Why is it offensive to make fun of Mohammed?

[ZombiLoin]

-snip-

you. i dislike you.
my personal opinion however. have a nice day.

[Ad Bot]

[Char]

(I use a lot of italics in this post.)

Except there is no such thing as a "good person". In the beginning, Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, and now all mankind is burdened with sin. We are all sinners; unholy and unperfect. It is impossible for us as fallen beings to be "good". We as individuals may do some good things- but we have a sin nature. On the other hand, God is holy; without blemishes or sin. He is literally good.

So people that spend their entire life genuinely being good are not really good. Even though most people probably do not have desires to murder, rape, steal, etc. under normal circumstances, we're all sinful bastards.
Sure thing.

And I'd say God has done plenty of sinful actions.

Or when he hardens the Pharaoh's heart so he can unleash the plagues upon Egypt, including killing all of the firstborn in Egypt. For real?!

And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

He gives instructions on how to make sure their firstborn are not killed.

For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

And then kills all of the firstborn in Egypt.

And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.

...Holy forget.

Okay, how about when he floods the entire Earth, killing nearly everything, even though that would be impossible in reality?

Or before that, when he kills Uzzah for preventing the ark from falling over.

And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.

I'm stopping there.

The idea of cultural relativism ("what may be true for you in your culture may not be true for me in mine") is one of the many lies created by fallen mankind as an excuse to themselves to disobey God and pursue their own ways.

...But, there are actually things unique to specific cultures...

No other religion possesses the hope that can be found in Christ, because He is the only risen savior.

And...how do you know this, exactly?

The religions of mankind cannot bring true hope to their followers because there is none to be found- they are created by men, and like the bodies of men turn to dust and crumble.

I'm assuming "religions of mankind" is every religion except Christianity, because ???.
And things that "turn to dust and crumble" can give hope.

No other religion can answer the truly critical questions of life as logically and coherently as Christianity can, and no other religion can meet the mountains of evidence that Christianity has, and no other religion has such a positive message of love and salvation.

the "mountains of evidence" being only the Bible, apparently.
And "truly critical questions of life"? Such as?

I think an important question is "Should people be able to own other people for free labor?" And obviously, I say no.
But what about the Bible?

If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.

It says "if", but there shouldn't be an "if" in the first place! It's just plain immoral!

If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.

If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.

And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:

Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.

His wife has to work for the master too?!
And if the wife is supplied by the master, he can never stop serving without leaving his wife?!

I just...

And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.

If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.

You can sell your daughter into slavery, and if she isn't good enough she is "redeemed" by being sold to a foreign country?! What the hell?!

Oh, and beating your slaves is only bad if they die.

And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.

Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.

......

The God of the Bible is real, and He has instilled this knowledge in the hearts of everyone, deep down.

You know, excluding everybody that doesn't believe.
But you will probably just say "they know deep down, but they are denying it so they can be sinners" or something.

Not only that, he places in each one of us the realization that there is life after death.

Again, excluding everyone that does not believe in any form of afterlife.
but you could just say "they are denying the truth" because your evidence for afterlife clearly equals like a quadrillion mountainfuls.

He proves his existence to us in countless ways- through the amazing beauty of His creation,

again, how do you know he created it?

through the very fact that there is something rather than nothing (a question of existence science cannot give a coherent answer for)

Just because science does not currently have an answer does not mean it will never have an answer.
And even if science does not have an answer, you do not make up something else and say that it is the real answer.

through the complexity of life

Evolution. No god required.
Not saying you can't accept evolution while believing in a god, but there is none needed.

the majesty and power of mountains, gunpowder and supernovas

But gunpowder is a manmade object, therefore it will "turn to dust and crumble", and so cannot be admired?

and most of all, through His word.

???

Everyone is without excuse- in their hearts they shall know He is the one true God, but they do not want to be responsible to Him; so some follow their own gods, or simply say he does not exist- and God has given them this freedom to do so.

But by being eternally rewarded for merely believing, that would make you even more irresponsible because you would be able to do as you please and not worry about punishment.

Christ has died and risen so that everyone may have eternal life that is assured and true, and in Him, we have the one true freedom- the freedom from eternal death.

But the fact that life ends gives it value. If life never ended, there would be no point in doing anything because you could just do it later in your infinite life.

Everything is this world is temporary; anyone is free to fool themself to believe whatever they like- to worship whomever they want, and do whatever they want. Jesus- He's eternal, and that's who I'm going with!

okay great

[Headcrab Zombie]

It is not ethnocentric to say that Christianity is superior. Christianity is not about an idea, or a theory, or a way of life- it's about a person, and that person is Jesus Christ. Christ is for everyone, of every culture, skin color, tongue and region of the world. He is not himself for a specific culture, but for all men and women. The idea of cultural relativism ("what may be true for you in your culture may not be true for me in mine") is one of the many lies created by fallen mankind as an excuse to themselves to disobey God and pursue their own ways.

