Ever wonder if The Ten Commandments were truly the divinely-inspired, foundational rules for our lives...or incomplete, semi-irrelevant rip-offs from the holy books of other cultures? We explore it (with style!).
God **knows the future and what will happen** **gives people free will on whether or not to love him** **burns people for all eternity if they don't love him** Dayum, god, you got issues!
DeliciousPoison , god doesn't believe in freewill. he hardened the heart of the pharaoh when Moses asked him to free the Jews. so instead of allowing the pharaoh to exercise freewill, god hardened his heart. it gets better....god then tortured the Egyptians with plagues and the murdering of innocent babies because the pharaoh wouldn't free the Jews. I'd say that these are the actions of a sadistic god.
***** God is supposed to be all knowing, and good. If he cannot stop evil but he knows about it, he is maleficent, if he does not know about the evil, but cannot stop it, he is not all knowing.
***** Nah, fighting God sounds like a pretty awesome way to die. I mean, basically God was a concept of man, and if you did not believe in God you were killed... Constantine.
The "sword" dear `fellow is allegorical (symbolic) for the division that occurred in the context of a particular community where two families went their separate ways, one rejecting Christ and the other embracing him. But hey why should I spoil your delusion? Basing ur atheism on a text u neither understand nor believe a word of, is not only dishonest, it's dumb. But for 3rd party readers allow me to explain…you need to learn the basic principles of reading the Bible. You must always read it in its cultural context - that includes historical, literary, theological and biblical context. To cherry pick 1 or 2 verses and read out of context is to misread, to read poetry or allegory as history is  intellectual dishonesty. One must recognize that much of the Bible is descriptive rather than prescriptive. In other words, it is telling us what went on rather than what should have happened.” How are biblical events taken out of context so as to accuse God of such things as allowing sexism, slavery, killing, etc.? Paul Copan answers in Is God A Moral Monster? Read it, but I know u wont. b/c atheists are very particular about avoiding literature contrary to their need for moral autonomy. .
What do you think of this portion of Romans Chapter 9? 14 So what are we going to say? Isn’t this unfair on God’s part? Absolutely not! 15 He says to Moses, I’ll have mercy on whomever I choose to have mercy, and I’ll show compassion to whomever I choose to show compassion. 16 So then, it doesn’t depend on a person’s desire or effort. It depends entirely on God, who shows mercy. 17Scripture says to Pharaoh, I have put you in this position for this very thing: so I can show my power in you and so that my name can be spread through the entire earth. 18 So then, God has mercy on whomever he wants to, but he makes resistant whomever he wants to. 19 So you are going to say to me, “Then why does he still blame people? Who has ever resisted his will?” 20 You are only a human being. Who do you think you are to talk back to God? Does the clay say to the potter, “Why did you make me like this?” 21 Doesn’t the potter have the power over the clay to make one pot for special purposes and another for garbage from the same lump of clay? 22 What if God very patiently puts up with pots made for wrath that were designed for destruction, because he wanted to show his wrath and to make his power known? 23 What if he did this to make the wealth of his glory known toward pots made for mercy, which he prepared in advance for glory? If I think this states that God specifically creates some of His creation to go to hell, am I taking this out of context? Not only that, it seems to insinuate that He sends them to hell just to show off His power and that there's nothing that anyone can do about it. If this doesn't make God a moral monster, what does it take with people like you, dear fellow?
The 10 Commandments (...that your religion actually wants you to obey) 1. Thou shalt not choose 2. Thou shalt not learn 3. Thou shalt not love 4. Thou shalt not waiver 5. Thou shalt not be without fear 6. Thou shalt not pity 7. Thou shalt not enjoy 8. Thou shalt not fact check 9. Thou shalt not suffer a human to live 10. Thou shalt pay me protection money (thanks to Bjork for no.7)
The 10 Commandments need an update. How about #11: "Thou shalt not bundle junk mortgages into derivatives and sell them as AAA investments to unsuspecting investors."
