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Tsk tsk tsk apparently someone doesn't know his Biblical HistoryBecause, you know, Jesus armed his disciples with AK-47s and LAWS rockets; it says so right there in Luke 22:51...
Julius Caesar was so mad about it that he had Cleopatra and Constantine fight an Orca in the Colosseum, whom they finally defeated at the Milvian bridge.
Hey folks, IANAL, but if somebody ever DID break into your home and you killed them, public statements like these would NOT look good for your defense.
lol You mean, you don't think that "Anyone who enters my home uninvited is rendered instantly and wholly morally inconsiderable" is reasonable?
Luke 22:36
Charlie, you read that passage in Luke 22 literally and out of context, and read Luke 6 and the rest of Luke 22 and Matthew 5 figuratively/as historical idioms only, and don't see any problem with that? Seriously?
12 disciples, 2 swords, and he says "That is enough!"
Contra Carrier: Why Theism is Needed to Make Sense of Everything
I did not understand everything. I disagree with the author. I believe all he proves is we do not understand how our universe was created whether you attribute that to god or some unknown factor.
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Hey folks, IANAL, but if somebody ever DID break into your home and you killed them, public statements like these would NOT look good for your defense.lol You mean, you don't think that "Anyone who enters my home uninvited is rendered instantly and wholly morally inconsiderable" is reasonable?
Yeah, because, you know, we should all be thanking them and offering them chamomile tea. It's only civilized, after all.
Yeah, because, you know, we should all be thanking them and offering them chamomile tea. It's only civilized, after all.
There's a famous Zen story about Ryokan, the Japanese Zen master who lived alone in a hut at the foot of a mountain. He lived in abject poverty, eating local plants and the rice that neighboring farmers would sometimes give him. His little hut was empty, he slept on the ground and spent his days meditating on a rock.
One evening a thief crawled through the window (the door, as always, was unlocked, unbeknownst to the robber), but discovered that there was absolutely nothing to steal in the hut. At this point Ryokan returned from his walk and caught the thief searching the room.
He approached the thief and warmly shook his hand. The thief was so surprised. Ryokan told the prowler, "You must have come a long way to visit me, and you shouldn't leave empty-handed." Ryokan looked around the empty room, but he too couldn't find anything to give him, so he took off his only robe and handed it to the robber.
"Please, take my clothes as a gift," Ryokan said.
The thief was too astonished to say anything, and he took the robe and slunk away into the cold night. Ryokan sat naked and gazed at the full moon through the window. "Poor fellow," he mused, "I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon."
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Yeah, because, you know, we should all be thanking them and offering them chamomile tea. It's only civilized, after all.There's a famous Zen story about Ryokan, the Japanese Zen master who lived alone in a hut at the foot of a mountain. He lived in abject poverty, eating local plants and the rice that neighboring farmers would sometimes give him. His little hut was empty, he slept on the ground and spent his days meditating on a rock.
One evening a thief crawled through the window (the door, as always, was unlocked, unbeknownst to the robber), but discovered that there was absolutely nothing to steal in the hut. At this point Ryokan returned from his walk and caught the thief searching the room.
He approached the thief and warmly shook his hand. The thief was so surprised. Ryokan told the prowler, "You must have come a long way to visit me, and you shouldn't leave empty-handed." Ryokan looked around the empty room, but he too couldn't find anything to give him, so he took off his only robe and handed it to the robber.
"Please, take my clothes as a gift," Ryokan said.The thief was too astonished to say anything, and he took the robe and slunk away into the cold night. Ryokan sat naked and gazed at the full moon through the window. "Poor fellow," he mused, "I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon."
Mu.
Mu.
"Does Derek have a Buddha-nature?"
"I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon."
That is a great story. Sounds a little like walking two miles with someone when they ask you to walk one.
Just as the man in the waterfall follows the nature of the water, the sage is keenly aware of his environment and the forces at work in it. He brings observations and insights to the present moment to understand exactly what is going on. This means he does not merely "let go" in living the Taoist life - that would only be yet another misconception - instead, he is actively interested in his surroundings and curious about current events. This is how he follows the nature of life.
This paragraph struck me. On another board, someone suggested that 'effortless action' required awareness.
On another board, someone suggested that 'effortless action' required awareness.
Was that "The Buddha is Not Serious"? I'm sad there haven't been any new posts there in weeks.
Was that "The Buddha is Not Serious"? I'm sad there haven't been any new posts there in weeks.
No. Actually, of all places, it was the board of literary depravity I mentioned elsewhere. Like many other forums, they have an entire section devoted to the contentious subjects of politics and religion. I wanted to try and add something positive as well as allow myself a place to explore my own introspection. So I started a thread on Taoism.
But thank you for another place to explore.
EDIT: Blast! It is blocked here at work.
Pffft. LAW rockets are so '80s. AT-4's are where it's at now.
It's because I've been X-mas shopping, but I read that as "At-Ats are where it's at now". It was awesome for the half-second it took for my brain to properly recognize what was actually written.
