id
int32
0
7.53k
text
stringlengths
0
61.3k
label
int64
0
6
6,162
[much stuff deleted] excuse me, but what makes you think that just because he's atheist he doesn't know anything about christianity???? in my (albeit limited) experience atheists are often the ones who know _more_ about the bible, having searched it from end to end for answers. i myself am a christian, but that doe...
4
63
-- Douglas C. Meier | You can't play Electro-magnetic Golf Northwestern University, ACNS | according to the rules of Centrifugal This University is too Commie- | Bumblepuppy. -Huxley, Brave New World Lib Pinko to have these views. | dmeier@casbah.acns.nwu.edu
4
5,916
Another article that fell between the cracks: As evidence for the Resurrection, it is often claimed that the Disciples were tortured to death for their beliefs and still did not renounce their claim that Jesus had come back from the dead. Now, I skimmed Acts and such, and I found a reference to this happening to Ste...
4
5,680
The following is a juxtaposition of part of an ancient text known as "de Sacramentis", usually attributed to St. Ambrose of Milan, and the canon of the traditional Catholic Mass of the Roman rite. The conclusion from this comparison is that the central part of the traditional Roman canon was already fairly well in pla...
4
3,441
In <1qvh8tINNsg6@citation.ksu.ksu.edu> yohan@citation.ksu.ksu.edu (Jonathan W This doesn't seem right. If I want to kill you, I can because that is what I decide? Not really. If whatever a particular society mandates as ok is ok, there are always some in the "society" who disagree with the mandates, so which ...
4
725
I don't think I've changed my stance at all. My original stance was that a painless execution was not a cruel one. I didn't say what would be considered cruel, only that a painless death wasn't. Now, cruelty must involve some sort of suffering, I believe. I don't think someone that gets shot in the head or electr...
4
6,067
This is a point that seems to have been overlooked by many. The ending of a 1600 year old schism seems to be in sight. The theologians said that the differences between them were fundamentally ones or terminology, and that the Christological faith of both groups was the same. Some parishes have concelebrated the...
4
7,389
It should be noted that belief in God is in itself no more a behavoral imperative than lack of belief. It is religion which causes the harm, not the belief in God.
4
1,864
[Frank's solution deleted.] If you have access to telnet, contact nyx.cs.du.edu. It's a public access Unix system, completly free, and all you need to for access is a verifiable form of ID (I think he requires a notarized copy of a picture, or a check, or some such).
4
2,009
way.qub.ac.uk writes (single angle brackets): ng There is no question of similarity in Jesus indication about John. The passage in Matthew is very direct. Where Luke (1:17) reports the angel Gabriel prophesying that John will go before Christ "in the power and spirit of Elias", In Matthew 11: 14, Jesus himself say...
4
1,359
CJF> agrino@enkidu.mic.cl (Andres Grino Brandt) asks about Mormons. CJF> Although I don't personally know about independent sudies, I do know CJF> a few things. CJF> One of the more amusing things in the BOM is a claim that a CJF> civilization existed in North America, aroun where the mystical plates CJF> were found...
4
93
How about Acts 11: 15-18, 22-23 or, I John 4:1-8 which says to *try* the spirits to see if they be of God. How do you know? When have you tried to learn anything about me? --
4
3,856
David Hammerslag asked: How do you (Mormons) reconcile the idea of eternal marriage with Christ's statement that in the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage (Luke, chapt. 20)? Several explanations for this seeming contradiction have been proposed, but most LDS scholars whose opinions I h...
4
6,933
Thanks for the etymology lesson, but I actually know what "orthodox" means. You're avoiding my question, however, which was: From what body of theology does your version of orthodoxy come? You seem to simply be saying that whatever *you* understand the Bible to say is "orthodox." You are obviously mistaken, sin...
4
2,120
Well here's how I prepared. I got one of those big beach umbrellas, some of those gel-pack ice things, a big Coleman cooler which I've loaded up with Miller Draft (so I like Miller Draft, so sue me), a new pair of New Balance sneakers, a Sony Watchman, and a couple of cartons of BonTon Cheddar Cheese Popcorn. I have...
