Society & Culture - 23 December 2007

2007-12-23 02:48:08 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Christmas

He is an extremely contraversial Episcopal Bishop who has written many books espousing a very liberal theology.

Here's a quote from one of his books called A New Christianity for a New World: Why Traditional Faith Is Dying and How a New Faith Is Being Born:

Martin Luther ignited the Reformation of the 16th century by nailing to the door of the church in Wittenberg in 1517 the 95 Theses that he wished to debate. I will publish this challenge to Christianity in The Voice. I will post my theses on the Internet and send copies with invitations to debate them to the recognized Christian leaders of the world. My theses are far smaller in number than were those of Martin Luther, but they are far more threatening theologically. The issues to which I now call the Christians of the world to debate are these:

1. Theism, as a way of defining God, is dead. So most theological God-talk is today meaningless. A new way to speak of God must be found.

2. Since God can no longer be conceived in theistic terms, it becomes nonsensical to seek to understand Jesus as the incarnation of the theistic deity. So the Christology of the ages is bankrupt.

3. The biblical story of the perfect and finished creation from which human beings fell into sin is pre-Darwinian mythology and post-Darwinian nonsense.

4. The virgin birth, understood as literal biology, makes Christ's divinity, as traditionally understood, impossible.

5. The miracle stories of the New Testament can no longer be interpreted in a post-Newtonian world as supernatural events performed by an incarnate deity.

6. The view of the cross as the sacrifice for the sins of the world is a barbarian idea based on primitive concepts of God and must be dismissed.

7. Resurrection is an action of God. Jesus was raised into the meaning of God. It therefore cannot be a physical resuscitation occurring inside human history.

8. The story of the Ascension assumed a three-tiered universe and is therefore not capable of being translated into the concepts of a post-Copernican space age.

9. There is no external, objective, revealed standard writ in scripture or on tablets of stone that will govern our ethical behavior for all time.

10. Prayer cannot be a request made to a theistic deity to act in human history in a particular way.

11. The hope for life after death must be separated forever from the behavior control mentality of reward and punishment. The Church must abandon, therefore, its reliance on guilt as a motivator of behavior.

12. All human beings bear God's image and must be respected for what each person is. Therefore, no external description of one's being, whether based on race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, can properly be used as the basis for either rejection or discrimination.

2007-12-23 02:43:51 · 9 answers · asked by Zezo Zeze Zadfrack 1 in Religion & Spirituality

Now dont make your answer so black and white like "Oh god says no,its a horrible sin and you'll burn in hell"
Im looking for open minded answers!
This a sorta exsperiment; here are the grounds

The couple is is 18 or older,
They have been dating for over a year.
They are in love (or claim to be)
marriage is in their future
both familys of the couple know of their sexually activity
Both familys are supportive
they are safe and responsable
they are mognogamis

2007-12-23 02:40:00 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Other - Society & Culture

If he was would you be scared?

2007-12-23 02:38:57 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous in Mythology & Folklore

My wife and I have been best friends with this LDS couple for the past 3 years. We normaly hang out about 3 times a week. things have went pretty well because my wife and I have done our best to be sensitive to their beliefs. ex. When we go out we refrain from ordering liqure, we dont' swear around them, and we don't invite them to watch R-rated movies. My wife and I are pretty strong christians so its not like it is difficult to not curse, were not alcholhics so its not difficult for us to pass up a drink. We do refrain from R rated movies, even though they don't bother us.
Last night we rented Rush Hour 3 (PG-13), there are some parts where girls have some skimpy outfits and there was a part where they were making out on a bed. I happen to look over at them and they were closing their eyes.

Am I offending them?How do I tell them this is getting out of hand? We're all adults you would think we would be mature enough to handle a little skin (there was no nudity) and some kissing?

2007-12-23 02:36:39 · 23 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality

2007-12-23 02:34:46 · 8 answers · asked by Buke 4 in Religion & Spirituality

a)going to church
b)tithing
c)believing jesus was god son
d) following his teachings

Which ones of his teaching is more important to follow?
turn the other cheek
love your enemy
help the poor

2007-12-23 02:34:23 · 34 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality

Last night our neighbours called. They want us to come over on New Years Eve. I haven't decided if I want to go or not because Im still kinda upset because everyone in the neighbourhood bailed on us when DH got cancer. Some of them still run away and take off in the garage when they see us coming. Its just really weird and very uncomfortable. They will all be there.

What would you do ?

2007-12-23 02:34:10 · 7 answers · asked by mullinon 3 in Religion & Spirituality

2007-12-23 02:34:05 · 15 answers · asked by MamaSmurf 7 in Senior Citizens

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary. My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me, as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew, went to. In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response:

She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says ‘thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal’, and ‘love your neighbor as yourself’. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with, 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.' Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards.
Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein

2007-12-23 02:32:57 · 25 answers · asked by sego lily 7 in Religion & Spirituality

There are 10 kinds of people in this world. Those that can read binary, and those that don't.

2007-12-23 02:31:57 · 13 answers · asked by Tinman12 6 in Senior Citizens

John Lennon - Merry Christmas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8jw-ifqwkM

What does Christmas mean to you?
Sincere answer only please!

2007-12-23 02:30:03 · 1 answers · asked by ? 6 in Religion & Spirituality

I'm writing ANOTHER fantasy story that takes place back in the medieval times. There is a fourteen-year-old maiden named Magdalin (Maggie) who lives in a kingdom called Esperalda, and she's tired of her father always telling her that women are only there to clean and cook for their husbands. After her mother dies, Maggie takes this is a que to run away from home. She stays with her best friend Clarence for the first week for some help and support. The main reason for her departure is because she wants freedom, and also because she wants to find a husband, but one who is sweet kind and down-to-earth and won't make her do all the work. She thinks she finds the right guy in the town she travels to, but it turns out he just wanted her for her money. She then discovers that her heart will lead her back home to Esperalda to marry Clarence. Feedback, please, and some ideas to make it more original?????

