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Which path is truly "bad"?

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
Satan humiliates, God humbles. There is a huge difference.

Where does Satan humiliate anyone? Show me one verse from the Bible of Satan humiliating anyone. In the NT, the only thing that Satan ever does to people is tempt people away from faith in Jesus, including tempting Jesus himself.
 

InChrist

Free4ever
That is still insulting people. There's nothing "loving" about that. That's a person with a bad temper insulting people who disagree. If he did on that this forum, he'd get an infraction against him!

Furthermore, that "devil" verse is one of the roots of Christian antisemitism.

There is a difference between insulting and speaking the truth, At times the most loving thing can be speaking the truth to someone even if it may be painful initially for them to hear. It is much better than a lie. Besides I believe Jesus is God, so He has the wisdom, knowledge and right to speak as He knows best to any human creation and I think He does so out of love.

There in nothing in the scriptures that can legitimately be used for antisemitism unless one is against Jesus, too, who was a Jew.

Anyway, as I said to Doors...have a good night. I going to sleep now.
 

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
There is a difference between insulting and speaking the truth, At times the most loving thing can be speaking the truth to someone even if it may be painful initially for them to hear. It is much better than a lie. Besides I believe Jesus is God, so He has the wisdom, knowledge and right to speak as He knows best to any human creation and I think He does so out of love.

Calling a person who disagrees with you a "devil" and then inferring that they are "liars" and "murderers" is still an insult. You're just trying to twist it. If he was really god, I'd expect him to handle it in a much more mature way and not like a person who lost his temper in a debate.

There in nothing in the scriptures that can legitimately be used for antisemitism unless one is against Jesus, too, who was a Jew.
Modern Judaism is descended from the Pharisees, who are made out to be Jesus' prime enemies in the gospels. The only "good" Jews in the gospels are the ones who followed Jesus. All the rest get slandered with all sorts of invective and the leaders of the Jews are presented as corrupted people who schemed to have Jesus killed, which is where the "Christ killer" thing came from ("his blood be on us and our children").
 
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LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
I think you're generalizing way, way too much.

Which will benefit humanity? Neither. Religion isn't about fixing the world, Atleast my religion isn't. Thank goodness I'm not that self righteous :)

Uh? What?
 

Thana

Lady
Religion is of the people, it is not some separate "relgion" from humanity. Without religion there is no humanity.

Err.. What?

I also do not see how you can call the bible wholly moral. First off it teaches us to judge out-groups, to egotistically assume our beliefs are objectively correct, things of that nature. Go in further and we have things such as stoning, suffering, hating, and the like. Have you ever even read Leviticus?

Ah, So Christians go around and stone people now do they? No? Perhaps because it was cultural? Perhaps because that is how life was then, An eye for an eye. And even then, Jesus still preached peace and to turn the other cheek.

Please provide sources, Okay, I cannot address your claims without understanding what you're referring too.

Well, then what use is religion? Especially when they do those things in the name of said religion? If they can find support for their disgusting deeds and views in their religion, then there's obviously something wrong with the religion itself.

Right, Because no one has ever interpreted something benign and made it malevolent except with religion, Right?

That's like saying because American law says citizens have the right to bear arms, And someone takes that literally and starts killing bears and taking their arms, It's now the fault of the law?

That's such a lie. Go read that Evil Bible site and the Skeptics Annotated Bible:
Evil Bible Home Page
Skeptic's Annotated Bible / Quran / Book of Mormon

Well those sites already seem totally unbiased and objective. lol.

He called people fools, blind, devils, etc. and threatened people with hell and destruction. He is the reason that Christianity has the teaching of eternal hell in the first place. Have you ever even read the gospels?

Ah, See this is your interpretation. And that's fine, If you want to paint Jesus as a bad guy, Go for it. But He never threatens anyone nor does He say "You're going to hell and you're going to hell!"
 
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Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
Right, Because no one has ever interpreted something benign and made it malevolent except with religion, Right?

That's like saying because American law says citizens have the right to bear arms, And someone takes that literally and starts killing bears and taking their arms, It's now the fault of the law?