4
4,991
the prophets who were there when the foundation was laid for the house of the LORD Almighty, let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built.
4
1,436
Edgar Pearlstein asks (Fri 7 May 1993) whether the Supreme Court, or any other government authority, has attempted a legal definition of religion. The Universal Military Training and Service Act of 1958 exempted from the draft those whose "religious training and belief" was opposed to participation in war in any form....
4
6,735
Absolutely not true. Without religion - either an established one or one you invent for yourself - the theist and atheist are equally (not) interested in God, because without religious revelation there is _no_ information about God available. Strip away the dogma and the theists/atheists are no different, simply holdi...
4
330
If you check the news today, (AP) the "authorities also found a state-of-the-art automatic machine gun that investigators did not know was in the cult's arsenal." [Carl Stern, Justice Department] I imagine the authorities know the difference between semi and fully automatic and probably knew weather the guns were leg...
4
3,596
From Bit.listserv.christia Zane writes... From: FACN34B@SAUPM00.BITNET (zane of dhahan) Subject: Christianity in Crisis Date: Wed May 12 14:43:19 1993 "Frank, first of all, thanks for all of the great Scripture verses. It was a pleasure to read them." MY REPLY... You are welcome, Zane. Zane... "I am sure noth...
4
1,606
[...] I think you are mistaken in thinking Tom Scharle to be a atheist. You will find both atheists and Christians among your opponents on t.o. Calling your opponents them "Branch Athiests zealots" does nothing for your credibility. Oh yes, do. Dear me. This is taken _so_ out of context that it's hard to kno...
4
1,208
Woo! So far, we've had the following interpretations of the figure of the `Whore of Babylon' in Rev 17 & 18: a) The United States of America b) MHO dB) which was as a figure of the fallen spiritual powers who corrupt and oppress human society c) Historical Jerusalem d) Historical Rome Dare I suggest that the passa...
4
6,511
The Catholic doctrine of predestination does not exclude free will in any way. Since God knows everything, He therefore knows everything that is going to happen to us. We have free will, and are able to change what happens to us. However, since God knows everything, He knows all the choices we will make "in adva...
4
1,972
Just taking a guess, perhaps it was that Koresh had peaceably been served with warrants before, and he did not shoot anyone but instead went with the police without fighting. -- "On the first day after Christmas my truelove served to me... Leftover Turkey! On the second day after Christmas my truelove served to me......
4
2,908
As I understand, that number is deceptive. The reason is that the money cost was in non-oil sales for the most part. Iraq still is not allowed to sell oil, or do many of the things under the initial sanctions, but is still surviving. Of the ~93% (I have heard figures closer to 80%, but I won't quibble your figures...
4
1,749
What about the land mines which have already been mentioned? Oh, very neat. Dismiss everything I say unless I can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt something which you yourself admit I can never prove to your satisfaction. Thanks, I'll stick to squaring circles.
4
4,103
+ I will put enmity between you [the Serpent] and the woman, and + between your seed and her seed, she [can also be read he] shall + crush your head and you shall bruise her [or his] heel. + -Genesis 3.15 In the Hebrew of Genesis 3:15, the gender is clearly masculine. + HE shall crush your head, and you sha...
4
2,026
Please excuse the length of this post, but for personal reasons, I must go on at some length. [...more deleted...] Perhaps it would be instructive to see what my original post had to say: [followed by my signature] I was extremely careful in this posting not to say anything which was not factual. ...
4
334
This week, many of you have asked about my earlier postings on OT, NT and Intertestiment exegesis on the homosexual issue. I have refered you to the FAQ files, which I find out, no longer contains them. They are too long for me to mail to each of you, each article, but will try to get them back on the FAQ file. Be...
4
1,753
I would like to see his reasoning behind this. You may have gotten "burned" by natural disaster prophecies down there, but that does not mean that every natural disaster/judgement prophecy is false. Take a quick look at the book of Jeremiah and it is obvious that judgement prophecies can be valid. here in the US, ...
