Who said it best?

[Eddie]

Dude, I am trying to understand you. You are the one wanting empathy, so I am asking questions to try to get there.

Watching this and the other conversation progress, I'm going to stick with my prior stated beliefs.

He doesn't want empathy or to be understood. He enjoys confronting people about/with their beliefs, being somewhat condescending and throwing out semi-offensive barbs that he can explain away as being misunderstood or misinterpreted, and then play the "look, Christians are being un-Christian to me!" game.

I get it. I enjoy arguing a little too much online sometimes too. Sometimes I'll even back a position I don't necessarily agree with just for the sake of having a good argument.

[kccougar]

I thought this thread was trending in a familiar pattern:

http://www.cougarstadium.com/showthread.php?69982-BoM-s-origins-as-a-19th-century-work-of-fiction

Ever since I left, the wackiness and cult-like weirdness of the church becomes more obvious to me every day

Fuck off. It's none of your fucking business.

there is no meaningful consent in the church. It is run by top down mandates from a small, closed, non-transparent, unaccountable, elite group of self-selected insiders

the church is just another man-made religious organization. The church is not perfect. The church is not god. The leaders are not inspired or receive continuing revelation. It does excerise quite a bit of cult-like control over its members.

I don't have much tolerance for TBMs now-a-days. I've found them to be the most judging, shunning, shaming, insensitive fucking asshole kind of people there are.

The last thing I want is anything to do with mormonism, TBM or ex or otherwise. I would just as soon put all that behind me.

It's one thing if SeattleUte scorns your silly mormonism...

To me the church is just another man-made religion trying to micromanage its members' lives.

Every human deserves understanding, respect and compassion

Glad we've got that last statement of yours on record. I'd hate for people to think you lacked respect or compassion.

[Jeff Lebowski]

[clackamascoug]

That is the definition of sacrilegious.

I'm the idiot in our relationship, please don't upset the balance of nature.

[Northwestcoug]

That is the definition of sacrilegious.

I'm the idiot in our relationship, please don't upset the balance of nature.

What about this?

I know your answer. But that video clip was the first thing that came to mind when I put JL's gif and 'sacrilegious' together. C'mon, it's funny, right?

[falafel]

I never referenced "imaginary". Not sure where you got that.

I did reference dysfunctional. But yea, if an aggressive, proselyting missionary came to my door, I would push back.

You said man-made, which is the same as made up. Or imaginary. Not real. Etc.

[Jeff Lebowski]

That is the definition of sacrilegious.

I'm the idiot in our relationship, please don't upset the balance of nature.

Jesus can't enjoy a little popcorn and some message board drama? That seems rather hypersensitive* of you.









*Copyright optimomojo 2015. All rights reserved.

[Solon]

I'm sincerely sorry if I offended anyone. Despite my strong feelings against the church, I wish to be at peace with mormons. I'll keep my negative opinions about the church to myself.

Having only cursorily glanced through this thread, I will offer only a cursory thought:

Religion, faith, duty, devotion, etc. are pretty heavy terms. Most of the people on this board are smart as hell and have their reasons for believing or disbelieving as they do. Without exception, every person from this place whom I have managed to meet in the real world is smart, funny, and friendly. (even the Great DDD, who arranged a secret tryst in a BigBox store parking lot. Those were the Salad Days, I tell ya).

I get a lot more out of this place when I visit with the mindset of "I have something to learn" rather than " I have something to say."

[Walter Sobchak]

I get a lot more out of this place when I visit with the mindset of "I have something to learn" rather than " I have something to say."

Your advise is on the mark, but OM is long gone and probably won't return for another 12-14 months. Can't wait for Volume 2 of the Sabbath Best Practices Manuel.

[All-American]

"I don't think there is any one theory that sums it all up accurately" either... And why are you implying they are "developed in a vacuum"?



The problem with your examples is that whenever there is a so-called commandment, like killing, it sure becomes an awfully convenient justification for otherwise disreputable behavior.



Omnipotence and omniscience doesn't necessarily make a being *worthy* of worship or admiration. Benevolence or goodness is important here too, and that is the critical question here: what is the basis of god's morality? Let's presume there is a omnipotent, omniscient god. Are you suggesting that "might makes right"? So, god is just a big bully, and whatever god says at whim is good and right?




The problem with that analysis is that All-American isn't claiming to make a mistake. On the contrary, he started to *justify* that being sarcastic is precisely what is right. Is that the kind of god y'all worship?

Read Matthew 23 sometime.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Having only cursorily glanced through this thread, I will offer only a cursory thought:

Religion, faith, duty, devotion, etc. are pretty heavy terms. Most of the people on this board are smart as hell and have their reasons for believing or disbelieving as they do. Without exception, every person from this place whom I have managed to meet in the real world is smart, funny, and friendly. (even the Great DDD, who arranged a secret tryst in a BigBox store parking lot. Those were the Salad Days, I tell ya).

I get a lot more out of this place when I visit with the mindset of "I have something to learn" rather than " I have something to say."

See that, Solon basically just said I'm a genius!

[YOhio]

See that, Solon basically just said I'm a genius!

I agree with him.

[All-American]

See that, Solon basically just said I'm a genius!

Seeing as how you are a graduate of an institution now headed by the renowned former dean of the university of Chicago law school, it's hard to argue otherwise.

[LA Ute]

Around these parts, often.

I think you'll find, too, that the conception of unkind or sarcastic comments as being unchristian is off the mark. Christ himself had quite a few unkind and sarcastic things to say.

You're not justifying unkindness and sarcasm by Christ's regular beatdowns of the Pharisees et al., are you? That would add a whole new dimension to "What would Jesus do?"

[All-American]

You're not justifying unkindness and sarcasm by Christ's regular beatdowns of the Pharisees et al., are you? That would add a whole new dimension to "What would Jesus do?"

I leave it to others to debate the virtues of unkindness or sarcasm. But to say those characteristics are un-Christlike, you have to square away the fact that Jesus was often both.

And yes, more answers to WWJD should cite to Matthew 23.