The problem is that it's so vague, including your Second Amendment example. The Bible does not clearly spell out much of anything and there are lots of violent verses that you can use in a harmful way. It doesn't make it hard to come to a hateful or violent interpretation. It's like it says "never, ever harm another person" and "love everyone unconditionally".

Well those sites already seem totally unbiased and objective. lol.

They just list Bible verses.

Ah, See this is your interpretation. And that's fine, If you want to paint Jesus as a bad guy, Go for it. But He never threatens anyone nor does He say "You're going to hell and you're going to hell!"

He told the Pharisees that they're going to hell, while going on a long rant about how horrible they are in Matthew chapter 23.
 

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
When I look at right hand path religions I see this idea of bettering yourself and bettering the world. Yet these religions often simply seem selfish, self promoting, and redundant.

Let me start with the personal level. As a Luciferian I understand the different paradigms affect different people. Christianity may be good for person A whereas Satanism is good for B and Buddhism for C. In theory they want the same goal - self betterment. Heaven, apotheosis, nirvana, etc.

Not exactly. Self denial can be a powerful drive, as can straight opportunity to seek prestige and influence. For many people just keeping busy can be the goal, even.


But then many - especially the Right - just come to pushing their religion around and forcing some horribly negative affects on people. They don't care what actually helps, they care about being right.

Hmm... come to think of it, "being right" is not at all a popular motivation.

Having things one's own way is far more popular, so much so as to be mistaken for it. But that is still not the same thing, not by a long shot.


This makes the RHP seem much more "bad" to me because it is blinded with selfishness and arrogance. The Luciferian understands that what works for them might not for you. Setianism won't even let you join if they don't believe their temple can help you. These groups promote enlightened individualism in hopes that all people can stand on their own and better themselves - meanwhile the Right simply desires their own salvation and fights for their own arrogance.

Arrogance is certainly a major danger for what is usually described as RHP, as is selfishness.

Not having true experience with LHP groups beyond some Internet exchanges, I have no idea of how well they work in practice. Acknowledging that there are differences in individual suitability to specific teachings is certainly sound, but it is so very easy for people to be deluded about their own perceptions...


The other side is on a worldwide scale, where the above problems just escalate. The Right will even deny or try and reverse human progress to aid their cause. They will launch psychological attacks at their enemies to either convert or break them. This is vastly more the "evil" and "darkness" than the left leaving room for everyone and having the "out a group" shun itself and create its own downfall. Likewise the Right can be seen to show such hypocracy it cannot even he respected. Huge youth groups, mega churches, only helping those they can convert - this is nothing that any of the main religions promote at heart yet what the followers do.

That is true, but not necessarily representative. Those distortions should certainly be corrected, troublesome as that is in practice. But even in what you call the RHP people have personal discernment and may well end up wiser than their own religious teachers give them credit for.

Conversely, the high personal freedom LHP offers will not always be a good thing. People do lose their way of their own, although it is very difficult to tell exactly when or to have a practical answer to offer when it is acknowledged.


So which is the light and which is the dark? Which will benefit humanity and which will bring it to ruins? Would you rather have leaders who have individual best interests in mind,

"Individual" is a bit of a tricky word here. Considering social implications is of utmost importance IMO.


who want people to rule themselves with only necessary oversight,

"Necessary", too, is a tricky word. Different people and different circunstances will interpret it as "just over misery boundaries", "just under misery boundaries", and many other alternate readings too.

Understanding and being clear and convincing about what such necessity is and what it entails is a major challenge and a major conquest.

Some will insist that it is outright impossible to do.

and who want to adapt and thrive? Or do you want leaders who only want to rule the people, destroy the individual, and help themselves?

Not too many people actually want to help themselves, IMO. Far more think they do, though.
 

Thana

Lady
The problem is that it's so vague, including your Second Amendment example. The Bible does not clearly spell out much of anything and there are lots of violent verses that you can use in a harmful way. It doesn't make it hard to come to a hateful or violent interpretation. It's like it says "never, ever harm another person" and "love everyone unconditionally".

But.. It does. The 10 commandments. They're not vague.
Love your neighbour as yourself. That's not really vague either...

This is not vague -

Ephesians 4:31-32 NIV
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.



