Group Collects Bibles, Passes Out Porn

[edible_eye]

i think bill maher wears too much bad makeup.

[Ben Lahnger]

Originally Posted by tenet_2012

"We are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion. I think religion stops people from thinking. I think it justified crazies. I think flying planes into a building was a faith-based initiative. I think religion is a neurological disorder."
--Bill Maher

I'm not on Maher's side on this one, because he is ignoring the millions of people who are helped each year because of religious based efforts. I'm not saying I'm a believer. I am, however, glad that lots of people do believe and therefore do some good in the world. Many of those people would not give a crap about their neighbor if it weren't for the beliefs they hold about a diety and an afterlife.

The evil done by suicide bombers or right-wing racism do not represent the whole. Religions, like governments, need to be checked when they go wrong.

[Sobeh]

Oh dear.

Well, Xng, you are in luck: the bible quote you refer to is referring to a 'sorceress' or 'witch', but the straight-across transliteration is 'poisoner of words'. This gets understood as someone using strange incantations, but has the primary meaning of, quite simply, someone who lies, i.e. a non-truth-teller.

Gotta love them educated pagans!

As for a lack of Christian suicide bombers...

Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself

Let me also just warn anyone against using the KJV for any kind of Biblical reference; it's about as far from an accurate translation as you can get. For New Testament, get something that used the original Greek. For the Tanakh, don't even use the Septuagint translations - the Hebrew is so much better, and easy to come by, even online.

[Ben Lahnger]

Nice post, Sobeh.

And I <3 the flamewar card ... MUCH!!!

[angel_dark_demon_bright]

Originally Posted by Xnguela

Any word on this yet?

Well a witch back then was thought of as someone who would use evil magic to harm someone else. A liar, a thief, an assasin, a murderer and so on and so forth. It doesnt mean to just kill someone for not beleiving. To kill someone is a violation of the second commadment if im not mistaken, ergo someone is not killed for just not believing.

Originally Posted by angel011

I found somewhere that "witch" was the wrong translation, that the original word meant something like "a person who makes poisons".

See?

[Sobeh]

Originally Posted by angel_dark_demon_bright

To kill someone is a violation of the second commadment if im not mistaken

The 2nd Commandment is to have no other Gods before YHWH. The no killing one is the 6th, but when translated properly is that you should not commit murder. Killing =/= Murder. Just look at the poor Canaanites.

As an aside, the numbering of commandments is tricky, because the actual commandments are spread over about 17 verses.

[angel_dark_demon_bright]

Originally Posted by Disfunction

Then perhaps you should consider that mine is no less valid than your own =)

I do. I dont go around hitting people over the head with a bible and say "BELIEVE SINNER!!! BELIEVE!!! ". What i was refering to was the act of other people passing out bibles for porn. It pisses me off that someone would have the gall to do something like that.

Originally Posted by Disfunction

Did I ever make the suggestion that it's all lies? I don't believe I ever outright said "the bible is all lies." I believe I did say that I found holes, and if you'd like me to cite the holes and contradictions, then by golly, I will! Until then, however, I'm quite glad that you and other people can have a religion which you feel has helped you and shaped you to potentially be a more tolerant, better person who has something to help them through their dark times. Religion can be a wonderful thing to have in that respect.

That is what it sounded like yes. And if you look hard enough you would find holes and contradictions in everything. Like our government obviously, there are holes in everylaw ones that are contradictory to others.

Religion is a good thing but make not work for others to beleive in. I think that if its not your cup of tea find something else, but dont do anything to offend someone who finds that it works for them.

Originally Posted by Disfunction

So believe what you will. Say what you will. I don't care what you, or anyone else believes, as long as you don't force your own value system upon others. Everyone should be free to choose their own path.

Agreed.

[angel_dark_demon_bright]

Yeah sorry about that my computer wouldnt connect yesterday.
But you dont really hear about chistian commiting genocide. I thought murder was second and 'have no other gods before me' was one.

[angel011]

Originally Posted by angel_dark_demon_bright

Yeah sorry about that my computer wouldnt connect yesterday.
But you dont really hear about chistian commiting genocide. I thought murder was second and 'have no other gods before me' was one.

Wasn't the crusade a genocide?

Not that I have anything against Christians, or any other group for that matter. IMHO, genocides are commited by groups of jerks who would use anything as an excuse, from a religion to the color of your shoes.

[angel_dark_demon_bright]

Well its been on the news that muslim fanatics have declared a "jihad". Im not saying thats the view of all muslims. Im not trying to be hypocritical or stating facts that I dont know for sure, but some of the more fanatical clerics are condoneing it against the west, christians and others.

[angel_dark_demon_bright]

Originally Posted by angel011

Wasn't the crusade a genocide?

Not that I have anything against Christians, or any other group for that matter. IMHO, genocides are commited by groups of jerks who would use anything as an excuse, from a religion to the color of your shoes.

No the crusades were not genocide. The crusades were sent to take back religious sites from sacracens in the medieval times. Not to directly kill anyone and everyone who wasn't christian.

