Do you believe in God?

[UKMikey]

Fair is a decision he would of had to make, wouldnt change the point about bodily autonomy.

Perhaps part of God's "kink" is that he likes to see Joe stonewalled into a situation he doesn't want to be in. Hence the choice of a married host perhaps?

He may have received sainthood for his troubles but this is basically Indecent Proposal: Deistic Edition

The correct answer is that if Mary consents then it's not up to Joseph any more than it would be she had decided to abort one of Jesus's brothers or his sister. The question raised by the cartoon however is why the Supreme Being would choose to put him in this situation. Even Job was entitled to complain about his lot (although I'm not sure about Lot).

 

[Imari]

The question is why. Why use a human woman as a host to bear your child when you can speak whole universes into existence? Moreso, one which was already married to someone else? No wonder Joseph is pissed in the cartoon.

Also, if Mary is married to Joseph then a child of Mary and another entity would be technically a bastard, no? Not that there's anything actually wrong with that, but Christians sure seem to think it's important to have children born in wedlock.

 

[UKMikey]

Also, if Mary is married to Joseph then a child of Mary and another entity would be technically a bastard, no? Not that there's anything actually wrong with that, but Christians sure seem to think it's important to have children born in wedlock.

Maybe they waived the monogamy rule. St Paul didn't really lay down the law on that until 1 Corinthians so they could've been playing the mystical marriage/bridal theology card on this for extra hypocrisy points. /porquenolosdos

 

[TexRex]

The question is why. Why use a human woman as a host to bear your child when you can speak whole universes into existence? Moreso, one which was already married to someone else? No wonder Joseph is pissed in the cartoon.

I thought the cartoon was pretty generous. I always imagine Mary as Lucy and Joseph as Ricky and he's pressing her about how she's pregnant and instead of revealing that she was shtupping one of his brothers, she lands on the absurd notion of immaculate conception.

Also, if Mary is married to Joseph then a child of Mary and another entity would be technically a bastard, no? Not that there's anything actually wrong with that, but Christians sure seem to think it's important to have children born in wedlock.

Except when they don't and that's definitely not inconsistent because reasons.

 

[UKMikey]

I thought the cartoon was pretty generous. I always imagine Mary as Lucy and Joseph as Ricky and he's pressing her about how she's pregnant and instead of revealing that she was shtupping one of his brothers, she lands on the absurd notion of immaculate conception.

Wow, the Lucy show was racier than I thought.

 

[Dotini]

Perhaps part of God's "kink" is that he likes to see

Every breath you take
And every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you

I see you when you're sleeping
I know when you're awake
I know if you've been bad or good

(with apologies to The Police and Santa Claus)

Maybe God, a metaphysical being, doesn't actually "see" anything, but instead directly experiences every thought and deed through cosmic consciousness.

 

[Scaff]

Thinking about it overnight, Jo seemed OK with this as well!

Maybe it's him we've been kink shaming?

 

[UKMikey]

Thinking about it overnight, Jo seemed OK with this as well!

Maybe it's him we've been kink shaming?

No. Not at first. The angel of the Lord had to step in and have words with him. (Matthew 1:19)

How Mary and Joseph's marriage was saved by Gabriel, the angel

Although the couple was engaged to be married, the conception of Jesus nearly drove them apart—until the divine intervened.

www.nationalgeographic.com

 

[HenrySwanson]

Maybe the reason was for Jesus to have the full human experience, from "conception" to death?

 

[JKgo]

This whole Virgin Mary + Joseph's perspective discussion reminded me of the opening scene from possibly Guy Ritchie's best film, Snatch. You know, the Four Jews in Antwerp scene.



I checked, no need for an NSFW warning on this one.

I forgot how much I love this movie. Might as well watch the whole thing later.

 

[UKMikey]

Maybe the reason was for Jesus to have the full human experience, from "conception" to death?

Speaking as a human my experience of conception is hazy at best.

 

[Ghost Lap]

I for one do believe in God

Doesn't stop 9/11, is unmoved by ebola, couldn't be arsed to even lift a finger for the Holocaust... but helps someone get less bad at Gran Turismo.

