Ban church-state entanglement, not blasphemy

NikosD99, bigoted Christofascist, has once again opined. The history of the world, contra, this blogger, supports the rabbi's views in spades. The bloggers co-religionists are responsible for more murders, wars, mass starvations, deaths by disease, torture, rape, etc., than any other group in the world.

The blogger's religion is, you see, the "Religion of Love." One sees it everywhere in their New Testament.

Below, you will find highlights from Matthew, MLJ, et al, to follow.

them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." 13:41-42, 50

# Jesus is criticized by the Pharisees for not washing his hands before eating. So, heir parents should be killed? It sure sounds like it. 15:4-7

# Jesus advises his followers to mutilate themselves by cutting off their hands and plucking out their eyes. He says it's better to be "maimed" than to suffer "everlasting fire." 18:8-9

# "And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors." 18:34

# In the parable of the marriage feast, the king sends his servants to gather everyone they can find, both bad and good, to come to the wedding feast. One guest didn't have on his wedding garment, so the king tied him up and "cast him into the outer darkness" where "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 22:12-13

# Jesus had no problem with the idea of drowning everyone on earth in the flood. It'll be just like that when he returns. 24:37

# God will come when people least expect him and then he'll "cut them asunder." And "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 24:50-51

# The servant who kept and returned his master's talent was cast into the "outer darkness" where there will be "weeping and gnashing of teeth." 25:30

# Jesus tells us what he has planned for those that he dislikes. They will be cast into an "everlasting fire." 25:41

# Jesus says the damned will be tormented forever. 25:46

Rabbi Hirschfield made the following statements. "I can think of no circumstance in which limiting people's freedom of expression to that which is acceptable to the members of a particular religious group being good for anyone. In fact, whether in Ireland, Israel, or Saudi Arabia - and by no means are the three all equally problematic, the track record of allowing the state to dictate religious norms to its citizens pretty much always goes badly" Also, "Each faith that might seek protection against the outrageous words and deeds of others was itself once an outrage against the norms of its day. How do you suppose Abraham's neighbors felt when he denied the "proper" faith of idolatry?"

A study of Israel's history would prove just the opposite. When the people were left to their own devises, things went quite badly for that nation. Just one example is found in 1 Kings 16, 17 and 18.

TO BE CONTINUED

Continued:
Ahab became king of Israel and reigned in Samaria. A brief outline is found in chapter 16:33 "And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him."
To make a long story short, God brought a famine upon the land and it didn't rain for 3 years. Finally the prophet Elijah confronted King Ahab. Ahab accused Elijah of troubling Israel. Elijah countered with the charge that it was Ahab, himself, who was the problem. He told Ahab to gather up all of his 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of the groves and meet him on Mt. Carmel. Elijah challenged the false prophets to call down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice that they had lain on their altar. All day long they danced and pranced and chanted, to no avail. Then Elijah set up his altar and doused it with gallons and gallons of water. Then he called upon the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel to consume his sacrifice. Guess what? God did just that. The people repented, fell on their faces and proclaimed, "The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God." Elijah then charged the people to take the false prophets and not to let any escape. Elijah then took them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. God then sent rain and the famine ended.

I often wonder just what these rabbis, preachers, theologians and so-called religious teachers base their religion and teachings on. It certainly isn't the Bible. I guess it's whatever feels good and right in their own sight. Rabbi Hirschfield needs only to look to Israel's history and their troubles from their inception, to their rejection of their Messiah (Jesus Christ), to them being scattered throughout the entire world, right up through the atrocities of WWII, to realize that their fate has been because of disobedience to the one, true God. Some people just can't seem to learn. God is faithful though, and one day soon He will bring His people (Israel) back to accept and worship only Him.

Hey, why not create an Amendment to the constitution to BAN "entanglements" that would protect free speech and the right to religion? OH WAIT, it's called the First AMENDMENT! We already have one!!!

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Feel FREE to respond,

Patrick Burwell,
Response@OnlyJesusSaves.com

"...Let's all find a common ground of tolerance. Cheers."
Posted by: laboo

Well said, Laboo. I second all of it.

Khote14, do you not see that in lumping all believers together and berating them as you do, you're falling into the same trap? What you're alleging, in effect, is that "to believe" in any higher power is blasphemy -- to those of you who elect not to believe. Is this not merely the same sort of intolerance, only turned 180 degrees to serve the cause of the nonbeliever?

We may appear foolish and deluded in your eyes, but we are far from monolithic, nor do we all see you in the way you allege. Please read my comments to the other panelists -- especially regarding the particular danger that laws against "blasphemy" present to atheists and secularists -- and see if you still maintain your position that all of us are "at all times, without fail" against you and intent on stifling your speech or philosophy.

While I certainly can't blame you for your justifiable resentment, neither does it serve you to let it rule your intellect. Surely you object -- and rightfully so -- when believers make similarly sweeping claims about atheists and secularists, because tarring all members of a group with the same broad brush is always an error.

Let's all find a common ground of tolerance. Cheers.

It is those of us who cherish faith most deeply who should fight against such laws most strenuously.

Unfortunately it is those of you who cherish faith most deeply who are doing this. You are the ones who claim that something called blasphemy even exists.

You can bet your theistic butt that we atheists and secularists are suspicious of anything you believers do when it comes to common government. At all times, without fail, when given unchecked power, you will pass laws against blasphemy. It has always been this way, no matter which religion you may wish to follow.