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is obviously Lynne Halbrooks. She got a promotion for this...per TFA "had recently been named the principal deputy inspector general". She now works for the lobbying law firm of Holland & Knight. Seems like she's also involved in helping cover-up the leaked info about a SEAL team member involved in the making of the movie "Zero Dark Thirty". A true PARTIOT (ACT), all-around. Hopefully for her she's got her thirty pieces of silver stashed away outside of US jurisdiction.

Phisher adds: "Unfortunately, our world is backwards. You get rich by doing bad things and go to jail for doing good."

No, you get no brownie points for having done wrong to do right. Reminds me of a passage from the Bible-- Romans 3:1-31

Capitalism is philosophically based upon perfectly informed rational consumers, which these guys aren't, by definition

There is, in fact, no such thing as a perfectly informed rational customer, there never has been and there never will be. Those two "simplifying" assumptions are typical of the fundamental defects that render economics almost worthless in its present form. Of course economists like simplifying assumptions, because otherwise their field would be far too complicated to make any sense out of. Unfortunately the assumptions mean that the resulting rules and laws apply only in an abstract world which hardly bears any resemblance to the real world we live in.

1. "Perfectly informed". Even in the simplest possible model of a market, a village produce market where fruit and vegetables are being sold from a collection of stalls, perfect information is far from guaranteed. Who knows what Fred has been spraying on his pumpkins? And have those delicious-looking peaches been previously frozen, transported, and defrosted? Usually the vendors will know, and maybe a few others - but then it is in the interest of the vendors to keep the information secret, even at the cost of a bribe or quid pro quo favour. Thus the concealment of important product information actually becomes part of the market, with its own price. Consider now a more sophisticated, "evolved" market such as the electronic stock exchanges where corporations will pay huge sums of money to have their servers a few feet closer to the exchange's own servers. That may give them a few nanoseconds' head start, which may be enough to make the difference between winning billions and losing billions. Again, we see payments (this time, very large ones) being made precisely to prevent information being perfectly shared. And the pattern is repeated everywhere.

2. "Rational customers". This one departs even further from reality and common sense. If you think about it for five minutes, you will see that the very concept of a "rational customer" is wholly artificial and almost meaningless in relation to the real world. We are all rational, more or less by definition, as a function of being human. But what does that really mean? I think you'll agree that virtually all humans use reason (facts and logic) as a tool when they need to, never as a way of deciding what it is they want. To suggest that all customers can be "rational" is, in effect, to make the ridiculous assumption that they are wholly focused all of the time on making financial gains! It would be more realistic to say that a rational person is one who devotes as little time, effort and attention to economic necessaities as possible, the better to enjoy the good things of life - which are NOT money (as such) or buying and selling. It is true, to some extent, that those who do best at the economic "game" are those who focus on it most unremittingly - spending almost all their waking time in business activities and reckoning their success in life solely by their net worth. For such people, the Bible has a warning.

"And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God". (Luke 12:16-21) http://biblehub.com/kjv/luke/1...

Psalm 82:6

http://biblehub.com/psalms/82-...

New International Version
"I said, 'You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.'

New Living Translation
I say, 'You are gods; you are all children of the Most High.

English Standard Version
I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you;

New American Standard Bible
I said, "You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High.

King James Bible
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I said, "You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High.

International Standard Version
"Indeed I said, 'You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High.

NET Bible
I thought, 'You are gods; all of you are sons of the Most High.'

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
I have said, “You are gods; you are all children of The Highest!

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I said, "You are gods. You are all sons of the Most High.

JPS Tanakh 1917
I said: Ye are godlike beings, And all of you sons of the Most High.

New American Standard 1977
I said, “You are gods,
  And all of you are sons of the Most High.

Jubilee Bible 2000
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are sons of the most High.

King James 2000 Bible
I have said, You are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

American King James Version
I have said, You are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

American Standard Version
I said, Ye are gods, And all of you sons of the Most High.

Douay-Rheims Bible
I have said: You are gods and all of you the sons of the most High.

Darby Bible Translation
I have said, Ye are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High;

English Revised Version
I said, Ye are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High.

Webster's Bible Translation
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High.

World English Bible
I said, "You are gods, all of you are sons of the Most High.

Young's Literal Translation
I -- I have said, 'Gods ye are, And sons of the Most High -- all of you,

Not to mention Word was God - no wait, that's not 21st century, at least not AD.

> But instead he hides and

Blaming others because you are looking in the wrong place, is well, let's just leave it at that.

