Thoughts and Prayers: The Religion Thread

Osteen turns Jesus into a life coach.

Which is exactly where lots of Americans want him.

 

The prosperity gospel is great — for those preaching it.

 

Joe Biden was denied communion at Catholic church in South Carolina - CNNPolitics

Well, this will get interesting.

 

Wondering this morning if grace and satori and kavvanah and mokshi and ihsan all describe the same state of human perfectibility.

 

This is lovely.

[Memoir] The Cancer Chair, by Christian Wiman | Harper's Magazine

 

Christian Insecurity: The Problem of the Second Coming

Been thinking about this a bit. Like the Old Testament promising a prophet, the New Testament delivered the prophet and also promised his return "some day." While countless figures have predicted when this would happen, and failed - I'm kind of of the mind that it is more important that there is a "to be continued..." as part of the Biblical story (just as there was with the OT). It's kind of like when when a tough guy threatens someone with an "OK, I know your name, and I know where you live - you call the cops I'm coming for you." It's a threat, but it is the uncertainty of the threat that keeps the person in line. I'd like to think people would still "be good" with or without a promise of a Second Coming, but then again - the OT pre-dates the NT by as much as 1200 years. We're now 2ooo plus AD - almost seems like it's time for a third testament. Unless Joseph Smith was right.

 

The Book of Mormon is some trippy sci-fi.

There should have been some tough love at the Council of Nicaea. Just sayin'

 

The Second coming was imminent, 1900 years ago.
It’s all fiction. A sentient deity doesn’t exist. And didn’t come to live with humans in human form in the guise of a Jewish son of a Jewish couple in Roman occupied Israel.

 

There's no reason for somebody who hates baseball to weigh in on the MLB thread. NBA haters don't need to post on that thread. And somebody who hates religion can leave this one alone. There's no need to troll.

 

Maybe, but, as you know, the prophet Mormon abridged the history after his army was wiped out in the final battle.

It always warmed my heart knowing that you can lead 239,976 people to their well deserved deaths, but if you have copy editing skills, you can have a religion named for you.

And this is why I never was invited to teach Sunday School when I lived in the Salt Lake City area. I kinda see why.