Why should people care about football at all? "They shouldn't," sayeth the Brady. "Look at the attention I get: It's because I throw a football. But that's what society values. That's not what God values. God could give a shit, as far as I'm concerned. He didn't invent the game. We did. I have some eye-hand coordination, and I can throw the ball. I don't think that matters to God."And he's right about that.
God doesn't give a shit about football. Because God doesn't exist.
But if she did, she'd be a Patriot fan. (And you should be too.)
13 comments:
You could be right, in which case I'd be a fool to go with god; rather I'll have to support the Seahawks.
The logo alone should settle that. Patriots logo is really sad. Embarrassing. Like an insurance company or something..
Well, I see the Patriots won. "Mysterious ways", indeed!
Steve Weeks
A little off topic, but I would appreciate it if someone could provide a quote (or quotes) from either God or Jesus about "God's plan" from the Bible, preferably the Old Testament. To clarify, please do not provide verses from human authors, but rather quoted words from either Jesus or God. I have searched the NKJV and do not find a reference to the word "plan".
A lot of posters seem to reference "God's plan" when they are making a point, and I would like to see the Biblical references.
Thanks!
"...please do not provide verses from human authors..."
I hate to break this to you, but the entire bible is the work of human authors. I recommend you read Bart Ehrman's excellent and readable book, "Misquoting Jesus- the story behind who changed the bible and why".
It's available (free) here:
https://archive.org/details/Prof.BartEhrman-MisquotingJesus
Agreed, but that is not the point. People make the assertion that God has a plan, I want to give them the opportunity to provide a quote from God (or Jesus) to back it up in the form of a reference from the Bible.
Disallowing human authors eliminates the possibility that God was misquoted or that a human was writing down an assumption in lieu of a direct quote.
Well, I think it *is* relevant. If the bible is just made-up stuff, and someone makes up more stuff about a "plan", what's the difference?
But, seriously, the only example I can think of god having a plan is in Jeremiah 1 (http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/jer/1.html)
It's a specific reference to one individual, but what's to stop an omnipotent being from having such a plan for everyone?
FWIW, George Carlin has some good insights into the "plan" starting at about 4:50 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPOfurmrjxo
Steve Weeks
OK, here is the difference.
Some of the posters on this site do believe the words in the Bible are all true. This question is directed to them. There is too much "my" opinion versus "your" opinion on this site, so this is an attempt to fairly allow believers to provide references in the Bible to support their contention that God has a Plan that justifies all of his actions, past, present and future.
If God has a plan, then there should be a direct reference (no interpretations, please) to it by either God or Jesus in the Bible. I specifically eliminate any biblical references by humans to eliminate the possibility of someone using a human opinion of God's Plan versus hearing directly from God (or Jesus).
Doesn't that seem fair for all?
I think Susan B. Anthony nailed it when she said this about "god's plan":
"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."
Yes, it would be interesting (and amusing) to hear from a plan "believer". But, as one of the purposes of religion is to control others, someone was bound to come up with the idea of a divine "plan" eventually, don't you think?
Here's some more on the "plan" from a biblical perspective: http://www.openbible.info/topics/gods_plan
However, I hasten to point out that these are *all* the writings of men.
Rick Warren, certainly an expert on "the plan" (LoL), is discussed here: http://godisimaginary.com/i6.htm
Steve Weeks
One final comment on god's plan: http://i.imgur.com/5wXSkCv.jpg?1
Steve Weeks
I believe that some people invoke God's Plan as a coping mechanism to avoid having to think about things that disagree with their beliefs, when there is no direct Biblical text that refers to a God's Plan for all mankind (not individuals).
I also believe some people invoke a vague reference to how Jesus negates all of the contradictions and unjustified actions attributed to God in the Old Testament, when there is no direct Biblical text to support that position.
Fundamentally (no pun intended), when the various parts of the Bible were written, the vast majority of people could not read. This was true even when the Bible was printed in book form. And even when the majority of people did learn to read, they let others 'interpret' it for them, because it frankly is easier to let someone else do the thinking than doing for yourself.
But with the advent of modern technology, it is now possible to quickly search and collate and cross reference Biblical text for the average person, and uncomfortable facts are coming to light as a result. It is rather ironic that leaders of Christians have been for years telling their congregations to "read the Bible!", and now that they are, the leaders are being asked questions that they can not answer (without the use of 'interpretation').
Last but not least, I have met and known several people with degrees in divinity and religious studies from established universities, and they always turn out to be the most non-religious folks I have ever met. Imagine that.
worker 118811 said:
And even when the majority of people did learn to read, they let others 'interpret' it for them, because it frankly is easier to let someone else do the thinking than doing for yourself.
Don't forget that "interpretation" could also take the form of "redaction", either intentionally or by accident, especially when texts were hand-copied. The Bart Ehrman book I referenced earlier was a real eye-opener for me.
But with the advent of modern technology, it is now possible to quickly search and collate and cross reference Biblical text for the average person, and uncomfortable facts are coming to light as a result.
For example, Steve Wells's "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible"... a very handy on-line resource for searching out those pesky bible verses. One of my favorite repositories of those "uncomfortable facts" is Steve's book, "Drunk with Blood- God's killings in the bible". It's great to have these things at your fingertips for handy deployment on bible-thumper types!
Steve Weeks
Here is a possible future blog topic for you: Are all sins equal? Is it equally bad to tell a white lie as to kill others?
Fortunately (most) modern societies will adjust punishment to the severity of the sin (crime) committed. However, one of the things that does not make sense is comparing how God doles out punishment vs the perceived sin. For example, Cain killed 25% of the world's population (1/4), and he literally walked away and lived free for years. But David takes a census, and 70,000 people not involved die.
But in modern times (most) systems will punish only those determined to be guilty and adjust the punishment to fit the crime (sin).
But for Christianity, there is one and only one punishment - hell. So if you commit the most minor of sins, and fail to repent, you spend eternity in hell. Seems like a terrible waste of time, space and energy.
"Seems like a terrible waste of time, space and energy."
Precisely. And that's if it were *true*. Sending people to eternal misery for whatever their sin was is not in keeping with any modern understanding of justice.
But, since it's bat-shit craziness, I don't waste a minute worrying about it. No, make that a millisecond. :-)
Steve Weeks
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