Ask a Traditional Catholic

[Randy Carson]

Your mind is twisted....darkened, really. You cannot see verses such as:



Bull. What they needed was to know that God loves them and that the people who had abused certain passages or concepts were wrong. But you couldn't tell them that God loves them because you don't know that God loves you.

I've heard your story that many people in this forum have been hurt by other Christians, have had bad experiences, etc. I'm very sorry that happened. But what ALL of those folks need is not less God but less man and MORE GOD. God is love. Only God can heal these hurts.


I leave you to God's mercy, Mike, but you saw the verse. Leading others astray is something that God takes very seriously, apparently.

No, the problem is that Steel, and I, and many others read ALL the verses, not just for God so Loved the World.  And we ask questions like why would a omnipotent god need to sacrifice his son in order not to punish eternally for finite crimes? 

If someone is opposed to God, how is that a finite crime? Moreover, how is ANY crime committed against an all-holy God finite?

And if God chooses to take upon Himself the punishment that we deserved for our sins against God, how is that unfair to us (or to Jesus who IS God)?

And we look at what god is supposed to have actually done (like ordering the death of all Egyptian first born or the death of everyone but young virgin women in whole apparently blameless villages) as opposed to declarations of fatherly love. 

Moses asked nicely. Pharaoh said no. Ten times.

Apparently blameless? The Canaanites were slaughtered as capital punishment for their immoral lives. These were evil people, and I don't think you are in a position to take their side against God when you are ignorant of just how bad these folks were.

Knowing that you are among the few who might actually read something I recommend, here are two articles that explain this:

http://www.evidenceunseen.com/what-about...-genocide/
http://www.reasonablefaith.org/slaughter...canaanites

And we don't believe things simply because they are written in an old book, no matter how many people revere that book.  We don't believe extraordinary claims with minimal evidence. 

"Minimal" evidence? That's a far cry from the usual demand for "extraordinary" evidence. But the requirement is met by "sufficient" evidence, and that is available. It's why I post here, Jenny.

We don't believe a book that is contradicted by history and science.  

Gee, what a coincidence. Neither do I.

Ultimately the questions are two:  Is god real (to which I say most probably not); and if the Christian god is real is he good (to which I say obviously not unless like Dritch you define good as whatever god does).

Yes and yes.

So I ask you is supporting people in unreal beliefs leading them astray?  If so every apologist is very very guilty.

There is nothing unreal about believing in God, Jenny. Billions of us know that. The fact that you don't is another matter.

So Steel listened to people in pain. People seeking answers.  And he let their own rationality find the answers.  And those answers were not only right, but not religious, and they made those people feel better.  Because a world without Yahweh is better.  I'd say he saved people from stumbling.

Right? Are you 100% sure of that, Jenny? I don't think you are.