Dear Believer
by Dan Barker Dear Believer, — You asked me to consider Christianity as the answer for my life. I have done that. I consider it untrue, repugnant, and harmful. You expect me to believe Jesus was born of a virgin impregnated by a ghost? Do you believe all the crazy tales of ancient religions? Julius Caesar was reportedly born of a virgin; Roman historian Seutonius said Augustus bodily rose to heaven when he died; and Buddha was supposedly born speaking. You don’t believe all that, do you? Why do you expect me to swallow the fables of Christianity? I find it incredible that you ask me to believe that the earth was created in six literal days; women come from a man’s rib; a snake, a donkey, and a burning bush spoke human language; the entire world was flooded, covering the mountains to drown evil; all animal species, millions of them, rode on one boat; language variations stem from the tower of Babel; Moses had a magic wand; the Nile turned to blood; a stick turned into a snake; witches, ...
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They teach, lie, and brainwash you into believing money is evil, and to save yourself and soul, you must give your money to the church or religious institution.
Yet I've also come to see it as an 'evolutionary' thing, ie. social engineering.
In the wild, groups or herds of animals are usually ruled by a single dominant male.
This authority figure is the only one allowed to do the mating. That way he ensures that only his genes are passed on. Only his kind continue.
If any other animal tries to get it on with his females they get beaten off (so to speak) - and they know it.
This behaviour would have thus continued up through apeman days, and caveman days, until it got translated into the religious 'values', as in this video, in more modern man.
Religion was set up to control not only individuals, but entire communities.
The authority figures alone get to decide who can procreate, and if you resist you get beaten down.
This way if you want to 'do it' you have to submit to their regulations, unless you want trouble ...so reinforcing their authority.
Now being protective is a different issue. As a part of my family and being someone I love, I would be ready to protect and defend my daughter from any unwanted suitors and give her the benefit of my experience in deciding what kingds of relationships are healthy and beneficial to her.
Bottom line: if she's an adult and she wants to have sex, its her business.
If she doesn't want to have sex, then you are my business!
What if I am not a good "suitor"? What if I just want to have sex with your daughter a few times? Also, what if your daughter is aware of that and she agrees to it?
Have you thought about this? The issue that you have raised would never have become a problem if young girls' hormones didn't kick in a long time before they are psychologically and emotionally mature enough to deal with sex (and having children).
Now who would design an arrangement like that?
The article quoted a leading European researcher on teen sexuality who dismisses the idea that sex constitutes risky behavior for teens. He said: "In many European countries - Switzerland in particular - sexual intercourse, at least from the age of 15 or 16 years, is considered acceptable and even part of normative adolescent behavior."
The article also noted that Switzerland has one of the world's lowest rates of abortion and teen pregnancy. It further said that teens there and in other European countries have easy access to contraceptives, confidential health care, and comprehensive sex education. Abstinence-only teachings are considered "unfair," "useless," and "inefficient."
Additionally, the article stated: "Straightforward messages on how to prevent STDs and teen pregnancy help offset the impact on teens of sexually explict ads, movies, and other mass media - as ubiquitous in Western Europe as in the United States...."
Finally, the article quoted the head of a Swiss research group on adolescent medicine: "The main difference is that in the States sexual activity is considered a risk. Here we consider it a pleasure."
Undoubtedly, the decline of religious belief in Europe has led to a much more rational and humane attitude toward sexuality.
accidental death from car crashes makes driving a sin.
Throwing caution to the wind,being irresponsible and not educating yourself about the dangers of certain behaviors is just stupid,..not sinful.
Sex is sin?
The Bible never tells us that sex is sin. In fact, it was God who invented sex for the pleasure and procreation of human beings.
Sin is defined as using legitimate things in illegitimate ways.
Sex, a legitimate act becomes illegitimate when you use it in ways that God did not prescribe, e.g. sex before marriage, sex outside the marriage, homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality etc.
We shall remember that legitimate sex is a gift of God.
The author contended that religionists brainwashed sex into a sin. But it is not religionists but the Bible itself.
When you doubt it....dont' ask, but pray--The Bible never asks us to suppress our doubts.
God invites the people of Israel in the book of Isaiah, 'Come, let us REASON' (Isaiah 1:18). God values our rational capacities in evaluating things around us.
How could a good god allow evil?....The atheist has been shooting his feet since ages unknown with this question.
Who told you that there is evil in this world?
After all, we all came out of Big Bang and acting according to our instincts.
Who knows where we end up in this unceasing ocean of change and chance?
Hunger and Sex......the analogy is good.
Hunger is good, but unrestricted hunger brings heart disease, cancer and hypertension.
Similarly, sex is good, but unrestricted sex brings STDs, HIV, and ultimately judgment of God.
God says in Hebrews chapter 13, 'Marriage is honorable of all, but whoremongers and adulterers God shall judge'.
That was a good article from the Washington Post. Here's the link.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/15/AR2006051500809.html
Cheers
Good points on the bad results of eating too much.
Yet, becoming as big as house doesn't seem to bring the judgment of gawd, does it?
What's Falwell's weight up to now, about 450?
Abusing sex or food leads to health and life problems. A lack of self control is stupid, but it is NOT a SIN!
Funny how it was soon forgotten, by the bible team members.
Gen. 19:36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.
Gen. 20:2 And Abraham said of Sarrah his wife, she is my sister
Apparently, someone didn't bother to read the survey mentioned by (unfortunately) "anonymous" earlier in this thread.
Time and again, surveys have shown that the more sexually progressive countries in the west have lower teen pregnancy and STD rates than their "religious" conterparts (e.g. the US). And in the US, those rates are highest in the most conservative and religious portions of the country (e.g. the South).
Just like Katrina, apparently gawd is "target challenged" when it comes to punishing the guilty.
The questions isn't "do you want to have sex with her?", it's "does she want to have sex with you?"
If she does then I need to honor her choice. (Even if it is a one night stand.)
Its just that simple.
A sweater is a gift.
But if I give my good friend a beautiful sweater as a gift, but then I tell her she cannot wear that sweater unless she wears a pink tee shirt underneath and a tan plaid coat over it and, oh yeah, she can only wear it to the grocery store on alternate Thursdays, is it really still a gift?
"Religion was set up to control not only individuals, but entire communities.
The authority figures alone get to decide who can procreate, and if you resist you get beaten down.
This way if you want to 'do it' you have to submit to their regulations, unless you want trouble ...so reinforcing their authority."
Dan :> So the Pope becomes the controller of sex, and all of the other clowns wearing the dresses, that he is the boss of, become like sex policemen.
No wonder pedophilia has run rampant in the Catholic church from almost the beginning.
Then of course the Baptists and the several thousand other varieties of religious mind control cults do the same thing, with approximately the same results.
The preacher man and his subordinates become the boss over your sexuality, and are in the best position to control the fragile minds of the pretty young nubile girlies, and get the first shot at them.
DAN
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