I grew up having this shit crammed into my head... it's so funny to look at it now and realize how stupid the ten commandments really are. Hopefully my kids will one day thank me for not indoctrinating them with the same bullshit.
I - If thou makest a brown sacrifice, thou shalt perform the Flush of Courtesy II - If thine sacrifice be cursed with a foul odour, thou shalt maketh a burnt offering (lighteth a match) III - If thou useth the last sheet of bum parchment, thou shalt replace the roll IV - Thou shalt cleaneth thine skidmarks with the brush which thy LORD hath provided for thee V - If thou art poorly endowed or uncircumcised, thou shalt sit like a woman, lest thine piss falleth short VI - If thou hast recently planted thy seed in thine concubine, beware lest thy flow be divided and splasheth upon the floor VII - If thou pisseth upon the floor like a heathen, thou shalt clean it forthwith VIII - If thou art a woman, thou must remain seated until thou hast completed thine offering to thy LORD IX - Thou shalt always leaveth the seat in the lowered position, for thy LORD detesteth a raised seat (and so dost thy wife) X - Thou shalt not useth the throne of thy LORD for the sacrifice of brazen idols, sanitary items, diapers or deceased pets There ya go, put those on the bathroom wall.
Which ten commandments? Exodus 34 would tell you differently. Good luck with those goats you kept boiling in their mother's milk (because let's be honest, we all did that, right? Right? No? Just me? Oh…) I'm so going to hell for that. Please forgive me Jesus!
Have you read the others? I like the this one of rev. 2 of the ten commandments "Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God": The "Don't kill" one didn't turn out too well anyway. First thing Moses did, after getting the first edition was killing people...
What about the second set which were placed in the ARK of the Covenant. You know the ones god said would be exactly like the ones on the first two tablets the Moses smashed. 1)Thou shalt worship no other god. 2)Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. 3)The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. 4)Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day rest. 5)Thou shalt observe the feast of weeks. 6)Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord God. 7)Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven. 8)Neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left until the morning. 9)The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the Lord thy God. 10)Thou shalt not seeth a kid in his mother's milk. amazing how boiling a baby goat in it's mothers milk is more awful than rape.
What is even better is, those where supposedly smashed and then next set of ten, did not mention; _"Thou shall not take another man or woman as a slave."_ or _"Don't rape."_ or _"Don't abuse children, sexual, mental or physical."_ Did they get on the list, HELL NO! But god forbid if you boil a goat in its mothers milk.... 0_o
***** sweet heart there was nothing wrong with what I posted. That said are you really saying those that cannot spell are stupid, so my degree is not real and the few people I know some dyslexic that gained their PhD's. Dude you have just shown yourself to a dumbfuck of biblical proportions, well done you...
This video OFFENDS me and no one should ever watch this! RU-vid should take this down!! Don't you people see the BIG mistake this video made!? I flagged this video for one OBVIOUS reason: Comic Sans
I just realised something. People can easily state that it's foolish to believe in gods like Poseidon, Xbalanque, and Odin because we all know at this point that they aren't real, but if someone even mentions the possibility that the gods of our modern society don't exist it's grounds to be stoned to death or shot. It seems like religion is a curse that will follow us throughout human history because we're always seeking non-existent answers to our existence. We should be out among the stars carving our mark on the universe, but religion has such an iron grip on us that we may never make such an impact. I always believed that was the meaning of our existence; exploration and discovery (or whatever meaning you want to give to your life). Does the thought of what may lie beyond what we can observe make anyone else giddy? I sure as hell wish I could live long enough to see the day we can collectively leave this planet and behold wonders astronomers and physicists could never imagine.