4
1,866
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3
4
3,942
This idea, that the Reformers somehow were the first to bring the Bible to the people in their own language, is a myth. Many vernacular translations of the Bible existed long before the Reformation. The Vulgate Bible, which is still the official version of the Bible for the Catholic Church, was itself a translati...
4
4,942
When I need a kick-butt God, or when I need assurance of the reality of truth, I pray to God the Father. When I need a friend, someone to put his arm around me and cry with me, I pray to Jesus. When I need strength or wisdom to get through a difficult situation, I pray for the Holy Spirit. I realize that the above ...
4
6,965
pmy> ...Anyway, I've often wondered what business followers of Christ pmy> would have with weapons. fc> Didn't Christ tell his disciples to arm them selves, shortly fc> before his crusifiction? (I believe the exact quote was along the fc> lines of, "If you have [something] sell it and buy a sword.") "If you have ...
4
6,120
I hate to sound flippant, having shot off my mouth badly on the net before, but I'm afraid that much of this material only adds to my feeling that "the assumption of Mary" would be better phrased "our assumptions _about_ Mary." In all the time I've been reading about Mary on this group, I can not recall reading much a...
4
3,916
IMHO this are going from bad to worse. 3-in-1, 1-in-3 was bad enough. I do not like a God who prays to Himself. I refuse to believe Jesus prayed to Himself -- let's get real, if the scriptures say He prayed to the Father, then the Father IS someone different than the Son. I have no problems with multiple God...
4
4,427
I don't think Joe was saying any such thing. However, your question on "asking Jesus to come into your heart" seems to imply that infants are not allowed to have Christ in theirs. Why must Baptism always be viewed by some people as a sort of "prodigal son" type of thing; i.e. a sudden change of heart, going from ...
4
3,823
4
3,768
[referring to Mary] I have quite a problem with the idea that Mary never committed a sin. Was Mary fully human? If it is possible for God to miraculously make a person free of original sin, and free of committing sin their whole life, then what is the purpose of the Incarnation of Jesus? Why can't God just repeat t...
4
6,547
pmoloney@maths.tcd.ie (Paul Moloney) writes... Never lived out in the country I see. 4 years ago I had a place where I had to carry in propane every month, hook the bottle up to copper line, to supply both the stove, and a type of water- heater called a flash-heater. A flash heater has a pilot lamp. Here's the poin...
4
1,821
If that's the ONLY reason, I'd be inclined to doubt whether or not what they profess is Christianity. The relationship of faith is based upon trust. Fear and trust are generally incompatible. If my only motivation is fear, is there room for trust? If so, there's room for faith. If fear precludes trust, then ther...
4
920
Give him the $2, leave the house and call the police. That's what I would do. I will not kill to protect mere possessions. Peace be with you,
4
3,761
4
6,551
The belief that the churches of Egypt and Syria were (or are) monophysite is false, as is the belief that they often held that the Council of Chalcedon was Nestorian. These misunderstandings were exacerbated by political factors, and thus led to schism - a schism that is on its way to being healed.
4
6,562
So Rick, why not read the Bible for yourself? It is written in plain english. Decide for yourself.
4
3,194
What makes you say that the guns were illegal?? I understand that the BD's had a valid Class III Federal Firearms Permit, which would allow them to have pretty much anything short of a howitzer legally.
4
5,191
I'm about to revise my resume and was wondering if I should put on there the fact that I'm a Christian. Give me some input on what you think.
4
5,922
i guess i ought not conclude from this, then, that since you didn't ask to be created, you don't care if you go to hell. :) i don't consider myself an unthinking sheep. the bible says god created us to be in communion and obedience to him. the first and only rule was to not eat of a certain tree, or else ...
4
576
["it" is Big Bang] Since you asked... from the Big Bang to the formation of atoms is about 10E11 seconds. As for the "color": bright. Very very bright. I don't. I believe the current theory of cosmology because it is fairly well supported by observational evidence (not as well supported as, say evolution or rela...
