[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

Originally Posted by Invert

Dude, stay on topic. You can't turn every thread to bash people for being Bible believing Christians. Safe space. You want to do this sort of thing, make a thread, I'm sure she'll go there.

I tried something similar before and it didn't exactly work out. It did for the first few responses but then some Christians came in, preached away and ended it. I tried to get them to quit preaching and they wanted to hear my argument but they returned to preaching. The only kind of thread that'll work would be a much more aggressive one but that would probably get closed. I'd be happy to make such a thread but limit it to the people who enter (i.e. certain users because in the past they've just preached away and it got ruined). In return, I'd be happy with Christians making such threads where they say which users they do NOT want to post in it (and other believers of other denominations or philosophies).

If I could make a thread and say which users I do NOT want to enter, I would do that right away. But who is going to enforce that on TH? I cant and I cant think of anyone else who will without closing the thread or allowing those people I didn't want to post to be able to post. So tell me how I should go about to do this because I really don't know how. PMing doesn't quite work because I'd like the opinions of others, just not of certain others, which is not feasible by any way via PMing. I'd be happy using Skype, stickam or whatever else but none of that's on TH.

The best I can think of is in chat, getting a room and time made just for that. But that'd mean booting those who just preach away and don't listen. Anyways, I'll probably get warned or get an infraction for even posting this

Originally Posted by Invert

you are reading it for the purpose of bashing, so you don't see it in the completed picture Christians feel is there.

I used to believe in it and see and feel the picture that was there, although I knew less about it back then. However, I can still see the picture, I just don't agree with it nor feel it.

Originally Posted by Megan1

Well I still see nothing about raping children in there, which I thought was what we were talking about- someone said that that was in the bible.....But anyways, I understand your point that God called for things like that back then and I said that He wouldn't want that....Things were VERY different then, and that does NOT apply to today. That was written in a specific context for a specifc group of people. Not for us and not for now.

That quote was to show how when I said before that god ordered an entire community to be killed just for having one non-believer in it. You said you hadn't read the bible to that point so I gave the passage for it. But for raping children there's a bunch of quotes, I just picked two:

"This is what the LORD says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.' "
Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."
Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the LORD, the son born to you will die."(2 Samuel 12:11-14)


AND


When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies. (Deuteronomy 20:10-14)

Originally Posted by Megan1

I completely agree that we can't ignore the Old Testament. BUT, like I said, we can't take things out of context. Just because in the stories, God ordered specific people to destroy other specific people- does NOT mean that we have the right to do that to people now.

Legally, morally and ethically, you're 100% correct, and I agree, no question. But when you say you believe in the bible 100%, then since these things are in the bible, you must believe and accept those. Perhaps you aren't going to do them but you must believe. However, why would some people, namely fundamentalists, do them? They think they have the right and should do them so shouldn't others also do that if they accept the bible 100% like these guys do (or claim to)?

Originally Posted by Megan1

You're right, and I never said that I knew God's complete will for sure. I said "I really really doubt that is what he wants"...And if you go by the ten commandments and Jesus' teaching, it definitely doesn't go along with that.

If you go along with the 10 commandments, then lots and lots of things god did in the old testament are things god probably doesn't want. The main one is murder.