Store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven
where moth and rust cannot destroy and thieves cannot break in and steal

Monday, May 2, 2011

“So now Israel, what do you think God expects from you? Just this: Live in his presence in holy reverence, follow the road he sets out for you, love him, serve God, your God, with everything you have in you, obey the commandments and regulations of God that I'm commanding you today—live a good life. Look around you: Everything you see is God's—the heavens above and beyond, the Earth, and everything on it. But it was your ancestors who God fell in love with; he picked their children—that's you!—out of all the other peoples. That's where we are right now. So cut away the thick calluses from your heart and stop being so willfully hardheaded. God, your God, is the God of all gods, he's the Master of all masters, a God immense and powerful and awesome. He doesn't play favourites, takes no bribes, makes sure orphans and widows are treated fairly, takes loving care of foreigners by seeing that they get food and clothing.

You must treat foreigners with the same loving care—
remember, you were once foreigners in Egypt.
Reverently respect God, your God, serve him, hold tight to him,
back up your promises with the authority of his name.
He's your praise! He's your God!
He did all these tremendous, these staggering things
that you saw with your own eyes.”
Deuteronomy 10:12-21

11 comments:

  1. ...God, your God, is the God of all gods...

    What do you say about Hindus again?

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  2. They worship demons by the thousands.

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  3. Do you believe these demons exist?

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  4. You don’t have a clue do you?

    You should be terrified that God is leaving you so dull of mind and slow of thought; completely unaware of what’s going on all around you. You’re on a journey with little or no thought of the tragic end that awaits you.

    What do you think that “God of gods and King of kings” means, Hugo? That Christianity is a religion of many Gods and many Kings?

    The reality of the spiritual world is why I say, “If you knew why I believe in the gods of all religions you’d know why I reject your atheism” (1st Corinthians 10:20-21)
    ========

    "Do you believe these demons exist?"

    Do you believe your gf's gods exist, and does she know you think she’s an idiot for what she believes? Or is she the first woman to pay attention to you so you crave the attention so much that you keep what you think about religious beliefs a secret?

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  5. You don’t have a clue do you?

    About what exactly? I was just asking an opinion question (See below...) so I don't know what triggered this sudden unfocused attack on my intelligence.

    You should be terrified that God is leaving you so dull of mind and slow of thought; completely unaware of what’s going on all around you. You’re on a journey with little or no thought of the tragic end that awaits you.

    Evidence please?

    What do you think that “God of gods and King of kings” means, Hugo? That Christianity is a religion of many Gods and many Kings?

    It simply shows that people at the time believed that many gods existed, literally, and they were worshipping their favourite. I think they could be identified as hybrids of polytheists and monotheists. Religions evolved...

    The reality of the spiritual world is why I say, “If you knew why I believe in the gods of all religions you’d know why I reject your atheism” (1st Corinthians 10:20-21)

    You don't reject "my atheism"; it's impossible since it makes no claim that you can reject. "My atheism" is the rejection of claims you, and others, make. Not the other way around.

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    "Do you believe these demons exist?"
    Do you believe your gf's gods exist,

    You know I don't believe in gods... This question simply confirms, once again, that you don't believe me when I say I don't believe in God!

    In any case, I don't think my question was silly; I was simply asking you if you...
    a) Believe that these demons exist?
    b) Don't believe that these demons exist?

    It was just out of curiosity since you are someone who does believe in several supernatural entities like the Holy Spirit, Satan, ghosts, angels, etc... I am wondering how you perceive other religions; are they worshipping existing deities, but the wrong ones, or are they worshipping things that simply do not exist?

    ...and does she know you think she’s an idiot for what she believes?

    No I don't think she's an idiot for what she believes, but you don't know what she believes...

    More importantly, I am not aware of a single thing that I believe in that she does not! It's me who is more sceptical and reject some of her beliefs.

    Or is she the first woman to pay attention to you so you crave the attention so much that...

    Was that necessary?

    ...you keep what you think about religious beliefs a secret?

    No there is no secret at all; and you were supposed to know that already, because of what I wrote last week...

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  6. “About what exactly?”

    That there’s much more going on around us than what meets the eye.
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    I don’t believe in ghosts.

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  7. “About what exactly?”

    That there’s much more going on around us than what meets the eye.

    I don't deny that. In a literal sense, there are of course several things that are invisible yet existant....

    So what are you refering to?

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    I don’t believe in ghosts.

    Lol, ok, but angels, zombies, Satan, the Holy Ghost, oops, Holy Spirit I mean, all exist? what about these demons I asked you about?

    What's wrong with my question? you replied to my question regarding Hindus using the term demon and I am wondering why it meant for you exactly...

