Read Revelation.

The New Jerusalem is a new city coming down from heaven. Only the sky ain't falling.

You think the current reality is permanent?

No worries as a universalist you know no one is bluffed out of their eternal lives.

I think people are bluffed out of the present by their lifestyles all the time (drug addicts, etc.), God is denied the worship he's owed and there could be eternal consequences even if it isn't eternal torment.

Ever watch any of those true crime documentaries on tv? People being bluffed out of their lives and going to jail all the time.

I really haven't read this thread and don't have the time. But when it boils down to politics, say, I would rather have a really intelligent man in office than a convicted believer that I did not think was not all that intellectually astute.

I played live poker once as a job when I moved to Florida. I've seen miracles in my life but have never witnessed a miracle at the poker table. I ran awful at times, and I don't think prayer would have made a difference, or it just didn't. I don't think God should be or will be used as a crutch. If you want to make money playing poker, you need to play +ev poker at all times.

To my original point, there is a lot of moral issues where I have major disagreements with our current president. But I voted for him. Why? Because he came off to me as an extremely intelligent person in interviews and debates. Somebody needs to guide an economic recovery, and he certainly posessed the intellectual potential to guide it correctly. I trusted him to make +ev decisions.

Whether he did or not is debatable. But I might vote for him again. Even though he appears to be emotionally and morally stunted. He can read a hand. He can work out the math in his head. Whether he actually pushes or folds at the right times I can't say. He hasn't look good so far. His stack has dwindled since he took office.

But I can't vote confidently based on a sense of spiritial loyalty. If you consistently play bad, it won't matter how much you pray, you are going to lose big. When your choices are dumb, or dumber, you just have to take dumb.

Maybe atheists are better educated and have higher iq's. I wouldn't doubt it. Pride is one hell of a motivator. Makes perfect sense to me.

Did you hear about the gun scandal?
http://www.gazette.com/articles/obam...al-barack.html

Bravo, this is very analytical of you DS. I just re-read this op and I realized you don't have all the info but you've pinpointed the question.

I think the answer lies in giftedness. Some people have more desire to know certain things from their own natural aptitudes.

For instance, I suck at science and math and they never interested me much. That's not where my gifts lie.

On the other hand I seem to be made for paying the most minute attention to God and I have a natural teacher's aptitude.

If you study personality profiles then you can identify that people with certain personalities have certain aptitudes.

Apparently God created people with different gifts in this world to serve different purposes for Him and for others.

This belongs in the Politics sub forum, but the facts are not what you think they are.
http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.co...furious-truth/

I think we decided IQ and 'intelligence' are biased terms. Have to sort that out first.


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