Famous Preachers Give Slippery Answers
One of the questions frequently raised about the faith is why God allows so much suffering and death. Two popular preachers give an answer in the link.
President Trump has a standard answer whenever some problem remains unsolved, "It's Obama's fault." In the case of the preachers, suffering is eliminated but that happens out of sight, in the afterlife. All kinds of good things await but you are not allowed to see these good things. You might learn actually there is no heaven and no good things await.
So, did God alleviate suffering? Sure, you don't suffer when you are dead. Atheists offer as good a deal as Christians but you don't have to tithe.
I agree, however, there are people who enjoy thinking of death as a happy time instead of the end of their time. Priests/preachers who promise there is an afterlife, like those in the link, never pay a price for their dishonesty. They are able to take people's money and in return make them believe something that, so far as anyone knows, is false. People who pay them money are happy to hear these promises.
The peculiar thing in all of this is that public opinion surveys show the majority of voters will not vote for an atheist. In other words voters will not support a truthful candidate but prefer one who asks a nonexistent (so far as anyone knows) god to bless them.
I should not pick on Christians here as the only people who are taken advantage of by religion. We all know there are religions around the world controlling people and telling them if they just give money and behave as instructed a good deal is coming their way.
To be more popular, atheists need slippery answers like the preachers in the link. So far, we have been unable to come up with anything as good as a reward that lies just over hill were you cannot see it.
More than a week of no user comments.
ReplyDeleteEven Bart E believes in the historical Jesus but gives incredulous answers to the resurrection. Mass delusions by the apostles? The only logical conclusuin of the Resurrection is it is ... true.
ReplyDeleteMatt, This is for you, not for Jon. You might want to check on Richard Dawkins' recent Twitter comments on eugenics. He thinks that eugenics is wrong but, as a practical matter, it works. Interesting comments.
DeleteBTW, I haven't even read Jon's recent posts, I just assume from the headlines that it's the same old crap. Like listening to a stuck record featuring some high note soprano.
DeleteUnknown: Jon's recent posts are mostly regurgitated arguments but referencing fresh articles he essentially cuts and paste into his daily article.
DeleteJust like Mike Bloomberg, ex-mayor of NYC, acknowledges that putting 95% of police resources in Black, 16-25 year-old men neighborhoods ... many people believe wholehearted in eugenics. One proof of this statement is the dramatic downturn of birth rate of Downs Syndrome babies. It is abortion based on the outcome of a pre-born Downs Syndrome baby. Then there is end-of-life eugenics of the elderly. Then there is Planned Parenthood's targeting of minority neighborhoods.
Eugenics doesn't work. It robs us of people meant to evoke our empathy, sympathy, and charity; qualities we need if we want to build and maintain a healthy culture. Otherwise, human life becomes no better than asset; useful or expendable.
Matt--Logical conclusion that someone was dead for three days and came back to life?? It's nuts.
ReplyDeleteWhen all the probable and possible explanations are defeated, the improbable and/or impossible explanations must not only be considered but proven wrong.
DeleteThe Romans put Jesus' body in a cave, rolled a boulder in front of it and set guards at the tomb (cave) to make sure no one stole the body (so as to give credence to the resurrected Jesus). From approximately 3 pm on Friday until Easter Sunday, less than 48 hours, the boulder was moved, the body of Jesus was no longer in the cave and the guard was unable to explain what happened.
The apostles and the woman who had first visited the cave on Sunday were convinced that someone had stolen the body. Even they had no way to interpret Jesus' words that said that 'the temple would be destroyed and rebuilt in 3 days time (Friday, Saturday, Sunday).
When Jesus appeared to the apostles (Thomas was missing), they were all dumbfounded but then realized that Jesus was he said, the Son of God, divine and resurrected. They recounted their stories and they matched perfectly. Mass hypnosis or delusion is not a reasonable explanation. A group lie, meant to deceive the non-believers, made no sense. The apostles were all - except for John - met with horrific deaths for refusing to recant their beliefs and the facts surrounding the Resurrection.
What was their benefit in agreeing with each to lie about the Resurreciton? Money, prestige, power? None of those were accorded the apostles.
When Thomas finally met Jesus after the Resurrection, he demanded to have Christ submit to a physical inspection. Thomas did so. Christ admonished him for having a weak faith as the other apostles believed without having to inspect the body.
Explain in scientific terms how a guarded tomb with a boulder sealing it was raided and who did it.
Matt, read something really interesting about the shroud of Turin a few days back. will try to look it up again and get back to you.
Deleteat the moment, I can't find the article on the Shroud that I mentioned in an unpublished post. anyway, the gist of it is that it would take an incredible amount of wattage to produce an image such as that found on the shroud. it seems that they were using some kind of a new technique to examine the shroud. hope Jon publishes this post.
