RevBogovac

Yes, he is...

[...] These views have been my point, you can't believe something you hate... Evil is the result of sin, this isn't God's good creation, its the fallen world. First creation, then corruption, then the curse, which includes thorns, bristles, parasites, mutations, telemarketers, etc. We chose the knowledge of good & evil, suffering and death are the evil side of that equation. Oh no, no, NO! You don't get to cherry-pick my quote (FTFY); you forgot "conveniently" the last half: in your vision/bible it is YOUR god who CREATED all living beings. The spider-wasp - in your vision/bible - is CREATED to inject its eggs into living hosts so her larvae can eat them alive from the inside out (that creator fully KNOWING the imposed suffering). PURE EVIL (not even mentioning his psychopathic and narcissistic morals; having bears maul people over "blasphemy".

Assuming that by " [not] worry[-ing] about others yards" implies you don't even contemplate forcing your ideas onto those others....

For most, there is no way to be "converted". As has been said before: even if there was prove, most atheists wouldn't even want to honour such an evil entity. Just consider those parasitic wasps that inject their eggs into caterpillar and whose larvae eat the poor thing alive from the inside out... What kind of sick being would "design" such a thing...?!?

Funny, that's exactly what my godfather (who's a "professional" criminal, and has been for the past 40 or so years, no pun intended) says... He goes to church every sunday for his "weekly spiritual bath" (and confessing past weeks "mistakes and accepting Christ's truth")...

Off course you are (worse off).... As cuchulain already said: "Odin might be pissed at you when you get to Valhalla"...

And there you go (closed-mindedly insulting everybody else) again... sure... only christians look past the physical world... all other people are just apes (right? your words) who don't see past the tree... Again: this is an interfaith board. I honestly do not understand what you're doing here (except making a point some book is 100% "right", sure)...

Back on topic... even if, this is a interfaith board, so; The Blind Men and the Elephant (poem by John Godfrey Saxe) It was six men of Indostan To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant (Though all of them were blind), That each by observation Might satisfy his mind The First approached the Elephant, And happening to fall Against his broad and sturdy side, At once began to bawl: God bless me! but the Elephant Is very like a wall! The Second, feeling of the tusk, Cried, Ho! what have we here So very round and smooth and sharp? To me tis mighty clear This wonder of an Elephant Is very like a spear! The Third approached the animal, And happening to take The squirming trunk within his hands, Thus boldly up and spake: I see, quoth he, the Elephant Is very like a snake! The Fourth reached out an eager hand, And felt about the knee. What most this wondrous beast is like Is mighty plain, quoth he; 'Tis clear enough the Elephant Is very like a tree! The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said: Even the blindest man Can tell what this resembles most; Deny the fact who can This marvel of an Elephant Is very like a fan!? The Sixth no sooner had begun About the beast to grope, Than, seizing on the swinging tail That fell within his scope, I see, quoth he, the Elephant Is very like a rope! And so these men of Indostan Disputed loud and long, Each in his own opinion Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong! Moral: So oft in theologic wars, The disputants, I ween, Rail on in utter ignorance Of what each other mean, And prate about an Elephant Not one of them has seen! -- John Godfrey Saxe

Yup, I've "got your number" allright... for the rest: "what Jonathan said"...

Dude! It's Dan!!! There is no distinction to him; one either beliefs the bible for 100% or reject it... Hi Dan...

Not everyone, but discipline does seem to evade most liberals, they tend not to see any necessity for it.. That's just another reason why they reject the biblical God. You see how words matter...? How even one word can alter the entire meaning (and reception) of any written text... But sure, you just keep on believing 100% of the bible is correct and to be taken literally...

Yeah, because everyone who doesn't believe the bible for 100% must be some sort of "liberal" who just lets everything go... sure...

Yes, you can... but why would you do so? What is your goal/purpose...?

Makes for a nice read, though...

One of the biggest misconceptions about Buddhism (Buddha being perceived as a god).

True.

Why do you consider Santa to be a personification. AFAIK "Santa" is derived from Saint Nickolas (Saint Nick, isn't it?) who - mostly - the Dutch immigrants in the US (and the Dutch in the Netherlands to date) celebrate on the 6th of December. This, somehow got all mixed in US culture into one person that is connected to Christmas (why have two celebrations in a month, right?)... but that's a "real life" saint (sic!), not a personification... IMHO.

Well, Wikipedia didn't help much...

And still I cannot help it but to think of this topic...

This would then call for the definition of a god first....

Welcome!

And that is EXACTLY the reasoning terrorists employ to do what they do... Mocking/blasphemy does NOT condone such a punishment in ANY (remotely) moral code (either intrinsic or extrinsic). There is a difference between punishment and disciplining...

At some point in history (and at some places on earth) that was the same for ex christians...

That's an reductio ad absurdum; no one here is saying "that disciplining youths is something you never do". The point being made is: it is immeasurably disproportionate (and very immoral) to have children mauled because they ridiculed anything. By claiming that is an appropriate approach you are disqualifying both yourself as well as your god.

Yes, that's is always an interesting debate; who's the "more" moral one: the one with intrinsic moral values or the one who needs extrinsic moral values and some imaginary guard who punishes the "immoral"...