tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post113577783064719494..comments2024-03-29T00:04:32.434-05:00Comments on Althouse: Limbo.Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1135824559725463632005-12-28T20:49:00.000-06:002005-12-28T20:49:00.000-06:00Everything in the effing Bible is God's perspectiv...Everything in the effing Bible is God's perspective, if you believe some people. <BR/><BR/>Great remarks about consolation and expansion.<BR/><BR/>(verification word: scqooz <BR/><BR/>as in: scqooz me!)ambahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12042450225428891273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1135801022658097162005-12-28T14:17:00.000-06:002005-12-28T14:17:00.000-06:00Don't forget Jeremiah 1:5, either."Before I formed...Don't forget <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=30&chapter=1&verse=5&version=9&context=verse" REL="nofollow">Jeremiah 1:5</A>, either.<BR/><BR/>"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."<BR/><BR/>Makes the point as well, if not better.Sigivaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16152366541957466049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1135799169146639112005-12-28T13:46:00.000-06:002005-12-28T13:46:00.000-06:00The interesting part is that if you believe that e...The interesting part is that if you believe that every fertilized embryo is a person who will go to heaven, and reconcile that with the estimate that 50% of fertilized eggs don't implant, it seems as though heaven will have more pre-born souls than actualized people!YAMBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01546663942277262253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1135795089080051272005-12-28T12:38:00.000-06:002005-12-28T12:38:00.000-06:00To say God does not exist is to ignore the evidenc...To say God does not exist is to ignore the evidence which proclaims his existence. People somehow think that science gives proof that God does not exist when knowledge of the complexity of the structures that make up our universe shouts out that it is not an accident. See Romans 1:19-20<BR/><BR/>People seek God because we all of us have a hunger for communion with our creator. It's not about consolation or explanation. It's about a God-shaped hole in our souls. <BR/><BR/>"He knew me when I was in my mother's womb.." The psalmist said--God inspired knowledge and a human acknowledgement of the awesome power of a living creator who cares for each individual.Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11744554230459517361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1135791209639949712005-12-28T11:33:00.000-06:002005-12-28T11:33:00.000-06:00Do the Psalms count as God's perspective?There are...<I>Do the Psalms count as God's perspective?</I><BR/><BR/>There are two issues here.<BR/><BR/>1. Is the Bible God's word through man, or man's word? If you believe in an inspired Bible of which God is the ultmate author, then the Psalms are God's word.<BR/><BR/>2. Are these thoughts prescriptive or descriptive? In other words, are they God's word on preborn life, or just the author's inspired reflections? One way to answer is by looking whether the rest of the Bible agrees with what this passage seems to say. I think there is plenty of reason to believe this truth is widely supported in the Bible. This is why most Christian pro-lifers care about the unborn and not because we want to "control women's bodies."<BR/><BR/>And Reuters got Psalm 139 wrong.P_Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16130988618277500381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1135787221405184482005-12-28T10:27:00.000-06:002005-12-28T10:27:00.000-06:00Is religion about consolation?There is no God -- P...<I>Is religion about consolation?</I><BR/><BR/><I><A HREF="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5015557" REL="nofollow">There is no God -- Penn Jillette</A><BR/><BR/>...<BR/><BR/>Believing there's no God means I can't really be forgiven except by kindness and faulty memories. That's good; it makes me want to be more thoughtful. I have to try to treat people right the first time around.<BR/><BR/>...<BR/><BR/>Believing there's no God stops me from being solipsistic. I can read ideas from all different people from all different cultures. Without God, we can agree on reality, and I can keep learning where I'm wrong. We can all keep adjusting, so we can really communicate. I don't travel in circles where people say, "I have faith, I believe this in my heart and nothing you can say or do can shake my faith." That's just a long-winded religious way to say, "shut up," or another two words that the FCC likes less. But all obscenity is less insulting than, "How I was brought up and my imaginary friend means more to me than anything you can ever say or do." So, believing there is no God lets me be proven wrong and that's always fun. It means I'm learning something.<BR/><BR/>Believing there is no God means the suffering I've seen in my family, and indeed all the suffering in the world, isn't caused by an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent force that isn't bothered to help or is just testing us, but rather something we all may be able to help others with in the future. No God means the possibility of less suffering in the future.