aznative Posted February 28, 2005 Posted February 28, 2005 When people begin to speak for God, bad things frequently happen. That's my view, anyway. Corky,I enjoyed your entire post. Sometimes I ponder the thousands of belief sytems explaining our existance that have graced the earth since the beginning of mankind. So many choices, so much variation. Whatever brand you choose does not change the nature of God - nor does it force God to exist.How intricate is human nature! This coming from the person who likes to draw in magazines with markers like a juvenile dlinquent that has a can of spray-paint and a new pristine wall near the free-way to de-face......
rameumptom Posted February 28, 2005 Posted February 28, 2005 Isn't this where Pascal's wager comes in? To place a bet on whether God really exists or not, and whether we are willing to gamble with our souls. Pascal believed that if there is a God, then to deny him would be foolish. If there isn't a God, and you still lived by righteous principles and worshipped him (for Pascal, that would have meant Jesus), then you really haven't harmed yourself by exercising faith in a Deity that promotes good works, even if that Deity ends up not existing.And LDS also believe that those who worship God to the best they possibly can, will be blessed for it.Now Pascal taught you couldn't fake out a real God, so your worship and efforts had to be sincere....The way I see it, I believe that Jesus has saved me, therefore I merit at least a kingdom of glory on par with the other Christians that believe in salvation solely by grace. So if they are right, I'm gonna do okay for myself.And then if LDS theology is true, which I do believe it is, then I get added upon blessings for faithfulness.If it is Buddhist or Hindu, I'll get another chance, so I'm not worried about their theology. If all are wrong, and make some god angry, then we're all doomed together.And if there isn't a God, then I've left a decent legacy of good works for future generations to remember, while my body moulders in the grave alongside the atheists....
Corky Wallace Posted March 1, 2005 Author Posted March 1, 2005 A followup on my (Corky's) view of God (as though this has any signicance to anyone - *smile* - gotta laugh at myself, too!)In my mind I don't think I can comprehend what God is like; I cannot comprehend how great he/she/it is. The temporal things like personality, bias, opinion, gender etc. are all below God, who is omnipotent, who is endless love & on a level we cannot begin to grasp.What if God is not like I envision? Well, if it is true that God is like us as humans - or we are like him - I think I just might be in for a big, big surprise and a world of hurt after this one. The God of the Old Testament is somebody I would not want to cross, and my thoughts & opinions in this life are certain to do just that. If this is the case, I'm toast, I blew my chance in this life & I guess I'll have to take my medicine.If we are made in God's image, is he Northern European, like in most of the Christian paintings of him? Is he African, like the painting Pastor Davis has on his wall at Calvary Baptist Church? Maybe he is an 8 ft tall Asian, who could make Shaquille O'Neal look like a 60 year old dwarf.I really don't think he is like us (or vice versa). I think human beings are very similar to God's other beings... ie, we are glorified rats compared to God. Borrowing from the Hindus, I think the other beings have great value, too, and perhaps we shouldn't kill them, unless we must, though I'm a hypocrite in this regard, at the moment.It may be the hard core atheists are right and once we die, "poof", we're gone. I try not to think about this too much, and I tend to take the "lessons" learned from the so-called Near Death Experiences (which I realize fully are very problematic in themselves):- Learn to love your fellow humans!!!!!Everything beyond that is the very human window dressing that we are so adept at adding to simple & beautiful things. We're trying, though - and I give us credit for that.
Outshined Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 In the words of Napolean Dynamite, "I have sweet doodling skills". My drawings are taken to another level if I spend time sniffing the magic markers in preparation. I saw no ligers in your drawing, so the sweetness of your skills has yet to be determined...
Jon Haugo Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 Hello Juliann,You were given a verse that related to sin and said no more and no less than anything in the BOM. You ignored that one so you could come to the conclusion you started with.I commented on the first two verses that enummaelish mentioned because I thought they were the best argument. I didn't comment on the S.S. verse because I didn't see anything relating to God giving someone a dark skin as a sign of judgment. I don't see any similarities to the post that I provided on the first page of this thread: http://www.fairboards.org/index.php?showtopic=7075&st=15 - sixth one down. A person has to really "read into" the passages of the Bible in order to get that but with the BOM I believe it is undeniable.SincerelyJon
juliann Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 A person has to really "read into" the passages of the Bible in order to get that but with the BOM I believe it is undeniable. Well....I am speechless that you can actually say there is no significance to multiple incidences of black skin being associated with sin or distress.
opmer Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 The irony of all of this is that it is believed that the human race started in Africa and became white after migrating to other sections of the world.
1dc Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 The irony of all of this is that it is believed that the human race started in Africa and became white after migrating to other sections of the world. Irony is lost on those that think we are closer kin to bacteria than to God.
Moksha Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 The irony would not be lost on God, but he still loves you even if your pale skin differs from his own. He knows that your skin color was an evolutionary adaptation, and he appreciates it. After all, evolution is an effective tool he has been using for a long time.I think the only LDS now who are still closet racists are the fundamentalists. Those who understand the evolution of Mankind, probably recognize the deviation of pale skin from the darker skin of God. Don't worry though, God is not a racist.
juliann Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 Not to mention that skin color is not "race" anyway.
Moksha Posted March 1, 2005 Posted March 1, 2005 So then it is agreed, the LDS Church should admit its racial policy was wrong and put this issue to rest.
1dc Posted March 2, 2005 Posted March 2, 2005 So then it is agreed, the LDS Church should admit its racial policy was wrong and put this issue to rest. juliann Posted on Mar 1 2005, 01:50 AM Not to mention that skin color is not "race" anyway. Moksha Posted: Mar 1 2005, 01:34 PM So then it is agreed, the LDS Church should admit its racial policy was wrong and put this issue to rest. Irony nomination . .
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