Sam Harris figures that the true christians are the biggest assholes.
Thoughts?

Preaching to the choir.

A few thoughts on the Bible.

- it's nothing more than a history book of the beliefs in the middle east during a period in time, or
- it's the true book of laws given us by a sadistic creator entity, and we're all going to hell for not obeying his laws

On the plus side...If God encourages the behaviour the Bible says he does...Hell is full of really nice atheists, pork sausages and crunchy King Prawn.

you are all going to hell for not burning the flesh of unblemished bulls so God can enjoy the smell of the smoke coming off their burnt carcasses.

I'd say go to Heaven for the weather, Hell for the company, but that would require that I believe in them.

I liked this person's comment.



Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and most people don't truly follow the bible. They use the good parts as a guide to life, and everything that is bad or questionable seems to be overread. I think answers and guidence can come from ourselves, but it also comes from those around us. If I go to Hell because I didn't worship God than is that a God I really want to worship? If there is a God I like to think that he will judge us based on good behavior, as long as you truly are being good, not the fake kind of good.

Everyone is going to butter their toast differently, just don't get your butter on my bread cause I might not agree with it.

Finally, someone on the forum that doesn't spell the word opinion with two p's.

I like what you quoted, SN. If there really was a Yahweh who loves all his children, why does he ensure that some will be damned by giving them the ability to make the wrong choice? I don't often let Raven play with razor blades or murder other children.

It's definitely a valid point which makes a lot of sense, but it's hard to talk to people that are set in their ways.

It's because they use the Free Will explanation.

Free will does not hold water. All loving to the point that they are allowed to damn themselves by not knowing which rule to follow or sect was right? Pfft, give me real logic any day.

Actually the video clip is fallacious. The bible explains precisely what will happen if people actually started following it in its entirety:

You will be:

1) Delivered up to councils and scourged
2) Brought before governors and kings
3) Your brother (if you have one) will deliver you up to be murdered
4) Your father will deliver you up to be murdered
5) Your children will deliver you up to be murdered
6) You will be hated by all mankind

well of course, because alot of it is illegal, im-moral, and unethical, not to mention racist.

If my neighbors broke into my house and destroyed every image I have of a pagan God I would deliver them unto a court to sued.

or tried to kill me for working on the sabbath.

and imagine all the calls to the ASPCA.

Me: my next door neighor killed a bull, and they are burning it whole at a stone alter in their backyard.

ASPCA: what?!

Me: yeah I tried to explaine to them that the sight and smell of it was horrific, but they called me a Blasphemer and a racist, and were doing it to absolve sin and because God loves the smell of burning cow meat.

not to mention the turtle doves and goats.

and selling people of other religions as slaves, or even their own daughters.

ect....

yep different times, and we ignore what we don't like and keep what we like, or what society will allow. and if God gave a shit it would come down and say its laws are above mans and should be followed as such...again.

seriously though, how does an Omni-being like the smell of burning cows? WTF?

You don't really understand the purpose of the old testament law do you?

If you want a good book to read which may enlighten you I suggest "Gospel and Kingdom" by Graeme Goldsworthy.

the man is right. anyone else have problems with th sound? i could barely hear him. anyways, xians pick and choose what to follow and believe. the biggest reason i detest them. you have a book of holy laws yet you choose to ignore them. you're not a xian then.

creature, logic and xian religion don't ever meet. you can't have logic in the religion

to a christian they have very little meaning (except for the first ten).

However for a Jew they supposed to still be intact, but they too choose which to follow and which to not, usually based on what the society around them will tolerate or currently is viewed as exceptible.

You are all just a bunch of unenlightened heathens, may God have mercy on your souls...

how many of us do you think still has a soul?

All of you still have a soul.

As for the meaning, the OT laws should have as much meaning to a Christian as they do a Jew, however most Christians don't understand their purpose in relation to their faith either. Which is a major failing of the church because it's not teaching them.

i meant those tht have sold them or something similiar

You can't sell something you don't own.

we have every other kind of fraud in the world. who says we don't have soul fraud?

Then you would still have a soul, and the buyer would have nothing. Except for the sellers undying belief that they have given all power over to the buyer

for those that beleive in them anyways

Existance is not the effect of believe

you mean belief right? it doesn't really matter. nobody can prove nor disprove that we have them unless you can believe that it weighs about 3 pounds

I thought the consensus was 21 grams…?

And for pies sake, it should have been obvious that I was joking about the soul thing… You people don’t get me at all… ~sighs~

21 grams?? i always ehard the 3lb....maybe its cause we are so obese over here huh

FUNNY...

I think they even made a movie about it. It was a horrible movie by the by...

Or you forgot one thing -

It's an allegory, filled with puzzles, parables, and riddles, designed to convey lessons in spirituality and morality to those who read it, and nobody seems to have gotten it.

That's pretty arrogant of you to assume YOUR way of being a Christian is understanding something more then some other's way.

ever hear of a xian that isn't arrogant in some way about their religion?

