People do worship money. What exactly is worshiping? Is worshiping something/someone not holding that person/thing above everything else? Is worshiping something not putting the most of your time and energy having, getting, receiving, ect?

When someone worships God what do they do? They do things to please him of course, to do his will and what he wants us to do.

People worship money all day long, they spend most to quite a large amount of their time doing something to get more money. Not so much with some people as others. But a good chunk of people do. There's people that have millions but can't spare a dime for a starving person. That is worshiping money right there, that is holding to be the most important thing in your life.

I've not heard, seen, or even known of someone that is specifically terrified of that. Of course everyone questions it at first, maybe not out right question it. But most everyone has their doubts at first I do believe, maybe not EVERYONE but quite a few to most do. Once the Holy spirit dwells inside of you, he relinquishes you of these insecurities that cause the questioning. He assures and comforts our hearts, minds, souls, and body's revealing all truths to us.

Well, not only that, but just look at the stories. There's no way that anyone is going to convince me that these stories are the directives, actions, and wishes of a supposedly all-powerful all-righteous God.

Just look at the story of Exodus. God supposedly frees these Hebrews from Egyptian slavery. Fine. Then he supposedly leads them to a "Promised Land". And what's there? A bunch of heathen Canaanites who are sacrificing their babies to the gods? So this God tells these people to go in an murder every man woman and child on this so-called "Promised Land".

What kind of a "God" would do such a thing?

This "God" isn't even powerful enough to deliver a pristine piece of promised real estate?

Not to mention the fact that this God has just commanded these people through Moses NOT TO KILL, and now he's directing them to kill men, women, and BABIES! The very babies that he does not condone having 'sacrificed' to the gods?

He supposedly frowns upon a very FEW of these children being ritually sacrificed to the gods, but he has no problem with having his people just go in and slaughter them all ruthlessly including all of their parents and children of all ages?

That's supposed to make SENSE?

My question would very seriously be this simple:

Why should I take any of that seriously?

Why should I place my faith in an idea of a God who is that screwed up. What kind of an example is he setting for his people? He just told them not to kill and now he's directing them to mass murder and entire culture.

If that's not sending MIXED SIGNALS I don't know what would be.

Also, if "With God all things are possible", then why didn't he just do away with the Canaanites on his own and clean the place up before his people got there?

Why have them murder another culture as their first deed under his directive?

No way.

These stories are just one culture trying to use their made-up God to justify their own wars and thievery of the land of another culture.

I don't understand why people can't see this. It's as plain as day.

What kind of a God would condone such a thing?

Much less allow it to even unfold if he had the power to avoid it?

There would be absolutely no good reason for God to have the Hebrews do his dirty work. If God wanted the Canaanites dead he should have just waved his magic wand and made them disappear himself. Asking the Hebrews to viciously murder them would be insane.

These stories necessarily have to be nothing more than the made up myths of men. They just used God to condone all their bad behavior from male-chauvinism to brutally murdering other societies.

He asked no one to "kill" anyone. God told these people if they wanted to "promised land" they will carry out his judgment on these people and we all know the only reward for sin is death. No one was "killing" anyone, just carrying out an execution from God's judgment.

For one, again it wasn't "murder". For another, why should God do everything? Are you helpless and can't do things on and for your own? Doing it this way, allowed these people to work for their rewards. Why should God give us the world and all it's treasures without us doing something in the first place to earn it? Why do you deserve such a gift without working for it?

Try working for a center for battered wives and you'll quickly gain some experience that will change that naive view.

Yeah I'd say those women would be terrified of the men that did that to them, I'll agree to that. But what's that got anything to do with being terrified of questioning the bible? The two have absolutely nothing to do with one another.

The people were "killed" Cowboy. A whole culture was "killed".

Sounds to me like you're seriously deluding yourself into believing that if you "kill" someone in the name of God, then it's not really "killing". That's an extremely dangerous mindset to ponder.

There is no excuse for "killing", Cowboy. Period.

If your religion has you thinking along those lines then it's an extremely dangerous cult. That's the kind of mindset people had when they were burning midwives at the stake as witches too.

That's precisely the kind of mindset the Pharisees had when they crucified Jesus for blaspheme under the direct orders from God as written in their Torah.

It's precisely this kind of thinking that causes suicide bombers to do what they do. In their mind they aren't "killing" anyone. Like you, they just believe that they are carrying out God's will.

That very mindset is what makes this religion so dangerous.