If we all learned and employed Critical Thinking (CT) on a regular basis, not only would most people give up their religious faith (even WILLINGLY!) but it would end up eradicating all supernatural woo woo and garbage like anti-vaxxers, New Age B.S., natural-is-always-better-than-artificial, etc. But it is the RARE individual willing to put their OWN thinking under the CT microscope. We are all very ready to tear down someone else's thinking, but most of us are much too insecure to tear apart our own thinking processes. THOUGHT EXPERIMENT: Consider how much we've advanced due to Critical Thinking in just the last 100 years: from horse-n-buggy to spaceflight and computers; and think how fast that advancement is ACCELERATING...Now, consider that advancement stagnated during the Dark Ages for 1500 years due to non-Critical Thinking, and possibly for an additional 4000 years since the ancient Egyptians saw no merit in experimentation/innovation since that might screw up their maat (order) that the Nile provided them regularly. Imagine how much further we could be along given those additional 5500 years with advancement ACCELERATING ALL THE TIME!!....makes my head spin...
The REAL Ten Commandments (as found in Exodus 34:11) 1. Thou shalt worship no other god, for I am a jealous god. 2. Thou shalt make no molten gods. 3. Keep the feast of unleavened bread. 4. The first born male ox or sheep belongs to me. 5. Work six days, rest on the seventh. 6. Thou shalt observe the feast of weeks. 7. Thrice a year all men shall appear before me. 8. Do not use leaven when sacrificing to me. 9. The first fruits of the land belong to me. 10. Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.
This was one of the first videos I ever watched that made me scratch my head about religion. Years later, it's still one of the best points for how dumb these rules really are.
***** Be careful who you advise to read the Bible. I read the Bible, and it was the final nail in my faith's coffin. Genesis 6-8, Genesis 18-19, Exodus 11-12, Numbers 21:2-3, Deuteronomy 20:17, Joshua 6:17, 21, and 1 Samuel 15 were all the examples I needed to see that God's morality is barbaric, outdated, and inhumane. These are mass killings, and in some cases utter genocide commanded by an immoral God. This conflicted with my morals. I cannot defend those actions. I won't even try to defend the things this God supposedly did or commanded his people to do. It's not what I believe is right or good. It conflicts with what I believe to be wholesome and pure. There's no way I could worship a God like that in good conscience. In the NT Jesus doesn't denounce any of those actions. He doesn't even suggest those OT things were even remotely immoral. He says he is with God, so even he failed in morality.
***** Oh dear, sweet, naive Lara. I could never take you home to meet my parents. They're Christian fundies. I was raised on the NT. Oh boy, would they hate you! xD Don't take offense to that. They just take the Bible very literally, and talk like yours is the devil twisting your tongue into knots.
***** Yeah, I definitely gotta keep you away from my folks because they reference the _whole_ Bible. Jesus is God's son. He didn't denounce any of that other stuff his sky daddy did. To them, God isn't sunshine, happiness and friendship. God is jealous, wrathful, yet... loving in a really "tough love" sort of way. And if you read the _entire_ Bible, that's pretty much the story. You can't just believe in Jesus _or_ God, you have to swallow it whole. You can't pick it apart. The Bible even warns about people who do stuff like that. They'd take you to school in this alone. Yes, it's contradictory to tell people to pray alone, yet pray together. To be private about it, yet shout it to the masses. don't cast the first stone, but make sure people know when they're sinning. Don't kill, but don't suffer a witch to live either. The Bible in its entirety is a verrry narrow path. They wouldn't call you a Christian. They wouldn't let you get away with calling yourself one either because they'd be offended that you offend God's words. I'd defend you, but they aren't wrong. They are, but they aren't. I see what you're saying, but that's not what the book teaches if you read it ALL in order from cover to cover. You're following your own religion, and it's not Christianity. It's based on Christian principles, but you leave the stuff out that you don't like. That's not what Jesus taught. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, yet he said he didn't come to bring peace, he came to bring a sword. You sound like you know about the peace part, but you haven't seen the sword yet.
