Little Girl Kills Intruders
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- gramme0
So then why should men decide if someone lives or dies?
mrdobolina
(May 3 07, 11:04)Becausee God has allowed certain men to be in power. Like it or not, he chooses people certain for certain tasks.
This is why Jesus, when asked if people should pay taxes to a delusional emperor with a deity complex, said (and I paraphrase for modern speech) "Hand me a denarius [coin]. Whose image is this? It is Caesar. So, give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and give to God what is God's."
Paul and other New Testament writers say elsewhere that these people have been placed in positions of power, for better or worse, and that we should obey their laws insofar as they do not require us to violate God's law.
I am aware that this means nothing to those of you who do not believe God's law to be pertinent to your lives. I simply say the above to explain how Christians view laws and the distribution of earthly power.
- mrdobolina0
Not sure wtf a book written thousands of years ago has to do with the American legal system but to each their own, I guess.
- gramme0
Not sure wtf a book written thousands of years ago has to do with the American legal system but to each their own, I guess.
mrdobolina
(May 3 07, 11:16)Read the Constitution, then read the Ten Commandments, Proverbs, and the Beatitudes. You might be surprised by the similarities.
Human nature hasn't chanegd one bit in thousands of years.
If our constitution is in play two thousand years from now, would you ask wtf it has to do with the government of the time? I guess you would if truth changes with the winds of popular human philosophy.
I'd rather believe in something that never changes, that stays constant through the shifting sands of time. Something I can anchor myself to. But that's just how I feel.
- blaw0
sorry to interrupt, but i was thinking about the opinion voiced several times early in this thread that can be summarized as "if you are so filled with fear where you live that you feel you need a gun, you should move".
generally, people that own guns are not living in fear.
it's more along the lines of wearing a seat belt in a vehicle. you don't actually believe you are going to be in an accident, but it's always best to be prepared.
i fully expect to die at the age of 89 without having to have fought off an intruder in my home.
- mrdobolina0
2 thousand years ago women were stoned to death for fucking around on their husbands, you could own people as slaves and so on, so I am not smelling what you are cooking gramme.
blaw, I agree entirely.
- Jaline0
it's more along the lines of wearing a seat belt in a vehicle. you don't actually believe you are going to be in an accident, but it's always best to be prepared.
blaw
(May 3 07, 11:28)except there's more of a chance that you'd hurt someone else by having a gun compared to wearing a belt.
- blaw0
i think guns should be locked in a gun safe when not in use. that way, the only way you get hurt is when you break into someone's house and they discharge it in your direction. :)
- Crouwel0
"Becausee God has allowed certain men to be in power. Like it or not, he chooses people certain for certain tasks.
"And enter the narrow mind of a Christian that beliefs each letter that's been written in the past. If you truly believe such a thing we are finished here. this is way beyond my moral limits.
because if you say that you would totally acknowledge and approve the war in Iraq and other terror spread by so called "God appointed leaders".
I'm out.
(can't believe this gramme, i thought you had a broad mind and fairly high intellect..sorry i must have been mistaken)
- Crouwel0
i have never seen anyone kill 30 people in a university with nothing but a belt.
- gramme0
nd enter the narrow mind of a Christian that beliefs each letter that's been written in the past. If you truly believe such a thing we are finished here. this is way beyond my moral limits.
because if you say that you would totally acknowledge and approve the war in Iraq and other terror spread by so called "God appointed leaders".
I'm out.
(can't believe this gramme, i thought you had a broad mind and fairly high intellect..sorry i must have been mistaken)
Crouwel
(May 3 07, 11:42)Crouwel, I believe you are mistaken about me, and about what I am saying. Please read carefully.
I believe in the SPIRIT of the word, not the exactitudes of the letter in the Bible. The difference here is subtle and yet vast, it's what separates legalists (those who follow law without understanding the point of the law) and those who attempt to follow the ideas that drive Scripture. This is what my faith is largely predicated on. It's either all true and good for teaching, or it's all a pile of shit. It can't be both, which becomes apparent upon actually reading the Bible with a discerning and critical mind.
Granted, some parts are clearly parables, metaphors, and poetry. Other parts are history, and have largely been backed up by other historical texts as well as archaeological finds.
Crouwel, I do not approve of the war in Iraq. Believing that God has placed/allowed someone to be in power does not mean that everything that person does is good. Far from it. It does not even mean that person in power (George Bush in your example) is actually doing God's will.