The Source is found inside, not outside as Jesus summarized in Luke 17:21:

Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

He clarified:

And Jesus answered: "Seek not the law in your scriptures, for the law is life, whereas the scripture is dead. I tell you truly, Moses received not his laws from God in writing, but through the living word. The law is living word of living God to living prophets for living men. In everything that is life is the law written. You find it in the grass, in the tree, in the river, in the mountain, in the birds of heaven, in the fishes of the sea; but seek it chiefly in yourselves. For I tell you truly, all living things are nearer to God than the scripture which is without life. God so made life and all living things that they might by the everlasting word teach the laws of the true God to man. God wrote not the laws in the pages of books, but in your heart and in your spirit. They are in your breath, your blood, your bone; in your flesh, your bowels, your eyes, your ears, and in every little part of your body. They are present in the air, in the water, in the earth, in the plants, in the sunbeams, in the depths and in the heights. They all speak to you that you may understand the tongue and the will of the living God. But you shut your eyes that you may not see, and you shut your ears that you may not hear. I tell you truly, that the scripture is the work of man, but life and all its hosts are the work of our God. Wherefore do you not listen to the words of God which are written in His works? And wherefore do you study the dead scriptures which are the work of the hands of men?"

The principles which can be found earlier in the Torah at Deuteronomy 30:6:

The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

One of the few things Paul the Corruptor got right was in 1 Cor 6:19-20

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

Even Rabbi's know this.

> But instead he hides and

Blaming others because you are looking in the wrong place, is well, let's just leave it at that.

The Source is found inside, not outside as Jesus summarized in Luke 17:21:

Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

He clarified:

And Jesus answered: "Seek not the law in your scriptures, for the law is life, whereas the scripture is dead. I tell you truly, Moses received not his laws from God in writing, but through the living word. The law is living word of living God to living prophets for living men. In everything that is life is the law written. You find it in the grass, in the tree, in the river, in the mountain, in the birds of heaven, in the fishes of the sea; but seek it chiefly in yourselves. For I tell you truly, all living things are nearer to God than the scripture which is without life. God so made life and all living things that they might by the everlasting word teach the laws of the true God to man. God wrote not the laws in the pages of books, but in your heart and in your spirit. They are in your breath, your blood, your bone; in your flesh, your bowels, your eyes, your ears, and in every little part of your body. They are present in the air, in the water, in the earth, in the plants, in the sunbeams, in the depths and in the heights. They all speak to you that you may understand the tongue and the will of the living God. But you shut your eyes that you may not see, and you shut your ears that you may not hear. I tell you truly, that the scripture is the work of man, but life and all its hosts are the work of our God. Wherefore do you not listen to the words of God which are written in His works? And wherefore do you study the dead scriptures which are the work of the hands of men?"

The principles which can be found earlier in the Torah at Deuteronomy 30:6:

The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

One of the few things Paul the Corruptor got right was in 1 Cor 6:19-20

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

Even Rabbi's know this.

> He's insecure and jealous. Not my idea, his own manual says so.

His/Her manual also says in Jer 8:8:

'How can you say, "We are wise, for we have the law of the LORD," when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?

Blaming God because (some) Men distort the truth is tossing the baby out with the bathwater. i.e. Sacrifices were never commanded (Jer 7:22)

For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:

Jesus clarified the spiritual immaturity & stupidity of Judaism when he quotes Hosea 6:6

But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

> But instead he hides

If everyone knew God existed it wouldn't change a single thing. Why? Because you're forgetting about a little experiment called Earth:

Free Will

> because it is possible to explain this universe ... without there ever being some kind of supernatural entity required.

And the Laws of Physics just "magically" appeared one day?? Or are you saying they have always existed ??

The first law of Thermodynamics tells us:

Energy can not be created nor destroyed.

Ergo, the universe has always existed, which implies the Laws of Physics have always existed.

Either way it takes faith to believe in an Eternal Universe or Eternal God. Infinity is curiouser and curiouser that way.

What you are missing is that, at the end of the day, who cares where your faith is placed?? What DOES matter is your _actions_ towards others. There is a reason ALL the major religions teach The Golden Rule. Look, ALL Religions bibles, holy works, and theology can be summarized in 2 words:

Love Unconditionally

THAT'S the point of pure Spirituality, not the corrupted versions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam selling Heaven Insurance.

> He's insecure and jealous. Not my idea, his own manual says so.

His/Her manual also says in Jer 8:8:

'How can you say, "We are wise, for we have the law of the LORD," when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?

