<div>Ralph et. al.</div>
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<div>Thanks for your Biblical explorations.</div>
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<div>However, I wasn't commenting on the issue of "life after death," whatever that may mean. I did not make what I meant very clear. </div>
<div>I'll elaborate:</div>
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<div>The idea that "Everyone deserves death," given some sort of general morally flawed condition of humanity, is extremist and ridiculous. There are many wonderful people in the world who have never done anything that would justify them deserving death. Occasionally they might deserve being beaten with a wet noodle. </div>
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<div>I could explore the idea of "original sin" (Ralph, perhaps you could explore the Biblical origins of the idea of "original sin," that all human beings are tainted with, as some claim?) as it is viewed by some religions; but it is clear from what I write that I do not accept this concept. </div>
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<div>Again, I will state, this kind of thinking (Everyone deserves death) is characteristic of the extremist dangerous beliefs of cults, that use tactics to control people by making them feel inherently and inescapably "bad," then offer them only one option to redeem their flawed moral fate... Our way or damnation! </div>
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<div>It is easy for this extremist moral calculus to be used to justify cruelty against those who some religions views as "sinners," such as punishing "wilful women," homosexuals, or children who need their sinful nature chastened for behaviors that are only a natural part of growing up, and are not indicative of "evil." The fact that this kind of thinking may be believed in by many following a "mainstream religion" makes it all the more disturbing.</div>
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<div>Ted Moffett</div>
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<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid"><br>Ted Moffett <starbliss at <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://gmail.com/" target="_blank">gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
Donovan Arnold, or whoever, wrote:<br><br> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/2008-May/053886.html" target="_blank">http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/2008-May/053886.html</a><br>
<br> I think everyone deserves death Joe. As everyone is a sinner. But only through the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus do we live.<br>--------------<br> This statement represents the kind of thinking that makes religious cults dangerous, no matter what religion is supporting this extremism.<br>
--------------<br>RALPH NIELSEN<br>You have a good point there, Ted. If people knew that there is no life after death, only life before death, they would live their lives more realistically.<br><br>And if the religionists would read the Bible more carefully, they would know that there is no life after death. The Hebrew Bible (O.T. in Xian propaganda) had it right. An ancient writer explained it this way. He had the God Yahweh (the LORD) tell the first man, "By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19).<br>
<br>This straightforward statement about human mortality was taken out of context by Xians and twisted into a sorry tale about human depravity in the theological theory of Original Sin. They perverted the ancient Adam and Eve story into a sick yarn about hereditary punishment for all of their descendants for all time.<br>
<br>Death is a fact of life for all beings. Neither humans nor any other animals are destined to live forever. The ancient Hebrews knew this too.<br><br>"Then the LORD God said, "See the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"---therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he paced the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:22-24).<br>
<br>The ancient Hebrew writer is simply explaining why we don't live forever. We are not being punished for anybody's sin; we most certainly do not "deserve death," as Xian sickos love to proclaim. We are products of the planet earth; we are made of dust and to dust we shall return.<br>
<br>So be it.<br><br><br><br><br></blockquote></div><br>