Violet has an atheist post up called, “Two Types of Christian” and needing some good blog fodder, I decided to snag her words and respond to some of her declarations.
“One Christian wants a god who judges, and the other wants a god who loves.”
I want both. I want a God who loves but also a God who judges, but only the bad people, Violet. Mean people suck and I see no reason why God shouldn’t judge them if He so chooses. Also it is very kind for so many people to volunteer to be the Bad Guys, because when God is looking at y’all, He is not looking at me…. Just kidding.
“One Christian salivates over arbitrary rules and cruel punishments, and the other seeks logical guidance and compassionate understanding.”
I promise, I only salivate over arbitrary rules and cruel punishments for the bad people, Violet, those I keep down in the basement for my personal amusement.
“One Christian obsesses about human failings and the other believes their god knows best.”
Well, some of us can actually multi-task. I tend to obsess about human failings while also believing that God knows best.
“One Christian places humans at the supreme pinnacle of a hierarchical creation, the other views humans as a working part of a wonderful whole.”
Hmm, that is actually a tricky one, as it is yet another paradox. We are both the pinnacle of a hierarchical creation and a working part of a wonderful whole. We are separate but equal, interconnected but individual. Grapes on a vine. Are we talking about our place in the entire universe, our relationship to matter, energy, the spiritual and physical realm? Better go ask a physicist, Violet, I can barely handle our place in the biological realm.
“One Christian thinks men are superior to women, and the other thinks every individual regardless of sex or gender has unique characteristics to offer in any situation.”
Deliciously, deliciously inferior, Violet! Especially when it comes time to pump the septic tank or clean the gutters. Have you never heard of Tom Sawyer? He got to sit back and watch his fence get painted by the Superior Ones. Call me lazy, but “I am equal and just as capable of painting a fence as you are,” are simply the words of a complete moron. What does one get out of that deal, pride??
“One Christian fears change and difference, and the other celebrates diversity and progress in humankind.”
God created diversity. No two flowers are alike, no two snowflakes, no two fingerprints. One might even say, God invented diversity. Progress actually seeks to erase diversity because we will never look favorably on what we perceive as “flawed,” and instead always strive to create what we perceive to be equal, “equal” simply meaning, precisely like what we perceive to be superior and dominant. Ask Margaret Sanger.
“One Christian thinks dogs disappear when they die, and the other believes their afterlife is for all our animal friends.”
LOL! Now that one is funny and always gets me into a great deal of trouble. Here is the deal, God loves you and wants you to trust him with your after life, just like we do with our physical lives. If it comforts people to believe Fluffy will be waiting for them, than by all means wrap yourself in that love! Just trust that God loves you more than you can imagine, that he has your best interests at heart, that He knows you better than you know your own self, and that He has prepared a place for you. Don’t tell yourself over and over again, “Well if Fluffy can’t go to heaven, then I’m not going either,” because that is just plain silly.
Some of us like to discuss issues outside the realm of the personal, beyond the aspect of what feels good individually, and in the greater context of the world at large. No, I do not believe humans and animals are equal nor do I believe animals actually possess human souls. I am sorry if that offends some people. In the context of culture and politics we are already beginning to see why this truth may be important.
“All Christians are surely deluded, but some have a nicer delusion than others.”
Ah, isn’t that sweet. Some of us crazy people suffer more pleasant delusions than others! All in good fun here, but if you aren’t deluded Violet, why in the heck not?? Sanity is such a silly thing to cling so fiercely to. Embrace Christ, He’ll soon have you rejoicing in the midst of the asylum and singing songs to the clowns running the place.
In all seriousness however, as far as I know there is only one kind of Christian, people who believe in Christ, people who have asked him into their heart, people who have received forgiveness for sins and redemption, and gone on to build a relationship with Him. There are many different personality types, people with different strengths and weaknesses, and we all speak of God in a language and style we understand best, but beyond that we’re all pretty much on the same page. The conflicts and debates one may encounter have far more to do with politics, culture, and personalities, than any core set of biblical beliefs. Ironically what is often at the root of those discussions is a debate over how best to love one another.
silenceofmind said:
God is who he is, not what we want him to be.
Postmoderns like Violet think that the desire or want of something is what defines that something.
Ergo, Violet desire “gay” marriage and viola! There it is.
Such a world based on personal hallucinations created by personal desire can only lead to hell on Earth.
And it is.
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insanitybytes22 said:
“Postmoderns…. think that the desire or want of something is what defines that something..”
That’s an apt description, Silence. I see evidence of that in so many areas of our culture right now.
Actually I have a fairly level headed child who is struggling with that same thing. She knows that the truth is not defined by what she wants and desires it to be, and yet the culture keeps telling her that it is. What she has yet to realize is that the Truth is far more wonderful than anything we want or desire it to be.
