Can't disagree, but why do you think forces have not yet been joined? Religious people already give more to charity. Is there a benchmark you're using to determine their level of giving ...or is this about taxes?
According to the fairy tale, even Jesus went to hell. The story says that when a person dies, he goes to one of three paces: death; hell; or the sea. All three places are temporary and everyone gets out on Judgment Day. The good ones get into the golden cube called New Jerusalem, but only if they can pass through one of the gates specified for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The bad folks get tossed into the lake of fire, along with hell and death. This is the second death. But you won't spend any more time in hell. In the Islamic version when you die you stay dead until Judgment Day. At that time the good guys get their own paradise. Most of the people who end up in hell are women. If you end up in the Islamic hell you will be tortured forever. So, stop confusing the Christian hell with the Islamic hell. They are completely different.
I don't really see it, no. There is nothing about possessions in that quote, nor does it seem to have been spoken in a context that we would in particular link to the "sell your possessions" quote. He didn't say "abandon your possessions" (in the way one might abandon a "mental possession"), he said to sell it, and give (presumably the proceeds) to the poor, you can't really do that with any mental possessions. If anything, I would have thought the argument would have been that you would sell your worldly possessions so that you can pay more attention to something spiritual. In fact, it seems to me, the lifestyles of the apostles is more like the literal interpretation than the mental one (although I'm sure they didn't pretend to be perfect about it). Either way, it has no impact on the argument I was making. I'm saying that the Bible says that there are things we can do to impact our chance of salvation. Whether those things include selling material goods or giving up any "mental possessions" is neither here nor there.
We are all subject to one God who has provided everything that exists, including our lives and a way back to his grace. Your pretense to the contrary, as if you are somehow from another dimension or reality other than this one, and not subject to the same one God, is just so much wind. Were it not so, you would not be here. There is no escape from the truth. All constucts otherwise will fall, the bigger the harder. God is a good person. And he is mighty. All that is, belongs to him, to do with as he will. And all that he does is right.
I'm not worrying about how much or in what ways individuals give. One can look at sites like CharityNavigator and find large numbers of places where people donate today. And, some individual church groups even provide services such as short term living facilities, meals, etc. I know there are people of all descriptions who are helping or are ready to help. Still, the need is far larger than what private donations can possibly do today. Even Catholic Charities is a small fraction of the need. Plus, most places that do charity are local, and while that can be more effective (maybe) it doesn't address the needs in an even way across our nation - or beyond. Plus, they are rarely capable of addressing issues such as the recent tornado disaster, the fires that devastated cities in California, Oregon and Washington, etc. Also, let's remember that Catholic Charities receives hundreds of millions, in fact, probably billions of our tax dollars to administer: https://apnews.com/article/economy-...wire-dc-wire-dab8261c68c93f24c0bfc1876518b3f6 I think we have to be careful in assessing how much of our aid portfolio is actually coming from individual donations.
So it is about taxes. Thats not a religious issue. Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus say to use the authority of govt to compulse others to help the poor. Most opposition to taxes is not based on people not wanting to help those in need anyway, but rather a perception that govt doesnt make wise use of the funds and will only increase waste if allocated more resource. The middle-men trying to get rich from compulsing charity and skimming most of it away for themselves (which includes not only govt, but a lot of religious organizations to be sure) are the same sorts of folks that Jesus beat out of the temple with a flail.
I hear that from stupid Christians who ignore their bible that says exactly the opposite. We are to judge all things including the garbage mainstream ones. If God cannot make pots that do not leek, it is not the pots fault. If he goes to send you to hell for being what he created you to be, and you do not complain, you are not much of a moral person, as you would allow that B S evil way of thinking to persist. Strange that believers can judge Yahweh and Jesus to be good, in spite of the evidence against, but other more intelligent and moral people cannot judge the evil prick for what he is. All homophobic and misogynous religions are garbage, as all souls are created equal. Regards DL
If one is moral and wishes to be mentally healthy, one will forgive everything. We are all in this together and all contribute to whatever evil rises out of humanity. We must even forgive the genocidal Hitler and his ilk, because he was not born that way. It is anti-nature and instincts. Hitler was made into what he became, by all those who facilitated his rise to power. I guess that the only things that cannot be forgiven by victims is killings. Society then becomes punisher or forgiver. Remember, most governments, states and religions say they venerate life, yet many kill convicted felons, who themselves are the victims of others who brought them up in an inappropriate way. You cannot say you venerate life while taking one. Regards DL
Abortion? I never spoke to that waste of a potential human. I spoke on no divorce for women. This is denying people love relationships by forcing them to live in a loveless situation. As to your last. That is a really stupid remark. If we all thought like you, no one would be fighting the deep evils in our mainstream religions. If the West had not brought Christianity to heel, we would have to send secular inquisitions out to kill Christians for stoning unruly children, as the bible advises Christians to do, and people who like to wear mixed fabrics as apparel. I wonder how Christians would like a taste of their own inquisition type ways used on them. Regards DL
Your love and embracing of evil is your choice, not Gods failure. Neither does it absolve you of anything other than Gods goodness. The spirit you love is that which owns you by your own choice. So blame yourself.
WillReadmore Where I used the word stupid. That was meant to accentuate, not insult. I do not see it as an insult in context, between interlocutors. Hope you ditto. Regards DL
What if it is all God's fault, what are you going to do about it? Sit in hell and shake your fist at Him?
Scriptures say that God created all the good and all the evil for his pleasure. We have a lot more good in us than evil. I embrace all that humans are, and see where nature is our creator and sustainer, and our God concepts, --- where there is a mystery faith without facts aspect to it, --- like a supernatural sugar daddy God, are all bogus. Nature is the only thing I can think of that is capable of producing entities who can speculate about God concepts. Supernatural God's are worthless to humanity, except it's imagined scenarios have helped us understand ourselves. We can KISS in our created imaginary God's, and other fantasies. When born, we default to love by instinct my friend. This is plain. When we create a love bias, we automatically create a hate bias against anything that would put that which is loved in jeopardy. I love love more than I love hate. Stats say we mostly all do. I just give hate the respect it deserves. Yin and Yang compliment each other. Respect evil and hate biases for their protections and perfection. Regards DL
It is not any single god's fault, but collectively rejecting the genocidal god's is a good start. Gnostic Christians did so before Christ. Now right wing mouths water in thinking of Jesus and his Armageddon and genocide, again, of humanity et all. ****ing right wingers. Regards DL
You aren't going to change anyone's religious beliefs - certainly not by attacking their religion. We CAN oppose acts that are unconstitutional, illegal, etc. And, we CAN recognize that there are religious individuals with whom we do have common interests, and we can at least not kill that opportunity with majorly divisive rhetoric that is not going to change anything.
Im confident even Hitler was offered forgiveness and eternal life. I doubt he accepted it though. Someone who revelled so in conflict and suffering and violence probably wouldn't be very content spending eternity void of those things. But Im only guessing of course
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The path to salvation is through Jesus Christ. That is core Christian teaching.
Jesus taught that all had to die for their own sins, just as Jewish laws dictated. That is Jesus' teachings and moral view, and you are going directly against it. Let me argue for Jesus. I look forwards to your reply against Jesus' views. Regards DL
The basis of Christianity is that the Jesus character died and was resurrected. As Paul said, if that didn't happen then the religion is worthless.
