i've taken the liberty of filling out what i've come to call "The Secular Humanist Manifesto Questionnaire." Since it's quite long even when the answers aren't inserted, it would clutter this page considerably. Further, it's content of a spiritual/religious nature, which may be objectionable to sensitive parties. Because of both of these, i've posted it as a comment. See below.
Courtesy.
Courtesy.
4 Comments:
At 12:35 AM,
Third said…
0. If necessary, use this space to explain any unique beliefs your sect has about the nature of your god, heaven, hell, the Bible, the Holy Spirit/Ghost, Satan, etc.
As far as i've been able to consider, God is the divine in everything. God is not so much a person but a divine factor that influences the behavior of the natural world. i believe that many parts of the Bible, and the scriptures of any moral theology for that matter, can be ingenious tools and guides to know ourselves better and to behave as the best people we can.
1. Explain why your god's only son had to die so we can go to magic happy land when we croak.
While i don't myself believe that the death of Jesus of Nazareth absolved the sins of the world (solely because i don't hold the same concept of Sin), i cannot argue with the morality of a historical man who would allow himself to be executed without a word in his own defense because he believed that he would. i believe that Jesus, the man, was one of the holiest men to walk the earth, and that his messages of hope and love are one of the greatest gifts the world has been given.
2. Did everyone who died before Jesus died go to Hell? Justify your answer.
Many interpretations say yes, though they distinguish the group known as the "Innocent Pagans" from the rest. "Innocent Pagans were either people who died before the death of Jesus, and more pointedly, children who died before baptism. The organizations that hold these aside tend to simply deny them entrance to Heaven, rather than condemn them to suffer the fate of sinners. Many other sects believe otherwise. Personally, i don't think an all-powerful, all-loving God would let anyone go to hell, and it's only a very recent addition to Christianity anyway, relatively speaking.
3. If a Catholic, justify the Inquisition and other persecutions of "heretics" throughout the centuries, concentrating on why the Pelagianists, the Priscillianists, and the Manichaeans were persecuted; if a Protestant, justify the witch trials and the way that Protestants constantly hunted down native Americans until there were so few that the government could simply take their land; if a member of an Eastern Orthodox church, justify the persecutions of the Old Believers after the reforms of the seventeenth century.
In spite of the efforts of any moral guides, evil people still exist, and they like nothing more than to gain power over others. Anyone who tortures or kills in the name of God is lying. It's that simple.
4. Explain why your sect (whether Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox) pursued, tortured, and killed people who were not Christian.
See Above.
5. Explain why your sect (whether Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox) pursued, tortured, and killed people who were not members of your particular sect.
More Evil, in more ways than one.
6. Explain why I should believe that your god is all-good when the only real information we have about him is the Bible, which clearly describes him as both good and evil. (See Isaiah 30:32, Luke 14:26, Numbers 31:17-18, Matthew 10:34, Amos 3:6, Deuteronomy 18:8, Deuteronomy 20:16, Exodus 20:5, Exodus 32:27, Isaiah 45:7, Psalms 52:5, Luke 22:36, and Jeremiah 18:11 for a small sample of Biblical passages which describe Jehovah as having an evil morality at times).
The information in any scripture is generally the inspired works of humans, and much of it is the remains of a verbal tradition. As such, each part is meant to be a guide to a situation, not to be set in stone and placed in review next to all the rest. Basing any hyperbole like this on disagreements between parts of the scripture is like refusing to check your car's engine function while it's running because another part of the manual told you never to open the door while the engine is on.
7. Explain why, when racism is clearly wrong, Jesus was clearly a racist (see Mark 7:25-29). NOTE: under no circumstances will I believe the idea that racism is morally acceptable.
Funny that this passage is used here to denote racism in the Bible. It was one of the few instances in the Bible where a layperson, and a Gentile, AND a woman no less, gainsaid Jesus and he admitted his wrong. In all likelihood, being raised in Judea, Jesus had a predisposition against Greeks, and Syrophoenecians in particular because of their histories with each other (Think France and Britain; Mesopotamia was a crowded place.). The woman points out that even the "least" of creatures are only trying to get by, and Jesus concedes, transcending his upbringing.
8. Explain why, when discrimination against women is clearly wrong, the Bible clearly supports the oppression of women. Answering this question entails refuting 1 Cor 11 and 1 Tim 2:11-15. NOTE: under no circumstances will I believe that discrimination against women solely on the basis of sex is morally acceptable.
The version i'm using (King James*, as it's the least forgiving for me, and i don’t want to be accused of coddling) doesn't show any sexism that i can see in the Corinthians Passage. Timothy, it should be said, was not a biblical scholar, nor even strictly speaking, clergy. His commentaries are often notoriously harsh to anyone, and were probably left in the New Testament at the behest of Constantine, whose Imperial Papacy had a lot to gain from the oppression of women.
*(http://unbound.biola.edu/)
9. Explain why, when slavery is clearly wrong, the Bible clearly supports slavery. Answering this question entails refuting 1 Peter 2:18. NOTE: under no circumstances will I believe that slavery is an acceptable way to run a society.
Every race, creed and nation has a history with slavery, and only those unanimously agreed by everyone else as bigoted and foolish are not ashamed of it.
10. Explain why children should submit to their parents' decisions even when those decisions are clearly evil. Answering this question entails refuting Deuteronomy 21:18-21, Proverbs 13:24, and Hebrews 12:7-8.
Respectively:
Deuteronomy: This passage was part of a hunter-gatherer society's verbal tradition, in which rebellion and refusal to aid the group was violent selfishness.
Proverbs: "He that loveth [his child] chasteneth him betimes" That makes sense to me.
Anyone who grew up to a well-adjusted adult without ever knowing discipline is free to rebut me.
Hebrews: " If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons." Speaks the above for me.
11. Explain why, if your god loves us all, more than half of us are going to Hell after we die. Specifically, refute or explain the following words of Christ, as presented in the New Testament: "Many are called but few are chosen," and "Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth unto salvation, and few there be that find it." If your god loves all of us, couldn't he find a better way?
i would argue that Jesus was saying only that the way to morality is extremely difficult, and the few mentioned refer to those who manage it unaided. This both fits nicely with the passage, and coincides with my own belief. Nowhere that i've found does Jesus specifically say that most people are going to hell.
12. Explain what type of offense could possibly justify eternal, unbearable torture in Hell; if your sect does not believe in Hell, then refute every passage in the Old and New Testaments which describes Hell (such as 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 and Revelation 20:15). Do not exceed 100 words.
i can't think of any myself, but if "you of little faith" fear there might be such a deed, there's only one way to find out.
