496. ATHEIST

reply to: 492. william,do you lay awake at night fomenting and gnashing your teeth?
__________

NO.
__________

are you happy?
___________

Yes, i am happy. Much, much happier than you, or any deluded Christian.

I know you can't understand this, but Athiests are HAPPY.

We don't have to worry about a God who MIGHT punish us.

we don't have the DELUSION of a God who MIGHT behave... just like our own Father did.

You're a dimwit Christian fool, and all you can think about is, "They're not as happy as I am."

Grow up. Learn to USE your brain.

William Hays at 8:26PM on Feb 24th 2008

497. ATHEIST

Reply to: the bible speaks of famines and pestilence and various maladies that will come toward the end of the age. God warned us did he not?
-----------

God does not exist.

Therefore god did NOT warn anyone.

The New Testament CLEARLY says the Son of man will appear in the clouds... BEFORE 120 AD.

If you want to use "this generation" correctly, you can move that back to 73 Ad.

William Hays at 8:28PM on Feb 24th 2008

498. Honey bees, as we know them, did not exist 2000 years ago, they have been domesticated.

a born atheist at 8:47PM on Feb 24th 2008

499. "In all your dwelling places the cities shall be LAID WASTE (nuclear invasion?), and the high places shall be desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your work may be abolished (v. 6).

Yet, I will LEAVE A REMNANT, that you may have some that shall escape the sword (world war) AMONG THE NATIONS, when you shall be scattered (in captivity and slavery) through the countries. And they that escape of you shall remember ME among the nations whither they shall be carried captives. . ." vv. 8-9).
Antonio Apostol Jr. at 7:03PM on Feb 24th 2008
----

How nice of you to help the poor ignorant fools among us wiyh your interpretations. But, alas, the events you translate have already occured( nuclear invasion, world war and captivity and slavery), about 60 years ago.

Ezekiel was prone to hallucination:
And I looked, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And it was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings...As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on their right side: and they for had the face of an ox on their left side; they for also had the face of an eagle....--Ezekiel 1:4-10

Sounds like ole Zeke had a little to much wine.

mac at 8:52PM on Feb 24th 2008

500. Antonio Apostol Jr. says, "This prophecy definitely is not about Titus' siege of the Temple of Jerusalem, but for these "latter days.""

Prophecies are bullshit! Prophecies deny the free-will that is crucial to your religion in the first place.

According to these prophets the Jews were turning away from God and God was causing or letting happen all their problems.

If this were true, that the Jews were that fickle, there should be no Jews left after all this time.

These so-called prophecies were written there to explain what had already happened.

Years ago the Jehova's Witnesses got it into their heads that the Book of Daniel was SOOO similar to the Book of Revelation that God must have been sending them messages... John and Daniel were separated by hundreds of years, you see.

I pointed out that John could have easily READ the book of Daniel... to which the Witnesses had no response at all. Never heard that 'argument' again.

brian, Hays is right. It is unforgivable of you guys to try to encourage this end-of-the-world scenario.

And for what? ... a pathetic, childish fantasy that you will live forever.

not-pboyfloyd at 9:03PM on Feb 24th 2008

501. floyd,

who encouraging it it happens and will happen. you guys are just under an atheist delusion and its equally sorry you try and perpetrate it to whoever will listen

brian at 9:12PM on Feb 24th 2008

502. brian....

Where are all the ghosts, demons, angels etc. etc. that everyone was so sure were there. Where are all the witches doing Satan's bidding turning farmers milk sour?

Where's the common sense in asking for anything via prayers if the answer is equal to chance?

Why the willingness to pass on ridiculous stories about 'gerbilling' or 'lost day, found!' ?

Why the reluctance to bust even obvious charlatans like Peter Popoff and Ted Haggard?

It is obvious to me that too many people are making money on the stupid, childish notion that there is a spirit realm that can intercede in our favor.

not-pboyfloyd at 9:39PM on Feb 24th 2008

503. ATHEIST

reply to: you guys are just under an atheist delusion
___________

The idea that a book written over 2,000 years ago predicts ANY event in our lives....

.... where is the DELUSION?

I know what the Correct Answer is. I don't need to put you down.

but I do need to warn people that Christians are not credible in any sense.

You live in an Imaginary World....

Atheists KNOW where the stories came from. How do we know?

Because EVERYBODY makes up stories.

Before you can accuse other people of being "delusional," you have to look seriously...

.. at the connection between

having delusions...

and..

making up stories.

The New Testament is a work of FICTION. Because human beings LOVE to make up stories.

