What ever happened to RESPECT

[H2Andy]

You could take every person in the world and they could all stand within the city limits of Jacksonville FLA.

OR

You could take all the people in the world, divide them into fours and each group could have an acre of land in the state of Texas.

and they would quickly run out of potable water and food,
the hygene would be horrible, and they would all die of
desease or famine in a few months.

The majority of arable land in our world is presently unpopulated.

not so. all the arable land in the world has been taken
since about 11,000 BC. Since that point, if anybody has
wanted arable land, they've had to fight for it.

 

[H2Andy]

Every developed nation which requires it's citizens to respect one another was established on religious morality. More correctly, the values of Biblical Christianity. Nations without this foundation are easily identified

this is not historically accurate. The two most popolous
nations in the world, India and China, are not based on
Christian beliefs. Neither is Japan, a powerhouse of civil
liberties and economic prowess, nor South Korea, nor any
of the other emerging Asian Rim nations.

On the other hand, lots of "christian" countries are a mess.
Should we consider the massacres in El Salvador, Nicaragua,
Argentina, or Chile this century? How about Germany, that
most devout Christian nation?

the world is not black and white.

 

[H2Andy]

Since the Bible clearly states that God made everything in 6 24 hour days, I would take that as pretty much ruling out evolution.

oh, but it doesn't say that. re-read the first chapter of
Genesis.

it does mention days, but it doesn't say "24 hour days."
that's YOUR reading of it.

 

[Green_Manelishi]

Neither is Japan, a powerhouse of civil
liberties and economic prowess. the world is not black and white.

The single (well, two) biggest reasons that Japan is a powerhouse of civil liberties are called the Enola Gay and Bock's Car . With the defeat of the Japanese Empire they were forced by the victors (that's US) to adopt a more "libertarian" view of citizenry.

Yes the world is black and white. It's called right and wrong.
People in the middle of the road will be run over by the traffic all the while wondering what happened. Best you be on one side or the other; just make certain it's the right side

 

[H2Andy]

People in the middle of the road will be run over by the traffic all the while wondering what happened.

you're either for us or against us, huh?



i grew up in Cuba, a communist country, and I am extremely
suspicious of any group that says: You must agree with me
or you are doomed.

you belive what you will, let me believe what i will. when
you start telling me i'm wrong, you lost my attention.
my belief system does not require everyone who disagrees
with me to be wrong.

long live freedom of choice.

 

[Green_Manelishi]

People in the middle of the road will be run over by the traffic all the while wondering what happened.

you're either for us or against us, huh?

That about sums it up.

Let's not get carried away. Noone in this country wants to throw you in jail and/or torture you for believing whatever you choose to believe. Much of that is because we (US) are a, nominally in any case, Christian nation. Not so in Cuba, North Korea, most of the middle east and/or african continent and a slew of banana republics south of the border and elsewhere.

 

[The Chairman]

Hey DP,

The word used for "day" in Genesis comes from a root that means "to be hot". Any time associated with it is thus not literal, but figurative. While the traditional translation is from "sunrise to sunset" (not 24 hours), the actual meaning is probably closer to a "unit of activity, or work". However, when I am trying to explain something to a toddler, I will often simplify things down so that they understand the "big picture". The time frame is NOT the big picture here... that God is in control is.

Of course for us Christians, we should take care to heed I Peter 3:8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

A real fundamentalist does not get caught up in secular trappings... ie trying to prove or disprove evolution. No, a real fundamentalist gets back to the "fundamentals" of their beliefs... like the greatest commandment. So yes, I am a rabid fundy, and while I may entertain all sorts of opinions, only God's opinion of me is what's important. I am an honest seeker. Like Paul, I do not believe that I have "arrived" spiritually, and hope sincerely that I will never feel that way while still on earth.

IOW, I respect the opinions of others... their right to have a differing one from mine is the essense of "free will". Without free will there is no love, and God is love.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Since the Bible clearly states that God made everything in 6 24 hour days ...

How would they know? Clocks hadn't been invented yet.

For that matter, since our traditional interpretation of a day is based upon the rotation of the earth toward the sun, how did that first day happen when the heavens and the earth hadn't been created yet?

Somehow, I missed the part about 24 hours ... I couldn't find it in my Bible anywhere ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[H2Andy]

Much of that is because we (US) are a, nominally in any case, Christian nation.

not so. the US was founded as a secular nation, where
religion and state were separated precisely so no religion
could be imposed on anyone.

re-read your history.

now, the majority of the PEOPLE of the US are certainly Christian. But the GOVERNMENT (i.e. the fictional entity called the US) is a clearly secular, humanist institution, which holds the laws of men above the laws of God,
and I wouldn't have it any other way. the other road leads to the Spanish Inquisition and the Salem Witch Trials.

 

[bwerb]

Just to chime in one more time on the 24 hour day thing...a really fun thing to consider is the physics of the speed of light and relativity. You all remember the "twins expiriment" when you put one twin on a rockeship travelling 99% of the speed of light and leave the other on earth...at the end of the expiriment you find that the one left behind has aged significantly relative to the one travelling at extreme velocity...you can do exactly the same thing with Genesis and the physics work really nicely. 24 hours...from who's perspective? God's (the twin on the spaceship) or ours...the twin left behind?

A great book by a physicist takes this hypothesis up in detail...check it out here Science of God