I think the lesson there is that I'm a huge dork.
I think the lesson there is that I'm a huge dork.
Like this is news? If you hear "RPG" and your first thought isn't rocket-propelled grenade...
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I think the lesson there is that I'm a huge dork.Like this is news? If you hear "RPG" and your first thought isn't rocket-propelled grenade...
Does this mean I'm not a dork? Honestly, I've played military themed RPGs and been in the military, I usually do thing about RPG-7 before "role playing game". All "RPGs" are D&D to me, like all carbonated soft drinks are "Coke" to a Texan.
Like in the Fey thread. FAE is always "fuel air explosive" to me.
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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"I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon."That is a great story. Sounds a little like walking two miles with someone when they ask you to walk one.
Someone else will see this and think "convergent evolution." The Christian will see this and think "the law of God is writ in the hearts of men." To put it another way, similarities in ethics across cultures display a common core ethic; differences in ethics from culture to culture are deviations from that common core ethic. Conscience is a curious faculty, one which seems common to every person, yet operates differently in each person. Nonetheless, it seems as natural and inherent as walking bipedal. And as universal as conscience seems to be, it seems equally universal that each of us has, at some point, acted out of accordance with our own conscience.
I think the lesson there is that I'm a huge dork.Like this is news? If you hear "RPG" and your first thought isn't rocket-propelled grenade...
They put rockets on grenades now?
Nasreddin Hadja woke to the sound of a thief ransacking his house. Now the normal reaction to this would be to lay quietly and hope the burglar doesn't notice you, or to jump up and hope to scare the burglar away. Instead, Nasreddin quietly said, "Light a match."
The thief, not expecting this, betrayed himself by saying, "Huh?"
Nasreddin, continued, "Light a match; I want to see the face of a wise man."
The thief said, "What do you mean?"
Nasreddin replied, "Well, surely it is a wise man who can find in the dark what I cannot find in the light though I search all day."
Someone else will see this and think "convergent evolution."
Evolution, yes. The ability to cooperate with a group would certainly be an advantageous trait. "Convergent evolution," no, not at all. That's when like, for example, dolphins and ichthyosaurs have similar body shapes even though they're not related that closely.
C'mon, if I can quote scripture with you, the least you can do is look up your science words! ;P
And as universal as conscience seems to be, it seems equally universal that each of us has, at some point, acted out of accordance with our own conscience.
Unfortunately, with alarming frequency.
Conscience is a curious faculty, one which seems common to every person, yet operates differently in each person. Nonetheless, it seems as natural and inherent as walking bipedal.
This is part of the reason why I believe religion is a necessary step in sentient beings. It also, from my skeptical perspective, answers why there are so many disparate religions and why many have a 'burning in the bosom'. There is something there we do not fully understand, yet we all recognize it on some level.
It's called acid reflux...
…and it comes from eating grilled cheese sandwiches which appear to have the image of Jesus on them.
Two apologists on the Canaanite genocide.
So perhaps instead the most genocidal phrases in Joshua were meant as hyperbole. Imagine a basketball team speaking of how they “totally slaughtered” their opponents like their coach told them to. In the same way, maybe the Israelites wrote in hyperbolic language about how they defeated their enemies.
Indeed, this kind of exaggeration and hagiography on a nation’s own behalf is common in ancient literature.
It doesn't look like the apologist admits it, but he's essentially saying the Bible isn't completely reliable and accurate. That's, of course, a perfectly good stand to take. It also avoids the obvious moral problem of being an apologist for genocide.
The other way is how William Lane Craig goes, and it's not so pretty:
Compare Matt’s apologetic for the genocide of the Canaanites to William Lane Craig’s apologetic for those same events. Matt’s apologetic says that genocide is probably wrong (what a relief!), so it must be that these events never really happened as recorded in the Bible, if we read it literally. Craig’s apologetic says that genocide was morally good because (1) God gave the Israelites Canaan as a gift, (2) God can do whatever the f*@% he wants, and (3) genocide is a fitting punishment for sin. I suspect those bound at the hip to Biblical literalism will follow Craig’s lead, and those with a shred of conscience will follow Matt’s.
But if one is a Biblical literalist (and I suppose also an inerrantist, but I don't know of any literalists who aren't also inerrantists) Then it would be hard to avoid Craig's position and remain consistent. I'm not sure it's possible.
God can do whatever the f%~* he wants…
This, appears to me, an argument that Moff puts forward occasionally. One I take exception to. I can not argue, that, if there is a god, he certainly has the capacity to do as he pleases. But 'do as I say, not as I do' was not a good enough answer coming from my parents. It is not going to do coming from god. For one, god is suppose to be the ultimate 'good', so he surely has nothing to hide from me. Secondly, he is all powerful, so he should not have any difficulty explaining why I should do something in terms I can understand.
God can do whatever the f%~* he wants…But 'do as I say, not as I do' was not a good enough answer coming from my parents. It is not going to do coming from god.
