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May 31st, 2013
04:19 PM ET
Baptists plan exodus from Boy ScoutsBy Daniel Burke, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor (CNN) - For Southern Baptist pastor Tim Reed, it was Scripture versus the Scouts. “God’s word explicitly says homosexuality is a choice, a sin,” said Reed, pastor of First Baptist Church of Gravel Ridge in Jacksonville, Arkansas. So when the Boy Scouts of America voted to lift its ban on openly gay youths on May 24, Reed said the church had no choice but to cut its charter with Troop 542. “It’s not a hate thing here,” Reed told CNN affiliate Fox 16. “It’s a moral stance we must take as a Southern Baptist church.” Southern Baptist leaders say Reed is not alone. Baptist churches sponsor nearly 4,000 Scout units representing more than 100,000 youths, according to the Boy Scouts of America. That number could drop precipitously. The Southern Baptist Convention, the country’s largest Protestant denomination, will soon urge its 45,000 congregations and 16 million members to cut ties with the Scouts, according to church leaders. The denomination will vote on nonbinding but influential resolutions during a convention June 11-12 in Houston. “There’s a 100% chance that there will be a resolution about disaffiliation at the convention,” said Richard Land, the outgoing head of the Southern Baptists’ Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, “and a 100% chance that 99% of people will vote for it.” “Southern Baptists are going to be leaving the Boy Scouts en masse,” Land continued. Roger “Sing” Oldham, a spokesman for the Southern Baptist Convention, emphasized that local congregations make their own decision on the Scouts. But he, too, said he expects Baptist delegates, which the church calls “messengers,” to voice their disagreement with the BSA's decision to allow gay youths. “With this policy change, the Boy Scouts’ values are contradictory to the basic values of our local churches,” Oldham said. Several religious groups with strong Scouting ties support the new policy. “We have heard from both those who support the amended policy and those who would have preferred it would not have changed,” said BSA spokesman Deron Smith. Faith-based organizations charter more than 70% of Scout chapters, providing meeting space and leadership, according to the BSA. “There have been some organizations that have decided not to renew their charters with Scouting," said Smith, "but we can’t quantify the impact of the amended policy." The National Jewish Committee on Scouting, the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church, the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which sponsors more Scout units than any other faith, all endorsed the change. The National Catholic Committee on Scouting, which is run with oversight from a bishop, said Thursday that allowing gay youths in the Scouts does not conflict with church teaching. Each bishop will decide whether or not to allow churches in his diocese to charter Scout units, the committee added. “We ask that Catholic Scouters and chartered organization heads not rush to judgment,” said Edward Martin, chairman of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. But the Rev. Derek Lappe, pastor of the Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Bremerton, Washington, has already made up his mind. “I do not feel that it is possible for us to live out, and to teach, the authentic truth about human sexuality within the confines of the Boy Scout’s new policy,” said Lappe. The priest told CNN affiliate FOX16 that his parish will part ways with the Scouts and develop its own programs. There may soon be an alternative to the Scouts for social conservatives like Lappe. John Stemberger, founder of On My Honor, a group that opposed the Scouts’ change in policy, plans to convene conservatives in Louisville, Kentucky, in June to consider forming a new Scout-like group, which could be up and running by the end of 2013. “Churches and Scoutmasters are looking for leadership and direction,” said Stemberg, an attorney in Orlando, Florida. A number of conservative religious denominations already sponsor their own groups. For instance, the Southern Baptists have the Royal Ambassadors, an explicitly Christian program founded in 1908 for boys in first through sixth grade. (A similar group called Challengers equips older boys in “mission education.”) The name comes from the New Testament, in which the Apostle Paul tells Christians to be “ambassadors for Christ.” The estimated 31,000 Royal Ambassadors pledge “ to become a well-informed, responsible follower of Christ; to have a Christlike concern for all people; to learn how to carry the message of Christ around the world; to work with others in sharing Christ; and to keep myself clean and healthy in mind and body." While not as outdoorsy as the Boy Scouts, Ambassadors do camp and play sports, said Land, who was a member of the group during the 1950s. But instead of merit badges for archery and bird study, young Ambassadors earn patches for memorizing Bible verses and mission work. Southern Baptists said they are preparing for a surge of interest in the Royal Ambassadors at their upcoming convention in Houston. “We really have an opportunity here to strengthen our RA programs,” the Rev. Ernest Easley, chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, said in a sermon last Sunday, “and to get the boys in a program where they’re going to be protected, where there’s a high moral standard and where they will have an opportunity to learn about camping, missions, evangelism in the local church.” soundoff (10,821 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 Next » |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Bye.
faith....................this sh-it is happening again faithy ?..................it has change page numbers 2 times already this morning .
