h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

>>One must either accept the entire Bible as the infallible Word of God, or else all of it is a lie and God Himself is a liar<<

Even I, an atheist, cannot accept that.

There are lots of christians who reject parts of the bible and accept others (I used to be one myself). Remember that the bible is based on christianity, not vice versa.

GrandSlamDunk,

I told you 20% was an estimate. I did not claim it as a fact.

You said it was an "educated guess", implying thereby that some kind of education was involved.

It's surely a weak position that needs lies to bolster it.

The wean.

GrandSlamDunk,

<>

That's a charmingly naive view.

Just because there's a factual inaccuracy in one place does not invalidate the whole book. What a strange idea!

Truth can be found in lies too, if you know how to look.

For example...

You walk up to a crossroads (T-juction actually) where you meet an angel who always tells the truth and a devil who always lies. Just to make it interesting, the devil has disguised himself like an angel, and you can't tell which is which.

You know that you can gain salvation by turning either rigtht or left, but you don't know which.

You are allowed to ask one of the two "angels" exactly one question.

What do you do?

(I know the answer to the riddle (of course) but I'll leave it for others as it's quite a nice one)

"YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN. YOUR SCIENCE IS CACK."

Hilarious. Justin the Preacher was never this much fun.

"True Christians who have been born again must shun these evolutionists. We must not tolerate such beliefs in our midst, and we should drive them from our churches and exclude them from all fellowship"

I absolutely agree. True Christians should strive for racial and theological purity, never associating, even for a moment, with anyone who is unsaved.

They should therefore not seek employment or payment from any organisation which has anything to do with unsaved people. They should not, under any circumstances, be allowed into NHS hospitals or be treated in any way by potentially unsaved NHS staff, even, indeed, especially if they are about to be reunited with their maker.

Any TRUE Christian who is, for instance, knocked down by a car and critically injured owes it to themself and their Christian brothers and sisters to carry a "SAVED" card on a chain around their neck, allowing unsaved, possibly homosexual or Muslim paramedics to leave them rot in a pool of their own blood at the roadside rather than sully them with their unclean hands.

I'm absolutely in favour of True Christians such as yourself, GSD, being absolutely isolated from the rest of us poor souls. I can only wonder why you go for education at an ungodly establishment like St. Andrews, rather than a more Christian place of education such as the Institute for Creation Research - or are you only a Christian until it might affect your education or future earning power?

It's always fascinating to see people compromise their so-called principles when it may affect their material wealth. "Principled" atheists sucking up to the local vicar when the best school in the district is a church school, "principled" Muslims getting a mortgage to buy a house, "principled" Christians living ANY LIFE AT ALL other than one of poverty and sacrifice. I'm always highly amused to hear on this site from people how very, very "Christian" they are, and yet they are personally wealthy enough to have access to an internet-capable computer. And when I've challenged one (not GSD) about this before, he actually told me that although he owned a house (well, he had to live somewhere), a car (he "had to", he lives in the country), and a fairly high-spec computer, he actually felt he didn't have ENOUGH stuff! And then they turn around and say they live by the Bible. Priceless.

I'm looking forward to reading more of your sermons, GSD, we've been short a loony for a while.

SoRB.

Sam

I must disagree with you that evolutionists are not Christians. Whilst Christians who believe in the theory of evolution have huge theological difficulties to overcome, promote atheism by default and believe lies rather than the truth, it does not affect whether they are saved or not. The Bible says in Romans 10:9:

‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.’

That is what you must believe to be saved. However, people will more likely be saved if they accept Creation and Creationists are much more likely to win souls to Christ rather than evolutionists.

Just read your introduction. I'm actually a Conservative as well and hope to get into Parliment one day (it would be best if evangelical Christians all united around one party) although I am not as sure about Mrs. Thatcher as you seem to be!

"it would be best if evangelical Christians all united around one party"

I heartily agree with this statement, and would encourage all evangelical Christians to unite behind the Conservative party and their leader, Michael Howard (Jewish) and deputy leader Oliver Letwin (also Jewish).

