Comments on Ambassador Watch: The Scarlet Harlot?

Hi Gavin:For the past month or so my attention has...

2007-12-14T07:44:00.000+13:00

Hi Gavin:

For the past month or so my attention has been diverted from matters Armstrongian to things that actually matter (mom's funeral, raising children, hugging and kissing wife, stuff like that), so I've not popped by here for a while. I figured you'd probably have something to say about the "Golden Compass" brouhaha, though, and you didn't disappoint.

I've not read the "His Dark Materials" trilogy, though from what I hear the first book and probably the second are pretty good. I hear a lot of displeasure with the literary merits of the second and third books, though -- if what I'd heard is true, the trilogy apparently collapses into, well, being lectured at by an atheist. I don't think I'll bother reading the books or seeing the movie -- for a Miltonian-inspired subversive/blasphemous retelling of the War in Heaven, I think Brust and Zelazny's To Reign in Hell (1984) did a decent job, whereas the reviews of Pullman's books indicate that he sacrificed his plot, characters, and story for the sake of the message he is preaching. And as a Christian parent, I'll not be taking my kids to see "The Golden Compass" either, which has in any case been panned by most movie critics.

There is a collection of influential people, known...

2007-12-02T13:07:00.000+13:00

There is a collection of influential people, known as the "ascended masters". These people were all proponents of revolutionary philosophy, and transformed history. However, if you examine the teachings of each, the only one who actually claimed to have been sent by God, and who actually centered his message on himself, is Jesus Christ. Buddha certainly did not claim that the only way to the father was through himself, Buddha. Neither did Mohammed.

It might be erroneous to consider Allah a different or separate God from YHWH, since Allah is the name the sons of Ishmael use for their supreme being. I will grant you that the followers of Allah do have a slightly different take on things, but we're talking about a variance of degrees here. YHWH was a "war god", just as Allah is perceived today.

Don't know what to say, Paul. I'd hate to see you left out on some good things, as you seem like one of the good guys. Sometimes if you are looking for something, that's what you find. The level of intelligence your posts suggest would seem to indicate that you probably aren't one of the people who consciously rejects knowledge, or blocks it out. Sometimes I even think we could use a couple of leprechauns, although legend has it that, like genies, they play tricks.

"Doesn't this at least make you want to maintain a...

2007-12-02T10:14:00.000+13:00

"Doesn't this at least make you want to maintain a modicum of open-mindedness?"

There is as much evidence in favor of God as there is for leprechauns. So maintaining an open mind (which I do...evidence based)for God is no different than keeping an open mind for leprechauns. I could also include every other mythological being. Why God?

The "nature of my eternity" is based on the unsubstantiated idea that we will live on beyond death which in turn is based on the assumption that there is a God. Since there is no evidence for God or the afterlife, then worrying about the supposed hereafter is no different than worrying about if Cthullu will rise from the sea and destroy my hometown.

But let's say I was worried about my condition after death. Keeping an open mind about Jehovah and Jesus doesn't even begin to solve the problem. There are other Gods that control one's condition in the afterlife, such as Allah. Therefore, I would need to keep an open mind for practically every deity ever created. It's silly.

Paul

As a public service kind of thingy, I'd like to po...

2007-12-02T09:43:00.000+13:00

As a public service kind of thingy, I'd like to point out that green leprechauns (or any other color, as I believe in affirmative action) do not have the potential to be evaluating your life and determining the nature of your eternity! Doesn't this at least make you want to maintain a modicum of open-mindedness?

Paul said: "I do. If the evidence presents itself,...

2007-12-02T07:03:00.000+13:00

Paul said: "I do. If the evidence presents itself, I'll believe."

Fair enough.

I'll do the same for abiogenesis and evolution.

the vice of SatanWhat an amusing idea -- a device ...

2007-12-02T05:01:00.000+13:00

the vice of Satan

What an amusing idea -- a device to hold objects while you work on them and we should not be ignorant of Satan's devices [although Tom seems to be, even though he uses them constantly].

Beware of Tom as a predator, for he goes forth as a roaring lion [or more like "lyin'"] seeking whom he may devour.

Kscribe said...>>>Frankly, I don't give a damn if ...

2007-12-02T03:06:00.000+13:00

Kscribe said...

>>>Frankly, I don't give a damn if there is a God or not. Really, why care?<<<

One day you will care, and you will rue the day you spoke without understanding.