4
5,554
The Christian Reformed Church does not allow people to belong to lodges, the Reformed Church in America does. The conservatives in both churches are very similar, as are the "progressives". The RCA currently ordains women; the CRC is fighting over the issue.
4
4,161
[ deleted ] [ deleted ] Your information on this topic is very much out of date. Quantum Electro- dynamics (QED - which considers light to be particles) has been experimentally verified to about 14 decimal digits of precision under ALL tested conditions. I'm afraid that this case, at least in the physics community,...
4
2,718
[ in response to a question about why Jesus' parents would be sanctified beyond normal humanity] I would think that simply being pregnant with the incarnation of the Almighty God would be enough to make Mary blessed among all women, whether or not she had special spiritual attributes. I find that the more special M...
4
7,070
If what was being discussed could be established or disproven by experiment and observation, then I would agree with you, Chris. The burden of proof would belong to Bill. But the source document for Christianity, the Bible, simply assumes God exists and makes it clear (to us Calvinists, anyway :-)) that when a pers...
4
1,716
speaking of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin: Yes. For examples of this in the writings of the early fathers, consider: You alone and your Mother are more beautiful than any others; For there is no blemish in you, nor any stains upon your Mother. Who of my children ...
4
3,082
Isn't that just a variation of the "Achilles & the turtle" paradox, which states that achilles could never possibly overtake a turtle? How should one deal with a man who is convinced that he is acting according to God's will, and who there- Jokke fore believes that he is doing you a favour by stabbi...
4
5,639
In <1993Apr24.214843.10940@midway.uchicago.edu> eeb1@quads.uchicago.edu If the ONLY people proposing a "moment of silence" are doing so as a sham to sneak in prayers, then it MUST be opposed. What the HELL have prayers to do with public schooling? [I ask this question as a devout Christian.] Their kids can blood...
4
4,724
Didn't expect to find you in the Devil's role, Stephen, but these are the times that try men's souls. Nine months, as I understand it. No doubt this accounts for a significant amount of the time as government efficiency in spending our tax dollars would certainly seek its absolute minimum in such an event. But my g...
4
4,989
This is a very good point. I have already made the clear claim that Khomeini advocates views which are in contradition with the Qur'an and have given my arguments for this. This is something that can be checked by anyone sufficiently interested. Khomeini, being dead, really can't respond, but another poster who sup...
4
3,560
I don't think we should draw borders around newsgroups, christians are free to read and post entries on the atheist newsgroups, and muslims are free to so so in other groups as well. It's up to each individual to define their time schedule concerning postings. The problems we all have noticed on various newsgroups ...
4
3,946
This is the story of Kent, the archetype Finn, that lives in the Bay Area, and tried to purchase Thomas Paine's "Age of Reason". This man was driving around, to Staceys, to Books Inc, to "Well, Cleanlighted Place", to Daltons, to various other places. When he asked for this book, the well educated American book store...
4
1,407
Hi Frank: I've read it a couple of times and I think that it is excellent. Christiandom has needed this book for some time now. I suggest that *every* Christian read it. According to Hank, they printed 15 times more than Harvest House usually prints for the first printing, and it still sold out in the first week. I...
4
3,142
Actually, I just think he's confused. *I'm* going to hell because I'm Gay, not becuase I don't believe in God. (I wonder if that means I can't come to Tammy & Deans picnic?)
4
412
It sure did! I have; and all the above teach me that accurately perceiving reality is a tricky business -- _not_ that there's no reality. -- Mark Pundurs
4
7,027
... I'm in Japan. (Michael, could you give me more info about where Akita is: nearest city would be good) If I find it, I'll get pictures and post a digitised version if enough people are interested.
4
4,109
Yes, atheists tend to claim self control and self ownership. Are you saying that theists claim to not have self control? I don't think atheists are "dominantly arrogant." They don't claim some god that has supremacy over all of mankind. Now this claim would be arrogant, but atheists don't claim it. Most atheists do c...
4
5,769
| | > Mary at that time appeared to a girl named Bernadette at | > Lourdes. She referred to herself as the Immaculate Conception. | > Since a nine year old would have no way of knowing about the | > doctrine, the apparition...
