Morgan Freeman?
but does he love you?
Anyone who believes in eternal damnation (even if damnation is only a little uncomfortable) either doesn’t understand math, or doesn’t believe in a proportional response.
Eternity is a long time! Let’s take Hitler. Caused massive misery for say, 100M people. Deprived dozens of millions of people of the rest of their lives. And was annoying, to boot.
Let’s round up and call that 1 billion person-years of misery.
Now let’s assume Hell is like an annoying lounge act. Tolerable, but not miserable. Let’s say, if misery is -100, then Hell is only -1.
So, 100 billion misery units caused, but how many for punisment? Infinitely many.
God is therefore far worse on Hitler than Hitler was on all humanity. And people actually WORSHIP this deity?
I find it very hard not to feel a deep sense of disgust for anyone who could worship such a God. But I know a lot of people I love and respect who do. So, I try to get over it. But REALLY, do the math! How can anyone buy this? It’s insane!
People who worship a God who would condemn anyone to eternal damnation are either reprehensible, or just plain don’t think carefully enough about what they believe.
It is exactly this kind of sober cost-benefit analysis of damnation that convinces me, if Hell really did exist, it would be populated almost exclusively by accountants.
Cite?
Or cribbed them from the Code of Hammurabi. Either way, not unique or original. But ya gotta hand it to Moses, the Christian riff is much easier to slap on the courthouse wall.
You can read The Book of the Dead,you may be able to get a translation of it on line, or in your library. I watched a show on TV about an Egyptian Pharaoh who had the book of the dead, and Most if not all of it was found in his tomb on the walls.I have a book entitled" Osiris and the Egyptian Ressurection (2 volumes) which has some of it quoted in there.
[Maat - Wikipedia](42 Confessions (Papyrus of Ani))
I have not committed sin.
I have not committed robbery with violence.
I have not stolen.
I have not slain men and women.
I have not stolen grain.
I have not purloined offerings.
I have not stolen the property of the god.
I have not uttered lies.
I have not carried away food.
I have not uttered curses.
I have not committed adultery, I have not lain with men.
I have made none to weep.
I have not eaten the heart [i.e I have not grieved uselessly, or felt remorse].
I have not attacked any man.
I am not a man of deceit.
I have not stolen cultivated land.
I have not been an eavesdropper.
I have slandered [no man].
I have not been angry without just cause.
I have not debauched the wife of any man.
I have not debauched the wife of [any] man. (repeats the previous affirmation but addressed to a different god).
I have not polluted myself.
I have terrorised none.
I have not transgressed [the Law].
I have not been wroth.
I have not shut my ears to the words of truth.
I have not blasphemed.
I am not a man of violence.
I am not a stirrer up of strife (or a disturber of the peace).
I have not acted (or judged) with undue haste.
I have not pried into matters.
I have not multiplied my words in speaking.
I have wronged none, I have done no evil.
I have not worked witchcraft against the King (or blasphemed against the King).
I have never stopped [the flow of] water.
I have never raised my voice (spoken arrogantly, or in anger).
I have not cursed (or blasphemed) God.
I have not acted with evil rage.
I have not stolen the bread of the gods.
I have not carried away the khenfu cakes from the Spirits of the dead.
I have not snatched away the bread of the child, nor treated with contempt the god of my city.
I have not slain the cattle belonging to the god.[25]
But they, and the Code of Hammurabi, seem very much what you would expect to see in societies that needed required general codes of behaviour between humans.
I’d agree with the OP, but I argue that God is Jesus.
Hah!
I laughed.
Next time, bring cite.
Grey below did. And makes a good follow-up point. Of course, the lengthy list of “what I have not done” bears only the most superficial resemblance to The Ten Commandments in that they are codes of conduct for society. Few people claim the total uniqueness of what is required in the Big Ten. What is unique is the succinctness of it. (Of course, that’s offset by the rest of the Torah commands.)
RedRain, RedFury-is this a coincidence, or is there some hidden religious meaning here involving “Red”?
What a load of horse pucky. It ain’t that succinct(no more so than many other lists), and to claim that is is special because it is “unique” means nothing because so is the list it seems to crib from.
[Horseshack] Ooh ooh! Trash -talk the Code of Hammurabi now! [/Horseshack]
Seriously, if the Big Ten is so unique, distinct, and succinct, why did Christian authors rip off the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians? And why do we need the rest of that dusty tome if the Commandments are sufficient impetus for pleasing the Lord?
How foolish was I hoping to come in here and read a nice lengthy theology discussion on the validity of Jesus of Nazareth as the ‘son’ of God.
I’ve managed to find less than two pages that actually discuss the matter, and the rest of it has evolved into religion in general and/or devolved into a piss take.
I know these boards are going to be populated by more liberal minded users, but really is there no moderation until someone starts trying to be offensive with a user named Jesus of Nazareth, or starts hurling insults at others?
EDIT: I do like the mini convo of Ten Commandments though.
Bullshit. 5 is more succinct than 10.
Succinct?
"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law"
You mean “An it harm none, do what thou wilt”? A bit longer, but it at least it isn’t all “Arrgh! Anarchy, kill, burn!” Your version sounds like something Lord Humungous from Road Warrior would come up with. 