13. Explain how your god can be both just and merciful, when these terms apparently contradict each other.
i don't see how Mercy can ever fail to be Just, nor how Justice can fail to be Merciful, since apparently we're talking about a situation where mercilessness is an option.
14. Explain why possession by demons and/or other evil spirits was common during the time of Jesus, but hardly mentioned in the Old Testament, and apparently has been explained completely away today by things such as epilepsy and schizophrenia.
Possession and Demons were, from what i know, the only explanation most people had for illness, mental or physical. In a world where the microscopic meant not invisible but unbelievable, it was surely easier to believe that invisible spirits were testing your faith. Possession was commonly mentioned in the Gospels because Jesus had an uncanny knack for healing its victims, and respectively scarce in the OT probably for the same reasons that Mental Illness, seems less common than it is: Nobody likes to talk about the mentally ill when they're family.
15. Explain why, if the personality resides in the soul, things like drugs and brain damage can affect someone's personality.
Explain why, if the personality resides in the mind, things like alcohol poisoning and extreme fever don't permanently affect people's personality. It's going to be a long time before the whys and wherefores of consciousness are known to anyone, much less those who had not the benefit of physiological study.
16. If heaven is a place where everyone is perfectly happy, then explain how I could be happy in heaven if I had loved ones in Hell.
Explain how you could get to Heaven if, during your life, you allowed people you loved to behave in such a way that would keep them out.
17. What is Heaven like?
Rather ineffable, i gather.
18. What is Hell like?
Probably quite frustrating, if it exists.
19. Explain why original sin exists. Why should I be eternally tortured for something that a pair of naked fruit-munching simpletons did in a garden over six thousand years ago? If you believe that children are born stained because they were conceived sexually, explain why I would be punished for something my parents did by your merciful and just god. If this does not apply to your sect, explain why.
"Original Sin" was a term coined by man, not by the divine, and it was mostly coined, i would imagine, to get people under the thumb of the Church, where they could be educated, since it certainly wasn't going to happen anywhere else before the seventeenth century or so. If God is anything like a real parent, the event was probably more like: ~patronizing tone~ "…i also put fruit that gives you free will and the opportunity to be divine like me down there, and i'm not sure i want that, so don't touch that one." ~Big wink~
20. Explain why getting dunked in or sprinkled with water will prevent me from being eternally tortured for the actions of the naked fruit-munching simpletons mentioned in #19.
i don't think this pertains.
21. If your god did not want Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, why did he put the tree in the garden of Eden (and at the center, no less)? Was it for shade? If so, why use something so dangerous as a shade tree? If the purpose of the tree was to tempt Adam and Eve, explain why it's OK for your god to engage in a practice that our modern-day courts of law refer to as "entrapment."
As i mentioned, God's a parent. Most parents know that the most surefire way to get stupid kids to do what you want them to is reverse psychology. Give them things that are great, and tell them that there's one thing that's greater, but they can't have it. It's been getting kids turned into adults for millennia.
22. Explain why sex, potentially one of the most wonderful, beautiful things in human nature, is considered "bad" by your particular sect. If your sect does not consider sex to be "bad," then refute Matthew 19:12, 1 Corinthians 7 (particularly verses 1 and 9), Galatians 5:17, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, James 1:14-15, Matthew 24:38, Luke 17:27, and Revelation 14:4.
In an age with no precautions against pregnancy, becoming pregnant was an almost
certain way of destroying a woman and a relationship. Unwanted pregnancies wreaked
havoc in the social environments where they occurred (Still do), as did (do) the heavy
emotional attachments forged by sex. In a time when the standard of living was much
lower, the sanctioning of sex only for those strongly attached emotionally was self-
preservative.
23. Explain why, if Jesus was perfect, he thought that the end of the world was coming soon, when it has clearly not come yet. See Matthew 16:27-28.
The beginning of the Earth was at best guess, 4.6 billion years ago. When compared to 4.6 billion years, the two thousand or so since that era are infinitesimal. If the earth was to end tomorrow, and that constituted one "Day," those years do not even make a nanosecond. A side benefit: it keeps Christians on their toes. Nothing straightens up an office like the promise of an audit.
24. Explain why some people (James, Peter, Paul, Thomas, etc.) should get convincing physical proof of miracles, while the rest of us are supposed to take these happenings on faith.
If your life has been lived with no room for or credit to miraculous, it has been wasted, or lived by a stark egotist.
25. Why are the stories of the resurrection inconsistent?
Yeah, and furthermore, how come some people like what i consider terrible movies?
The inconsistency of an event is directly proportionate to: a) The viewpoints of those experiencing it, and b) the number of retellings between said viewpoint and the listener's ear.
26. If you are a Protestant or a member of an Eastern Orthodox church, explain why you are still using the Catholic Bible, which was formalized by a vote among (supposedly divinely inspired) cardinals and bishops in the fourth century CE, when you disagree with the idea that the Pope, who is higher in the Catholic hierarchy, is divinely inspired; if a Catholic, explain why your church accepts the canonical Bible while rejecting the Apocrypha (do not use the "divinely inspired" argument: Because I am not religious, I will not be able to accept it).
If ever there was a case for the ends justifying the means, this was it.
27. If your god is kind and gentle, why do some animals have to eat meat?
How are these things irreconcilable?
28. If your god is kind and gentle, why did he create parasites?
Again, why is this an issue?
29. If your god wants us to worship him through our own free will, why does he threaten us with Hell? If you have someone threatening you with a punishment, it isn't free will.
If your parents want you to learn to brush your teeth on your own, why do they threaten to take away your legos? If you have someone threatening you with punishment, it isn’t free will.
30. Why would your god deliberately cause sinners to sin (cf. Romans 9:15-23 and numerous parts of the book of Exodus where Jehovah says, "I will harden Pharaoh's heart."). Are these sinners still responsible for the sins which your god forces them, against their will, to commit? Justify your answer.
Personally, i don't think he would. As for why God doesn't force everyone to be nice to each other, doesn't that go back to free will?
31. If Jesus did have to die, why did someone (specifically, Judas) have to be damned in order accomplish the death and resurrection of Jesus? Jesus was at least a volunteer for the cross; I doubt that your god asked Judas if he was willing to go to Hell so that the resurrection could be accomplished.
i thought of this a lot through my Christian education, and i found a lot of compelling evidence to suggest that Jesus asked Judas to betray him. Judas was the treasurer of the apostles, and there is much to suggest that he was Jesus' best friend among them. This answers more questions than it poses, actually, and i'll gladly elaborate at a time when i'm allowed more than 100 words.
