) said: "O my Lord! give me a Sign." "Thy Sign," was the answer, "Shall be that thou shalt speak to no man for three nights, although thou art not dumb."
11. So Zakariya came out to his people from him chamber: He told them by signs to celebrate Allah.s praises in the morning and in the evening.
12. (To his son came the command): "O Yahya! take hold of the Book with might": and We gave him Wisdom even as a youth,
13. And piety (for all creatures) as from Us, and purity: He was devout,
14. And kind to his parents, and he was not overbearing or rebellious.
15. So Peace on him the day he was born, the day that he dies, and the day that he will be raised up to life (again)!
16. Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East.
17. She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent her our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.
18. She said: "I seek refuge from thee to ((Allah)) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear Allah."
19. He said: "Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.
20. She said: "How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?"
21. He said: "So (it will be): Thy Lord saith, 'that is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us':It is a matter (so) decreed."
22. So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place.
23. And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: She cried (in her anguish): "Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!"
24. But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): "Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee;
25. "And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.
26. "So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man, say, 'I have vowed a fast to ((Allah)) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into not talk with any human being'"
27. At length she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said: "O Mary! truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!
28. "O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!"
29. But she pointed to the babe. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?"
30. He said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah. He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet;
31. "And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live;
32. "(He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable;
33. "So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)"!
34. Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute.
And yet we are expected to believe that when GOD does these things, it is somehow moral?
We are expected to believe that God turns a flood loose on the world, and drowns all of it's children, and that this is somehow moral?
We are expected to believe that God looses plagues, disease, and pestilence on the innocent children of Egypt, and that this is somehow moral?
We are expected to believe that he tortures and disfigures Job in some sado-masochistic side-bet with Satan, and that this is somehow moral?
We are expected to believe that he demands the willingness to cut the throat of one's own son in a test of fealty, and that this is somehow moral?
Who are you trying to kid?
Yourself?
These things are objectively and unquestionably evil.
And because you are unwilling to apply the fundamental scrutiny of reason to these questions, you simply state without justification, that God has a different standard of morality than we mere mortals do... and it isn't to be questioned.
Then again, I guess there's really nothing else you CAN do.
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