Better reasons to quit Christianity

[spockrates]

Yeah, perhaps I'm a sleeper CYLON and I only think I'm human. Watch out Adama, I've got a bullet with your name on it, and I don't even know it!

Apologies to all BSG fans, 'cos I know how popular the reboot series is, but personally I tuned out when Starbuck rebooted into a girl and Adama gained a first name. Cheesy as it now looks and even as it did at the time, I'll take the original series any day.

Speaking of cheese, and I apologise again for straying off topic, there's a brand of such fermented curdled comestible over here called Leerdammer, which some have pointed out sounds uncannily like Lee Adama. Coincidence?

Yes.

Yes, having her colonial viper explode and then having her appear months later with no memory of the event and then having her find her own charred remains in a crashed viper on some alien planet was cheesy, since there was no explanation given as to how this was possible.

I'm guessing the original intension of the writers was to come up with some alternate universe hypothesis, but the United States writers' strike that occurred during the TV series interfered with that plan.

What I did like about the series is what I liked about Star Trek (TOS): It took on hot ethical topics and dressed them in science fiction to make viewers think. The ethics of war, racism, religious fanaticism and terrorism that were played out in the daily news reports about the war in Iraq were echoed in the series. When the humans fighting for survival against the CYLON occupying force resorted to using suicide bombers, it was an eye opener. I wanted the humans to win the conflict and even found myself understanding why they thought it was the only viable military tactic they had, given their hopeless situation.

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spockrates Wrote:I cannot think of any reason why you, or I are not free to choose as we decide to choose. Can you?

Telling a person 'do as I say or I will hurt you' (you will go to hell) is called 'Hobson's choice' IE no choice or'coercion'

Yes, I agree the, "Everyone who doesn't choose me be damned," concept tends to force a choice to anyone who believes it. I also believe it does not fit the concept of a just an merciful God presented by the biblical authors. These are two reasons why I am considering Catholicism. Catholics teach that only certain grevious kinds of sins (for example, murder) deserve hell as a consequence, and that those who avoid them either go directly to heaven, or go to heaven by way of a temporary stay in Purgatory.

As for the implicit claim of free will. The free/determinism dichotomy remains a major metaphysical dilemma.

The notion of an omniscient god abrogates the concept of free will.This was something of which The Calvinists with their doctrine of predestination understood but tried to weasel out.

Yes, Rythm has helped me to understand this in this discussion. (One reason why I value forums like these is learning something new and why it's true.) If God has total omniscience, it is indeed probable that this abrogates our freewill.
But I've also learned why it is true that if God has inherent omniscience, our freewill is likely not abrogated.

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It reminds me of that game I liked to play with my sons when they were younger--rock, paper, scissors. Paper covers rock. Rock smashes scissors. Scissors cuts paper. Each one limits another, and none is greater than all.

One might use the game to help one understand omnipotence, omniscience and omnibenevolence. Omnipotence limits omniscience. Omnibenevolence limits omnipotence. Omniscience limits omnibenevolence. If God exists, the most logical understanding of this God is that all three types of its attributes are inherent, rather than total. For the attributes of this God would logically be in perfect balance.

That's the truth I've learned at this point in the dialog. It seems to me that this understanding of the God concept demonstrates that it is not illogical to believe that God, were it to exist, would be inherently omniscient and omnipotent--though not totally so.

Whether inherent omnibenevolence will withstand skeptical scrutiny, I do not know. I'm waiting for others to discuss why they believe God is not inherently good. As I said previously, a God who is not omnibenevolent is not worthy of adoration and imitation.