Author Topic: Secular Nativity  (Read 9613 times)

Stranger

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #125 on: September 16, 2024, 01:07:57 PM »
I’m sorry I’m not getting your saying that God’s expectations are too severe...

I didn't say too severe, I said insane and nonsensical. We believe a batshit story and we get off scot-free, and, well, what do you think happens if we don't? I don't think you've said yet.

Certainly if it's eternal torment, as some Christians say, then it would be totally disproportionate to anything anybody could do in one lifetime.

...and when you are asked how severe they should be you answer “I don’t know”

Again, what are you expecting me to say? A one size fits all punishment for any imperfection ("the wages of sin is death") is clearly nuts. You'd have to tailor it to humans as they are and have proportionate responses, not petty vindictive curses, like the God character in the buy-bull is given to.

I am saying that wrong doing creates consequences which justice requires recompense.

But, apparently, just believing a mad, brutal, sadomasochistic, pretend substitute human sacrifice is good enough to get anybody off scot-free.

These costs in law are often settled by parties on behalf of others so nothing batshit nonsensical about that.

In minor cases, and usually when somebody thinks the penality isn't deserved or the law has been misapplied. The craziness is in the extreme, bloodthirsty, vindictive nature of the punishment and the fact that the price wasn't really paid at all. As I said, 30 years cosplaying a human and 3 days of death, would be nothing to an eternal God.

Reduction of costs to a level where there is not sufficient recompense is undue leniency and justice isn’t served...

And believing the crazy shit means you get just that, according to your beliefs. No price is ever paid (the triviality of 30 years and 3 days to a God being effectively nothing, even if the substitute blood sacrifice wasn't insane enough already).
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Walt Zingmatilder

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #126 on: September 16, 2024, 02:33:26 PM »
Historically, generally it seems for the better, although there have been highs and lows.
Ah, the myth of man’s forward March and the confusion of can and should. I’m not sure we can have confidence in your view given climate denial, climate emerita, nuclear capability etc.
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Is it Christian doctrine that we get to decide if we're saved from original sin? That's new to me.
Only Christ can save us from any sin. It’s certainly not Christianity that you are judged solely on original sin.
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Morality has progressed since the times of the Roman occupation of Israel, but that is irrelevant to the notion of 'sin' which is intrinsic, and to the particular 'sinful' activities which have been immutable edicts since the codification of the New Testaments, all before 1000AD.
Apart from the question of whether there’s the fallacy of modernity her can a morality that is constantly shifting it’s definition of right and wrong, good or bad, ought or ought not be rightly called a morality?
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Putting Calvinism aside,
Oh please do
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where it's not a 'judgment' at all, it's a whim (we can't 'earn' our way into heaven)
That’s not solely Calvinist since where do we star and finish?
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.. I'm guilty, regardless, just by virtue of being born,
The implication is that the fall has done all humanity harm but  how that is transmitted, I don’t think is clear. Certainly we inherit the moral environment
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but that's OK because someone else didn't die really, so that's accounted for. Then I might be judged against my compliance to one or more lists of apparently arbitrary rules, some of which make sense some of which are absolute nonsense, which describe things so abominable that they warrant eternity in hell, except for the ones which suddenly became perfectly fine around the turn of the first millenium. But gay stuff's still a no-no, rape is a grey area, slavery's fine along as you abide by the fine-print. Who the hell has the audacity to espouse that and then claim they're in a place to judge me?
We inhabit a consequential universe I’m afraid many, many consequences don’t manifest themselves according to how we feel about stuff.
Try doing what you like and I think judgment in the form of consequence is not far behind
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I'm condemned, and Jesus needs to die for a weekend, because of Adam and Eve - original sin. Or, if that's an allegory, because of human nature. Which I was born with, and didn't get to choose. That's entirely separate from any of my actions, which may or may not be relevant depending on which flavour of Christianity you take your crisps in.
You keep loading it on to Adam and Eve. What about the consequences of your own actions

I prescribe a read of
Romans chapter 5 with attention to verse 12 on contrasting Adam with Jesus.
« Last Edit: September 16, 2024, 02:40:03 PM by Walt Zingmatilder »

Outrider

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #127 on: September 16, 2024, 02:58:56 PM »
Ah, the myth of man’s forward March and the confusion of can and should.

