| |
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Dave Schuler writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Christopher L. Weeks writes:
>
> > OK, so when Moses (or God, depending on what you believe) tells us not to
> > covet the neighbor's wife, what do you believe you shouldn't do? Is it a sin
> > to nail your neighbor's wife? What if she wants you to? What if her husband
> > does too?
> >
> > There seems to be no lee-way in the commandments.
>
> And far too much that's not addressed, such as:
>
> What if my neighbor's wife covets me?
> What if I covet my neighbor's daughter?
> What if I covet my own daughter?
> What if I covet my sister?
> What if I covet my neighbor?
> What if the only way to keep from killing
> someone is by bearing false witness?
> What if I think my wife is dead and so I marry
> and have sex with another woman, but then
> I learn that my first wife is still alive--have
> I committed adultery?
> What if the only way to honor my mother is by
> dishonoring my father?
> What if my family is starving and I have to steal?
> What if I kill because I think my life's in danger,
> but then I learn that I was in no danger at all?
> What if I cure paralysis by using stem cells to
> regenerate damaged nerve cells?
> What if I generate viable replacement organs via
> the cloning of organs from existing tissue?
> What if I tell what I think is the truth, but it turns
> out to be false witness, and what if the person to
> whom I bore false witness dies before I can recant?
> What if, on my deathbed, I learn that the classic
> Christ-on-his-Cross icon qualifies as a graven image?
> What if my concept of God qualifies as "a strange god" before
> the "real" God?
>
> These may seem like farcical examples, but since we live in a nation that
> upholds freedom of religion by seeking to enshrine the 10 Commandments on
> gov't buildings, I don't think it's unreasonable to consider the
> shortcomings of the 10 in the same way that a lawyer would exploit loopholes
> in tax law. Obviously, if my immortal soul's at stake, I'd want the law to
> be at least as airtight as IRS regulations, wouldn't I?
>
> Dave!
This reminds me of that old George Carlin skit, when he related the story of
him and his buddies trying to trip up their Padre, 'Um Fathah, if we missed
holy communion, but we were on an airplane and crossed the international
dateline, but we were going the other way,... would it still be a sin?' (or
thereabouts)
Or when my very athiest friend was trying to peg me on premarital sex, or
when was the right time to have it, and if I'm lusting after my girlfriend
and yet I'm going to marry her--is that a sin? Hey, I always mentioned to
him, if you think you're waiting to say A-Ha! due to impeccable logic, well
then go ahead and say it. I won't stop you. Jesus mentioned the laws are
written on our hearts--you don't need me, or the bible, to tell you when
you're doing something wrong. If people take every passage of the good book
literally, they'll go insane, for the apparent contradictions between
Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 are staggering, not to mention the plethora of
passages which are also literally completely contradictory, but taken *in
context* within the scope of the entire bible, I personally come away with
a, for me anyway, nice way to run my own life. And since it's my way, I
wont, I don't, I will never, force it on anyone else.
Legalism is the very thing Jesus contradicted. The Pharisees and the
Sadducees followed 'the letter', and not the meaning, and where did it get
them? They tried to trip up Jesus with 'the law says we should stone
her...' and he replied 'He who is without sin...' Well, 'nuff said.
I would want a system where I can live the way I want to, to experience joy,
happiness, and keep the burdens of pain and suffering to a minimum. I would
want others to respect my personal choices, as long as they don't interfere
with others doing what they what to do. I respect your choices and opinions
as long as they are not detrimental to others. Heck, if they're detrimental
to yourself, I won't like it, but you have that freedom of choice--your bed,
you sleep in it.
Dave K.
|
|
Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: slight
|
| (...) If every christian really believed this, and acted in accordance with it, I'd have no beef with christians and christianity. But they don't. So many professed christians in positions of power use that power to enforce their morals on others (...) (22 years ago, 16-Jul-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
|
Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: slight
|
| (...) And far too much that's not addressed, such as: What if my neighbor's wife covets me? What if I covet my neighbor's daughter? What if I covet my own daughter? What if I covet my sister? What if I covet my neighbor? What if the only way to keep (...) (22 years ago, 15-Jul-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
|
225 Messages in This Thread:
(Inline display suppressed due to large size. Click Dots below to view.)
- Entire Thread on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
This Message and its Replies on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
|
|
|
|