JamesK
We don't have "faith" in our convictions, just the confidence that comes with knowing that science and logic are superior means towards finding the truth of now the natural world works. It's not faith when you have evidence to back up your conclusions.
this proves y they devout every waking minute trying in vain to wipe Christianity off the face of the earth-confidence!
June 4, 2013 at 1:30 pm | Report abuse | Reply
David
"this proves y they devout"
No, that just proves you should devote some time to reading and writing instead of wandering around these boards announcing to everyone how poorly you did in school.
June 4, 2013 at 1:37 pm | Report abuse |
Science
Hey chadie look what Isabell found ..............chad is the king and queen of trolls
An 'Extinct' Frog Makes a Comeback in Israel
June 4, 2013 — The first amphibian to have been officially declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has been rediscovered in the north of Israel after some 60 years and turns out to be a unique "living fossil," without close relatives among other living frogs.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130604113437.htm
June 4, 2013 at 3:37 pm | Report abuse |
Science
Are comments disappearing again faithy ?
June 6, 2013 at 9:43 am | Report abuse |
And then God created 'Man', in HIS own image, then the good ol' SBC comes along and decides in their own twisted way, what that image is. MAN, there is POWER in them good ol' SBC's. THEY have the right to declare the will and mind of God. Guess that's makes them special, aye? God loves you anyway, somehow, poor minded SBC's.
If God created man in his own image, then there must be some gayness in him somewhere.
R.I.P. B.S.A. How did you think this was going to end? You take an organization that has been around for 100 years, based in faith and doing the right thing, being prepared, helping their fellow man and you now feel you have to cater to a group of people that make up 3%-5% of the population?
yeah, the nerve of those people standing up to bigotry
Per the chairman of the SBC Executive Committee...“and to get the boys in a program where they’re going to be protected, where there’s a high moral standard and where they will have an opportunity to learn about camping, missions, evangelism in the local church.”...how about you discuss the fact that the Royal Ambassadors have had their fair share of molestation investigations and convictions. Please do not act like you are above reproach and that you are trying to provide a better environment, when molestation issues can also be found within your own programs.
Jesus said that 99.9999999% of the humans that ever lived on earth will burn in hell.
I have read the Bible for over 70 years. I truly do not think Jesus ever said or even implied any percentage of how many people won't be saved. What book, chapter and verse do you fine this in?
How many people that have ever lived did not accept christ?
I think this is meant to be a joke as the bible is not really big on accurate maths and science, unless you're referring to Revelation...
I've seen estimates that 110 billion people have ever lived on earth, and another estimate that there have been a total of 8 billion christians throughout the history of Christianity. That would send 7% of all people that have ever lived to heaven, but only if every Christian that ever lived really believed in God, and lived without sin (or whatever the entry requirements are for heaven).
A wild guess would be that not all 8 billion of those Christians meet the entry requirements. Of course, if you're a Jehovah's Witness, and believe in the dreams, and night terrors of John of Patmos, then the number is an even-Steven 144,000 which works out to a percentage that, given the margin of error, could just as easily be zero.
99% will brun in hell? Nowhere in scripture dose it say this.
Nathan,
Read EnjaySea's comment right above yours (if you can read, that is - you sure cannot write!)
