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Politics : Should God be replaced? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Greg or e who wrote (19013)	12/21/2004 9:00:54 PM
From: average joe	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 28931

"How does something "evolve" from nothing? What do you call creation; gradual spontaneous generation? This truly "assumes the falsity of all logic and the suspension of all rational thought." True but it does not better your argument or Solon's.

To: Greg or e who wrote (19013)	12/22/2004 7:51:45 AM
From: Solon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 28931

"Something from nothing is your shtick" You are entirely mistaken. The root of all logic and reason is the axiom that something and nothing cannot contain one another. A thing cannot be a " no thing", and a "no thing" cannot be a thing. If there every was such that was a "no thing" then we define God's existence as enclosing and including that "no thing". If there has never been a "no thing" except conceptually--or except as a part of God, then God either had no priority over it or God included it. In any case, it is a fundamental law that existence does not spring from "no thing", but just is. Nobody has ever been able to make a thing become a "no thing". You can put the entire universe in a blender and frappe it but it will still be there. Nobody has ever created any thing out of "no thing". Until it becomes sensible to speak of such a matter, it is feckless to even discuss a "God" who created some thing from no thing. "How does something "evolve" from nothing?" It doesn't. The logic of all existence begins with the axiom that only that which exists, exists--and if there is anything that does not exist...it has yet to be discovered. There is no single place in the universe you can take me where you can point to a solitary pinpoint of a thing and truly state: "this pinpoint of a thing is a "no thing". It does not exist". Because if it did not exist, then it would not be there and you could not point at it. But there is always some thing every where. Space exists regardless of the forms of energy and matter it contains (or perhaps is)--otherwise I could simply step on to the moon from my living room. Try it, yourself. You can't do it. Therefore, if God WAS Every Thing...then Every Thing WAS God--and still IS. All the myriad "Gods" are just selfish fantasies from selfish people. The real God is LIFE. No--more than that...the real God is EVERY THING.

To: Greg or e who wrote (19013)	1/13/2005 11:44:28 PM
From: average joe	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 28931

Vatican sex guide urges Catholics to do 'it' more often By Julian Coman (Filed: 31/10/2004) A Vatican-sanctioned sex guide is encouraging churchgoers to make love more often in an effort to offset "impotence and frigidity" and address papal concerns over declining birth-rates among Italian Roman Catholics. The controversial book, It's A Sin Not To Do It, written by two theologians, promises the reader answers to "everything you wanted to know about sex but the Church (almost) never dared to tell you". In their attempt to galvanise the faithful, Roberto Beretta and Elisabetta Broli, who write regularly for the Italian Bishops' magazine, Avvenire, have written one of the raciest works ever to deal with the Church and sex. Bullet points on the jacket cover underline the central message: "Sex? God invented it. Original sin? Sex has nothing to do with it. Without sex there is no real marriage." "When people think of the Church and sex, they think of prohibitions and taboos," said Beretta. "But there is a very different and positive side to Church doctrine which needs to be emphasised." In both style and content, the guide - published earlier this month - marks a radical break with traditional Church pronouncements on physical intimacy. Forty years ago, the Vatican published a notorious set of guidelines for courting Catholics that outlawed even French kissing before marriage. The pages of It's A Sin Not To Do It, however, feature a frank interview with Cardinal Ersilio Tonini in which he emphasises that "the Church is not an enemy of the flesh". He argues that Vatican doctrine has always defended the "nobility of sexuality", which is regarded by the Church as a "treasure" of humanity. Another chapter likely to raise eyebrows unearths theological justification for post-coital masturbation for women who fail to achieve orgasm during intercourse. Beretta told The Telegraph: "The Church is not against sex. Something needed to be done about the cliches and stereotypes. The Church is not only about forbidding the use of contraception and warning against the sins of the flesh. "In view of the trivialisation of sex and the rise of impotence and frigidity in consequence, as well as the increasing number of only children, it is better for the Church to promote sex in the right circumstances, instead of just focusing on prohibitions and perversions." The authors have included passages taken from previous papal statements on sexuality, and pronouncements from cardinals who advocate a "healthy Catholic materialism" about marital sex. The Vatican has regularly expressed its concerns over Italy's low birth rate, which stands at fewer than nine births per thousand inhabitants. Two years ago, in an address to the Italian parliament, Pope John Paul described the declining rate as "a serious threat that weighs on the future of the country". According to Beretta, the book is a comprehensive summary of Church doctrine on sexuality, couched in deliberately populist language. He said: "We deliberately set out to discuss the Church's attitude towards sex in frank, secular language. But everything in this book is taken from conventional doctrine. Because of the widespread assumption that the Church loathes sexuality, most people are not aware of the positive things it has to say about physical intimacy." He is now awaiting reader reaction. "The Vatican has not raised any concerns about the tone and style of the book," he said. "Some people might find it a little direct. But at least after reading this book, they will have a balanced picture of what the Church actually thinks about sex." telegraph.co.uk