DeleteUnknown--The old saying a new sucker is born every minute applies to you. A new "scientific method" of claiming the old findings the shroud does not date back to the "time of Christ" comes along regularly. It's the same with "new" discoveries of logs that supposedly came from Noah's Ark.
DeleteNoah February 17, 2020 at 10:52 PM : “Explain in scientific terms how a guarded tomb with a boulder sealing it was raided and who did it.” Matt you are a scientist please explain in scientific terms how a dead man reanimates inside a sealed tomb, rolls away a huge bolder, gets past a conscious Roman guard undetected, and goes on walkabout with his crew.
ReplyDeleteThe man's claim that He is God is true. Next question.
DeleteMatt--That's what is interesting about this blog. A person like yourself who is in engineering, a branch of the applied sciences, can believe without reservation the most anti science ideas ever known.
DeleteIt is because I am an engineer with a BS and MS, that I can see with logical and mathematical eyes how science supports the Resurrection. You should read the material I referenced to understand this reasoning. All natural explanations have been ruled out. Therefore, there is left something which the man claimed was going to happen, - happened. Just as no single man can roll a rock away from the tomb after having been crucified to death, the rock did move. The guard saw and heard nothing. The tomb was empty. Your explanation?
DeleteMatt, February 19, 2020 at 10:05 PM: “The man's claim that He is God is true. Next question.” Crumbs! Well then in that case, to your question, “Explain in scientific terms how a guarded tomb with a boulder sealing it was raided and who did it.” Here you go. My scientific answer is two lesbians and one transexual angel, left the crowd at their needle point dance, mesmerized the guard, rolled the stone back, entered the tomb, tickled the dead mans feet to arouse him to no avail, then carried the body off to Valhalla. No one has yet discovered how many rune stones the valkyrie charged to spirit away this Palestinian teacher. The rest is mystery.
DeleteMatt "The tomb was empty. Your explanation.?"
DeleteThat's easy. Unless there is some evidence it didn't happen.
Matt--Your account of the resurrection. You give details of the tail as if those who told it were the ones who saw all this. No one in the Bible claims to have seen the stone rolled away nor the redesigned Jesus. (He did not look the same according to the tale.) The entire tale came from unknown sources.
ReplyDeleteJon, you will probably not publish my impertinent reply to your "sucker" post. but at least pass on the Shroud reference that I intended for Matt.
Deleteunknown--I deleted your material and cannot retrieve it. When you write something more than religious propaganda I will be glad to pass it along to readers. An example would be something about the shroud which was challenged and succeeded in the the scientific community--in vetted scientific journals.
ReplyDeleteyou really getting goofy. this was nothing but a reference to an article that would be of interest to Matt. a mere courtesy. guess you no nothing about courtesy. BTW how do you know anything about the article in question? Matt: if the clown posts this, put Spitzer and the Shroud of Turin in your search engine.
DeleteUnknown: You can email me at matt@fargosoccer.org.
DeleteReligious propaganda? Jon, you would make a very for a very typical 'thought police' chief when a true anti-theist is elected President. The only question is how long the sentence would be for holding dangerous religious thoughts, or if the perp would be given a death sentence.
DeleteUntil then, you will have to be happy with deleting comments from your pathetic blog.
what gives with my 822 post? by leaving it empty are you sending a message? or what?
DeleteJon, I think your “pathetic blog” is hitting home with some of your most critical posters. You’ve got a surly professional (or maybe armchair) philosopher calling you a “clown” and a devout Catholic professional engineer using terms like “atheishit”. I have faith they won’t wear you down.
DeleteArdy B "...is hitting home with some of your most critical posters...I have faith you won't wear down."
DeleteWe're all still here. The arguments going on among us must to back to before recorded history.
Talk about goofy--Father Spitzer lecturing the public on "science" and the shroud. We're supposed to think that is something powerful and "proves" the resurrection. It just a priest preaching.
ReplyDelete
Deleteas far as I know Spitzer is highly qualified in the field of physics, much more qualified than you are to speak of scientific matters. BTW, I thought that the scientific ethic requires one to evaluate evidence and arguments on their merits and to refrain from ad hominem attacks.
Question: For scientific explanations of physical sciences, would you trust an Economics Ph.D. or an Electrical Engineering Masters? Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of Engineers who are atheishits and plenty like me who are believers in God. My being an engineer does not guide my belief. It is my faith, my upbringing, my trusted circle of family of friends and the Holy Spirit. Together, they help me understand what is true and right. I see nothing (NOTHING) from atheism which is intrinsically good. Atheism is the rejection of God. Agnosticism is the stand that the question of God is open for discussion but the agnostic does not follow any God.
DeletePersonally, I think atheists and agnostics are just lazy. When they need God, they will seek Him out. I hope at that time that their conversion happens.