2007-12-23 02:28:33 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Royalty

The reason why I asked this question, is to see who is really educated in regards to this subject. Is it Jewish people of today, Is it African people, or is it the Arabic people. So many ideas have been thrust upon us who these people really were a lot of us do not know. Please google it you will be amazed.

2007-12-23 02:26:28 · 4 answers · asked by Solany J 2 in Religion & Spirituality

Do you believe evolution proves that there isn’t God? If you do, please elaborate for me and explain how it proves that there isn’t a God.

I’m an Agnostic.

2007-12-23 02:25:50 · 22 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality

This article by a level headed, thinking Muslim ending with the words: "So let us leave the traditional Christmas alone. In a nation with such a rich Christian heritage it is entirely appropriate that this celebration is Christian." shows what arrant nonsense is being fed to us by secular manipulators who suggest that Christmas is offensive to people of other faiths. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml;jsessionid=DI2JNWQTAPUI3QFIQMFSFFWAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/opinion/2007/12/23/do2311.xml

2007-12-23 02:25:17 · 12 answers · asked by Doethineb 7 in Religion & Spirituality

Satan Told Eve that if she ate from the Tree she Positivly would not Die. If she had an Immortal soul, as many Christian religions Belive, Satan was Right in telling her that she wouldn't Die. If just the phsical body dies and not the "Soul" she never really died did she?

2007-12-23 02:22:34 · 12 answers · asked by Korvyn 1 in Religion & Spirituality

2007-12-23 02:21:05 · 40 answers · asked by anil m 6 in Other - Society & Culture

It has been said that all atheists are loving, accepting, respectful of all other beliefs, and are open-minded.
Why, then, do some of them ask such disrespectful questions? Why all the ridicule? Why the disdain for our beliefs?

Somehow it doesn't jive to hear such claims and to then see such questions as "Why are Christians so stupid?" , "Why do Christians believe in a "sky daddy?", "Why didn't God copulate with a cow?", "Is logic the 'piss' on Christians' picnic?", and "Should all Christians be sent to a mental asylum?"
Help me to see the respect in these questions.

There are some really terrific people here who are atheists. However, there are others who are really unkind and disrespecful. They damn us no matter what we do or say.

Has anyone else found this to be true?

2007-12-23 02:17:28 · 40 answers · asked by batgirl2good 7 in Religion & Spirituality

Tony Blare can not consider himself a Christian after all the things he has done. How has the Pope taken him to the Catholic church? It seems like they will take anyone.

2007-12-23 02:16:51 · 17 answers · asked by chris h 3 in Religion & Spirituality

He's made up. You don't really think that a man can fit every present for every person on Earth in one sleigh do you?
Also, it is not possible to visit every household in the world in one night, even taking into account the time differences between different areas in the world and even if you flew by Concorde, never mind by a sleigh pulled by reindeer.
...and you don't seriously believe that a man as fat as Santa Claus can fit down a chimney, do you? Even a tiny new-born baby would struggle to achieve this feat. Take a look at the chimney on top of your house and take a look for yourself...
...and how has Santa managed to survive all these years without aging or altering in appearance in any way. Surely he ought to be dead by now...

2007-12-23 02:16:48 · 46 answers · asked by Anonymous in Christmas

2007-12-23 02:15:56 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality

I found out on friday that I get paid on the 27/28 I think my boss is bang out of order is this happening to anyone else?, I can't buy christmas presents now! i'm hating my boss now for being such a scroge.

2007-12-23 02:15:44 · 17 answers · asked by on-point 5 in Christmas

2007-12-23 02:14:57 · 22 answers · asked by Happily Happy 7 in Religion & Spirituality

2007-12-23 02:14:08 · 8 answers · asked by voice_of_reason 6 in Religion & Spirituality

Just imagine it. The world would be so much better.

2007-12-23 02:13:33 · 29 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality

no more joks!follow me:je n,aime pas les blagues douteuses,je ne suis pas superstitieux,je n,ai pas peur de la mort(born 2 die),et tu peux etre ma petite fille.translate dear!

Someone sent me this from YouTube. In was in my in box and I have no idea what it says. Is it a threat...I'm kind of scared now, seeing that I dont know those people on YouTube.

2007-12-23 02:13:03 · 4 answers · asked by Jessy 3 in Languages

PLEASE GIVE LINKS!

I have had someone tell me that gentiles weren't allowed to convert to Judaism and be accepted as a Jew until modern times. Is this true?

Also where in the Torah does it say gentiles can be considered a Jew through conversion?

Like I said please provide some evidence in your comment. Links, books or something!

Thanks

2007-12-23 02:12:50 · 9 answers · asked by Boomer 3 in Religion & Spirituality

do u believe in so called fate??? i would rather believe and have confidence in my actions than in something that is meant to happen.

2007-12-23 02:12:24 · 7 answers · asked by in_love_with_him 2 in Religion & Spirituality

my freind was like that she could but sometimes it was the past.i belive in stuff like that do to a lot of resons.but some people have this goft some have others i can always point out a spicific spot where something has happend and if i try i can find out exaxtly what happend and almost see it happening.and theres other weird things like i can pin point where some one is and things like that.my freind had (not any more)realy realy good hearing she could hear someones tv in a house when shes down the street.its wierd
now me and my freind are both christens.so why can we do all this and is there any thing else we might beabl to do

2007-12-23 02:11:39 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality