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Politics : Evolution -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Greg or e who wrote (9183)	10/6/2010 10:33:03 AM
From: one_less	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 69300

Calling me passive aggressive, a vague and unsubstantiated allegation, is simply another way for you to deny your own responsibility for what you’ve contributed to a discussion. Here are the facts. I and others here have demonstrated over the years a fairly adequate knowledge of Christian scripture. I personally have provided long topical treatments for you in the past which you have read and responded to, leaving no question as to whether I am familiar with the teachings of the Christian religion. You provide some common and widely known scriptures and label me ignorant (which is false) while pointing to a superior strata of humility upon which you claim to rest your case. 1) I am not a religious scholar and have never claimed to be one but I have demonstrated my knowledge of common Christian scripture and it’s meaning. So, under these circumstances, your bash (labeling me ignorant) is simply an obvious and dishonorable lie on your part. 2) Your reference to humility while claiming some grand superiority over myself or others here is the irony we’ve all come to know you by. In scripture written to and for Christians it is a warning called 'hypocrisy' and I’ve met no one in my life time more representative of that label than you. If there were no persons standing on the religion who were representative of that label, I suppose there would have been no reason for God to mention it in the first place, so thanks for validating God for us, at least on that note. 3) I have not misrepresented Jesus at all. I have commented on your position which implies how you live and what you do is meaningless as long as you are able to recite John 3:16 or something relative to that. I am entitled to my view point and my view point is that such statements are lame and often used by weaklings trying to bash others in oppressive bully mode like your self. That you fail so frequently in those attempts is no surprise. 4) I fully understand the perspective that is Christian. That Jesus is a savior of souls and his story when internalized explains fully the relationship of man to God. I further have no problem with owning that perspective for myself. I do however retain the right to object to religionists claiming authority over me and using scripture to bash me with, especially in such a hypocritical manner. For example let’s take a second look at your attempt. Who on this thread, or more specifically between the two of us, has made the claim of righteousness based on their religious position? I have not, you have. Who on this thread has exalted himself on religious grounds. You have, I have not. Who do you think Jesus applies that parable to, a person who objects to abusive religious authority like me, or a religious person like you who constantly and boldly makes personal religious claims of superiority? <rhetorical> The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector 9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about[a] himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

To: Greg or e who wrote (9183)	10/6/2010 11:08:11 AM
From: one_less	3 Recommendations Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 69300

Why would I object to your authoritative religious statements, besides the fact that you obviously intend to inflict some sort of injury when you make those statements, as they are always paired with personal insult? Why would anyone object to religious authority? Maybe history can give you a clue: History is rife with proponents of religious authority spreading the message of division, fear, conflict, and brutalization in the world. The history of Islam and Christianity are among the greatest examples of that, up to and through the middle-ages and even into the New World of the Americas this defined world affairs, to some extent it still does. Historically that was an easier thing to notice until the religious authority of Christianity was crushed by the anti-religious authority movement called ‘Enlightenment’ and the ‘Age of Reason.’ Islam has had it’s own dark ages but seems to be breaking out of it at least in some regions of the world. Christian religionists like to say their religion has evolved, so we will not see examples of slaughter over insults to the religion or its symbols. They are wrong, the religion has not evolved at all. The Authority of the religion has been shacked by the secular influences of governments ruled by philosophically enlightened laws. I see Christians every day trying to make a case for hatred and violence against some group they see as a threat to the Christian religion and that has been non-stop throughout history. The fact is we don’t see atrocity in the name of Christianity very often because the Christian community has no authority to act except through it’s secular governments which manage to restrain them from brutality in the name of religion. Still we see violent episodes in history under such governments which can be traced to Christian interests. We also see atrocious behavior of people from our Christian community called America or Europe, however, such things simply can no longer be justified in the name of religion. We simply say these are bad people being held responsible for their conduct on a personal level. We don’t say the Christian raping mass murdering heinous criminal or regime, and rightfully so. We hold the individual responsible for his heinous conduct. Religion has always had the core principle of kindness to others. In each moment of our history, in the past as well as present circumstance. We can look at our experience and know what is kind, what would be considerate, what loving conduct looks like and feels like, verses behavior that is more full of spite and malice. Each of us as individuals can do that, and should do that, at any point in time. Do we consider our experience and act in peaceful and loving ways to the people in our sphere of influence? Why not? Does our bond to a religion get in the way of that? How ironic. Well most people do conduct themselves in their experience in a kind and considerate manner, at least that has been my experience in my comings and goings. But religionists will always justify their hate, and I haven’t found a single one not filled with it… justified by some ancient grievance, some single divisive text out of a universe of scripture, or something happening some place in the world that has relatively nothing to do with their particular experience. When a person not in the midst of violent conflict, and not encumbered by religious dogma, considers his personal experience in light of reason, he can always find the answer to God’s central command to love one another, with tolerance and consideration for differences. He can do that whether he is Muslim, Christian, Jew, Hindu, atheist, or otherwise. When a person refuses to take on such a personal responsibility, they simply prove themselves to be hypocrites not worthy of further consideration. There is no authority from God for you or anyone else to spew hatred. Religionists are all extremists and hypocrites for justifying their vile conduct under religious authority.