No other religion possesses the hope that can be found in Christ, because He is the only risen savior. The religions of mankind cannot bring true hope to their followers because there is none to be found- they are created by men, and like the bodies of men turn to dust and crumble. No other religion can answer the truly critical questions of life as logically and coherently as Christianity can, and no other religion can meet the mountains of evidence that Christianity has, and no other religion has such a positive message of love and salvation.

You're looking at this only under the assumption that your religion is true. Of course you believe it to be true, but overcoming ethnocentrism requires that you accept that their is no way to prove your religion, and that people of other religions are just as committed to theirs as you are to yours.

salvation.

At this point I should also point out that the idea of needing salvation is almost unique, if not entirely unique, to the Judeo-Christian model

[SeventhSandwich]

Like I said, all nations have flaws, and there is no such thing as a perfect nation (aside from the Kingdom of God^{[citation needed]}). In the case of this bill, it is not Christian to persecute homoloveuals. While they are correct to declare homoloveuality as a sin, persecuting the sinner for their sin is not the proper response and God alone shall judge them. There are many people throughout the world who claim to fight for Christ when in reality they are fighting for themselves and for their own cruel desires.
However, God has given man the freedom to make the laws of their nations as they wish, and as all nations are on this earth under God's hand^{[citation needed]}, we are to be subject to the governing authorities, because it is honoring to God.
In the United States, it is very good that we live in a democracy rather than a theocracy. Churches that are state-sanctioned become the government's puppets^{[other way around]}, and are no longer used for God's glory, but for the evil purposes of sinful man. And when governments permit religion to control politics and the country, it just as easily allows in the possibility for other religions to come in and take over.
The Human heart is literally an idol factory^{[citation needed]}. Every day, we easily make idols out of things- oftentimes without consciously knowing it. There are many people who spend their lives pursuing making money to the point where it becomes their life. They have made money their idol, and rather than trusting God to care for their finances, they take matters into their own hands. Many politicians idolize power, and pursue it all costs, making false promises to win elections, pursuing backdoor methods to keep in office, or even assassinating or killing their political opponents. It can be said that many people in all countries across the globe pursue their own selfish desires, wanting to be the gods of their own lives. Countless people worship the gods of money, loveual pleasure, food, movie stars, and video games.
Ah, my mistake. I was unaware that ethnicity and ethnocentrism were two different things. I looked it up in the dictionary, so now I know the difference between the two.
Except there is no such thing as a "good person"^{[citation needed]}. In the beginning, Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, and now all mankind is burdened with sin. We are all sinners; unholy and unperfect. It is impossible for us as fallen beings to be "good". We as individuals may do some good things- but we have a sin nature. On the other hand, God is holy; without blemishes or sin. He is literally good.

It is not ethnocentric to say that Christianity is superior^{[citation needed]}. Christianity is not about an idea^{[citation needed]}, or a theory^{[citation needed]}, or a way of life^{[citation needed]}- it's about a person, and that person is Jesus Christ. Christ is for everyone^{[citation needed]}, of every culture^{[citation needed]}, skin color^{[citation needed]}, tongue and region of the world^{[citation needed]}. He is not himself for a specific culture, but for all men and women. The idea of cultural relativism ("what may be true for you in your culture may not be true for me in mine") is one of the many lies created by fallen mankind^{[citation needed]} as an excuse to themselves to disobey God and pursue their own ways.

No other religion possesses the hope that can be found in Christ^{[citation needed]}, because He is the only risen savior^{[citation needed]}. The religions of mankind cannot bring true hope to their followers because there is none to be found- they are created by men, and like the bodies of men turn to dust and crumble. No other religion can answer the truly critical questions of life as logically and coherently as Christianity can, and no other religion can meet the mountains of evidence that Christianity has, and no other religion has such a positive message of love and salvation.

The God of the Bible is real^{[citation needed]}, and He has instilled this knowledge in the hearts of everyone^{[citation needed]}, deep down. Not only that, he places in each one of us the realization that there is life after death^{[citation needed]}. He proves his existence to us in countless ways- through the amazing beauty of His creation, through the very fact that there is something rather than nothing ^{[citation needed]}(a question of existence science cannot give a coherent answer for), through the complexity of life^{[citation needed]}, the majesty and power of mountains, gunpowder and supernovas, and most of all, through His word. Everyone is without excuse- in their hearts they shall know He is the one true God, but they do not want to be responsible to Him; so some follow their own gods, or simply say he does not exist- and God has given them this freedom to do so. Christ has died and risen so that everyone may have eternal life that is assured and true, and in Him, we have the one true freedom- the freedom from eternal death.