Lovely chap, this Yahweh.

There are so many people who assume that because bad things happen in this world, that God can't possibly exist, because they are so narrow minded and refuse to even entertain the idea that God would allow such things to happen. You seem to fall into this category of people.

 

[Famine]

There are so many people who assume that because bad things happen in this world, that God can't possibly exist, because they are so narrow minded and refuse to even entertain the idea that God would allow such things to happen. You seem to fall into this category of people.

I think you missed the point of the post, but also no.

The fact "God" would allow bad things to happen is not itself evidence against "God". It's merely evidence that if a deity of any kind exists, with the power and ability set as described in the repeatedly translated and selectively anthologised Bible, allows or indeed causes (as per the OT) these things to happen, they are vain, capricious, uncaring, and evil.

I wouldn't say that ebola, or the Holocaust, or 9/11 is evidence against a god - and indeed didn't; I merely lightly mocked the idea that a god would allow these things to happen but help a guy be less crap at Gran Turismo because he asked for it (as if nobody who died in the events described prayed!) - because it isn't.

I would say it's evidence that any god that exists is an awful entity.


I'm totally open to the possibility that god exists... and is a thunder****.

(Cue "oh but we have to suffer on Earth because of original sin and if we endure and keep our faith we'll be rewarded in the afterlife" something something "God's plan")

 

[Dennisch]

 

[Ghost Lap]

I think you missed the point of the post, but also no.

The fact "God" would allow bad things to happen is not itself evidence against "God". It's merely evidence that if a deity of any kind exists, with the power and ability set as described in the repeatedly translated and selectively anthologised Bible, allows or indeed causes (as per the OT) these things to happen, they are vain, capricious, uncaring, and evil.

I wouldn't say that ebola, or the Holocaust, or 9/11 is evidence against a god - and indeed didn't; I merely lightly mocked the idea that a god would allow these things to happen but help a guy be less crap at Gran Turismo because he asked for it (as if nobody who died in the events described prayed!) - because it isn't.

I would say it's evidence that any god that exists is an awful entity.


I'm totally open to the possibility that god exists... and is a thunder****.

(Cue "oh but we have to suffer on Earth because of original sin and if we endure and keep our faith we'll be rewarded in the afterlife" something something "God's plan")

I used to think the same way as you, that just because bad things happen that God must be a bit of a ****. There are other sources and ideologies out there other than the Christian doctrine and Bible, I'm just saying it never hurts to be a bit open minded and really question these things from a different angle.

 

[Famine]

I used to think the same way as you

That seems unlikely.

that just because bad things happen that God must be a bit of a ****.

But I don't think that...

There are other sources and ideologies out there other than the Christian doctrine and Bible

Yes, I know. Other than Dianetics, which is horse**** from a scam artist's cult of even more scam artists, I've read them all.

I'm just saying it never hurts to be a bit open minded and really question these things from a different angle.

Or from all angles, rather than just finding one you like and staying there.

No religious belief stands up to scrutiny. They all require one to abandon the basic, fundamental principles by which knowledge is gained and accept something which is unknowable. That's not something which is not yet known*, but something which cannot be tested and therefore cannot be known.

You are more than welcome to stick to the deity or deities of your choice, or even the principle that a deity or deities exist but you don't know which one or which ones, but accepting the unknowable is no more open-minded than accepting that the unknowable is unknowable.


*Which is pretty much everything that's knowable; we know a lot but from this small rock near a pretty regular star - from which we've not even been able to reach out 0.025% of the way to the next one - in the middle of an arm of an unremarkable galaxy, in a fairly regular cluster of galaxies, part of what seems a generally adequate supercluster, it's fair to say that the surface isn't even marked, much less scratched.

 

[UKMikey]

Mysterious ways... I wasn't a believer until I golded the National A-9 hairpin licence test this morning after only thirty or so attempts. It felt like a divine miracle... I guess Ravi Subramanian was right. etc.

