by writetoknow 87 Replies latest watchtower bible
So now you assume the superior air that I too stupid to have studied such profound writings. Or is that some one interpertation of what mans history is about?
Don't you claim the bible as one of mans books that people have interpetive to do evil? Could it be people are rewriting history to prove there is no God or excuse me that belief in God is evil?
I cannot remember how many times I heard the Bible verse "The FEAR of God is the beginning of wisdom."
And the Bible describes God as "an awesome, all-consuming fire". He is depicted as a warrior god in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament he's shown as having a sickle ready to thrust into the bunch of grapes that is mankind ,ready to be squeezed out in the winepress of God's anger.
Christian people have often been described by other Christians as "God-fearing".
So yeah, I'd say it's factual that Christianity has a lot of built-in fear.
So people only do good things for a reward! Another sweeping Gernealization so until I don't believe in God I can do no good works for God. Or better put all Christain are hypocrites! Or better put people can't really love God for His ways. So that proves believing in God is for the weak minded.
And believing in mans writings is strong minded intellectually superior. So when a government produced the nuclear bomb should we worship the leaders of fear the government as an all consuming fire. Or perhaps worship the men of science that created the all consuming fire. And if a dad correct his children should he be disrepected because the children fear his discipline. Is that the reason so many people in our country are killing each other because they have no respect of parents?
So doing good works is the absense of fear? Got that but it ok to do good works for the reward of men? Which is more noble? So you only do good works for the reward of men? Can you prove to me that you don't? Or do I just have to take it on faith that you would actually do good works because you care about people? And why are your motives better then a Christian that has love of God in his heart?
More Americans believe in God than in angels, miracles, and even heaven. And while half attend worship services on a regular basis, a majority thinks religion plays too small a role in people’s lives today.
Fully 92 percent of Americans say they believe in God, 85 percent in heaven and 82 percent in miracles, according to the latest FOX News poll. Though belief in God has remained at about the same level, belief in the devil has increased slightly over the last few years — from 63 percent in 1997 to 71 percent today.
The national poll, conducted by Opinion Dynamics Corporation (search), shows that about a third of Americans believe in ghosts (34 percent) and an equal number in UFOs (34 percent), and about a quarter accept things like astrology (search) (29 percent), reincarnation (search) (25 percent) and witches (24 percent).
When debating with Atheist on this forum they would have you believe the majority of people now day don't believe in God and he is outdated!
24% of Americans believe that both the theory of evolution and the theory of creationism are probably or definitely true
41% believe that creationism is true, and that evolution is false
28% believe that evolution is true, but that creationism is false
3% either believe that both are false or have no opinion about at least one of the theories
So that means everyone thats a Christian does good works because of fear of God!
No. It simply means that many people do good things (and even bad things) and may not always be aware of how or why they do the things they do.
Cultures have evolved because human beings evolved the need and desire for them. Because we create does not mean that everything around us was created, though it's an understandable assumption to make. It is also just that - an assumption, not a fact.
Or do I just have to take it on faith that you would actually do good works because you care about people?
You may, if you like.
And why are your motives better then a Christian that has love of God in his heart?
I can only answer such a generalization with another generalization, and that is: Perhaps our motives are better because 'the love in our hearts' does not allow us to justify hatred or wage war against those who disagree with us, as often has been the case with "godly" people throughout history.
I do not say that all religious people are war-mongerers, any more than I would say all atheists are peacenicks.
That would be a generalization I could not prove, although, as Gopher, who tends to write in complete senteces, has suggested, much violence throughout history has been perpetrated by and through "godly" authorities, drunk with the so-called "love" of god.
Just because an idea is popular does not mean it is logical, true or helpful.
People used to believe the world was flat. Columbus was going to sail off the edge of the earth! People used to believe the earth was the center of the known universe, and that everything revolved around it.
The majority of Western society tolerated slavery, on the basis of the idea (taught in some churches, no less) that Africans were a lower form of humanity. That idea has been disproven and rejected.
Now as far as "God" is concerned, nobody on earth will be ever able to prove or disprove the existence of one. What this thread was about was the EFFECTS of belief (or lack thereof) in an unseen an unprovable entity.
I submit that the effects of belief in an unprobable entity lead to violent conflict, and a retardation of educational, scientific and political process.
You might find the answer to your original question, "how many died during the crusades" here, along with some other enlightening information on all the bad things people have done to each other before the 20th century:
http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat0.htm
Here, someone else has done the arithmetic, since you really wanted to know:
Crusades (1095-1291)
Then why do athiest state Christian do good works out of fear of God if they don't believe that to be true?
So to assume means we must take some things on what we believe to be true? We are only assuming when we talk about religion but not evolution that is the desired assumption you wish to postulate?
So we can actually only imput motives as to why people do good works we must trust or distrust a person words if their motives are honest or not? Can you prove to me good works evolved by double blind scientific studies?
Or must assumption be good works evolved and if so what was the motive of the people doing the study? What type of good works would a person do that was hateful should we quess and call that science. Or should we study hateful people objectively and prove what most often happens when hateful people do good works.
The study of emotions has never been an exact science even for the greatest mines of are times so things have changed they can factual state good works evolved where is that study?
So you are suggesting that science went back to the first human fossels and concluded good works evolved or is this an assumption based on trying to disprove there is no God or a reason to believe in him. Why should I put faith in your theory?
Is that anothe sweeping generalization to actually disprove facts? That interesting last time we debate atheism I was lead to believe religion was outdated by the popular belief in atheism sounds like you guys want it both ways!
What you simple have not concluded is every agruement used against religion can also be used against your beliefs and they won't hold up any better.
