Religion II

[boxcar]

Originally Posted by Actor

It's quite obvious that you do not ignore me.

I don't ignore you per se, just you idiotic tomes. You know...loving the sinner but hating the sin...

[Actor]

Originally Posted by boxcar

I don't ignore you per se, just you idiotic tomes.

Definition of tome in M-W

1 : book; especially : a large or scholarly book
2 : a volume forming part of a larger work


I haven't written any tomes.

[Actor]

Originally Posted by Light

EVIL IS an entity.

Like the devil?

YouTube

[boxcar]

Originally Posted by Light

Sorry, but that is NOT the definition of Evil. EVIL IS an entity. Darkness is Not an entity. It is a condition.

It's clear I have won this argument because you are trying to change the meaning of "Evil" as used in the Bible to something milder, like "darkness". Not buying your lame excuse. Have a nice day.

If evil is an entity, then show it to us. Show us evil. Is evil intelligent, have a personality, a consciousness?

Since God alone is good, it can logically be said (as the bible does) that He is LIGHT and that there is no darkness (evil) in him. God's nature cannot be good and evil. Nor can God be light and darkness. Yet, with your unsubstantiated definition of "evil", God must be both good and evil!

Isa 45:7
7 Forming light, and preparing darkness, Making peace, and preparing evil, I [am] Jehovah, doing all these things.'
YLT

Here it is said that God makes (prepares) evil! If God does this, he must be an evil entity and a good entity. If evil is an entity, then Shirley good must be, as well.

Lam 3:38
38 From the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the good.
YLT

God speaks both good and evil by his mouth. Therefore, God must be a good entity and evil one.

In fact, God had to repent of the evil he intended to do Israel, which proves God is an evil sinner. And as you have said yesterday, how can evil love? So how can your god love, since he had to repent of evil like a mere sinner?

Ex 32:14
14 and Jehovah repenteth of the evil which He hath spoken of doing to His people.
YLT

Also, since evil is an entity, then all the people that Jesus called evil can only be evil entities.

And since the thoughts and intents of the heart of man on the antediluvian earth were evil continually, then all men killed by the flood must have been evil entities.

You should avail yourself of a Hebrew lexicon to see how Strong's 7451 is used in the OT, which is often translated "evil".

And I never said darkness is an entity. I said darkness is the absence of light. We can see and understand this in the natural world. Likewise, evil is analogous to darkness in that it is the absence of good. Do yourself another favor and look up in a dictionary the secular definition of "dark" or "darkness". One of the definitions is EVIL!

And what makes you think I said evil is milder than darkness? I did no such thing. In fact, Satan himself is called the Prince of Darkness! And he's also called the Evil One! And his kingdom is the Kingdom of Darkness! And moral darkness is completely foreign to God, for there is no darkness in Him. You keep raising these inane straw men, which truly proves you have no argument.

Also, since Jesus is The Light, then there can be no moral darkness in him either. And the bible tells us that Christ was sinless -- totally free of evil. Darkness and Evil are the flip side of the same coin!

But...since you insist on making evil an entity, then this must apply to your god of love -- who cannot really be love or love at all since he's evil.

[boxcar]

Originally Posted by Actor

Definition of tome in M-W

1 : book; especially : a large or scholarly book
2 : a volume forming part of a larger work


I haven't written any tomes.

Yeah, you have. Look at definition 2. Your work is still in progress, isn't it?

[boxcar]

Originally Posted by HalvOnHorseracing

On the bright side of things, you've induced some people to spend more time reading the Bible.

You still around here? I thought you fell off the planet, too.

[Actor]

Originally Posted by boxcar

Yeah, you have. Look at definition 2. Your work is still in progress, isn't it?

Nice of you to say so. But until it's finished I have not. When the day comes would you like to subsidize its publication?

[Actor]

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” - Richard Dawkins – The God Delusion

homophobic

Gays are bad
Leviticus 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. RSV

Gays should be killed
Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them. RSV

[Actor]

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” - Richard Dawkins – The God Delusion

racist

Interracial marriage is a "great evil”
Nehemiah 13:23 – 30 In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people. And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves...Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives? ...Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites. Thus cleansed I them from all strangers, ... KJV

The descendents of one of Noah's grandsons are cursed to be slaves to the others
Genesis 9:24 – 27 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. KJV

Racism and territorialism. "They shall not live in your land”
Exodus 23:23 – 33 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. And ye shall serve the Lord your God…I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee...And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee. KJV

Shun the Ammonites and the Moabites
Deuteronomy 23:3 – 6 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever: Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt…Nevertheless the Lord thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee. Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever. KJV

Kick out all foreigners
Nehemiah 13:3 Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude. KJV

Forty-two thousand people killed because of their accent
Judges 12:4 – 6 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim…when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.
KJV

Can be acquired from neighboring nations and resident aliens
Leviticus 25:44 – 46 As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are round about you. You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their families that are with you, who have been born in your land; and they may be your property. RSV

[boxcar]

Originally Posted by Actor

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” - Richard Dawkins – The God Delusion

racist

Interracial marriage is a "great evil”
Nehemiah 13:23 – 30 In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people. And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves...Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives? ...Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites. Thus cleansed I them from all strangers, ... KJV

The descendents of one of Noah's grandsons are cursed to be slaves to the others
Genesis 9:24 – 27 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. KJV

Racism and territorialism. "They shall not live in your land”
Exodus 23:23 – 33 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. And ye shall serve the Lord your God…I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee...And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee. KJV

Shun the Ammonites and the Moabites
Deuteronomy 23:3 – 6 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever: Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt…Nevertheless the Lord thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee. Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever. KJV

Kick out all foreigners
Nehemiah 13:3 Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude. KJV

Forty-two thousand people killed because of their accent
Judges 12:4 – 6 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim…when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.
KJV

Can be acquired from neighboring nations and resident aliens
Leviticus 25:44 – 46 As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are round about you. You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their families that are with you, who have been born in your land; and they may be your property. RSV

Hey, what's wrong with the Nehemiah injunction? They were probably all illegal aliens. This is what we have going on today in this country. I'm so happy to learn that the bible supports legal immigration.

[boxcar]

Question: "Why are there so many religions? Do all religions lead to God?"

https://www.gotquestions.org/QOTW.htm

This article does a good job answering this question. In short...man's corrupt, sinful nature rebels against the God of the bible, so many people invent their idols so that they can feel comfortable with their gods who have no eyes, have no ears, have no mouths, have no strict moral scruples and most of all have no qualms about tolerating any kind of human behavior.

[hcap]

Anyone who takes scripture literally invents their own idols.

[thaskalos]

Unable to cope with his own eventual demise, man created a story whereby he could live forever...and he placed his own version of "God" right in the middle of it. But believing in God does seem to have an obvious advantage. The religious are probably a lot happier in this life than the irreligious are...since they have convinced themselves that they are in line for some sort of post-life "bonus". Expecting a "bonus" is a good thing.

[boxcar]

Originally Posted by hcap

Anyone who takes scripture literally invents their own idols.

A straw man. I'm not a literalist by any stretch of the imagination. I interpret scripture in its plain contextual sense. Unlike you, I go where the bible takes me; whereas you want the bible to say what you mean.

[hcap]

Originally Posted by boxcar

A straw man. I'm not a literalist by any stretch of the imagination. I interpret scripture in its plain contextual sense. Unlike you, I go where the bible takes me; whereas you want the bible to say what you mean.

Bull! A 6, to 10,000 year old universe is literal.