I'm sorry, you obviously don't know the difference between a judgment and "killing". And no, God would not have anyone do that now. In the new covenant God has made with mankind, Jesus is the only judge of us all. We are not to judge anyone. People with your kind of mindset is very dangerous to the community of this world. Your beliefs segregate people and or the way you go about your beliefs. You belittle other's beliefs, you put them down, you try your hardest to possibly find some form of error so you can use it against them, to again belittle them and or their beliefs. Christians do not do this, we treat a mass murderer the same way would would treat a pastor. There is no favoritism or anything. Your beliefs seperate people, you alienate people cause they believe in God. This is what makes people such as you so dangerous, having this mindset.

If you think the bible has nothing to do with it that's where you are extremely naive.

Many of those women stayed in these abusive relationships precisely because they were trying to HONOR the religious institution of marriage, and because they felt that failure to HONOR their husbands would be a SIN.

Now you might say that they would have no need to "honor" their husbands if the husband becomes abusive. But where does it say that in the Bible? On the contrary the Bible states that the ONLY valid reason for divorce is fornication. Abuse doesn't count!

Moreover, the woman is supposed to just shut up and do whatever the man says. He is the head of the family.

I realize that you still quite young, but seriously you should be old enough to know about real life by now.

Fortunately this is becoming less of a problem in these modern times, because of the church and religion is indeed fading out and losing the power of terror that it once held.

But just the same it still plays a major role even today. Although it played a far more powerful role in the 50's and earlier.

Just like the Bible tells children to honor their parents, but it doesn't say anything about the parents needing to be sane or righteous. It just assumes that they should be.

Those kinds of details are huge RED FLAGS that should be screaming out to you that these biblical writings did not come from any God. They don't even carry the wisdom of wise mortals, much less the wisdom of any supposed supreme being. The Bible simply isn't anywhere near wise enough to have come from any God.

To take it a step further, talk to someone like me whose family basically cast them out when they left the religion they were raised in. Just because you haven't heard it, seen it, or known it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Step out of your box Cowboy, there's a lot more going on then you may realize out there.

You're still pointing fingers. These women obviously shouldn't have married this man in the first place. Why did these women marry a man that would possibly abuse her later on? Why did they not wait and see if that was the man for her? Sounds like these women brought it upon themselves. And if I'm not mistaken abuse may be cause for a divorce. It speaks of immorality and cheating being reasons for a divorce. I'm sure the abuse would be in the category of immoralities.

I'm not in a box lol. These people that did this to you, were absolutely and completely in the wrong. We are taught to do quite the opposite. If these family members do/did as you say, they would be doing nothing but pushing you even further away from believing in God and would loose the chance to bring you to God. Just because someone claims to be a Christian, doesn't make it so. Now I'm not judging your family members, just you know that saying walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, that son of a gun is a duck? Well same would be for Christian. Being a Christian is more then just a title one takes, it is a lifestyle. Now again, I'm not judging their stance with God, just making an observant.

You're missing the point. Regardless of how they got there, they stayed because they felt they had no choice. If that doesn't say something about the fruits of religion not much will.

Was not the fruits of religion, not Christianity in general anyways.

9"And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery."

The man being abusive would be in the immorality category. The abuse would have constituted a divorce.

That's totally false. I believe in God.

It's the ancient Hebrew lies that I reject.

You're the one you alienates everyone who refuses to worship the writings of the ancient Hebrews as the "Word of God".



Where's the danger?

Where have I ever condoned "killing" in the name of God by speaking of it as though it doesn't amount to "killing"?

No Cowboy. Only YOU have suggested that to "kill" in the name of God is not "killing" but merely "judgment".

No I don't condone killing in the name of God Cowboy.

No danger here.

You're the one who as eluded to that mindset, not me.

Cowboy...
You are so naive. If you would just use your common sense and forget all that religious brain washing plaguing you, I think you would be a very smart and very nice guy. They have ruined you as a person.

If any of these are not being held to truth, then why would God sanctify a marriage?

-----
Colossians 3:19

19Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
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1 Peter 3:7

7Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
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Ephesians 5:25-33

25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

28So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

29For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

30For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

33Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Maybe you see that, but perhaps they don't. Regardless of what the book says, they still were afraid to leave because of what they were taught. That is a major issue.

I condone absolutely no killing. Even with your twist of a judgment there, still doesn't work. For we are not to judge anyone. So still no killing of anyone done by any mortal people.



We alienate no one. Again, we treat everyone and anyone the same, with great love. We show just the same amount of respect and love to a killer, someone of other beliefs, or anything else as we do another brother/sister in Christ. No segregation. It is you that continues to try to belittle another's beliefs and make them to nothing more then hearsay rumors.