Questions to Christians

[Martin Peter Clarke]

"Is it possible it is not God that atheists hate but morality itself?"

Are you a PN theist who hates atheists who hate morality? If so, comrade Rosa Lichtenstein has a few questions for you:

"Why does the questioner think we ‘hate’ a figment of ‘her’ imagination?

Perhaps the questioner can also explain how it is possible to ‘hate morality’ — and which ‘morality’ is it we are supposed to ‘hate’?

Is it the ‘morality’ of the Old Testament ‘god’? Maybe it’s the ‘highly moral act’ that led to the mass murder of virtually all of humanity (including babies and unborn foetuses) in a ‘world-wide flood’? Or is it the sort of ‘morality’ that ordered the mass slaughter of the Canaanites? Perhaps it’s the ‘moral code’ that permitted the enslavement of countless thousands by the Israelites? Could it be the ‘morality’ of a ‘god’ who calls ‘his’ creation “good” when ‘he’ put us on a planet that is 99% molten and radioactive rock, in a universe full of exploding stars and lethal radiation, with meteors that regularly smack into the earth? Or is it the ‘morality’ of a ‘being’ who showed such deep respect for the ‘sanctity life’ by placing the reproductive organs in or near the excretory organs in most animals, including those who were allegedly made in ‘his image’?

Such a shining example of pristine ‘morality’, I am sure the questioner will agree.

But, no atheist would do any of the above if we had the power ‘god’ has at ’his’ disposal. Does that make us more ‘moral’ than the ‘god’ the questioner seems to think is ‘morally’ superior?"

So where would you separate the uro from the genital? And both further from anal, presumably? I blame evolution, for your aesthetic dilemma (Freud would love it). Our moral taste receptors haven't caught up with 'civilization' yet. But not for rationalizing the UG, and nearby anal colloquially excretory; technically only the kidneys excrete chemical waste, functions. Toilets would be more complex. Sexual congress would be more diverse.

Perfect by the way. There's only one intellectually honest rational believer here so far tho'.

[I must be mad, or bored, or bored mad, or... I've un-Foed you.]

[MikeNovack]

What does…. “thou shalt not have other gods” mean?

That is an unfair question EXCEPT that perhaps you asked it that way because they often seem to believe that's how the 2nd commandment reads. It does not. It reads "Thou shalt ave no other gods before me' and luckily for today's discussion, the ambiguity of the Hebrew "lifnay ani" and the English "before me" is the same. Both can mean "in front of" or "in my presence". The Hebrew Bible is not assuming the non-existence of other gods. While the worship of some of these other gods is specifically forbidden (example the Moabite god Baal of Peor) not in general.

This was the ancient middle east, lots of religions around. You expected the folks in the town next hill over worshiped differently than you did. Making a contract with somebody, you wanted him to swear by his god(s), not yours. Just because not your religion, doesn't mean not taking seriously.