If the world is predominantly religious, why is it such a mess?

[jeager106]

For a world that is so religion-saturated (Abrahamic faith-based to be specific) ...why is there so much poverty, hatred, violence, bigotry, chaos, war, immorality, oppression, and greed?

Just my random question for the day.

What was the first and last thing you did to relieve poverty, violence, bigotry, immorality, oppression, greed in our world?
Our Country?
Your state, county, city, village,?
And before anyone asks, "yes" I donate way too much of my fixed income to "causes".
I'm a Christian, no denomination, I do things for others anonymously, donated incalcuable hours helping addicts recover from drugs and alcohol, volunteer in other areas.
I've noticed there is a huge number of members here who extoll the negative but see almost nothing about positive things done by any group.

 

[Spiderman]

For a world that is so religion-saturated (Abrahamic faith-based to be specific) ...why is there so much poverty, hatred, violence, bigotry, chaos, war, immorality, oppression, and greed?
Just my random question for the day.

The answer to that question is extremely easy to find out. People are selfish and not living after the example of Christ or obeying him.

 

[Debateable]

Deuteronomy 22:13-29) spoke directly against forcing a woman into a sexual encounter against her will, or what we know today as rape

Deuteronomy 22:25-27 condemns rape, even advocating the death penalty for perpetrators of rape

Deuteronomy 22:28-29 If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.

You forgot to read a little further. Here, clearly it's ok to rape. Oh whoa is me the man that has to pay fifty pieces of silver to the father and marry the woman he forcibly shoved his penis inside her.

 

[jeager106]

I live in the U.S. And I'm well aware of the atrocities that go on throughout the middle east. But, before I can pull the weeds out of my overseas neighbors' yards, shouldn't I figure out what is wrong in my own?

Doing that all by yourself are ya?

And it is because of secularism, that we are seeing the tides turning away from allowing Christianity to shape the laws in the U.S., not religion. I don't berate American Christians, I'm stating that for a predominantly Christian country, it has done a lot of screwed up things.

Really? LIke giving you the freedom to speak poorly of your fellow citizens and the predominate religion of our country?
I'd like to believe we have learned a great deal from out mistakes.
Nothing's perfect, least of all humans, ergo whey the world is such a mess.
It's not religion that has failed mankind, but mankind that has failed religion.

 

[Spiderman]

Deuteronomy 22:28-29 If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.

You forgot to read a little further. Here, clearly it's ok to rape. Oh whoa is me the man that has to pay fifty pieces of silver to the father and marry the woman he forcibly shoved his penis inside her.

Yes...I think the Old Testament is pretty stupid quite often.

No, it doesn't say it is okay to rape. If it were okay to rape there would not be a fine for it and it says he "violated" her.

 

[Deidre]

What was the first and last thing you did to relieve poverty, violence, bigotry, immorality, oppression, greed in our world?
Our Country?
Your state, county, city, village,?
And before anyone asks, "yes" I donate way too much of my fixed income to "causes".
I'm a Christian, no denomination, I do things for others anonymously, donated incalcuable hours helping addicts recover from drugs and alcohol, volunteer in other areas.
I've noticed there is a huge number of members here who extoll the negative but see almost nothing about positive things done by any group.

I volunteer my time in women's abuse/homeless shelters, and volunteer at other homeless shelters. Give money, etc. Do what I can, when I can.

I was a Christian my whole life up until 4 years ago, and my reason for leaving the faith had to do with not believing the Bible to be based on objective truths. If people wish to help others, they don't need to be religious to do so. That is the point of the thread.

 

[Deidre]

Deuteronomy 22:28-29 If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.

You forgot to read a little further. Here, clearly it's ok to rape. Oh whoa is me the man that has to pay fifty pieces of silver to the father and marry the woman he forcibly shoved his penis inside her.

Women are treated pretty poorly ...UNTIL, Jesus came on the scene. If the story is true, Jesus treated women respectfully and equitably.

Whether the supernatural part is true, who knows...but Jesus changed things for women, it seemed.

 

[Debateable]

Yes...I think the Old Testament is pretty stupid quite often.

No, it doesn't say it is okay to rape. If it were okay to rape there would not be a fine for it and it says he "violated" her.

To pay some money and then marry the person is supposed to be some kind of punishment? If that was the law here how many people do you think would get raped on a daily basis?

 

[Deidre]

To pay some money and then marry the person is supposed to be some kind of punishment? If that was the law here how many people do you think would get raped on a daily basis?

Yes, there are many troubling parts of the bible, and no matter how many reflections I've read from priests, well respected pastors, rabbis, etc...it still seems like a book that I can't fathom being 'God's Word.'

 

[Spiderman]

Ummmm...no I think it is a stupid verse...but you said it says it's okay to rape in the OT. It doesn't say that once and actually more than once says it is wrong.

 

[jeager106]

I volunteer my time in women's abuse/homeless shelters, and volunteer at other homeless shelters. Give money, etc. Do what I can, when I can.