You don't think the modern world is morally better than, say, the era of the Roman occupation of Israel?

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I’m not sure we can have confidence in your view given climate denial, climate emerita, nuclear capability etc.

An increasingly small minority of people deny science, therefore we should all cleave to bronze-age superstition instead?

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Only Christ can save us from any sin.

Only Christ is threatening us because of sin, though, so...

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It’s certainly not Christianity that you are judged solely on original sin.

Well it sure as hell isn't anyone else's theology.

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Apart from the question of whether there’s the fallacy of modernity her can a morality that is constantly shifting it’s definition of right and wrong, good or bad, ought or ought not be rightly called a morality?

If it can't, what's your take on the rewrite of morally acceptable behaviour between the Old and New Testaments? Morality has always been subjective; even in Christianity, it's subject to God's whim, there's no rationale behind it. At least in human endeavours there are attempts to ground morality, assessments of value and intent.

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That’s not solely Calvinist since where do we star and finish?

It may not be solely Calvinist, but I have better things to do than exhaustively track the idiosyncrasies of each cult of each sect of each branch of a mythology.

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The implication is that the fall has done all humanity harm but  how that is transmitted, I don’t think is clear.

The mechanism isn't relevant - the problem is the notion that responsibility for it is passed on at all. Vicarious moral liability is an abhorrent concept to start with.

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Certainly we inherit the moral environment.

An environment where the rules aren't based on morality at all, but compliance with divine edict.

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We inhabit a consequential universe I’m afraid many, many consequences don’t manifest themselves according to how we feel about stuff.

Yep. And then we discuss the implications of that and come up with principles which are collectively agreed to a greater or lesser degree, and specific implementations of those principles. Welcome to morality, you've just graduated out of religion playschool where the rules are laid out for you because you're too young to think for yourself.

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Try doing what you like and I think judgment in the form of consequence is not far behind

Instead I should try doing what someone says God arbitrarily decided I should do, even to the detriment of friends and family?

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You keep loading it on to Adam and Eve.

No, I don't. Christians keep loading it onto Adam and Eve, I'm just pointing out how mind-numbingly stupid that is.

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What about the consequences of your own actions

I deal with them every day, it's called living. What doesn't wash is the idea that there's an eternal punishment after I've finished living because I got the wrong haircut.

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I prescribe a read of Romans chapter 5 with attention to verse 12 on contrasting Adam with Jesus.

Lots of stuff about Jesus 'dying', which is contradicted a few pages later when it turns out 'surprise' not dead after all. And as for me putting it all on Adam... "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin" Romans 5, seeing as it seems to mean something to you.

"To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law." - so it's not about the morals, it's about the law. It's about compliance, obedience - there is no discussion of whether the laws are just, or right, or have any sort of moral acceptability, there are just rules to be obeyed.

"Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people." Collective punishment isn't justified with children. Collective punishment with adults is a tool of oppression. Eternal collective punishment for temporal acts is an immorality of infinite proportions.

Read it. Don't see that it changes anything.

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Nearly Sane

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #128 on: September 16, 2024, 03:10:07 PM »
You don't think the modern world is morally better than, say, the era of the Roman occupation of Israel?

...


Was the Holocaust better or worse? Are you suggesting  objective morality?

Outrider

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #129 on: September 16, 2024, 03:11:46 PM »
Was the Holocaust better or worse? Are you suggesting  objective morality?

The holocaust was worse. The world in which the holocaust happened, the world that followed as the realities of the holocaust were communicated - I'd say that's better. Would you disagree?

And no, I'm not suggesting an objective morality - at no point have I come anywhere close to suggesting an objective morality.

O.
Universes are forever, not just for creation...

New Atheism - because, apparently, there's a use-by date on unanswered questions.

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Nearly Sane

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #130 on: September 16, 2024, 03:15:07 PM »
The holocaust was worse. The world in which the holocaust happened, the world that followed as the realities of the holocaust were communicated - I'd say that's better. Would you disagree?

And no, I'm not suggesting an objective morality - at no point have I come anywhere close to suggesting an objective morality.

O.
I think saying something is worse here is a claim to objectivity. It's just your opinion. You also seem to be suggesting there was no 'progression' until after the holocaust from Roman times. To be honest your argument seems just confused emotion on this point.

Walt Zingmatilder

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #131 on: September 16, 2024, 03:18:24 PM »
I didn't say too severe,
I’m sorry but didn’t you say God’s laws were impossible to obey?
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I said insane and nonsensical. We believe a batshit story and we get off scot-free, and, well, what do you think happens if we don't? I don't think you've said yet.
Sorry I think you said God’s laws are impossible to obey so the penalty or consequences should be reduced.
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Certainly if it's eternal torment, as some Christians say, then it would be totally disproportionate to anything anybody could do in one lifetime.
So you are saying the penalties are too severe.
You make a good point though and I find myself pondering what sin would have an eternal consequence?
Firstly there is sin committed throughout eternity. Secondly, the rejection of God throughout eternity, thirdly the final rejection of God’s forgiveness. The consequence here would be more the inability to receive forgiveness.
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Again, what are you expecting me to say? A one size fits all punishment for any imperfection ("the wages of sin is death") is clearly nuts. You'd have to tailor it to humans as they are and have proportionate responses, not petty vindictive curses, like the God character in the buy-bull is given to.

But, apparently, just believing a mad, brutal, sadomasochistic, pretend substitute human sacrifice is good enough to get anybody off scot-free.
OK what in law anywhere in the world is the maximum consequence for murder?
The answer is of course life imprisonment or death. A life for a life.

But is even death recompense for the crime?I would say no on the grounds that it does not bring the victim back. So even paying the ultimate penalty does not compensate.

We cannot possibly know where to begin or end restitution IMV.

The Christian belief is that Christ can make it on our behalf.
« Last Edit: September 16, 2024, 03:23:11 PM by Walt Zingmatilder »

Outrider

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #132 on: September 16, 2024, 03:21:27 PM »
I think saying something is worse here is a claim to objectivity.

On which basis there is no morality, there's just rules and whether you personally feel nice about them?

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It's just your opinion.

No, it's not just mine, it's shared by a significant portion of the planet. And, more importantly, it's a conclusion that follows on from underlying principles of how people ought to behave to improve the world for our collective benefit.

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You also seem to be suggesting there was no 'progression' until after the holocaust from Roman times.

No, I don't. You might be inferring that, but that's on you not on me.

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To be honest your argument seems just confused emotion on this point.

Oh well. At worst, then, its still better than the religious offering that it's countering, so...

O.
Universes are forever, not just for creation...

New Atheism - because, apparently, there's a use-by date on unanswered questions.

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Nearly Sane

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #133 on: September 16, 2024, 03:25:27 PM »
On which basis there is no morality, there's just rules and whether you personally feel nice about them?

No, it's not just mine, it's shared by a significant portion of the planet. And, more importantly, it's a conclusion that follows on from underlying principles of how people ought to behave to improve the world for our collective benefit.

No, I don't. You might be inferring that, but that's on you not on me.

Oh well. At worst, then, its still better than the religious offering that it's countering, so...

O.
So you aren't suggesting objective morality but an ad populum morality, which means that what happened in Roman times is precisely as 'moral' as what happens now.


