Religous debates and questions [2]

Well that's rather strange. What's wrong about making sculptures or statutes of animals?

It's a spillover from the prohibition against idolatry.  Apparently the representation of a living thing is a gateway drug to praying to it.  Note that most Muslim art in mosques and palaces are purely geometrical.  There is a long  Persian tradition of painting that could not be stifled, but even they would keep it out of the mosques.

God hates fun!

Pettytyrant101 wrote:God hates fun!

Spoken like a true Calvinist

Always amazed that the French, a race with the sexual morals of a cat, produced John Calvin!

Maybe God needs better PR!

creative juices will flow out despite the party poopers. I love how the Islamic countries couldn't depict god figuratively but instead used a riot of geometric pattern and floral design instead.

This was an interesting talk that I watched a few months ago.



I don't know what the actual truth is, and I'll probably never find out, but I like hearing new theories, and I've never seen someone argue this specific point with backed up evidence.

bungobaggins wrote:This was an interesting talk that I watched a few months ago.



I don't know what the actual truth is, and I'll probably never find out, but I like hearing new theories, and I've never seen someone argue this specific point with backed up evidence.

That was amazing! I thought I was too busy to watch more than a few minutes, but couldn't tear myself away and went right out and ordered both his books.

Pettytyrant101 wrote:Maybe God needs better PR!

I'd say so!

Regarding that image though, I agree. I've never been able to accept that those who haven't heard of Christ or were born before his time are just out of luck. I don't know anyone who has specifically stood up for the idea (except my grandmother perhaps, I'm not sure) but I'd say it definitely goes against the idea of a god who is a God of Justice.
These days who hasn't heard of Jesus, but the more important issue is probably about wanting to know the answers to life. Well, that and being aware that the things we do can hurt people and we need to lead lives that help others. That's how we're supposed to be, I figure.

The Mormons fixed that little moral dilemma. In their cosmology those who have not accepted Christ go into a purgatory that is more of a limbo. There Christ wanders among them, and they get one last chance - then it's either thumbs up or thumbs down.

But there's still something fishy going on with baptism, and they are running constant proxy baptisms of every name they can get their hands on. Downright thoughtful of them, I say.

Who's to say whos got the right answer though.

One of my favorite bits on this topic was in one of those Christian pamphlets that get handed out. It turns out that one of the references christ made to Hell was to the midden heap behind Jerusalem - souls would be cast out like garbage. Of course over the centuries and especially with modern sanitation it had fallen into disuse and had become rather grown over.

So what they had was a picture of a somewhat pleasant looking garden-like field, with the caption "THIS IS HELL".

I always found the dualist, cathar, R'Hlor (which was based on dualism and the cathars) approach to religion quite interesting. It basically states that the earth we live on now is the only hell, and we are captured in it by the God of the old testament. Some dualists claiming the devil is the way out Gods prison. Though they wouldn't see God as God and the devil as the devil, of course. I don't know, but it's an interesting way to see things.

Watched that vid and thought it very interesting.
I have always viewed Jesus as a historical figure- there are one or two questions therefore I'd need answered about the premise he is not.
One would be some things thrown up by the NT in terms of the writing which dont seem to make sense if they were purely inventing, and others would be historical based, such as the Roman records which show that his descendants were brought before a Roman official to determine if they were a potential threat or not, after examine their hands and concluding they were farmers they were set on their way- thats from Gibbons Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire I think. Seems an odd record to falsify if Jesus wasn't real given the official line is there was no family.

I do wonder about Paul's interactions with the supposed brother of Jesus and other references to his family as early leaders of the church. Once I get the book I'll find out, hopefully.

A lot of people rationalize their way through broken relationships...

yup

Getting back to a question Figgy posted, then deleted while I was in the midst of responding, so in retribution I deleted my response...and well, anyway:

If a Jihadi is killed and ends up with 70 virgins (not 70's virgins; such things didn't exist), where did they come from? I have to assume the jihadi count is much smaller than the general population, but that's an awful lot of women who have to die at a tender age to supply the stream of jihadis. And then we have age problems, as I assume people don't age in eternity. Maybe this idea of not aging is waived until you reach puberty? Is Paradise full of randy teenagers?

The whole concept doesn't strike me as very well thought out.

I'm with Billy Connolly on this who said who wants 17 virgins? give me 1 filthy fire breathing whore instead

halfwise wrote:Getting back to a question Figgy posted, then deleted while I was in the midst of responding, so in retribution I deleted my response...and well, anyway:
.

you post Jihadi you