Nark
and Christianity in particular (please don't tell me it's not a religion, I know the mantra)
I understand, I feel the same way about Atheism/Evolution. At least Dawkins admits it. Why is it that nobody wants to talk about the connection between Atheism/Evolution and Hitler? hillary_step
What many religionists, especially of the Christian variety, seem unable to comprehend, is that atheists, agnostics and non-Christians do not view themselves as totally depraved and yet seem to be able to fulfil the Christian ethic to 'not judge others' with a far greater ease than do many Christians, including Perry!
Here is the short list of judgments against me in this thread! masochistic as "totally depraved" as they pretend to be (I guess this meant dishonest) self-righteous arrogant anti-intellectual, anti-science disgusting Looks like the atheists, agnostics and non-Christians on this thread are having a tough time with the Christian ethic to 'not judge others'.
derek
but I can't think of anything more horrible than the idea that I don't deserve to live or to be loved, but that there's a super sky daddy who will love me and let me live anyway, as long as I do what he says.
After all this time, you still think like a JW. My God gives grace even when I don't "do what he says".
abaddon
Enough with the worthless routine. It isn't convincing. To you, maybe... but to me as you are so sure you are right purely on the basis of internal factors you on some levels value the worth of your own reasoning above all else. How can you claim to be worthless when you effectively worship your unprovable opinion?
You continue to show that you can't or don't understand. I'm depraved (bent toward constant sinning) not worthless, as an object of God's love and grace, I have great value!
Perhaps if you read INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION By John Calvin you would understand total depravity a little more clearly.
Perry
You could at times be less offensive by using the word "us" or "we" instead of a collective "you".
Perry said to Dan:
In your depraved state, you have only two options. (1) You can create an illusion of righteousness and justify yourself even though you continue to commit crimes against your neighbors and against God, (even if they seem to get less as you age). If you do this God is justified in punishing you the same way you already admitted you would punish other "uncivilized people". How could you complain if God judged you by your own standards?
You may win a few more people by stating the same thing this way.
In our depraved state, we have only two options. (1) we can create an illusion of righteousness and justify ourselves even though we continue to commit crimes against our neighbors and against God, (even if they seem to get less as we age). If we do this God is justified in punishing us the same way we already admitted we would punish other "uncivilized people". How could we complain if God judged us by our own standards?