tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19769805.post4518960398182285642..comments2023-11-02T09:14:47.151-05:00Comments on Bill's Thoughts: CHRISTIANITY AND MORALITYBill Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13573859102823530876noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19769805.post-3142157755671638922013-07-29T19:46:19.612-05:002013-07-29T19:46:19.612-05:00Thanks, Sherry.Thanks, Sherry.Bill Ballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13573859102823530876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19769805.post-78790077633159246552013-07-29T19:29:56.271-05:002013-07-29T19:29:56.271-05:00Dad, I think your final paragraph is the most beau...Dad, I think your final paragraph is the most beautiful paragraph you've ever written. <br /><br />Bob, I agree with your comment too.studio pashnadahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12636961378714714848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19769805.post-43592172639107737112013-07-17T10:27:09.305-05:002013-07-17T10:27:09.305-05:00Bill said: Looks to me like Atheism has the perfec...Bill said: Looks to me like Atheism has the perfect way out: when evils are committed by Atheists they're not really Atheists - they're religious! It's the "cult of personality."<br />Hmm.<br /><br />They are committed by atheists but not in the name of atheism. Nobody fights a war in the name of no-God. <br /><br />Just like evils are committed by people who don't believe in elves all the time, but they don't commit those evils in the name of their disbelief of elves. <br /><br />It just so happens they didn't believe in elves. Canadian Atheisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00641777092783262463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19769805.post-33469488199867520082013-07-17T08:57:13.709-05:002013-07-17T08:57:13.709-05:00Looks to me like Atheism has the perfect way out: ...Looks to me like Atheism has the perfect way out: when evils are committed by Atheists they're not really Atheists - they're religious! It's the "cult of personality."<br />Hmm.Bill Ballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13573859102823530876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19769805.post-75378480404221444142013-07-16T23:29:53.593-05:002013-07-16T23:29:53.593-05:00Dear Bob,
Bob said: It might be difficult to defe...Dear Bob,<br /><br />Bob said: It might be difficult to defend historical secularists when it comes to torture and murder. Mao, Stalin, Lenin, Pol Pot, and many others managed to slaughter millions without the benefit of religion.<br /><br />That's true in some ways. However, most of those built a religion around themselves, which they usually call a cult of personality. They believe they are god-like.<br /><br />Also, there is no doctrine associated with atheism. It's like pointing the finger at a bad guy who doesn't believe in elves, and saying his non-belief in elves made him a bad guy.<br /><br />For example, I could be religious and still be an atheist. I could practice Buddhism, humanism or visit my local unitarian church on a regular basis. I could believe in their dogma as divine (or nearly divine) truth.<br /><br />That's what religion has going for it. If they can make enough people believe they're acting by divine will, then they can do atrocious things, like the inquisition. You won't get many people to follow you or believe in your cause because you lack belief in elves or God.<br /><br />Bob said: Could it be the problem lies within the human heart and not in external issues?<br /><br />That's an interesting question and one that would take a long post. In short, I'd say it's a little of both.<br /><br />However, Sams point is that for centuries, Christians believed their God wanted them to burn witches. Funny that so many Christians now (despite their greatest thinkers saying otherwise) say that it's wrong.Canadian Atheisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00641777092783262463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19769805.post-90117768781368130752013-07-16T17:44:49.825-05:002013-07-16T17:44:49.825-05:00Note to Canadian Atheist:
It might be difficult t...Note to Canadian Atheist:<br /><br />It might be difficult to defend historical secularists when it comes to torture and murder. Mao, Stalin, Lenin, Pol Pot, and many others managed to slaughter millions without the benefit of religion.<br /><br />However, I don't support crazy religionists either. Could it be the problem lies within the human heart and not in external issues?<br /><br />BTW, no matter how bad you think I am, I'm worse. You ought to see me from the inside.<br /><br />Best to Wiarton Willie, the albino groundhog.<br /><br />BobBob McCollumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19769805.post-64588290157756531572013-07-14T17:05:50.256-05:002013-07-14T17:05:50.256-05:00Bob said: However, we can't warn of impending ...Bob said: However, we can't warn of impending doom because we're not God. We have no idea, for example, where the United States stands on God's spectrum of sin (though we hear about it all the time).<br /><br />Sounds extremely superstitious to me. Some of the happiest nations on Earth have a majority of citizens that do not practice Christianity. It's no accident that secular nations are the most prosperous.<br /><br />If you think that Christianity is the most direct and undefiled expression of love and compassion the world has ever seen, you do not know much about the world's other religions. Take the religion of Jainism as one example. The Jains preach a doctrine of utter non-violence. While the Jains believe many improbable things about the universe, they do not believe the sorts of things that lit the fires of the Inquisition. You probably think the Inquisition was a perversion of the "true" spirit of Christianity. Perhaps it was. The problem, however, is that the teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. You are, of course, free to interpret the Bible differently--though isn't it amazing that you have succeeded in discerning the true teachings of Christianity, while the most influential thinkers in the history of your faith failed?-Sam Harris<br /><br />In short, there is no spectrum of sin. In my opinion, we should stop with the superstitious claims of religion, none of which come with an iota of evidence, and start concentrating on making the world a better place for all. Canadian Atheisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00641777092783262463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19769805.post-84719474267401386732013-07-13T10:13:34.080-05:002013-07-13T10:13:34.080-05:00Hi Bill,
Appreciate the post, as always.
The cul...Hi Bill,<br /><br />Appreciate the post, as always.<br /><br />The culture wars that so many Christians are occupied with make no sense to me. Paul lived in a dissolute culture and yet in 13 books made no reference to cultural reform. When I mentioned this to a friend who seems to be concerned with the sins of the world (someone I admire greatly), he said the reason Paul didn't address the sins of the Roman and Greek culture was because Paul didn't live in a free society. We do, and therefore our obligation is to engage. Astonishing. The logical extension of such a thought is that if Paul had lived in a free society, we'd have a totally different Bible.<br /><br />Don't misunderstand, I believe that if a country (or an individual) follows God's principles, it can only benefit them. But God is not in the business of moral reform. He's in the business of creating new creatures in Christ Jesus.<br /><br />Sin surely causes death, and God warns about that. Jonah warned Nineveh that in 40 days their sins would cause Him to destroy them. The Canaanites' sins had reached the point of destruction during the time of Moses. And Sodom and Gomorrah had clearly reached the saturation point (though for reasons other than what we've often been taught).<br /><br />But what sense would it make for God to prompt a culture to moral reform without the message of eternal life? It seems clear (at least to me) that his warnings were given so that people would remain alive to hear about His grace.<br /><br />However, we can't warn of impending doom because we're not God. We have no idea, for example, where the United States stands on God's spectrum of sin (though we hear about it all the time).<br /><br />Best for us to leave such matters to God and to concentrate on sin as expressed in our own lives.<br /><br />Hope you and Uni and all those you love are fine and happy.<br /><br />BobBob McCollumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19769805.post-49315921157278713152013-07-12T20:38:57.821-05:002013-07-12T20:38:57.821-05:00Bill said: Paul appears to be saying some things t...Bill said: Paul appears to be saying some things that contradict the preachers of a superior moral code -- that there are some who don't have a biblical code whose morality is superior to some of those who do!<br /><br />Indeed. In fact, studies show that atheists are underrepresented in the jail system. <br /><br />I have to say that I agree with your post (besides the biblical portions of course) in an overall sense. The hypocrisy that is rife throughout organized religion is amazing. For example, the Catholic Church is worth billions of dollars. They say they want to feed the poor etc, while their priests walk around in gold trimmed robes. How many people could that sort of wealth feed and house?<br /><br />You also touched on the pedophilia...something that really angers me.<br /><br />It was a really interesting read. Thanks for typing it, Bill!Canadian Atheisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00641777092783262463noreply@blogger.com