It's interesting that you mentioned other religious laws (i.e. Dionysus, Zoroaster, and Minos), but I actually think that the 10 Commandments of Moses were probably more likely borrowed from the Babylonian myth that King Hammurabi (an actual historical figure, unlike Moses) received his famous Law Code from the Babylonian sun god Shamash. One similarity between the two being that the God of Moses was likely a volcano god, and volcanoes are hot like the sun or the sun god Shamash. Also, the story of Muhammad receiving his revelations inside a cave on a mountain is basically borrowed from the story of Moses receiving the 10 Commandments on Mount Sinai. So in other words, Muhammad's story was indirectly borrowed from the myth of Hammurabi and Shamash. Also, Moses is basically the Hebrew equivalent of the ancient Egyptian law god Thoth, so it's possible that the story of Moses was influenced by Egyptian religion/mythology as well, especially since Moses supposedly lived at a time when New Kingdom Egypt had control of the land of Canaan during the late Bronze Age circa 1400 BCE.
These aren't even the 10 commandments. They're part of 613 commandments in the Torah also known as Social Law. The 10 commandments are in Exodus 34 and they're nothing like they are listed in this video. In Exodus 20, Moses came down with 10 verbal social laws. In Exodus 24, he goes and sees god and god writes out the first 10 commandments that are on two stone tablets. Anyway, Aaron makes a false god and pisses off god, god so he sends Moses back down to see what's going on. Disgusted with what Moses sees, he breaks these tablets on an alter. We are never told (at this time) what was on these tablets. Not only this but then god tells Moses to kill around 3000 people - even after making the Social Law, "Thou shalt not kill"... wow! In Exodus 34, god says hey you still need laws get back up here and write out what was on the first tablets and this will be the 10 commandments. Check out Exodus 34: 14 - 26 for the REAL 10 commandments. Cheers!
You should have mentioned the second set of commandments, after Moses smashed the first set, which includes very important moral principles like, "Don't boil a young goat in its mother's milk." -Exodus 34:26b
The "golden rule" is the most stupid rule of them all. Do unto others...? Well, who says you want me to treat you the way I want to be treated, and vice versa? If one of us is a masochist and the other is a massage therapist, it all falls apart rather quickly...
***** Yes, it's called "the law". The law doesn't concern itself with Biblical rules. It's a democratically developed system that caters to the needs of everyone within a society, and not just the individual. If you're a sociopath, you're likely to break the golden rule if you treat others the way you want to be treated. But if you're a sociopath who breaks the law, then you'll be put away to avoid you from treating others the way you want to be treated. The people's law beats God's law every time.
***** I didn't mean any offense, by the way. I just know how extremely religious black people are in America, and how few of them are Atheists. So unless you're one of the lucky few, you've probably experienced some negative feedback from others at least? I'm always glad to see a black Atheist, because it's so rare. But I'm especially happy because I think it's such a tragedy that black Americans should subscribe to a religion that was forced upon them by their slave masters. What do you think?
***** The south, eh? Yeah, that can't be easy! Thank "God" for the Internet, then! :) And what about the rest of your family? Do they know where you stand? I'm lucky to have been brought up in secular Sweden, so nobody really cares what you believe or don't believe over here. As far as I can tell, though, more and more Americans (including blacks) are coming out, as it were. So I'm hoping to see another type of social revolution in the coming years, much like the civil rights movement in the 60s.
Like most bible "stories", they are indeed copied or plagiarized from other religions or even Pagan mythology, sometimes hundreds of years before Abraham was conjured up. How's that for your one true religion Christians?
Moses smashed these 10 commandments went back up the mountain and god gave him another 10 not the same ten, That god all powerful all knowing tiny little memory.
+Mark Fudge I'm boiling a goat in its mother's milk, violating the actual 10th commandment. Yes, Christians have no clue what the actual commandments are, preferring to get their bible stories spoon-fed to them by Cecil B DeMille.
