[quote who="lulapilgrim" reply="278" id="3069220"]But it is not Divine Law that is being imposed in places in the Middle East; it's evil.[/quote] Oh but it certainly is. It may not be what you believe divine law to be but it is what they believe divine law to be. And since it is their land what they believe is what matters and what you believe means nothing.
[quote who="lulapilgrim" reply="277" id="3069209"]But your response doesn't go to the difference between believers like me who would never raise humanity or self to gods and atheists who do.[/quote] Because there is no difference. There are both theists and atheists on both sides of that fence.
[quote who="BoobzTwo" reply="459" id="3068775"]I have not come across such consistent whining before[/quote] It's all about fear. That is how they get rounded up and now the media and politicians are playing into it to rile them up. Gotta keep them warmed up in case diplomacy doesn't work this time around with Iran. [quote who="BoobzTwo" reply="459" id="3068775"]I still think they don’t believe us[/quote] They never will and those who know will never admi
[quote who="BoobzTwo" reply="29" id="3069086"]not within their purview …hahaha???[/quote] Well its not. That's only within the purview of the administration lawyers who craft their legal opinions around the outcome they desire. [e digicons]:grin:[/e]
[quote who="Sinperium" reply="270" id="3068984"]Actually, lesser versions of all these things have already happened.[/quote] Then reveal them for all to see. There are certainly laws and policies that "extremists" propose and some that occasional slip through the cracks, but show me those lesser versions which have not only been instituted but have also already passed muster in the judicial system .
[quote who="Anthony R" reply="27" id="3068698"]disturbing stuff like his newsletters[/quote] That is one thing I do question. I have not seen him answer to that one in a way that is acceptable to me. That kind of thing is very similar to some of the things Gingrich does. They are both examples of provocative politics and it is hard to discern whether that is all it is. I have never liked that kind of thing. [quote who="Anthony R" reply="27" id="3068698"]The best bet is likely
[quote who="Sinperium" reply="975" id="3068751"]Maybe one day you'll have a child or young family member who faces the death of a loved one and they ask, "What will happen to them now?".[/quote] Maybe? What makes you think atheists don't or haven't faced such things? Should we all make up a God simply because it might be easier to explain fairy tales than truth? Who's dodging the issues here? The person willing to teach their children the truth as they know it or the o
[quote who="Sinperium" reply="970" id="3068537"]I do not believe in God [/quote][quote who="Sinperium" reply="970" id="3068537"]know what God is[/quote] Amusing if you take it out of context from what was actually stated. [quote who="Smoothseas" reply="968" id="3068476"] I do not believe in God as a creator or controller of the universe or as a supernatural immortal being .[/quote] The <span style="text-decoration: u
[quote who="Sinperium" reply="967" id="3068434"]So in short, you don't know.[/quote] Atheism is the absence of belief of dieties. I do not believe in God as a creator or controller of the universe or as a supernatural immortal being. That is why I call myself an atheist. God to me is simply a man made concept. A figment of peoples imagination and/or conscience which each individual defines and uses on his or her own terms in light of their own life experiences. Nobody knows yet ev
[quote who="Sinperium" reply="965" id="3068356"]You want to argue people into or out of their points of view--or at least firmly dismiss the ones you don't like. I think people need to make their own minds up and pseudo-intellectual bullying isn't necessary.[/quote] If you think I am trying to push my views on anybody you are sadly mistaken. You are not being bullied and I think you know it. You either have a case of chronic offendedness or you are being insincere. The grievan
[quote who="lulapilgrim" reply="256" id="3068186"]The Divine Law is the Ten Commandments.[/quote] Divine Law is whatever any particular religion,believer, or religious leader deems it to be. It is not something cast in stone and in the world as we know it could mean some quite unacceptable things to many if you actually look around the world to see what some religions or religious leaders reveal it to be. [quote who="lulapilgrim" reply="256" id="3068186"]Believing in the One t
[quote who="Sinperium" reply="961" id="3067808"]People like myself post on here out of interest in the possibility someone might come to see a reason to investigate further for themselves.[/quote] Join a missionary or teach at Sunday school. You're best to use the same time tested methods the institutions use. You are not going to get many people who learned to think for themselves many years ago to accept ceding their decision making process to others. Better yet be fruitful and