Blaming God because (some) Men distort the truth is tossing the baby out with the bathwater. i.e. Sacrifices were never commanded (Jer 7:22)

For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:

Jesus clarified the spiritual immaturity & stupidity of Judaism when he quotes Hosea 6:6

But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

> But instead he hides

If everyone knew God existed it wouldn't change a single thing. Why? Because you're forgetting about a little experiment called Earth:

Free Will

> because it is possible to explain this universe ... without there ever being some kind of supernatural entity required.

And the Laws of Physics just "magically" appeared one day?? Or are you saying they have always existed ??

The first law of Thermodynamics tells us:

Energy can not be created nor destroyed.

Ergo, the universe has always existed, which implies the Laws of Physics have always existed.

Either way it takes faith to believe in an Eternal Universe or Eternal God. Infinity is curiouser and curiouser that way.

What you are missing is that, at the end of the day, who cares where your faith is placed?? What DOES matter is your _actions_ towards others. There is a reason ALL the major religions teach The Golden Rule. Look, ALL Religions bibles, holy works, and theology can be summarized in 2 words:

Love Unconditionally

THAT'S the point of pure Spirituality, not the corrupted versions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam selling Heaven Insurance.

> He's insecure and jealous. Not my idea, his own manual says so.

His/Her manual also says in Jer 8:8:

'How can you say, "We are wise, for we have the law of the LORD," when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?

Blaming God because (some) Men distort the truth is tossing the baby out with the bathwater. i.e. Sacrifices were never commanded (Jer 7:22)

For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:

Jesus clarified the spiritual immaturity & stupidity of Judaism when he quotes Hosea 6:6

But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

> But instead he hides

If everyone knew God existed it wouldn't change a single thing. Why? Because you're forgetting about a little experiment called Earth:

Free Will

> because it is possible to explain this universe ... without there ever being some kind of supernatural entity required.

And the Laws of Physics just "magically" appeared one day?? Or are you saying they have always existed ??

The first law of Thermodynamics tells us:

Energy can not be created nor destroyed.

Ergo, the universe has always existed, which implies the Laws of Physics have always existed.

Either way it takes faith to believe in an Eternal Universe or Eternal God. Infinity is curiouser and curiouser that way.

What you are missing is that, at the end of the day, who cares where your faith is placed?? What DOES matter is your _actions_ towards others. There is a reason ALL the major religions teach The Golden Rule. Look, ALL Religions bibles, holy works, and theology can be summarized in 2 words:

Love Unconditionally

THAT'S the point of pure Spirituality, not the corrupted versions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam selling Heaven Insurance.

And all the people who died before Jesus go where?

Just because (some) Christian Theology is so full of logic & doctrinal holes doesn't mean you toss the baby out with the bathwater.

> That's all you need to know about Christianity.

Incorrect. All one needs to know about Christianity, in fact the ENTIRE bible can be summed up in 5 words per when the Lawyer asked "What shall I do to inherit eternal life? @ Luke 10:27

Love God. Love Your Neighbor.

Or in the modern colloquialism: Be excellent to each other

Anything more is over-complicating it. Gee, I wonder why ALL the major religions teach the same thing: The Golden Rule /sarcasm, But let's conveniently ignore that fact.

Cruz is scary for what reason?

For this reason. He needs to pay a little less attention to the bible when it comes to things like women's health and civil rights, and a little more attention to things like Matthew 6:5.

Fortunately we send a few missions to the moon that brought back soil samples.
With these samples and a lot of remote sensing it became fairly certain that the moon is made up of similar material as the earth's mantle or crust.
An (logic) extrapolation of this points to the moon being ripped out of the earth after the separation between core and mantle had already taken place.

Even the creationists have it from their own source: http://biblehub.com/genesis/2-...

This is just another thinly veiled attack on Christianity and other religions. As a Christian I find this offensive, but I expect no one cares since I'm also a white male.

I went and looked at your posting history and saw you calling people fools and calling for people to be killed with nuclear attacks. As a Christian, this is distressing and offensive to me. Our Lord said "whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. ".

You fool. it is not a sheet of canvas, it is a bronze firmament.

How so? At no point does the Bible state that God only created humans nor does it exclude the idea that he created beings not in his image. I'm no biblical scholar nor a Christian but I don't see where it is incompatible or anything. It doesn't even extend to beyond the Earth so far as I know, except for the heavens which can be defined in a variety of ways. I have read the entire Bible but I didn't really understand all of it so I may be missing something. I should probably read it in a format other than the KJV.

Indeed. C.S.Lewis' Space Trilogy is a good fictional example, and his essay Religion and Rocketry is his take in an apologetic vein.

(Not to mention Jesus' I have sheep that are not of this fold remark.)

it is obviously a bad thing to do

It might be harmful for one person to star in pornography, or watch it, or both, while it might be okay or even beneficial for another. It might have effects that reach beyond the participants and affect third parties; some of those third parties might be harmed, some helped. All of these need to be taken into account when judging pornography, just like any other thing. "Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly."

It's true, religion is the only modern intellectual force motivating a human to act in ways befitting an exalted stature (philosophy jumped the shark long ago, which is why its dead now), or even acknowledging this stature, so until the various studies into the obvious become mainstream (if they ever do...our kafka world, as portrayed in the popular media, has come to entertain that a man can marry another man as a man marries a woman and that a man can be a woman, or a woman an man, if he or she so chooses...) religion will have to suffice.

Methinks I'm taking that exalted stature far more seriously than you by respecting people's decisions about who and what they are, rather than holding them beholden to the particular shape their envelope of dust happens to exhibit in this world, or my personal tastes and prejudices linked to those shapes. That is what "exalted" means, after all: elevated in rank. And that means people judge traditions and laws, not the other way around. "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."

But you hate religion, religion is bad, there is no source and everything just happened, and that is the intelligent viewpoint

No. I do, however, hate it when people "tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them."

--You are a simpleton.

"And anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell."

Perhaps you should reconsider your position in these issues a bit. To err is human, after all. And sins are forgiven, so you are free to admit them and change. A confession won't be used against you like in Earthly courts, so there's nothing to gain from refusing to, except misery. That is the point of Christianity, as far as I can tell: bad choices were made when we were a young species and didn't know any better, and now that we are older and wiser it's time to reconsider them and grow up. And the process won't be finished this side of Judgement Day.

it is obviously a bad thing to do

It might be harmful for one person to star in pornography, or watch it, or both, while it might be okay or even beneficial for another. It might have effects that reach beyond the participants and affect third parties; some of those third parties might be harmed, some helped. All of these need to be taken into account when judging pornography, just like any other thing. "Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly."

It's true, religion is the only modern intellectual force motivating a human to act in ways befitting an exalted stature (philosophy jumped the shark long ago, which is why its dead now), or even acknowledging this stature, so until the various studies into the obvious become mainstream (if they ever do...our kafka world, as portrayed in the popular media, has come to entertain that a man can marry another man as a man marries a woman and that a man can be a woman, or a woman an man, if he or she so chooses...) religion will have to suffice.

Methinks I'm taking that exalted stature far more seriously than you by respecting people's decisions about who and what they are, rather than holding them beholden to the particular shape their envelope of dust happens to exhibit in this world, or my personal tastes and prejudices linked to those shapes. That is what "exalted" means, after all: elevated in rank. And that means people judge traditions and laws, not the other way around. "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."

But you hate religion, religion is bad, there is no source and everything just happened, and that is the intelligent viewpoint

No. I do, however, hate it when people "tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them."

--You are a simpleton.

"And anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell."

Perhaps you should reconsider your position in these issues a bit. To err is human, after all. And sins are forgiven, so you are free to admit them and change. A confession won't be used against you like in Earthly courts, so there's nothing to gain from refusing to, except misery. That is the point of Christianity, as far as I can tell: bad choices were made when we were a young species and didn't know any better, and now that we are older and wiser it's time to reconsider them and grow up. And the process won't be finished this side of Judgement Day.

it is obviously a bad thing to do

It might be harmful for one person to star in pornography, or watch it, or both, while it might be okay or even beneficial for another. It might have effects that reach beyond the participants and affect third parties; some of those third parties might be harmed, some helped. All of these need to be taken into account when judging pornography, just like any other thing. "Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly."

It's true, religion is the only modern intellectual force motivating a human to act in ways befitting an exalted stature (philosophy jumped the shark long ago, which is why its dead now), or even acknowledging this stature, so until the various studies into the obvious become mainstream (if they ever do...our kafka world, as portrayed in the popular media, has come to entertain that a man can marry another man as a man marries a woman and that a man can be a woman, or a woman an man, if he or she so chooses...) religion will have to suffice.

Methinks I'm taking that exalted stature far more seriously than you by respecting people's decisions about who and what they are, rather than holding them beholden to the particular shape their envelope of dust happens to exhibit in this world, or my personal tastes and prejudices linked to those shapes. That is what "exalted" means, after all: elevated in rank. And that means people judge traditions and laws, not the other way around. "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."

