question:What is your theory regarding origins of the universe? (Not species here people. Matter and energy.)
my answer:
well, time is regressively finite, there cannot have been an infinite amount of time leading to "now", if there was, we'd never reach now, therefore, while the universe can possibly be infinite, it cannot be eternal. if time is regressively finite, then there must have been a first event, and for that first event, there needed to be matter, and that matter cannot have created itself, due to ex nihilo nihil fit, the law of non self-creation. therefore there must have been an infinite, eternal entity outside of space and time with the ability to create to have created everything. this is who/what we define as God.
God created everything, energy, matter, people, the universe.. etc
now, WHO God is is a different question, and most of us do not know because we have rejected Him by sinning (doing bad things). but when Jesus paid for those sins completely by dying for them on the cross, He enabled us to know Him, through faith in Him, and accepting His forgiveness through repentance (turning away from our sins..) so now we can know not just where we all come from, but we can know Him who created us all.. personally
for all you pseudo-carpenters, diy'ers and basically anyone who hates having a million cables flying around all over the place in your workspace.. Declutter Your Desk by Van Mardian
This is the 'belief in belief' argument. Whether God exists or not is irrelevant, because even if God does not exist, its their belief that drives them to think that there are consequences.
Sometimes this backfires as the bloke who killed the Amish school girls. This murderer expressed anger at God because his newborn baby, Elise, had died nine years ago.
Atheist are never angry with god because they don't believe there's anything there to be angry with.
and my response:
hi, i agree wholeheartedly with the first part of your message, in that its not the belief in God that does anything, the bible itself says that "even the demons believe" so obviously just believing means absolutely nothing.. what i was mainly referring to, is the belief in the consequences of those actions.. ie, that guy probably didnt think there were consequences (or didnt actually think what these were) to what he went on to do.. believing in God didnt affect that.
also, who you believe God to be affects those actions too. for example, if you reject the biblical notion that God is fair, and loving, then you will find yourself accusing God of being unfair (or unloving, or both), when you dont know the whole story (which we cant, since we are limited humans) so you will be grief-ridden as this man was. he was quicker to judge God than his own self, which the bible says that since we have all sinned, we are all destined to hell (since the wages of sin is death.. ie, eternal separation from God.. ie, hell), but BECAUSE God is fair, He cant just overlook the bad things we do.. however, because He is also loving and wants to have that personal relationship with us, He established a way to be fair and loving at the same time. and that is by Jesus' sacrifice, which is where Jesus paid for all our sins past present and future, by going to hell Himself (due to our sins, not His own, since He was sinless, since He is God) so that we do not have to end up in hell (separation from God, who the bible says is from whom all good and perfect things come) but the only way to accept this salvation from hell, is through faith in Him, and what He did, and by repenting, which means to turn away from the bad things that we do, making the decision to stop sinning.. obviously, those people you see on tv asking for people's money for salvation or healing or whatever are preying on the ignorant, since the bible does not approve of either (and actually mentions these scammers, and that we should beware of them) and obviously people doing these bad things without remorse, have not repented, and are not christians.
the second part i dont agree with. if theres one thing i have noticed in (at least the great majority of) atheists is exactly the opposite, there is a great great anger and grief against God for one reason or another.. the typical phrase "if God is love (or exists), then WHY..." insert your grievance of choice there. this is an expression of disagreement with some life occurrence or the general state of it, and the discrepancy as to who they define God to be and what they expect of Him.
to be completely honest, i dont believe in atheists, i dont believe that anyone truly can say "there is no God" they can only reject Him.. much like an angry father could say "you are not my son"..
i dont expect you to agree tho, dont worry, but this is the observable trend.
joelie's reply to February 13's blog post, i felt it necessary to post up:
Reply to Blog entry:
I'd give up my life for the chance to save a possible 20, whether they are believers or non-believers. Jesus did that for all man kind and as far as my understanding goes, we as Christ followers should do the same. I would gladly give my life up for another creation of God (Human Being). I'm actually really tired of this world and what it has to offer. Matthew 16:25: "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."
and my answer to "Would you countenance the severe torture of one human being, if there was a small chance that it could save 20 lives?"
i think this question is a bit more complex than the answers given so far.
one issue that has not been touched on yet, is whether the victim is willing. might sound strange at first, but this reminded me of a story i once heard about a little girl whose sister had some illness or condition that would kill her and required a blood transfusion, and her sister was a perfect match, so they asked her if she would want to give her blood to her sister. so she seemed a bit shaken about it, but she agreed. then she asked "all of it?"
