George Affleck
TOL Subscriber
How about debating for money? You send me 5 bucks and you get 3 debating tokens you can use with me anytime.
I have an Idea for a new Christian Branch.
- Thread starter James Shepard
- Start date
How about debating for money? You send me 5 bucks and you get 3 debating tokens you can use with me anytime.
George Affleck
TOL Subscriber
I think he made a mistake and actually meant to say 'science' instead of 'Bible'.
James Shepard
New member
Devious things made in the name of the Bible? easy. The Inquisition, the Reconquista, The Crusades, vast corruption which lead to the Reformation, the whole of Westboro Baptist, etc. I can go on.
You cannot take the word of the Bible verbatim. I personally use it as a collection of lessons and moral stories that help you become a better person and thus in turn be working for the building of His kingdom
That branch already exists......nothing new.
Huckleberry
New member
Is this in response to me? Because none of that answers anything I've challenged you on.
I don't even want to respond to this, because I suspect you'll continue to ignore calls for evidence that your religion comes from God.
But, sigh, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Yes, science has given us many good things and improved on many things. That's all well and good. It's also given us many horrible, evil things. You cited Hiroshima right there among the things science allowed us to repair or improve upon. You also cited Germany, which I assume refers to Nazi Germany (?), which itself utilized scientific discoveries in horrific ways and killed millions. It's justified racism, sterilization of those deemed "feeble minded", allowed for previously unimaginable inhumane experimentation, the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, created extremely destructive drugs, made possible upwards of 50 million abortions so far in this nation alone, every NBC weapon of mass destruction, and on and on and on....
Your claim that science will make the world a better place is debatable, at best. The world will never be better until you improve the people in it. This is why calls for evidence to support your religion's validity are important. If it's not from God, then it's guaranteed to do more harm than good.
James Shepard
New member
This is very true Huckeberry but religion has also led to terrible things as well. Oh and I do not believe that just science alone will fix the world, but our love and understanding that can come from science will. Social science right now is doing a great job at helping with relations.
Huckleberry
New member
So science is good and bad. And religion is good and bad.
Okay, let's see if we can get to the root of things. Do you believe there is a God? And that He is good? And that He can make us good?
Also, side note, I'm not aware of social science research having accomplished anything good at all. Maybe I just missed the "great job" it's been doing. :idunno:
James Shepard
New member
Eh its slow progress. And yes I believe there is a God, yes I believe He is good. Do I think He will make us good? No. He gave us free will. It is our job to make ourselves good for him and in his eyes.
Um no, you just moved the goalposts. What devious thing happened by what bible passage taken literally?
You need to be able to answer what you suggested. If you cant answer biblical questions, your ability to start your own religion based on it, wont go very far.
James Shepard
New member
I cannot quote Scripture like you can Angel4truth. But the eradication of all nonbelievers or something like that, I would have to look but you probably already know it. The whole slave trade was justified using the Bible, Westboro takes the Bible so literally they say God hates (insert group of people here). God does not hate anyone, He loves everyone, the only thing he hates is sin, not the sinner.
Then how do you know its not meant to be taken literally, or anything about it really?
All non believers will be eradicated one day. We arent told to eradicate them though, God will. So you have no idea what you are talking about.
You make these claims but admit you dont know what they are based on, why should i listen to you?
James Shepard
New member
And Dialogos, i Believe the word of God is true. I just believe the word of God is in math and science.
James Shepard
New member
The erradication part, Angel, may not be meant for us, but interpreting something too literal will lead to it.
Huckleberry
New member
Awesome!
Interestingly, this is the very question the bible itself concerns itself with. Whether we can make ourselves righteous or whether we must submit to God to be made righteous.
Christians believe we cannot be righteous on our own, no matter what set of rules or laws we impose upon ourselves. The bible provides mountains of evidence to establish this. Moreover, that is precisely what a religion is and why religion (or any other set or rule or laws) cannot make us good.
To be righteous we must be made righteous by God. There's no other way.
But, that's what Christianity says. So, that aside. On what do you base your claim that God expects us to make ourselves good?
James Shepard
New member
Yes but the idea I have helps us strive towards being good. It will not make us good but it will give us a better understanding of how to be good while still worshiping in His name and building.
It literally says God does it, so unless someone is claiming they ARE God, then no, they arent taking that passage as literally being them.
You have no idea what you are talking about and cannot even present what you claim.
James Shepard
New member
And my claim? The fact he gave us free will. If He truly wanted to make us be good without discovering it ourselves, he would take that away and we would just be puppets. But by making the world in the ideal image He would want, we better understand Him and our place and come closer to Him
James Shepard
New member
Again, Angel, it can be interpreted as acting on the behalf of God (i.e. the Crusades and Inquisition)
Huckleberry
New member
I'm really trying, but just not able to pin down exactly what your religion is and what it's based on. And you still refuse to claim and prove that your religion is from God.
If you can't support the claim that your religion is from God, then it's not even a religion. It's a philosophy, at best, that has something to do with valuing science or something. :idunno: