@sonship saidNone. Knowledge justifies nobody. Its the same problem with Christians.
If you two rapists. One born in the first century AD (CE) and the other in 2000.
The first thought the sun circles the earth, sperm is just a jelly like substance, the stars are set against a black solid dome in the sky, doesn't know what curved space / time is but knows he can fall off a cliff, knows about sunburn but not about ultra violet light or infra-red ...[text shortened]... f his knowledge?
Which one will be more able to justify himself before God as to his crimes?
We have two Christians, both sinners. One comes to God with his good works and the other comes with his knowledge of the bible, professions of faith, the rapture, the translations, the interpretation of the scripture. Which one will be more able to justify himself before God as to his crimes?
The answer : (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. (Romans 2:13 KJV)
God justifies those who do good works and obey the commandments.
Anyone else?
I mean else?
If you two rapists. One born in the first century AD (CE) and the other in 2000.
The first thought the sun circles the earth, sperm is just a jelly like substance, the stars are set against a black solid dome in the sky, doesn't know what curved space / time is but knows he can fall off a cliff, knows about sunburn but not about ultra violet light or infra-red light, thinks garbage causes flies to be created.
The second rapist knows the earth goes around the sun, stars are huge gaseous disks billions of miles away, millions of sperm cells can potentially fertilize an egg, gravity is the effect of the curvature of space / time around mass, microscopic eggs from flies grow to be maggots and flies, understands why staying out in the sun light too long hurts his skin, and atoms are composed of neutrons, protons and electrons.
If these two rapists have to give an account for the women they forcefully violated leaving them pregnant and in misery, with haunting memories of violence, and possibly self hate - WHICH one of the rapists will be in a better situation because of his knowledge?
Which one will be more able to justify himself before God as to his crimes?
@sonship saidThis matter of their religious belief is surely a question for the-rapists-who-believe-in-God themselves, and not for a non-believer and/or anyone who already believes the same things as you do.
Which one will be more able to justify himself before God as to his crimes?
As for how they try to "justify" what they did, that is a matter for their communities or societies, assuming they are caught.
@sonship saidWorst analogy ever.
Anyone else?
I mean else?
If you two rapists. One born in the first century AD (CE) and the other in 2000.
The first thought the sun circles the earth, sperm is just a jelly like substance, the stars are set against a black solid dome in the sky, doesn't know what curved space / time is but knows he can fall off a cliff, knows about sunburn but not about ultra ...[text shortened]... use of his knowledge?
Which one will be more able to justify himself before God as to his crimes?
Seek help immediately.
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things.
But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
~ Steven Weinberg, quoted in The New York Times, April 20, 1999
US physicist (1933 - )
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if i were intelligent i would weigh in with thoughts of my own
alas
@rookie54 saidWeinberg is mistaken. Religion cannot make a good person to evil things.
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things.
But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
~ Steven Weinberg, quoted in The New York Times, April 20, 1999
US physicist (1933 - )
---------------
if i were intelligent i would weigh in with thoughts of my own
alas
@rajk999 saidI think history is littered with people doing evil things in the name of God/gods.
Weinberg is mistaken. Religion cannot make a good person to evil things.
@ghost-of-a-duke saidEvil people do evil. Good people do good.
I think history is littered with people doing evil things in the name of God/gods.
There are no exceptions
@ghost-of-a-duke saidSo very true starting, with Cain in Genesis and ending with Mystery - Babylon the Great in Revelation 17.
I think history is littered with people doing evil things in the name of God/gods.
With atheism there is no final accounting.
Perpetrators dissolve peacefully into oblivion.
With God there IS a final accounting.
One of the reasons we tremble to pass judgment too easily on others.
You long for the former situation.
Christians recognize the latter.
@sonship saidThere is also justice logic in reincarnation, with people dying young in this life having the chance to live again in the next. Does that make it true? Should we only believe things that are warm and cuddly and ignore reality?
So very true starting, with Cain in Genesis and ending with Mystery - Babylon the Great in Revelation 17.
With atheism there is no final accounting.
Perpetrators dissolve peacefully into oblivion.
With God there IS a final accounting.
One of the reasons we tremble to pass judgment too easily on others.
You long for the former situation.
Christians recognize the latter.