On Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:30:04 -0500, bob young wrote:
> monkfish wrote:
>>
>> On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:09:01 -0500, bob young wrote:
>>
>> > monkfish wrote:
>> >>
>> >> On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:19:11 -0500, bob young wrote:
>> >>
>> >> > monkfish wrote:
>> >> >>
>> >> >> On Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:31:48 -0400, Fred Jones wrote:
>> >> >>
>> >> >> > Have you ever taken the time to read the Bible's story of
>> >> >> > Noah's flood? And have you ever pondered what this story's
>> >> >> > position in the Bible might actually mean? While there are many
>> >> >> > people who consider the Bible, and therefore Noah's story, to
>> >> >> > be literally true, most educated and intelligent people
>> >> >> > understand that the story of Noah's flood is a myth. They
>> >> >> > understand that Mt. Everest was never covered in flood water,
>> >> >> > they understand that the ark could not hold the millions of
>> >> >> > species that are now found on earth, and they understand that
>> >> >> > there is no DNA evidence to show that all animals on earth came
>> >> >> > from single breeding pairs just a few thousand years ago.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > But there is one part of the story of Noah's Ark that deserves
>> >> >> > special recognition. It shows us something about God that is
>> >> >> > quite unsettling to any intelligent person who takes the time
>> >> >> > to consider his actions. That special section is this:
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > God senselessly murdered millions of humans and billions of
>> >> >> > animals in the
>> >> >> > flood
>> >> >> > How do we know it was senseless? Because "God" is supposed to
>> >> >> > be "all-knowing" and "all-powerful." If God were to exist, God
>> >> >> > would know what was coming when he created Adam and Eve.
>> >> >> > Therefore, God knew he would be murdering millions of people.
>> >> >> > This realization leads to an obvious question: Why didn't God
>> >> >> > simply speed up Jesus' arrival to avoid the atrocity that is
>> >> >> > the flood? Or why didn't God program Adam and Eve when he
>> >> >> > created them to completely cir***vent the need for such a
>> >> >> > horrendous atrocity?
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > You may have never considered this question, but it is
>> >> >> > exquisitely im****tant. Because the flood is an atrocity of the
>> >> >> > highest order. It is mass murder on a global scale.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > The idea that Christians would accept a mass-murderer as their
>> >> >> > object of wor****p shows us something about Christians, does it
>> >> >> > not? Think about it - By (supposedly) murdering nearly every
>> >> >> > human on the planet, the Christian God is far more heinous than
>> >> >> > Hitler. No "loving" and "perfect" being can also be a
>> >> >> > mass-murderer bent of global genocide. Yet Christians willfully
>> >> >> > wor****p him. Why?
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > If you are a Christian, I would ask you to simply look inside
>> >> >> > yourself today. Why would you accept a mass murderer into your
>> >> >> > life?
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > And Noah's flood is not the only place where God displays these
>> >> >> > horrific tendencies toward mindless slaughter. Here are several
>> >> >> > other examples.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > In the book of Exodus chapter 12 verse 28, God writes about one
>> >> >> > of his early massacres:
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > So the people of Israel did just as the LORD had commanded
>> >> >> > through Moses and
>> >> >> > Aaron. And at midnight the LORD killed all the firstborn sons
>> >> >> > in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who
>> >> >> > sat on the throne, to the firstborn son of the captive in the
>> >> >> > dungeon. Even the firstborn of their livestock were killed.
>> >> >> > Pharaoh and his officials and all the people of Egypt woke up
>> >> >> > during the night, and loud wailing was heard throughout the
>> >> >> > land of Egypt. There was not a single house where someone had
>> >> >> > not died. Here the death of the children is directly at the
>> >> >> > hand of God. In Isaiah chapter 13, God paints this word
>> >> >> > picture:
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > Anyone who is captured will be run through with a sword.
>> >> >> > Their little children
>> >> >> > will be dashed to death right before their eyes. Their homes
>> >> >> > will be sacked and their wives raped by the attacking hordes.
