"You, who frighten people with Hell, have brought them a hell on Earth"

[FrodosPet]

[valerief]

1. I wonder if this woman has been beheaded yet. Hope not. All major religions hate women. nt

[FrodosPet]

7. Sadly, you are right

Someday, hopefully, if we can get through the 21st Century without a social, economic, or environmental collapse, then reason and humanity will win out over superstitions and barbaric traditions.

Alas, that seems like a giant IF.

[Warpy]

2. That dude needs his jaws wired shut

so that his mouth is shut and he is forced to listen instead of trying to shout women down.

Arrogant bastards like that are why I have such an unsympathetic view of religion, in general. Women haters love to hide behind their holy books.

And news flash, buster, you're responsible for controlling yourself. Don't try to push it off on us.

[CJCRANE]

3. She mentions something that the fundies ignore: the concept of free will.

In all of the Abrahamic faiths there is the concept of free will in which God lets us make our own choices and then God is the ultimate judge of those choices.

By judging people and controlling them, fundies put themselves on the same level as God, which is blasphemy.

[saturnsring]

5. By judging people and controlling them, fundies put themselves on the same level as God, which is bl

By judging people and controlling them, fundies put themselves on the same level as God, which is blasphemy. nice point

[FiveGoodMen]

8. The free will argument is nonsense anyway

Here's the Christian idea:

1) God gives us the power to do as he says, thereby pleasing him
2) NONE of us live up to the standard ("For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God..&quot
3) He reasons that INFINITE punishment is the proper response
4) He gets us out of that predicament by arranging to get himself killed (temporarily)
5) IF you believe that, then he lets you off the hook

There are all kinds of things to criticize there, but here's the one no one ever seems to mention:

If "free will" actually meant that we could ever have pleased him without the whole cross drama, then some of us would.

That's the way it works: If there are currently 2 billion believers trying to please god -- and if it's possible to do so -- then at least a few of them don't really need the crucifixion to get them into heaven. When the bible says "ALL have sinned and come short..." it's a flashing neon sign: "THIS WHOLE THING IS A LIE. YOU'VE BEEN TAKEN!"

Think of it this way, if I built a cylindrical wall 30 feet high with no doors, no way to climb, drains so that the rainwater wouldn't eventually let you swim to the top, etc.

If I then air-lifted you into it and took away the rope, I could say, "You have free will; jump over the wall and escape any time you want. If you CHOOSE not to jump the 30ft wall, that's YOUR fault."

I'd be a devil, not a god. I'd be a monster.

Free will means nothing if you CAN'T fulfill whatever requirements are set upon you.

A whole lot of people have tried VERY HARD to exercise their "free will" and please god over the centuries; the bible assures us that none of them ever had a chance.

FUCK THAT!

[Plucketeer]

4. TRULY Amazing that this sort of oppression

goes on STILL - on this planet. And what's more amazing as well, is that my country - the USA - considers Saudi Arabia a close "friend" and ally. May the Saudi royals DROWN in their black goo.

[Stryder]

6. Quite a man,

if he catches sight of a woman's hair he won't
be able to control himself. Is that the reasoning?
Because he is weak, women must be punished.
Got it.