He told the Pharisees that they're going to hell, while going on a long rant about how horrible they are in Matthew chapter 23.

No, Actually He didn't and yes I just read it.
Also, Are you really trying to attack Jesus for what He said? Those guys were evil, And He was calling them out, But somehow you paint that as Jesus being wrong?
 

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
The problem is that it's so vague, including your Second Amendment example.

That is a very good example of subject matter (can you pinpoint the post to me?) because the Second Amendment as I understand it is all but completely misused, to a point that makes its use an impressive, almost unbelievable example of creative interpretation to reach a pre-established outcome.

Every single part of it is better suited to limit weapon possession and use than to ensure it as an individual right. So does the whole text.

Yet people swear that they interpret it as ensuring firearm possession as an individual right anyway. It is truly impressive, and I fully expect some anthropological study to address it sooner rather than later. I would love to have a full explanation for that phenomenom.
 

1137

Here until I storm off again
Premium Member
Thanks for expressing your thoughts. I always appreciate reading your perspective even though mine is different. I would respond, but I'm so tired and need some sleep. So have a good night.

I love our strange friendship, InChrist. I hope I'll talk to you tomorrow!
 

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
But.. It does. The 10 commandments. They're not vague.
Love your neighbour as yourself. That's not really vague either...

The 10 Commandments are not clear. How do you interpret "graven image"? How do you interpret taking taken the lord's name "in vain"? How do you interpret "keep the Sabbath holy"?

This is not vague -

Ephesians 4:31-32 NIV
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Paul also says that women shouldn't teach and should keep quiet, and seems to blame Eve more for the fall of man than Adam. :rolleyes:

'
No, Actually He didn't and yes I just read it.

"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?" (NIV)

:rolleyes:

Also, Are you really trying to attack Jesus for what He said? Those guys were evil, And He was calling them out, But somehow you paint that as Jesus being wrong?

I don't care if Jesus was wrong or right about them. My point was that Jesus insulted people and threatened them with hell. That was one sentence out of a paragraph that I wrote about the vile behavior of Christians from the beginning until now.
 

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
That is a very good example of subject matter (can you pinpoint the post to me?) because the Second Amendment as I understand it is all but completely misused, to a point that makes its use an impressive, almost unbelievable example of creative interpretation to reach a pre-established outcome.

Every single part of it is better suited to limit weapon possession and use than to ensure it as an individual right. So does the whole text.

Yet people swear that they interpret it as ensuring firearm possession as an individual right anyway. It is truly impressive, and I fully expect some anthropological study to address it sooner rather than later. I would love to have a full explanation for that phenomenom.

Which post? Thana just said: " That's like saying because American law says citizens have the right to bear arms, And someone takes that literally and starts killing bears and taking their arms, It's now the fault of the law?"
 

1137

Here until I storm off again
Premium Member
Err.. What?

Ah, So Christians go around and stone people now do they? No? Perhaps because it was cultural? Perhaps because that is how life was then, An eye for an eye. And even then, Jesus still preached peace and to turn the other cheek.

Do try to keep up. You said;

"So we're talking about people, Not religion. The bible doesn't promote anything immoral, In fact, It's very clear about immorality."

I responded by pointing out a few example of the horrible things that appear in the bible, my source being the entire book of Leviticus". Then you somehow got confused and thought I was saying Christians are currently going on murderous rampages.

Further, turning the other cheek is part of the problem. If we do not stand up for ourselves then we are doomed. Jesus said he comes with a sword, there is a constant spiritual war, so even right there you have a basic contradiction. That's besides the point. The point is that if we look at a theoretical "collective unconscious" then Christianity is akin to severe, clinical depression which teaches individuals that they are weak and disgusting and to not stand up for themselves.

Right, Because no one has ever interpreted something benign and made it malevolent except with religion, Right?

Where are you even coming up with this stuff? What are you talking about?
 

1137

Here until I storm off again
Premium Member
Ephesians 4:31-32 NIV
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Forgave me for what? As far as I can tell I came into this world without any say in the matter, being held responsible for the sins ancient people committed as part of their god-given nature which somehow makes me "fallen". Sounds more like a paranoid bi-polar episode someone with the disorder would fall into after going off their meds and taking LSD.
 

