Random Question of the Day Thread

[ER]

Do you love anyone so much that you would volunteer to take this person's place in Hell for all eternity?

[indianasmith]

Do you love anyone so much that you would volunteer to take this person's place in Hell for all eternity?

Four people.  No more.

[Allhallowsday]

Do you love anyone so much that you would volunteer to take this person's place in Hell for all eternity?

Never.  One should never volunteer one's self to Hell for someone who belongs there. 

[RCMerchant]

^ What he said.

[Allhallowsday]

I disagree with him there. Fear can be useful in the short term, but people will try to destroy what they fear sooner or later. Most people do not set out to destroy that which they love, although they may do so as a result of unintended consequences.

I think it is possible to love and to fear the same person. 

[ER]

The Bible is full of instances of God destroying wicked people, so why doesn't God destroy the most wicked being of all, the devil? (I'm asking this question within the context of the source material, so answers that say there is no God aren't quite getting to the heart of the question.)

[Alex]

Hmmm, in a purely theoretical basis lets examine this case.

I would suggest looking first at your sources of information. In this case, you have a rather one-sided book which is full of grandiose claims of power about the subject. My conclusion from it would be that much like for example Roman writings about the various peoples that they came in conflict with, that the bible is somewhat biased towards one side, enough so that it is effectively a piece of propaganda designed to encourage supporters to follow its version of events. If you can tie your argument in with any known historical events it can be used to make your narrative appear authentic and plausible.

In this, it would indicate to me, that the various claims to omniscience and omnipotence have been somewhat overstated by this factions proponents. A jealous god who had the power to remove a potential rival for worship would surely use that power and indeed is described several times as violently disposing of those opposed to its wishes. This would lead me to conclude that the  powers ascribed to the deity were overstated, in the same way, ancient rivals would artificially inflate the prowess of their enemies in order to make their own side seem more powerful by having defeated such worthy foes, and when they were unable to defeat them, often attributed almost supernatural powers to their foes or why in more modern times, hostile nations with the power to wipe each other out have not went to war with each other.

In other words, were god to clash with the devil, he could not be assured of victory and therefore has settled into a proxy war wherein the sides seek to attract the most souls (literally) to its cause in the hope that in the end, the numerical superiority might would be enough to secure victory, or at least give the enemy pause for thought and doubt his own chances for achieving a win. You could argue it is a matter of free will, however, our increasing understanding of the human brain is currently pointing toward a model where we have surprisingly little free will how we react to any given situation is in fact pre-determined decided by a combination of our genetic make-up and experience rather than being a conscious assessment of each new situation, which diminishes the free will argument not to mention that the primary source of information (the bible) is distinctly anti-free will with its whole do I say or be punished theme.

There, that is my take on it anyway.

[chefzombie]

because lucifer was his favored son before the fall.

[Allhallowsday]

The Bible is full of instances of God destroying wicked people, so why doesn't God destroy the most wicked being of all, the devil? (I'm asking this question within the context of the source material, so answers that say there is no God aren't quite getting to the heart of the question.)

Because He gave man free will. 

[VenomX73]

so why doesn't God destroy the most wicked being of all, the devil?

Friday asked Robinson Crusoe the same thing in the 1954 movie...

[indianasmith]

Well, Biblically speaking, Satan HAS been defeated and will be destroyed . . . in God's good time.
But for man to fully exercise his gift of free will, there has to be another side to choose.

[ER]

When's the last time you took a moment to strike up a person-to-person conversation with a homeless person?

[RCMerchant]

 ^ Sunday. My son is homeless at the moment. He's living in his truck. I told him he could crash at my house- he don't want to. He says he would rather be uncomfortable, because it gives him motivation.

[Alex]

Yesterday. Since he could afford to buy cigarettes I told him I wasn't giving him any money.

[claws]

Yesterday. Since he could afford to buy cigarettes I told him I wasn't giving him any money.

Reminds me of a story a friend told me. She was leaving a McDonalds and there was a homeless person begging for $1 so he could go inside and buy a Hamburger as he "hasn't eaten in days". She had just bought a few and gave him a burger. As she walked away he threw the burger after her missing her head by inches.

We have a homeless shelter of sorts in our town. People living there have to pay a monthly rent (about €100). The housing is meant as a temporary solution and only has one toilet and one bathtub. It is inhabited mostly by alcoholics and a few younger jobless people. I know a guy who's been living there for five years. He told me he is waiting for his parents (both in their seventies) to die so he can move into their house and collect the inheritance.