16 comments:

• Sarah Elizabeth Tygert posted at 12:20 am on Sat, Feb 2, 2013.

  Posts: 41

  Ha! I see what you did there....

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• Robert Jacobs posted at 2:26 pm on Fri, Jan 25, 2013.

  Posts: 297

  You believe this because you don't know God. The things of God are spiritually discerned and revealed by God and only by God. The things of God are foolishness to those who do not believe!

  Maybe one day he will choose to enlighten you as he has me....

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• Robert Jacobs posted at 2:24 pm on Fri, Jan 25, 2013.

  Posts: 297

  This is because the things of God are foolishness to you my dear!

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• Thomas Heuer posted at 6:25 pm on Tue, Jan 22, 2013.

  Posts: 1030

  Good post. However I would like to point out that the use of the term anti-religion is not a description of all who don't profess to participate in a religion. There are simply the non-religious that are not anti-religion.

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• Alexis Duclos posted at 9:02 am on Tue, Jan 22, 2013.

  Posts: 1

  "We cannot suppose that such people are without a sense of right and wrong or of what is morally appropriate just because some who are anti-religion are immoral. Besides, religious belief is no guarantee of moral integrity. Looking at the history of our species, we see that among the major troublemakers - those who visited violence, brutality, and destruction on their fellow human beings - there have been many who professed religious faith, often loudly. Religion can help us establish basic ethical principles. Yet we can still talk about ethics and morality without having recourse to religion." --Dalai Lama, in Ethics For the New Millenium

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• Sarah Elizabeth Tygert posted at 10:04 pm on Mon, Jan 21, 2013.

  Posts: 41

  I second David's response.

  I have no words. For once, I'm baffled into silence.

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• Robert Jacobs posted at 8:09 am on Mon, Jan 21, 2013.

  Posts: 297

  If God hadn't put on our hearts and minds what is right and what is wrong; we as human beings wouldn't know right from wrong!

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• Kevin Paglia posted at 6:38 pm on Sun, Jan 20, 2013.

  Posts: 1729

  Andy, while there are some extreme Catholics who claim a miraculous transmorgiphication of the bread and wine (I remember talking to OLD catholics who were taught to never shew the bread cause it might bleed on you). I, through six different parishes and 40 years have always been taught a more spiritual interpritation. Put simply, While Jesus may have been in human form, his BODY was spiritual. Repeatedly Jesus said he would give us nurishment that was not of this world, most Catholics understand that "eat this Bread", means take in Jesus' spiritual essence, to believe fully in Him.

  A good write up on this is here justforcatholics.org/a11.htm

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• Andy Crowder posted at 6:19 pm on Sun, Jan 20, 2013.

  Posts: 243

  Mr. Hallmark, who is feeding you such nonsense? What religious leader in Lodi has told you these deliberate lies? Evidence to the contrary is all around you. Entire nations are primarily atheistic (Sweden, Norway, Japan, many others) and with much lower crime rates, lower rates of abortion and poverty, and longer life expectancy. I assure you that the Swedish do not eat their young. It is Christians, on the other hand, who incorporate symbolic eating of flesh and drinking of blood in their rituals. For Catholics, the flesh and blood are said to be actual human tissue, an unfortunate practice most of us recognize as cannibalism.

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• Andy Crowder posted at 6:03 pm on Sun, Jan 20, 2013.

  Posts: 243

  Thank you, Kevin, for your honesty in acknowledging that morality exists apart from religion.

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• Kevin Paglia posted at 3:06 pm on Sun, Jan 20, 2013.

  Posts: 1729

  Unfortunately, as Mr. Hallmark proves, too many Christians confuse "morality" with "Honoring God". Morality can be done by anyone, existed long before current religous thoughts. On the other hand, "Honoring God" which encompasses religious morality goes beyond the action. Here are just a few biblical quotes to support my thoughts:

  Isaiah 43:7
  “Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” (KJV)
  1 Corinthians 10:31
  “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (ESV)
  1 Corinthians 6:20
  “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (KJV)
  1 Corinthians 6:20
  “you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (NIV)
  Colossians 3:23
  “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (NIV)
  Ecclesiastes 9:10
  “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” (NIV)

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• Thomas Heuer posted at 2:54 pm on Sun, Jan 20, 2013.

  Posts: 1030

  We all evolved from animals because we are animals and not plants. And because rocks don't evolve. We have surely evolved beyond some of our four footed, winged and finned cousins. But we still abide by the survival of the fittest which is still a foundation of our capitalist economic system. It is very offensive to equate atheists with the like of Stalin, Hitler, Mao and Pol Pot . First I believe there was some religious believes among them and two I find declaring that of the millions of atheists around the world are of the murderous lot incredibly misinformed. You are now talking about the neighbors in your community. This is not what would be a good neighborly attitude let alone good moral practice. As you say "love your neighbor as yourself". There is no logical conclusion to atheist Americans other than being good Ameicans. You must rest assured that "christian philosophy", or at least some of its tenants, will never die they have some universal truths in them even atheist appretiate. However we may call it something else and have less of the superstious cloud fogging them.

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• Thomas Heuer posted at 2:07 pm on Sun, Jan 20, 2013.

  Posts: 1030

  Good post David [smile]

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• Thomas Heuer posted at 2:02 pm on Sun, Jan 20, 2013.

  Posts: 1030

  Religious people like to make the supposition that their religion is the catalyst for moral behavior. In actuality moral behavior is generated by parents, friends and relatives and has been since the begining of time. Even amongst the moral among us conflicts occur necessitating rules both written and unwritten. Those who enjoy the company of others want to abide by the rules. Those who make their living buying and selling to others want to follow the rules so as not to offend.

  Religion usually adopts the rules that were already in existence that people agreed upon. The advent of writting was the tech advancement of ancient civilizations that was no less than TV today. Just as TV was a kind of magic so to was anything written down. TV just rehashed a lot of what was on the radio previously, nothing really new. The written word was a collection of what was oral tradition and now available to see repeatedly without having to have a story teller.

  People continue to form rules and as a result generate new social clics of like minded people with the new rules. Hence the number of denominations of christian churches. Why there are shias, sunnis and others amongst the muslims. Why there are dozens of Buddhist sects, etc. Its because PEOPLE make the rules they want to live by. Its why churches are always trying to reinvent themselves to be more relavant. They know their members will go some where else they like the rules better. Maybe even home.

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• David Diskin posted at 12:45 am on Sun, Jan 20, 2013.

  Posts: 121

  I suppose then, by the message Mr. Hallmark conveys in this piece, that I should be ready to eat my fellow man.

  This is inconvenient, as I happen to be a vegetarian.

  This piece is so wrought with errors that I don't even know where to begin. Guess I better grab a knife and fork. And maybe some Sriracha.

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• Rick Houdack posted at 12:14 pm on Sat, Jan 19, 2013.

  Posts: 123

  "Animals have no morals and frequently each each other for breakfast."
  Hallmark has never eaten bacon and eggs for breakfast?

  If his claims of God-based morality were true they would be demonstrably provable, but in fact, atheists, on average, seem to be at least as well behaved as the rest of society at large. His interpolation of tyrants like Stalin and Hitler et al to create a premise is equally specious.

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