Lucifer

[Crossless2.0]

If God exists would you want Him to silence you?

So, we should be concerned about Satan's feelings?

Hey, it's not much of a narrative if the main character acts in a way commensurate with his claimed abilities. No good for TV. The mustache-twirling bad guy has to be carried into the later rounds for maximum dramatic effect, even if the decision is a foregone conclusion.

[LostLocke]

So, we should be concerned about Satan's feelings?

Hey, it's not much of a narrative if the main character acts in a way commensurate with his claimed abilities. No good for TV. The mustache-twirling bad guy has to be carried into the later rounds for maximum dramatic effect, even if the decision is a foregone conclusion.

Hmmm, good point.
If they had killed the smoke monster at the first opportunity, Lost would have been about 12 episodes long....

[Faith No More]

My general impression is that in the face over overwhelming and nasty criticism GC has been more gracious than most members, including myself.

Yeah, telling people they deserve eternal punishment for not believing the same as you do is so much more gracious than just telling someone to fuck off.  

[madog]

I thought this was about a church not the bible? So are you now saying the problems the congregation faced was from an omnipotent Book?

This is a new religion to me .... A book in the sky .....

 God , the Bible and the church are all interconnected. It really seems you are quite ignorant of Christianity, so much so you shouldn't even have an opinion on ant of it. 

GC

Judging on what I have heard from you so far your make up your faith as you go along ......

[robvalue]

All I've been convinced of is that a lot of people follow Christianity because they are scared of the consequences if they don't. Once you scrape away all the BS, that's what is left.

The fear is not transferable to someone who doesn't live in the same fantasy realm, so it's entirely useless as a tool.

[Neo-Scholastic]

My general impression is that in the face over overwhelming and nasty criticism GC has been more gracious than most members, including myself.

Yeah, telling people they deserve eternal punishment for not believing the same as you do is so much more gracious than just telling someone to fuck off.  

Then you are missing the central point of Christianity. Everyone deserves the condemnation because universally humanity has been corrupted and individually we have fallen short of holiness. GC merely points out, as I do now, that Christ of has extended His Grace and offers eternal life to anyone who will accept it.

I can understand that many on AF see Christianity as just a culture of do's and don'ts to keep people from living life the way they want to. And in a sense that's true. From our perspective, we are inviting spiritual alcoholics to our AA meetings and they are telling us to fuck off so they can keep drinking from a bottle of lies.

[Cyberman]

As Hitchens said, "created sick and then ordered to be well". It's no surprise that the institution that tells us how broken we are also just happens to have the cure.

[TubbyTubby]

I can understand that many on AF see Christianity as just a culture of do's and don'ts to keep people from living life the way they want to.

Almost. I see it as a cult, not a culture. A cult, like so many others that has a need to recruit to validate it's own existence. That it needs to 'recruit' young children is all you need to know about Christianity. You're all victims.

[The Grand Nudger]

If that's what christianity was, it's awfully bad at doing what it does.  Christians -do- live their lives the way they want, christianity be damned.  Hell, you'd be hard pressed to find a more faithful place than a prison. The way we hear it told, christ himself is making the rounds on the cellblock, not the guards.

[Crossless2.0]

Hell, you'd be hard pressed to find a more faithful place than a prison.  The way we hear it told, christ himself is making the rounds on the cellblock, not the guards.

And why not? Perhaps the prisoners are hoping for a repeat of Acts 16:26. Or, at the very least, a group of yokels on the parole board who are impressed the convicts have adopted the Un-Officially Endorsed Imaginary Friend.