But you hate religion, religion is bad, there is no source and everything just happened, and that is the intelligent viewpoint

No. I do, however, hate it when people "tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them."

--You are a simpleton.

"And anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell."

Perhaps you should reconsider your position in these issues a bit. To err is human, after all. And sins are forgiven, so you are free to admit them and change. A confession won't be used against you like in Earthly courts, so there's nothing to gain from refusing to, except misery. That is the point of Christianity, as far as I can tell: bad choices were made when we were a young species and didn't know any better, and now that we are older and wiser it's time to reconsider them and grow up. And the process won't be finished this side of Judgement Day.

it is obviously a bad thing to do

It might be harmful for one person to star in pornography, or watch it, or both, while it might be okay or even beneficial for another. It might have effects that reach beyond the participants and affect third parties; some of those third parties might be harmed, some helped. All of these need to be taken into account when judging pornography, just like any other thing. "Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly."

It's true, religion is the only modern intellectual force motivating a human to act in ways befitting an exalted stature (philosophy jumped the shark long ago, which is why its dead now), or even acknowledging this stature, so until the various studies into the obvious become mainstream (if they ever do...our kafka world, as portrayed in the popular media, has come to entertain that a man can marry another man as a man marries a woman and that a man can be a woman, or a woman an man, if he or she so chooses...) religion will have to suffice.

Methinks I'm taking that exalted stature far more seriously than you by respecting people's decisions about who and what they are, rather than holding them beholden to the particular shape their envelope of dust happens to exhibit in this world, or my personal tastes and prejudices linked to those shapes. That is what "exalted" means, after all: elevated in rank. And that means people judge traditions and laws, not the other way around. "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."

But you hate religion, religion is bad, there is no source and everything just happened, and that is the intelligent viewpoint

No. I do, however, hate it when people "tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them."

--You are a simpleton.

"And anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell."

Perhaps you should reconsider your position in these issues a bit. To err is human, after all. And sins are forgiven, so you are free to admit them and change. A confession won't be used against you like in Earthly courts, so there's nothing to gain from refusing to, except misery. That is the point of Christianity, as far as I can tell: bad choices were made when we were a young species and didn't know any better, and now that we are older and wiser it's time to reconsider them and grow up. And the process won't be finished this side of Judgement Day.

Either that or the ignorant morons who insisted AIDS was god's way of punishing homosexuals for being, um, homosexual, yet again proved to be full of shit.

"What biblical character you most resemble" is a popular pastime in those circles, or so I've heard, so just point them to Revelation: "Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon."

Who knows, it might actually result in some self-reflection.

Primarily because the Christian Church has never claimed that the Christian Bible was received already written and merely transcribed.

Let's test this statement, with the actual doctrine of the USA's largest Christian demonization, the Southern Baptists, straight from their own website:

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.

So according to this, yes The Bible was authored by God, and merely transcribed by a collection of humans.

Of course this is already provably incorrect (or irrelevant, depending on how you look at it), because we don't have originals for any of the books of The Bible, the oldest copies are not entirely consistent with each other, and the books aren't consistent amongst themselves when they refer to the same events (or even try to transcribe the same passages). So its a little hypocritical for folks from countries with a Christian heritage to be pointing at the Koran and yelling "Aha!" over a couple decade discrepancy in the age of some parchment when they have this gigantic log in their own eye...

Personally, I am always amused when Christians (and I am one) try to enforce their morals on others. The Bible clearly indicates it won't work.

And Paul told us explicitly to not do that.

1 Corinthians 5

It's interesting that they claim it will be free from sin, and yet also homophobic. Can't be both, either it treats everyone like a human being or it discriminates and the users are going to hell.

That isn't so much interesting as confused. "Homophobia" is a contemporary political epithet used to attack people that don't accept various claims or goals of gay activists or the gay community whereas sin is violating God's law. Biblical morality considers some sexual conduct as sin, such a fornication (sex outside marriage), adultery (sex by married people with someone that they aren't married to), bestiality (sex with animals), and homosexual activity. God offers forgiveness of sin via the sacrifice made by Jesus to those who will accept it in faith, such as discussed here.

Adultery and homosexual activity are both considered serious sins. How did Jesus deal with an accused adulterer?

John 8

1but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.Now what do you say?” 6They were using this question as a trap,in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,”Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

So they do treat people like human beings, but they plan to exclude depictions of openly sinful behavior. Redemption and renewal is available to those engaged in sin if they are open to it.

