the lord created cookies

you're not going to deny the greatness of cookies, are you?

8/10/2005 11:09:21 AM

8/10/2005 11:11:59 AM

8/10/2005 11:17:51 AM

Quote :

""While I realize it is not Gods place to provide prosperity, A real God would shape the tennets of the religion in question to encourage belief structures which promote advantagious activity. Is it any wonder that economic liberty, and later the industrial revolution, was started by protestant christians?""

correlation is not causation. this reminds me of that episode of the simpsons, where homer gets the bear patrol to get rid of the bears from the town.

Quote :

"Homer: Not a bear in sight. The Bear Patrol must be working like a charm. Lisa: That's spacious reasoning, Dad. Homer: Thank you, dear. Lisa: By your logic I could claim that this rock keeps tigers away. Homer: Oh, how does it work? Lisa: It doesn't work. Homer: Uh-huh. Lisa: It's just a stupid rock. Homer: Uh-huh. Lisa: But I don't see any tigers around, do you? [Homer thinks of this, then pulls out some money] Homer: Lisa, I want to buy your rock."

8/10/2005 11:20:40 AM

well? did he buy the rock or what?

I WANT TO KNOW IF IT KEPT THE TIGERS AWAY

8/10/2005 11:32:31 AM

Prosperity isn't really a good meter. Survival is much better -- can't put much stock in a religion that has died out -- but that still leaves us with a shitton of modern religions.

8/10/2005 12:41:26 PM

Survival really isn't that great either. Isn't it just as possible that one of the dead religions could be true?

You seem to think that all religions have a god as vain as the judeochristian one.

8/10/2005 12:52:56 PM

Most do. People don't want to believe in a god that isn't going to look out for them or that is so weak that it can be overcome completely be nonbelievers.

8/10/2005 1:05:59 PM

I won't deny that part of the reason I believe in God now is because I grew up as a Christian. When I was in 7th grade, my mom talked to my sister and me and asked if we wanted to accept Jesus into our hearts. It didn't take much thought before saying yes. When I entered college, I began to meet more and more people that didn't believe in God, and to learn more about other cultures and religions. I sometimes think about why there are so many gods out there, different religions, and basically came to the conclusion that everyone (that worships a higher being) has a god (or multiple, but even of those there is a generally one god that is more powerful) that could be just their version of the God that I believe in, or my God could be a version of another god. In the end if it's similar beliefs on what's right and wrong, and that spreads love and forgiveness, and discourages suffering, than so be it. People will come to God when they're ready.

I believe in God because it makes sense to me. You can't really merge faith and science. There have been many threads about God and His existence or lack thereof, and regardless of if you believe in Creationism or the ape theory, that's your thing, and you may change your mind later, or you may stick to your guns. Either way there's no reason to diss someone because of that belief, no matter how backward you believe it is, and I'm not going to put others down because they can't get it into their minds that not all Christians are extremist Biblebeaters.

[Edited on August 10, 2005 at 1:12 PM. Reason : ]

[Edited on August 10, 2005 at 1:14 PM. Reason : ]

8/10/2005 1:11:51 PM

perhaps you'd garner more respect if youdidn't refer evolution as "ape theory"

8/10/2005 1:25:03 PM

evolution does not equal the origin of species. evolution is science, origin of species is theory.

i use origin of species as a term for evolution from apes rather than as Darwin's full published work. He does discuss all aspects of evolution in it, and I don't mean for confusion. It's the ultimate theory he includes, that everything evolved from something else, that I refer to, most specifically humans from apes.

[Edited on August 10, 2005 at 1:32 PM. Reason : ]

8/10/2005 1:28:14 PM

you still called it "the ape theory", trivializing it for your argument.

[Edited on August 10, 2005 at 1:35 PM. Reason : nowhere did you type "origin of species." stop trying to make it seem like you did.]

8/10/2005 1:34:09 PM

Quote :

"So what then do you attribute the success of the many other groups of people in history if god takes credit for our success? Can god take credit for the great success a certain group of devout white christian protestants in germany in 1930? You can't really say "hey, we're doing good right now, obviously this is god's doing" and then ignore the possiblity that we will fail just like every other civlization, and also not attribute every other nation's success to god."

Like I said, "I realize it is not Gods place to provide prosperity." "A real God would shape the tennets of the religion in question to encourage belief structures which promote advantagious activity."

Personally, I don't buy that any religions are correct. I was simply being thoughtful. If you assume there is a God, and that he is involved in the formation of his religion(s), and that he wants his people to suceed, then it follows that his teachings would lead us to "do better."

It does not then follow that only his people will suceed in life, teachings which work can be taught to non-believers. To say that "good things flow from the lord" is not the same as saying "good things only flow from the lord."

Is it quite possible, given the above assumptions, that the Jews are "God's Chosen People," its just that the gentiles were better at implementing the religious ideals than the origional Jews.

8/10/2005 1:54:41 PM

damn, i'm late in replying to this, but . . .

Quote :

"you're just not being creative enough"

nah, most people, including myself, could care less about the true origin of the universe. still, the idea that everything has a beginning is pretty intuitive. believing that god created everything is an easy way to say, perhaps the universe did have a beginning, and if did, it probably came about by some awesome event/force, but i don't care how it specifically came to be.

Quote :

"-If you assume god is perfect then worshiping anything else is worshiping something that is less than perfection - thus causing you to derail from where a perfect being would want you to be"

i don't worship anything. and striving for perfection is a pretty defeatist goal. Self-improvement is great imo, but i try to set attainable goals.

8/11/2005 10:33:02 AM