Irrelevant.

God decides when to put his plan into action.

Hebrews 9

New Living Translation (NLT)


27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, 28 so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

How intelligent does someone need to be to believe that?

How competent does someone need to be to close his eyes and make a wish?

A lot of intelligent people down through the ages have been believers.

Because we're living in current times it's now more intelligent to disbelieve?

People on the board like to focus on theistic malfeasances but it's likely without monotheism's stability there wouldn't have been as much social progress and science as there is today.

You really think lawlessness allows for enough stability for societies and the arts and sciences to flourish?

Laws based on conduct are good.

Laws based on belief in superstition are not.

I am getting real close to banning images like this in posts. This is not BBV4L. If you don't want to have a conversation then go somewhere else. If I see another one from you it will be infraction points.

I still don't understand your basis for when you insist that the Bible must be read critically in its ancient context, and when you insist that the Bible is a divinely-inspired, literal authority, and modern science is just bunk. Can you clarify?

No I can't.

I had no idea until I checked further into the shame topic that ancient people weren't guilt ridden and that its a product of modern industrialization. I thought it varied by individuals and how they apply things.

But apparently there is someone who's studied the ancient context more closely.

I don't think guilt-ridden is something you can generalize about though. It's likely to be a passing and potentially therapeutic phase for some people.

What forum rule is he breaking?

He is not currently breaking a rule, which is why I did not infract him. I am very close to making a rule about these sort of images. There is absolutely no value to them and they are becoming more abundant and only meant to insult people. Insults are not allowed in this forum

So currently it's just a rule for Vpip? (you said he'd be infracted next time he does it)

That's the kind of rule that really just isn't necessary. He didn't single anyone out, and I fail to see how it's an insult. If that's an insult, then pretty much everything we argue about on this forum is an insult. As far as I can tell, he's using the picture to emphasize his opinion that religion is indoctrination.

If "adding value" is the standard for types of posts allowed, we've got way too much forum still here.

As one of the biggest offenders of this type of post, yes.

And if you don't see how that post was meant as an insult then I feel you need to re-evaluate your objectiveness.

How do you know the bolded part? Is humor not allowed in these threads? What counts as an insult? I was insulted, briefly, by the snide remark you made to my post on the first page of this thread, but I didn't go crying to OP.

There is no value to quoting Bible verses in a thread with atheists trying to discuss religion with theists, either. Are you going to start infracting Splendour, or Pletho, or Wizard-50 for this?

I'm sorry, but this just seems like such an arbitrary exercise of power.

now we're talking about the post? i thought the image was the issue. the image just says, "register now."

i'm sorry but i'm not being unobjective when i say the image was harmless. if you thought the post was the issue then you should have said so instead of musing on making a rule about images.

I am all for humor and even taking witty shots at people from time to time. But when that becomes as consistent as trying to actually engage it becomes an issue. I get people reporting his posts constantly and most of the time I just let them slide, but there comes a time where a line needs to start to be drawn.

As far as quoting bible verses, if it was done as an insult I most certainly would infract or delete the post.

And as far as arbitrary, you spend a few months reading everyone's posts. See if you are unable to determine which posters consistently cause the most issues.

I also want to point out that when I come down hard on splendour have you ever run to her defense?

"Cause the most issues" roughly translates to "tactfully attacks theistic arguments and thus annoys me"

I think you may be mistaken on the definition of tact.

You guys cant even have an objective standard for
joke/insult/tact and yet tell me we have objective
Moral value and duties?

Are you prepared to infract yourself for this conversation killer that added nothing? I would argue that you are insulting TP, implying that he did not make a thoughtful and good faith post that is on topic. Of course, he didn't take into account the school of thought you mentioned later ("Jesus was tortured to death "for our sins" so that we could allow God to forgive us" - amazing), but surely you would admit that relatively few people are familiar with that argument. And that doesn't make someone who overlooks it disingenuous or guilty of "pretending" to know what people believe.

This link may do better:
Honor and Shame in the Biblical World
http://tektonics.org/tsr/tillstill7-5.html

You need to start studying the history of religion more without a selective negative bias.

You jump from the OT to now and you don't even seem to see any of the progressive stages of that religion.

You might want to start by studying up on the Essenes.

Quote: The Essenes prepared for the coming of the Messiah by practicing severe aestheticism and by being strict observers of the law. They no longer had access to the temple and its sacrifice. They substituted baptism for sacrifice by immersing themselves several times a day in the mikveh. By doing this, they were reforming their lives and moving from sacrifice of goats and sheep to leading moral lives.

Quote from:

The First One Hundred Years of Christianity in Jerusalem
By Elizabeth McNamer
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
Department of Philosophy and Religion
Rocky Mountain College

http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/mcnamer.shtml

Can someone please explain to me like I am
four year old what the connection is?

"These sort of images"? It is a star with the words "Register Now".

You didn't notice a progression away from animal sacrifice in the New Testament?

Apparently it started even before the NT with the Essenes. Yet VP$IP has still got us making animal sacrifices.

It's interesting to note the Hebrews haven't made any animal sacrifices since the fall of the Second Temple. Though they are planning on reinstituting them if they ever get the Temple rebuilt in Jerusalem.

.

Thats not explaining it