A claim that your argument is no worse than one you think is shite is a novel if unimpressive one.
« Last Edit: September 16, 2024, 03:36:18 PM by Nearly Sane »

jeremyp

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #134 on: September 16, 2024, 04:00:24 PM »
But Will you be a murderer in future?
Probably not. But I frequently break the rules that your god deems the apotheosis of morality. Only yesterday I ate bacon. Jesus Christ! Now I'm taking his name in vain. Clearly I'm not morally perfect.
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If you are then in your own scheme of things and your logic you will have been a murderer all along.
Or will you be a non murderer who became a murderer?

A morally perfect being would never choose to be a murderer.
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Walt Zingmatilder

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #135 on: September 16, 2024, 04:09:35 PM »
Probably not. But I frequently break the rules that your god deems the apotheosis of morality. Only yesterday I ate bacon. Jesus Christ! Now I'm taking his name in vain. Clearly I'm not morally perfect.
A morally perfect being would never choose to be a murderer.
A morally perfect being is without sin but not necessarily without the choice of good and evil.
The bible talks of righteousness and holiness. Prior to the fall mankind was naturally righteous sinless after the fall faith counts as righteousness.

Walt Zingmatilder

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #136 on: September 16, 2024, 04:13:55 PM »
Probably not. But I frequently break the rules that your god deems the apotheosis of morality. Only yesterday I ate bacon.[Jesus Christ! Now I'm taking his name in vain. Clearly I'm not morally perfect.
A morally perfect being would never choose to be a murderer.

Walt Zingmatilder

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #137 on: September 16, 2024, 04:17:49 PM »
Probably not. But I frequently break the rules that your god deems the apotheosis of morality. Only yesterday I ate bacon.
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Yes, you’ve always struck me as the sort of man that could do justice to some rashers of Danish. I hope you cooked it properly.

Nearly Sane

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #138 on: September 16, 2024, 04:19:00 PM »
A morally perfect being is without sin but not necessarily without the choice of good and evil.
The bible talks of righteousness and holiness. Prior to the fall mankind was naturally righteous sinless after the fall faith counts as righteousness.
Making the choice to commit evil means the being is not morally perfect.

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #139 on: September 16, 2024, 04:20:57 PM »
Sorry I think you said God’s laws are impossible to obey so the penalty or consequences should be reduced.

I think you're running away from the craziness of your fairytale. You haven't said what you think the penalty for us would be, only the batshit nonsense about Jesus's non-sacrifice.

So you are saying the penalties are too severe.

If you think eternal torment in hell is the penality for any imperfection, then of course. Anybody should be able to see that. Even a mass murderer would have suffered enough in some finite time, especially if the victims are all resurrected as you claim, and that's even supposing that retribution and punishment was the entire point.

Firstly there is sin committed throughout eternity.

How would you do that?

Secondly, the rejection of God throughout eternity, thirdly the final rejection of God’s forgiveness. The consequence here would be more the inability to receive forgiveness.

Why would anybody need forgiveness for being how God made them? It's God (if a God like you describe exists) that should be asking for forgiveness from us.

OK what in law anywhere in the world is the maximum consequence for murder?
The answer is of course life imprisonment or death. A life for a life.

But is even death recompense for the crime?I would say no on the grounds that it does not bring the victim back.

But it's you who claimed that God killing people is all just fine because they all get resurrected. You can't have it both ways.

The Christian belief is that Christ can make it on our behalf.

With the silly, infinitesimal (to an eternal God) 30 years of cosplay, and 3 days of death. Yeah, right.

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Walt Zingmatilder

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #140 on: September 16, 2024, 04:23:01 PM »
Making the choice to commit evil means the being is not morally perfect.
It’s the choice of evil that renders them imperfect. Having the choice does not.
Someone who doesn’t murder is not a murderer.

Nearly Sane

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #141 on: September 16, 2024, 04:26:55 PM »
It’s the choice of evil that renders them imperfect. Having the choice does not.
Someone who doesn’t murder is not a murderer.
No one is arguing any differently. You have suggested 'man' was a morally perfect being and that 'man' made a morally imperfect choice. This is logically contradictory.

Walt Zingmatilder

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #142 on: September 16, 2024, 04:29:40 PM »
Making the choice to commit evil means the being is not morally perfect.
Having the choice does not make one evil. Making the choice does.

If you have not committed evil you are innocent.

Walt Zingmatilder

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #143 on: September 16, 2024, 04:32:04 PM »
No one is arguing any differently. You have suggested 'man' was a morally perfect being and that 'man' made a morally imperfect choice. This is logically contradictory.
No it isn’t. If you have committed no evil then you are innocent and your moral record is perfect

That is straightforward.

Nearly Sane

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #144 on: September 16, 2024, 04:33:26 PM »
Having the choice does not make one evil. Making the choice does.

If you have not committed evil you are innocent.
Repeating yourself as if you are not reading posts isn't useful. No one is suggesting that having the choice makes to commit evil makes one evil. So please stop with that strawman.

Making the choice to commit evil means that the being that does that is not morally perfect.

You are saying 'man' was morally perfect, and yet made a choice to commit evil. That is where your logical contradiction lies.

Nearly Sane

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #145 on: September 16, 2024, 04:35:40 PM »
No it isn’t. If you have committed no evil then you are innocent and your moral record is perfect

That is straightforward.
Your moral record might be perfect but that doesn't make you a morally perfect being if you then go on to commit evil. Again a morally perfect being would not commit evil and yet you say 'man' was morally perfect, and 'man' committed evil. Those 2 positions are logically contradictory.

Walt Zingmatilder

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #146 on: September 16, 2024, 04:43:50 PM »
Your moral record might be perfect but that doesn't make you a morally perfect being if you then go on to commit evil. Again a morally perfect being would not commit evil and yet you say 'man' was morally perfect, and 'man' committed evil. Those 2 positions are logically contradictory.
The point is mankind is created without sin and is sinless until mankind commits sin.
If you wish to say mankind was created with sin then you have to make your case probably by pointing out what the sin was. It seems to me then that it is perfectly justifiable to say that mankind was created morally perfect.

I can see from a deterministic view  actions are predetermined...but this isn’t physics.

Nearly Sane

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #147 on: September 16, 2024, 04:48:20 PM »
The point is mankind is created without sin and is sinless until mankind commits sin.
If you wish to say mankind was created with sin then you have to make your case probably by pointing out what the sin was. It seems to me then that it is perfectly justifiable to say that mankind was created morally perfect.

I can see from a deterministic view  actions are predetermined...but this isn’t physics.
That's not your claim though, and you've added another strawman. Your claim is that 'man' was a morally perfect being.

I'm not claiming 'man' was created with or without sin, as I'm not claiming 'man' was created. This is all about your claim that a morally perfect being choose to commit evil - which is logically contradictory.


Fuck knows what determinism and physics have to do with this which is a simple thing of you making 2 logically contradictory claims.

jeremyp

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #148 on: September 16, 2024, 04:54:50 PM »
No it isn’t. If you have committed no evil then you are innocent and your moral record is perfect

That is straightforward.


Now you are moving the goal posts. You claimed God made us morally perfect but now you are just claiming he made us with a perfect record, which is trivially true since we are all born with no record at all (ignoring the original sin nonsense).

We are still left with God creating us and then punishing us for behaving as he designed.
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Walt Zingmatilder

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Re: Secular Nativity
« Reply #149 on: September 16, 2024, 05:22:21 PM »
That's not your claim though,
That is my claim, since I made it.
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and you've added another strawman. Your claim is that 'man' was a morally perfect being.
Yes...man was perfectly moral and a being.
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Fuck knows what determinism and physics have to do with this which is a simple thing of you making 2 logically contradictory claims.
Because determinism would predetermine the committing of evil making the determinant evil itself. You are suggesting that to be evil you have to be evil.
My definition of evil is to be against God. Man is initially for God.