Originally posted by LeHah
"God must only be a semi-supreme being since everything he has ever made has died"
No es verdad. You're missing the point: God ALONE is eternal; therefore by definition every living thing created will someday die, since He alone is eternal. He is, as someone once said, the "Uncaused cause of all causes". And, in case you missed it, Jesus was born *specifically* to die--that was His whole purpose.
Originally posted by LeHah
Jesus is a name. He's been dead for hundreds of years. Two of the Beatles are still around, still writing music. Jesus, if he even was who they said he was, did good but that was back then. I'm sure he would be lost in this day and age.
Contraire, Pierre. The "good" that He did *way* outlived his physical life on Earth, as was intended. He would no more be "lost" today than you would if you went out to your garage. And gimme a break: "this day and age" is no different than any other. The nature of man hasn't changed a whit since the beginning. The only thing different is that we've found more & more ways to screw things up (Nuclear energy, anyone?)
Originally posted by LeHah
Personally, anyone who mocks "God" has their house in order. Personally, I'd rather piss him off and get him to show his face and confirm he exists then clinging onto crappy, half-assed contradictory ideals written too long to even be remotely applicable.
His "face" and the confirmation that He exists is more evident now than at any time since His first coming, whether you "piss him off" or not. I do agree that questioning whether or not He exists is a good thing, though. Without questioning, how could one come to faith? And believe it or not, He's "big enough" to take the questioning without getting in a snit about it. The important thing is, to come to the point of faith while you still have breath in your lungs. Otherwise, "*not* to decide is to decide"...
Originally posted by LeHah
Christianity is obscenely one-sided. God promotes idealism through slavery. Hate to point this out, but Satan gave Man free will. He had Eve bite the apple when God said not to. Yeah, they got tossed out; God wanted man to be beautiful but not smart. He wanted puppets. Play things.
Of course it's one sided: Do you let your 7 year old make the household rules, or do *you* decide how to run your own house?... Then, you lovingly inform him of what the rules are, and (albeit sadly) enforce the rules when he breaks 'em. One sided? Sure. Does it work pretty well? You betcha... As far as slavery, you need to remember we're ALL slaves to someTHING or someONE... Some folks choose slavery to drugs/booze, some to "love" (read: SEX), some to money, fame, career ambitions, whatever. We DO get to choose, y'know. Given the alternatives, being a "slave" to God ain't such a bad deal... BTW, 'twas God gave man free will: Problem is, Adam used it to choose the wrong things (like choosing to listen to the serpent, for starters...). And we've all been following suit ever since. Oh, and BTW, if He truly wanted "puppets" and "playthings", he wouldn't have bothered giving us free will, now would he have?...
As to Eden, they got "tossed out" for the same reason I told my 18 year old (going on 13) son to hit the bricks a couple years ago: When yer livin' for free in MY house, you best respect the rules & the other people here, or you'll hafta find y'self somewhere else to live. It's called discipline, and any good parent knows you gotta make the kid pay a price when they break the rules. Authority is a paper tiger without enforcement. I still love the boy, of course, but until he decides to grow up, he can't live here. Same with God.
Originally posted by LeHah
I'd rather God hate me and remember who I was because of it than be a goddamned sheep. What's worse? Hell or Nothing?
Interesting. For one, God don't "hate" anyone--it ain't in His nature. Any "punishment" that He sends is just that--punishment. Does a Mom or Dad hate their kid because they broke a window, cheated on a test, told a lie?... No, but (esp. after kids get to a certain age) they *do* hold the kid accountable for their actions, and if they're a good parent, they will levy punishment against the kid (see above).
Originally posted by LeHah
"Religion has people believing... theres an invisible man! Living in the sky! Watching you and everything you do of every day, and there is TEN THINGS HE DOES NOT WANT YOU TO DO! And if you do one of them, he'll send you to a place full of fire and sulfer and brimstone and agony and pain forever and ever until the end of time...! But he loves you! He loves you and HE NEEDS MONEY! All powerful, all knowing but just can't seem to handle money!"
- George Carlin
Again, a horridly ridiculous oversimplification. Eternal punishment is only a last resort. When "your number is finally up" down here, that's when it would come into play. As I'd said, so long as you still have brainwaves and a pulse, you have the opportunity to avoid that fate. The choice is yours. Best to "take care of bidness" in that area while you still have the *chance* (like now), dig?...