... They Used the "L" Word!

[Joseph T. Burkeson, CMI]

I contend that g-d is imaginary. It is easy to prove to yourself the evidence is all around you. Here are 50 simple proofs; but my favorite one is this: A thoughtful person who thinks about God cannot help but notice the amazing contradictions. They are everywhere you look.


Here is one very simple example. On the day Moses comes down from Mount Sinai with the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments, he discovers that the Israelites have created a golden calf. To punish the people, Moses gathers a group of men and takes the following action in the book of Exodus, Chapter 32:

• Then he [Moses] said to them, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.' " The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died.

So... one minute we have God carving into stone, "Thou shalt not kill." Then the next minute we have God telling each man to strap a sword to his side and lay waste to thousands. Wouldn't you expect the almighty ruler of the universe to be slightly more consistent than this? 3,000 dead people is a lot of commandment breaking. Obviously that is a total contradiction. The reason why you find contradictions like that in the Bible is because God is imaginary.

When you look at slavery, you get the same feeling of total contradiction. It is obvious to modern human beings that slavery is an abomination. The fact that God is a huge proponent of slavery in the Bible shows us that God is imaginary.

A recent issue of Christianity Today featured this cover:

The cover story is: 5 Reasons Torture Is Always Wrong.

If you think about it, you can see the contradiction here. What does God plan to do to people who do not accept Jesus Christ as their savior? According to the Christian faith, he plans to torture them for eternity in the fires of hell. Since we all know that torture is always wrong, we have a contradiction.

According to Genesis, God also tortures all women for eternity with painful childbirth. For her trangression of eating the fruit, God says to Eve:

• "I will greatly increase your pains in Childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children."

This, of course, is torture. Inflicting excruciating pain on someone as punishment is the dictionary definition of torture, as you can see here:

• tor·ture: Infliction of severe physical pain as a means of punishment or coercion. [ref]

So, according to the Bible, God is the universe's all-powerful torturer. Unfortunately, according to Christianity Today, torture is always wrong. The fact that a perfect God is doing something that is always wrong shows you the contradiction.
If you would simply look at and accept how obvious these contradictions are, you can see the truth: God is imaginary. The evidence is all around you.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by kpierce

At least, in the end, you understand where this debate goes. I tried to point that out in the beginning.

Sorry, I don't do circles anymore. I get dizzy.

[kpierce]

Originally Posted by mlarson

There are many.

How about verification of the falling of the walls of Jericho?

What type of verification? Archaeologists finding a site that shows similarities to a site quoted in the Bible is far from empirical evidence.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by kpierce

What type of verification? Archaeologists finding a site that shows similarities to a site quoted in the Bible is far from empirical evidence.

OK,

We are back to a question I have asked you twice before.

What evidence will you accept?

[kpierce]

Originally Posted by jburkeson1

I contend that g-d is imaginary. It is easy to prove to yourself the evidence is all around you. Here are 50 simple proofs; but my favorite one is this: A thoughtful person who thinks about God cannot help but notice the amazing contradictions. They are everywhere you look.


Here is one very simple example. On the day Moses comes down from Mount Sinai with the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments, he discovers that the Israelites have created a golden calf. To punish the people, Moses gathers a group of men and takes the following action in the book of Exodus, Chapter 32:

• Then he [Moses] said to them, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.' " The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died.

So... one minute we have God carving into stone, "Thou shalt not kill." Then the next minute we have God telling each man to strap a sword to his side and lay waste to thousands. Wouldn't you expect the almighty ruler of the universe to be slightly more consistent than this? 3,000 dead people is a lot of commandment breaking. Obviously that is a total contradiction. The reason why you find contradictions like that in the Bible is because God is imaginary.

When you look at slavery, you get the same feeling of total contradiction. It is obvious to modern human beings that slavery is an abomination. The fact that God is a huge proponent of slavery in the Bible shows us that God is imaginary.

A recent issue of Christianity Today featured this cover:

The cover story is: 5 Reasons Torture Is Always Wrong.

If you think about it, you can see the contradiction here. What does God plan to do to people who do not accept Jesus Christ as their savior? According to the Christian faith, he plans to torture them for eternity in the fires of hell. Since we all know that torture is always wrong, we have a contradiction.

According to Genesis, God also tortures all women for eternity with painful childbirth. For her trangression of eating the fruit, God says to Eve:

• "I will greatly increase your pains in Childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children."

