Of course it's silly. It is the christians who call the bible the "good" book.
And there isn't anything good in it. At least not in the Penteteuch.
(DAVE 4/11) Ian: I can only speak for myself here, but I have never called
the Bible the "good" book - I think it's lame actually.
(snip)
Ian
> There are no values. There are no examples of
> how one shold behave.
>
> (DAVE 4/7) Ian: There you go again. How should one behave Ian? According
> to what YOU say? You want values? Ok - devotion: Abraham to his God;
(DAVE 4/11) Ian: You never answered my question here: how should one
behave Ian? Is there some template for behaviour we should all abide by?
Whose template?
(Ian 4/8) Abraham's devotion to his god? Are you kidding? Do you mean to say
that if I tied up my son (or grandson considering my age) and placed him on an
altar, raised my knife, ready to plunge it into his heart when someone stopped
me, I could claim that god told me to do it? Oh! Well, I'm not a religious
person. I'm not a true christian. What if Jerry did it? Do you think he could
pass for a true christian?
(DAVE 4/11) Ian: You didn't argue his devotion, just an act of his, in a
culture where this might have been looked at a little differently than here.
I'm not sure the connection you all of sudden made to Abraham and being a
Christian - can you explain it?
(snip)
> repentance - Joseph's brothers;
(Ian 4/8) Repentance! Only because the scurvy bastards were starving.
(DAVE 4/11) Ian: How do you know that they were not repentant? Or is this
just your opinion?
forgiveness - Joseph to his brothers;
(Ian 4/8) Forgiveness - maybe. Maybe he just missed the Hebrew Horde. Maybe he
just wanted to lord it over them.
(DAVE 4/11) Ian: "Maybe"? Your opinion again? Let's say for sure and be
done with it. You aren't dismissing the Bible just because you don't want
to believe it are you Ian?
Love - Adam and Eve, Jacob's sons for their father....;
(Ian 4/8) Where does it say anything about Adam and Eve loving each other?
(DAVE 4/11) Ian: Fair enough. You are right. It doesn't. It was only my
assumption.
Ian
Jacob's sons who kidnapped Joseph and sold him into slavery knowing that Joseph
was the favorite son? Some love!
commitment - how many to God do you want?;
(Ian 4/8) All of them! Every damned one of them! I'll shoot every one of them
down.
(DAVE 4/11) Ian: You also deleted my comment that God thought there was a
lot of "good" in Genesis 1 - was he wrong?
trust - Noah; conviction/fortitude - Noah;
(Ian 4/8) Maybe it was only to save his own skin.
(DAVE 4/11) Ian: Maybe? Your opinion again? You asked for examples. I
give some to you. You dismiss them based on fairy tales you contrive to
falsify them with comments like "maybe" this or that. I agree, you could
change the meaning of everything doing that and prove your point - it means
little though.
(snip)
> I assume these are things you consider "good"? If not, what is "good" Ian?
(Ian 4/8) Except for those things which I have asked you to quote chapter and
verse, I do not consider any of these things good.
(DAVE 4/11) Ian: fair enough. But I do. So, let's get back to the what
is "good" question. It seems that two different people can have two
different concepts of what good is. As well, God thought there was "good"
in the Bible - who then is right about what is actually good?
(Ian 4/8) As to what is good, that is your problem.
(DAVE 4/11) Ian: What? You asked for something good, but I am supposed to
define what good is? It's your problem, you asked the question. You have
stated your opinions on what should be good or not, but I asked you why your
view of good should be accepted over say Jeffrey Dahmers, or mine, or Gods?
What makes you the expert or the authority?
(snip)
>
> (Dave 4/7) Ian: You worked on the Shuttle? No wonder they returned early
> - with this kind of mentality contributing. What verbal diarrhea and
> nonsense you spew. Alcohol is evil?
(Ian 4/8) Yes, I worked on the Shuttle. I retired in June of '95. Noew talk
about the type of mentality, you should look at your own.
(DAVe 4/11) Ian: No, let's stick to yours for the moment that you so
conveniently avoid and dodge. You stated that Christians think alcohol is
evil. I say that is a moronic, at best, remark, showing ignorance and
antagonism - "verbal diarrhea and nonsense" is how I stated it. Please
support this comment, or retract it. It's foolish.
Ian
I not only retired in
June of '95, I worked on the external tank. That's the large tank that carries
the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. There has not been one failure on any
one of these tanks. Perhaps I should take credit for it but I won't. We had
thousands of people working on these tanks - most like me, pushing paper but
almost all vital to the mission. What have you done for your country David?
(DAVE 4/11) Ian: For my country? What is this? You did it first for
money I would assume. By the way, I am Canadian (not sure if you knew that)
- we're proud of our space arm on the shuttle (which I guess I helped pay
for didn't I - there, that's somethingfor YOUR country! :) Let's leave this
part of the discussion, it has nothing to do with errancy.
> existence, then so be it.
(snip)
(Ian 4/8) I hope my sincere comments get your attention. There are no lies in
what I say and there are no innuendos either. I'm a Deist. A doubting deist. If
there is a god, it damn sure isn't the Judeo-christian god or any revealed god.
I can see, smell, taste, feel and hear the universe. I can do none of these
with god.
(DAVE 4/11) Ian: Fair enough. Does the fact that you can do nothing of
these with God mean he doesn't exist? Otherwise, how do you know that God
is not the "judeo-Christian" God?
By the way, do not consider my remarks about you and the shuttle as being in
the "serious" category - this is truly an impressive vocation, and it must
have been extremely rewarding and fascinating at the same time. I
acknowledge this about you, and respect it.
Regards.
Dave.
"I want to live in North America in such a way that the devil would rather
have me overseas as a missionary"
- Sunder Krishnan