The Philosophy Discussion Forum

Something I've noticed about Christians is that many seem to have the idea that everything will work out in "God's good time". Even the "anti-christ" seems to be perceived as a necessary step or something to precede the "second coming". God has everything under control.

There seems to be a famous adage about a man who breaks his leg and curses his bad luck, only to find out that it saves him from having to be drafted into the army. Even when it turns out to be a good thing, someone says, "we'll see" and sure enough, something else bad happens because of his broken leg. Someone says "we'll see" again, and lo and behold, something good then happens out of that. And the back and forth just keeps going on.

I've noticed that Christians are patient as long as they think God is in control. But as soon as they think that something is out of kilter, then they'll fight it tooth and nail.

Does the same thing apply to Trump? Trump seems clearly to be a worst-case scenario to more modern eyes. But the evangelicals seem to think that Biden and Obama were terribly worse. But if we really look at things closely, is Trump really better? Doesn't he seem worse in many ways? Is something good going to come from that if we continue on the path we're on? Or is it going to end us all up somewhere we don't want to be, that would have been better if we all resisted Trump?

I guess we'll never know. Because, like the second coming, we'll never know until it happens, and whatever Christians happen to think is the right direction is what they'll fight tooth and nail to stay on.

What if Christians are wrong? What if Trump needs to go ASAP before he causes more chaos? What if there is no second coming? What if there is no resurrection? What if the Bible is wrong or out of date?

I guess there's only one way to find out, and that is to let ourselves be led by the Christian moral majority, wherever that takes us.

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2026 2:22 pm Something I've noticed about Christians is that many seem to have the idea that everything will work out in "God's good time".

Lot's of people, not just Christians, think that time heals all wounds.

The nature of time is an interesting subject.

What is it you're saying with your first sentence premise?
Are you saying that time heals all wounds, is a Christian saying, and secular folks have a need to leave God out of the saying?
(That's what the premise suggests).

Walker wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2026 11:33 am

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2026 2:22 pm Something I've noticed about Christians is that many seem to have the idea that everything will work out in "God's good time".

Lot's of people, not just Christians, think that time heals all wounds.

The nature of time is an interesting subject.

What is it you're saying with your first sentence premise?
Are you saying that time heals all wounds, is a Christian saying, and secular folks have a need to leave God out of the saying?
(That's what the premise suggests).

I'm not talking about "time healing all wounds." I'm talking about the fact that Christianity preaches things like "let go, let God," but most Christians will fight and resist tooth and nail if they think God is displeased with what they are doing. AND many Christians only think God is displeased with non-Christians. They think that as long as they are Christian, they can do whatever they want to unbelievers and God will approve.

Look at the Bush and Trump administrations. Both were much more favored by Evangelicals than the Democrat administrations. Both started unprovoked wars and most of what I saw was Evangelicals bantering things like "support the troops" and saying that "protesting the war is treason". Apparently, it's fine and holy to kill Muslims because they aren't Christians.

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 2:52 am

My interpretation of the phrase is closer to reality than what you meant by the phrase.

Riding the winds of wu wei is closer still to the reality that the phrase about God-time describes, but that removes the opportunity to bash most Christians and many Christians, doesn't it.

You speak for many and most?

Walker wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 4:40 am

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 2:52 am

My interpretation of the phrase is closer to reality than what you meant by the phrase.

Riding the winds of wu wei is closer still to the reality that the phrase about God-time describes, but that removes the opportunity to bash most Christians and many Christians, doesn't it.

You speak for many and most?

I "bash" people for things like hypocrisy and injustice. Should I not do that?

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 5:06 am

You're asking me if you should? The asking itself is a considerable limitation displayed by you, which is a disqualifier.

I think that fantasies based on faulty premises aren't worth the effort.
Perhaps start with just a single sentence premise before taking flight.
That will get you cleared for take-off.

If a Christian bashed you for your hypocrisy and injustice, you would say that Christians are not allowed to do that according to the tenets of Christianity. Why, they didn't turn the other cheek.

You would thus be placing your conceptual limitations upon Christianity.

In placing your conceptual limitations upon Christianity, you are limiting the world external to your skin (Christianity), according to the limitations of your own understanding of that world.