I've had the same problem. If one's parents tell one not to do something that they do routinely, then the suspicion of hypocrisy must be addressed. Luckily mine were rarely the sort that would give such orders, and when they did they were generally forthcoming about why a distinction was made. But that only raises the question as to how it is that the Heavenly Father is such a slouch compared to a regular Earthly Father. Surely it can't be that he's lacking in time or resources.
Luckily mine were rarely the sort that would give such orders, and when they did they were generally forthcoming about why a distinction was made.
I wonder if there's a correlation of devout religiosity in people with authoritarian parents ("do as I tell you or else"), vs. agnosticism in people with authoritative parents ("here's the reason I'm telling you to do that").
I thought this relevant to the discussion of Morality. I am still struggling to understand Taoism. What the author says makes a lot of sense, but I am not sure I agree that is what the Tao Te Ching meant.
Luckily mine were rarely the sort that would give such orders, and when they did they were generally forthcoming about why a distinction was made.I wonder if there's a correlation of devout religiosity in people with authoritarian parents ("do as I tell you or else"), vs. agnosticism in people with authoritative parents ("here's the reason I'm telling you to do that").
I suppose it's possible. We certainly get our first ideas about what a proper authority figure entails, or does not entail, from our parents. Unless we grew up in an orphanage or something like that, I suppose.
I grew up with a single mother who would sit me down most times and tell me why she would make a decision. Truth be known I wish I would do that more often with my kids. My oldest however will try to spend an hour debating on the whys instead of doing something simple and it wears on my nerves much more then when I did it to my mother.
I grew up with a single mother who would sit me down most times and tell me why she would make a decision. Truth be known I wish I would do that more often with my kids. My oldest however will try to spend an hour debating on the whys instead of doing something simple and it wears on my nerves much more then when I did it to my mother.
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God can do whatever the f%~* he wants…This, appears to me, an argument that Moff puts forward occasionally.
Yes and no. This is something that I don't really have an answer for (and haven't been given). Not sure that it's much of an "argument" that way. Just feel like I haven't been given enough information to actual "argue".
At the same time, people are bringing up parenting corelations. We do this all the time. Kids go to bed earlier than their parents. Why? "Because you need your sleep" (Like we don't?) "Because it's healthier" (So we are allowed to be "unhealthy"?) "Because I need some alone time" (Sounds a bit selfish.) We eat things, drink things, and do things that will (more often than not) sound like we have a double standard.
Not saying that it's a "justification" for the passages in question -- just that this corelation isn't probably the best to show how awful God is.
God as a parent is a poor analogy. Earthly parents are not all-knowing nor all-powerful. It makes a difference.
I am sorry for calling you out, Moff. If it is any consolation, at least you know I do read what you write…if I do not fully understand your point. I think you have brought this up on occasion when I have implied god is 'bad'. Faith allows you a way through why god allows bad things to happen to good people. For me, it is yet another glaring inconsistency.
God as a parent is a poor analogy. Earthly parents are not all-knowing nor all-powerful. It makes a difference.
Also if earthly parents suck, hopefully the state can be brought in to protect children from them.
But mainly my dot vanished. Twice today. Weird.
A question from a friend of mine (that I said I would pass along):
"Since nuns marry Jesus, does that not make them, and Jesus, polygamists?"
It was originally asked by her grandmother to the grandmother's catholic priest.
The priest's answer was "Leave and never come back to this church, ever."
A question from a friend of mine (that I said I would pass along):
"Since nuns marry Jesus, does that not make them, and Jesus, polygamists?"
It was originally asked by her grandmother to the grandmother's catholic priest.
The priest's answer was "Leave and never come back to this church, ever."
There is no sacrament of Matrimony involved, so it is not marriage in that sense. In some orders, the vows are very much like wedding vows, and a nun's relationship with God should be like a spouse. It is a figurative term, but it is a good illustration of what nuns are supposed to be.
If that is what the priests response was, he should go back to seminary school.
If that is what the priests response was, he should go back to seminary school.
I understand there's a major priest shortage. Perhaps he was a rush job.
I understand there's a major priest shortage. Perhaps he was a rush job.
If that is what the priests response was, he should go back to seminary school.
Maybe.
word
dot maker this time?
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I grew up with a single mother who would sit me down most times and tell me why she would make a decision. Truth be known I wish I would do that more often with my kids. My oldest however will try to spend an hour debating on the whys instead of doing something simple and it wears on my nerves much more then when I did it to my mother.
A piece of advice I got from an atheist parent:
Give the "order" (go to bed, clean your room, etc). If asked why, give a sensible reason for the command. If the child continues to try to debate, the proper response is "I gave you the task, and I gave you the reason. Now you need to do what you've been told."
There's a difference between legitimately questioning a chore and simply stalling to get out of it.
Please note I'm not trying to tell you how to parent your kids - my daughter hasn't figured out walking or talking yet, so I'm sure you have more experience than I do. I just really liked that tip when I first heard it, wanted to pass it along.
This post is #9,953. What happens when we hit 10,000? Do we break the boards? Do we win a prize?