Merv's Politically Incorrect Audio Blog

That's a side of Christianity I just cant come to grips with. Those of us who believe will all find out how big of a sin homosexuality is or isnt when we meet St Peter to be judged....(along with everything else). To single that one out over all of the other real and potential sins out there is hypocritic and selective. I wonder how much sin is committed by people hating on homosexuality? Sins of one kind dont justify sin of another kind.

Im reminded of Ned Flanders. I havent watched many Simpsons episodes since 2001 or so. What i remember of Ned was that he had it right..Love your neighbor even when they besmirch you, cheat you, abuse your generosity, etc. You dont have to continue letting "them" take advantage of you, but you cant to turn to hate and disdain.

Too much hate and contempt in america these days..By almost everyone... I hope Biden remains as decent and genuine as he seems. I hope the angry and resentful on both sides dont wreck his goals.

 

ancient books arguing about the powers of Superman should not serve as the basis of a secular state.

especially when the people who founded the state thought all the mumbo jumbo was bullshit and just wanted to see Christopher Reeve kick Terrence Stamp’s disco ass.

 

The only side of Christianity that I can get to grips with is that moderate Christians have a good code of ethics which they try to practise. According to me, no religion is necessary to be a good person, but hey, I can still get on with "good" Christians.

 

Most likely this is the case. When I moved to FL near what we call "Old Florida," which is the more rural not popular areas of the state that is still culturally the South. Some of the most wonderful people that I ever met where from those areas.

I always been a curious on people who are different from me. I always had a fascination on the Southern Baptist who I met because from my 1:1 with plenty of them, they do not question their beliefs at all. I asked for their basis of their background and it comes down to what they were taught in Church and from their Bibles. The absolutism is so fascinating to me, since that is a complete 180 from how I was taught (ok to question things with the Why, hence a common Judaism trait). I always wanted to hear more on the philosophy part of Southern Baptist, which for the longest time I was disappointed when I didn't hear enough of that from the ones that I personally know. I do b

I know people will make fun of Southern Baptist as being a bunch of racist/homotopic/hicks, but that isn't my experience at all. Say what you want, at these in my experience the Southern Baptist folks that I personally know are fantastic people and held on to their beliefs in these crazy times. Do some take the stuff too far? Yes...but that's the norm in any beliefs in a group.

I think the hate is more on the changing times of the country. I'm an agonist atheist who was raised Jewish, but I do see a point with the religious minded folks who said that the changing secular values of the nation does cause conflict with those who remember the time where religion was a common accepted value. It gets to the point that you will get sick of tired of being called a dumbass for your outdated Christian beliefs, and at that point you will push back. This is nothing new to any minority group (race or religion). Not like I can't blame them.

I wouldn't go that far as calling America "Amerikka." I mean I was listening to Ice Cube's first solo album yesterday when I realized that the Bomb Squad helped produced that album (NYC rep yo).

The big debate is...which version of the Bible is the "Right" one? I saw people almost getting into a fistfight over the KJV version of the Bible.

In my interpretation of the Federal Constitution (following after the Declaration of Independence), I don't truly consider it a godless document. The Declaration of Independence made it clear of people's "their creators." I consider it as open to possible saying if you believe in a higher being then your rights is from them. Since I do no believe in a creator by choice, I consider my rights to be obtained in a different direction.

First Amendment is a great thing, I can believe whatever I want, including wearing a tin-foil hat!

Happy Friday.

 

Or each is as right as the next.

 

I suspect that believers in the truth of any of the "holy" books care not what you or I deem "acceptable."

 

Well it’s a compilation of conflicting religious propaganda written about a guy, god, or demigod who may or may not have existed who none of the anonymous authors met or know anyone who met. Then you have Greek and Jewish contemporaries of them believing in stuff like enfleshed angels who can be prayed to but also have their mortal shell killed like Sauron or the Terminator, Romans and the Jewish Priests acting wildly out of character, the Romans not just laughing at the crazy religious disputes and then killing everyone when they got out of hand, anonymous authors disagreeing on who the Emperor and the Jewish High Priest were, and letters written by guy who saw a light and heard a voice.

You don’t see the DC politicians asking 21st century vagrants what God told them.

 

very well said

 

A decent person is a decent person, believer or non-believer.

As a non believer I have met some believers, softly spoken people who exuded an inner strength without being in your face with their faith who impressed me, deeply.

 

Nominate this for post of the year already. I grew up in the Church.

If religion makes you a better and kinder person, go for it. If it does not, I do not want to know you. Some of my best friends know that I am personally anti-religion. Some understand it, some do not. If they had gone through the B.S. that goes on in the churches and religious families; you would vomit out of sheer disgust.

 

Deeefffinitely a very dark side. You had a lot of people like my parents who would basically say "I will never make you go to church because it means nothing if you dont choose for yourself." And then you have others, who never shook the damage done to them as kids well into adulthood. Some people see a justification for their own inner spite in god and push a lot of fear and shame onto their children, basically robbing them of their whole childhoods. The level of emotional manipulation involved is just pure evil to me. Some people really dont seem to get that kids can only handle so much heavy shit before something breaks inside and is never really right again.

Most of those kids are militant athiests now and I can see why, given the example they had.

 

It does not - not directly. Religion is not a means to other ends (i.e. kindness, self improvement/discipline, social status, "making the world a better place", etc.), rather it is the beginning and end in which the truth of your life is 'framed' as it were. In the Abrahamic religion(s) if you do not love God/truth/religion for what he/it is, then you love him in the same (loveless) way you do a whore - a mere means to your own self ends. It's more honest to be an atheist at that point.

I grew up and was formed well into young adulthood by the liberal side of Protestantism - Unitarian Universalism to be specific. We used to say that we we were a kind of hospital, there to catch the damaged people fleeing from reformed Protestantism. In then end I came to the conclusion that both liberal/reformed (i.e. "conservative", evangelical, legalistic) Christianity were two sides of the same coin.

 

This is the grey area where you have to choose.

I grew up as an evangelical and whether you look at the social phenomenon religion as something more philosophical or more rooted in system of beliefs and traditions the answer is always personal. Dictionary and theological definitions will not always suffice.

One thing is certain for me, the more fanatical they become the less I associate with them. Fanaticism can lead to dangerous situations. European history alone is enough to scare some sense into you...

 

@wormcycle greatest fear has come true, time for a beer.

P.S: Also dude, if you are coming down from the north on I95 and passing Jacksonville, hit me up.


On a serious note: 3,2,1 of new GOP Party Plank: Repeal Section 230.

As I say, Twitter has the right to kick out people. However, doesn't mean they won't get YUGE blowback. Time for a Whataburger.

 

A horribly short sighted position on politicians and fanatics part. I certainly hope that doesn't happen, I can only imagine the wasteland that the internet will become.