Not really. When someone's "understanding" of the bible and it's meaning comes without having even read the majority of it it's not arrogant at all to say they're wrong.

if you really follow the bible, you probably turn out a lot like my second cousins. good, clean cut people. probably stay away from drugs and a lot of stupid shit and do a lot of shit that just helps people out. i understand that when you pull away from a religion you've seen as a crutch your whole life, you wanna rebel a bit, but this is ridiculous. christians are good people. a passionate christian is somehow worse than a passionate...i dunno...liberal cross dressing nymphomania advocate because it's not against the norm?

Wow, not only are you arrogant but you also assume more than you have the right to. For all you know they are an ordained minister, but why possibly take that into consideration, it's a lot easier to simply dismiss them and pass judgment on their opinion as simple ignorance... I don't mean to imply that what you are saying is the definition of arrogance but it's pretty fucking close...

I have read the bible, from cover to cover… And guess what? Not only is it a hypocritical piece of sensationalism, but it’s not relevant in modern day life… We are supposed to ignore the old testament… Actually, I may have misspoken there… We are supposed to ignore the parts of the old testament that no longer apply… And not take literally most of the scripture because it was meant to be implied as a metaphorical guideline…

Don’t get me wrong… I think the bible has a lot to offer… Let me make this as plain as possible… pay attention, here it comes… THE BIBLE IS A GREAT GUIDE ON HOW TO LIVE ONES LIFE… IT SHOWS GREAT PERSPECTIVE ON HOW TO TREAT YOUR FELLOW MAN AND LIVE ONES LIFE TO THEIR GREATEST POSSIBLE POTENTIAL… But that’s where the benefits end. Once you start taking the bible literally, “and I believe you would agree that the bible is not meant to be taken literally” it becomes an outdated piece of archaic nonsense… If you really follow the bible and read a little bit deeper than Sunday school allows then you would come to the conclusion that God is a sadistic son of a bitch… You can preach al you want, but the fact remains… The bible is a metaphorical guideline on how to live ones life, the moment you start taking it literally you may as well start bombing abortion clinics and hijacking airplanes…


If we as individuals are not the owners of our own souls then there is no free will and this is all a masochistic predestined experiment of a higher being that deserves a worse fate than any pseudo Christian hell that was ever conceived…

I've read the whole thing.

Old Testament:
damn thing almost turned me into an anti-semite. some cool stories though (in a I like horror and sci-fi/fantasy kinda way..no offense)

and the New Testament almost made me bitch slap the book (not because of the content, but because of HOW it was written "amen is not a period for fuck's sake", too preachy, I prefer story oriented means of writing. I mean it has some stories to tell but they are hard to see with how broken its written.

Yeah, I sold mine for an 8-ball of crack 5 years ago!

You misunderstand, when he said OT he meant Operating Thetan. About as credible as the bible, more specifically, the old testament, which is insane gibberish only a moron could take literally.

i laugh everytime i see that pic

Just a question for those not willing to read the book I suggested before answering your comments.

How is my saying that the interpretation of the bible and old testament that the bible actually explains is the correct way of doing it "arrogant" and "hypocritical" and yet you saying that your interpretation that it's all just a "guide to morality that's not really relevent" isn't?

Because you are making a statement that is placing fault on the other humans in your own religion. Stating the bible is not accurate or is simply fiction is a personal opinion of a single human onto themselves.

You do realize but saying a large number of Christians are misreading or not following the real treachings of the bible you are hurting your own cause.

Not really. I'm saying a large number of Christian's aren't reading the bible full stop. This is based on the fact that they aren't. Not really an arrogant statement.

He's right, most so-called "christians" have, at best, an extremely vague grasp of the bible. If they actually paid attention, they wouldn't be Christians. It's just more convenient to be ignorant, then you don't have to acknowledge what utter crap you're relying on to save your soul.

i can't believe I'm doing but but cthulu is right. calling yourself a xian saves a lot of problems even if you didn't ever read a bible. there isn't much in there that some xian leader isn't spouting. hate gays, hate abortion, hate other races, etc...any and everything that is in it can be summed up in to a cliffs note version

Everyone's an expert at darkness.com.

Even me? OO

If you really follow the bible, you may become a better person.... But were is the fun in getting a bundle pack of moral and ethics, in stead of developing a sense thats yours and founded on observations you have made yourself?

True. Alot do not read it. But from my understanding your stating that even some who do, are not understanding what it means. Which is to me, an arrogant statement.




Agreed. They don't read it. Also agreed that reading it and taking it literally is insanity. I do however think it can be read all the way through and like any storybook (even one with ALOT of historical accuracy) you can take a lot of lessons from it and apply it to your choices and everyday life. Of course....to an extent.

I guess it's arrogant for someone who's taken the time to study up on the background history of shakespeare saying to someone who hasn't that they don't really understand the shakespearean play they're reading. Sure the unstudied viewer will understand it to a level, but it doesn't mean that they understand it as it was intended.

Guess it's just arrogant.

I always wonderd why it was so important to God that the bull's virginity was intact...



In fairness, most Shakespearean scholars don't put on black suits and knock on the door when you're at dinner and say "We'd like to come in and discuss Ophelia!"

And the only reason the last two Jehovah's didn't get my toe up their arse was because they got round me by sending two attactive women...