Ok, I get tired of being told things like I have a "Hardened Heart", just because I don't believe in the biblical story. That's truly an uncalled-for personal insult aimed at my character. My reasons for not believing in the biblical story have absolutely nothing to do with emotions, compassion, or any other such thing. My reasons are purely based on reason. They are reasonable reasons.

Let's take the Great Flood as a prime example

God is said to be all-wise, and all-powerful. Not to mention all-loving.

God is perfect and omnipotent.

So what does God do?

First off he's a terrible parent/mentor. He waits until the whole world is corrupt before he acts. This supposedly all-wise God doesn't have the wisdom to nip things in the bud early on before they get so far out of control.

Fine, maybe he was on a legitimate vacation or something and just wasn't paying attention to his human pets. Maybe he has an excuse from his doctor or something. We can come up with an excuse for why the all-wise God does seemingly unwise things.

But now does he do?

He sees that the whole world is corrupt but a handful of people (all conveniently in the same family by the way! Even the in-laws just happen to be good people, but clearly not the rest of their families).

It's already an incredulous story.

So God asks these people to build a humongous boat to save the entire animal kingdom whilst he makes it rain for 40 days and 40 nights to drown out all the other people on the earth? Including all the little babies that can't possibly have been corrupted yet???

Not to mention killing all the innocent animals and muddying up the place really bad.

But why? Why use such a messy, almost mortal methods, of murder?

Why not just use his omnipotent magic and just give all the sinners heart attacks? Supposedly they were all having sex like crazy anyway, it should have been easy.

More to the point, if this God truly is omnipotent, then why not just wave his magic wand and make them all just disappear?

Why get the garden hose out and drown the entire planet like a mortal man would have to do??? So messy. So crude. So unwise.

I have a 'hardened heart' because I refuse to believe such utterly absurd nonsense?

I think not.

personally, i just throw kittens at the mormons who come to my door and call it a day

plus i find de-boweling a goat works wonders on 7-day aventists

I find if I don't want people attacking my character I just don't post much in the religion forums, where character asassination is a regular and daily occurrence.

Pretty simple.

i dont think anyone is begging you are they. i dont even think god will beg you so dont worry yourself about being a hard hearted person. do what comes naturally to you - we all have our ends.

I don't blame you.

Truthfully though, I didn't start this thread on emotional impulse. I started it just to make the point that I made.

Like Maureeno points out, it doesn't really matter what they think. That doesn't change the truth of my reality.

None the less, I posted this thread in the hope that maybe, just maybe, someone out there might see how absurd it is to judge people's character based on what philosophies they may or may not buy into.

I think you are being overly optimistic....

Thanks for that, my doctor said that I needed more Irony in my diet.

I was once accused of being cold and unfeeling because a person failed in using manipulative tactics of guilt trips, pity, and by proclaiming to have "hurt feelings" in an effort to get sympathy and cooperation.

I believe people create most of their own so-called problems. I have learned to recognize manipulative people, advertisements, speeches, jokes, sermons, books, movies etc.

If you recognize manipulation tactics you can avoid being manipulated and when that happens people will call you unfeeling, cold or hard hearted, and other such things.

Everyone manipulates to some extent, to get what they want. But some people make an occupation out of it. (Con men, advertisers, politicians, etc.)

You, James, do not have a hardened heart. You have simply slammed the door shut in the faces of these religious manipulators.

Jeannie

truthfully you totally started on emotional impulse.....But unlike you abra I have taken the time to get to know you...I know your story and why you believe as you do....which is fine but as I was the one that said you have a hardened heart. And again I say deny it....for your only fooling yourself. You know I love you madly and for those that truly know the feral....she only speaks truth. I was in no way, shape or form judging your character as stating a fact.

And while were on the truth......it had nothing to do with what our individual beliefs are....just saying it as I see it. And all the people that truly know me....know I am no other way.

Feral, if your accusation that Abra has a "hardened heart" does not come from the what and why of his believe or non-belief in Christianity, then from whence did you get this impression that he has a "hardened heart?"

I see no evidence of it at all. His heart is simply closed to the dogma of the religion he found to be a lie.

JB

Abra, I have yet to see a hardened heart in you. I see a very compassionate, empathetic and feeling heart.

Maybe someone is not looking deep enough or seeing the message of your words. Not believing a book of stories does not make one hard of heart. Belief is a choice, if you are going to choose to believe the book, be ready for others not to, because it is a man made book, with no verification of validity. Such is a belief.

I know, but they continue to craw under the doorsill and through the keyhole and any other place they can find.

I need to get some Duck Tape!

Maybe they have "Raid for Proselyizers".

Owl have to ask at the Customer Service Department next time I'm at Wal-mart.

Altough I really don't want to keep them. Maybe I just need to get some Proselyizer Repellent.

Or I could go to a sporting goods store and get Box Traps for Proselyizers. Then after I catch them owl take them over to Funches backyard and set them loose.

Debbie just thinks I'm hot when I'm rilled up.

And now that I'm talking about box traps and setting her loose in Funches backyard she'll even have more incentive to proselytize me.


(((Debbie)))

She's is cute. In her own way.

I know she means no harm. She's just trying to 'save' me from myself.

But Jeanniebean is trying to save me for herself.

Somewhere, somehow, owl be 'saved'. Only time will tell precisely how that will occur.

ABRA! That wasn't very nice! What did Funches ever do to you to deserve that kind of hell and tortue?

Yep, i'll scratch the eyes out of anyone who tries to take his soul!

JB

Ok, maybe I do have a hardened heart after all.

Actually I like Funches. He's always been rude to me in very polite ways.

The only problem is that if I set the proselyizers free amoung other proselytizers they'll just come back again.

If I sic them on someone else then maybe that will distract them for a while.

I'm just trying to 'save' them from the can of Raid.

Maybe we can ship them all off to a deserted island and start a new "Survivor" series. And they can "save" each other. May the "best Christian" win. The only way off the island is to prove yourself to NOT be a Christian with an agenda to "save" the world.

Ask him why his heart is closed off to God....then you will see why I say his heart is hardened....Unless I am mistaken if someone once loves God and ask him to help someone that they love, and God for his reasons chooses not to....and this makes the person not trust or like God anymore...then their heart is hardened to God.....Which is of course their choice but I think also extremely unfair.

My saying that abra has a hardened heart does not reflect the man that I know, his compassion, love, etc......It's only his hardened heart toward God whom he once Loved enough to pray too....