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originally posted by: Raggedyman
a reply to: rickymouse
I would disagree, I find there to be a higher percentage of Christian fundamentalist than atheists fundamentalists though atheist fundies are as bad as their Christian counter parts
Percentages is the key definition
Most atheists seem to be live and let live but there are a few who want to destroy
originally posted by: Starhooker
Old testament God was bi polar and insecure.
The Bible’s Viewpoint
Does God Change?
ANTHROPOLOGIST George Dorsey described the God of the “Old Testament” as “a savage God.” He added: “Yahweh is . . . utterly unlovely. He is the God of plunderers, of torturers, of warriors, of conquest.” Others have reached similar conclusions regarding the God of the “Old Testament”—Yahweh, or Jehovah. Thus, some today wonder whether Jehovah was in fact a cruel God who eventually changed his character to become the loving and merciful God of the “New Testament.”
Such an idea about the God of the Bible is not new. It was first propounded by Marcion, a semi-Gnostic of the second century C.E. Marcion repudiated the God of the “Old Testament.” He considered that God to be violent and vindictive, a tyrant who offered material rewards to those worshiping him. On the other hand, Marcion described the “New Testament” God—as revealed through Jesus Christ—as a perfect God, a God of pure love and mercy, of graciousness and forgiveness.
Jehovah Meets the Challenge of Changing Conditions
God’s very name, Jehovah, means “He Causes to Become.” This implies that Jehovah causes himself to become the Fulfiller of all his promises. When Moses asked God his name, Jehovah elaborated on its meaning in this way: “I shall prove to be what I shall prove to be.” (Exodus 3:14) Rotherham’s translation puts it this way: “I Will Become whatsoever I please.”
So Jehovah chooses to become, or proves to be, whatever is needed to fulfill his righteous purposes and promises. An evidence of this is the fact that he bears a wide array of titles and descriptive terms: Jehovah of armies, Judge, Sovereign, Jealous, Sovereign Lord, Creator, Father, Grand Instructor, Shepherd, Hearer of prayer, Repurchaser, happy God, and many others. He has chosen to become all of these—and much more—in order to carry out his loving purposes.—Exodus 34:14; Judges 11:27; Psalm 23:1; 65:2; 73:28; 89:26; Isaiah 8:13; 30:20; 40:28; 41:14; 1 Timothy 1:11.
Does this mean, then, that God’s personality or standards change? No. Regarding God, James 1:17 says: “With him there is not a variation of the turning of the shadow.” How could God meet the challenge of varying circumstances while remaining unchanging himself?
The example of caring parents who shift roles for the sake of their children illustrates how this is possible. In the course of a single day, a parent may be a cook, a housekeeper, an electrician, a nurse, a friend, a counselor, a teacher, a disciplinarian, and much more. The parent does not change personality when assuming these roles; he or she simply adapts to needs as they arise. The same is true of Jehovah but on a far grander scale. There is no limit to what he can cause himself to become in order to fulfill his purpose and to benefit his creatures.—Romans 11:33.
For example, Jehovah is revealed as a God of love and mercy in both the Hebrew and the Christian Greek Scriptures. The prophet Micah of the eighth century B.C.E. asked about Jehovah: “Who is a God like you, one pardoning error and passing over transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? He will certainly not hold onto his anger forever, for he is delighting in loving-kindness.” (Micah 7:18) Similarly, the apostle John wrote the famous words: “God is love.”—1 John 4:8.
On the other hand, in both parts of the Bible, Jehovah is presented as the righteous Judge of those who repeatedly, grossly, and unrepentantly violate his laws and harm others. “All the wicked ones [Jehovah] will annihilate,” said the psalmist. (Psalm 145:20) In a similar vein, John 3:36 states: “He that exercises faith in the Son has everlasting life; he that disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.”
Unchanging in Qualities
Jehovah’s personality and cardinal qualities—love, wisdom, justice, and power—have not changed. He told the people of Israel: “I am Jehovah; I have not changed.” (Malachi 3:6) This was some 3,500 years after God’s creation of mankind. True to that divine statement, a close examination of the Bible as a whole reveals a God who is unchanging in his standards and qualities. There has been no mellowing of Jehovah God’s personality during the centuries, since no such mellowing was needed.