I agree there are many flaws in the Bible. I'm not a devout Christian, I barely go to church, but I still believe in Him. I don't blame or look down on others who don't believe. That's their choice and I respect that
“The ten commandments are the hysterical believings of a group of desert tribes. Those desert tribes have stored up more misery for mankind than any other group of people in the history of the planet, and they’re doing it to this day.” Stephen Fry
I believe it's important to take them seriously because a large percentage of the world takes them seriously. Even if we don't think they're the best rules to follow, their importance to the world is not insignificant.
Um... Thou Shalt Not Steal? I think that covers plagiarism... Let's add a crucial eleventh commandment: Thou Shalt Not practice Hypocrisy In My Name There, fixed... No, wait... We're doomed. It's been nice knowing y'all. Meet me down below for drinks later?
The Ten Commandments "The Ten Offers of Evolutionary Humanism" in contrast to the Ten Commandments of the Bible. In short they read as follows: 1. Serve neither foreign nor familiar "gods" but rather the great ideal of ethics to lessen the suffering in the world. To possess science, philosophy and art means not to need religion! 2. Behave fairly to your neighbour and also to those farthest away! 3. Have no fear of authorities, but rather the courage to reason for yourself! 4. You shall not lie, cheat, steal or kill - unless, in an emergency, there is no other way of asserting the ideals of humanity! 5. Free yourself from the bad habit of moralizing! 6. Do not immunize yourself against criticism! 7. Do not be too confident! But even doubt should be doubted! 8. Overcome any tendency towards tradition blindness by informing yourself in depth from all sides before making a decision! 9. Enjoy your life because it is highly probable that it will be the only one you have! 10. Put your life in the service of a "greater cause", become a part of the tradition of those who desire(d) to make the world a better place in which to live. (en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifesto_of_Evolutionary_Humanism)
Commandment 1: Thou shall have no other gods before me. What, there's more than one god out there? Godelpus! Commandment 10, Thou shalt not covet. But this silly god is being covetous in his first commandment, not to mention contradictory or has double standards. Perhaps he should have had an eleventh commandment : Thou shalt not do as I do but do as I say. To which I would say to this god, "BOLLOCKS!"
"Anyone who says he knows God's intention is showing a lot of very human ego." -- Michael Crichton "To a born-again atheist like myself, it is clear that each of us has multiple selves, talents, perceptions. But to the Roman Catholic, unity is all." -- Gore Vidal "Progress is born of doubt and inquiry. The Church never doubts, never inquires. To doubt is heresy, to inquire is to admit that you do not know-the Church does neither." -- Robert G. Ingersoll
If it was up to me, my commandments are gonna be this 1. Thou shall not kill unless with the support of a VERY VERY good excuse 2. Thou shall not commit sexual sin 3. Thou shall not steal unless in dire circumstances 4. Thou shall not grieve and complain 5. Thou shall respect and treat every human on the planet like our family 6. Thou shall not commit fraud nor teach it 7. Thou shall not be jealous 8. Thou shall honor great personalities at least once a year 9. Thou shall worship only me (Assuming im god) 10. Thou shall sing a prayer to me at 9:00-9:30 sharp to let me know how much you love,trust,care for me
***** Rape, and all the other things are included in amend 2 since they all are 'sexual sins'. Why is commandment number 8 bullshit? Wouldnt you want to show your respect or atleast honour great men and women who fought and gave their own lives for the welfare of other human beings? Give them the respect they deserve!. I agree 9 and 10 is bullshit, but hey, you gotta know who is in charge right? lol
Smith Andrew Rape would be covered under theft. To rape is to take something by force. Its too bad that the Hebrews did a lot of plundering and genocide back in the day.
The spaghetti monster came to us from the evil rainbow colored cthulu when he came to us from the space magic heaven of deus ex and the spaghetti monster giveth to us with a grand speech as he said: "all shall be fed by my appendages so thee can survive my love with carbohydrates of both evil gluttony and wheat-filled goodness"
. 1 : Thou shall not rape. 2 : Thou shall not abuse children. 3 : Thou shall not brainwash children. 4 : Thou shall respect, protect, and defend women, children, and those who are unable to protect and defend themselves. 5 : Thou shall not enslave people. 6 : Thou shall help the less fortunate. 7 : Thou shall not commit cruelty upon animals. 8 : Thou shall not be a narcissistic prick. 9 : Thou shall not preach their religious bullshit to those who don't want to hear it. 10 : Thou shall not be a self righteous arsehole.