32. If Judas was willing to go to Hell for humanity (see #31), didn't he make more of a sacrifice than Jesus, who spent only three hours in pain? Shouldn't we then be worshipping Judas?
What a spectacularly stupid, misleading question. Stupid and misleading because a) Either Judas did not believe Jesus was who He said He was, which is unlikely, given that he was keeping company with miracles. B) Judas did it because he was possessed or evil, or what have you. Unlikely on the same principles. C) Judas did it for the money, in which case he's not fit to be an object of worship in most religions (although it's amusing and telling that a secular humanist, of all people suggested it.) D) Judas was asked to. (See above)
33. Why should we accept the words of the gospel writers as truth when they are known to be liars? (See Romans 3:7).
Nothing in this passage indicates that any writer of the gospel is a liar; it's rhetoric, and would be seen for such if it was read in context, which is satirical blasphemy.
34. Do you believe that your god is anti-homosexual? If so, explain why he would create homosexuals in the first place. If not, refute or explain away Leviticus 20:13 and Romans 1:26-27.
35. Explain why prayer is OK, but spell casting is not, when both amount to the same thing: requesting that a superior supernatural force to intercede in a way that would be impossible according to the normally accepted laws of physics.
The chief distinction i would imagine lies in a) prayer acknowledges that the deed is beyond the power of the individual who requires help, and thus humility. b) True prayer is made not knowing the eventual outcome. c) Those prayers that are answered immediately represent the exception, not the rule. d) The fulfillment of such prayers often requires patience and perseverance, both of which strengthen the morals of Christianity.
36. According to the Gospels, from the Christian standpoint, Jesus was the most important person to ever live. From the Roman standpoint, Jesus was a huge pain in the ass because of his political activities. Explain why nothing was written about his life for over thirty years after his death, and nothing except the Gospels was written until the third century CE.
Because frankly, Christianity began as a cult for which people were put to death; most notably its founder. Most people, when called to testify to the world regarding such things, would wait a suitable period of time for things to cool off. The third century marks the time when Constantine, the Emperor of Rome, gave the national approval and backing to Christianity, making it an obviously popular point of study.
37. Explain why you believe a person whose life is so poorly documented (see #36) was even ever born.
While the Jews are not notorious for their written records (preferring the oral versions), and the Christians have ulterior motives, the people least intuitive were in fact the ones who preserved the knowledge. The Romans, being the meticulous types that they were, kept very accurate records of who they executed, and why. Thus Jesus the Nazarene has no birth certificate, but in fact does have a death certificate. Also in record was the burial plot given him by Joseph of Aramaithea, also a respected citizen.
38. Define the word "Christ," including references to the pagan origins and meaning of the word.
Christ as i understand it, is the term for a Messiah who saves the entire world. There are no pagan meanings of this, because it is not a theme that is visible in any other religion.
Not any.
39. Explain why Jesus, who was anti-Gentile (see Mark 7:25-29) and anti-sex (see Luke 14:26 and Matthew 19:12), would want to be anointed with oil in a pagan sexual rite after his death (see your definition for #38).
Not coincidentally, i'm sure, these passages are all taken outside of context. The Mark passage has been explained. The passage from Luke falls directly in the middle of a parable and is not the words of Jesus, but rather the words of a man depicted in it, who is learning humility by inviting the wretched who cannot make recompense to accompany him. The Luke passage is a tactful answer to a trick question of the Pharisees. Finally, who does not wish for his remains to be remembered after he is gone? Previous to Christianity, what rites are not pagan?
40. In light of Matthew 10:34, explain why Jesus is called the Prince of Peace.
This is a proclamation of Jesus' intent to bring righteousness to the world, which he intended to do with an iron fist in a velvet glove, to use an apt cliché. His methods, when read in this chapter, which addresses the assignment of the apostles, are those which Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela have all drawn inspiration from.
Once again, it is a passage that seems counter-faith only when read out of context by someone with no intention to read any farther.
41. The name "Jesus" has been anglicized. What was the original (Hebrew) name of Jesus? Where did you get this information? This is a bonus question.
The Aramaic pronunciation, i am to understand is "YESH-wah," according to Dr. David Thompson, an ordained minister and eminent biblical history scholar, who is a very good friend of mine.
42. Why is it that the life of Jesus was so similar to the lives of pagan Christs, particularly Herakles, Dionysios, and Asklepios?
These are all characters from other mythologies who die painfully and are resurrected. Focusing on that aspect misses the entire point of His ministry, which is much more compelling to me than the circumstances of his death are.
43. If your god requires that people believe in him and follow his orders through their own free will, why do Christians push their views on public policy?
Proselytizing is generally done by people who genuinely believe that they are saving your soul if they convince you. How people can become so offended by others who bear them nothing but good will is beyond me.
44. Explain why being a good Christian requires you to push your beliefs on others. If you do not believe that you have to push your views on others (no matter how much this annoys them), explain why you do not believe this despite the fact that the New Testament seems to suggest that you must do this to get to Heaven (for instance, in Matthew 28:19-20).
This more or less equates to the answer of my last question.
45. Explain why spreading the "truth of Christ" requires you to spread lies about other religions, such as the idea that Wiccans (so-called "white witches") worship the Christian devil. (Incidentally, they don't, and this rumor has been persistently spread by Christians since the second century CE).
People don't usually tend to spread lies merely to push their own agendas when the agendas are a matter of morality. Usually this is done by people who are misinformed, and usually by way of what's called a "Straw Man" fallacy. Anyone who does this maliciously is not truly speaking for their morality.
46. At no point in the four Gospels did Jesus claim to be the son of your god. (He said "son of man" quite frequently, and at one point referred to himself as "a son of god," but that was a common Hebrew expression at the time. Someone who was "a son of god" was a Jew. This reflected the Israelites' belief that they were the chosen people of your god. See Job 1:6). Why, then, do you believe that Jesus was divine? If you don't believe that Jesus was divine, then why do you call yourself a Christian?
This question is a perfect example of a straw man fallacy. It takes an opponent's position (That Jesus never said verbatim that he was the son of God), and attacks a weaker position that it passes off as the same (That people believe Jesus is divine because he said he was the son of God.). In reality, people think Jesus is divine because his birth fulfilled a prophecy, he taught and healed, and he died for the sins of everyone who believes.
47. Given the fact that Jesus did not say anything original (the Golden Rule and the "turn the other cheek" idea were stolen from Buddhism; and the Beatitudes were common in the Jewish devotional literature at the time), why do you see Jesus as such a great thinker/ philosopher/ ethicist?
i believe Jesus' mastery of parables and his ability to relate to anyone, along with his message of perfect kindness to everyone are probably the reasons i would cite.