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silenceofmind said:
Insanity,
The purpose of an education is to free us from the confines of our own little minds and enlighten our minds with the shining glory of reality.
We simply cannot pursue happiness if we are locked in our own private Idaho for our entire lives.
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insanitybytes22 said:
“The purpose of an education is to free us from the confines of our own little minds..”
LOL! I assume you’ve seen the state of education these days? No offense, but so much of it seems to have nothing to do with shining a light on the glory of reality.
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Eric said:
SOM:
That’s exactly what I was thinking. Reading Violet’s quotes, the first thing I thing I thought of was: these are the people who accuse us of making a god in our image?
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A Hitchhiker said:
I think the only thing that’ll really make hell on earth is religion actually
Do you honestly believe gay marriage will bring that? The only thing that would bring is a little bit more good in the world;
since a few people will be happier and happy people are generally good people, though there’s always exceptions to every rule.
For example; frequent reason for war: religion, reason for hating certain ppl (i.e. gays): religion, having a history of killing people for no reason? Religion, ….
I find it kind of sad though that you must think of dogs as inferior, soulless beings.
How exactly do you define ‘having a soul’? Is it, being able to talk? Dogs talk, in a language called barking. Is it feeling pain? Maybe its being alive? Or perhaps free will? I keep trying to come up with stuff, but whatever I come up with dogs also have.
“No, I do not believe humans and animals are equal nor do I believe animals actually possess human souls.”
How exactly do you defend this belief in the light that God made all creatures lovingly? Or perhaps you’d say he only made us lovingly and everything else can just ‘go to hell’/simply vanish?
Do you see the contradiction? If God loves his creation(s) soo much, then how could it lack care for its other creations so much?
If God is truly the entity of love, then All creatures are equal and heaven Will be Full of animals. If God did not care about them, why would he have had Noah put them on an Ark? Seeing how you think animals don’t have ‘Human’ souls (which i Think is BS, ‘human’ souls…lol.) he could have just let the runts die and then make some new ones, its not like They matter right?
I love humans And animals equally.
If you see a dog drowning in an icy river, would you save it on Christianity? Or would you say “Meh its just a dog that doesn’t even have a human soul, its not like our all loving God would care what I do so meh I’ll just walk away”?
I get the feeling you would save it, but that wouldn’t be rational considering your belief?
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Liz said:
“I think the only thing that’ll really make hell on earth is religion actually”
Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot, and the whole worker’s paradise of North Korea all agree!!
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A Hitchhiker said:
Lol, to be honest in North Korea it feels more like their religion is worshipping their ‘leader’.
I’m also sure all of the (innocent) people in Guantanamo bay will also agree 🙂
Also the bible totally agrees too,
Exodus 15:3: “The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name”.
Also there was this dude called ‘Leo’;
“The death sentence is a necessary and efficacious means for the Church to attain its end when rebels act against it and disturbers of the ecclesiastical unity, especially obstinate heretics and heresiarchs, cannot be restrained by any other penalty. […] If there be no other remedy for saving its people it can and must put these wicked men to death.”
Pope Leo X
Or you know maybe we should just have a flood and drown some people?
I’m going to have to try be a bit select about what I post or this post would be Way too long but you know, here’s a bit more of how great it would be:
Exodus 32:27-28 “[Moses’ orders to his army] he said to them, “The Lord God of Israel commands every one of you to put on his sword and go through the camp from this gate to the other and kill his brothers, his friends and his neighbours. The Levites obeyed and killed about 3000 Men that day.”
Exodus 32:29 “Moses said to the Levites, “Today you have consecrated yourselves as priests in the service of the Lord by killing your sons and brothers, so the Lord has given you his blessing.”
Numbers 31:17 (Moses) “Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him (in other words: women that might be pregnant).”
Deuteronomy 7:1 “When Yahweh your god has settled you in the land you’re about to occupy, and driven out many infidels before you…you’re to cut them down and exterminate them. You’re to make no compromise with them or show them any mercy.”
But you know, I guess butchering people is okay as Long as they’re bad guys right?
They’re going to get tortured for eternity Anyway.
So since you bring up /interesting/ examples it’s very easy for me to do so too.
Westminster Baptist Church is a nice example of the amorality that can be present in religion.
That aside the time when religion was at its peak were the Dark Ages. Let me repeat that; The. Dark. Dark. Ages.
Why were they called the Dark ages? Because religions made progress so easy?
Why did Galileo say “Eppur si muove”? Is it because Religion was so awesome and cool? Or was it because it was terrible, full of censorship and threatening?