>> >> >> > For I will stir up the Medes against Babylon, and no amount of
>> >> >> > silver or gold will buy them off. The attacking armies will
>> >> >> > shoot down the young people with arrows. They will have no
>> >> >> > mercy on helpless babies and will show no compassion for the
>> >> >> > children. Is this the imprint of a "loving" God? In Jeremiah
>> >> >> > chapter 49, verse 20, God paints a similar picture:
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > Therefore hear the plan which the LORD has made against Edom
>> >> >> > and the purposes
>> >> >> > which he has formed against the inhabitants of Teman: Even the
>> >> >> > little ones of the flock shall be dragged away; surely their
>> >> >> > fold shall be appalled at their fate. At the sound of their
>> >> >> > fall the earth shall tremble; the sound of their cry shall be
>> >> >> > heard at the Red Sea. In Hosea chapter 13, God paints a similar
>> >> >> > picture:
>> >> >> > Samaria shall bear her guilt, because she has rebelled
>> >> >> > against her God; they
>> >> >> > shall fall by the sword, their little ones shall be dashed in
>> >> >> > pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open. In Numbers
>> >> >> > chapter 31, God paints a similar picture:
>> >> >> > Moses said to them, "Have you let all the women live? Behold,
>> >> >> > these caused the
>> >> >> > people of Israel, by the counsel of Balaam, to act
>> >> >> > treacherously against the LORD in the matter of Pe'or, and so
>> >> >> > the plague came among the congregation of the LORD. Now
>> >> >> > therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill
>> >> >> > every woman who has known man by lying with him. But all the
>> >> >> > young girls who have not known man by lying with him, keep
>> >> >> > alive for yourselves. Here Moses, acting as an agent of God,
>> >> >> > specifies that thousands of male babies and children be killed,
>> >> >> > as well as thousands of women. The Bible states in verse 35
>> >> >> > that the captured women numbered "thirty-two thousand persons
>> >> >> > in all, women who had not known man by lying with him." This
>> >> >> > was not a small attack. Tens of thousands men, women and
>> >> >> > children were massacred. In Deuteronomy Chapter 3 we find this:
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > Next we turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and
>> >> >> > Og king of Bashan
>> >> >> > with his whole army marched out to meet us in battle at Edrei.
>> >> >> > The LORD said to me, "Do not be afraid of him, for I have
>> >> >> > handed him over to you with his whole army and his land. Do to
>> >> >> > him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in
>> >> >> > Heshbon." So the LORD our God also gave into our hands Og king
>> >> >> > of Bashan and all his army. We struck them down, leaving no
>> >> >> > survivors. At that time we took all his cities. There was not
>> >> >> > one of the sixty cities that we did not take from them-the
>> >> >> > whole region of Argob, Og's kingdom in Bashan. All these cities
>> >> >> > were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars, and
>> >> >> > there were also a great many unwalled villages. We completely
>> >> >> > destroyed them, as we had done with Sihon king of Heshbon,
>> >> >> > destroying every city-men, women and children. But all the
>> >> >> > livestock and the plunder from their cities we carried off for
>> >> >> > ourselves. They massacred all the men, women and children in 60
>> >> >> > cities at God's request. Even in the "New Testament" we find
>> >> >> > the same sort of thing. In the book of Matthew, chapter 2,
>> >> >> > mixed into the Christmas story, the Bible describes an amazing
>> >> >> > massacre of thousands of babies:
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > And when they were come into the house, they saw the young
>> >> >> > child with Mary his
>> >> >> > mother, and fell down, and wor****pped him: and when they had
>> >> >> > opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold,
>> >> >> > and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream
>> >> >> > that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their
>> >> >> > own country another way. And when they were departed, behold,
>> >> >> > the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying,
>> >> >> > Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into
>> >> >> > Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod
>> >> >> > will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he
>> >> >> > took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into
>> >> >> > Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be
>> >> >> > fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
>> >> >> > Out of Egypt have I called my son. Then Herod, when he saw that
>> >> >> > he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent
>> >> >> > forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in
>> >> >> > all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according
>> >> >> > to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
>> >> >> > Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the
>> >> >> > prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation,
>> >> >> > and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her
>> >> >> > children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
>> >> >> > Think about the thousands of families who were affected by this
>> >> >> > massacre. The Bible describes their suffering: they wept and
>> >> >> > could not be comforted. Of course they could not be comforted.
>> >> >> > If you are a parent, you know exactly how distraught you would
>> >> >> > feel if an agent of the government came to your door one
>> >> >> > morning and slaughtered your children. Why would God do this?
>> >> >> > Why would you want anything to do with such a muderous,
>> >> >> > horrific being? What can we say about people who would want to
>> >> >> > believe in such a being? Why would any normal, intelligent,
>> >> >> > ethical human being "wor****p" such a heinous, demented and
>> >> >> > despicable "god" as this?
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > It is impossible for a "perfect" and "loving" being to also be
>> >> >> > heinous, demented and despicable. As an intelligent person, you
>> >> >> > should be able to see that.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > This impossibility tells us that God is imaginary.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> You misunderstood.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Until you have a mature faith,
>> >> >
>> >> > ROFL
>> >> >
>> >> > "Faith is a cop-out. It is intellectual bankruptcy. If the only
>> >> > way you can
>> >> > accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it
>> >> > can't be taken on its own merits."
>> >> > [Dan Barker]
>> >>
>> >> Does that mean you have no faith
>> >> in the scientific method?
>> >
>> >
>> > I never use 'faith' I prefer to use 'facts'
>>
>> Do you really think the scientific method is a fact? Do you really
>> think all scientific theories are facts? Have you read any book on
>> philosophy of science?
>
> You'd better pray that the next airpalne that you fly on was not
> designed by a team relying of 'faith' rather than 'facts'
If they were real Christians,
they would have put safety before profit.
Yes, I would like that.
--
monkfish * alt.atheism is removed from the header
because atheists there consider quoting the Bible proselytizing
and as such it is prohibited by their undebatable policy.
|