It means that for whatever reason, these people have been allowed to come into power. Now, we CAN and SHOULD do something about it, without sinking to their level if they are in the wrong (and yes, i believe we should have NEVER gone to war in Iraq under the circumstances). What can we do? We can vote. We can peacefully protest. We can educate our children and hope to lead a better example than that which has been handed down to us.
There is a difference between what God purposes and what he allows. I do not presume to understand how this happens. I often don't understand why God allows certain atrocities to happen. But I do believe he is good. I believe he is infinitely wiser, stronger and more full of love than me. This explains in part why I often do not understand things in this world, things that he allows to happen.
Pay close attention to what I say before dismissing the caliber of my intellect. Faith does not equal stupidity. Anyone who would equate faith with stuppidity is being disingenuous. I am no genius, but I have spent years thinking on and wrestling with these things, and God willing will continue to wrestle with the meaning and content of truth for the rest of my life.
- mrdobolina0
The fact that you think an almighty being controls the ins and outs of every man woman and child's day to day is fascinating to me.
- Crouwel0
i am not equalling to stupidity, gramme.
being an intellectual means you read as many books on all different visions as possible and shape your opinion based on a wide array of knowledge.
somehow i always get the feeling when the religiously devout are speaking that they have missed certain parts of reality and have not learned enough about the errors and graces of human kind.
- Crouwel0
anyway, i do not believe. i just hope. there are simply too many flaws in our past writings and carvings for me to blindly follow it. i can't. especially if that means for me to decide over the life of an other human being.
- gramme0
The fact that you think an almighty being controls the ins and outs of every man woman and child's day to day is fascinating to me.
mrdobolina
(May 3 07, 12:27)Pay close attention to the semantics here, because they separate mountains.
In the simplest possible terms: I believe God, being omnitient (all-knowing) and omnipotent (all-present) knows everything past, present and future. He predestined the course of the world. He did not author evil, since evil is not an actual entity unto itself (not to be confused with demonic entities, which I do believe to be real). Evil is perfection tarnished. Evil was not originally in the world, but was allowed in for some divine reason nobody claims to understand. Within the framework of God's authorship of all this is good or was once good, is where human thought and action is given free reign. Yes, God knew that you would forget to take out the garbage this morning. But he did not cause you to forget. We are able to choose, but only within the limted scope of human understanding.
Things that are beyond us, things that are greater than us must be revealed. Otherwise, they cannot be known. Thus, God makes himself known in the world: his revelation is evident in nature, in Scripture, in music, in painting, in setting a line of type, in a sunset, in the release from grief in sleep, in death and in resurrection.
So, you might ask, what is the point? If God knows all and allows everything that has and will happen, why even exist? Why not put the gun to our heads before seeing the light of day?
...Because we are all here for a reason, or a set of reasons. We all have a task to fulfill. The ultimate task is love, something that we all fail at (myself included) on a daily basis. But I believe man's chief end is to know God and to enjoy him forever. Notice the 'enjoy' part. This means to llive life and, ultimately, eternity to the fullest. Not to have your life driven by a list of do's and dont's. There are so many things I do, whether it's reading a book, designing something, praying, making love to my wife, enjoying a joke, the list goes on, that are more meaningful because they are divine gifts. Thus I am free to have life, to enjoy life, and to have it to the fullest.
- TheBlueOne0
why are you religion guys always so wordy? I mean, it's like contracts. Long contracts are never good to sign, you know what I mean?
That's why I like that stck whack to the back of the head religion..they're not too chatty about god this, god that..it's Hey why is the sky blue *whack* yeah but I was just askin'...*whack*..
That's old school..
- gramme0
being an intellectual means you read as many books on all different visions as possible and shape your opinion based on a wide array of knowledge.
somehow i always get the feeling when the religiously devout are speaking that they have missed certain parts of reality and have not learned enough about the errors and graces of human kind.
Crouwel
(May 3 07, 12:32)I think this is an unfortunate truth that applies to many Christians. I however, have read the philosophical and religious writings of many people who do not share my beliefs. I believe that doing so challenges and ultimately strengthens my faith.
- mrdobolina0
not everything has to do with god, sorry holmes.
- gramme0
not everything has to do with god, sorry holmes.
mrdobolina
(May 3 07, 12:53)= your opinion, which is fine.
- Crouwel0
this discussion is never gonna end.
look, i respect your opinion, gramme. i am just glad it is not policy this side of the pond.
- mrdobolina0
thing is, how can you square your stance on abortion with your stance on the death penalty?
Do you remember being in the womb or something?