Zguy28

10 minutes ago, thinwhiteduke said:

What do you believe  (religion)???

 

I don't  BELIEVE  anything anymore. It's a useless filler  word in the English  language. Something either exists or it doesnt. Same goes for the word faith. 

I try to see the best in people who I come across, but God forgive me, sometimes there are exceptions.

14 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

Not sure that there is actually a contradiction there.  Christians haven't believed that God is necessarily just in all his works.  The belief that people are born damned would supersede any belief that everyone must have an equal opportunity at salvation.  I think any Christian would readily accept that this world is not perfect.  And evangelizing the people who weren't born into the faith has always been the core mission of Christianity.

I would differ only on the bolded (which seems to contradict the rest of your post ironically) and say God (in Christianity) is perfectly just, since as you stated people are born in a state of sin (lawbreaking), and therefore any negative judgement is just (since the Judge Himself is the Lawmaker). As a Calvinist Christian, I also believe in Unconditional Election and this excerpt gets to root of the contention on fairness:

Quote

Despite God’s loving grace, no one would believe in Him on his own (Romans 3:10–18). God has to draw us to Himself in order for us to believe (John 6:44). God does not draw everyone, but only certain people He has sovereignly chosen (Romans 8:29–30; Ephesians 1:5, 11). This does not seem “fair” in the eyes of those who believe fairness requires everyone to be treated exactly the same way. In election, it appears that God is not treating all people equally. However, God does not have to choose anyone. Again, it would be entirely fair for everyone to spend eternity in hell. God’s saving some is not unfair to those who remain unsaved, as they are receiving precisely what they deserve.

https://www.gotquestions.org/is-God-fair.html

28 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

For clarification, are you saying you don't feel God toned it down in the NT compared to OT?  If you can explain what you mean by that, I'd appreciate it, because he made a new covenant and changed his demands and expectations from us (at least that's the way I took it and others have explained to me).

I was just saying that God is the same always. Just because there are two main biblical covenants (there are actually more e.g. Abraham, Noah, David...) doesn't mean God is different.

This article from,Desiring God has a good explanation of three main Protestant views of theology.

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-does-john-piper-believe-about-dispensationalism-covenant-theology-and-new-covenant-theology

On 3/23/2018 at 4:47 PM, BenningRoadSkin said:

 

 

 

Hopefully the truth will come out and the phone cons are not "heavily edited".

11 hours ago, pjfootballer said:

 

I see your point, but that’s picking and choosing who is worth saving and who isn’t. That’s not a just and fair god.

God is just, that's why all need grace. Because otherwise, all will receive justice, for all have broken God's laws.That is what necessitated Jesus Christ going to the cross. God's love is not some mushy thing, its agape (sacrificial), similar to somebody jumping on a grenade for his friend. Except infinitely more, because it wasn't just physical death suffered by Jesus, it was all the wrath against all the wickedness and sin of all people, ever. It's rooted in the Old Testament Passover and Yom Kippur which prefigure the cross and its proved by His rising from the dead after three days and appearing to many, including 500 people at once.

16 hours ago, Predicto said:

I also have specific difficulty with the "Old Testament vs New Testament" God argument put forth by Evangelical Christians.  If God is eternal, all knowing and perfect, then there is no way he could ever have let himself be the raging jerk of the Old Testament.   The Old Testament must be allegorical, because there is no other way to reconcile the behavior of that angry jealous murderous old "god" with the attributes of the One God as discussed by Jesus Christ.  Yes, I know that there are Christian apologetics who try to reconcile that problem away, but their arguments are entirely self-referential.  In other words, these arguments are only going to satisfy you if you desperately want them to be true. 

I don't know many Evangelicals who believe the OT God and NT God are different. I certainly don't.

1 hour ago, pjfootballer said:

I guess I don’t get the “God was watching over me” when someone has something good happen or when someone cheats death.

 

Why you? A plane crashes with 100 people. 90 die and 10 survive. One person states they don’t know how they survived, but “God must’ve been watching over me.” So why weren’t the other 90 looked over? What did they do to deserve to not survive?

 

like @Kosher Ham I just have a hard time with the picking and choosing thing. 

I prefer not to say "God was watching out for me" but rather "God has a greater purpose that saving me must play into." Maybe one of those people invents the cure for cancer? Or has a great-granddaughter that saves a child from being sold into slavery?

8 hours ago, The Sisko said:

Tell him we don’t want him. He’s a better fit with the ‘Muricun Taliban. ?