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  8. "In a literal sense, there are of course several things that are invisible yet existant...."

    And yet when the Bible says, “What is seen was made out of what is not seen,” and that almost 2,000 years before the microscope, you don’t believe it.

    I’ve already answered the question about demons so let me ask you a question - two questions:

    . What evidence could I possibly give you about the existence of God that you would consider acceptable?

    . What is your definition of a miracle?

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  9. And yet when the Bible says, “What is seen was made out of what is not seen,” and that almost 2,000 years before the microscope, you don’t believe it.

    What do you mean I don't believe it? Yes I believe some people wrote that, but no I don't think it makes the Bible impressive... Was it used to accurately predict any of 'what is not seen'?

    I’ve already answered the question about demons

    By asking me if I believed they existed? or telling me you don’t believe in ghosts? these were your answers?

    What evidence could I possibly give you about the existence of God that you would consider acceptable?

    It depends what God is. Some definitions are so vague that I would say right of the bat that it is possible that this God exists. Others are so precise and contradictory to logic and reason that no evidence would ever be acceptable. Your God usually falls in the 2nd category, but it depends on who we speak to.

    What is your definition of a miracle?

    There are a few I think. On a "daily" basis I use it as a synonym for 'very unlikely coincidence', when something really rare does happen; if Elizabeth May were to become Prime Minister tonight I would say, wow, that's a miracle!

    Another kind is when something inexplicable happens, usually contrary to some predictions. It's similar to what I just said but now I think more of something like a cancer patient who had been told s/he would die but then ended up recovering.

    The third kind would be the one you were probably interested in... I would label them as divine miracles, pure magic, or supernatural perhaps, since these would be actions or events that defy the laws of nature. Something simple like walking on water would go in this category because of the a priori impossibility of the act according to the chemical properties of water and composition of a human body.

    Is that an appropriate answer?

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  10. I've already answered the question about demons when I said, "The reality of the spiritual world is why I say, “If you knew why I believe in the gods of all religions you’d know why I reject your atheism” (1st Corinthians 10:20-21)." Try actually reading this passage.

    What did you think I meant by spiritual world? Demons are created spiritual beings (angels) on the side of evil.
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    "it depends on who we speak to."

    To me, Hugo. You’re speaking to me about the God that I believe in. I’ve described Him many different times on this blog and at Makarios. You don’t need to pretend that you don’t know Who we’re talking about.

    Is there any evidence that I could give you that would be acceptable to you. Of course if you say, “No,” then one would wonder why you keep asking for evidence but, like all other atheists, being logical doesn't seem necessary.
    ======

    I define a miracle as an event - like walking on water, or like a clinically dead person coming back to life again, days after death in a supernatural body, for which there is not, nor will there ever be a natural or material explanation.

    Would you agree with that definition?

    Let me go further. If matter and energy did not exist in ANY form until the singularity, would the coming into existence of the material universe (the first universe - the first existence of matter and energy) be an example of a miracle as I've described it? i.e. an event for which there is no natural / material explanation nor will there ever be a material explanation.

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  11. ...What did you think I meant by spiritual world? Demons are created spiritual beings (angels) on the side of evil.

    Ok, a simple 'Yes I believe these demons exist' is the same then. I have no idea how you can determine entities that do exist in this "spiritual world" versus the ones that don't however?

    However that's a slightly different subject (and long to address!) from what you asked below, so perhaps it should be left for another time when you feel like explaining that...

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    ... I’ve described Him many different times on this blog and at Makarios. You don’t need to pretend that you don’t know Who we’re talking about...

    Actually no, I don't know exactly what God is, or is not especially, since you offer no consistent definition of your God as far as I know. A list of attributes would be useful for example, and as I just said, a list of a few things that God is not would be also very useful.

    Is there any evidence that I could give you that would be acceptable to you. Of course if you say, “No,” then one would wonder why you keep asking for evidence but, like all other atheists, being logical doesn't seem necessary.

    Being logical is highly valuable to me, and I love to be shown wrong, because it means I actually corrected a false belief. It has nothing to do with atheism! That's just who I am!

    So yes, if there are no internal consistency problems in the definition of God's attributes, then there could be evidence that you could give to show that this God exists and interact with us within reality. I don't reject anything only because it's meant to be evidence for God.

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    I define a miracle as ... Would you agree with that definition?

    Yes we said pretty much the same thing.

    Let me go further. If matter and energy did not exist in ANY form until the singularity...

    That statement is invalid. The rest follows from it so I need to ask you to clarify your usage of 'singularity' in 'until the singularity'.

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