Nawww.. yer thinin' of an old ivory soap commercial. We want yew tew join our cult-of-Westboro prayer group. We don't dew no thinkin' stuff... jest plain ole hatin' & fear-mongerin' fer jeeezus. Yew would fit right in. We're so pure we float too... right up tew heaven...
only 144,000 go to heaven according to Revelation and all from the tribes of Israel. I think 144,000 might be more than .0000001% of all humans ever to have lived.
jumping off a cliff results in the same fate whether or not you blame gravity. gravity doesn't mind
some cut off their noses to spite their faces like 99.999999999999999999999999% of the immature nazis posting here; they get their kicks by blaming god for their decisions to spend eternity in hell.
pity the fools. it is the best they can do
pull the trigger, filth, jeebus is waiting
The Boy Scouts still kick boys out if they don't believe in God, so the Baptists should be thrilled.
BS
(covers them all, in fact)
Hey chadie look what Isabell found ..............chad is the king and queen of trolls
Chad just wondering should I assign an attribute to IT ?
you know and place it in your story deal ?
The Christian Be Nice article Chad Austin has been tagged/pegged !
Hey chad the game of life aye ...............and you suck at it !
Hey faithy...the troll.....all creationists...........chadie too ...............COMEDY GOLD link at bottom of post !!! The pesky meteorites/chondrites = life .........................not the nasty bible. and Adam and his bone. No horn-y red beast needed.......no heaven either..........but they (meteorites) where hot when they where coming in. Life-Producing Phosphorus Carried to Earth by Meteorites June 4, 2013 — Scientists may not know for certain whether life exists in outer space, but new research from a team of scientists led by a University of South Florida astrobiologist now shows that one key element that produced life on Earth was carried here on meteorites. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130604153520.htm http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/23/heaven-for-atheists-pope-sparks-debate/#comments
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http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/09/my-take-a-word-to-christians-be-nice/comment-page-44/#comment-2399227
Carl Jung made an interesting observation: God's existence does not depend upon our arguments.
Yet atheists continue to demand proofs of God based on irrrelevant evidence. Science can "prove" a "what". But God is a "Who".
So that's why Keith Moon died... gawwwwwd needed a drummer.
You are mistaken. Science can prove a "who". I guarantee you that science can prove that you exist.
If your god can supposedly take actions, and cause things to happen in our universe (Susie prayed for rain, and god made it rain), then this god's influence on our physical world should be detectable.
You can't say he transcends our reality, and yet he's also able to affect Bobby's softball game. You can't have it both ways.
By the way, I completely agree with Carl Jung's quote. Not only does his existence, or non-existence not depend on our arguments, your faith in him doesn't cause him to exist either.
There's probably some equation that would show how much effort mankind has placed into 'the invisibles'. Think about how much time and effort has gone into praising, pondering, punishing, and profiting off of things no human can possibly prove/ disprove. There's an entire market based on nothing tangible. It's all speculation. All unproven, and mostly absurd. Not only that, but consider all those people employed with a skill in their field of myths. Once mankind awakes from it's dreamworld of myths, we should take inventory on what are the biggest wastes of our effort. I bet religion will round out the top 5. You silly, silly mammals. LOL
One thing that makes absolutely no sense is how the BSA can disallow Gay and Lesbian adults from serving as Scout Masters or leaders. If a person has not committed any actual punishable offense, indicted, and convicted, how can they attempt to ostracize them in the first place? It's in the same context as if a Straight scout master who was divorced twice and slept around was in the BSA. It appears obvious that they would just turn the other way in that case. Why the Hypocrisy we just have to ask? Why?
We must however, be Fair to the BSA as they have had to deal with much and have turned over a new leaf. For that they must be congratulated! It is good to see this progression to be inclusive. But the question lingers, and better yet put than previously, Would they allow a straight scout master who was divorced, even if he didn't sleep around, to serve as a leader or scout master? Giving them the benefit of the doubt that they would treat everyone regardless of orientation fairly, this question still lingers.
Was it hard for any of you out there to leave the cult-of-Westboro? I know someone who was visited by 'concerned members' many times (pretty creepy). She was also told that if she left, she was going to cut the ties with everyone she knew. Has anyone else run into this? That's psychological harassment and very cruel. I wasn't really surprised to hear it... (I've known for a long time that the blabatist 'church' is a cult) more saddened that it happened to a friend. Hatin' ain't fer everbody.
I've heard of a few sects that do that. Mormons will visit your house for years and years if you become "inactive". And some friends of mine were told by their newly "reborn" evangelical friends that they could no longer be friends with them if they didn't also convert.