In the same way, folks place limitations of their own understanding upon the gift of the United States to the world.

For example, in contrast to US bashing, lots of folks are grateful for crushed terrorism.

You have to admit that since its creation and application to the Industrial Age, the United States has done a lot of good for everyone, even Africa with its cell phone communication that replaced talking drums.

The world has plenty of food. Hunger is a matter of distribution and politics. Food is power. There is so much food in the world that Africa's population can and has exploded just on the surplus food.

Fantasies that all that is, could have come about in any other way than it did, make for a nice fiction.

Walker wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 5:57 am If a Christian bashed you for your hypocrisy and injustice, you would say that Christians are not allowed to do that according to the tenets of Christianity. Why, they didn't turn the other cheek.

Christians and anyone else are allowed to bash me for whatever reason they want. I may bash back, though. Does that sound fair?

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 6:08 am

Walker wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 5:57 am If a Christian bashed you for your hypocrisy and injustice, you would say that Christians are not allowed to do that according to the tenets of Christianity. Why, they didn't turn the other cheek.

Christians and anyone else are allowed to bash me for whatever reason they want. I may bash back, though. Does that sound fair?

Is fairness your objective, and should bashing be fair?

Do you think you display fairness towards Christians?

Answer truthfully, because everyone else already knows the truth.

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 6:08 am

Walker wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 5:57 am If a Christian bashed you for your hypocrisy and injustice, you would say that Christians are not allowed to do that according to the tenets of Christianity. Why, they didn't turn the other cheek.

Christians and anyone else are allowed to bash me for whatever reason they want. I may bash back, though. Does that sound fair?

it does...

just remember, someone bigger is always around the corner...

-Imp

Walker wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 6:35 am Do you think you display fairness towards Christians?

Answer truthfully, because everyone else already knows the truth.

Fair enough. I don't display fairness towards Christians. Do they display fairness toward me, looking at me as a blasphemer and saying that I'm going to hell because I don't read the Bible, go to church, or think that Jesus is "God"?

Is repaying unfairness with fairness, fair?

If so, fair to whom?

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 12:40 pm

Walker wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 6:35 am Do you think you display fairness towards Christians?

Answer truthfully, because everyone else already knows the truth.

Fair enough. I don't display fairness towards Christians. Do they display fairness toward me, looking at me as a blasphemer and saying that I'm going to hell because I don't read the Bible, go to church, or think that Jesus is "God"?

Well, what if that's exactly what you are and what will happen.
Isn't it fair to warn you to repent before you die is more than a word?

It's not like Christians want to send you to hell for not believing in heaven, which is the premise of some religions.

Interesting that you need to pick a soft target for your unfair attacks, like, turn the other cheek.

In a fair comparison, all you have is a few years of ego guiding your ordering of reality and causation, a hubristic ego that insists that stopping terrorism is wrong … while Christian principles have endured for thousands of years, through pockets of thick and thin.

Walker wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 1:21 pm

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 12:40 pm

Walker wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2026 6:35 am Do you think you display fairness towards Christians?

Answer truthfully, because everyone else already knows the truth.

Fair enough. I don't display fairness towards Christians. Do they display fairness toward me, looking at me as a blasphemer and saying that I'm going to hell because I don't read the Bible, go to church, or think that Jesus is "God"?

Well, what if that's exactly what you are and what will happen.
Isn't it fair to warn you to repent before you die is more than a word?

It's not like Christians want to send you to hell for not believing in heaven, which is the premise of some religions.

Interesting that you need to pick a soft target for your unfair attacks, like, turn the other cheek.

It's certainly possible that God is a vain, jealous, and sensitive God who likes people to worship him and only him. It's also possible that Christianity is complete hogwash.

Gary, it’s also possible that if you wipe your ass with your right hand and wish with your left hand, only one will consistently fill up.

In a fair comparison, all you have is a few years of ego guiding your ordering of reality and causation, a hubristic ego that insists that stopping terrorism is wrong … while Christian principles have endured for thousands of years, through pockets of thick and thin.

Discovering the most probable before the future becomes the present begins with a sound premise of what's possible.