Brazilian Evangelicals Set Up a "Sin Free" Version of Facebook

You realise that as soon as they have this they will be able to cast the first stone.....

The list of what christians are 'supposed' to do but do not do is astonishing. If you take the whole book, then even the crazy ones are hellbound hypocrites. Show me a preacher who doesn't trim the hair on the side of his head for example (expressly fucking forbidden in Leviticus).

Sounds like the only thing you know about the Bible is what you've read on the atheist talking point sites. There's a pretty good reason that Christians don't follow the Levitical laws. See Acts 15 for more info, if you'd like to gain some insight into it.

What my parents told me growing up comes to mind:
http://biblehub.com/numbers/32... - "...you may be sure that your sin will find you out."
At least anyone with fear of finally being exposed as dishonest has a warning sign to make amends with their partner.
No one can fault you for the truth, although there may be consequences for the truth.

You could try reading the fucking thing.

http://biblehub.com/john/8-1.h...

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"

They were using this question as a trap,in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

"No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Care to take a look at what the Bible has to say?

"Apple's Next Frontier Is Your Body"

Sounds kinky.

Unfortunately for your fantasies, they will probably limit themselves to the right hand or the forehead, like the original plan went.

So if the mark of the beast is an apple emblem, does that make apple the forbidden fruit?

Unfortunately for your fantasies, they will probably limit themselves to the right hand or the forehead, like the original plan went.

The government has the ability through taxes and subsidies to either encourage or destroy them.

Destroy them? Hyperbole, much? While what you said is technically true, all religious organizations would be asked to do is to act like any other organization. If they are actually as philanthropic as they claim to be, they should have no problem getting non-profit, tax-exempt status — on a case-by-case basis, and subject to all the same scrutiny as any other nonprofit.

Subject religions to the same regulations as businesses and religions tied to the state can use the state to persecute rival sects and religions.

Yes, that's what they already do. Is alcohol a sacrament in your religion? Too bad for you, if you live in a state with blue laws. And our laws on marriage are clearly based on Judeo-Christian ideals, and are abusive to several faiths. So if you have a point, you are invited to make it, but this isn't anywhere near one.

The government has encouraged religion through tax exemption, and there is no valid reason for it to do so. You don't need a special building to have a church, let alone a religion — in fact, Christianity, the dominant religion (or family of religions) in the USA which therefore benefits the most from this tax exemption is quite clear on this point. If your faith isn't strong enough to draw you together in worship in the absence of a special, tax-exempt building used for the purpose, then why should anyone care about it?

Churches were probably worth promoting once, because they were community centers. But in the spirit of promoting religious freedom, which is allegedly a cornerstone of our society, we should leave off the promotion of religion. Our communications (and other) technology has eliminated the need for the church.

Don't ask me to pay for the maintenance of your faith, which I consider to be an impediment to social progress.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. " - John 3:16

Little more than velvet-lined chains with which to enslave the mind of Humanity.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. " - John 3:16

The Bible teaches capitalism, not socialism. Read this commentary.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal."

""No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

"Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."

The Bible might be ambigious on some things, Anon, but this is not one of them. God's Kingdom is the ultimate welfare state. And how could it really be otherwise, when everything you could use to earn merit - including your very existence itself - is a gift? Sure, maybe you made your fortune digging gold from frozen tundra with a shovel and a pickaxe - but where did you get the constitution, the willpower, the iron atoms in your pickaxe, etc. which allowed you to do so? Not to mention the gold itself was a gift, no matter how inconveniently placed.

So does that mean Capitalism is anti-Christian? Aspects of it are, the same as aspects of everything are, which is attributed to the current fallen state of the world in Christianity. It can be modified to make it more in line with Christianity, for example by using welfare programs to provide for people who can't earn a decent living within market economy, or free education to encourage social mobility, steeply progressive taxation to ensure those earthly fortunes produced for the winners of competition do some good for all, etc. etc. But people who claim their pet system is mandated by God/Bible/historical inevitability/whatever are usually far more interested in excusing their actions and positions than changing them, even if it takes 40 years and 31 volumes to throw up enough of a smokescreen.

The Bible teaches capitalism, not socialism. Read this commentary.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal."

""No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

"Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."

The Bible might be ambigious on some things, Anon, but this is not one of them. God's Kingdom is the ultimate welfare state. And how could it really be otherwise, when everything you could use to earn merit - including your very existence itself - is a gift? Sure, maybe you made your fortune digging gold from frozen tundra with a shovel and a pickaxe - but where did you get the constitution, the willpower, the iron atoms in your pickaxe, etc. which allowed you to do so? Not to mention the gold itself was a gift, no matter how inconveniently placed.

