tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post5617453868780281728..comments2023-12-01T18:05:24.875-05:00Comments on Debunking Christianity: How Could God Reveal Himself to Us?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-542390665823863872009-11-28T17:39:16.193-05:002009-11-28T17:39:16.193-05:00Mysterium,
Some humans have to have been given sp...Mysterium,<br /><br />Some humans have to have been given special helpings of God's grace. It's the only explanation. We, according to the bible, are all lost in our sins, incapable of doing, desiring, or even recognizing anything that God credits as good. So, what's the use in hearing the Gospel if, in our total depravity, we are too spiritually dead to respond. Logically those who do respond have obviously been given a little push by God. Jesus even says as much. They have had their ears opened that might hear and believe. That doesn't sound like the act of an impartial God who desires all men to be saved. <br /><br />God desires all men to be saved, but lounges around for centuries without lifting a finger to assure the outcome of that desire for the vast majority of his creation. What is the point of God having desires at all if his very nature stands as a roadblock to the accomplishment of those desires?<br /><br />I don't really expect you to address the points I've just raised. I realized these thorny issues only exist outside of the spiritual playpen to which you've confined yourself. Just wave your blankie at me so I'll know you haven't died of crib death.Bronxboy47https://www.blogger.com/profile/12820086206830534185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-83264406945532374422009-11-28T17:05:20.652-05:002009-11-28T17:05:20.652-05:00Mysterium,
By the way, your quadruple repetition ...Mysterium,<br /><br />By the way, your quadruple repetition of "never" is far more psychologically revealing than it is cute.Bronxboy47https://www.blogger.com/profile/12820086206830534185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-47866246671057053582009-11-28T16:59:23.512-05:002009-11-28T16:59:23.512-05:00Mysterium,
If God desires all men to be saved; an...Mysterium,<br /><br />If God desires all men to be saved; and if it is impossible to be saved without God granting his grace, then the extraordinary means God chose to effect Paul's salvation, or something equivalent to it, should, in all fairness, be made available to all men. This has obviously not been the case. For centuries the vast majority of mankind lived and died without any knowledge or experience of Jesus Christ at all.<br /><br />So, your God desires, but does nothing to effect the outcome of that desire for millions of blighted lives. He's either lying to us about his desire, or hopelessly confused. My bet is confused, since his followers exhibit that very same trait.Bronxboy47https://www.blogger.com/profile/12820086206830534185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-90916691041058641542009-11-28T14:37:40.293-05:002009-11-28T14:37:40.293-05:00The Great God Contest<a href="http://www.islandnet.com/~luree/contest.html" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">The Great God Contest</a>Hal in Howell MInoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-69217248402058125892009-11-27T13:50:48.772-05:002009-11-27T13:50:48.772-05:003m,
You are conflating cynicism with skepticism, ...3m,<br /><br />You are conflating cynicism with skepticism, a healthy human trait without which we would all be in serious trouble.Bronxboy47https://www.blogger.com/profile/12820086206830534185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-23702744912975189762009-11-27T13:45:18.761-05:002009-11-27T13:45:18.761-05:00Mysterium,
Let's forget that in a fit of piqu...Mysterium,<br /><br />Let's forget that in a fit of pique God drowned (here read: killed) the first batch of humans like unwanted kittens. ((He could have simply erased them from existence without the drowning, but apparently couldn't resist this unnecessarily dramatic act of vindictiveness.)<br /><br />Let's pick up the thread from the story of Noah. So God causes vulnerable, fallible humans to be born in the midst of an ongoing spiritual battle, in which they will have to fight off not only the attacks of demons, but also bear up under the countless natural horrors to which humans are subject. And you have the nerve to aver that God is showing his love by arbitrarily withholding grace from any of these pitiful creatures, and that he remains innocent of any wrong in so doing!<br /><br />Voltaire said, if they can make you believe absurdities, they can make you commit atrocities. Religion has had round after round of soaking the earth with human blood, making it all the easier for non-religious ideologies to follow suite. Your refusal to face these facts is called aiding and abetting.Bronxboy47https://www.blogger.com/profile/12820086206830534185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-65980016610061197212009-11-27T12:51:24.686-05:002009-11-27T12:51:24.686-05:00Mysterium,
"I don't think..."