<BR/><BR/>Believing there is no God gives me more room for belief in family, people, love, truth, beauty, sex, Jell-O and all the other things I can prove and that make this life the best life I will ever have.<BR/><BR/></I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1135787143053878232005-12-28T10:25:00.000-06:002005-12-28T10:25:00.000-06:00Bruce:I agree with you to a certain extent. But I...Bruce:<BR/><BR/>I agree with you to a certain extent. But I think that there are two different viewpoints that need to be explored here: the viewpoint of the parishioner (or adherent, or whatever you want to call him/her); and the viewpoint of the religious organization itself. I don't at all believe that these two viewpoints converge, in any meaningful fashion, except by happenstance. The individual goes in looking for consolation, forgiveness, hope, community, and a variety of other outcomes. The organization is looking for corporate self-preservation, growth and expansion, financial improvement. At the local level, priests, pastors, and other clergy do "connect" very much on an emotional level with "their flocks", and this can be of great benefit to the parishioners. But the goals of the organization are much more fixated inwardly, than outwardly. Hence, my comment that religion (and I meant the organization) is about control.Ricardohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16417952478382032106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1135785605108467402005-12-28T10:00:00.000-06:002005-12-28T10:00:00.000-06:00I disagree with Ricardo. Yes, maybe some get into ...I disagree with Ricardo. Yes, maybe some get into religion for control, but that may be a portion of the clergy. But what is it that brings the parishioners to church? Surely not to be controlled. And most likely not to gain control over their lives, since, IMHO, most religions are more about accepting loss of control than actually gaining control. <BR/><BR/>No, I think that a lot of religion is for consolation. Why did this kid die so young? Why should this young mother be widowed with two little kids (as my girlfriend was)? <BR/><BR/>Without death, I don't see religion having that much of a hold on us. Rather, it is for our own pending deaths, as well as the deaths of our loved ones, that many join churches for consolation and hope.Bruce Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10815293023158025662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1135784482889074312005-12-28T09:41:00.000-06:002005-12-28T09:41:00.000-06:00"Is religion about consolation?"No, religion is ab..."Is religion about consolation?"<BR/><BR/>No, religion is about control. Love is about consolation.Ricardohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16417952478382032106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1135783605543861462005-12-28T09:26:00.000-06:002005-12-28T09:26:00.000-06:00I have always heard this referred to as the Age of...I have always heard this referred to as the Age of Accountibility. (capitalization, my own) Babies have no cognitive capacity for such and are in heaven. <BR/><BR/>I gotta use the Preview button moreRobinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11744554230459517361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1135783449934974932005-12-28T09:24:00.000-06:002005-12-28T09:24:00.000-06:00Limbo was made up. There is no biblical/scriptural...Limbo was made up. There is no biblical/scriptural basis for a belief in it. As to the fate of the young, yes we all have sin, but children are innocent until they develop an awareness of right and wrong and when that happens differs in every individual.I have always heard this referred to have the the Age of Accountibility. (capitalization, my own) Babies have no cognitive capacity for such and are in heaven.Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11744554230459517361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1135782563320572012005-12-28T09:09:00.000-06:002005-12-28T09:09:00.000-06:00Bill, I'm sorry to hear about your son.Bill, I'm sorry to hear about your son.Ann Althousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1135780459445351282005-12-28T08:34:00.000-06:002005-12-28T08:34:00.000-06:00I don't see how any of that has anything to do wit...<I>I don't see how any of that has anything to do with whether limbo in fact exists.</I><BR/><BR/>I could not agree more. I don't like this smiley-face strain of theology.Freeman Hunthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16202310075717963694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1135779140204936342005-12-28T08:12:00.000-06:002005-12-28T08:12:00.000-06:00Limbo only exists in the minds of some very misgui...Limbo only exists in the minds of some very misguided theologians. <BR/><BR/>Bill<BR/>Father to Daniel, who lived 14.5 hours but was baptized.The Florida Masochisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09796560982160523028noreply@blogger.com