A Time And Place For Talking About Jesus...

Cosmo
Cosmo Posts: 12,225
edited May 2008 in A Moving Train
Today... in Fallujah, Iraq... not the time or place.
I mean... I understand the Marine's intent and it was from his heart... but, dude... come on. You are in their homeland... it is a hostile (War) environment... you are in charge... you got the M-16... you got the power to call in an airstrike that can take out a city block... your home is on the other side of the planet. Think about it... it's all about perception.
Maybe... America would be better served if you ask THEM about Islam... you know... to get a better understanding about where they are coming from. You are in their home... if the shoe was on the other foot... the gun was in the other hand... wouldn't you feel better if they asked you about Jesus, instead of telling you about Mohammed?
...
"FALLUJAH, Iraq — At the western entrance to the Iraqi city of Fallujah Tuesday, Muamar Anad handed his residence badge to the U.S. Marines guarding the city. They checked to be sure that he was a city resident, and when they were done, Anad said, a Marine slipped a coin out of his pocket and put it in his hand.
Out of fear, he accepted it, Anad said. When he was inside the city, the college student said, he looked at one side of the coin. "Where will you spend eternity?" it asked.
He flipped it over, and on the other side it read, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16."
..."
Full story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20080529/wl_mcclatchy/2951727
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
Post edited by Unknown User on
«1

Comments

  • Drummer98136
    Drummer98136 Posts: 26
    Humans would evolve exponentially if we put ourselves in each others shoes or sandals sometimes.
    BOOM-DA-DA-DA-DA-BOOM-BOOM-DA-DA
  • puremagic
    puremagic Posts: 1,907
    I wonder what would happen to that soldier if he passed that coin around in Israel. I wonder what the U.S. soldier's reaction would have been when an Israeli gave the coin back and told the U.S. soldier that God didn't have a son, there is no Jesus, no Christ.

    I'm at a total lost when it comes to the fact that we as individuals and collectively as groups hold our faiths sacred, yet we can't seem to respect other people's right to their chosen faith. People see their faith as what they believe will get them to their next level of being. Politicians see religion as a WMD and use peoples' faith to control and destroy life in the here and now.
    SIN EATERS--We take the moral excrement we find in this equation and we bury it down deep inside of us so that the rest of our case can stay pure. That is the job. We are morally indefensible and absolutely necessary.
  • 69charger
    69charger Posts: 1,045
    Drummer98136 wrote:
    Humans would evolve exponentially if we put ourselves in each others shoes or sandals sometimes.

    Humans would evolve exponentially if we quit trying to kill each other over who's imaginary friend is better.

    Like labor unions, religion's time in this world needs to come to an end. Both served a noble purpose and are obsolete and only serving to destroy what they claim to protect.
  • angelica
    angelica Posts: 6,038
    69charger wrote:
    Humans would evolve exponentially if we quit trying to kill each other over who's imaginary friend is better.

    Like labor unions, religion's time in this world needs to come to an end. Both served a noble purpose and are obsolete and only serving to destroy what they claim to protect.
    How do you explain the ignorance, offensiveness and violence that comes from non-believers?
    "The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr

    http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta

    Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
  • josevolution
    josevolution Posts: 32,092
    yeah i agree the soldier is way out of line ....cosmo is on point with hi's assesment ..
    jesus greets me looks just like me ....
  • tybird
    tybird Posts: 17,388
    Cosmo wrote:
    Today... in Fallujah, Iraq... not the time or place.
    I mean... I understand the Marine's intent and it was from his heart... but, dude... come on. You are in their homeland... it is a hostile (War) environment... you are in charge... you got the M-16... you got the power to call in an airstrike that can take out a city block... your home is on the other side of the planet. Think about it... it's all about perception.
    Maybe... America would be better served if you ask THEM about Islam... you know... to get a better understanding about where they are coming from. You are in their home... if the shoe was on the other foot... the gun was in the other hand... wouldn't you feel better if they asked you about Jesus, instead of telling you about Mohammed?
    ...
    "FALLUJAH, Iraq — At the western entrance to the Iraqi city of Fallujah Tuesday, Muamar Anad handed his residence badge to the U.S. Marines guarding the city. They checked to be sure that he was a city resident, and when they were done, Anad said, a Marine slipped a coin out of his pocket and put it in his hand.
    Out of fear, he accepted it, Anad said. When he was inside the city, the college student said, he looked at one side of the coin. "Where will you spend eternity?" it asked.
    He flipped it over, and on the other side it read, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16."
    ..."
    Full story:
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20080529/wl_mcclatchy/2951727
    Good job. Some folks don't realize that Jesus let his actions do the talking in most cases, and that he didn't beat people over the head with his message.
    All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
  • Rhinocerous Surprise
    Rhinocerous Surprise Posts: 4,423
    angelica wrote:
    How do you explain the ignorance, offensiveness and violence that comes from non-believers?

