spread your gospel somewhere else!

[beam]

This has really changed into a cool conversation. I hope it stays that way.

With regards to morality, I have been pondering something lately...let's see what you guys think.

I have been studying the Old Testament, and in doing so, I have been learning about the formation of people of Israel, their captivity, exodus, entrance to Promised Land, apostasy, repentance, apostasy, repentance, apostasy, repentance...you get the picture.

Anyway, in some of the accounts, when the people of Israel went into possess the land, they were ordered by God to destroy the people. All of them. Men, women, kids, didn't matter.

This got me to thinking...doing this would not be considered a moral thing to do. However, not doing it would be disobeying God. So what is the determining factor in what is moral?

Just something I was thinking about.

[SlartyBartFast]

Not that I like bashing the Jehovas, but they do make an easy target.

When they come to the door, grab one by the hand, shake their hand vigorously and give-em a hug if you can.

Then you say:"It's so good to meet you. Haven't talked to a Jehova since I was kicked out of my last temple."

It seems it's very forbidden for a Jehova to come into contact with a excommunicated Jehova.

Or, you can do what some friends did. They were in the basement playing a role-playing game. Can't remmeber which, but it was like D&D only your characters were travelling in the depths of hell or you were in fact a demon. (and by the way these guys played in full costume)

Well, the gamemaster heard the door ring, so he goes upstairs to answer. Before answering the door he removes his "High Priest" robes.

On seeing the Jehovas or Mormons, he invites them downstairs saying he was looking forward to talking to them and he and his friends would love to have a discussion. So he sends them down stairs. Before he follows, he puts his costume back on.

Now the others, being who they were, didn't miss a beat and stayed in character during the "discussion" that followed.

I think that was the last time anyone religious showed up at that doorstep.

[SlartyBartFast]

Originally posted by beam
Anyway, in some of the accounts, when the people of Israel went into possess the land, they were ordered by God to destroy the people. All of them. Men, women, kids, didn't matter.

Rule 1 - Thou Shalt Not Kill.
It didn't say Thou Shalt Not Kill Unless.

If He's ordering you to kill, you're not talking to the Original Big Guy. IMO

Possibly offensive, but highly funny:

http://www.theonion.com/attack_issue/news4.html

[Miscue]

I think the word of God is what is moral, which makes things confusing and complicated... particularly when there are contradictions.

Matthew 10:45
"I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."

This one is confusing to me, as well as several other excepts. Although it would be consistent if this means that he is taking up a fight against evil... perhaps a solution in the pursuit of peace. But regardless, there's a lot of "odd" things in various texts that makes it difficult to figure out what the word of God is exactly.

You'll notice in different translations that some try to fix common things that come up in discussion, to improve or fix the meaning and thoughts that are trying to be conveyed. I like what St. Augustine had to write on these matters... he had a very good approach to this problem.

[Miscue]

Originally posted by SlartyBartFast


Rule 1 - Thou Shalt Not Kill.
It didn't say Thou Shalt Not Kill Unless.

If He's ordering you to kill, you're not talking to the Original Big Guy. IMO

Possibly offensive, but highly funny:
http://www.theonion.com/attack_issue/news4.html

I thought the connotation of the original text was: "Thou shalt not murder."

"The Buddhists, everybody massacres the Buddhists."

Haha, that's funny. Well, not the killing of course, but how it is presented.

[SlartyBartFast]

Originally posted by Miscue
This one is confusing to me, as well as several other excepts.

But that's entirely the problem. It's an excerpt. Like a sound bite taken out of context it's useless and meaningless without and understanding of the circumstances.

Chopped into meaningless little snippets and quoted back unthinkingly the Koran, Bible, or Tohrah can be used to back any opinion. Much like the dictionary really.

[Miscue]

Agreed, it is VERY easy to conveniently take certain things out of context to further some agenda. I think this leads to great difficulty in interpreting various writings, it takes a big brain to really sort things out.

[Konigballer]

Of course theres alot of "odd" and contradictory verses in the bible.

Thats what happens when the "word of God", if you believe that thats what the bible is literally to be taken as , is written down and compiled by people. People with their own agendas, opinions, personalities, ets. Your bound to get a pretty mixed bag of philosophies when you have that many story tellers, writers, editors, and people of power assembling and tailoring the text over many, centuries. Of course all the other major religions "books" went through similar processes.

The bible, tora, koran, etc. did'nt fall out of the sky. Just try to take in the over all message, whatever you take it to be, without getting bogged down in the details.

[Miscue]

I figure it this way... the more you learn, the more ideas you gain on how to live a better life. The "truth" of a text to me is unimportant and is not worth challenging, and what problems there are I think are forgiveable. Each has a collection of well-thought out ideas that I believe can help refine one's notions of morality... and I think can be of value regardless of your beliefs... so long as what underlies is the desire to live a good life.

[cphilip]

Sorry but for some reason we forgot this kind of thread is offensive to some and we really should not have continued it. I think everyone for the most part was lamenting against forced beliefs and intrusions. But it did end up religeous. So its something we should not continue here.

Closing now.