SoRB

Why not just form a new "Evangelistic Christian Party" or something. You could espouse puritan living.

I am sure power would quickly beckon...

'Michael Howard (Jewish) and deputy leader Oliver Letwin (also Jewish).'

It is a good thing evangelical and Fundamentalist Christians (especially Baptists) are big fans of the Jewish people. We, after all, recognise that the Jews are still the people of God.

Sorry, I'm not quite clear on this, forgive me.

The Jews are still the people of God? But... they're not born again. Ergo, they will burn in hell come judgement day, like the Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and atheists, no?

Have I missed something here? I thought - indeed, it's been explained to me many times in some detail - that Fundamentalist Christians believe only Christians get saved? Because if JEWS get saved, well, what was the point of Jesus?

SoRB

It is true that only born again christians get saved, but the Lord God still holds a dear place for the land of Israel in His heart. He will not see it harmed, and the time is coming when Israel is going to re-establish her rightful Biblical homeland and a mighty war will take place in that region. The Bible tells us the Russians will come to the aid of the Arabs, but that their interventions will be meaningless. Israel will emerge victorious, and in those final days many Jews will repent and turn to Christ!

The trouble is, Good News, that I am not sure whether these Christians actually do believe in their heart that Jesus is Lord. Scripture also says that not everyone who cries 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the gates of heaven. Belief in Jesus means believing more than merely believing he existed and more than he died for our sins. It also actually means believing everything he says. So when one hears these pseudo-Christians, these poor social churchmen prancing around, talking about their new age theologies and inter-faith dialogue, one knows immediately that they belong to satan, and not to Christ. Similarly, when I hear someone saying 'I'm a Christian but I believe in evolution', they may as well say 'I'm a Christian but God is a liar'.

I have always believed that God prefers an honest atheist to a hypocritical Christian and that these people truly will suffer a terrible fate when they stand before His mighty Judgement Throne!

So what would happen to a hypocritical Christian then, compared to, say, an honest atheist?


az

SoRB,

What is your problem with personal wealth? God does not have a problem with it, indeed the Bible tells us that He has blessed many of His people with wealth in the past.

I have been fortunate enough to have been blessed with considerable wealth. My father is director of a very large merchant bank in the city and pays more tax every month than most people earn in a year. We own a beautiful period home in the Sussex countryside and a lovely villa in Italy. We have all enjoyed the benefits of private education and private healthcare (now avoiding the NHS really is a blessing!).I was also lucky enough to receive a lovely, silver SLK for my 19th birthday a few weeks ago (see http://www.fantasycars.com/Mercedes_SLK/Mercedes_SLK_Photos/mercedes_slk_photos.html for some cracking photos of this beauty).

But this makes us no less Christian than the homeless vagrant or the black, inner city 'chav'. God does not expect his people to live in poverty - this is a widespread misconception amongst the unsaved. Providing we priortise HIM and make sure that HE comes first in our lives, that is what is important.

I do not mean to sound patronising, but you sound very resentful of Christians who have been blessed with wealth. My family probably gives more to good causes every year than you earn.

The Bible tells us the Russians will come to the aid of the Arabs, but that their interventions will be meaningless.
Complete rubbish. Russia is not even mentioned in the Bible.

"I was also lucky enough to receive a lovely, silver SLK for my 19th birthday a few weeks ago (see http://www.fantasycars.com/Mercedes...SLK_Photos/mercedes_slk_photos.html for some cracking photos of this beauty)."

A 'compensation' car if ever there was one.

Sam,

Have you seen the pictures of those poor kids in Niger on your television screen? Do you not have one of those little wristbands like so many other fundies saying 'WWJD'?

What do you think Jesus would do with your nice new SLK? Would he drive it proudly around the country lanes of rural Sussex and up the M1 to St Andrew's Uni? Or do you think he'd maybe sell it and use some of the money to help those kids get their next meal? My neighbour is selling his 1991 Fiesta with a full MOT for £300. Shall I tell him you're interested?