    The violence is just cos we're bored. :D
    Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
  • 69charger
    69charger Posts: 1,045
    angelica wrote:
    How do you explain the ignorance, offensiveness and violence that comes from non-believers?

    I guess I never heard of the Athiest Crusades, Athiest Jihad. Point to me a time in which mass-scale murder was committed in the name of "No god".
  • wwfairfield
    wwfairfield Posts: 216
    tybird wrote:
    Good job. Some folks don't realize that Jesus let his actions do the talking in most cases, and that he didn't beat people over the head with his message.


    yeah but smarter folks realize jesus never existed
  • angelica
    angelica Posts: 6,038
    69charger wrote:
    I guess I never heard of the Athiest Crusades, Athiest Jihad. Point to me a time in which mass-scale murder was committed in the name of "No god".
    Are you saying non-believers are not violent?
    "The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr

    http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta

    Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
  • 69charger
    69charger Posts: 1,045
    angelica wrote:
    Are you saying non-believers are not violent?

    I'm asking you to point to an event, comitted in the name of Athiesm, past or present, that produces or has produced, the kind of wholesale violence against humanity that organized religion has.
  • JD Sal
    JD Sal Posts: 790
    angelica wrote:
    Are you saying non-believers are not violent?

    No, but throughout history more people have been killed in the name of religion than for any other reason.
    "If no one sees you, you're not here at all"
  • baraka
    baraka Posts: 1,268
    While I recognize that many atrocities have been committed in the name of God, does anyone really think that if religion disappeared today, there would be no more violence? I've said this many times in regards to this argument, but if religion was to disappear, the ignorant would find something else to do ignorantly.
    The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance,
    but the illusion of knowledge.
    ~Daniel Boorstin

    Only a life lived for others is worth living.
    ~Albert Einstein
  • JD Sal
    JD Sal Posts: 790
    baraka wrote:
    While I recognize that many atrocities have been committed in the name of God, does anyone really think that if religion disappeared today, there would be no more violence? I've said this many times in regards to this argument, but if religion was to disappear, the ignorant would find something else to do ignorantly.

    There would still be violence. You ever see the South Park epidose where there was no religiion in the future but all the atheists were still fighting each other, claiming their 'guy' was the 1st true atheist? Sadly, I don't think mankind will ever evolve past war and violence, even without organized religion.

    But I do take offense to the post below from Angelica. Only non-believers are ignorant, offensive, and violent? I wonder if she knows that the Pope was in charge of investigating the child abuse cases throughout the church before he was the Pope, and he sent letters demanding that everyone keep it 'in house' and not involve the authorities. What kind of bullshit is that? Why does religion get a different set of rules than every other organization in society? I mean, think about it, if that was the CEO of a kindergarten chain and he told his employees to do this, he would be in jail for obstruction of justice. And this is supposed to be the leader of the Catholic church. Protect the institution before you protect the people the institution is supposed to be serving. It's just absolutely pathetic.
    angelica wrote:
    How do you explain the ignorance, offensiveness and violence that comes from non-believers?
    "If no one sees you, you're not here at all"
  • Rhinocerous Surprise
    Rhinocerous Surprise Posts: 4,423
    JD Sal wrote:
    There would still be violence. You ever see the South Park epidose where there was no religiion in the future but all the atheists were still fighting each other, claiming their 'guy' was the 1st true atheist? Sadly, I don't think mankind will ever evolve past war and violence, even without organized religion.

