Posted on 03/30/2002 7:53:37 PM PST by malakhi
| Statesmen may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue. - John Adams |
On the treeless prairie? I'll pass.
Have you got bagels and Hebrew National hot dogs there?
SD
In a fit of madness or delusion, sure.
SD
I like this. So there is no "cure" until the body dies, and Resurrection is the body made whole? Or do you go that far?
I am here discussing my perception of Christian teaching, not my personal beliefs. As for myself, I believe that those who ask for and receive forgiveness for sin are made righteous, but they are still capable of further sin. It sounds similar, but the difference is that I do not accept the doctrine of original sin. Man has free will, and freely chooses to do good or evil. There may be pressures and tendencies, but ultimately it comes down to a choice. So man is not inherently depraved; he is born with the capacity to choose either good or evil.
In a fit of madness or delusion, sure.
Ah ... madness and delusion. Yet another can of worms.
LOL. "Treeless prairie?" You don't know Iowa. Still one of the nation's best-kept secrets.
Okay, I admit it. I was being too kind.
Absolutely. This was touched on yesterday, briefly. Robby said, to some astonishment, that even the Devil is intending to do good.
Think of the Islamofanatics. Our task in reaching them is not so simple as to rebuke them and remind them what they are doing is wrong. Rather, it is much deeper than that.
We are dealing with a people who are firmly convinced that blowing yourself and some Jews up in a bus station is good.
It is one thing to pull someone back who is straying off the path. Quite another to address someone's fundamental inversion of reality.
Are those who do significantly evil things proudly really "evil" or are they in some manner mentally damaged?
SD
Wait a minute. Trad drove through PA last year and commented on how pretty and unusual it was. He said he was not used to seeing so many trees.
SD
Absolutely. This was touched on yesterday, briefly. Robby said, to some astonishment, that even the Devil is intending to do good.
Is this position reasonable ?
Is not the Devil out for himself, at the expense of all others ?
Do you think that he does not know this is not good.
The ADA won't help him. He's fired on account of his behavior, not his alcoholism.
Had he kept his drinking problem under wraps -- at home or in his hotel room (more accurately, his RV) -- he'd still have his job.
But, Coach Eustachy fell victim to his own poor judgment. Even the ADA doesn't provide an out for that.
There is no pessimism in Ecclesiates. We can thank the Latin mistranslation for any pessimism we've been led to perceive.
The ADA mandates braille on the keypads of the drive up ATM.
The ADA keeps the narcopleptic employed as truck drivers.
You simply can not fire a man for the consequences of his alcohol addiction.
SD
Oh, do go on.
SD
Entirely.
Is not the Devil out for himself, at the expense of all others ?
Not at all. He merely wishes to free us all from the dark age superstition of believing God must be obeyed. He is for freedom. For all people.
Do you think that he does not know this is not good.
Again, do you think he set out to do wrong? Do you think anyone sits down and says, "with my life, I will try to bring as much harm as possible to as many people as I can?"
SD
Sounds like Amsterdam. :-)
Regardless, God is sovereign. I suppose it depends on where one draws the line between "exercising liberty" and "putting Him to the test." Some say only a fool thinks a helmet will save you. Others insist only a fool would ride without a helmet. Still others say only a fool would ride.
Never mind that the holiday is little celebrated in Mexico and is a unique American phenomenon.
Never mind that 10 years ago I had never heard of such a thing and never would have, had it not been for Corona and Dos Equis.
Remember I made this point long ago, that these types of groups are failing to see the honor of being assimilaed into the American mainstream? That instead of being earnest and boring, that sharing an ethnic holiday with the American people is a much better way to go about being incorporated into the public.
That letting Coors and Budweiser make Juneteenth a party holiday for all Americans to celebrate the end of slavery, together, is miles ahead of today's somber remembrances.
SD
Is not the Devil out for himself, at the expense of all others ?
Not at all. He merely wishes to free us all from the dark age superstition of believing God must be obeyed. He is for freedom. For all people.
Do you consider this to be speaking of Satan ?Isaiah 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Yes. That's the point. Satan believes that we are better off being like God than in letting God be God. Wasn't that the serpent's statement? That God knows if we eat that fruit that we will be like Him? Satan wants to free us from bondage to God by making us like Him. He thinks this is good.
Do you think anyone sets out in life to live a life of evil?
SD
Hey, I also used to think Ecclesiastes was pessimistic. But, here you go, this captures the essence of the truth. It's really an uplifting book, once I got past the "vanity" problem.
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