God’s firmness for righteousness, as revealed throughout the Bible, is no less nor his love any greater than it was at the beginning of his dealings with humans in Eden. The differences in his personality seemingly demonstrated in various parts of the Bible are in reality different aspects of the same unchanging personality. These result from the differing circumstances and persons dealt with, which called for different attitudes or relationships.
Hence, the Scriptures show clearly that God’s personality has not changed over the centuries and will not change in the future. Jehovah is the supreme embodiment of constancy and consistency. At all times he is dependable and trustworthy. We can always rely on him.
[Pictures on page 16, 17]
The same God who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah . . .
. . . will bring about a righteous new world
originally posted by: chr0naut
...those wars & etc without a religious component ...
All this in full agreement with the notorious fact that churches have been used as recruiting stations and propaganda centers in times of war.
...Dr. Franklin Littell of Baylor University spoke ... about a troublesome “concrete truth.” ...
The truth, Littell said, was that “six million Jews were targeted and systematically murdered in the heart of Christendom, by baptized Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Eastern Orthodox who were never rebuked, let alone excommunicated.” ..
Catholic historian E. I. Watkin wrote: “Painful as the admission must be, we cannot in the interest of a false edification or dishonest loyalty deny or ignore the historical fact that Bishops have consistently supported all wars waged by the government of their country. . . . Where belligerent nationalism is concerned they have spoken as the mouthpiece of Caesar.”... As Roman Catholic professor of history at Vienna University, Friedrich Heer, admitted: “In the cold facts of German history, the Cross and the swastika came ever closer together, until the swastika proclaimed the message of victory from the towers of German cathedrals, swastika flags appeared round altars and Catholic and Protestant theologians, pastors, churchmen and statesmen welcomed the alliance with Hitler.”
..
The reason the churches were silent becomes clear. It is because Christendom’s clergy and their flocks had abandoned the teachings of the Bible in favor of supporting the political state. In 1933 the Roman Catholic Church concluded a concordat with the Nazis. Roman Catholic cardinal Faulhaber wrote to Hitler: “This handshake with the Papacy . . . is a feat of immeasurable blessing. . . . May God preserve the Reich Chancellor [Hitler].”
If it's so nice and easy like you say, I wonder then how millions of Christians have been horrifically tortured and killed for their faith, in the past, and now - especially now in places like Sudan.
originally posted by: ServiusTull
a reply to: toms54
A god ensures pain and suffering makes since for the masses. The oldest control system since the advent of henpecking. Don't worry, the elite will get theirs in the afterlife and you will be kings but, you have to turn the other cheek to have that kingdom in heaven. You have to be passive and in some cases, you are allowed to be assertive but those are regarding minor decisions. Something, that gives a simple believer that feeling of being part of something bigger than themselves. Let's see governments get up to 30 percent and the church gets 10 percent. Oh come by the church and let us teach you how to apply for government benefits, now remember Jesus gets 10 percent. Meanwhile can your children be in the choir, oh they are safe, believe blindly, they will be better men and women because of their secrecy and loyalty. It won't sell anymore.
originally posted by: Assemble
It's been my experience of atheists that, either they are,
1. Angry atheists, like Richard Dawkins. Seems more like a temper tantrum.
2. 'Moderate atheists'. These type are quite perplexing, because they 'borrow' a lot of practices and beliefs borne out of religion. For instance, the atheist who meditates every morning. The atheist who practices yoga. The atheist who's an atheist, but believes in 'karma', gets their tarot read.
3. Kinda like the 1st one, where they replace a tradition faith based system with a fanatic belief in science, as if science is a religion, and the scientist is their 'priest' (don't question the scientist).
Really, all 3, whether they realize or not, have 'spiritual' feelings inside of them.
The 1st one is an obvious one, as they seem the most fanatical, it's as if what's really bothering them, is that they are angry at God.