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Pastimes : The Boxing Ring Revived -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (6453)	6/19/2003 3:38:06 PM
From: one_less	Respond to of 7720

"God can appropriately play favorites in moral questions, favor the victim over the criminal, for example, but not basketball games." That is a very limited view of God, IMO. It isn't a matter of playing favorites. If someone works hard, develops their skills, and prays for rewards, why should they not be rewarded with a win. We don't know that God's influence on the win is based on these things and we don't that the loser was out of favor. God in "infinite wisdom" may have allowed the player to win and boast about his piousness as a way to set the player up for some humiliating lessons that will cause the player to become more humble (a good thing), or as a reward for hard work, or as a way of presenting a righteous role model to others, or..... God may have allowed the loser to lose in order to strengthen the player's resolve toward future endeavors of some sort, or because the guy was a creep that God didn't want held up as a role model, or.... IMO God is on everyone's side and that doesn't mean everyone should end up with a trophy to show for it, or necessarily be rewarded at all...

To: Lane3 who wrote (6453)	6/19/2003 4:13:16 PM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7720

God can appropriately play favorites in moral questions, favor the victim over the criminal, for example, but not basketball games. But if God is no more real than Superman, how does it make any sense for you to say what God can and cannot do? And if God does exist, isn't it arrogant of you to try to set rules for him/her/it? Why can't God be a Spurs fan? Where in any Holy book does it say that God can't take sides? The Bible certainly shows God taking sides in a major way. I personally don't know whether God is a Spurs fan, or not. But I am not going to be arrogant enough to say that he/she/it doesn't have the right to be a Spurs fan if he/she/it wants to. But God IS a Mariners fan, that I know!! <g>

To: Lane3 who wrote (6453)	6/19/2003 4:40:28 PM
From: Solon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7720

You're right. The idea that God plays gratuitous favourites is the genesis of much social conflict. The existence of God or His true nature is irrelevant, of course. But using God as a club to hurt and insult others and to identify them as less worthy of Divine assistance is to expose a thoughtless and reckless mentality, and is to court dissension and conflict between people. A thoughtful person would consider the history of religious conflict within the context of the current terrorism and killing which springs from a presumed religious favour and moral superiority...and would speak with some sensitivity on the matter. War is of course a "contest" as you have pointed out; and the motive of killing to please a supposed agenda of a prejudiced God is I suppose the least worthy of all unworthy motives.