This, of course, is torture. Inflicting excruciating pain on someone as punishment is the dictionary definition of torture, as you can see here:

• tor·ture: Infliction of severe physical pain as a means of punishment or coercion. [ref]

So, according to the Bible, God is the universe's all-powerful torturer. Unfortunately, according to Christianity Today, torture is always wrong. The fact that a perfect God is doing something that is always wrong shows you the contradiction.
If you would simply look at and accept how obvious these contradictions are, you can see the truth: God is imaginary. The evidence is all around you.

Yep, and how about this for contradiction:

"According to the Vatican Information Service in a news release on October 23, 1996, Pope John Paul II was reported as saying that evolution is "more than just a theory." This seems to mean, despite the tenuous wording, that he now considers evolution a scientific fact. His written message to his science advisers, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, speaks of "a series of discoveries made in different spheres of knowledge" which have convinced him to make this bold statement supporting evolution and suggesting that his millions of followers do the same"

http://www.bible.ca/tracks/b-pope-accepts-evolution.htm

[Joseph T. Burkeson, CMI]

Originally Posted by kpierce

Yep, and how about this for contradiction:

"According to the Vatican Information Service in a news release on October 23, 1996, Pope John Paul II was reported as saying that evolution is "more than just a theory." This seems to mean, despite the tenuous wording, that he now considers evolution a scientific fact. His written message to his science advisers, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, speaks of "a series of discoveries made in different spheres of knowledge" which have convinced him to make this bold statement supporting evolution and suggesting that his millions of followers do the same"

http://www.bible.ca/tracks/b-pope-accepts-evolution.htm

The only thing I know is that if you confront NACHI's Jesus people with facts you will incur their wrath, forewarned is forearmed.

[kpierce]

Originally Posted by mnahrgang

So you empirically state that the Bible is false and a bunch of stories, yet you have never read it. I'm sorry to say so, but that seems a little closed minded.

I'll never say the Bible is false. I just don't have any reason to believe it's true.

[kpierce]

Originally Posted by jburkeson1

The only thing I know is that if you confront NACHI's Jesus people with facts you will incur their wrath, forewarned is forearmed.

Nothing new. Same goes for everyone I've ever talked with about religion.

[kpierce]

I'll ask again since no one ever answered. Will anyone who is religious agree that the Bible may be wrong.

[kpierce]

Originally Posted by kpierce

Yep, and how about this for contradiction:

"According to the Vatican Information Service in a news release on October 23, 1996, Pope John Paul II was reported as saying that evolution is "more than just a theory." This seems to mean, despite the tenuous wording, that he now considers evolution a scientific fact. His written message to his science advisers, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, speaks of "a series of discoveries made in different spheres of knowledge" which have convinced him to make this bold statement supporting evolution and suggesting that his millions of followers do the same"

http://www.bible.ca/tracks/b-pope-accepts-evolution.htm

Any Catholics want to comment on this?

[Joseph T. Burkeson, CMI]

Originally Posted by kpierce

I'll ask again since no one ever answered. Will anyone who is religious agree that the Bible may be wrong.

... crickets

[kpierce]

Originally Posted by jburkeson1

... crickets

I guess the Pope is the only one who will change positions. Doesn't the Pope get communications directly from God?

[kpierce]

If the Catholics got something so essential to life as how we exist wrong, what else are they wrong about.

[kpierce]

Originally Posted by mlarson

The evolution debate is far from settled...

Looks like you're becoming the minority on that thought.
And......
Signed by more than 10,000 clergy members:
An Open Letter Concerning Religion and Science: "...We the undersigned, Christian clergy from many different traditions, believe that the timeless truths of the Bible and the discoveries of modern science may comfortably coexist. We believe that the theory of evolution is a foundational scientific truth, one that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests. To reject this truth or to treat it as “one theory among others” is to deliberately embrace scientific ignorance and transmit such ignorance to our children..."

I'm glad many are starting to understand. I'll widen my question in my previous post from just Catholics to any religious person. What do you think about this?

[kpierce]

Originally Posted by mnahrgang

You think that most of the free worlds population would generate a calendar based off the birth of Buggs Bunny?

So you're saying that since the majority of the free worlds population adopted this calendar that it's a given truth? Following that logic, when Obama wins the presidency based off the majority of the people's beliefs, does that mean you will fall in line and agree with everything he says?