Author:
Secular Monkey
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Date Posted: 23:21:28 12/28/01 Fri
>>No, I meant I forgive you...Sheesh
>>
>
>Oh, sorry. I was wondering what you meant by
>that...
Lol
>>>By evolve I mean learn and grow.
>>>And yes, we are all born with the disease of sin
>which
>>>has been reconciled if we'll only accept it.
>>
>>The basis for my rejection of Salvation. I didn't
>>disobey God in Eden. The symbolic character Adam did,
>>and was already punished for it. Ask God why he holds
>>grudges.
>
>
>I totally understand where you are coming from.
>I've thought the very same thing. A true grudge would
>be if He were to fold his arms and turn His back in
>anger. But He doesn't does He.
Well, yeah, that's good, I suppose, but if He were to turn His back in anger, I would expect it to be on Adam, not his descendents. Not all Christians I've spoken to totally accept Original Sin, either. My Mom comes to mind. But she doesn't really hold any of Genesis to be anything more than a symbolic story. Now, if someone were to say "she won't be saved 'cause she doesn't believe in Original Sin, (doesn't really believe in an Immaculate Conception, either) then there's no way I would want anything to do with their god, even if I thought he was real. You see, my Mother is basically a female version of Ghandi. She's the most serene, patient, and tolerant (Christ-like, you may say) person I've ever met. Many, many others would agree; I don't hold that opinion just because she's my mother.
But without Original Sin, the ensuing stories of "Salvation" kinda fall apart. So I recognise the importance of the story to some Christians. I still think that it's a good thing we don't model our justice system on this kind of thinking, though. Imagine that...
"Well, Monkey, gotta arrest you because your great great great...Uncle was caught stealing a Yak Bladder. I know he paid the penalty, but you have to say you're sorry too, or we'll torture you until the end of your days. Just say you're sorry, but you have to mean it. Sincerely admit your guilt, and we'll even throw in a very nice parting gift. No, we have no evidence against you, or any documented proof that you're uncle actually commited the original crime,either, but we do have myths and folk-lore to support our charges, so fess up!"
I don't think so!
I also don't understand this whole "sacrificed His only Son" thing. I thought he considered us all as his children. Yet another contradiction. And what was God really sacrificing? He got His son back, joining Him in heaven again, so where's the sacrifice on God's part? And it didn't have to occure that way in the first place. God coulda just taken him up to heaven. Jesus had to suffer terribly or the removal of our sins wouldn't have worked? God is bound by rules? Ones he made himself? Gimme a break. A god being bound by rules sure doesn't sound like a very powerful deity to me. I don't know if God is real or not, but it would sure be better for his reputation if he wasn't.
>>Read 1 Sam. 15:1-8. Sounds like Osama to me.
Well, whaddya think of that?
>>Actually, she's tuned it down quite a bit. She's
>>stopped going to the Pentacostal Church, as she had
>>come to agree with me...It's like attending an Amway
>>convention. Seems jumping up and down and throwing
>>yourself into a right tizzy becomes annoying not only
>>to non-believers, but some other Christians, too.
>
>Has she stopped going to church altogether? How
>has she come to agree with you? You mean like
>agnostic thought?
She goes now and then for the same reason she started to go a few years ago, and the same reason my Father-in -Law has been going for the last few years, too: It's the only way they can get to see my Mother-in-Law. My wife has become disenchanted with the politics and less-than-tolerent aspects of religion, which is not to say that she's lost her beliefs. She HAS walked out on some of the guest speakers the church has had. Seems she didn't agree with the intolerance they were preaching. BTW, I have never tried to "convert" her. I don't have much of a problem with the kids going to Sunday School, either. However, I have told them to feel completely free to ask their "teachers" any questions regarding that days lesson, and certain "Bible Stories" aren't read in my home (such as Noah's Ark), and my wife has agreed with me. It takes a lot of work, tolerence, and respect on both our parts to keep our differences from dangerously affecting our marriage, but I've simply insisted on being her "main man", and she's quite content to keep me as such. She's seen how her parents have been - if given the choice, her mother would have left her Dad (a truly wonderful man) in a heartbeat if her Pastor told her that being married to a non-believer was a great sin on her part. We all know it. Luckily, (for her, at least) he gave in, and, even though he held no religious beliefs, he's been going to church with her for the last 4 years or so. Hey, if it works for them, what do I care. I just wouldn't do it, and my wife wouldn't want me in church unless I was there to sincerely worship (Jesus/God, not her. I do that when she's home. She's my Godess, and I treat her as such).
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