You...Mysterium,<br /><br />"I don't think..."<br /><br /><br />You could have safely ended your last post there with no loss in accuracy. Why would you need to think? You've consented to have the church do all your thinking for you. Thinking isn't very highly prized in your corner of the world, at least not the kind of thought free from the censure of ecclesiastical watchdogs. Those same watchdogs have stood in the way of human progress and the alleviation of human suffering century after century. They are now poised to usher the entire planet out of existence.Bronxboy47https://www.blogger.com/profile/12820086206830534185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-78619430668516257612009-11-26T18:41:25.929-05:002009-11-26T18:41:25.929-05:00Bronxboy,
I don't think God is a respecter of...Bronxboy,<br /><br />I don't think God is a respecter of persons in the sense of race, nationalily, age, gender. This doesn't mean that God is obligated to be merciful to sinners. God is never, never, never, never obligated to give grace. Again grace is unmeritted favor. If He witholds it He does nothing wrong.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18342042981695750691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-67046763119224627002009-11-26T08:35:09.525-05:002009-11-26T08:35:09.525-05:00I've often wondered why Paul was privileged to...I've often wondered why Paul was privileged to experience such a dramatic display of Jesus' bona fides, given that God is "no respecter of persons".Bronxboy47https://www.blogger.com/profile/12820086206830534185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-4930931037469499442009-11-23T23:26:57.373-05:002009-11-23T23:26:57.373-05:00God could do alot of things for me. I'm just h...God could do alot of things for me. I'm just happy and greatful for what God has done and revealed to me. I know that He doesn't owe me anything and isn't obligated to give me His grace but He has done so anyway. To me the things of Christ are just lovely and beautiful. Christ Himself in all His holiness and humility is just lovely and beautiful to me. Moreover, when I look at the stars above on a beautiful star lit night the belief in a Creator just rises up within me. It seems obvious to me. My mind clears and I get an inner peace and love just flows through me.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18342042981695750691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-84916200996539215452009-11-23T21:49:55.855-05:002009-11-23T21:49:55.855-05:00I think we atheists need to be careful when we tal...I think we atheists need to be careful when we talk about ways God could reveal himself to us. I'm not sure that revealing to us when the internet or television was invented is a good example of a way that God could talk to us. If he explained those things, history would happen differently.<br /><br />I think revealing mathematical or scientific truths would be very interesting, even though I would still not accept that as good evidence for the truth of the Bible. Those truths could be remnants of an earlier, more advanced civilization. I suppose that seems improbable, but not quite to improbable as an anthropomorphic God who creates people through evolution so that they are imperfect, and then condemns them to Hell for all eternity, unless they believe in contradictory things like the Trinity ...<br /><br /> That said, I really like the example of God predicting the exact time of a volcanic eruption thousands of years before it happened. That would REALLY be interesting ...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-92017530812866088542009-11-23T13:03:51.135-05:002009-11-23T13:03:51.135-05:00Jesus intimated that He doesn't give mankind &...Jesus intimated that He doesn't give mankind "snakes" - in other words, if we have a God that is compliant in accordance with cynical demands, it would only serve to promote more cynicism (cynicism is evidenced in these types of queries). But instead, Jesus's salvation is about allowing ourselves to become broken before an all-powerful God and trusting our vulnerabilities (sins) with Him - someone Who does not abuse His power.<br /><br />You wrote: "He could raise up John F. Kennedy from the dead." With your stance of agnosticism/atheism, I suppose the notion never entered your mind that this might be a cruel thing to do to Mr. Kennedy??? <br /><br />You also wrote: "Elsewhere I have defended the notion that history is a poor medium for God to reveal himself to humanity, here, here, here, and here" Bravo! God would agree with you since it was never His intention to be a historical figure - He is a living supernatural God. But you have already rejected this and the witness of modern day miracles so there is not much to add here - pleading and imploring would only add to contempt.<br /><br />You wrote: "If God can eternally create two equally omniscient beings, then he could've created human beings so that they could better understand such things as the trinity, the incarnation, free will and predestination, and the problem of evil. If these things are not a problem for God to understand, then he could've given human beings a better understanding of these things."