beating bible-ers

[Alan Evil]

http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/co ... /about.htm

Somehow they've blocked a direct link to the comic strip. This is the strip for Sunday, July 3rd, 2005.

[Guest]

I'd like to say something about reading the Bible. Here goes:

Reading the Bible and finding Trenchtown, so I can go bouldering have something in common. The other day I bought Chris Redmond’s book Bouldering, at the Shell Station. Then I proceeded to follow the directions to the best of my ability and go to Trenchtown to boulder. I thought I was following the directions correctly but somehow missed the path. So I struck off into the woods and crisscrossed in hopes of finding the trail, which eventually I did, and enjoyed some good bouldering. From my reading of the authors words and following the directions as correctly as I could I was still unable to find the path. I did get to the correct area, which helped me to find it at all. Reading the Bible is like this. Not knowing the author can make it hard to discern the exact meaning of the words or directions given within. If I had known Chris rather than just read his words I might have known a little more how he thinks and therefore been able to understand how he gives directions. Again, reading the Bible is like this. One thing one can do to remedy this is to pray and ask the Author God to lead you to understanding in your reading of His Word by His Holy Spirit. Good Reading!

bad analogy. The directions in Redmond's guide suck ass - even if you do know him.

[pigsteak]

and given that there is no bouldering in the red, you'd be on a goose chase anyway with stellar directions....so if there is no God, but the Bible is a classic road map, maybe the analogy isn't all that bad....

[mgad]

any

[pigsteak]

I am a newbie to bouldering at the Red, but the typical storyline says that roping up is where the fun is at around here.

[mgad]

had

[Zspider]

mqad wrote <snipped>:

I'm so wonderfully deceived.

********
There's no reason to believe that everybody isn't deceived. There is damn
little in this world that can be proven. Everybody is living on faith, one way
or another.

ZSpider

[discojett]

http://www.whitehouse.org/ask/jesus.asp

[tomdarch]

Z, I've done a hole lot of stuff in my life that has caused me to experience some quite profound experiences. Some very powerful, and to experience Jesus, has far outstrupped them all. Wow!, I'm so wonderfully deceived. hahaha!

I tried to stay out of this, but after skimming the thread, there's a LOT I could ramble about - but I'll skip the carpal tunnel and glazed-over reader's eyes.

Mike - take Tom Cruise: he's had a set of 'profound experiences' with the Scientology organization, and deeply believes that he is ridding his body of the souls of dead aliens. One thing you and I probably agree on is that he has been 'deceived' (and, arguably, may be deceiving himself). As a thought experiment, how would you try to explain to him that he is living in a state of deception? And remember that it's useless to base arguments in things like "the bible says...." because for every one of those, Cruise will turn around and say, "But L. Ron Hubbard proved scientifically* that ...." You have your text, he has his. You need to convince him on the strength of your arguments themselves.

Now that you've completed the though experiment, what happens if that argument is turned around on you? Aren't all the arguments that would sway someone snookered by Scientology be applicable to you?

(* Just in case anyone is confused, there is absolutely no evidence or record that any scientific testing has been done on any of the Scientology organization's claims.)

[ynot]

L Ron Hubbard, Jim Jones, David Caresh,Hitler. Hell's full of people that led lots more down the wrong path.