I was a Christian my whole life up until 4 years ago, and my reason for leaving the faith had to do with not believing the Bible to be based on objective truths. If people wish to help others, they don't need to be religious to do so. That is the point of the thread.

Admirable to say the least. I wish more people would do so.
People get a different perspective when they actually meet a victim and see
the damage on a living breathing, feeling human.

If you please? Could you help me understand a bit better what you mean by
"based on objective truths"?
I'm not trying to demean you in any way. I simply don't understand and I want to.
Like I remarked earlier, I seem to be connecting to you on a different level tho we are obviously at odds on some issues. ( O.K. ALL issues. )
Still I admire your writing skills, intelligence, and apparent honesty.
Those are fine qualities.

 

[McBell]

Yes...I think the Old Testament is pretty stupid quite often.

No, it doesn't say it is okay to rape. If it were okay to rape there would not be a fine for it and it says he "violated" her.

Wow.
Imagine if it worked that way now a days.
All you would have to do is the be the first to rape an unmarriage celebrity and woo hoo!, you gotta pay some chump change and marry them!

 

[Thruve]

Jealousy, greed, anger, lust; are they not, at some point, learned from within the soul whilst living in a world engulfed by it? Chicken or the egg? Clearly, it was the egg. A unique individual once told me that he believed 'Evil' is best described as being strictly our human nature. We are born this way, are we not? It is sewn into our genetics. It is our nature. It is... our nature as a species. To make a really long explanation short, and believe me I have a really valid argument here, religion has lead us this far. We cannot live without it, atleast without entirely destroying ourselves first. Religion, though seemingly tearing us apart, is the only thing holding us together.

 

[Thief]

For a world that is so religion-saturated (Abrahamic faith-based to be specific) ...why is there so much poverty, hatred, violence, bigotry, chaos, war, immorality, oppression, and greed?

Just my random question for the day.

Because God gave Man dominion.
If God was here...looking over your shoulder....would you do harm?

God is letting spirit become self.
If you are headed for eternal heaven your everyday effort will show that.
If you are bound for heaven....too bad.

I wish the hell bound would just shut up.
This life would become sooooooo much more peaceful.

 

[Deidre]

Jealousy, greed, anger, lust; are they not, at some point, learned from within the soul whilst living in a world engulfed by it? Chicken or the egg? Clearly, it was the egg. A unique individual once told me that he believed 'Evil' is best described as being strictly our human nature. We are born this way, are we not? It is sewn into our genetics. It is our nature. It is... our nature as a species. To make a really long explanation short, and believe me I have a really valid argument here, religion has lead us this far. We cannot live without it, atleast without entirely destroying ourselves first. Religion, though seemingly tearing us apart, is the only thing holding us together.

How did we arrive here, though I wonder. You make such an intriguing point. I will have to come back to it, after I give it some thought.

Because God gave Man dominion.
If God was here...looking over your shoulder....would you do harm?

God is letting spirit become self.
If you are headed for eternal heaven your everyday effort will show that.
If you are bound for heaven....too bad.

I just wish the hell bound would just shut up.
This life would become sooooooo much more peaceful.

lol @ hell bound.... ^_^

Do you really believe in heaven and hell? I'm honestly asking. If so, do you believe in a ''judgment'' day?

 

[Thief]

How did we arrive here, though I wonder. You make such an intriguing point. I will have to come back to it, after I give it some thought.



lol @ hell bound.... ^_^

Do you really believe in heaven and hell? I'm honestly asking. If so, do you believe in a ''judgment'' day?

You end up along side others who think and feel as you do.
How else to be happy?
How else to be fair?

It was always your judgment in play.

 

[Deidre]

You end up along side others who think and feel as you do.
How else to be happy?
How else to be fair?

It was always your judgment in play.

Well, no one knows for certain. Guess we will someday...one way or the other.

 

[Robert.Evans]

Funny!

I thought so. Hard to imagine how he would go down now with feminist eh. Would you follow him, or owuld you push him out of the way claiming equality ?

 

[Robert.Evans]

And there would be a lot more rape because it is encouraged in the bible.

Where? Or is that your interpretation or bad translation?

 

[Robert.Evans]

Deidre;
You seem to write a great deal about the shortcomings of the Christian religion while almost never mentioning far worse conditions within other Abrahamic faiths.
You mention often about how homosexuals are/were presecuted in the U.S. by Chrisitans yet never mention outright atrocities still being committed by islam against homosexuals. The very recent killing of 2 homosexual men in Mosul that were tossed hundreds of feet off a roof to thier deaths.
Homosexuals are regulary stoned to death, beaten to death, hanged, tortured then killed and thrown off tall buildings by Sharia court officials yet you never mention such horrifc crimes.
You write "American Christians have taken the Bible to oppress groups of people" but ignore ( at least here ) the murder of groups by muslims.
You berate American Christians at almost any opportunity.
"So, sometimes we see what we wanna see."
Matthew 7:5
Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.
Not at all suggesting anyone here is such.

Don't forget the atheist atrocities.