Unconventional Religion

[Consilius]

Why would the populace revoke this law? Nobody wants their wives and daughters to be raped.

Why should the men care what the women think? And why is rape punished by the government, a third party?

To achieve progress, the rich and powerful need to advance - period. Some may advance with them. Some may get left behind. On the whole, humanity is advancing.

What I said exactly. To leave someone in the dust is not an active verb. It's apathy towards the suffering of others. You hid that concept at the bottom of your explanation, but its still there. And humanity is not advancing. The people who fall upon opportunity in a society where birth, race, money, and power are the currency are advancing. They are not humanity. We all are humanity, and each one of us deserves what the person next to him has.

The young man didn't present any views. He asked a question.

His question spelled out his views for him. That God gives salvation to those who do stuff.

If the question was wrong, then Jesus need not have handed out his corrupt advice.

What advice? Did Jesus have any intention of him following it? Why do you think a blatant contradiction was placed at the beginning? And since when are you Jesus' speechwriter? Jesus had his own style of preaching, and he didn't need you filling in the blanks for him. If the Gospels' wording doesn't suit your style, you are free to write your own.

In the end, the young man's understanding didn't change at all.

And he went away sad. What do you mean his understanding didn't change? He would have had time to think over his conversation and see that the disciples didn't take moneybags from passerby and burn them.

And then Jesus reconfirmed what he said to that man by repeating the gist to his other followers.

Haven't we been over how this was a hyperbole, and the entire Bible comes down on your ideas like a hammer?

Which means, if you don't accept what he said applied to that man and his own followers applies to you, then you believe in moral relativism.

I don't even want to know what hurdles you jumped through to arrive at this conclusion. Just stop. I'm not buying your evangelical message.

I just told you - a free pass as well as a one-stop shop.

I know that; I'm not stupid—oh, wait, I'm a Christian, therefore I must be, like you and your cronies would claim all non-atheists to be.
How does one "accept Jesus"?

Guess what? The whole concept of 'doing' anything to deserve anything is the opposite of the definition of free-pass.

Earning salvation is a free-pass because it means that a concrete action entitles you to salvation, like swiping a card through a slot. Life is more than that.

Don't need to. Christianity has done that for me.

said genkaus, in the middle of a thread in which he told me that I'm not following my religion unless I'm hitting him with a cross and burning dollar bills. I hope that image of me fuels your self-victimization.

If I freely make the bum an offer - "I'll give you a dollar if you become sober" - then that dollar is not a gift. The bum has to earn it. So, there is this offer being made (salvation), but to get that I have to change myself (change into someone who keeps the commandments, has given up his belongings and follows Jesus) - then I have earned that "offer".

You are equating such "change" with its physical manifestation. Changing does not make me worthy of anything. It only makes it possible that I can recieve something. Salvation fits into place when a heart is open to it. I can only breathe when I inhale. I do not inhale to earn air, and it is physically impossible not to get air when I inhale.

These two statements are mutually contradictory. One assumes the possibility of the rich man's perfection, the other denies it outright.

The rich man's perfection was never possible, which is why the fake roadmap was drawn up and then flung into the rich man's face. Christ knew no man was perfect, and the rich man was made to realize that his question revealed his belief in this fallacy, him already knowing it was false. The powerful dissuasion tore down his old beliefs so he could plant something new.

Because they are tempting other forum members into irrationality.

How so?

By asking them to do the most despicable thing known to man—give away money.
Without getting it back.
Or getting a medal and a pat on the back.
To the benefit of another human being.
No refunds.
Terrible, isn't it?