William Hays at 9:46PM on Feb 24th 2008

504. Non of the prophetic books are prophetic, here is an example copied from an earlier post.

The Languages in Daniel include;
1-2:3 and 8-12 in Hebrew with some Greek
2-7 in Aramaic
13-14 in Greek


Not to mistake with Danel from Ezekiel. Ezekiel refers to Danel father of Aqhat from Ras Shamra literature.
The writer of Daniel suggests the book was written in neo-Babylonian time 626-530 CE under Nebuchadnezzar

Daniel cannot be placed in neo Babylonian times since he knows nothing of Babylonia Kings in 625 BCE
He places the first attack of Jerusalem by Babylon in Jehoiakim's 3rd year rein. The first siege actually occurred in the twelfth year of his reign and into the reign of his son Jehoiahin.
He makes Belshazzar the son of Nebuchadnezzar when he is the son of Nabonidus. A contemporary would know this, and a contemporary would know to correctly spell Nebuchadnezzar's name. It is misspelled in the book of Daniel
He also names Darius the son of Ahasuerus a ruler of Babylonia after Belshazzar dies. The historical Darius was the son of Hysaspes, not Ahasuerus and ruled over Persia, never Babylon. He is aware of these historical figures yet doesn't know where to place them. A contemporary of those times would have known.


Daniel wrote of a time he was contemporary with 300-169 BCE
He knows much of Seleucid and Ptolemaic kingdoms of 320 -169 BCE. Chapters 10-12 really sum up Alexander's Capture of the Persians down to the rein of the oppressor Antiochus Epiphanies during the Hellenistic period. These kingdoms are identified with the characters of the apocalyptic part of the book of Daniel 8-12

The problem with these chapters being "Prophetic" is the language found in parts of the prophetic chapters of 8-12 are written in Greek the language spoken ONLY after the Greeks occupied Babylonia . These prophecies are vaticinium ex eventu.

The old Aramaic dialect found in chapters 2-7 are written after the fall of the Achaemenid Empire in 330 BCE. This particular dialect of mixed Canaanite and Babylonian Aramaic is not found in the earlier or later dates of history therefore cannot be placed in any other time.
Daniel himself is lost in oral tradition. But the book of Daniel was not written to depict actual events.

The book itself was written to provide consul and encouragement to Jews who were persecuted under Antiochus, to ensure uniformity in their worship to Yahweh alone.

It was unreal that the promise of Yahweh to the Jews failed. Yahweh, the one god, creator of the universe responsible for the Exodus and the conqueror and installer of the earlier Empire failed. How was it possible to explain Yahweh's decline that started with the Assyrian conquest? Wasn't the covenant eternal? The blame could not be placed on Yahweh; it was placed on the Jews and their lack of worship and belief for Yahweh.
But the prophets found the answer. Despite all the malaise of the world and disasters that have befallen the chosen people, the Day of Yahweh would come. After a series of calamities and appalling upheaval on earth and heaven a new world, cleansed and regenerated will be installed along with a militant king who will crush all other kingdoms. The Israelites remained loyal to await this mighty king sent by god to destroy Israel's oppressors.

goddess1prevail at 9:50PM on Feb 24th 2008

505. The book of Ezekiel is full of disorder and additions. The presence of many additions can be found in the stories which were expanded. Scholars Hoelscher and CC Torrey attribute about 200 verses as the original Ezekiel out of 1273 verses.

Like other prophetic books it is the lack of belief in Yahweh and idolatry of Jerusalem that brings about the destruction of Israel and their deportation. Ezekiel is written to address how Israelites should worship god in estranged Babylonia in order to regain their kingdom. It is another book that promises hope to the Israelites.

Disorder is generally admitted between all scholars, an example is Ezekiel's mutism. If you place chapters 3:22-27 followed by 4:4-8, 24:25-27, 33:21-22 in sequence the mutism is presented as a complete moment in time

The allegory of the unfaithful wife was expanded by the addition of 16:44-63 (there are many more expansions, too numerous to place them all here.

As for Ezekiel himself, he is a mystic as other pagan mystics and seers of his time. An altered state of consciousness is a common trait found in priestly jobs as were oracles and raptures.

goddess1prevail at 10:43PM on Feb 24th 2008

506. Radical Islam, has one goal, to destroy Western Civilization!!!

I believe in the "GOLDEN RULE" if all of HUMANITY, would do the same, all of us would enjoy peace on earth.

Those who spread HATE, plant the seed of Evil !!

www.jackadler.com

Jack at 4:53AM on Feb 25th 2008

507. The golden rule is a fallacy, just like much of the fairy tales and contradictions in the bible.

It states in so many words:

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

- But others may not want you do "do unto them" as you would like "done to you."

A far better ethic and moral standard is one that many of my secular and atheist friends subscribe to:

Do unto to others as *they* would like you to do unto them.

Fortunately, some of my self-described "Christian" friends follow that same secular tenet as well. The bottom line is all of the bible can be written on one page which sum-totals my philosophy called "Self-evolution":

Be kind and respectful to yourself and others.