>>>If there is a God, he/she or it can go to hell for malfeasance in managing mankind.<<<

Many other people have jumped to he same ill logical conclusion as you, because they think that their sense of justice is the same as God's. They tend to argue, if I were God, I would end all suffering. Yet these same people do nothing to help those who live next door or even in the wider community, especially if the afflicted are from a different ethnic group and don't subscribe to their political, economic and social philosophy.

In reality, you are asking God to do what you are unwilling to do. If you were using all your available time and resources to help the poor, the sick and the afflicted, then, your sincere concern for the sufferings of others might be evident. But if you are just shouting that God doesn't exist because he isn't doing what want, then, you are obviously in the vice of Satan.

Ooops! That compass was in error. Try this officia...

2007-12-01T19:23:00.000+13:00

Ooops! That compass was in error. Try this official website for Gavin's movie with trailers, a better compass and more info:

Golden CompassMovie.com

Official website for Gavin's movie with trailers a...

2007-12-01T19:11:00.000+13:00

Official website for Gavin's movie with trailers and more info:

goldencompass.com

Anonymous said...There is also the problem with:"G...

2007-12-01T18:44:00.000+13:00

Anonymous said...

There is also the problem with:

"God does not see as a man sees..."

"There is a way that seems right to a man..."

"Answer a fool according to his folly...or not."

"My ways are not your ways.."

"The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked..."

and so on.

The last religious "truism" you mention about the heart I find most irksome. And nearly all churches use it.

They never tell their people that in those days people thought the organ of intellect was the heart, not the brain.

In our day we think of the heart
as the metaphorical seat of intuition, conscience, truth etc.
And this is the very thing their flocks turn away from when embracing those faiths.

We need more people trusting their heart, not less.

2007-12-01T18:43:00.000+13:00

This comment has been removed by the author.

That which has been made most clear here is that T...

2007-12-01T17:56:00.000+13:00

That which has been made most clear here is that Tom is a predator and attempting to make those who turn from evil prey per Isaiah 59:15.

Also reference Matthew 7:15 where Jesus also highlights predators of this type.

Ah Paul! You trivialize! Even if you rely on myt...

2007-12-01T17:19:00.000+13:00

Ah Paul! You trivialize! Even if you rely on mythology, how does what leprechauns do compare to what God does for humanity? The existence of leprechauns is irrelevant to humanity, or at least vastly less relevant.

Note to Kscribe: I don't believe I want to stand next to you. Lightening is not noted necessarily for being very accurate in its trajectory! I assume you are trying to wean people from Armstrongism through your excellent site. If you speak ill of God, you're going to spook them before they even visit! They'll assume the devil is working through you.

2007-12-01T16:44:00.000+13:00

This comment has been removed by the author.

Frankly, I don't give a damn if there is a God or ...

2007-12-01T16:43:00.000+13:00

Frankly, I don't give a damn if there is a God or not. Really, why care? If there is a God, he/she or it can go to hell for malfeasance in managing mankind. Maybe even bought up on child abuse charges!

BB You're right. It was insanity gone mad...:)I ju...

2007-12-01T16:13:00.000+13:00

BB You're right. It was insanity gone mad...:)

I just figured none of us were going to convince the rest of us whether or not God exisited. Like Schrödinger's Cat, he does and doesn't until we look I suppose.

"Isn't it, therefore, something to which you would...

2007-12-01T14:46:00.000+13:00

"Isn't it, therefore, something to which you would want to at least keep an open mind..."

I do. If the evidence presents itself, I'll believe.

"...or even be actively seeking?"

I may as well actively seek leprechauns.

Paul

To the anonymous cat that keeps quoting the confli...

2007-12-01T14:28:00.000+13:00

To the anonymous cat that keeps quoting the conflicting verses from Jesus, why don't you quote a whole verse?

John 8:18 properly reads: I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

Were you trying to see if anyone here would even be interested in cracking open their Bible, or something?

In the other verse you quoted, reading the surrounding verses, we find that Jesus had John the Baptist witnessing for him, also.

So, in both cases you have others vouching for Jesus. Where is the conflict?

Anyone can raise doubts if they only quote half a verse, or lift a verse from proper context.

BB

If, in fact, God exists, wouldn't that be the sing...