4
4,048
Jesus did and so do I. Peace be with you,
4
2,922
IMO, the influence of Stalin, or for that matter, Ayn Rand, invalidates your assumption that theism is the factor to be considered. Gullibility, blind obedience to authority, lack of scepticism, and so on, are all more reliable indicators. And the really dangerous people - the sources of fanaticism - are often no...
4
2,719
From article <May.14.02.11.36.1993.25219@athos.rutgers.edu>, by tas@pegasus.com (Len Howard):
4
1,627
I guess I would react rather strongly to this line of thinking carried out! When you think "your army" is stronger than "mine", you would "righteously" take my children and baptize them, doing what you know is really "best" for them. You cannot possibly put this kind of action, nor the crusades into the co...
4
2,300
The idea of an apostacy did not originate with Lucy Smith or Joseph Smith or the Mormons. The idea of a restoration was quite common in the early 19th century USA. Alexander Campbell, founder of the group that now survives with the name "Disciples of Christ" preached that the primitive church had been lost and was a...
4
3,545
4
7,319
Bill, I think you have a misunderstanding about atheism. Lack of belief in God does not directly imply lack of understanding transcendental values. I hope you would accept the fact that for instance Buddhists appreciate issues related to non-empirical reasoning without the need to automatically believe in theism. I...
4
1,346
| | > Mary at that time appeared to a girl named Bernadette at | > Lourdes. She referred to herself as the Immaculate Conception. | > Since a nine year old would have no way of knowing about the | > doctrine, the apparition...
4
5,482
Romans 10:16-17 "But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed our message?' Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." So then we receive God's gift of faith to us as we hear the message of t...
4
6,649
[reply to timmbake@mcl.ucsb.edu (Bake Timmons] Which newsgroup have you been reading? The few anti-Christian posts are virtually all in response to some Christian posting some "YOU WILL ALL BURN IN HELL" kind of drivel. Bake, it is transparently obvious that you are a theist pretending to be an atheist. You p...
4
1,253
Well, suppose your mother was a crack addict and crack user/abuser while she was pregnant? Suppose your husband gave you some SDT (this recently happened to a close friend of my wife and mine)? OFTEN, the consequences of our sin are at least partially inflicted on innocent people. Several times in the OT, this i...
4
4,258
Darwin fish can be bought from: -- "JOIN THE DARWINNERS (TM) Send $6 to receive your official Evolving Fish.. wherever you want to spread the good news! Darwinners, 6671 Sunset Blvd., Ste. 1525, L.A.,CA 90028 THE GREATEST THEORY EVER TOLD!" Jenny
4
5,348
Would someone be kind enought to document the exact nature of the evidence against the BD's without reference to hearsay or newsreports. I would also like to know more about their past record etc. but again based on solid not media reports. My reason for asking for such evidence is that last night on Larry King Live...
4
5,299
I and many others on a.a have described how we have tried to find god. Are you saying our efforts have not been sincere? For all the effort I have put in, there has been no outward nor inward change that I can perceive. What's a sincerely searching Agnostic or Atheist supposed to do when even the search turns up no...
4
4,994
Hello Ceci: My name is Tony and I have a few comments on your "rosicrucian" adventure. I hereby state that I am not claiming or denying membership in any Order, fraternity etc. with or without the word "Rosicrucian" in the name of the organization. I only claim having done some "homework" :-) This is inten...
4
1,256
The Catholic doctrine of predestination does not exclude free will in any way. Since God knows everything, He therefore knows everything that is going to happen to us. We have free will, and are able to change what happens to us. However, since God knows everything, He knows all the choices we will m...
4
4,539
Convenient? It seems very appropriate that this is cross-posted to alt.conspiracy. Assuming the most favorable interpretation of your '1000 degree' measurement (that the temperature is in Centigrade, rather than the more common -in the US- Fahrenheit), you are still laboring under at least 2 misconceptions: 1. Yo...
