Might have been a kewl thing to consider doing, but I was teaching at a community college, and the Dean of Humanities probably would not have approved.

Let’s see what he can do with it!

Outta the park Home Run!

+1

https://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/r...-today-1998217

And how do reconcile that with being against abortion and the fact that God then causes spontaneous abortions all the time of babies before they are born via giving them certain ailments that will not allow them to be born?

Why is he punishing the unborn before they are born and have even a chance to sin?

O.A.F.K. also wrote this ...

Which is what i replied to with you.

As a broader point that is not necessary for us to agree upon to recognize your world view has to fit through a lens that is extremely narrowed by the requirement that everything agree with your faith positioned FIRST... I can say that I get that religious people do not like to see their religions as either superstitions or cults, but they do fit the definitions of both clearly.

I'll employ a simple analogy:

I can paint a flower on a canvas, and if I don't like my painting, I can burn it an an incinerator if I want to.

If YOU paint a flower on a canvas, I cannot force my way into your house and toss your artwork into the incinerator, even if I don't like your painting.

The issue is one of prerogative: I have the prerogative to do what I want to do with MY painting, but I do NOT have the prerogative to do whatever I want to with YOUR painting.

On the issue of God's prerogative:

...the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. - Job 1:21

Everything in the universe is "owned" by God. He can do what He pleases with His property. There are instances in which God allows man to kill a human life. Abortion is typically NOT among those cases.

Please cite a dictionary definition of *superstitious* which would apply to *my* worldview. Thanks.

Right, which is the old argument God can do as many abortions of innocent, sinless babies as he wants as that is his prerogative.

And God exercises that prerogative often. He is the biggest aborter by far with the most baby murders and there is no one even a close second.

The question then is 'simply because he has the prerogative, does not then mean he has to kill innocent babies. So why does he?'


When given the choice between mercy and generosity and kindness, why does God choose the d*ck route of saying 'it is my prerogative so death it is'?

"...The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines superstition as "religious belief or practice considered to be irrational, unfounded, or based on fear or ignorance; excessively credulous belief in and reverence for the supernatural" and "a widely held but irrational belief in supernatural influences, especially as leading ..."

Thanks for sharing.

However, none of the seven samples were strictly-speaking examples of "self-harm.". The examples were self-harm in the temporal sense (e.g. slicing one's finger), but supposedly would lead to greater enlightenment or redemption (or whatever) in the afterlife.

By contrast, in Christianity eternal life is obtained by faith (trust) in Christ alone.

By the definition that you yourself provided, my worldview is clearly NOT superstitious.

This feels a lot like, "God does what he wants. If he chooses to do things that seems unjust or capricious to humans, well, they can suck it."

Would you not agree that your assessment there is very subjective and by anyone else's subjective view, such as O.A.F.K.'s they could see it very much as a superstition and other elements of the definition?

i get that you will say Religion nor religious belief is a cult or superstition. You believe in your beliefs. That is not the issue here.

Religion and religious beliefs fit both the broader definitions of cults and superstitions, even if you think people are wrong in thinking they are.

It is what literally drove me from my faith and I've discussed it with Laggy prior and he holds the same view.


As a theology student I questioned, and would not give up on points that did not make sense to me (I know you don't believe it but it is true) . My theology teachers both generally loved me but also hated me as they love to have engagement but they want you to accept the answers.

On this question I would push on why we were to 'thank god' for every good thing that happened in our lives. It was always explained as God's grace and him looking out for us. His kindness. And we needed to give him 'thanks and praise'.

But on the flip side we were not to 'blame' him when something horrible happened. We were not to question or assume to know his ways or mind.

I could not reconcile those two things. If i am not to assume or try to know his mind (when bad things happen) then obviously I should be consistent when goo things happen and not give him credit.

Laggy takes it even further as his view is 'if God does it, it is necessarily good'. We as humans have no capacity to judge any action God takes but because God is good then all his actions are good. Every aborted pre birth baby is 'good', if God did it. But somehow then man following in God's footsteps and doing similar is bad.

Fair Laggy?

The bolded above is a fair account of my position.

However, THIS quote is inaccurate, in my opinion.. We are not "following in God's footsteps" if we are disobeying Him. God alone is the giver and taker of life, unless He himself gives us instructions on when we are permitted to do so. God is the potter, and we are the clay.

The bolded is the ever-popular COMPLEX QUESTION FALLACY. Please restate the question, sans fallacies. Thanks.

For the purposes of this discussion, this take is fine.

Like I said earlier, there is nothing in the definition that you provided earlier that would apply to my worldview. The fact that people sometimes mislabel worldviews isn't my fault.

**** did I just read?

Chinese lab tech = Satan.

Who cares though ?

The whole point of Jesus dying was to solve the problem of how a just God could allow imperfect beings into his good graces.

You're still going to be born into the world, live a while and then suffer and die. Covid or something else.

All the religions that sprang up trying to capitalize on Jesus just complicated the whole metaphor. Which was pretty simple and direct if you look at it. You're saved once you realize you need help. And until you realize it....it doesn't matter. The whole eternal consequences thing...meh. We're all saved or Jesus didn't die for our sins. Can't have it both ways.

It’s a refreshingly sociopathic theology.

Right, so full circle that when good stuff happens for some fortunate humans even the most immoral and depraved amongst us ...

....we MUST give God thanks and praise for the blessings he bestows upon us. It is full credit to his mercy and good that we receive any such gifts, and without his grace none of it would be possible for us... the fortunate.

But when bad stuff happens to some unfortunate innocent humans like babies...

... It is not for us to question God's ways or to assume to know his mind. We cannot know his reason nor judge his intent or actions...


Point 1 declares we DO know his intent. We MUST thank him. We must give him CREDIT and PRAISE and recognize his GOOD and realize we have little power in this exchange. If God wants you to get such gifts you will. If he does not you won't

Point 2 declares we do not know his intent and should not even question.


Those two themes are the crux of every religious discussion that I could not reconcile and when I dealt with people like Laggy (who I think does teach) they could never give any logic to reconcile them and instead just resort to saying some version of 'you must just accept this as a truth and stop questioning it or trying to figure out the mind of God'.


Of course the keep ignoring they do just that every time some good happens.

- guy catches football to win big game. Could not have happened without God intervening. God is good he intervened to get that football into the persons hands.
- baby dies of very treatable condition and if only someone had known, if only God had guided someone to the right hospital or care the baby would be alive today. Don't judge God. He might have been busy with the football catch at the time and it is not for us to question his priorities or choices.


Fair Laggy?

It doesn’t seem like you understand logical fallacies either. Informal “fallacies” like complex question don’t render arguments invalid, they are merely stylistic.

If A then B
A
B, you moron

Is perfectly valid even though it contains an ad hominem attack.