48. When Jesus said, "Resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also," why do you suppose that most Christians fight for their rights? To put it another way, why don't we, as a country of 85% Christians, let the government abuse us?
Another straw man fallacy. The idea is not to let others abuse you, it's to endure in the face of great adversity when you know your cause is right. And who says Americans don't let the government abuse them? What do you call not voting?
49. Why are so many Christian holidays on the same day as Pagan holidays? Couldn't the early Church fathers have converted pagans only by appealing to their reason and/or faith if Christianity is the true religion?
The name you're looking for is Constantine, and the reason is that the only competition for Christianity was the Cult of Mithras, which had a lot of similarities to Christianity. Christian holidays and churches were patterned after the Mithraic in the hopes that Mithraics would walk in on Sunday and not know the difference until they'd had Christianity preached to them, and maybe like it. A "Green Eggs and Ham" sort of deal. Christianity co-opted the same dates for the same reason, which was not coincidentally, the same reason the Cult of Mithras co-opted the dates for themselves.
50. Explain how your god can be "just and merciful" in light of Exodus 20:5.
See my answer below.
51. Do you believe that the Old Testament should be accepted as part of Christian theology? If so, explain how you can worship such a cruel, sadistic asshole (see Numbers 31:17-18, Deuteronomy 20:16, Proverbs 20:30, Amos 3:6, Deuteronomy 13:8, Psalms 3:7, Psalms 52:5, etc.); if not, explain how you can believe that Jesus is the promised savior sent by your god without the messianic prophecies and the ruling rights of the line of David, both of which are in the Old Testament in books such as Isaiah, Zechariah, Daniel, Psalms, etc. (as opposed to, say, believing that Jesus was an irritating nut wandering around saying things that people didn't like much).
Another common trick in persuasion is using language that colors the feel of the argument against the subject. It has nothing to do with this question. The whole idea of a messiah was so that people wouldn’t have to deal with the repercussions that God decided were just, and could forgive as soon as he was asked to. i notice the questions aren't limited to 100 words.
52. Explain why your "just and merciful" god sent bears to kill forty-two children who called his prophet Elisha "baldhead." (See 2 Kings 2:23-24).
It's symbolism. Pure and simple. Bears, children and numbers all have important meanings in Judaism. My uneducated guess would probably be along the lines that all people who foolishly blasphemed against God's prophet eventually met grisly ends one way or another.
53. If prostitution is wrong, why are there so many examples of it in Genesis? (For instance, Gen 19:8, where Lot offers his daughters to a mob so that his guests can avoid gang rape).
There are plenty examples of things that are wrong in the Bible, especially the OT. i recall Lot not exactly coming across as a saint, although he met an end similar to many of the martyrs, i believe.
54. What is the sin that people committed that is so incredibly bad that your god had to become flesh and die to correct?
It was the idea that he died for all the sins, in the place of every sacrificial lamb forever. This is why he's called "Lamb of God."
55. Are all members of other faiths bad? Are they all damned to Hell? Justify your answer with quotes from the Bible.
Nope. i justify this with Jesus' message of "Love everyone" that pervades the Gospels and the NT, if you bother to read it.
56. Are all atheists/agnostics/humanists bad? Are they all damned to Hell? Justify your answer with quotes from the Bible.
Same answer.
57. What was your motive in proselytizing to me?
Probably good will. Most people don't proselytize maliciously that i know of.
"Ooh, i bet he's an agnostic! i'll go ruin his day with Christianity! Muahahahaha!"
58. Where is Heaven?
Go two blocks east until you see a stop sign, but turn right just before it, and keep going until you see a post office, then turn left. It's about a quarter mile down that way, across from the supermarket. Ask a stupid question…
59. Where is Hell?
State of mind, if you ask me. i'd say any form of unhappiness or pain is hell while it's happening.
60. Why don't animals go to heaven or hell when they die? What makes us so special?
i think they do if we do, or they reincarnate if we do.
61. Why does Satan try to get peoples' souls?
Satan, "The Adversary" represents all forces that act counter to the will of God, which as i understand it, is to Love all people, and to bring them to eternal peace.
62. Once Satan has someone's soul, what does he do with it?
He redeems it for valuable cash and prizes. What happened to the good questions?
63. Is your god perfect? Justify your answer.
Yes, and don't start comparing him to anything in your limited perception, because you can't. That's part of being imperfect.
64. Where does our soul stay while we are alive?
On the couch. No, really, it probably permeates whatever form we take. That would explain why so many people believe that the soul plays a part in determining a person's form. i imagine it's one of those sticky subjective perception questions, like most of metaphysics.
65. Explain how you can believe in Satan when your faith is directly descended from the Jewish faith, when the Jews did not even believe in Satan until they absorbed the Egyptian god Set while they were captives in Egypt.
So in other words, how could a Christian, believe in Satan when Christianity is descended from Judaism, which has believed in Satan for several thousand years? i'll think about it.
66. Why do evil people often prosper? Justify your answer.
Evil people gain what they imagine to be power and wealth, which is often seen as prosperity by the limited and confused minds of people who have no connection to their selves or to any spirituality and are unhappy because of it without even knowing it.
67. Why do good people so often fail to prosper? Justify your answer.
Same answer.
68. When the end of the world comes, will your god raise our actual bodies, or just our souls? Explain.
i'm not a big fan of the Christian end of the world; i don't particularly believe the universe ever will. If it does, it probably won't end in time, but rather with time, so there's not a whole lot of room to talk about what happens after.
69. Explain why your god lets airplanes with sinless infants on board crash.
If God stopped every bad thing from taking place, where would Love fit in? Isn't that his whole plan of putting us here, to let us learn to Love on our own?
70. What is sin, exactly?
i would say deliberately causing or allowing suffering through action or inaction.
71. If Jesus is perfect, justify the parable of the fig tree (Matthew 21:17-19, Mark 11:14-20).
The biggest obstacle God faced in becoming Human was probably living as one. Sometimes people really want something (Like a fig), and they get mad if they can't have it (like when they're not in season), usually at people who have no control over it (like trees). Once again, the power of symbolism, which abounds in the Bible. The short of it: Even the best of people get mad when it's not really about the figs. But nobody's going to read that and go "Yeah, that's deep. i'll remember that."
72. Explain why Christians have harassed Wiccans ("white witches") for almost two thousand years now, when the central rule of the Wiccan ethical system is "an it harm no one, do what thou wilt."
Probably for all the same small, selfish reasons that imperfect people everywhere harass others. What sets a Christian apart is that a good Christian is trying to be perfect, even though he's not all the time.