2007-12-01T14:12:00.000+13:00

If, in fact, God exists, wouldn't that be the singular most important fact in the history of man, and in terms of relevance to mankind? Isn't it, therefore, something to which you would want to at least keep an open mind, or even be actively seeking?

"If I [Jesus] bear witness of myself, my witness i...

2007-12-01T12:46:00.000+13:00

"If I [Jesus] bear witness of myself, my witness is not true." (John 5:31)

"I [Jesus] am one that bear witness of myself..." (John 8:18)

Still waiting for an explanation....

la la la la la la tee dum

Tom saith: You are clinging to booth and law, othe...

2007-12-01T12:23:00.000+13:00

Tom saith:

You are clinging to booth and law, others to the calendar, a small minority to tithing and Bill Dankinbring to the holy days.

You have that exactly bassackwards, Tom. I haven't been to an ACOG Jewish fest since 1994. Nor do I regard the Bible as anything special for me to take any cues from -- including all the Jewish law that YOU still cling too. Well, part-time anyway, as it suits you in your picking & choosing.

And, I would say, since you just can't give up on the idea that you must belong to the purest of the "pure" ACOG sects, the flotsam and wreckage is all yours.

When the history of religion for the 20th Century is finally written, Armstrongism will hardly warrant a half page. And your little cult won't even merit a footnote.

I call you a hypocrite because on one hand you dem...

2007-12-01T10:54:00.000+13:00

I call you a hypocrite because on one hand you demand what you call *complete* proof even though there are literally hundreds of books and published papers from a variety of branches of science all supporting the theory with factual evidence....and yet when it comes to God, you demand nothing more than a vanishing fever and swelling, and a few other subjective experiences. You don't think that is the slightest bit hypocritcal?? Think about it.

Are you sure that you are thinking critically with an open mind? Are you sure that your rejection of evolution is not tainted by your religious beliefs?

I believed in God all of my life, for the most part. The last few years I was a devout COG'er, a Pharisee of the Pharisees. And despite a few problems here and there, I like the God of the Bible. Even the OT one. My kind of guy in some respects. And as far as my mindset goes, I like the fantastic. I love to read and dream about things and places that never were/are. Point being, I am all for the existence of a diety. It would make life much more interesting, and it would go along way to answering a lot of questions. But I cannot find a credible shred of evidence for a god, any god. And that is what I base my view on. Not wishful thinking and self-deception.

Paul

Paul said: "Ah, complete proof for evolution but...

2007-12-01T10:21:00.000+13:00

Paul said: "Ah, *complete* proof for evolution but you don't need *any* proof for the existence of God."

I gave you my proof, unfortunately, it only is proof to the recipient, me. I wish it were otherwise.

Paul judgeth: "Hypocrite."

Ah, here we go, the atheist version of Saint Tom the Perfect, patron saint of know-it-alls.

For your information, Darwin himself stated that the fossil record (lack thereof) was one of the biggest proofs against his theory, he expected that as more fossils would be found, transitional forms would be found. (They have not)

He also stated the eyeball argument you probably are already aware of, turns out there are eyeballs going down to what you would call some of the simplest life forms.

Then of course you have the asexual to sexual to asexual problem again. Impossible.

Before you call me a hypocrite and point fingers like Saint Tom the Perfect, perhaps you should hold off until / if science has proven that life can spontaneously exist without outside help and then evolve into ever more complex life forms.

The natural order of things is to fall apart, not together.

Short video:Christians are Delusional.http://www.w...

2007-12-01T08:46:00.000+13:00

Short video:

Christians are Delusional.

http://www.whydoesgodhateamputees.com/video7.htm

"Evolutionists state that it must have happened an...

2007-12-01T08:44:00.000+13:00

"Evolutionists state that it must have happened and discard any evidence that goes against the theory."

Really? Do evolutionists, in fact, did Darwin, come up with a theory based on ~no observations~ (whether they be right or wrong) and ~no evidence~ (whether true or not) to suppor their theory (whether true or not)? No, they didn't. Darwin FIRST made observations and THEN made constructed a theory based on those observations. This is the way understanding reality works, by the way. Also, when evolutionists, hell, all scientists for the most part run into contrary evidence, they do not discard it. They evaluate it and shift their view.

This is completely opposite to Believers, who FIRST assume there is a supernatural deity without a shred of evidence of observations to base it on. THEN they set about trying to create a platform of observations (answered prayer), and yes, they do disregard any evidence that is contrary to their belief.

Paul