4
6,900
Though you can certaily assert all this, I don't see why it necessarily has to be the case. Why can't hate just stay as it is, and not beget more? Who says we have to get disgusted and start hating the sinner. I admit this happens, but I donlt think you can say it is always necessaily so. Why can we not hate with a p...
4
302
hey folks, I'm fairly new to these groups, tho' some have heard from me before. I'd like to get your comments on a question that has been on my mind a lot: What morals/ethics apply to dreams and out-of-body incidents? In normal dreams, you can't control anything, so obviously you aren't morally responsible for your ...
4
4,520
When they're not important, yes. All scientists do. Otherwise science would never get anywhere. Hang about -- not atomic interactions in general. Just specific ones which are deemed unimportant. Like gravitational interactions between ions, which are so small they're drowned out by electrostatic effects, and so ...
4
7,248
A world creator god does, the moment it creates the world. And to sayi that you can't recall *anyone* is even below your usual standard of a"arguing". My argument is based on quite usual theistic assumptions, namely god is perfect, god is all-knowing god sets the rules. The rules don't work for whatever reason. B...
4
2,630
That's not "showing the signs of his innate sin", that's testing the limits of his newfound independence. A two-year-old will continually test you to see just how much he can get away with, just as a pet dog will. If a child always submitted to your will in a docile fashion, would you praise him and suspect that he'...
4
2,731
: : . : It's my understanding that the U.S. Supreme Court has never : given a legal definition of religion. This despite the many : cases involving religion that have come before the Court. : Can anyone verify or falsify this? : Has any state or other government t...
4
3,306
If I remember correctly Prometheus books have this one in stock, so just call them and ask for the book. Cheers, Kent
4
5,993
Did that FAQ ever got modified to re-define strong atheists as not those who assert the nonexistence of God, but as those who assert that they BELIEVE in the nonexistence of God? There was a thread on this earlier, but I didn't get the outcome... -- Adam "No Nickname" Cooper
4
5,357
Same old bullshit. Not being given to delusions and wishful thinking I do not have the option of either loving or obeying that which I have so reason to believe. More bullshit. I assure you in my misguided youth I made a sincere effort. It was very painful being a rational person raised in Christian home. Many other...
4
3,917
DN> I think I took on this 'liar, lunatic, or the real thing' DN> the last time. Or was it the time before? Anyway, let DN> somebody else have a turn. I can't debate it with a DN> straight face. Or perhaps for something completely DN> different we could just ridicule him or gather up all the DN> posts from the last ...
4
3,716
You don't need any counterfeit athiest's myth to make religion appear absurd. You need only read any of friendly Christian Bill Conner's posts.
4
2,521
Conviction of Sin A meta-exegetical or methodological essay I look forward to reading it. When I got to the library last week, it was with the object in view to look at some articles that have appeared over the last few years, since my previous look at the literature. Un- fortunately, they had moved the journa...
4
706
-*---- Far from being "tossed out," the gospels are taken, almost universally, as the primary source of information about Jesus. I am curious as to whom Mike Cobb is referring. Who "tosses out" the New Testament? Undoubtedly a few *naive* atheists do this, but the phrasing of the question above seems to suggest that...
4
5,558
I get the feeling that we are debating at cross-purposes--that we do not see the same fundamental assumptions, and this perhaps makes my answers orthogonal to your questions. I will try again. Perhaps you believe that nothing exists aside from objectively observable and provable things. In that case, I cannot show y...
4
2,645
Someone referred to my FAQ essay on homosexuality. Since it hasn't been posted for some time (and I've modified it somewhat since the last time), I'm taking this opportunity to post it. There is another entry in the FAQ containing comments by some other contributors. They can be retrieved from ftp.rutgers.edu as pub...
4
4
I've just spent two solid months arguing that no such thing as an objective moral system exists.
4
3,455
This seems appropriate, somehow...>:-)> [....] Hah! I have it on the very *best* authority (mine) that Koresh is whooping it up in a time-share condo in Dallas with Elvis, JFK, and (of course) J.R. "Bob" Dobbs, who also owns the place and everything else in Texas. Look for "koresh" sightings in the Weekly World New...
4