73. Explain why Christians (yes, that includes all branches of Christianity) have spread the lie that Jews put Jesus to death when, in actuality, it was the Romans who put Jesus to death. (For a good example of New Testament anti-semetism, see 1 Thessalonians 2:15).
The Jews represented as great a if not a greater percentage of the population as Romans, all of whom were present at His trial. Further, the heads of the Jewish Temples were the ones who brought attention to Jesus on behalf of the provincial governor, and suggested that he might be made a good example of. Turns out damn near everyone put Him to death, which would be how i'd plan it if i was an omnipotent God planning to martyr myself to make a point.
74. Explain why your god created humans as imperfect, then set his standards so high that no one could possibly live up to them, then punishes us for not living up to his standards. Doesn't this also constitute "entrapment?"
Much the same reason parents since time immemorial have done the same thing. Since when is the struggle for excellence a crime?
75. If we are created in your god's image and likeness (Gen 1:27), how can we also be imperfect?
In the image and likeness are purposely vague on that. i would imagine that if we were each created exactly like God, it would say so. Not that anyone would read it; they'd know it by heart and would be too busy Loving everyone to read it anyway.
76. Why was it OK for the ancient Israelites to sacrifice animals to their god, while it is wrong for modern religions to sacrifice animals to their gods? Justify your answer.
Animals had an entirely different role in that time. The suffering of animals was not sympathized with the same way it is today. Beyond that, the last sacrifice was made on a cross, and it ended the need for further ones.
77. Why would your god confuse people? (See 1 Sam 7:10 and Gen 11:9). Isn't life confusing enough already?
What a vanilla, poorly thought out question. i would guess that he did it when he had a point to make. Like usual.
78. Why would your god cause blindness, deafness, and dumbness? (See Ex 4:11)
Nothing in history has caused humans to strive and achieve greatness the way adversity has. Nothing even close.
79. Why would your god want to damn people by making them believe false things? (See 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12).
These are not the words of God, they are the interpretations of an apostle; and the context is "Ways in which God will keep when the end of the world is going to be a secret" not "Ways God plans to damn people by deception."
80. Should the book of Revelation be taken literally? Explain your answer.
Revelation, taken literally, would be literally impossible. As much as i would love to see every drop of water on earth turn to blood spontaneously and a messiah with feet make of brass, it might be entertaining, but it's not likely.
81. Would it be good for men to castrate themselves? Justify your answer, taking Matthew 19:12 into account.
i noted the context problems with this earlier. Try harder.
82. What exactly is faith?
Trust in God that he Loves everyone all the time.
83. All of the various Christian sects ignore parts of the Bible, usually because those parts of the Bible are inconvenient. Explain which parts of the Bible your sect ignores, and explain why it is OK to ignore those parts of the Bible.
My beliefs tend to use the parts of the bible that act as good moral guides, and ignore the parts that are socially irrelevant and/or illegal. This is okay because aside from rules lawyers who just want to be argumentative, nobody much notices.
84. Why did your god allow Satan to do evil things to Job (Job 2:7 etc.)? Wouldn't your god better spend his time punishing unbelievers?
Anyone who has read Job knows the answer to this.
85. If Jesus and his father are one (John 10:30), then why does Jesus have to pray (i.e. Matthew 26:39)?
This is an instance on which John and the other writers of the gospels disagree. Since John is often more poetic for the sake of form, it's probably not meant to be literal.
86. Explain your belief in heaven in light of Job 7:9 and Ecclesiastes 9:5.
Context. Context. Context.
87. Christ giving himself up on the cross was a great gesture, true, but wouldn't it have been more sensible for him to continue spreading his message until he died a natural death? Answer this question in light of your answer to question #1.
That averts the plan to martyr himself for the forgiveness of others.
88. What is your interpretation of the temptation of Christ by Satan in the desert (Matthew 4:5-8, Luke 4:5-9)?
When tempted with the easy way out, Jesus took the high moral ground.
89. In view of Matthew 6:5-6, shouldn't prayer in public schools be discouraged? Support your answer with scripture quotes.
Yay! The context games continue. Since i've been asked to use scripture quotes to support, i'll use the rest of the chapter this is from, which talks about how false it is to pray just so people will notice that you're praying, give to the poor so people will notice, hide things so that you'll always have them but never use them, etc. If you want to know the actual nature of this chapter, which is extremely good moral training, read it.
90. Do you feel that the last words of Christ were significant? If so, why do the four gospels attribute three different sentences to Christ as his last? (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34: "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"; Luke 23:46: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit"; John 19:30: "It is finished").
i don't, especially. Mostly i focus on the ones he said during his ministry.
91. Matthew and Mark say that the last words of Christ were, in Hebrew, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" This has traditionally been translated as, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" However, a more accurate translation would be, "My El, My El, why has thou forsaken me?" El is the name of a specific pagan god. Why would Jesus call out to a pagan god at the moment of his death?
Engrish Tlansrate Plobrem. The Bible is the most translated book in history, and as such, people have inserted words that occur only in their language to account for words that only occur in other people's languages. So to answer your question, he wouldn't.
92. A commonly recited litany in many forms of Christianity is "The LORD is my shepherd." (Psalm 23:1). Given the fact that the only reasons that people raise sheep are to rob them of their clothes and to kill them for meat, and the fact that sheep will often follow the shepherd to their destruction, do you think that this is any appropriate image for your god? Justify your answer.
That's not the intention of the passage at all, and the tone adopted by the author indicates that this question was written with full knowledge of this. The reference to a Shepard is meant to account for God's job to keep, maintain and protect a 'flock' (consisting of all the world's people) from harm, even though none of them individually was especially significant compared to him, merely because they (we) are his charge. Just as a Shepard is always called to account for every sheep, God holds himself accountable for every one of us.
93. Why is the theory of the big bang any more (or less) likely that the idea that your god created the universe? Justify your answer. NOTE: I admit that science has not explained where the original supercondensed particle came from, but no one has ever explained where your god came from, either.
Being a believer in a theory of time persistent with both the universe and perception, this question is meaningless.
94. If your god is everywhere at the same time, and hell is the absence of (or separation from) your god, how can he be omnipotent?
i don't see how those two things are mutually exclusive.
95. In the Genesis story, your god tells Adam and Eve that the day they eat from the tree of knowledge they will surely die (Gen 2:17). The devil tells them that they will not die, but that their eyes would be opened and they would know the difference between good and evil (Gen 3:5). Wasn't Satan telling the truth here? Is your god a liar? Justify your answer in light of Jeremiah 20:7 and Ezekiel 14:9.
