CeilingCat
Posts: 2363 Joined: Dec. 2007
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vjtorley's Coyne envy has inspired what may be the single dumbest post he's ever made.
It seems that Jerry Coyne has brought up the progress science has made and compared it religion's noted lack of the same. "Not so!" says Dr. Torley and he gives these examples of progress in religion: Quote | As an example of progress in theology, I’d like to list the following propositions, which are currently accepted by a solid majority of the world’s religious adherents, but which were accepted only by a tiny minority 2,000 years ago, and by almost nobody 3,000 years ago. I invite readers to add to the list as they see fit.
1. There is one God.
2. God does not have a body or bodily passions. God is a spirit.
3. God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent and omnipresent. That is, God can do anything within reason; God knows everything in the past, present and future; God is compassionate and all-merciful; and God’s power extends throughout the cosmos.
4. God is infinite.
5. God is immutable. God does not change.
6. God is not capricious.
7. God is the sole Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Everything in the cosmos is upheld by God’s command.
8. God is not a blind force, but a personal Deity. God has a personal relationship with each and every individual.
9. God is just. God rewards the good and punishes the wicked.
10. God is merciful. God is always ready to pardon a repentant sinner.
11. God is impartial. Distinctions of rank, race, sex, color or creed mean nothing to God. All individuals are equal in God’s sight.
12. God disapproves of the deliberate killing of innocent people.
13. God disapproves of infanticide.
14. God disapproves of killing girls.
15. God disapproves of euthanasia. In particular, God disapproves of killing the sick and elderly.
16. God disapproves of suicide.
17. God disapproves of ritual human sacrifices.
18. God disapproves of slavery.
19. God disapproves of domestic violence.
20. God disapproves of child abuse.
21. God disapproves of cruelty to animals.
22. God disapproves of compulsion in matters of religion.
23. God expects us to treat others as we would like them to treat us.
24. God expects us to bury our dead, instead of leaving their corpses lying in the street to be eaten by animals.
25. God expects us to not only be faithful to our spouses, but to love them as well.
26. God expects us to educate our children, both boys and girls.
27. God expects us to be honest and truthful in our dealings with friend and foe alike.
28. God expects us to be kind to strangers.
29. God expects us to help the poor, sick and needy.
30. God expects us to donate money to charity.
31. People who die in a state of friendship with God will enjoy happiness in Heaven with God for all eternity.
32. There will be a future resurrection of the dead and judgment will be pronounced on every human being.
33. God has at various times spoken to the human race through various prophets. God has communicated messages to these prophets, not only about God’s nature, but also about our duties to others.
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Most of the world’s religious people living today believe in the above propositions. The proportion of people who believed in these propositions 3,000, 2,000 or even 1,000 years ago was much smaller than it is now. I’d call that progress. Wouldn’t you? | Some of the comments "rise" to the quality of the OP. Here's a nice series: (in response to a suggestion that Coyne should go to confession) Quote | 10 Axel January 27, 2013 at 9:29 am
Don’t wait until Trinity Sunday, Gerald. And take Sean with you. He’s been a bad boy, too.
If you have to dragoon him by drugging him, so be it. A few slaps by a parish nun should bring him round and make him sit up. No need for hard, Tridentine slaps; just a few slaps hard enough to make him sit up and be a good Catholic boy. Well, we are over-represented in the prison population in the UK, but I expect that’s the missionary spirit involved, as well.
11 Axel January 27, 2013 at 9:38 am
No, we do tend to be a wild lot. Both sexual persuasions. We’ll leave out the third fourth, fifth, etc, persuasions.
But forget the drug business. You’d both already be high on ETIIN* And I wouldn’t mind betting Greg is your pusher!
*Everything Turning Itself Into Nothing.
12 Axel January 27, 2013 at 9:42 am
Someone must have spiked my cup of tea! That acronym should have been NTIIE: Nothing Turning Itself Into Everything! | Of course, Mung has to make a contribution to the TARD: Quote | 13 Mung January 27, 2013 at 10:32 am
Coyne is so freaking ignorant. It’s pathetic really.
I bet he’s never even heard the term “progressive revelation.”
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” | The rest of the regulars make their own contributions too. BA proves that Adam and Eve existed about 13,000 years ago, just before the global flood, Mung, of all people, points out that the flood thus preceded the existence of the earth, Barb gives a list of "scientific facts" found in the Bible, KF says something about something...
There's probably more, but I've just been divinely inspired to make some more "progress" in religion: Quote | 1. God has two left feet.
2. Got loves porn, but only on Tuesdays.
3. It's always Tuesday somewhere.
4. Thou shalt not scrump.
5. God has at various times spoken to the human race through various prophets. God has communicated messages to these prophets, not only about God’s nature, but also about our duties to others.
6. He's doing it right now: "KairosFocus, thou art an asshole."
7. God disapproves of compulsion in matters of religion. You don't HAVE to believe in God. You can just burn.
8. God disapproves of slavery unless you believe the Bible, in which case He says it's ok.
9. KairosFocus, you really are an asshole.
10. You too, Bornagain 77.
11. And Joe, don't even let Him get started on describing you.
12. You too, Mung. |
Man, religious progress is easy! All you have to do is say stuff and get people to believe you. And you can use violence to persuade them.
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