So does that mean Capitalism is anti-Christian? Aspects of it are, the same as aspects of everything are, which is attributed to the current fallen state of the world in Christianity. It can be modified to make it more in line with Christianity, for example by using welfare programs to provide for people who can't earn a decent living within market economy, or free education to encourage social mobility, steeply progressive taxation to ensure those earthly fortunes produced for the winners of competition do some good for all, etc. etc. But people who claim their pet system is mandated by God/Bible/historical inevitability/whatever are usually far more interested in excusing their actions and positions than changing them, even if it takes 40 years and 31 volumes to throw up enough of a smokescreen.

The Bible teaches capitalism, not socialism. Read this commentary.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal."

""No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

"Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."

The Bible might be ambigious on some things, Anon, but this is not one of them. God's Kingdom is the ultimate welfare state. And how could it really be otherwise, when everything you could use to earn merit - including your very existence itself - is a gift? Sure, maybe you made your fortune digging gold from frozen tundra with a shovel and a pickaxe - but where did you get the constitution, the willpower, the iron atoms in your pickaxe, etc. which allowed you to do so? Not to mention the gold itself was a gift, no matter how inconveniently placed.

So does that mean Capitalism is anti-Christian? Aspects of it are, the same as aspects of everything are, which is attributed to the current fallen state of the world in Christianity. It can be modified to make it more in line with Christianity, for example by using welfare programs to provide for people who can't earn a decent living within market economy, or free education to encourage social mobility, steeply progressive taxation to ensure those earthly fortunes produced for the winners of competition do some good for all, etc. etc. But people who claim their pet system is mandated by God/Bible/historical inevitability/whatever are usually far more interested in excusing their actions and positions than changing them, even if it takes 40 years and 31 volumes to throw up enough of a smokescreen.

The Bible teaches capitalism, not socialism. Read this commentary.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal."

""No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

"Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."

The Bible might be ambigious on some things, Anon, but this is not one of them. God's Kingdom is the ultimate welfare state. And how could it really be otherwise, when everything you could use to earn merit - including your very existence itself - is a gift? Sure, maybe you made your fortune digging gold from frozen tundra with a shovel and a pickaxe - but where did you get the constitution, the willpower, the iron atoms in your pickaxe, etc. which allowed you to do so? Not to mention the gold itself was a gift, no matter how inconveniently placed.

So does that mean Capitalism is anti-Christian? Aspects of it are, the same as aspects of everything are, which is attributed to the current fallen state of the world in Christianity. It can be modified to make it more in line with Christianity, for example by using welfare programs to provide for people who can't earn a decent living within market economy, or free education to encourage social mobility, steeply progressive taxation to ensure those earthly fortunes produced for the winners of competition do some good for all, etc. etc. But people who claim their pet system is mandated by God/Bible/historical inevitability/whatever are usually far more interested in excusing their actions and positions than changing them, even if it takes 40 years and 31 volumes to throw up enough of a smokescreen.

"Fundamentalist" christianity is actually very peaceful.

Matthew, Chapter 10 (NIV), Jesus commanding the Twelve Apostles to spread the word about the Kingdom of Heaven:

16 "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
21 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.
34 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I have come to turn "'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law--
36 a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'

Sure, these days Fundamentalist Christians are relatively peaceful, having found that social pressure and legislation is easier and safer than violence, but any who want to can easily find verses to support their own holy war, some from Jesus himself.

That's some wishful thinking. Unfortunately, that Jesus fellow in the new testament disagrees with you.

Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven

Matthew 5:18 referring to Mosaic law from the old testament. You know, all that morally repugnant stuff Christians try to gloss over by pretending that Jesus somehow changed it. You're as bad as the Muslims when it comes to lying about the content of a religion.

And if God were so great and awesome then he wouldn't have cut the man's spinal cord in the first place, now would he?

FLAME ON BITCHES! Remember, YOU had to bring religion into this.

King James Bible
"Therefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed onto all men, for all have sinned"
https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Romans%205:12 (Romans 5:12)

New International Version
"We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one."
http://biblehub.com/1_john/5-19.htm (1 John 5:19)

New World Translation
"At that time the eyes of the blind will be opened, And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. At that time the lame will leap like the deer, And the tongue of the speechless will shout for joy. For waters will burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert plain."
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/b/r1/lp-e/nwt/E/2013/23/35#h=949:0-952:0 (Isaiah 35:5,6)

New International Version
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance"
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+peter+3%3A9&version=NIV (2 Peter 3:9)

King James Bible
"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Revelation-21-3_21-4/ (Revelation 21:3 - 21:4)

And remember their bible demands the murder of the Infidel there is no well maybe it can be read this way or that way. It black and white demands it.

