AG Sessions speaks to anti-gay group in secrecy.

[ballcaphair]

It is always worth noting the words of those Christians who do not support the WHs current regime, and its ideology...and make an effort to challenge those who presume to speak in the name of The Christ. There are people, and there are people.

This is so true. As a former Christian, yet never a Republican, it is stunning how "the Right," presumes that it is the Christian Party. They judge everyone to the point of condemnation. Jesus, aside from the money changers and those who bought and sold in the temple, judged no one. He judged and certainly condemned no one. The only one one he Promised a place in heaven was a thief.

 

[Zeno Lorea]

The Alliance Defending Freedom suggests that allowing LGBT people to have equality under the law will result in the destruction of Christianity and eventually the end of civilization itself.

Wow, they have the balls to see christianity as a substantial part of civilization, rather than one of the main forces against it? Religions seem to make up with self-confidence what they lack in intelligence, don't they?

 

[Zeno Lorea]

^ Christians have been cherry-picking for decades, not to mention rewriting the scriptures to suit them under the guise of 'modern versions and translations'.

And that's a good thing.

You see, if they start ditching parts of their scripture, the habit sticks, and eventually they free themselves from the bondage of faith. I wish more muzzies started doing the same thing but they're still caught up in the "all or nothing" state of mind.

 

[nyctopgam]

There are plenty of LGBT supporters here for this, going by other comments I have seen on here.

 

[luckynumbah7]

And that's a good thing.

You see, if they start ditching parts of their scripture, the habit sticks, and eventually they free themselves from the bondage of faith.

That's not how religion works. Religion comes from the people; it doesn't (literally) come down whole-cloth to the masses. Y'can't shed it like leaves drifting off a tree in fall. Something will replace the tenants of faith for those who feel the need to either lord their assumed superiority over others or those who feel the need to believe in a higher power (other than themselves) as a specifically creationist force. I'm sure there's a better word choice than creationist but it's slipping my mind; artistic terms are all that's showin' in the memory banks, unfortunately. Humanity is rather fucked in that regard, can't get rid of the problematic reflections of a thing ( thing being religion as a concept being acted in real-time) when the creation of that something, biases and hopes and dreams and expectations included, is part of the human condition.

 

[kallipolis]

I was impressed by these words:

- Unknown Confederate soldier

I asked for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I had asked for,
but eveything that I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

 

[kallipolis]

Sufi wisdom without judgment:

“Some people look for a beautiful place, others make a place beautiful.”

 

[dpnice]

I asked for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I had asked for,
but eveything that I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

We have totally different opinions as I think this is a load of brainwashing rubbish. Why should suffering be the road to enlightenment?

With wealth, health and strength man can perform miracles.

 

[kallipolis]

We have totally different opinions as I think this is a load of brainwashing rubbish. Why should suffering be the road to enlightenment?

With wealth, health and strength man can perform miracles.

Bodybuilders regularly remind their work out partners: no pain, no gain.

No sane person invites misadventure into their life....but it happens.

Ones difficulties are fertile ground to rouse ones efforts to overcome all, and every challenge that dares to stop us from achieving our aspirations. Ones dreams are never the result of sleeping, but of activating ones intelligence into building those dreams into reality.

The English radical who contributed so much to the success of the American Revolution spent much of his time in prison before emigrating to the New England colonies, at the invitation of Ben Franklin. Paine's words inspire me:

"I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ’Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death." —Thomas Paine

 

[Kulindahr]

The Alliance Defending Freedom suggests that allowing LGBT people to have equality under the law will result in the destruction of Christianity and eventually the end of civilization itself.

It's important to note that the group officially opposes separation of church and state. What they mean by "religious freedom" is freedom to engage in the worst aspects of historical Christian behavior and suppressing everything else.

 

[Kulindahr]

^ Christians have been cherry-picking for decades, not to mention rewriting the scriptures to suit them under the guise of 'modern versions and translations'.

Modern versions and translations don't re-write anything -- there are too many people capable of reading the original languages to change anything except within the legitimate meaning of the original. The only places that deliberately skewed translations survive is within cults.