I think this vigorous networking to maintain membership, goes way back, all the way back to Paul in fact.
It doesn't take much to be a "hater" these days. Apparently, all you have to do is be a Baptist or eat a chicken sandwich from a particular store. Baptists may be leaving the BSA because of the issue in question. This is a long way from the consequences Social Darwinism. Under this idea, large numbers of hom*o*seckshuals" were incinerated in the ovens of Adolph and Co.
@catholic engineer
Anything goes to defend your imaginary friend, right? Outright lies are fine as long as they are in support of your delusion, correct?
Adolf and co were christians and operating with the support of the Catholic church.
It is the religious that are too fucking dumb to grasp simple concepts, like yourself, that are a cancer on society.
Lin, who do you think the Catholic church revers more, Adolph Hitler or Maximilian Kolbe?
@ Bill Deacon
Neither. The RCC revers money and power.
We all know they don't revere the innocence of children.
@Bill Deacon
You said, "Lin, who do you think the Catholic church revers more, Adolph Hitler or Maximilian Kolbe?"
So, not every catholic is despicable. What else is new, and how is that relevant?
Liar catholic engineer is far more like Hitler than Kolbe.
Lin, I think you're going a bit far.
While one could say that Hitler was Christian because he said he was. Some of his behavior and att itudes toward society could be called social darwinism.
And "support" is a strong word to use. Hitler didn't ask for the Pope's (I @ssume you are meaning the heirarchy of the RCC when you say catholic) support. Nor can I say that a man that was basically trapped in the Vatican surrounded by the Axis powers was in any position to do anything.
re: doobs
... or the health of children they are so anxious to bring into the world (contraception against disease)
Hey ...........kiddies................chad too...............stuff bellow is the truth ...........no dino in the what chadie ?
Scientists Find Oldest Dinosaur – Or Closest Relative Yet
Dec. 5, 2012 — Researchers have discovered what may be the earliest dinosaur, a creature the size of a Labrador retriever, but with a five foot-long tail, that walked the Earth about 10 million years before more familiar dinosaurs like the small, swift-footed Eoraptor and Herrerasaurus.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121205084421.htm
more re: doobs:
..or the health of children under their care in agreement with the canadian government (Canadian Indian residential school system)...
Careful, we are coming close to Reductio ad Hitlerum
@catholic engineer – Your'e so mistaken. Hitler has many references to God in his book, Mein Kampf. And the Catholic Church went along with Hitler so they could survive – sold their souls and have spent quite some time apologize for that one.
I think you mean social engineering and not social Darwinism, catholic engineer. Darwinism doesn't usually describe change in which the objects of change are consciously influencing change.
@Uncouth Swain
You said, "While one could say that Hitler was Christian because he said he was."
It would be better if catholic engineer could acknowledge that inconvenient fact as well.
You said, "Some of his behavior and att itudes toward society could be called social darwinism."
Not the point. Whatever you call the atrocities committed by the nazis is irrelevant. The use of scientific discoveries for evil doesn't make the discovery evil. The suggestion that it is, is disingenuous, but not the point of my reply to catholic engineer.
You said, "And "support" is a strong word to use. Hitler didn't ask for the Pope's (I @ssume you are meaning the heirarchy of the RCC when you say catholic) support. Nor can I say that a man that was basically trapped in the Vatican surrounded by the Axis powers was in any position to do anything."
The Reichskonkordat (1933) was the start of a long relationship between the RCC and the nazis. With it, the RCC protected its members at the expense of Jews and gays and other "undesirables". That they were powerless once the full force of the nazis was bearing down on them doesn't do anything to diminish their culpability.
Hey CE chadie too !