First of all, [citation needed].

How does one fight against someone following their religion and teaching?

Did you know that the Christian Bible also "black and white demands" that anyone caught working on a Sunday be put to death? (citation). And yet somehow we don't see a lot of killings of Sabbath-breakers. So most clearly people can distinguish between the applicable and non-applicable parts of their holy texts. (Those who cannot we call "fundamentalists", and they are the problem; not every religious person in the world)

Who is to say our God created the universe? Perhaps his God created the universe and our God created our corner of it ... This can be interpreted as other gods exist, but they are not our God and therefore we are not to worship them, but they exist, nevertheless.

For example, IBM and Oracle contribute to Linux in the form of paying employees to add features they need. Clearly this is not charity.

Why can't something be both charitable and self-serving at the same time, like getting your name engraved on a donor wall? Arguments from Bible don't count.

By the way http://biblehub.com/gwt/ezekie... Ezekiel 23 is about prostitution. Good read.

There's a concept called analysis paralysis. With too many choices, one is likely to be unable to arrive a decision for fear of making one that he will regret. Experiments show that people buy less when more is available. I think this so-called paradox of choice explains part of why certain computing platforms, such as iOS and game consoles, thrive despite their restrictions or even because of them.

Besides, Jews and Christians have ample evidence in their scriptures that humans suck at decision making. Start with Jeremiah 10:23.

The Current Science that we have, with the technology and Anthropology we have, rules out the possibility of the Christian religion having any basis in reality. It doesn't rule out the possibility a god exists. It only means that the current dominant Abrahamic religions are not realistic descriptions of the universe we live in.

Which science is that then? Is it the science that claims we live in a multiverse where there are infinite universes where every possibility happens? Is it the science that claims our universe is a hologram? Is it the science that claims we popped into existence through a fluctuation in quantum probability? Is it the science that claims to explain what the universe is and how it came about, except that it doesn't know what the dark matter and dark energy are that constitute the overwhelming majority of it ... assuming it exists at all and the explanation isn't actually a modified theory of gravity like TeVeS or some such? Is it the science that claimed that the coelacanth was dead for 66 million years .... until one was caught in 1938? Is it the science that claimed the city of Troy didn't exist ... until it was found? Is that the science that said that the Antikythera Mechanism shouldn't exist? Is it the science that claimed that the walls of Jericho falling outward was a myth ... until it was proven? Is it the science that claimed it was impossible that the Bible was transmitted accurately through the centuries.... until the Dead Sea scrolls and other document fragments were found to prove that it had been?

Perhaps you should prepare yourself for further "refinement" in the understanding of science on various matters?

But these religions justify how we treat other people, why certain social groups are stigmatized, and have a heavy impact on who are leaders are, what our laws are, how we raise our children, and the legitimacy of the standing governments. If the Religions aren't true, then there is no justification for the political positions of MANY people in the US Government.

Shall we contrast Marxism or Marxist-Leninism which has been claimed to be a "science" by countless millions over the last century, and which has been the governing philosophy for a large percentage of the earth's population into the 1990s (and still governs China and three lesser nations) with the Bible? Marxist principles (14:16-23:16) call for the destruction of the class enemy in the revolutionary struggle, and the destruction of primitive societies that were too far behind to catch up with the revolutionary struggle which at the time would have included groups such as the Serbs, Bretons, Basques, and Scottish Highlanders. The National Socialists, another set of socialists inspired by Marx, exterminated the "unfit," the deformed, gays, Jews, and many others.

Should we branch off into the Progressives and their ideas about eugenics?

And what of the Bible?

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” -- Mark 12:28-31

Your views seem very questionable on both the science and the question of religion.

Now you too......can turn water into wine.

Yes, bad wine apparently. Jesus did better.

Genesis 9:11, "I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." ("New International Version").

Technically, God's got plenty of loophole territory in that statement, but with the bible it's also the spirit (pun not intended) of things that counts - and a promise to never send another great flood would be contradicted by any (scientific prediction of) massive sea level rise and subsequent flooding of large portions of the Earth's human-habitable land.

* Designed with the new mobile lifestyle in mind
Compared to the previous immobile lifestyle ? Who does Microsoft think they are? Jesus Christ ? http://biblehub.com/john/5-8.h...