she was willing to do this for her sister..
sometimes saving peoples lives takes sacrifice.
then we get to the next point that wasnt explored, is this severe torture something the person will get over? ie, is the damage permanent? im assuming it is, but again.. if it wasnt, and it means saving lives, then its a different story.
then the final point.. which i think is what the real issue of the question is about: what is the value of one human life?? and why is the torture of one life valued more over the lives of 20 more? however, then theres always the "what if its me whos suffering the torture?" and then theres also the "who are the 20 lives being saved? do i really want them saved?"
i guess the answer to the question depends directly upon the value we give to human life.
but to be completely honest, the world has shown us that our own personal comfort is waaay more important than any other human life, whether it be those in a land far away from ours, or our own wombs..
my answer to the question: "If people got what they "deserved" wouldn't we all be in Hell?"
yep, the bible says "for ALL have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God.." (romans 3:23) we are all guilty, and our just deserved is to die, and spend eternity separated from God (ie, in hell) but thats not what God created us for.. He created us to show us His love, and "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (romans 5:8) so that He could have that fellowship (spending time ) with us.. imagine.. the reason why we can avoid hell in the first place, despite God being a fair and just God and therefore requiring to punish transgressions of the law, is that the punishment was taken up completely by Jesus, and He offers it to whoever accepts it, through faith (ie, trusting in Him, that He did this), by means of repentance (ie, changing your ways from bad to good.. in other words.. making the decision to stop sinning, to stop doing those bad things)
if nobody pays for your sins, then its up to you to do so.. and "the wages of sin is death" (romans 6:23) ie, eternal separation from God.. who we know is from whom all good and perfect things come (james 1:17).. so we can expect nothing good in hell..
tinesters was telling me this story that happened to her.. i call it: "tales from the planned parenthood crypt" (all names were replaced in square brackets to protect the identities of those involved)
(14:31:12) insaner: you know how people go nuts over the whole over-population thing?
(14:31:17) tinesters: yeah
(14:31:56) insaner: well i saw this video on youtube where the guy basically calculated that all 6 billion people on earth could comfortably fit within texas having 124 yards of space before running into the next person
(14:32:04) insaner: imagine
(14:32:24) tinesters: haha. that's comforting. I would like at last two more kids. thank GOD! I don't live in China:)
(14:32:45) insaner: yeah seriously
(14:33:09) tinesters: i cannot imagine having to live with the restriction of knowing i can only have one kid, and basta
(14:34:27) insaner: yeah, there was a story about this lady whos baby was actually KILLED because she was not "allowed" to have it
(14:34:54) tinesters: did i ever tell you what happened to me when i was expecting [my second child]?
(14:35:09) tinesters: our 2nd
(14:35:17) insaner: nop
[...]
(14:35:43) tinesters: well, this is the story. your gonna love it (not).
[...]
(14:37:24) tinesters: well, we're happy and blessed but by no means rich. so when i was expecting [our second child] we didn't have healthcare, surprise surprise.
(14:38:05) tinesters: so i had to apply for medicaid.
(14:38:25) insaner: hmm.. not sure what that is
(14:38:50) tinesters: wellfare healthcare. state health care for poor people
(14:39:06) insaner: oh ok
(14:39:47) tinesters: the application process is daunting at best. you have to fill out several forms and verify witha third party that you are really pregnant
(14:40:33) tinesters: so when i was abt 8-9 weeks i went to planned parenthood, because no doctor in town would see me because i had no healthcare. talking about catch 22
(14:40:53) insaner: uh oh
(14:41:01) insaner: planned parenthood?? whyyyy?
(14:41:19) tinesters: it was the only place that would take me and formally test me for pregnancy
(14:41:29) insaner: oh man
(14:41:42) insaner: thats nuts
(14:42:01) tinesters: no doctor would take me w/o insurance
(14:42:05) tinesters: no appointments
(14:42:20) tinesters: so i went and [my husband] and [my first child] came with me just in case
(14:42:41) tinesters: the nurse there was like my age so 22 23 at the time
(14:43:53) tinesters: we were all in the waiting room when she came out and said: can you come into the back room with me please. your results are here.
(14:44:28) tinesters: so i went into a small room, she asked me to have a seat and in a very lowwwww whisper and like with pity she said: the result.. gasp...is positive!!!