Wait a minute. This was the same video that we watched at church back then as elementary students, and it was my first introduction to the Ten Commandments along with the Seven Sacrements. My first introduction to the Ten Commandments as a kid was an atheist's video critiquing it lol. The irony. How did the church people running the program back then get away with this? So yeah, thank you Seth Andrews for introducing me to the Ten Commandments as a kid and telling me all along it was bullshit. The messsage was right under my nose then and there...
... Disproving God is like disproving fairies. It's unlikely that they exist, but not being able to disprove something does not automatically prove it.
I like the way this video was made to prove its points! It presents its claims in a fun way the people will remember better than some lecture. If I were a teacher on atheism for high schoolers for some reason, I would definitely go to these first.
"I cannot believe in a God who wants to be praised all the time." -- Friedrich Nietzsche "Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived." -- Isaac Asimov "Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet. Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich." -- Napoleon Bonaparte "One would go mad if one took the Bible seriously; but to take it seriously one must be already mad." -- Aleister Crowley
And William Lane Craig is the only creationist whom atheists actually have a hard time debating because he actually does know the Bible, has created incredibly elaborate apologetics and is not afraid of going for incredibly low arguments and having an incredibly stylish approach to debate. He actually is scientifically illiterate, but he manages to defend God's atrocities. Why? Because God will be the new Zeus, and some people still passionately believe and are doing their best to defend him.
Well at least they inspired two good movies. 'The Ten Commandments' and 'Prince of Egypt', the second being a personal favorite of mine. So at least we got something out of it.
"The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries." -- James Madison "Religion is the masterpiece of the art of animal training, for it trains people as to how they shall think." -- Arthur Schopenhauer "Reality provides us with facts so romantic that imagination itself could add nothing to them." -- Jules Verne
'Parasitism is the only practice of the church; with its ideal of anaemia, its "holiness", draining all blood, all love, all hope for life; the beyond as the will to negate every reality; the cross as the mark of recognition for the most subterranean conspiracy that ever existed-against health, beauty, whatever has turned out well, courage, spirit, graciousness of the soul, against life itself.' Friedrich Nietzsche, The Antichrist (1895), quoted from Jonathon Green, The Cassell Dictionary of Insulting Quotations
"Your battle is with the truth,and all truth is God. So your fight was a lost,the moment you began" So your argument is: I'm right, you're wrong because God? If you which to convice people, you need to use logic, you know... the thing which allow us to understand elements of this world.
"The trouble with Communism is the Communists, just as the trouble with Christianity is the Christians." -- H.L. Mencken "When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land." -- Desmond Tutu
I'm an atheist, but you could put 1:35-36 into better context. There was a reason he was to turn people against their families. "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Cult talk 101.
Being unable to disprove God does not automatically prove the Bible. To think that is asinine. By that logic, you being unable to disprove vampires automatically proves that Twilight is real. Sounds dumb, right? Just because the Bible says that God is real doesn't make it proof. That book is all you have. That book was written by men, after years and sometimes centuries after the events supposedly took place. There's no guarantee they got it right, as things can get muddled after that long.
How open minded does one have to be? I have heard all the same arguments from tons of people like you, like William Lane Craig, like Lee Strobel, and on more apologetics sites than I care to name, and found no serious difference in them. I attempted to go to your site, but they are just going to rationalize it the same way - we both know that. Is there really anything new there? How much time should I waste reading the same arguments 1,000 times?