Even a child knows that you don't need to worship symbols and build million dollar churches and millions of metallic crosses to do this.

Speaking of which, more and more historians, anthropologists and geologists are agreeing that the "cross" that the alleged "Christ" was nailed upon was *never* a "cross" at all.

Crosses for execution would have unneeded extra wood, weigh too much, cost more and be impractical for many reasons. Many geologists have concluded that at the time of Christ the choice of such executions was more of a "T" shaped.

More to the point, the stories of Jesus came much later after he died, and the story of the "cross" came later in Xianity mythology. The alleged Christ was placed on what Greeks called a "stauross" or "stavross" & "stavrooh", which means an upright pale or stake. It never was a cross to begin with.

But even given the silly notion of a bloodied cross some latitude, the following commandment appears pretty straightforward about relying on such a graven image to have to "remind oneself" of the bloody horror story that so many "Christians" seem to take comfort in clinging to:

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I The Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; (Exodus 20:4-6 KJV)

If god is that insecure, "jealous" and punishes children based on what their parents and grandparents do, even if such a being were *real*, I would want nothing to do with such an "all-powerful" being who, according to the "unerring" bible, is so emotionally weak yet so wantingly cruel. Reminds me of all the sad parents I witnessed growing up in Texas, who used their belts to "beat the devil" out of their kids - for um - just being kids. I guess the parents use that bible they read every Sunday to justify excessive punishment. Millions of people have gone to war using much the same psychology.

I post all of this with all due respect, knowing that each of us are not our "beliefs" and that everyone can change, grow and evolve when they hold up a mirror to themselves and to the traditions and beliefs that society has handed to them.

Chris Aable at 6:39AM on Feb 25th 2008

508. The four living creatures of ezekiel are four-faced for a reason. Eagle represents active phase of Scorpio, Lion is Leo, Bull is Taurus, and the Man's face refers to Aquarius. The four elements. Earth, fire, air, and water. Also reflected in the Divine Name itself, yaweh, spelled Yod (Fire) Heh (water) Vav (air) and Heh final (Earth).

The ancients believed that this (YHVH or Fire-Water-Air-Earth) is the order of manifestation. First divine inspiration strikes us (Fire, Yod) then the inspiration is defined and limited by our mind (Water, heh) then we analyse this and plan and "do the math" (air, vav) and lastly we "earth" the process by actually making it, creating it, making it real in the world somehow. (earth, heh final)

So we get images from the astral or god or whatever, as we define what it is that we wish for the images come, (YOD) we select the appropriate images that fit best what we wish for or need, (HEH)we plan the thing out in all it's detail, (VAV) and then we make it. (HEH final)

Yod Heh Vav Heh spells Yaweh, or if you're a german translater prone to mistypings and errors of transcription, you come up with Jehova.

Now the interesting thing is, if you take the name Yaweh, Yod Heh Vav Heh, and drop the letter SHIN into the middle, you get Yeheshua, or Jesus. Coincidentally the letter Shin means Holy or Divine Spirit or spirit in general. So add spirit to the four elements and you get Jesus, or spirit-in-matter.

Pico de Mirandola, eat your heart out.

Godless Heathen Brian at 12:26PM on Feb 25th 2008

509. To further clarify, the eagle is Scorpio, or water. Scorpio traditionally has three symbols associated with it, the Scorpion of course, but also the Eagle and the Fish.

Lion is Leo, Fire.

Ox or bull is Taurus, Earth.

Man (or angel, some say) is Aquarius, Air.

Godless Heathen Brian at 12:42PM on Feb 25th 2008

510. Yea, GHBrian,

I don't think that it is too much of a leap to notice that our ancestors weren't naive or stupid at all.

The agriculture revolution set a new 'stage' for large communities to develop ideas, writing etc.

It is easy for modern people to imagine the 'old ones' as being ignorant, with their four elements... Fire, Water, Air, and Earth.

Put in modern terms, these become Energy plus the three principle 'phases' of matter... Liquid, Gas, Solid.

Anyone today could easily notice that life around us needs/uses/produces energy, liquid(blood, urine etc.), air, and matter.

It makes perfect sense, even today, that God would be the initial cause of life which would equal a magical combination of energy, gas, liquid and matter if that is what one defines 'God' as.

It makes perfect sense to attribute magical powers to the skies. "What is the meaning of the stars and planets?"

It makes perfect sense to anthropomorphize the whole thing and try to explain and control natural forces.

Since the beginning of the agriculture revolution the most powerful god helped their worshippers gain the upper hand. Then, as today we'd only need to follow the money, as in who was paying tribute to who.

Nothing has changed. 'God' is power. Ask the powerful, they will tell you that.

not-pboyfloyd at 2:49PM on Feb 25th 2008