    But I do take offense to the post below from Angelica. Only non-believers are ignorant, offensive, and violent? I wonder if she knows that the Pope was in charge of investigating the child abuse cases throughout the church before he was the Pope, and he sent letters demanding that everyone keep it 'in house' and not involve the authorities. What kind of bullshit is that? Why does religion get a different set of rules than every other organization in society? I mean, think about it, if that was the CEO of a kindergarten chain and he told his employees to do this, he would be in jail for obstruction of justice. And this is supposed to be the leader of the Catholic church. Protect the institution before you protect the people the institution is supposed to be serving. It's just absolutely pathetic.

    Angelica never once said that "only" non-believers were any of those things. She merely pointed out that non-believers aren't exempt from being violent, ignorant or offensive.
    Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
  • JD Sal
    JD Sal Posts: 790
    Rhinocerous Surprise wrote:
    Angelica never once said that "only" non-believers were any of those things. She merely pointed out that non-believers aren't exempt from being violent, ignorant or offensive.

    Ok, I take back the 'only' part. Obviously non-believers can be violent, ignorant, and offensive, but I'll say it again, throughout history more people have been killed in the name of religion than for any other reason.
    "If no one sees you, you're not here at all"
  • baraka
    baraka Posts: 1,268
    JD Sal wrote:
    There would still be violence. You ever see the South Park epidose where there was no religiion in the future but all the atheists were still fighting each other, claiming their 'guy' was the 1st true atheist? Sadly, I don't think mankind will ever evolve past war and violence, even without organized religion.

    Yeah, I've seen that SP episode and it does somewhat sum up the argument, doesn't it?
    JD Sal wrote:
    But I do take offense to the post below from Angelica. Only non-believers are ignorant, offensive, and violent? I wonder if she knows that the Pope was in charge of investigating the child abuse cases throughout the church before he was the Pope, and he sent letters demanding that everyone keep it 'in house' and not involve the authorities. What kind of bullshit is that? Why does religion get a different set of rules than every other organization in society? I mean, think about it, if that was the CEO of a kindergarten chain and he told his employees to do this, he would be in jail for obstruction of justice. And this is supposed to be the leader of the Catholic church. Protect the institution before you protect the people the institution is supposed to be serving. It's just absolutely pathetic.

    I don't think that was her point, that 'non-believers' alone are ignorant, offensive, & violent. That obviously is incorrect. I think her point was the same as mine. Although religion seems to be a great means (if not the biggest) to violence & intolerance, doing away with it would not solve society's ills. There are ignorant, offensive, violent folks that are non-believers as well as believers. And like your SouthPark example, if we did away with religion, we would just find another channel to express our violence.
    The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance,
    but the illusion of knowledge.
    ~Daniel Boorstin

    Only a life lived for others is worth living.
    ~Albert Einstein
  • JD Sal
    JD Sal Posts: 790
    baraka wrote:
    I don't think that was her point, that 'non-believers' alone are ignorant, offensive, & violent. That obviously is incorrect. I think her point was the same as mine. Although religion seems to be a great means (if not the biggest) to violence & intolerance, doing away with it would not solve society's ills. There are ignorant, offensive, violent folks that are non-believers as well as believers. And like your SouthPark example, if we did away with religion, we would just find another channel to express our violence.

    I agree. And I may have misinterpreted Angelica's post. That's what I get for trying to work and post in the pit at the same time.
    "If no one sees you, you're not here at all"
  • catefrances
    catefrances Posts: 29,003
    angelica wrote:
    How do you explain the ignorance, offensiveness and violence that comes from some non-believers?

    i corrected your post for you. no thanks necessary. :)
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    69charger wrote:
    Humans would evolve exponentially if we quit trying to kill each other over who's imaginary friend is better.

    Like labor unions, religion's time in this world needs to come to an end. Both served a noble purpose and are obsolete and only serving to destroy what they claim to protect.

    We'd have none of the rights that we take fo granted in the workplace today if it wasn't for the unions. And there are still plenty of employees who'd be shafted without them.

Categories