No KIDNAPPING & selling was the offense - it was like stealing. BUYING all the slaves you could afford was no problem. And you obviously didn't read my comment. The USA had indentured servants who could work off a debt this way also, and the had to be released. But you wrote it right in YOUR comment -"maximum time that any ISRAELITE" (only males BTW women were sold for life). Try Leviticus 25:44-46. While you're at it, read the rest of Exodus 21.
That's about it - and that's the way it always has been. Fortunately, recent history has gifted us with free thinkers and rationalists who understand that "morality" may have something to do with what is best for the human species, and are willing to think and learn better ways of living. This way, we can ignore the fact that the Bible says slavery is OK, the Bible and the Qur'an both order people to kill unbelievers, adulterers, children, etc. and find morals that work.
But you're still not owning up to something. As an atheist, you say you don't believe in God because there's no evidence, implying you need evidence before you believe in anything. Yet you believe your wife/girl loves you without evidence. You even admit you have no problem admitting that you 'believe' she loves you. So if it's reasonable for you to believe something without evidence, why isn't reasonable for people to believe in God?
And you understand physics though no scientist has been able to prove something can come from nothing. Your statistic that 93% of scientist deny design is incorrect. Atheist blogs and debaters say only 7% of scientist are theist, but that is incorrect, and based on a very old and biased poll. The fact is that 51% of scientists believe in a higher being, with 9% agnostic, and about 40% atheist. Do some research into more current statistics, and stop listening to everything your comrades say.
Again, I absolutely respect that faith is insufficient for you to believe. It is all-sufficient for me. I genuinely respect the right of others to disagree, and to use objective reasoning to reject God. I choose Faith. "I've seen dreams that move the mountains, Hope that doesn't ever end, Even when the sky is falling, I've seen miracles just happen, Silent prayers get answered, Broken hearts become brand new - That's what faith can do." youtube . com/watch?v=u1JBSQMkQEo
"Subjectivity is, by definition, an unreliable form of reasoning." - again, you keep missing it. reasoning isn't the means by which one believes, it is by faith alone, which is experienced alone, with God. "If you were exactly the same but born in... People have "spiritual" moments, but the fact that geography is a deciding factor in beliefs is a major proof against theism." - no, there are an abundance of Christians in all countries of the world, despite their social mores. erroneous reasoning
In the end, it really boils down to this: 1. You're not converting any true believer to atheism. You are powerless in this pursuit. 2. You & I WILL die some day. 3. If I am wrong & there is no God, I have lost nothing. In fact, my life changed so much for the better as a believer than before - I have lived sacrificially for others in God's name. 4. If you are wrong & there IS a God, you have lost everything. You'll be defenseless against Him, His perfection trumps your "reason".
I was originally an atheist and became a Born-Again Christian over 26 years ago. In my case, I was not a Christian or Muslim first before being an atheist. Unless you have a personal experience, a subjective encounter with God, you will not believe. And indeed, Jesus taught that you must receive Him as "a little child" - by faith - not logic, reason, or any other human reasoning. God is not evil, satan is evil, the father of lies, and the true source of the issues that you have with faith.
Again, you are mistaken about the true history of Christianity. Many, like Hitler, USE Christianity to justify their horrible acts against others, their oppression & murder of others, but nowhere is that commanded by Jesus to do on His behalf. Rather, He teaches us to "turn the other cheek" to our enemies, as I do to you now. Keep slapping, mocking, deriding - it doesn't change the Truth about God's love for all humanity. BTW I do respect the good you do - do you respect the good God does?
Just because you don't like what God commands, doesn't make Him wrong in ordering it done. There isn't an account of Jews raping anyone by God's command in Deut. 7.1-2; 20.16-18, and in Judges 21:10-24. Again, you are not really reading the bible in context. He does command them to destroy those nations, who have committed horrible acts against women and children in their own horrible religious cults, and denied God. You don't have to like or agree with God, I prefer not arguing with Him.