From this point forward, if i don't mention any scriptural passage which was called attention to in a question, it should be assumed that it is used out of context in such a way as to be meaningless regarding the question asked. Beyond that, i believe i covered my ideas regarding the Garden of Eden already, and they account for. Further, there are many indications that if they had remained faithful, they would have lived forever in the Garden, and only were introduced to mortality after being cast out, making Satan the liar after all. Again. Surprise.
96. If Lucifer is not as powerful as your god, then he cannot possibly be omnipresent. How could he possibly get as many followers as you seem to think he has?
Why cannot God be omnipresent because of this?
97. The Bible constantly describes your god as male. In view of the fact that your god supposedly created everything, and creation is very much a female function, isn't this at least a little bit absurd? Justify your answer.
Historically, creation is neither a male or female function; people of either gender seem to have an inborn propensity for creation that is not unique to the species. Granted, women would seem to have a greater faculty for creating life because of their gestation process, but it is nonetheless a process that, biologically speaking, requires both a man and a woman (though there are apparently ideas about ways around this in laboratories, doesn't it take the enjoyment out of sharing company with the other gender?).
98. In light of the Trinity, angels, the Virgin Mary, etc., isn't Christianity polytheistic? If the Trinity is three who are one, why the three names? Justify your answer.
Nope. The Trinity, while all separate aspects of God, are just that; aspects of the same thing. Nobody argues that vapor, liquid and solid forms of water are not all water, after all. Further, Angel is not a designation of a being, it is a designation of rank, meaning Messenger. Any soul, embodied or otherwise, can be an Angel, simply by delivering the sentiments that God sends to all people.
99. Have you read the entire Bible? If not, how can you be devoted enough to try and convert me to a religion that you don't know that much about? Isn't knowing as much as possible about something necessary to understanding it? Isn't understanding something necessary to being completely devoted to it?
i have.
100. Why is 2 Kings 19 exactly identical to Isaiah 37?
While a curiosity, since the story told is relevant to its point in both books, i don't see how this diminishes Christianity at all; especially considering its being a part of the old testament.
101. Is Jesus's three days in Hell really an ultimate sacrifice, when more than half of humanity going to spend eternity there (see question #11)?
Jesus did not spend any time at all in Hell, that i know of. Why would they let him in, anyway? He'd go around being nice to everyone and ruining the mood. See also my answer for 11.
102. If your sect considers the King James Bible to be the official and/or authoritative translation, justify this in light of the fact that when King James commissioned his translation to be poetic rather than accurate. How can you possibly use an inaccurate translation as your reference for what is/is not the word of your god? If your sect does not use the King James Bible, what translation do they use? Justify the use of that particular translation.
Right. God forbid that an inclusive guide to morality and social behavior should be not only accurate (since it was blasphemy punishable by torturous death to change the meaning of the passages), but aesthetically pleasing.
103. Assume that I do not believe that Jesus died for my sins, or that if he did, that necessarily means I will go to your heaven. Name one thing that Jesus ever did for me.
"But besides that, what have the Romans ever done for us?"
104. Before Mary was knocked up by the Holy Spirit/Ghost, she was never asked for her consent. (She was warned; see Luke 1:31). Mary was also asleep when your god knocked her up; this strongly suggests that he didn't want her to protest. Does this mean that Mary was raped by your god? Do you think rape is wrong? Explain.
Rape is arguably the most heinous crime a reasoning person can commit. Given the honor of bearing the Messiah her faith had been waiting for since the beginning of their line, why would she not consent? Further, is it relevant that her explicit consent to the wishes of a being she truly believed was omnipotent and omnibenevolent is not explicitly stated? Can it really be assumed that Mary, a devout Jew from the most Jewish of Jewish families really might have even thought about saying "Look, thanks for the offer, but i have to wash my hair that evening."
105 According to Luke, Mary knew that she was pregnant with the Messiah. Living in the times she lived in, she must have known the scripture; therefore, she must have known that he would have to suffer horribly during his life. Was it moral for Mary to carry her baby to term, or would it have been more humane for her to have an abortion? Explain.
But she didn't, and nothing in the New Testament suggests that the mother of the Messiah suffered greatly during His life. In other words, apparently not.
106. If it was foretold that Jesus was to be crucified, and if he knew this, and if he was the son of your god, why did he do everything he could to avoid being crucified? (See, for instance, Matthew 26:39).
In order: it wasn't (at least in the sense this is talking about), he didn't, and he didn't.
107. If the Holy Spirit/Ghost is the father of Jesus (Luke 1:35), then why is the central figure of your trinity called God the Father?
The Holy Spirit/Ghost isn't the father of Jesus; God the Father is. The Holy Spirit is the persisting Spirit of The Son, who died on the Cross.
108. Mary and Jehovah were never joined in wedlock. Does it bother you that Jesus is technically a bastard?
Oh please. Not any more than it would bother me if He parked in a No Parking Zone.
109. The original Hebrew word for the Holy Ghost/Spirit includes the idea that the Holy Spirit/Ghost is female in gender. Isn't this rather silly when you consider the fact that the Holy Ghost/Spirit is actually the father of Jesus (Luke 1:35)?
The gender of a word in any language that discriminates them is not consistently indicative of the gender of the article. The word for spirit in Hebrew is female in nature. The word for Hammer, conversely, is male. You can check a Hammer from top to bottom, and i guarantee you will not find a penis. Further, The Holy Ghost/Spirit is not the father of Jesus. Still further, even if it was, God is without gender at all.
110. Matthew 28:11-15 contains an account of a conspiracy between the Jews and the Roman soldiers to spread the story that the disciples stole the body of Christ. How could Matthew have known about this, since no Jews or Romans would have admitted to it? If it was such a transparent conspiracy that an outsider could have seen it, why didn't the other three gospels mention it? Why didn't the Roman soldiers get into trouble?
Roman soldiers, being the enforcers of it, were typically above the law, since there were no checks on their power, so no.
111. Jews believe that people are basically good people and can work to overcome their sinful tendencies. Most Christian sects, following the teaching of Psalm 51:5, 1 Kings 8:46, Ezekiel 18:4, Isaiah 59:2, and Psalm 143:2, believe that people are completely debased and hopelessly lost in sin, and that only your god can lift us out of this state if he decides to bestow his gift of grace on us? Isn't this an incredibly negative view of people? Isn't Judaism a more mature faith just for this reason?
112. How do you, as an individual, feel about Psalm 51:5?
It pertains to the birth status of a Psalmist, not myself. It's not really much of my business, on the whole. i think it's wonderful that he's used his talents to praise the God he's devoted to.