(14:44:40) tinesters: i said: I KNOW!! Thank you!!! I'm about 8 weeks if i'm right.
(14:44:55) insaner: geeeeeze
(14:45:20) tinesters: she looked at me in disbelief and said: well, no according to our calculations you are at best 2 weeks.
(14:45:25) tinesters: what would you like to do about it????
(14:45:40) tinesters: I went; What do you MEAN? do about it?
(14:45:59) tinesters: I want to have a baby, that's what I'm going to do about it.
(14:46:28) tinesters: and i know you are wrong, i'm at least 8 weeks.
(14:46:30) insaner: holey
(14:46:57) insaner: knock of 4 weeks, make it easier on the poor girl who is sadly pregnant
(14:47:00) insaner: off
(14:47:00) tinesters: well, she says, there is still time to do something about it if you decide. Can HE come in ???
(14:47:10) tinesters: I went: He? Oh, my husband?
(14:47:11) insaner: holey wow!
(14:47:16) tinesters: She goes: Yeah, can he know?
(14:47:30) insaner: this is like tales from the crypt or something
(14:47:34) tinesters: at this point i just shook my head
(14:47:57) tinesters: i was so frustrated i can't tell you i wanted to cry!
(14:48:27) tinesters: Well, [my husband] came in and she again was all worried and acted all like we needed to be pitied
(14:48:50) tinesters: she sat down again and said: well the result is positive. [my husband] says: I know:) Big grin. the lady about dies.
(14:49:07) insaner: hahaha
(14:49:13) insaner: ugh liberals
(14:49:32) tinesters: and guess what she says: well i just wanted to let you know that there is still time to do something about it..
(14:49:32) insaner: "poor people shouldnt be having babies!"
(14:50:02) insaner: man, thats coercion!! conspiracy to commit murder!
(14:50:43) tinesters: I was speechless to be honest, i felt like i was in nazi germany or something
(14:51:18) insaner: actually, in nazi germany they gave prizes to the women who had most babies.. so this is worse!
(14:51:27) tinesters: well, it's not just poor, it was my age
(14:51:34) insaner: (if they were white germans)
(14:51:40) tinesters: you're right, didn't they have breeding camps
(14:52:42) insaner: hmm.. dont know, but for sure they had that prize.. usually for around 8 kids
(14:53:28) tinesters: egh.
(14:54:34) insaner: yeah
(14:54:43) insaner: so howd the story end?
(14:55:17) tinesters: seeing some parents how they are abusive to their kids, i can see why the thought would form that there are people less fit for parenthood than others
(14:55:43) tinesters: but i think that this was really a form of discrimination
(14:55:44) insaner: yeah, but that doesnt mean we should kill those babies
(14:56:00) tinesters: exactly, give them up for adoption
(14:56:11) insaner: btw, do you mind if i post this conversation (with identities changed) on my site?
(14:56:25) tinesters: insaner?
(14:56:28) tinesters: .com
(14:56:38) insaner: yep
(14:56:44) tinesters: sure go ahead
quick! what do you call someone who murders 1.3million humans PER YEAR? a liberal! thanks roe vs wade.. couldnt have done it without ya! 50million and counting!
"But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death."
You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD ?" If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.
Deuteronomy 18:20-22
and the prosperity gospel:
People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
firstly, im not sure where you pulled the 6000 years from, but lets run with that (its more like 10,000).. however, the only thing creationists claim (as far as im concerned) is that that is the age of /life/ on earth (by method of genealogical age calculations).. how old the earth is is not literally stated in the bible. (how long is a day if the definition of day is "one rotation of earth about its axis" if there is no earth to rotate? and how about any changes to the speed of this rotation? and of course we are ignoring the fact that the hebrew word for "day" has different contexts to which it applies meaning more than just that rotation of earth.. sometimes meaning "era")
second:
how again is it that we know these stars are millions of light years away? how do you measure that distance? obviously we cant pull a measuring tape from here to there, and for us to reliably know how far something is in space we could bounce light off the surface, wait for the light to return.. (or "become visible") and divide by two and that would give us a rough estimate.. of course, this means that it would take 2 million years for us to know that some object (that would not drown out the light we were trying to bounce in the first place, as would be the case with a star) is 1 million light years away.. hmm.. doesnt work since the life span of a human isnt that long.. so lets say the most useful measurement obtainable using this method is below the thousands of light years.. of course, this method is silly for this purpose.