 

[Scaff]

I used to think the same way as you, that just because bad things happen that God must be a bit of a ****. There are other sources and ideologies out there other than the Christian doctrine and Bible, I'm just saying it never hurts to be a bit open minded and really question these things from a different angle.

Why do you believe in your god and not the thousands that have existed throughout human history?

What makes you right and a Hindu, for example, wrong?

 

[Liquid]

Why do you believe in your god and not the thousands that have existed throughout human history?

What makes you right and a Hindu, for example, wrong?

And even being a "Christian", who got it right: the Catholics, the Orthodoxes, the Coptics or the innumerable Protestant sects?

 

[TexRex]

"'Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?'

He said, 'Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912.'

I said, 'Die, heretic!' And I pushed him over."

-- Emo Philips

 

[Joey D]

I used to think the same way as you, that just because bad things happen that God must be a bit of a ****. There are other sources and ideologies out there other than the Christian doctrine and Bible, I'm just saying it never hurts to be a bit open minded and really question these things from a different angle.

Yes, there are sources, but all they do is point to the existence of a belief in a supernatural being and/or beings. I don't believe in religion, I think it's mostly just made up as a way to explain the unexplained. If you look at it from an anthropological perspective, it makes sense too. Think about even a thousand years ago trying to explain to someone a solar eclipse, aurora borealis, droughts, storms, whatever. They likely didn't have the tools available to properly explain how and why that stuff happened, so it was deemed "supernatural". Couple that with storytelling for entertainment and poof, you get religious doctrines. Leaders also needed a way to control their populations or shift the blame if something bad happened. Using religion is an easy way to do that.

With that said, I do believe in a supernatural power. I have no idea what it is and I don't think it should control my life in any meaningful way, which is why I completely reject religion.

 

[Chris30]

Well my parents and I do believe in God and we go to church once a month. God has the power to do anything and the universe does as well. The universe is a powerful being. We can all create our own reality. We just have to envision it and manifest.

 

[TexRex]

Well my parents and I do believe in God and we go to church once a month. God has the power to do anything and the universe does as well. The universe is a powerful being. We can all create our own reality. We just have to envision it and manifest.

Once a month doesn't sound like nearly enough to appease such a powerful being.

 

[Chris30]

Well it's my parents doing, they don't want to spend the extra gas money to go once a week. But I pray everyday for miracles.

 

[TexRex]

Well it's my parents doing, they don't want to spend the extra gas money to go once a week. But I pray everyday for miracles.

Wait...you commit minimally and frequently ask for things in return? That sounds risky. Perhaps you should flip those; church daily and one wish per week month. Think of the cost of gas as a sign of devotion.

Do you have to wear a silly hat or something like that so as to not anger your god?

 

[Ghost Lap]

Wait...you commit minimally and frequently ask for things in return? That sounds risky. Perhaps you should flip those; church daily and one wish per week month. Think of the cost of gas as a sign of devotion.

Do you have to wear a silly hat or something like that so as to not anger your god?

Why are you basically making fun of him for believing in God?

 

[TexRex]

Why are you basically making fun of him for believing in God?

I'm asking questions. Is anything I've asked inappropriate? What and why? I gather you can't refer to anything specific because you've qualified the supposed mockery with "basically."

 

[Ghost Lap]

I'm asking questions. Is anything I've asked inappropriate? What and why? I gather you can't refer to anything specific because you've qualified the supposed mockery with "basically."

I say "basically", because you use these big words and long sentences to try and make yourself sound smart, but in reality all you're really trying to do is make fun of him. I can refer to something, that being the whole of your post entirely.

 

[TexRex]

I say "basically", because you use these big words and long sentences to try and make yourself sound smart, but in reality all you're really trying to do is make fun of him. I can refer to something, that being the whole of your post entirely.

...

What?

 

[Chris30]

Well let's not argue about it, we all have our beliefs and opinions and I didn't take anything personally. My parents are stupid in a way, so greedy not paying for gas. Going to church is important so i'll have to ask some more of my family members to take me more often.