113. What does your sect teach about Psalm 51:5 (and 1 Kings 8:46, etc.), predestination, and similar matters?
Blah blah blah, the psalm in question has nothing to do with predestination, the message is "God, make me, a mere imperfect man, a suitable vessel for carrying your word, and i will spread it to all people…" Moving on…
114. Don't you think that the idea that no matter what we do, we can never be good and righteous without help from your god (Isaiah 64:6) fosters an unnatural and unhealthy dependency on him?
What is unhealthy and unnatural about relying on help from an omnipotent, benevolent agent willing to help, when it makes you a better person?
115. Revelation 22:16 says that Jesus is the "offspring of David." Mary was not descended from David, but Joseph was. Doesn't this mean that Jesus wasn't the son of your god at all, but the (mortal and not divine) son of Joseph?
Revelation is, in fact, only considered an inspired writing by some Biblical Scholars any more. It was included originally because the end of the world is a good way to wrap up a system of beliefs, and it was considered inspired because it bore the name "John, to whom God has spoken," which was assumed to mean the author of the Gospel of the same name (just the John part). Analysis has shown that the author of both was probably not the same, and it is one vision of many in the apocrypha that details Armageddon. i'm out of words.
116. What would the correct thing to do be if your god gave you a command that was harmful and/or destructive to you? A common argument, which comes from Paul, states that because clay pots don't complain about what the potter does with them, people shouldn't complain about what their maker (supposedly, your god) does with them, but this completely ignores the vitally important argument that clay pots have no sense of self-awareness and cannot think or feel love, pain, anger, etc. If you want to make this argument, you have to deal with this difference.
It is actually impossible to ascertain whether pots, or any inanimate object is capable of feeling. What we do know, is that what they feel seems to have little or no impact on the existence of the potter, relatively speaking, other than as they exist as objects of inspired beauty. i think that's an apt metaphor.
117. What (or who) does your sect believe the number 666 represents? Justify your answer.
In the Hebrew system of numerically writing a name, the sum 666 is concordant with Nero, inarguably a scourge of both Christianity, Judaism, and morality in general.
118. If your god is "just and merciful," why would he take Solomon's kingdom away from Solomon's son while not punishing Solomon, when it was Solomon himself who committed the sin of idolatry? What did Solomon's son do to deserve punishment? (See 1 Kings 11:12).
119. Why is Solomon commonly considered to be the paragon of wisdom by many Christians, when he constantly sinned against your god (1 Kings 11:4-10, etc.)? Personally, if I had a god talking to me, I'd do what he said.
120. Don't you think that an anti-sex position (see question #22) is a rather silly position for your sect to take when the biblical book "Song of Solomon" is a piece of erotic poetry? (For instance, in Song of Solomon 8:2, the bridegroom proposes to "drink of spiced wine of the juice of the pomegranate." The pomegranate was a symbol of the female genitalia, and the "spiced wine" represented menstrual blood).
Firstly, i've covered that the position on sex in the bible is not anti-sex, it's anti promiscuity; a sentiment that has at least mostly endured in every culture, thankfully. Secondly, i can't find any other sources of this interpretation. The author of this question is a self-described secular humanist who has repeatedly demonstrated either his general unfamiliarity with the interpretation of scripture or his utter contempt for them, or both. No other sources forthcoming, am i just to take his word on this interpretation then?
121. Does it bother you that the cross, supposedly a Christian symbol, was actually stolen from the Egyptians? Why or why not? (The Egyptian cross, the ankh, was a male-female symbol similar in concept to the yin-yang. When the Christians stole the ankh from the Egyptians, they removed the female symbol, or yoni, leaving only the masculine symbol-- a subtle way of reinforcing the idea that women are lesser beings).
My respect for the intelligence of these questions has been faltering for some time now, but this question has thrown it entirely out the window. Is it truly the intent of this question to suggest that Christianity, whose central figure was CRUCIFIED, as in EXECUTED ON A CROSS, as a means of achieving the ultimate goal of their faith, STOLE their signature symbol by bastardizing a religious symbol that originated roughly two thousand years before that event in a country known in their history around the same time as being their captors and slavemasters?
122. How do you explain that Christians are twice as likely to have sadomasochistic tendencies as non-christians?
i've researched this question with a licensed psychiatrist, and found it to have no basis in science.
123. What is the incredibly important doctrinal difference that requires the fighting between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland?
Papist versus Protestant philosophy, namely. As for what justifies the fighting, you're asking someone who doesn't believe it is justified to harm anyone who isn't harming you or someone you love. i've said before in this survey, and i'll say it again, anyone who says they're hurting or killing themselves or someone else because God told them to, IS LYING. Need i clarify God's "Do Not Kill" rule, as set down verbatim from God to Moses in the first set of rules ever laid down to the Isrealites?
124. Even if your god did create the universe, why does he want to be worshipped? Is your god an egomaniac?
Right, because as Johnen Vasquez put it "[He] should be running laps." Pfft, even if he DID create the universe, in all its intricacies and perfections, what reason is THAT to be impressed?
125. What are your beliefs concerning Wicca? ("white witchcraft"). How much do you know about Wicca?
i know regrettably little about the actual practice of Wicca, greatly because it's become so popularized, it's difficult to tell what the actual practices are/were, and which were invented by teenage girls during sleepovers. From what i know of the religion of the Celts, which is supposedly the historical basis for Wicca, i am extremely respectful for the courtesy and dedication they show all the world.
126. What do you think the word "Satanist" means?
i would imagine it is a person with a faith pertaining to Satan, and that if there is a legitimate practice, it has been given the same Truth or Dare treatment, possibly to even greater lengths.
127. How do you explain the fact that the word "blood" occurs over 400 times in the Bible? Isn't this a rather savage way to write a book that is supposed to be at the center of an ethical system?
The Bible's shortest verse is John 11:35, consisting of two words The longest is Esther 8:9, containing ninety. This gives an average per verse of 46: perhaps a tad on the high side, but considering the Psalms, maybe not. The Bible contains a total of 31,102 verses, which gives a rough word count of just under 1.5 million words (1430692). This means that not quite three tenths of one percent of the words in the Bible are "Blood." Consider that many of these uses in the NT refer to Jesus' own, in communion terms, which aren't violent at all.
128. Throughout the Bible, your god commands his followers to wage merciless war on unbelievers (Luke 22:36, Deuteronomy 13:8, Exodus 20:23-25, Deuteronomy 20:16, Matthew 10:34, Numbers 31:17-18, etc). If you are one of his followers, why aren't you out waging merciless war on unbelievers?
Because as i've said, anyone who says they're hurting or killing someone because God says so is lying.