God's love is by the Holy Spirit in me. Jesus said, "Love one another, as I have loved you." Love is the selfless sacrifice for others. I Corinthians 13:4-8 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
Religion isn't the problem, human selfishness and a demand for dominating others, lust for power and money are what hold mankind bound to an endless spiral of death and destruction. Religion is used almost, if not completely, as the front for the real reasons people opress others. Conversely, Jesus taught to love one another, promote peace on earth, goodwill towards all. Now, if you mean to kill religion in favor of relationship - a true relationship with God, then I certainly agree with that
PS - It's all about Submission to God: "I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law...when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. The very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death...sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death." and "...you also died to the law through the body of Christ..." - Romans 7 Even in the Old Testament, God's Law of Love was the intention.
God is indeed morally superior to humans, however, we don't fully understand what "morally superior" is. The point of that response concerning police officers was that God used imperfect Israelites to destroy peoples in the Promised Land. Another analogy would be that we elect what we believe to be our best representatives for the President, Representatives & Senators - knowing full well that they are imperfect, yet they must operate in government on our behalf. God uses the imperfect too.
The horrible pagan rituals I'm referring to are from the bible, addressing your original post. Not about Christmas or Easter bunnies. The worst practiced in those days were child sacrifice. Only animal sacrifice was acceptable, though King David rightly understood that God didn't even want that: "...You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise."
On the contrary, only a Believer is " indentured to God". It is a free will choice. However, "...people are slaves to whatever has mastered them." - 2 Peter 2:19 You are a slave to yourself, or God, or whatever - you will obey something. It's just how life is. You don't have to believe as we do, that is the beauty of the First Amendment. Obviously you are free to choose any path you wish. BTW, that is clearly written in the bible as well...
What many people, both atheist and believer alike, often miss is that just as in other faiths, the bible is the document of its core beliefs. It is more about our sinfulness, blood atonement, forgiveness, love, and afterlife; than it is a historical document or explanation of how nature works. Jews have the Torah (the pentateuch, the first five books of the bible); Muslims have the Koran, Hindus have the Bhagavad Gita... all faiths have their central document(s). It's all about you and God.
As for this part - it is indeed a mystery as to ultimately why God told the Israelites to utterly destroy the surrounding nations and take their land. We do know that those nations were practicing horrible pagan rituals and had forsaken the true God of creation. So, He used them to execute judgment and carry out the sentence. However, God made all souls, controls them, so the ultimate fate of those he commanded to be overthrown is yet to be revealed.
Actually, in the biblical context, to covet merely means to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others: i.e. to covet another's property, belongings, spouse, money, etc To covet is absolutely NOT to posess, have, or own; it is to WANT to posess or have something in such a way that you might steal it from another. If you even think about committing the wrongful act, you are already guilty of it. God desires that we purify our thoughts, intentions & behavior.
More than a million people believe in God. Way more. And that in itself makes God different in nature to your pink example. It's a huge thing, so don't say 'the only thing that differentiates...' like it's a tiny thing. Way more than a million people believe in God. Just because you say it's a lie doesn't mean it's a lie.
You can't show me evidence of life outside of earth. Do you believe in life outside of earth? You can't show me evidence that your girl/wife loves you. Yeah, she acts like she does, but you can't prove with evidence she's not pretending to love you. Do YOU see my point? It's all ultimately about faith.
The best thing to do is live and let live. That's what the First Amendment is for: I have a right to preach anything I want to, you have a right to disagree with me, preach atheism, whatever. You're not changing my mind, I know I'm right, that's it. I do deeply respect your right not to believe. That's what the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are all about.
It can be reasonably argued that there indeed have been police officers who have resorted to "wonton acts of slaughter, cruelty, or excessive violence." Many examples of this in history. Any true Christian is well aware of the true origin of Easter. To celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on that day doesn't invalidate it.
God is portrayed with long grey hair and beard? By who? The bible never describes that. You can't judge a whole faith based on artist renditions. Your point about 'superficial and gullible' is not an argument. Just your own baseless opinion for which you have no evidence. Stop being a hypocrite.