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Troll...... .........chad/Rachel ....vickietoo...........trolling does not work in the sand............will not catch fish that way !http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/14/vatican-swaps-old-masters-for-modernity-with-venice-biennale-debut/?replytocom=2343268#respondHey ...........kiddies................stuff bellow is the truth ...........no dino in the what chadie ?Scientists Find Oldest Dinosaur – Or Closest Relative YetDec. 5, 2012 — Researchers have discovered what may be the earliest dinosaur, a creature the size of a Labrador retriever, but with a five foot-long tail, that walked the Earth about 10 million years before more familiar dinosaurs like the small, swift-footed Eoraptor and
Herrerasaurus.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121205084421.htm
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Hitler and Nazi ideology were, in many respects, hostile to Catholicism. Senior Nazis Rosenberg, Goebells, Bormann and Himmler were particulaly anti-Christian.[1][2] Some Nazis advocated "Positive Christianity", like the "Deutsche Christens" apostate Protestant sect, which did not depend on the Apostle's Creed and rejected the Jewishness of Christ, and the Old Testament.[3] After taking power, Hitler opportunistically tried to create a unified Protestant Reich Church, but the move split their churches and he became disinterested.[4] Vatican objections to Nazi ideology and "Positive Christianity" were outlined in Pius XI's 1937 Mit brennender Sorge encyclical.
But congratulations Lin, you achieve Reductio ad Hitlerium. Now you will wonder why you are unable to reach accord with people of faith. If you cannot distinguish between megalomania and Christianity, there really is no hope in dialogue with you.
@Bill Deacon
You said, "But congratulations Lin, you achieve Reductio ad Hitlerium."
May I remind you that it was one of your brethren that brought up Hitler (take a close look at the root post, if you're confused).
I simply won't let catholics get away from their history, if they try to brush it off. It's OK to not bring it up, but if you do, expect to get called on it.
You said, "Now you will wonder why you are unable to reach accord with people of faith."
That probably has far more to do with the dimwitted beliefs people of faith cling to, and their inability to produce a convincing argument for these beliefs, than with my abilities.
You said, "If you cannot distinguish between megalomania and Christianity, there really is no hope in dialogue with you."
I recognize that they aren't the same, but it isn't the differences that concern me, it's the similarities.
@Bill Deacon,
I thought @catholic engineer committed that fallacy in the OP, did he not?
What's with the radar-like focus on gay-ness with so many fundamentalists? Keeping secrets submerged too deep to admit them?
By the way chadie here is your site ........................it was submitted for..........see below.
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/05/when-christians-become-a-hated-minority/
Just because Nazis took it to the extreme, that doesn't give everyone else a free pass to be hateful just because they're not murdering people. Hate is hate, regardless what you do with it.
Wow, I wonder who wrote the 10K remark on this board?
Chad and his bunnies maybe ?
The bunnies have a good story NOT.
It doesn't matter what the Southern Baptists think here, the Supreme Court is going to strike down opposition to gay marriage in order for the Republican Party to have a shot at the next elections. The Republican Party got as much mileage as they could out of this bit of hate. For the leaders of the party, it's all about money. Prominent Republicans are coming out in favor of gay marriage and Fox News, ha, even had a supportive story today on two gay teens voted best couple. Southern Baptists are on their way to isolation and extinction unless they evolve.
I agree that is exactly what the SCOTUS will do and that is the exact reason for it.
However, that does not mean "it doesn't matter." Standing up for what is right always matters.
"Prominent Republicans are coming out in favor of gay marriage" – some of them need to come out in other ways, nasty old hypocrites.
It's quite well-planned. The Justices of the Supreme Court can't be voted out. The party will remain silent, change will occur, and the Religious Right will find themselves on the curbside, having been discarded buy the Republican party because the rich no longer have need of them.
…and lord knows there aren’t any rich atheist democrats who would use the poor and minorities for political gain.
We let them eat cake, Robert.
RB what is wrong with the truth.................does not everyone gain from it ?
Let's see. Who wants tax breaks for the rich – the Republicans. Who is it the mocked the poverty of the 47% – the Republicans. Who waived the flag of hatred for the religious right – the republicans. Not very pretty.
"Let's see. Who wants tax breaks for the rich – the Republicans. Who is it the mocked the poverty of the 47% – the Republicans. Who waived the flag of hatred for the religious right – the republicans. Not very pretty."
Be careful in your hateful rant against the republicans because it was the republicans that did away with slavery not the democrats. No one is without flaws.
Yeah, and the Republicans were so true in upholding their beliefs against slavery that they decided to welcome all those white, racist, bigoted southerners in 1960s into their party – the Dixiecrats! Ha! Do you think Lincoln would side with today's Republican Party! Ha!