the other main method is called parallax, same concept behind opening one eye while closing the other and measuring the shift when you switch eyes while staring at some close object.. this method of course is only reliable to, surprize surprize, a couple thousand light years..
then you have to factor in the universe's expansion (and how fast is this occurring?), the fact that the speed of light isnt reliably measurable etc.. so, it comes to no real challenge of thinking the earth is really that young and what people have "guessed" to be the distance of these stars..
also remember that the bible is not a scientific text, and makes no attempt to be so, hence using what is called "phenomenological language".. the weatherman does so every day when he tells you what time the sun is going to "set" and "rise".
theres also the verses that make time frames a bit different such as saying that to God a 1,000 years is like a day (psalms 90:4, a psalm written by the same author as of genesis) which mean that we are not limited to 24-hour days in which creation can occur
ah yes, good ole dawkins.. atheist, lunatic, "scientist" and of course, out-of-context-quoter:
Dawkins goes on to quote several founding fathers, including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin, who made statement against the religion of their time. John Adams is quoted as saying, "This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it." However here is the complete quote in an April 19, 1817, letter to Thomas Jefferson:
"Twenty times in the course of my late reading have I been on the point of breaking out, 'This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion at all!!!' But in this exclamation I would have been as fanatical as Bryant or Cleverly. Without religion, this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company, I mean hell."
In quoting John Adams out-of-context, Dawkins has made it seem that Adams said exactly opposite of what he really intended. No wonder he left out the part where Adams said the world would be "hell" "without religion." Adams directly refuted Dawkins' major premise of the book - that religion is the great evil in the world - and affirmed the opposite - that religion keeps the world from becoming completely evil. In fact, John Adams said some things about Christianity that Dawkins probably won't be quoting any time soon such as, "The Christian religion, in its primitive purity and simplicity, I have entertained for more than sixty years. It is the religion of reason, equity, and love; it is the religion of the head and the heart."6
A few years ago, some bored researchers decided to plot the importance of religion in people's lives vs. IQ from several countries throughout the world.1 The results are quite impressive
[...]
However, if you look at the raw data, some of the countries are quite wealthy, while others are quite poor. Obviously, in those countries that are poor, there is little chance for higher education, and IQ scores are bound to suffer as a result. So, I looked up the gross domestic product per capita (GDP) on the CIA's World Factbook website, and plotted those values compared to IQ.
[...]
Since the slopes of the two curves are virtually identical, one would be hard pressed to claim that one factor or another was actually responsible for the prevalence of religion around the world.
very very interesting indeed.. be sure to check the link to see the graph..
man, this guy is just soo awesome. heres a really really interesting and biblically based explanation as to why islam is from satan, why the muslim "messiah" is actually the prophesied anti-christ, and how "666" is actually the name of allah!! (seriously! watch this thing!) Satan's Anti-Christ 666 : Islam
Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
If you say, "But we knew nothing about this,"
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?
Proverbs 24:11-12
lets stop these babies from being murdered. please. their blood is on all our hands!
"sir, i would like to change my opinion".. well, after hitting basically the first site looking for stuff on barack obama, i have changed my position from "obama '08" (pronounced "oh bama oh eight") to: "obama NO 8".. for the reason that this guy is just a wish washy baby killer like the rest of thems libs.. (liberals):
"Number one, whenever we define a previable fetus as a person that is protected by the equal protection clause or the other elements in the Constitution, what we're really saying is, in fact, that they are persons that are entitled to the kinds of protections that would be provided to a – child, a 9-month-old – child that was delivered to term.
[...]
I mean, it – it would essentially bar abortions, because the equal protection clause does not allow somebody to kill a child, and if this is a child, then this would be an anti-abortion statute. For that purpose, I think it would probably be found unconstitutional."
Obama's 10 reasons for supporting infanticide.. thanks a lot obama, thanks for letting me know that you are just like the rest of them.. no spine, no value for human life, only politics.. you think the US is in a terrible state now because perhaps a couple thousand people willing to give their lives for freedom, have done exactly that.. willingly. but yet, hundreds of thousands (correction its actually 1.3 million) of innocent, unwilling human beings are murdered per year.. LEGALLY!!!! and for what reason? for the sins of their parents. and ever since roe vs wade (1973) some 50 million human beings have been murdered!! what do you call that, again? genocide? nop.. more like
obama, you, sir, are a friggin hypocrite. yeah, funny how your slogan is "change".. and you just sound like "more of the same crap, but a little bit worse"
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