 

My journey to atheism is similar to others in this thread. I questioned Xtian beliefs as a child, got the just shut up and believe stuff, thought I found the answers in Islam, only to have a host of life experiences disabuse me of the notion that any benevolent being that actually gives two ?? about his creation is running things. The only way I could make sense of any of the bad stuff that happens to the innocent and the all too often lack of justice meted out to those who richly deserve it is if there’s only a universe based on the laws of physics and random chance. I mean really, what compassionate, loving god would allow Hitler, the Romans, the US, Stalin, and multiple Patriots/Cowturds SB wins to happen? None. To paraphrase a well known trope, he doesn’t exist, is evil, doesn’t care or can’t do anything about it.

Do you believe in evil?

5 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

 

I'm going to look for this, thanks.  

You might be able to get it at a library. This book may actually be better and less expensive: http://rzim.christianbook.com/suffering-finding-meaning-comfort-doesnt-sense/ravi-zacharias/9781455549702/pd/549702?event=RZIM001

16 minutes ago, Llevron said:

Yea I know you guys have reasons to believe what you do. I personally think it derives from comfort. Its easy to accept life if you have a reason to believe there is something driving it. I just don't. I have lots of reasons, too. I dont want to go too deep into that, though, as its not what I understand the point of the topic to be. And honestly I would feel horrible if I was able to change your mind. I want you to believe what you want. I just dont believe it myself. 

 

edit - actually f that. I think we are grown enough to talk about it. Ill be back. 

Come at me bro....

I'm just kidding. Would love to have civil discourse. It's nice to see people open up about this area of their lives without fear of repercussions.

I'm curious in the latest Agents of SHIELD season where these Chronicom's (so far Noah and Enoch; the biblical allusion is not lost on me ) are in the whole scheme of things.

56 minutes ago, Llevron said:

 

And thats basically how I justified it, myself. Sometimes you go through stuff that really makes you sit down and think. And if you think about this and look at the world, it becomes harder and harder to argue the results. 

 

Right. And where I get stuck is the people delivering the message. If the world is bad because we made it that way, but God is still watching, why would HIS boys be molesting children in the church? Sounds like they know something I don't. It's hard to pick up on that as a kid and watch it get proven over and over again. 

People are sinful, yes even in the church, which is called by the Lord to be holy. Yet we are still prone to sinful acts. It damages the witness of the church most assuredly. Thank God He knows this and in His grace made a way for forgiveness to those who forsake sin and trust in Him.

Jesus said this:

Matthew 7:22-23 English Standard Version (ESV)

On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

A good book on the general topic of suffering is "How Long O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil" by DA Carson.

27 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

I think its because of the word tw@t, I thought I spelled something wrong, too.  

 

 

As for denominations, I feel like I don't need to pick one.  My experience with non-denominational churches has been mixed to say the least, and its a big reason I rarely go to church anymore.  I always expect to hear something I don't agree with and better context to something that I do, comes with the territory, I guess.  I'm curious about Methodist, but again, unless someone proves to me otherwise, I'm not going to make picking one a priority.  My father grew up Baptist and my mother Episcopalian, but neither really brought that up until my late teens.

If you are ever in the Southern MD area, you're welcome to come visit us at Leonardtown Baptist Church. Denominations serve to bring order to things and for people of like beliefs to be in larger community. In the case of Southern Baptists like me, the local church is autonomous, but the churches share a common set of values.

I am a Christian, a Southern Baptist church elder to be exact. An elder is basically a pastor who doesn't get paid.

Grew up in a nominal Methodist home, no bible study, occasional spurts of church attendance. When a friend of mine died at 27, the testimony of his friends, their prayers, and finally hearing the gospel that Jesus died for my sins and rose from the dead, to make redemption and forgiveness of sins possible, was good news indeed. The fact that it was by grace, not my effort, made it great news. Now I live my life in response to that grace, according to the Scriptural teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.

Even though I am an Evangelical, I am somewhat of an outlier with regards to many issues such as politics and gun control. I'm more of Russell Moore type of person and also a 5 point Calvinist. This puts me at odds with the folks who support Trump etc.

12 hours ago, Momma There Goes That Man said:

I forgot about that show. Another thing we all were dying for and just never realized: what was Superman’s grandpa like? lol 

Cashing in on Gotham's success?

18 minutes ago, Rogue Jedi said:

 

I agree. Tony Stark fits RDJ like a well-tailored suit.

 

I'll go further and mention all the other excellent casting choices for the MCU.

 

Chris Evans as Captain America

Chris Hemsworth as Thor

Tom Hiddleston as Loki

Tom Holland as Peter Parker

Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanov/Black Widow

Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk

Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye

Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa

Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange

 

IMO these actors really stood out and made the characters their own to the point where it's impossible to not see their faces when thinking about their hero counter-parts. I understand not all MCU movies were created equal. Some where duds, but you can't deny that MCU pretty much hit on every casting choice.

