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Richard Dawkins Laments The Decline Of Christianity In England, Calls Himself "Culturally Christian"

Discussion in 'Too Hot for Swamp Gas' started by Contra, Apr 4, 2024.

  1. ajoseph

    ajoseph Premium Member

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    I think we are saying the same thing, except that I would add that we shouldn’t judge others for how they practice their respective faith. I think that’s the backdrop to the freedom to practice one’s religion.
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2024
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  2. tilly

    tilly Superhero Mod. Fast witted. Bulletproof posts. Moderator VIP Member

    Absolute bullcrap.

    Only someone who doesnt attend an active and engaged church body would spout such nonsense.

    Christians do MOST of the caring for the poor. Research who runs the top aid orgs
     
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  3. ajoseph

    ajoseph Premium Member

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    Well they sure have the funding that comes from somewhere …
     
  4. ajoseph

    ajoseph Premium Member

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    Judaism preceded Christianity. The Bible preceded the Muslim faith by centuries. While both Christianity and Islam are the offspring of the core Judaic belief (there is but One True G-d), the Bible does not and could not be the unifying document tying together the three faiths.
     
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  5. wgbgator

    wgbgator Premium Member

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    Not even sure what you are trying to say? People dont attack me on the street everyday because of the benefits I receive from Christianity? Arent we one of the most violent countries in the world with high crime? Maybe I should blame Christianity for that? Or is it only the good stuff that Christianity did?
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2024
  6. duggers_dad

    duggers_dad GC Hall of Fame

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    Unless the Bible is a unified document. Even Christians have a nasty habit of seeking to separate it. Ex: “God of the OT vs. Jesus of the NT.”
     
  7. l_boy

    l_boy 5500

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    I am not going to refute this, but I’m not going to take it on face value either. You should provide support for this if you want people to believe it.

    Also non Christians are more supportive of the government playing a primary role, and I’m pretty sure those efforts dwarf anything Christian’s do outside of government.
     
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  8. docspor

    docspor GC Hall of Fame

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    I am certainly in favor of christianity. Most people do not have the intellect, self control & moral fortitude to live a more highly evolved life. Like dogs, they are better off with a strong master.
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2024
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  9. duggers_dad

    duggers_dad GC Hall of Fame

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    Mark 7: 9-13*

    *gubmint take care of Mom and Pop

    If Jesus was a liberal he’d email links to the poor.
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2024
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  10. duggers_dad

    duggers_dad GC Hall of Fame

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    For the Bible dilettante Jesus is the star traveler who emerges from his spaceship and beckons earthlings to be better.
     
  11. Contra

    Contra GC Hall of Fame

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    Another important point to consider is the relationship between the Jewish scriptures and the Christian scriptures. Many of the books in the Christian canon that you might not consider to be scripture quote books in the Jewish canon when driving home arguments for core Christian doctrines and Christian practice. You can see how interdependent the New Testament and the Old Testament really are by looking at a biblical cross references diagram. If you agree those quotes are authentic scripture then you cannot disagree with the argumentation they are making on the grounds that they are not quoting scripture. They are. You would then have to disagree on the basis of logic or interpretation of the Jewish scripture.

    That creates a huge problem for you because you have said that a person who claims to have a correct interpretation of scripture has committed hubris. So, you cannot contest the way the Christian scriptures interpret the Jewish scriptures on any absolute basis lest you be guilty of hubris by your own moral standards. At best you can simply shrug your shoulders and say, "I don't know anything about Bible interpretation because to even claim to know anything is hubris." To claim absolutely that you know the Christian scripture interprets the Jewish scripture incorrectly would be an absolute knowledge claim regarding the interpretation of the Jewish scriptures.

    And FWIW, if you believe absolute knowledge claims about interpretations of scripture are the height of arrogance, that this amounts to the crime of hubris, then you would be forced to concede by your own standards that Islam is guilty of this since it makes absolute claims about how the Jewish and Christian scriptures are to be interpreted.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2024
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  12. Orange_and_Bluke

    Orange_and_Bluke Premium Member

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    Totally agree…
    It seems a few of you libbies got loose and off the leash.
    Need to find your way back to the pew.
     
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  13. Orange_and_Bluke

    Orange_and_Bluke Premium Member

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    [​IMG]
     
  14. BigCypressGator1981

    BigCypressGator1981 GC Hall of Fame

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    It took me a long time to arrive here but I am in the same boat. Religion is unfortunately a necessity for a healthy society.
     
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  15. Orange_and_Bluke

    Orange_and_Bluke Premium Member

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    Surprisingly, you said it minus the disparagement and condescension.
    Well done.
     
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  16. ajoseph

    ajoseph Premium Member

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    Let’s start with the premise that I don’t disagree with your faith. It’s YOUR faith, and I applaud you for having faith. I was raised with a deep core belief and faith. As I have aged, and learned, and experienced, and independently thought, my faith has greatly diminished. As a starting point,I cannot reconcile the thousands of years of war where people were murdered, tortured,maimed, and starved because of which version of the Abrahamic faith one studied. But as my faith diminishes, I admire those who are able to retain their faith.

    I don’t accept that the Bible is somehow superior or even supersedes the Old Testament, nor do I accept that it is superior to the later-written Koran. I do admire how all of the texts are studied (that’s a core Judaic principle, for what it’s worth), but I completely reject someone telling another that their version is superior. That is what I find hubristic. Likewise, I reject those who use religion as a means to retain power, such as using it as a means to inbue fear. And, I disdain those who use mock religion in order to pander support (yes, a direct shot at Trump).
     
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  17. Contra

    Contra GC Hall of Fame

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    Do you believe in the laws of logic?...Law of non-contradiction, law of excluded middle, and the law of identity?
     
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  18. duggers_dad

    duggers_dad GC Hall of Fame

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    “A study of comparative religions is the best way to become comparatively religious.”
    — G.K. Chesterton —
     
  19. LimeyGator

    LimeyGator Official Brexit Reporter!

    I, for one, speaking as a Brit, am glad Mr Dawkins has now spoken for us.
    I'm certain he found everyone's consensus first and in no way recycled his own opinion...

    :rolleyes:

    FWIW, when he says "I would not be happy if we lost all our cathedrals and churches", I believe he's forgetting this is no longer the 16th century.
    Bizarre interview.
     
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  20. ajoseph

    ajoseph Premium Member

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    I believe in the laws of logic, but logic has little to do with faith. I view logic as the polar opposite of faith. That said, I’m unfamiliar with the other concepts.