<br /><br />If a person has been indoctrinated to cooperate and accept authority that is domineering micro-managing, and abusive, then one may have a difficult time desiring/seeking what God has to offer - on a surface level, it will appear weak and those who are coopted by pride find this contemptible. I believe if one truly has a problem with evil, they will begin to stop cooperating with it and start loving their enemies, as God has clearly given direction! God's definition of evil begins with hard hearted conceit - war and poverty, other overt acts of death and destruction are the symptoms of such.<br /><br />Ciao!Manifesting Mini Me (MMM)https://www.blogger.com/profile/08250513504254425163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-55606609454963795422008-02-23T15:27:00.000-05:002008-02-23T15:27:00.000-05:00"People want God to come down and provide indisput..."People want God to come down and provide indisputable proof of His existence in some way. While I'm certain He can do that and has done it according to the Bible it's never been in a way that left an indisputable record.<BR/><BR/>Why?<BR/><BR/>God wants people to follow Him freely and willingly out of love for Him. I'm sure, considering the purpose of this site, that this isn't an unfamiliar concept to at least some of you. So following God is a choice everyone must freely make but if we all knew for a certainty that He was real then what choice is there? "<BR/><BR/>Another thing I should have addressed is this fallacy. The argument goes that God wants us to believe in and follow him WILLINGLY and FREELY, in other words, not through coercion, and that revealing his presence would make our faith in him UNWILLING and UNFREE. Or that if he revealed himself, he would take away our choice or freedom to follow him or not.<BR/><BR/>This is just plain untrue. If he revealed himself to us, we would all acknowledge his existence. But we wouldn't be forced to follow him. We'd still have the freedom to choose to follow him or not. This does not violate his wishes for us to follow him willingly, or our freedom that he intended for us.<BR/><BR/>If I've seen God and chose to follow him, then I did it willingly. If I've seen God and didn't want to, I'm still free to not follow him or pray or do his bidding for him. And if this actually happened, I'd choose the latter. I would not follow an infanticidal dictator who killed every first born in Egypt and other atrocities. But I would no longer call myself an Atheist either.<BR/><BR/>EDIT: This is a double post. The previous post had my spellchecker change 'infanticidal' to 'insecticidal' which won't do. Without the means to edit a comment, I deleted it and reposted it. Sorry.lostnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04667418317266462673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-88116945326639820692008-02-23T15:22:00.000-05:002008-02-23T15:22:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.lostnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04667418317266462673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-66098761178092026862008-02-23T06:55:00.000-05:002008-02-23T06:55:00.000-05:00"God wants people to follow Him freely and willing..."God wants people to follow Him freely and willingly out of love for Him. "<BR/><BR/>Then why threaten us with hellfire if we don't? If he wants to 'save' us, he should make his existence known unequivocably. He can't expect us to follow him without leaving enough evidence for us to do so.<BR/><BR/>"I'm sure, considering the purpose of this site, that this isn't an unfamiliar concept to at least some of you. So following God is a choice everyone must freely make but if we all knew for a certainty that He was real then what choice is there? "<BR/><BR/>It's not really a choice at all. He says he wants us to follow him freely, implying that we have a choice, but if we don't, we will be punished with hellfire for all eternity. That is some choice. When you are coerced into it, it doesn't exactly sound like you have a free choice.<BR/><BR/>"Besides, even if He came and provided indisputable proof of His existence it would only work on those who say it with their own eyes. Experienced it for themselves first hand and even then they would need to be directly enough impacted that they could find some way to explain it away. "<BR/><BR/>No, I don't have to see it with my own eyes. Video footage reported by CNN will suffice. I don't even have to see his physical appearance to accept his existence. Just a demonstration of one of his miracles will be good enough. If he can suspend the laws of physics for a moment in a way that the whole world can see at the same time, I will be instantly converted. For instance, he can turn the sky purple. Or he can move all the clouds and create shapes with them, shapes that are so realistic they couldn't possibly have formed by random chance. Or he could turn day into night and back into day again within the space of a few minutes. Or he could answer some prayers, with the result being something that can't have happened without divine intervention. Such as regrowth of an amputated limb, cure of HIV/AIDS. <BR/><BR/>"Indeed, if they truly didn't want to believe that THIS was their God they'd claim He was the devil come to deceive them."