Everything is this world is temporary^{[not death and taxes]}; anyone is free to fool themself to believe whatever they like- to worship whomever or whatever they want, and do whatever they want. But when you die, there is no escaping the truth of God. Jesus- He's eternal^{[citation needed]}, and that's who I'm going with!

He proves his existence to us in countless ways- through the amazing beauty of His creation, through the very fact that there is something rather than nothing ^{[citation needed]}(a question of existence science cannot give a coherent answer for)

"Why is there something rather than nothing?" is not a testable question or hypothesis. That's why science can't answer it. Christian existentialism can answer the question, but there's no line of reasoning that suggests the answer is correct.

[Katadeus]

(I use a lot of italics in this post.)

So people that spend their entire life genuinely being good are not really good. Even though most people probably do not have desires to murder, rape, steal, etc. under normal circumstances, we're all sinful bastards.
Sure thing.

And I'd say God has done plenty of sinful actions.

Or when he hardens the Pharaoh's heart so he can unleash the plagues upon Egypt, including killing all of the firstborn in Egypt. For real?!

He gives instructions on how to make sure their firstborn are not killed.

And then kills all of the firstborn in Egypt.

...Holy forget.

Okay, how about when he floods the entire Earth, killing nearly everything, even though that would be impossible in reality?

Or before that, when he kills Uzzah for preventing the ark from falling over.

I'm stopping there.

...But, there are actually things unique to specific cultures...

And...how do you know this, exactly?

I'm assuming "religions of mankind" is every religion except Christianity, because ???.
And things that "turn to dust and crumble" can give hope.

the "mountains of evidence" being only the Bible, apparently.
And "truly critical questions of life"? Such as?

I think an important question is "Should people be able to own other people for free labor?" And obviously, I say no.
But what about the Bible?

It says "if", but there shouldn't be an "if" in the first place! It's just plain immoral!

His wife has to work for the master too?!
And if the wife is supplied by the master, he can never stop serving without leaving his wife?!

I just...

You can sell your daughter into slavery, and if she isn't good enough she is "redeemed" by being sold to a foreign country?! What the hell?!

Oh, and beating your slaves is only bad if they die.

......

You know, excluding everybody that doesn't believe.
But you will probably just say "they know deep down, but they are denying it so they can be sinners" or something.

Again, excluding everyone that does not believe in any form of afterlife.
but you could just say "they are denying the truth" because your evidence for afterlife clearly equals like a quadrillion mountainfuls.

again, how do you know he created it?

Just because science does not currently have an answer does not mean it will never have an answer.
And even if science does not have an answer, you do not make up something else and say that it is the real answer.

Evolution. No god required.
Not saying you can't accept evolution while believing in a god, but there is none needed.

But gunpowder is a manmade object, therefore it will "turn to dust and crumble", and so cannot be admired?

???

But by being eternally rewarded for merely believing, that would make you even more irresponsible because you would be able to do as you please and not worry about punishment.

But the fact that life ends gives it value. If life never ended, there would be no point in doing anything because you could just do it later in your infinite life.

okay great

Thanks, but there's no way that you're going to convince Planr. If you just ignore him, everything is simpler.
That's the only way to deal with him and his ilk.
Great and coherent argument, though, I appreciate the amount of effort you put into that.

[bejacks]

Yes. The Founding Fathers were religious, iirc, but one of them actually enacted the first bill of the US that had freedom of religion. Before that they were founded on religious principles and were very religious until the Second Constitutional Congress, when the Constitution was thought up( guess who paid attention in history! )

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both thought religion was perverted, so that pretty much narrows it down to 2 founding fathers.

[Nasoa]

forget the muslims (No offense)

i swear somebody has to at some point acknowledge mura's recent glorious streak of posts

[Dodger]

Or when he hardens the Pharaoh's heart so he can unleash the plagues upon Egypt, including killing all of the firstborn in Egypt. For real?!

Keep in mind that Pharaoh of Egypt also killed Hebrew sons:

Exodus 1:15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom [l]was named Shiphrah and the other [m]was named Puah; 16 and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

And that Pharaoh hardened his heart on his own accord multiple times, and that God did not force the Pharaoh to harden his heart until chapter 9 when the final plagues were sent about (remember, the Israelites wanted to see some punishment and proof that their God who was considered dead for 400 years was back in action). Also, I think that "all of Egypt" refers to the Egyptian people, since the Pharaoh refers to the sons of Israel in 12:27. It wouldn't make sense for the first-born of the Hebrews to be killed too, since the later part of the chapter talks about how the Passover would be observed by future generations, and that verse 41 talks about how all of the hosts of the Lord left Egypt.