RE: "Be careful in your hateful rant against the republicans because it was the republicans that did away with slavery not the democrats. No one is without flaws."
Democrats mostly encouraged Jim Crow laws. Eisenhower set civil rights in motion. But the repub party today is utterly different from the party of Lincoln. The names are the same, that's all. It isn't an honest argument.
So RB.....chadie too..........truth is best told to children is it not ?
Does Austin (cats) have your tongue chadie/RB ?
Hey faithy seems like you have not been weaned yet sort of like chadie .............reminds me of a 5 year old ?
Monkey Teeth Help Reveal Neanderthal Weaning
May 24, 2013 — Most modern human mothers wean their babies much earlier than our closest primate relatives. But what about our extinct relatives, the Neanderthals?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130524104828.htm
Current search on Bing chadie ..........bookmark update chad........3rd one from top of page.
RDFRS: When Christians become a 'hated minority'
http://www.richarddawkins.net/.../5/5/when-christians-become-a-hated-minority
11,000,000 results Any time
Splat Chad
Hey Chagie I know you can type..................but can you read and understand comment above ?
Hey doogie you too !
Hey Chad,faith the peach and all creationists what color JELL- O you stuck IN. ? Star Dusts (chondrites) and water !
Scientists Offer First Definitive Proof of Bacteria-Feeding Behavior in Green Algae
May 23, 2013 — A team of researchers has captured images of green alga consuming bacteria, offering a glimpse at how early organisms dating back more than 1 billion years may have acquired free-living photosynthetic cells. This acquisition is thought to have been a critical first step in the evolution of photosynthetic algae and land plants, which, in turn, contributed to the increase in oxygen levels in Earth's atmosphere and ocean and provided one of the conditions necessary for animal evolution.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130523143741.htm
The God I believe in is absolutely perfect, and is not judged by whether or not He is politically correct. He is not perfect because I believe in Him, nor are His words something to be "cherry-picked", but rather something to be considered as a whole. If you choose to define your god differently, so be it.
You really need to get up to speed on this: "God's Word", the bible, was written by men, sometimes rather strange men, and is far from perfect. It is far from being the direct word of any God.
Dave
"Politically correct" like not saying bigoted things, right? So, you're saying that some bigotry is justified then?
Tom, Tom, the Other One – As I already said, you're free to define your god as you wish. You probably would object to my "cramming" my view of God down your throat, so permit me to object to you trying to do that to me.
JamesK – "politically correct" as has many definitions as there are mouths and the definition is in a constant state of flux. An absolutely perfect God does not have to change every nano-second to be in tune with the latest fad. Don't mistake my meaning, I am not supporting irrational judgement against people, but neither can I support every behavior merely to avoid being targeted as a bigot. What is being said by some, in both directions of this discussion, is absolutely bigoted.
You may be correct about the attributes of god (there's no way to prove one way or the other) but I can GUARANTEE you the bible was never meant to be read "as a whole". That is a later invention of the chrisitian faith. In the first century there were dozens of brands of christianity (with radically different beliefs about god, jesus and which books were sacred). It's only after the proto-orothodox (led in part by Paul – you know, the one that never met Jesus or discussed his views with the apostles that actually learned from Jesus) decided to treat their books and the torah as one consistent whole. It was a philosophical choice (based on Paul's preferred method of working backwards from a premise) and not one based on any factual evidence on the relative validity of the books...
It's disappointing to see how many people here condemn the supposed bigotry of others in terms that shows their own bigotry. Leaving aside those posting here who condemn God and religion in general, there are many who no doubt consider themselves in their own minds to be Christians who are doing this. Lincoln had an interesting view on this, "The will of God prevails. In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be, wrong. God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time."
Dave
Am I a bigot for not liking racist remarks, for example? If that's true then the term bigot has no meaning at all because there will always be people who hold the opposite opinion to any claim about a group.
What's with you guys? We already gave up slavery. Blacks can vote. Women can vote and work. Gay predjudice is all we have left. Let us keep this one last piece of our heritage.
You, Sir or Ma'am, win one Internet for the skillful use of sarcasm.
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