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Today seems to be my definition day. A heresy is when someone with earthly power uses that power to exercise control over someone else's right to freedom of religion. ie., the accused may believe something the power does not, or not believe something the power does. Since, in my experience at...

I'm a little cynical on this topic. I looked up some figures not so long ago, (but pre-covid) and it seems there are around as many deaths around the world by hunger and hunger related causes as there are by abortion. It seems to me that Americans, who are the wealthiest nation on Earth, with...

I don't think it needs to be quite that complicated. Travelling down the scale, We start off with Best (objectively Good, and better than everything else), Better (still good, but some things are better yet), Mediocre (half the things are better than the other half), Worse (more than half the...

Thought I'd share my current favourite piece of music with you. It's by Christopher Tin, and the lyrics are a loose translation of the Lord's Prayer into Swahili, and it is the introductory music to the computer game Civilisation 4. My question is: have you found any such brilliant devotional...

Hmmm. There are some bad people out there; the Hitler's, Stalin's and Pol Pot's of the world, and more recently the Muslim strong men, such as Bin Laden and Assad, but even these are valued by God, according to the Christian consensus. It is said that angels rejoice most noisily when such as...

After all, there are plenty of natural evils (Tempests, drought, floods, etc). Those of you who have been unfortunate enough to read my previous threads will know I am keen on philosophy of religion, ethics and political philosophy. If someone is good and omnipotent, I do not think it...

This thread reminds me of the story of two Catholic priests, both of whom smoked pipes, and wanted to know of their bishop whether or not and when it was acceptable. The first went through to the bishop's chambers, and came out after an hour, shaking his head. Then the second one went in, and...

I have to say, my friend, your netiquette is not good. If you were less interested in scoring debating points, and more interested in having a productive discussion, we both might learn something. Until then, I can't be bothered with you. Best wishes, 2RM.

I am not a Marxist. Just left of centre leaning. God is generally thought to be the author of morality, and writ it on our hearts. If you have any problems with that, take it up with Him. Best wishes, 2RM.

How many times do I need to say this? I am discussing absolute or extreme poverty, when one doesn't have the means to support and sustain oneself and one's family. Pay attention. Best wishes, 2RM.

I am talking moral responsibility. If you can't see that responsibility, we have nothing in common. Best wishes, 2RM.

Yes, I'm inclined to agree with you that what God thinks is good is objectively good, and the same goes for evil. And what people think is good is only subjectively good, and the same goes for evil. And that what God thinks to be good or bad, and what people think to be good or bad, are...

Good. You see, you can be civil when you try. I'll get back to you on your questions tomorrow. Best wishes, 2RM.

I know you are reasonably intelligent, which is why I invited you onto this thread. So I can only presume that for some reason you are being deliberately dense. And while you are adjusting your attitude, I would prefer it if you stopped with the insults. They make it difficult for me to...

I have, earlier in the thread, pointed out that if the world's wealth were equally distributed, we could all expect a net worth of $33,000 and an annual income of some $27,000. I later qualified this by saying that no one should be paid more than 7x the income of the poorest. I drew attention to...

Well, as the Catholic archbishop Helder Camara put it: "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a Marxist." The reason why the poor are poor is because the rich are hogging more than their fair share of the world's wealth. No wonder they...

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Hmmm. We are clearly reading different Bibles. Or taking different lessons from it. Best wishes, 2RM.

I'm not, and won't be, asking for money. Just suggesting that people pay more attention to the charitable institutions active in this area. For specific charities I think worth supporting, see my thread on =1']favourite charities. Best wishes, 2RM.

You are joking, right? Jesus' whole mission on Earth can be construed as His leadership in the battle for social justice. He made it His business to champion the powerless, succour the poor, heal the sick, and teach the sinners. And He pretty much ignored the rich and powerful, except to say...