 

On the other hand, the one casting choice that sticks out out being pretty "meh" is Kaitlin Olson as Scarlett Witch. Pretty uninspiring performance, IMO.

 

Even lesser characters are cast well such as William Hurt as Thunderbolt Ross, Gary Shandling as a politician, Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, and Robert Redford as the head of Hydra.

35 minutes ago, Mr. Sinister said:

I'm through with more Superhero stuff, unless they give me what I want, either in show or cinematic form (Blade, Ghost Rider,  Spawn)

Didn't they do those already?

Re: the Captain Marvel suit... I assume (or hope) that they will likely do CGI enhancement. The material looks like the green sleeve on Cable's arm in the deadpool 2 trailer.

Just got a text: shooting at Great Mills HS in Southern Maryland. One dead, medics on scene, police on the way. Praying its not more.

Literally 5 minutes away from me. Heard all the cops flying by the office.

30 minutes ago, justice98 said:

I don't think any of the big deaths come until Avengers 4.  I can't see them killing somebody like Stark or Rogers until then.  Or if they do die, they come back some kind of way.

 

The secondary characters are all up for grabs in IW though.  I think Rhodey is a goner in IW.  Bucky might take one for Steve, paying back all the loyalty.

 

 

My thought is Iron Man and Cap are toast, maybe Rhodey too. Bucky or Falcon will be the new Cap. Dr. Strange has another movie coming. Thor might die too, or Drax and Gamora. They got stuck in the Soul Gem in the comics. Then in Av4 they come back perhaps, maybe along with half the universe. I also wonder if any Agents of Shield will appear, such as Quake. She could probably knock the crap out of some bad guys.

The question is, where is Mephisto?

Oh man. I have a feeling Tony Stark is gonna die. And how the heck is Cap holding back Thanos like that? Not sure I'm sold on the Wakandan landspeeders though, looks too much like Star Wars.

14 hours ago, LadySkinsFan said:

^^^ Big problem for children to deal with. And the adults in charge played pass the responsibility for providing school as a safe space.

 

And where was the supervisory function of the teachers/administrators?  This boy was assaulting multiple girls in the class and playground and no one noticed? What was the rank of the boy's military parent?

They noticed. Then swept it under the rug. Nobody wanted to be the one to deal with it or they were scared to, so they looked away or explained it away.

3 hours ago, Burgold said:

Translated. I agree with you, but am programmed not to,.

 

If this were ever made into an actionable plan, I suspect that what is defined as a "self-defense" weapon would create some contention. Still, as a framework for an idea, I think this is a pretty good idea.

 

If we could agree on the framework we could iron out the rest.

 

 

 

 

Then again, who'm I kidding? The likelihood of the gun rights crowd agreeing to anything that might save lives isn't going to happen.

There are lots of people on both sides that are "programmed not to." At best they are ignorant of facts, at worst they are stupid and reject them. It all boils down to selfishness, especially on the Right. The Left has some idealistic humanist notion that people can somehow rise above violence on their own or through education, meanwhile ignoring the depravity in every human heart. The Right often recognizes that people are violent, yet lets ignorance, fear, and selfishness trample compassion. So frustrating, especially when I see my fellow Christians be so absorbed with guns to the point of idolatry. If you can't bear to live without something, you are worshiping it.

That being said, some of you rise above this and have a better grasp on the facts than most people I know.

Ad Agencies’ Reckoning on Sexual Harassment Comes on Instagram, Anonymously

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/07/business/media/diet-madison-avenue-instagram.html?ribbon-ad-idx=5&rref=business/media&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Media&pgtype=article
 

Quote

The advertising industry, expert in the art of attention getting, has found itself riveted in recent months by an anonymously run Instagram account dedicated to exposing sexual harassment on Madison Avenue.

The account, @DietMadisonAve, is advertising’s visual version of the Google spreadsheet that circulated last fall with the names of men in the media industry who had been accused of sexually inappropriate behavior.

Created in October, the account has more than 19,000 followers and says it is now run by 17 people. It drew a surge of interest after disappearing briefly on Monday, just as a group of women in advertising wrote an open letter condemning the account’s “bullying tactics.”

 

More at link

Been watching the show Grantchester. Pretty good so far.

If you have a WSJ subscription, this is a great piece. Scary how they manipulate the masses of average Facebook users with an army of paid trolls. Also scary that the same guys has a small army of Russian mercenaries.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/kremlin-caterer-accused-in-u-s-election-meddling-has-history-of-dishing-dark-arts-1518823765?mod=rss_Politics_And_Policy