a couple of points after reading all this drivel:
1. all religions are not basically the same. that is a reductionist view that comes from complete ignorance of other religions.
2. living life like there is a god vs. living life like there is not a god is creating a non-existant distinction. why? because it is extremely arrogant to think that we know what such a god would want us to do if he did exist. why? because we are imperfect human beings trying to figure out what a perfect being wants. that is logically impossible. we can have theories about what we think god wants, but in the end, they are just that: theories. and like all theories, they can be wrong, so how do you live like god wants you to vs not how he wants you to if you dont know what god wants.
btw, you can say that you can look to the cannons to learn how to act, but i think you would be remiss in not admitting that cannons are riddled with contradictions on how to act. in the bible, god wipes out whole cities for sinning (sodom). so should we go around killing people who we think have poor morals? if not, why not? we are just acting the way god does, and we are supposed to be a mirror of him, right? thus, it is impossible to really know how god wants us to act.
moreover, i already explained that believing in god out of the fear of being kept out of heaven is not true belief. it is similar to saying that a wife that does everything for her husband cause she is afraid he will hit her is truely in love with her husband. you cant use fear of damnation for true faith.
3. finally, what about aborigines? if you look at the bible, you could interpret certain parts to say that those that dont find jesus live or will live in hell. aborigines wander the australian outback and may never in their life have the chance to hear the word jesus, let alone read the bible. so did god put them here to go to hell? he knew that the words of the christians wouldnt reach them, so what was he thinking? or do they get a special pass? and if they get a special pass, then how do we start to decide who does and who doesnt get that pass? what if your priest is a child molestor and molests you, so you stop believing in god? do you get a pass. if so, then what if your priest is bad at explaining the trinity, so you dont believe. do you get a pass? the exceptions that have to be created to make this philosophy that only people that believe in god get to be in heaven are far too great to even begin to examine.
[ May 04, 2005, 11:45 AM: Message edited by: bloodyfart ]
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