"Complete rubbish. Russia is not even mentioned in the Bible."

Wrong! Magog = Russia.

"A 'compensation' car if ever there was one"

Just what is that supposed to mean? What sort of car do you drive? I suspect a certain person here is rather jealous...

Aren't you supposed to be on your way to Darwin by now? I do hope you're not facing one of those dreadful 12 hour delays at the airport...

"What do you think Jesus would do with your nice new SLK? Would he drive it proudly around the country lanes of rural Sussex and up the M1 to St Andrew's Uni? Or do you think he'd maybe sell it and use some of the money to help those kids get their next meal? My neighbour is selling his 1991 Fiesta with a full MOT for £300. Shall I tell him you're interested?"


I suspect Jesus would be rather contended to drive around in an SLK. He doesn't care about money. He cares about doing what is right. More jealousy from the 'have nots' I see... how much money did you give to good causes recently, barryjohnsmith?

"What is your problem with personal wealth?"

I'm sorry, I don't understand. I have no "problem" with personal wealth, but then, I am personally wealthy and don't espouse any philosophy which conflicts with that.

You, on the other hand, seem to have two problems with your wealth. On the one hand, an immature desire to flaunt your, or rather your father's, wealth in the face of a society which even one as naive as you appear must know is much, much less privileged than you. And on the other, some tiny, dim realisation that there is in fact something "wrong" with your position. You don't appear to have worked out what, yet, but you're young and may mature.

"God does not have a problem with it, indeed the Bible tells us that He has blessed many of His people with wealth in the past."

As with many other things, it seems your Bible tells you pretty much anything you want to hear.

"I have been fortunate enough to have been blessed with considerable wealth.....I was also lucky enough to receive a lovely, silver SLK for my 19th birthday a few weeks ago."

A considerable achievement, which obviously makes you very proud. I'm impressed.

"But this makes us no less Christian than the homeless vagrant or the black, inner city 'chav'."

You are of course correct. Christianity, by your definition, is not something dependent on actions. Only by being born again in the Holy Spirit, only by being chosen especially by God as one of his favoured few can one become truly Christian. An interesting parallel with how you achieved the personal wealth you are so proud of, don't you think?

"God does not expect his people to live in poverty - this is a widespread misconception amongst the unsaved."

Perhaps we poor, benighted rejects, people created then spurned by our creator believe this because we have our own standards of what is holy, and most of the people who meet those standards do so through selflessness, *true* selflessness, rather than distributing crumbs from their table as your family do.

"Providing we priortise HIM and make sure that HE comes first in our lives, that is what is important."

Of course. Your definition of Christianity, as I say. A tiny, tiny minority view, but of course, the correct one.

"I do not mean to sound patronising,"

My dear child, I doubt you could patronise me if you tried.

"but you sound very resentful of Christians who have been blessed with wealth."

Not at all. I *resent* nobody in this life, because I have an insight you do not. That is that there is NO reason in life - no organising intelligence, no fate, just blind luck. I have experienced mostly positive expressions of this throughout my life, but do not consider myself "blessed", merely lucky. For instance, I'm just lucky that I'm much, much more intelligent than you. God did not make me that way, any more than he "cursed" you with a merely average intelligence.

If I had your belief set, I wouldn't resent other people either. Mostly, if I were you I'd resent God. You do not. Fine. Whatever works for you.

"My family probably gives more to good causes every year than you earn"

A breathtakingly arrogant statement that I forgive based on your youth and ignorance. And in any case, crumbs from the rich man's table are nothing whatever to be proud of. I'd be more interested to hear what *proportion* of your allegedly huge family wealth goes to charity each year. I'd also be fascinated to know *which* charities - I'd be frankly surprised to see Oxfam or Cancer Research on the list, expecting more likely something like the Countryside Alliance. Your statement is a masterpiece of missing the point, but I hope one day you will realise that.

Regards

SoRB