129. Numbers 23:21 says that your god "has not seen wickedness in Israel." If this is so, explain why your god burned Israelites for complaining (Num 11:1), sent a plague against them for eating the meat he had given them (Num 11:33), why he burned people for using incense (Num 16:35), why he sent a plague against the Israelites who accused Moses of wrongdoing (Num 16:44-49), and why he sent fiery snakes among the Israelites (Num 21:5). Is your god a liar, or was it just more convenient for him to lie at that particular place and time, or what?
More illegitimate violence in the name of God… doo dee doo…
130. What was it that was so bad about eating an apple that death had to result from that act?
La dee da… these are easy!
131. What was it about humanity's torturing and killing of your god's only son that made your god so happy that he again promised eternal life to everyone who believed in him.
i wrote a long paragraph (a full100 words, once i trimmed it down), but i deleted it, because if you don’t get it yet, you're trying not to.
132. How do you explain that Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus?
Yeah, why didn't they just go down to the records department and look it up?
133. Matthew says that the prophecy given in Matthew 27:9 was given by Jeremiah. How do you explain that this prophecy was not given by Jeremiah at all, but by Zechariah (in Zech 11:12)?
Prophecies have a way of finding more than one prophet. Well, the true ones at least. The other ones tend to be drunks.
134. Matthew says (in Matt 2:21) that Jesus dealt in Nazareth so that he could fulfill a prophecy stating that the Messiah would be called a Nazarene. Where is this prophecy in the Old Testament?
Why does it have to be?
135. Matthew says that on the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus was riding on an ass and a colt (Matt 21:7). How do you explain that the original prophecy (Zech 9:9) stated that Jesus would be riding on only one ass, and the other gospel writers place Jesus only on one ass (Mark 11:7, Luke 19:35, and John 12:15)?
i'll tell you once Matthew informs me how the Son of Man rode a donkey and a colt simultaneously.
136. In Matthew 1:23, Matthew has the angel say that Jesus would be born of a virgin. However, the prophecy that Matthew is referring to, Isaiah 7:14, uses the Hebrew word almah, which simply means a young woman. It has nothing to do with sexual purity; the Hebrew word for virgin is bethulah. How do you explain this?
With the historical record that the earliest translations of the Bible, which were in Greek; a language that makes no distinction.
137. Isaiah 7:16 seems to say that before Jesus had reached the age of maturity, both of the Jewish countries would be destroyed. Where is the fulfillment of this prophecy in the New Testament?
Isaiah SEEMS to say that? According to the author of the question perhaps? Well, then i'll say both nations seemed to me to be destroyed, and call it even. Stop the mind games, they're elementary.
138. Matthew 1:23 says that Jesus would be called Immanuel, which means "God with us." Why does no one (not even his parents) call him Immanuel at any point in the New Testament?
Jesus is called "God among Men" almost constantly, though a secularist might not hear it, since people who would are often sensitive enough not to say it around people liable to make a fuss.
139. How many inconsistencies in the Bible, other than those mentioned in this paper, do you know of? Cite chapter and verse for as many as you have room for.
More than enough to name here. However, like all the ones named here, they deal with context, obsolete social structure and illegal conditions when they're not meant to be abstraction due to a language that deals with verbs the way our language deals with nouns.
140. If even the contemplation of sinning is a sin (i.e. "sinning in your heart"; see, for example, Matthew 5:28) and if Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert (Matthew 4:5-8, Luke 4:5-9), how can you say that Jesus was without sin?
Tempted in the sense that he was offered desirable things, not tempted in the sense that he felt desirous of them.
141. Does your sect believe that the existence of your god can be established through a formal proof? Why or why not?
How can any limited system prove the existence of anything infinite? i will cite the third book of "Canticle for Leibowitz" as my reference.
142. Pick a famous argument for the existence of your god, then criticize that argument. (Assume I mean for you to use the academic definition of criticize).
Well my favorite one is that the universe, in all it's perfect intricacies and coincidences could not have developed by chance, and the best refutation is generally the Anthropic Principle, but that's a pretty weak refutation, generally.
143. Pick an argument against the existence of your god. If it is not a famous argument, copy it down here. Criticize this argument. (Assume I mean for you to use the academic definition of the word criticize).
The anthropic principle bases its objection on the principle that such a universe would not be observable in a way that could be objected to had it developed in another way. See? Pretty lame.
144. What does your sect think of the government? Read Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 13.
Now what do you think of the government? If necessary, reconcile the two views.
i'm all for government, myself. Government, of course, in the definition of the word.
145. What is your definition of the word Christian?
A person who believes that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, the mortal embodiment of God, born of Mary, to whom the Enunciation was pronounced, and that he was crucified and died as the final sacrifice, that no man might ever need make penance again, but who could ask for forgiveness freely, and receive it unconditionally through the intervention of Christ.
146. Why do you think it is that the ancient Greeks, who had a very liberal sexual morality, had many fewer sex crimes (compared to the population) than the United States, which is 85% Christian?
The two worlds cannot be compared, socially. It would take far more than 100 words to do so, but i am perfectly willing to do so should i be asked. To sum up, first; there were no precautions about sex, because it was only known in the most abstract sense that sex caused pregnancy. It was believed that many other factors came into play, such as divine favor, astrology, diet and fate. Second, the world is almost infinitely more facilitating in terms of people's abilities to meet and associate in spite of any barriers to communication that might exist.
147. If someone accepts Jesus, and is "saved," but then turns away from Jesus, is that person still saved?
This question does not pertain to my personal ideals.
148. Where did your god come from?
He didn't. He is.
149. What are the requirements for being saved? Some sects says that faith alone is enough; others say that faith without works is dead. The Bible supports both these viewpoints. What does your sect think?
i don't believe that you ever need to be.
150. If I decide I like the answers to the above questions, where can I get in touch with you? (Give name, address, phone and email if available).
Right here.
151. What is the name of your sect?
It doesn't have one, i'm what Brian has, in his wisdom, astutely called "A pirate, even philosophically."
152. How is your sect organized?
See 151.
153. How can I get in touch with a priest (minister, etc.) of your sect?
See 150.
---end of questionnaire---
There it is. i feel i should apologize if i got a bit short toward the end, because i think i did, but to go back now would be sort of ungenuine.
Courtesy.
At 1:44 AM,
John Ostermiller said…
Wow.
I've always wanted to see someone answer that thing. And to have it be from one of the most well read, intelligent people I know is justa real treat. While I often snickered at some of the questions and generally thought poorly of evangelists, your responses have made me think twice.
Thank you, Liam.
At 9:54 PM,
Brian Armitage said…
Funny thing. Liam isn't an evangelist.
At 12:50 AM,
John Ostermiller said…
Never said he was.
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