Besides that, in the English-speaking world it's hard to shift very far from the rendition and even wording in the King James, it remains so pervasive.

 

[Kulindahr]

This is so true. As a former Christian, yet never a Republican, it is stunning how "the Right," presumes that it is the Christian Party. They judge everyone to the point of condemnation. Jesus, aside from the money changers and those who bought and sold in the temple, judged no one. He judged and certainly condemned no one. The only one one he Promised a place in heaven was a thief.

It regularly amazes me how they can read the Gospels yet not see themselves in the Jewish parties those documents condemn.

 

[Kulindahr]

Wow, they have the balls to see christianity as a substantial part of civilization, rather than one of the main forces against it? Religions seem to make up with self-confidence what they lack in intelligence, don't they?

Um, it was Abrahamic religion that gave us the concept of individual freedom, the basis for science, and the value of the individual; it was Abrahamic religion that preserved ancient knowledge through the collapse of the Greco-Roman world; arguably it was the Abrahamic religions that gave us the concept of caring for the less fortunate and even the equality of women.

But they do seem to lack in intelligence in the matter of homosexuality bringing down civilizations; there's no evidence for that in history or even in the Bible -- while there is evidence in the Bible that lack of hospitality and caring for neighbors has brought down nations. Looked at with open eyes, the Bible points not to gays but to "evangelical" fundamentalism as the force most dangerous to civilization.

 

[Kulindahr]

And that's a good thing.

You see, if they start ditching parts of their scripture, the habit sticks, and eventually they free themselves from the bondage of faith. I wish more muzzies started doing the same thing but they're still caught up in the "all or nothing" state of mind.

Except you're looking at the habit backwards: it isn't a habit of throwing things away, it's a habit of clinging to what supports the views they already want to hold, of paying attention only to what can be made to encourage their innate bigotry.

 

[Kulindahr]

... the tenants of faith ....

That's "tenets", i.e. principle or element of a system of belief.

Tenants are people who live somewhere.

 

[Kulindahr]

I asked for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I had asked for,
but eveything that I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

We have totally different opinions as I think this is a load of brainwashing rubbish. Why should suffering be the road to enlightenment?

With wealth, health and strength man can perform miracles.

With wealth, health and strength man can also consider himself to have "arrived" and go on to merely defend the status quo, thus opposing progress.

It depends on the person.

 

[dpnice]

With wealth, health and strength man can also consider himself to have "arrived" and go on to merely defend the status quo, thus opposing progress.

It depends on the person.

Obviously it depends on the person. Why stigmatise the wealth, health and strength when we see so many ill, weak and poor make no effort to improve their own lives but remain willing to depend upon the state to support them?

Life is difficult and everyone, whatever their capabilities, should be battling to improve it for everyone.

 

[ballcaphair]

Obviously it depends on the person. Why stigmatise the wealth, health and strength when we see so many ill, weak and poor make no effort to improve their own lives but remain willing to depend upon the state to support them?

Life is difficult and everyone, whatever their capabilities, should be battling to improve it for everyone.

This is sound logic, but life is more difficult for some and the battle is waged by the working poor. There are freeloaders among the wealthy also. To improve it for everyone should be everyone's national goal.

 

[gsdx]

Modern versions and translations don't re-write anything -- there are too many people capable of reading the original languages to change anything except within the legitimate meaning of the original. The only places that deliberately skewed translations survive is within cults.

That is not true. In the original Hebrew text from which the Bible is translated, there is no mention of 'abomination'. Nor does the original text say that a man should not lie in bed as he does with a woman. New translations leave out the 'marital bed' bit. The original text doesn't prevent men from sleeping with men. I just tells them where they shouldn't do it.

There are many versions of the Bible, and they're all different in one way or another. If they weren't different, they wouldn't need so many versions. It's like 10 people writing a Reader's Digest version of Moby Dick. None of them will be the same.

You might consider browsing the Religious Tolerance website. it's very good at going back to the basics: http://www.religioustolerance.org/

 

[dpnice]

^
gsdx "You're a braver man than I ................."