[angel011]

Originally Posted by angel_dark_demon_bright

No the crusades were not genocide. The crusades were sent to take back religious sites from sacracens in the medieval times. Not to directly kill anyone and everyone who wasn't christian.

And how would they take them back without killing anyone? People don't usually leave their homes just like that, and Saracens were living there.

[angel_dark_demon_bright]

Originally Posted by angel011

And how would they take them back without killing anyone? People don't usually leave their homes just like that, and Saracens were living there.

Well battles were fought yes, but they didnt kill everyone. Who would they rule over?
The word genocide is defined as:
Pronunciation: 'je-n&-"sId
Function: noun
: the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group

Heres the website,

http://www.webster.com/dictionary

[angel011]

jihad:

Variant(s): also je·had /ji-'häd, chiefly British -'had/
Function: noun
Etymology: Arabic jihAd
1 : a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty; also : a personal struggle in devotion to Islam especially involving spiritual discipline
2 : a crusade for a principle or belief

From the same website.

Not a genocide.

[bunnicula]

(butts into conversation) Well, the "holes" argument would make sense if science was also not full of holes. I have yet to find a "hole-free" theory about anything.

What's offensive about porn? (just kidding)

[Sobeh]

To be fair to Muslims (because, face it, Webster ain't no Muslim) there are two kinds: The Jihad of the Pen and the Jihad of the Sword are among forms of Outer Jihad, as opposed to the Inner Jihad. Webster makes the mistake in mentioning Holy War first, in front of the personal striving part of the definition.

(As an aside: who the hell uses an ENGLISH dictionary to define an ARABIC word? What the fuck is that all about?)

Jihad comes from the Arabic for 'striving', and colloquially always takes God as the object, so you have 'striving for God' or 'striving in the path of God' as the usual mental feeling engendered by the word Jihad in a native speaker.

According to the Qu'ran, the Inner Jihad is the most Holy, and the one that is required of all Muslims. The Outer Jihad is something done in defense of one's submission to God (Arabic: "Islam" - one who submits, "Muslim") and can take the form of a philosophical or otherwise written defense (of the Pen) or a more militant form of defense (of the Sword).

Keep in mind the Qu'ran makes much of the phrase "Ahl al-Kitab", meaning 'people of the Book'. This refers to Christians and Jews, and the Qu'ran specifically forbids killing, or forcibly converting, Ahl al-Kitab. So even within Muslim circles, the terrorists are fucking wackjobs.

[tenet_2012]

Why Don't He Lend a Hand?

You say there is a God
Above the boundless sky,
A wise and wondrous deity
Whose strength none can defy.
You say that he is seated
Upon a throne most grand,
Millions of angels at his beck . . .
Why don't he lend a hand?

See how the earth is groaning,
What countless tears are shed,
See how the plague stalks forward
And brave and sweet lie dead.
Homes burn and hearts are breaking,
Grim murder stains the land;
You say he is omnipotent . . .
Why don't he lend a hand?

Behold, injustice conquers;
Pain curses every hour;
The good and true and beautiful
Are trampled like the flower.
You say he is our father,
That what he wills doth stand;
If he is thus almighty
Why don't he lend a hand?

What is this monarch doing
Upon his golden throne,
To right the wrong stupendous,
Give joy instead of moan?
With his resistless majesty,
Each force at his command,
Each law his own creation . . .
Why don't he lend a hand?

Alas! I fear he's sleeping,
Or is himself a dream,
A bubble on thought's ocean,
Our fancy's fading gleam.
We look in vain to find him
Upon his throne so grand,
Then turn your vision earthward . . .
'Tis we must lend a hand.

'Tis we must grasp the lightning,
And plow the rugged soil;
'Tis we must beat back suffering,
And plague and murder foil;
'Tis we must build the paradise
And bravely right the wrong;
The god above us faileth,
The god within is strong.

by Samuel P. Putnam (1838-1896)

[655322]

Originally Posted by Ben Lahnger

Yeah, that Mary Magdelyn centerspread would be hot!

Mary is a total BABE! She can anoint me with ointment anytime.

Originally Posted by Disfunction

Miss Deuteronomy?

...and Jesus said - "Awesome!"

Anyway, the Zappa quote summed it up for me.

Originally Posted by bunnicula

I have yet to find a "hole-free" theory about anything.

I agree, that black hole theory is full of holes.

[mephistopheles]

Originally Posted by Xnguela

Also, Christians don't have suicide bombers, but as Sobeh pointed out, there ARE christians that kill abortion doctors.

which is why i didn't enjoy religion class at my catholic high school. we had a nice little class debate about abortion. "those doctors kill babies, therefore we should kill them to preserve the sanctity of life!" said i sarcastically.

PEOPLE AGREED. i was a little worried. but i was more worried when i found out that i, the token pagan, knew more about moses than anyone else in the class. zappa was right, it IS all about keeping people stupid.

the problem with taking a massive amount of offense at people trading porn for bibles is that clearly these people were offended by christianity. the church and its followers can't act like the blameless victims when people speak out against them - even in such a crude manner.

besides, it's almost-free porn, there are much worse things in this world.