<BR/><BR/>You'll find that us atheists are just as skeptical about the devil's existence as we are God's. We won't make excuses. Show us something outside of natural explanation, and we will accept. <BR/><BR/>"It's up to you, is the "person" God revealed Himself to be in the Bible worth following? Are the witnesses who wrote of the accounts of the indisputable miracles that occurred in the Bible enough for you (if it isn't then why should God repeat Himself)?"<BR/><BR/>It's not good enough, because the evidence that these things ever happened at all is very weak. Bronze aged men are not reliable historians. If he can today show us a guy living inside a whale for 3 years, a guy parting the seas, walking on water, feeding 5000 families with 2 fish and a few loaves of bread, healing the sick, resurrecting the dead, and himself rising from the grave... then we will have much more reliable reporting and recording ability such that these miracles will be immortalized forever. Later generations who did not witness this advent will have unequivocal evidence (including video footage from reputable news sources) and cannot be skeptical.<BR/><BR/>"Personally, I can attribute any one or even any group of events in my life to be chance or coincidence. It's just when I put them all together that that chance or coincidence seems unlikely."<BR/><BR/>Every coin I flip has a 50/50 chance of being heads or tails. If I flip the coin 10 times and get heads, heads, tails, heads, tails, tails, tails, heads, tails, heads, each flip was still 50/50 chance, but collected as a whole, the odds of me getting that exact order is staggeringly low. It couldn't have been by chance could it? But I got it. I'm unlikely to repeat that exact result, but I can't say that it wasn't chance when each individual toss itself was chance. This point is illustrated even better if you shuffle a deck of cards and note the order they get turned over in.<BR/><BR/>And if you were to roll a dice 10 times and the result was: 1, 5, 4, 5, 2, 6, 3, 5, 2, 1, the probability of you rolling them in that order is the same as the probability of you rolling 6 ten times. But what makes this seemingly random set of numbers more special?<BR/><BR/>What makes the collective events of your life special? How is it any more special than what it could have turned out as? There are infinite possibilities. Infinite ways it could have differed, but THAT is what happened. So what?<BR/><BR/>"We say that we've changed, that we're not the same as the people described in scripture but that just doesn't hold true. We're still dealing with the same kinds of issues today as they did back then along with a mess of others that the "changes" that we look at have given us as well."<BR/><BR/>Really... well people from biblical times dealt with slavery and misogyny which we don't today. Rape was not considered all that bad. Come on, the Bible tells us to stone our children if they are rebellious, to stone your wife if you find out she wasn't a virgin when you married her, to be put to death if you wear clothing with two different fabrics weaved together, to be put to death if you're homosexual or work on the sabbath! You can NOT say that we haven't changed.<BR/><BR/>Back in their time, they did not deal with the same issues we have been. Does the bible mention abortion? Stem cell research? Global warming? Terrorism? To say that the issues we deal with today are the same as they were then is laughable.<BR/><BR/>"Yes, the world has changed materially but we haven't changed spiritually. In that sense we are still the same kind of sinners the Bible talks about."<BR/><BR/>The zeitgeist has shifted. Majorly.<BR/><BR/>"That's why I believe that we need Him. Because of "who" He revealed Himself to be. "<BR/><BR/>'He' was a megalomaniacal guy who ordered people to be put to death for creating idols, and their entire villages burnt down if someone in it followed another God. The village itself would need to be raized completely, and all within, except for children and women who were virgins, which we could take for ourselves. No thanks. We don't need petty, jealous, figures who demand our love and faith yet do everything they can to hide from us.<BR/><BR/>"The rest of you will have to find your own reason or reasons. But as with myself, at some point you just have to have faith. "<BR/><BR/>Faith is the belief in something despite lack of evidence. As a freethinker, who values logic, rational and critical thought, science, and common sense, faith is not a thing that I can ever bring myself to have. I'll take reason any day.lostnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04667418317266462673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-60689287466529494722008-02-21T08:12:00.000-05:002008-02-21T08:12:00.000-05:00I've only read the first few comments here but the...I've only read the first few comments here but they mostly seem to have a common theme. People want God to come down and provide indisputable proof of His existence in some way. While I'm certain He can do that and has done it according to the Bible it's never been in a way that left an indisputable record.<BR/><BR/>Why?<BR/><BR/>God wants people to follow Him freely and willingly out of love for Him. I'm sure, considering the purpose of this site, that this isn't an unfamiliar concept to at least some of you. So following God is a choice everyone must freely make but if we all knew for a certainty that He was real then what choice is there? <BR/><BR/>Follow Him or go to hell?<BR/><BR/>So He's chosen to reveal Himself only in His Word, the Bible, and through the related experiences of those who have freely chosen to follow Him.<BR/><BR/>Besides, even if He came and provided indisputable proof of His existence it would only work on those who say it with their own eyes. Experienced it for themselves first hand and even then they would need to be directly enough impacted that they could find some way to explain it away. Indeed, if they truly didn't want to believe that THIS was their God they'd claim He was the devil come to deceive them.<BR/><BR/>It's up to you, is the "person" God revealed Himself to be in the Bible worth following? Are the witnesses who wrote of the accounts of the indisputable miracles that occurred in the Bible enough for you (if it isn't then why should God repeat Himself)?<BR/><BR/>Personally, I can attribute any one or even any group of events in my life to be chance or coincidence. It's just when I put them all together that that chance or coincidence seems unlikely.<BR/><BR/>It's up to you but I've found that the Bible provides an extremely astute examination of human character. One that matches up the observations I've made over the course of my life with considerable accuracy. We say that we've changed, that we're not the same as the people described in scripture but that just doesn't hold true. We're still dealing with the same kinds of issues today as they did back then along with a mess of others that the "changes" that we look at have given us as well.<BR/><BR/>Yes, the world has changed materially but we haven't changed spiritually. In that sense we are still the same kind of sinners the Bible talks about.<BR/><BR/>That's why I believe that we need Him. Because of "who" He revealed Himself to be. <BR/><BR/>The rest of you will have to find your own reason or reasons. But as with myself, at some point you just have to have faith.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00028532682516835397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-62221776303823474962007-10-30T06:27:00.000-04:002007-10-30T06:27:00.000-04:00"People have made a total 360 in there lives, from..."People have made a total 360 in there lives, from drugs, alchohol, even murder all because of God's word."<BR/><BR/>I have to chuckle at that. Did you mean they made a total 180? To do a 360 means you go from drugs and murder, to no drugs, no murder, then back to drugs and murder again.lostnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04667418317266462673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-31646025537279623912007-04-04T21:37:00.000-04:002007-04-04T21:37:00.000-04:00Well, I suspect I could write a book of reasons wh...Well, I suspect I could write a book of reasons why God chooses to be less present than you would like. I will admit to not knowing, so therefore they would be idle speculation.<BR/><BR/>However, the kid gets more than a vague feeling of satisfaction. He might get a clear "yes" "no" or "maybe." He might find his answer later while reading scripture or talking to wise counsel. He might get an answer later that day by virtue of some door opening wide to his request or closing firmly.<BR/><BR/>In addition, he may be able to get confirmation of taking a right direction on something that is already clear. It is clear that we are to forgive anyone who harms us, but it is commonly only through prayer that we place ourselves in a position humble enough to allow for COMPLETE forgiveness.Randy Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07187149342560881341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-60406371216665268232007-04-03T10:44:00.000-04:002007-04-03T10:44:00.000-04:00I'd say the kid has a father who is absent for a g...<I>I'd say the kid has a father who is absent for a good reason, but one we can't know.</I><BR/><BR/>Like what? What good reason could God have for being an absentee father? <BR/><BR/><I>The kid can write him, and he will write back.</I><BR/><BR/>No, the kid can write him, and the kid may get a vague feeling of satisfaction in doing so. The father will not write back (unless you believe in post-canon revelatory writings, such as the Mormons).<BR/><BR/>Add into the mix the fact that the father is truly all-powerful; he could arrange to be with the kid in whatever way he wants, but he chooses not to.<BR/><BR/>But he still loves us and wants us to know him. Really.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-12974043658388613932007-04-03T02:01:00.000-04:002007-04-03T02:01:00.000-04:00I'd work the analogy a little differently. I'd sa...I'd work the analogy a little differently. I'd say the kid has a father who is absent for a good reason, but one we can't know. He has written the kid a series of letters of what he expects from his son, and some proverbs about living. <BR/><BR/>The kid can write him, and he will write back. <BR/><BR/>Then, of course there are no perfect analogies. If you'd like to see a very good and spirited debate on one version of the parent idea go to http://godvsnogod.blogspot.com/2007/02/perfect-father.htmlRandy Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07187149342560881341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-33955293354386315992007-04-02T21:34:00.000-04:002007-04-02T21:34:00.000-04:00Right on Shygetz.A lot of Christians on blogs like...Right on Shygetz.<BR/><BR/>A lot of Christians on blogs like this compare God to a parent, specifically a father.<BR/><BR/>But here is where the analogy falls apart. Children who have fathers in their lives know who their fathers are. We are constantly there with our children to teach them, correct them, and punish them. <BR/><BR/>The analogy used by Christians would be more appropriate in a situation where a child did not have a father in his life, but his mother assured him that he did have a father. The mother tells the child that the father visits when the child is sleeping. Whenever the child misbehaves, she tells him that his father will be angry with him and when he does something good that the father is proud of him. Of course, eventually the boy will get to an age when he realizes his mother has been conning him.<BR/><BR/>Because we are the dominant species on this planet, perhaps some of us feel the need to believe there is an authority figure over us to keep us in line. Maybe such a belief is even necessary for the majority of humanity.<BR/><BR/>Fans of the tv series Cheers may remember an episode where Norm Peterson hires a couple of guys from the bar to work for him. The problem is, Norm is an easy going guy and his employees don't want to do any work. So what Norm ends up doing is to create a fictional boss over him that he calls Kreitzer. Norm tells the guys how pissed off Kreitzer is to motivate them to start working. He even goes so far as to have them stand outside of his office with the door closed, while he alternates between his own voice and that of the imaginary Kreitzer berating him.<BR/><BR/>My memory is hazy as to what happens in the end. If I recall, Norm goes too far with the Kreitzer act and his employees end up quitting.Tommykeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14751182125861177379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-43531781647416163252007-04-02T14:43:00.000-04:002007-04-02T14:43:00.000-04:00It is the reality that many who are even presented...<I>It is the reality that many who are even presented with evidence they believe, choose not to.</I><BR/><BR/>I have never met a person who has what they believe to be credible evidence as to the existence and nature of God, and yet still chooses not to believe. I'm not claiming that such people cannot exist, but I doubt they are common. Most non-theists simply have not seen evidence that they claim is credible. If a 3O god exists that wants all people to be saved, why not give them evidence that they would believe as to his existence and nature, and allow them to exercise their own free will to choose to follow him or not? That way, people still have the free will that is so important, but they also get to make an informed decision by testing all things.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-63063617685605513612007-04-02T00:44:00.000-04:002007-04-02T00:44:00.000-04:00Good point Anonymous!It's rather sad that I, an at...Good point Anonymous!<BR/><BR/>It's rather sad that I, an atheist, seem to be more concerned with the plight of Iraqi Christians than some of the holy roller supporters of President Bush's war in Iraq.<BR/><BR/>They always complain that the media does not do enough to show the good things supposedly going on over there but they never seem to want to talk about the Christians of Iraq. You see, how a country treats its minorities, whether it be religious, racial or ethnic, is a bellwether as to how stable and humane that country is. The fact that Iraqi Christians are fleeing the country in droves tells me everything I need to know about how conditions are in Iraq.Tommykeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14751182125861177379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-83360365043528799502007-04-01T23:56:00.000-04:002007-04-01T23:56:00.000-04:00Forgot that currently Muslims are killing Christia...Forgot that currently Muslims are killing Christians.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-22620814987892172162007-04-01T22:19:00.000-04:002007-04-01T22:19:00.000-04:00But, as Christ made clear, it was intended to be e...But, as Christ made clear, it was intended to be easy. The method is not the problem, nor is the message. It is the reality that many who are even presented with evidence they believe, choose not to. It even happened when Jesus was performing miracles in front of their eyes. The road he proposed was too hard. <BR/><BR/>Well, it's too hard for me, also. But since we have grace, I choose to walk that road, anyway.Randy Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07187149342560881341noreply@blogger.com