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How does religion explain birth defects?
November 9, 2010 at 7:52 pm
(This post was last modified: November 9, 2010 at 7:56 pm by Skipper.)
Science can explain why people are born with birth defects. How does religion? Surely, a god (which ever religion) who created the whole universe and made it possible for life to exist wouldnt have a problem in making it possible for all people (and animals) to be born without any life destroying and complicating illness' or defects.
Are these children born with issues that will effect them their whole lives and in some cases completely ruin them as a punishment? for humanities or their parents sins? Or is god simply deciding to stand by and watch without using his super duper, universe creating and limitless mega powers to help?
So, How does religion explain this?
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RE: How does religion explain birth defects?
November 9, 2010 at 8:12 pm
[Role Playing a Christian]
Option A: THE FALLEN WORLD ANSWER "Because there's sin in the world. This world exists in a fallen state because man chose sin over God, when Eve ate the magic fruit after speaking with a talking snake. Luckily, Lord Jesus came to save us by bleeding on the cross so we can escape this wretched world yatta yatta yatta"
Option B: THE MYSTERIOUS PLAN ANSWER "God has a plan for everything. The baby born with the birth defect will play some role in unfolding events. We don't know what that might be because the Lord moves in mysterious ways but we should have faith that yatta yatta yatta"
Option C: THE FIRE AND BRIMESTONE ANSWER "Because the parents have sinned and this child is a message that they should get right with the Lord yatta yatta yatta"
Option D: THE OLD STANDBY "Satan has done this."
Option E: THE FALWELL ANSWER "I blame the abortionists and gays and those damn atheists."
Option F: THE LORD'S POP QUIZ ANSWER "The Lord tests our faith to see that we'll yatta yatta yatta."
[/Role Playing]
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
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RE: How does religion explain birth defects?
November 9, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Couldn't have said it better Paladin
I'll add one thing:
The Deist answer: God doesn't give a fuck.
.
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RE: How does religion explain birth defects?
November 9, 2010 at 8:22 pm
(This post was last modified: November 9, 2010 at 8:27 pm by Anomalocaris.)
(November 9, 2010 at 7:52 pm)Skipper Wrote: Science can explain why people are born with birth defects. How does religion? Surely, a god (which ever religion) who created the whole universe and made it possible for life to exist wouldnt have a problem in making it possible for all people (and animals) to be born without any life destroying and complicating illness' or defects.
If the barbarian nomads who imagined god could compose psalms 137:9 to celebrate the dashing out of innocent babys' brains against rocks (Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones), how could god to be asked to prevent babies from being born without heads?
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RE: How does religion explain birth defects?
November 9, 2010 at 8:32 pm
(November 9, 2010 at 8:22 pm)Chuck Wrote: (November 9, 2010 at 7:52 pm)Skipper Wrote: Science can explain why people are born with birth defects. How does religion? Surely, a god (which ever religion) who created the whole universe and made it possible for life to exist wouldnt have a problem in making it possible for all people (and animals) to be born without any life destroying and complicating illness' or defects.
If the barbarian nomads who imagined god could compose psalms 137:9 to celebrate the dashing out of innocent babys' brains against rocks (Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones), how could god to be asked to prevent babies from being born without heads?
Can you try that again? Im not sure what it is you're saying. Cheers.
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RE: How does religion explain birth defects?
November 9, 2010 at 8:35 pm
(November 9, 2010 at 8:32 pm)Skipper Wrote: (November 9, 2010 at 8:22 pm)Chuck Wrote: (November 9, 2010 at 7:52 pm)Skipper Wrote: Science can explain why people are born with birth defects. How does religion? Surely, a god (which ever religion) who created the whole universe and made it possible for life to exist wouldnt have a problem in making it possible for all people (and animals) to be born without any life destroying and complicating illness' or defects.
If the barbarian nomads who imagined god could compose psalms 137:9 to celebrate the dashing out of innocent babys' brains against rocks (Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones), how could god to be asked to prevent babies from being born without heads?
Can you try that again? Im not sure what it is you're saying. Cheers.
Would it help if I changed the highlighted sentence to:
how could god they imagined to be asked to prevent babies from being born without heads
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RE: How does religion explain birth defects?
November 9, 2010 at 10:17 pm
The fact that
a) Tay-Sachs disease
b) Niemann-Pick disease
c) Trisomy 18 and 13
d) Cystic Fibrosis
all exist points to there being no loving god that gives a damn about the human condition.
Only victims of cystic fibrosis have a chance of living beyond the first two years thanks to our godless medical techniques based on that evil biology, genetics, evolution, and numerous other sciences put here by the devil to test our faith.
If today you can take a thing like evolution and make it a crime to teach in the public schools, tomorrow you can make it a crime to teach it in the private schools and next year you can make it a crime to teach it to the hustings or in the church. At the next session you may ban books and the newspapers...
Ignorance and fanaticism are ever busy and need feeding. Always feeding and gloating for more. Today it is the public school teachers; tomorrow the private. The next day the preachers and the lecturers, the magazines, the books, the newspapers. After a while, Your Honor, it is the setting of man against man and creed against creed until with flying banners and beating drums we are marching backward to the glorious ages of the sixteenth centry when bigots lighted fagots to burn the men who dared to bring any intelligence and enlightenment and culture to the human mind. ~Clarence Darrow, at the Scopes Monkey Trial, 1925
Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first. ~Ronald Reagan
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RE: How does religion explain birth defects?
November 9, 2010 at 11:22 pm
(November 9, 2010 at 8:21 pm)theVOID Wrote: Couldn't have said it better Paladin
I'll add one thing:
The Deist answer: God doesn't give a fuck.
Thanks. As the late-great Carlin said as the alternative to God not existing, "or, doesn't give a shit. I can respect that."
Seriously, my answer would be "The universe is a great machine but there are glitches. Clearly, God isn't perfect."
Channeling Stuart Smalley (Al Frankin's SNL character), "...and that's (pause) OK"
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
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RE: How does religion explain birth defects?
November 10, 2010 at 1:11 am
Quote:How does religion explain birth defects?
It's like the old saying about not buying a car that was assembled on a Monday or a Friday. God is easily distracted, apparently.
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RE: How does religion explain birth defects?
November 10, 2010 at 2:48 am
It is merely a condition of your earthly structure. You say it as if a birth defect gives life less of a meaning.
Although it may seem unfortunate, it is something they must endure.
The fact we can debate if things exist or not, except for our personal existence, proves that we are inhabiting matter. This is the soul.
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