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
Which post? Thana just said: " That's like saying because American law says citizens have the right to bear arms, And someone takes that literally and starts killing bears and taking their arms, It's now the fault of the law?"

Well, it is never the fault of the law, because the law is just a tool and should never be accepted as justification.
 

Thana

Lady
The 10 Commandments are not clear. How do you interpret "graven image"? How do you interpret taking taken the lord's name "in vain"? How do you interpret "keep the Sabbath holy"?

Easily. Don't say the Lords name unnecessarily and without fear, Worship on the Sabbath, Don't worship idols or images of idolatry. Done?

Seriously, The bible is upfront. It's those that seek to twist it with their own ideals that find violence and hatred in the bible.

Paul also says that women shouldn't teach and should keep quiet, and seems to blame Eve more for the fall of man than Adam. :rolleyes:

Ah, Again you're taking it out of context to suit your ideals. See what I mean? Paul said in the Church. That's it.

'
"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?" (NIV)

Yeah, That's not Him condemning them to hell.

'
I don't care if Jesus was wrong or right about them. My point was that Jesus insulted people and threatened them with hell. That was one sentence out of a paragraph that I wrote about the vile behavior of Christians from the beginning until now.

I don't understand why you're trying so hard to make Jesus the bad guy.
When someone says something sexist, Don't you stand up for women? Don't you condemn the sexist's judgements? Is that not what Jesus was doing? Condemning their evil deeds?
 

1137

Here until I storm off again
Premium Member
Here, let's look at this more objectively.

Symptoms of Major Depression Depression (major depression) Symptoms - Diseases and Conditions - Mayo Clinic

Feelings of sadness, emptiness or unhappiness - This is the most common reason I hear people talk about loving Christianity. Without it there is just emptiness and darkness, however the concept of God fills a that gap. The problem is that the belief is actually what causes that gap. Nobody sees the gap except in hindsight because they are taught about the gap.

Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters - irritability even over small matters, such as how others live their lives, people pointing out contradictions, etc. Even in this thread members have gotten flustered to the point where the seem to lose track of even their own previous comments.

Loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities, such as sex - Um, every sin?

Tiredness and lack of energy, so that even small tasks take extra effort - this point is kind of the opposite. I've known so many religious people who describe services are their recharge for the week. Again, the problem is that they see it this way because of the religion.

Anxiety, agitation or restlessness — for example, excessive worrying, pacing, hand-wringing or an inability to sit still - the entire religion is based around carrying the sins of others, worrying about the afterlife, and being concerned with what others are up to.

Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or blaming yourself for things that are not your responsibility - This needs absolutely no explanation.

Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things - see "anxiety"

Frequent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide - suicide, no. This is because the punishment for suicide is rejection from heaven, the entire point of the religion. However, note that thoughts of death need not be about killing oneself. Just thinking about death constantly can be a sign of depression, and in these "Aeon of Osiris" religion there is a massive obsession with death.

These are enough symptoms to at least attempt treating the patient for major depression.
 

Thana

Lady
I responded by pointing out a few example of the horrible things that appear in the bible, my source being the entire book of Leviticus". Then you somehow got confused and thought I was saying Christians are currently going on murderous rampages.

So because there are accounts of violence in the bible, The bible promotes violence? I don't understand your logic..

Further, turning the other cheek is part of the problem. If we do not stand up for ourselves then we are doomed. Jesus said he comes with a sword, there is a constant spiritual war, so even right there you have a basic contradiction. That's besides the point. The point is that if we look at a theoretical "collective unconscious" then Christianity is akin to severe, clinical depression which teaches individuals that they are weak and disgusting and to not stand up for themselves.

It's not contradicting, You're talking about two different things. A spiritual war (meaning, Within ourselves), And turning the other cheek, Which is concerning flesh (the desire to be angry, to lash out)

Ho hum.. Seriously if you just want to bash Christianity then I'm not interested. If you want to have a debate, Then keep it about subjects we can debate. Christianity being akin to depression is just hogwash and personal opinion.

Where are you even coming up with this stuff? What are you talking about?

That wasn't addressed to you, But to Saint Frank.
 
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