[quote who="Sinperium" reply="956" id="3067245"]So the submission to men isn't relevant in that respect-[/quote] It's totally relevant . It is the foundation of all the major religions as well as being a major reason for many people who turn away from religion. [quote who="Sinperium" reply="956" id="3067245"]n Hitchens--and your--world[/quote] Hitchen's world is <span style="text-decoration: u
[quote who="GoaFan77" reply="250" id="3067148"]I do not believe in god, but I know that faith and perhaps even religion of itself is no threat.[/quote] I agree. Religion itself is not a threat. It can be a very good thing in most instances. Seems to me the problem is governments and institutions which manipulate the religious to achieve political goals. Many people blame religion on wars for example, however when you look at things closely more often than not there are political decis
[quote who="Sinperium" reply="248" id="3067124"]I'm pointing out that every person who thought they could bring about an "age of enlightenment" by creating an organization to rise up to empower it brought instead the opposite[/quote] Which has nothing to do with Hitchens. He believed that religion should not just be tolerated but it should be criticized as well. It is not my fault that people such as yourself do not take criticism well. Maybe that is something inherent in people w
[quote who="Sinperium" reply="954" id="3067154"]Religion requires a submission to human authority and understanding and accepting that it has the right to speak and act authoritatively on behalf of a God.[/quote] " Requires a submission to human authority ". You should have said that a long time ago because that is the key to all of it and stating it earlier would have saved you a lot of grief. Basically the same thing I quoted as Hitchen
[quote who="BoobzTwo" reply="246" id="3067084"]I think Sinperium needs some valium or something.[/quote] He simply needs to do some research on Hitchens, Mao, and Lenin to see why putting them in the same boat doesn't hold water.
[quote who="BoobzTwo" reply="243" id="3066925"]Smoothseas; It goes beyond that. Hitchens stated that the concept of a supreme being also empowered such people to do and say anything in the name of such power … without the need to justify anything to anyone[/quote] That one is fairly obvious. I think I learned that concept as a kid, probably while I was sitting in church.
[quote who="Anthony R" reply="24" id="3066796"]but his followers treat him like a cult leader, and that gives me great pause[/quote] Ridiculous statement. That implies that his followers are doing so blindly and without good reason. I strongly disagree with a lot of Ron Paul's "solutions", however it is obvious to me why many people support him. [quote who="Anthony R" reply="24" id="3066796"]Paul really needs to stop saying crazy things out there, like "the US shouldn'
I n Christianity , God is the eternal being that created and preserves the universe . God is most often conceived of as the supernatural <a
[quote who="lulapilgrim" reply="241" id="3066588"]advocacy of human freedom, within the limit of Divine Law,[/quote] Unfortunately you just proved Hitchen's to be correct by stating "within the limits of Divine Law". That is exactly what he is talking about. The concept of "Divine Law" takes away certain freedoms from the individual.
[quote who="SivCorp" reply="938" id="3066506"]Quoting BoobzTwo, reply 928 What science book do you pick up and say, well only half of it is true, the rest is “whatever”, how silly would that be? Any science book from the 1600's work for you?[/quote] You simply say whatever? Or have you seen other sources of information that shows whether the rest is true or false? There is very little if anything in science where acceptance relie
[quote who="BoobzTwo" reply="22" id="3066265"]something quite drastic and damaging to change the direction we are headed in[/quote] No disagreement there, but "drastic and damaging" seems to be on the horizon no matter the direction. Depends on ones own point of view and own circumstances I suppose. [quote who="BoobzTwo" reply="22" id="3066265"]and I see nothing approaching another viable solution in the republican field.[/quote] Neither do I. I don't consider Ron
[quote who="Sinperium" reply="231" id="3065746"]That sort of concerns me as an American--Christianity completely aside.[/quote] He's a comedian above all else. Very much in the style of Carlin and Bruce. He's no different from any number of TV and radio personalities including televangelists who stir up controversy to gain an audience in order to make a living. Man up and stop whining. If you don't like something ignore it. [quote who="Sinperium" reply="231" id="30
[quote who="BoobzTwo" reply="19" id="3065477"]this clip shows why we need someone like Ron Paul now … at this crucial crossroad.[/quote] The clip is a bit extreme but does put across the point. The problem with Paul is the establishment won't let him win and even if he did he would have extreme opposition from both sides of the aisle. He could wind down the war in Afghanistan....but that is already what is happening. He is very good at pointing out the problems but his solu
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