Greatest I am
Third String But Playing on Special Teams
- Joined
- May 31, 2013
- Messages
- 646
- Reaction score
- 24
Oh good Lord. It's looks as if you're spoiling for fights, and I typically gravitate toward something more like a vigorous exploration of a topic. For instance you may have noticed that RI and I disagree pretty broadly here. However, I don't consider him an "enemy" so much as an "adversary" by virtue of our respective arguments.
By "the O T S O B" I take it you're referring to the "Old Testament" [sic], and I can think of only one candidate for "SOB." Naturally, that's not my favorite description. However, plenty of the laws and incidents attributed to God in the Hebrew Bible are indefensible from my point of view. For example, the commandment to wipe out the seven nations of canaanites to take possession of the land seems a singularly human commandment in origin, and not the best human idea to boot. I am somewhat comforted that the prophets occasionally upbraided the people for not adequately completing their genocidal tasks.
However, I do believe that we have a choice as to belief, beginning with whether to believe or not. I choose to believe, and my springboard is Judaism, so my gut reaction to that "OTSOB" thing is "heeeere we go."
So, glad to have a gnostic around. It appears you see the God of the Hebrew Bible as the demi-urge. Of course, I'd like to avoid the usual button-pushing that could be predicted to ensue, to keep things civil. Seeing God as the demi-urge is no more incongruous from a Jewish point of view than reducing him to a digestible (no pun intended) man-sized chunk, as the more orthodox Christians do. Can I take it you're a gnostic Christian, or are you using gnostic in another sense?
As to my own relationship to the "OT" as folks hereabout seem bent on calling it, I'm not a radical reformer like the 19th century reform Jews who believed the whole Torah had to go, but I am a reform Jew. I think there's moral worth to be salvaged there... but I also think you have to go way past the bickering and the defenses to get anywhere, and that when we're most concerned with the best part of any faith, or concerned with direct experience of the divine, we have the least time and energy to bicker.
But then again, bulletin boards are most fun when we're bickering.
I suppose you see me most active here because I'm confronted with one sect's tenets being elevated to the status of "universal" in conversation with those who don't believe. Makes no real sense to me, outside of one's own church, sect, cult, or whatever.
So I like to see the reasoning behind such claims. So long as a modicum of respect is maintained, I think that makes sense.
PFnV
Gnostic Christian is what I usually use. That and esoteric ecumenist.
I do not mind your kind of mind drawing out many of the stupidities or contradictions in scriptures when chatting with people like RI P.
But by now if someone does not know that literal reading of scriptures is silly then then they are already lost to fantasy, miracles and magic and are not really worth trying to save. Their brainwashing is complete and they are in the fundamentalist Phelp's camp.
I prefer to try them on their moral view which is more immoral than not as they always create a double standard to justify their genocidal son murderer.
I admit to having a hard time respecting such minds as they have willfully decided to remain ignorant.
Not a good human trait.
Christianity is still causing way too much pain and suffering for me not to have the gloves off. I do try the soft approach when I can but I do not take their faith based B S as it causes them to love a genocidal God with more in common with Satan.
Theists constantly jab at me without content or correction and I jab back with correction and the true names of Genocidal God for the lurkers and not my adversaries, who like RI P, has already indicated he will run from actual debate.
Regards
DL