The absence of something is not evidence that it does not exist.
Read it.

Yes I know World Crafter... I was trying to prove a point

I don't get the whole heaven and hell thing either. Bad people go to Hell, and God made everything how he wanted it. That means that he made them bad, with the express purpose of sending them to Hell.
What a douchebag.

Well done sir! If it weren't for you that kid may well have died. This sort of thing really gets me going, especially when someone enforces his/her faith onto another, like in this case. If it were the mother that was sick, I'd just say "Fine, glhf", but doing this to a child is unacceptable.

Faith is by definition something intangible that you believe in. There is no more proof that some higher power exists than there is proof that it doesn't exist. Even believers should be able to accept this as fact. Text written in an old book isn't evidence, and on the flipside, if God does exist we wouldn't be able to prove his existence unless he wants us to.

Point being, refusing medical care because of religion is fucking stupid.

It doesn't force it, but it does promote it.

But it does threaten (as in, go to Hell if you don't join us).

I can't say God does not exist, but I don't believe that he exists until he shows up in front of me and give me a high-five.

I don't believe that he exists until he shows up in front of me and give me a high-five.

Aye, you deserve it.

You did the right thing Satch. Good on you.

Stab her in the face

Would have worked equally well imo.

)

Go spy and facestab.

I think the Scout's baseball bat would be more appropriate in this case.

Yeah, it has a nice ring to it when you smack it into someone's face

Totally, like, religion. Who needs it?

Regarding hell and shit, from what I've read hell is not literal brimstone and hellfire, but is rather a parable for the absence of God. Eg. it's a separation from God according to the choice you made in life. That's how I remember it, anyway.

GJ to satchmo. Luckily, we live in a society where freedom of religion doesn't run so far you can willingly endanger the life of your child. The next logical step is to ban circumcision.

TJB, be careful calling God that. You should carefully read into the bible to obtain the correct information before making a rash descision like that. Anyways I think that there isn't direct solid proof of God's existence because if there was than there would be no such thing as faith. Everyone would just know without disciplining themselves and who would than be deserving of rewards? This is only my opinion.. One time I talked to one of my friends at work about why he didn't believe in God and he said because he didn't think that anyone deserved to burn in hell forever for their sins. This made me think a lot because I agreed with him. Than I realized that we really don't know what hell is or how punishment for sins is handled in the afterlife if it even is. Somewhere in the bible it says that before anyone enters into the kingdom they will be cleansed by means of fire. So are people punished with hell and than let into heaven? But than again it also says about all the sinners and how they will never inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God. Its kinda confusing but I think that if I read the bible a whole lot more I will understand more.

I don't get the whole heaven and hell thing either. Bad people go to Hell, and God made everything how he wanted it. That means that he made them bad, with the express purpose of sending them to Hell.
What a douchebag.

Remind me not to be standing anywhere near you during a lightning storm.

You did the right thing, Satch, honestly. --> Something more off-topic btw: are you by any chance fan of Louis Armstrong, Satchmo?

Also, TWHL and religion, haha. Go figure.

This made me think a lot because I agreed with him. Than I realized that we really don't know what hell is or how punishment for sins is handled in the afterlife if it even is.

It should be perfectly clear to everyone that everything we know about faith and religion is made up by human.

It's not like Hell is a real place. Anyone can say anything about it.

I can define Hell as a big parking lot with a lot of ice cream trucks, except that all the ice creams are melted.

are you by any chance fan of Louis Armstrong, Satchmo?

I am too lazy to search through TWHL, but there was a whole thread on this topic. And yes, I picked my alias from Armstrong's official nickname. I picked "satchmo" (by the way, I intentionally did not capitalize satchmo to distinguish it from the real "Satchmo") because I wanted to retain some anonyminity in various forums at first. If you Google "satchmo", all you're going to get is a bunch of Louis Armstrong stuff.

By now, of course, I am fairly well-known to everyone, because of my professional record and my two books.

Did you know that TWHL was the very first online forums that I joined? It still is the best place to visit. The members really keep it alive and well.

Also, TWHL and religion, haha.

What, this forum has a great history of religion-debate threads. Well, sort of. Maybe.

Louis Armstrong's nickname is "Satchmo"?
You learn something new every day.

There's actually an injury to the lips called "Satchmo's Syndrome," caused by too much trumpet playing. It was named after him because he suffered from it and had to take a year off to recover. I've got it too; it bites.

Edit: Never mind.
Delete this post.

Make me.

I think 'punishment' in all its forms is a very human thing to do. That being said, as my religious teachers so often put it "God is above us humans". The only proper way of dealing with people who have done wrong in a humane, rather than human, fashion, would be rehabilitation and reform.

Well, here is the view from a religious standpoint: God does not want to you suffer in eternity, but would rather rehabilitate and reform you through Christ. However, God leaves you with the choice - and just like refusing a surgery that will save your life, there are consequences for your choice.

On the topic of the woman, here's my responce in a simple, easy-to-understand format:

Religion is bad when it replaces common sense.