Predator Drones

[Baya]

Indeed it was. I haven't one hundred percent read the new testament myself, but until then I must recline my position to you.

[SlayerOfLight]

Well, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed because in the new testament you'll won't find verses that literally tell Christians to kill other people, or harm other people in any way, If that is the only reason you're going to read it.

[Baya]

I couldn't have said it better myself ^ Yet, I don't like the phrase "You people"...it implies a negative connotation to it...I prefer to just call them Christians. Though one thing I disagree with Woeler, is that everyone lives simply to die. There is not a person in this world who lives without death. Everything we do does not matter, as the last step is always death.

[Azdgari]

Yay Episcopalianism! "Where the cool Christians just hang out and help people and do community outreach and love everyone and actually try to act like Jesus would, and ordain gay and female preachers, and believe that birth control and abortion are personal choices, and bless homosexual unions, and welcome all to communion, so on and so forth"

With many different branches of Christianity, it always kind of annoys me when people make blanket statements about "Christians". Catholics and Episcopalians may as well be night and day. Although I'm agnostic, I still love going to my Episcopal services and speaking with my pastor. He's an amazing guy.

For those who aren't familiar with Episcopalianism.

[TheLionPrince]

Bleh, let's see if I make sense of all of this:

But you people are searching way too deep into the bible. The cruelty is right before you nose. What father tortures his children for ever?

It seems you are referring to hell. Well, God does give his children free will and a lifetime of a chance to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It's like taking a test in school: your teacher tells you two weeks beforehand there will be a test, and study for it. If I could choose to waste that time doing meaningless instead of studying to get a well-earned A, then, I practically chose to fail when test time comes around, and I have to face the consequences of getting a F. It's the same way with God: it's their choice if they wish to accept or squander his passport to heaven. Like in the natural world, there are consequences for our actions.

And I am fully aware that in areas of the world, the Bible is not being preached. Well, Jesus said before he left, he will not return to the Earth until all areas of the Earth has heard the Gospel (Matthew 24:14 says "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."). So, God is giving us a chance right now to get right with him before the Rapture occurs so everyone will get a chance to hear of him. And we certainly can't force them to believe, and I know you certainly hate the government pushing Christian beliefs onto the people. So, if they choose not to take heed when given the chance, there's nothing but consequences they have to face.

As for what happens when children die, there is the concept of the "age of accountability" that teaches those who die before reaching the age of accountability (13 according to the Jews) are automatically saved, by God’s grace and mercy and can enter heaven.

Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/age-of-acco ... z2OVSC7ktM

What father crucifies his child?

God did it to redeem us from our sins. Beforehand, God's children had to sacrifice lambs. Something (or someone) had to atone for the mountains and mountains of sins done over since the days of Adam and Eve.

What father causes famine, disease and natural disasters?

God didn't create (or cause) famine and disease; those were the results of sin entering mankind after Adam and Eve were tempted to eat the fruit. Natural disasters fall into the same category; God placed man to live in a garden of paradise, but after man fell, all of that went away, and now we have to live in a world that has been cursed by sin.

What idiot would be so stupid to create man?

God originally created man to be without sin (therefore perfect), and again, Adam and Eve made the wrong choice of eating the forbidden fruit. Over the course of human history, men have grown more wicker and wicker; again, this is a result of our own doing.

[Regulus]

Yay Episcopalianism! "Where the cool Christians just hang out and help people and do community outreach and love everyone and actually try to act like Jesus would, and ordain gay and female preachers, and believe that birth control and abortion are personal choices, and bless homosexual unions, and welcome all to communion, so on and so forth"

With many different branches of Christianity, it always kind of annoys me when people make blanket statements about "Christians". Catholics and Episcopalians may as well be night and day. Although I'm agnostic, I still love going to my Episcopal services and speaking with my pastor. He's an amazing guy.

For those who aren't familiar with Episcopalianism.

That same logic applies to everything, basically. Blanket statements typically refer to the mean, or the (seemingly) statistical majority, or else they wouldn't exist. But, of course there is always going to be a standard deviation.

[Azdgari]

So... don't make sweeping generalizations?

[Regulus]

Everything is a generalization. Just look at my last post, the post above this post, and this post itself.

It is impossible not to make generalizations, because that is simply how the human mind comprehends the universe.

[Azdgari]

But we can aspire to be more accurate in our generalizations, make them less general. Americans are fat. Europeans are economically irresponsible socialists. People with green names are stupid. All of those are generalizations with true instances... but that doesn't make them intelligent.

I digress: All I'm saying is, and I'm sure you agree, that making broad generalizations isn't a good thing to be in the habit of. Particularly, it bothers me when people lump all Christians together, particularly with things like "Christians don't believe in birth control", "Christians are responsible for so much violence", "Christians oppress homosexuals", when in reality those statements do not apply to all Christians. The same way "Muslims are terrorists" is an awful thing to say, because while some Muslims are terrorists, certainly not all of them are.

Das' all I'm sayin'.

[Regulus]

What would be more accurate?

"As many as 30% of Christians don't believe in birth control?"

But even then, what defines a Christian? What defines oppression of homosexuals? Even words themselves are generalizations, so it's unavoidable.