Free will and original sin

[jacksonsprat22]

Then forget it and move on. Good luck in life, son, because you are certainly headed for a hard stop at some point.

Go fuck yourself you brain dead hate troll.

[Doc Dutch]

Hmm. As a young person I read the Bible cover to cover 2-3 times. Well, except the __ begat __ part. lol It is filled with human wisdom, experience, poetry. But in the end, it is still a book written by humans and heavily edited by others.

Agreed on all points. The same goes for other ancient books of wisdom. In an age when anyone can literally publish a picture and article about their own shit, trying to figure out what is wise and what is not is very difficult. This entire forum is about that difficulty. In an age when books were rare, then they only used valuable resources to write down and treasure the very best of their society.

Some things are outdated such as dietary restrictions, but other areas are recognition of basic human needs within a society and in a hostile world. The latter is as applicable today as it was 4,000 years ago.

[Celticguy]

I get it. You're an a-hole.

So typical.

[jacksonsprat22]

So typical.

Yes. You made a personal attack on me and act surprised that you got it back. Grow up.

[Celticguy]

Hmm. As a young person I read the Bible cover to cover 2-3 times. Well, except the __ begat __ part. lol It is filled with human wisdom, experience, poetry. But in the end, it is still a book written by humans and heavily edited by others.

Left out the "with comprehension" part. Makes a big difference.

[Celticguy]

Please don't equate "spiritual" with "religious." They are distinctly different.

If you say....

[Doc Dutch]

Its unfortunate this country was founded by the Puritans, we got off to a bad start right there!

My experience is limited to the Eastern Orthodox church and a few years with Quakers when my Mama dabbled with the Society of Friends.

Neither the Eastern tradition nor the Quakers had any kind of preoccupation with fire and brimstone, nor was I ever made to feel I was fundamentally flawed and stained by original sin.

You should consider the assholes they were leaving behind.

[Doc Dutch]

Go fuck yourself you brain dead hate troll.

QED. I'm guessing sooner than later.

Then forget it and move on. Good luck in life, son, because you are certainly headed for a hard stop at some point.

[Doc Dutch]

Yes. You made a personal attack on me and act surprised that you got it back. Grow up.

You mean like this?:

Go fuck yourself you brain dead hate troll.

[Doc Dutch]

Please don't equate "spiritual" with "religious." They are distinctly different.

Agreed. Religion, like a Martial Art, is a path to a desired goal. Learning to defend oneself is important in a hostile world. Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, Jiu Jitsu and other martial arts are the path to attaining the ability to defend oneself. Religion is a path to spiritual enlightenment, oneness with God or, as noted in the OP, "union with the divine".

Where religions go bad is when they are more about keeping the religion than in helping people become One with God.

[Cypress]

All Christianity is based on a Jewish teacher. No idea why that has to be binding.

I do not know what you mean by binding. Being a Christian in America is a voluntary association.

The resurrection is the cornerstone that binds all Christians. Without the resurrection there is no Christianity. But other than that link, the distinction between Pentecostals, Quakers, Coptics, and Orthodox is pretty stark

[jacksonsprat22]

I do not know what you mean by binding. Being a Christian in America is a voluntary association.

The resurrection is the cornerstone that binds all Christians. Without the resurrection there is no Christianity. But other than that link, the distinction between Pentecostals, Quakers, Coptics, and Orthodox is pretty stark

I meant Jesus being God is an arbitrary association with no truth for us living in the US in 2020.

[Cypress]

You should consider the assholes they were leaving behind.

Yes, the English civil war and the religious wars of 16th century made Europe pretty unappealing!
If I lived in the time of colonial America, I would align with William Penn's Pennsylvania colony, not the Puritan Massachusetts Bay colony.

[ThatOwlWoman]

In his case, I think English is a second language.

Besides, what's wrong with bong hits?

Absolutely nothing! They are more conducive to mellowness though, than snarling at ppl on a political forum. lol

[ThatOwlWoman]

Agreed on all points. The same goes for other ancient books of wisdom. In an age when anyone can literally publish a picture and article about their own shit, trying to figure out what is wise and what is not is very difficult. This entire forum is about that difficulty. In an age when books were rare, then they only used valuable resources to write down and treasure the very best of their society.

Some things are outdated such as dietary restrictions, but other areas are recognition of basic human needs within a society and in a hostile world. The latter is as applicable today as it was 4,000 years ago.

Yes, it is.

It's too bad that the book has been weaponized by some.