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Rellick said:
All throughout the bible it tells humanity is loved by God, but there is judgment day for all. None will escape it.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Agreed! We needn’t wait for judgment day however, He’s available right now 😉
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A Hitchhiker said:
Humanity being it’s followers of course,
1 Samuel 15:1-8 “Now listen to what the Lord Almighty says. He is going to punish the people of Amalek because their ancestors opposed the Israelites… 3-8 : With 210000 soldiers they killed all the men, women, children, babies, cattle, camels and donkeys.”
2 Kings 2:23-24 : 42 children are killed for calling a prophet “baldy”, by two she-bears.
Oh I feel the love Hallelujah!
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bobbyv231 said:
Great post, thanks for sharing!
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insanitybytes22 said:
Thank you for your kind words and for reading.
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zgypsy said:
All I can say is it took me forever to find the “like” button on this newfangled WP reader! Oh well…
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insanitybytes22 said:
I know, right? WordPress is absolutely maddening! It’s like coming home to a redecorated house every week.
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zgypsy said:
BWAHAHAHAHA 😹 so true!
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zgypsy said:
I find it so fascinating how atheists are always obsessing over what Christians believe, think, whatever. Don’t they have anything else to think about and/or discuss? After all…they ARE having their way in the world…at least the Western world.
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A Hitchhiker said:
I had no idea that America wasn’t part of the Western world :O
Or are you saying the president, governors aren’t practically required to be religious in the land of the ‘free’?
And Interestingly Gypsy, there’s plenty of Christians that are obsessing over what Atheists believe and plenty of Atheists that don’t give a damn.
So I think it’s fair to say, just like IB said: there’s plenty types of people, Atheist or Christian alike.
Ps. Notice how You only capitalise ‘Christians’, I wonder why that is?
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zgypsy said:
“I had no idea that America wasn’t part of the Western world :O
Or are you saying the president, governors aren’t practically required to be religious in the land of the ‘free’?”
Neither.
“Ps. Notice how You only capitalise ‘Christians’, I wonder why that is?”
Um…that would be a “spell check” faux pas. No offense intended.
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A Hitchhiker said:
Really? Forgive me for using Wikipedia :’) but I think you’ll get the idea:
” Thomas Jefferson,[1] Abraham Lincoln,[2][3] William Howard Taft[4] and Barack Obama[5] were accused of being atheists during election campaigns, while others, such as Jimmy Carter,[6] used faith as a defining aspect of their campaigns and tenure to hold the office.
Almost all of the presidents can be characterized as Christian, at least by upbringing, though some were unaffiliated with any specific religious body. Some are thought to have been deists, or irreligious. No president thus far has been openly an atheist or an adherent of any non-Christian religion.”
Note; ‘Accused of being an atheist’ makes it sound like its a bad thing isn’t it?
Can you name the last president though that wasn’t religious? I’m not American so I can’t, in my defence ;).
But from what I remember it wasn’t any time recently, I Could be wrong though.
I find it strange that you deny the fact that its somewhat of an unwritten rule though.
“Um…that would be a “spell check” faux pas. No offense intended.”
My apologies for jumping to conclusions :$
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zgypsy said:
Um…I’m not quite sure what the purpose of the info is unless it’s to prove your research capabilities or perhaps to display you are a history buff?
I do not believe I made any comment or claim about the faith or lack thereof about any President or any other government official, and for that matter…of anyone.
“Note; ‘Accused of being an atheist’ makes it sound like its a bad thing isn’t it?”
It does indeed.
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A Hitchhiker said:
Well when you said “Neither.” you sort of gave the impression that you said: ‘The president is not required to be Christian’.
Did I completely misread that? Following that I pulled those quotes to point out it he kind of usually is and some make it one of their ‘strong points’.
I must have misread you’re reply since it consisted of a single word then
How nice to hear that being an atheist makes you a bad person too, or at least.. a bad president?
That’s soo…secular.
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Wally Fry said:
“God is who he is, not what we want him to be.”
@ Silence…..10,000 amens and a few more for good measure. That’s the whole problem, isn’t it?
Thanks for this post IB. I had read the original and was just flummoxed. So, I am glad I have friends with many words who respond so well to absurdity such as that.
I was astounded to read that God was such an either/or proposition. Was I mistaken when I read that He is omni….everything? I am pretty sure I was not mistaken. After all it came straight from the source so to speak.
Why do we persist in trying to put God in a box and demand of HIm that He make us understand everything? Frankly, any God who was completely understandable would be….um…one of us. I actually find vast reassurance and comfort in the fact that I simply fail to get so much of my Heavenly Father.
Thanks IB..good job.
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insanitybytes22 said:
“He is omni….everything”
I like that! Call me crazy, but there is a slight possibility that God is bigger than our capacity to fully understand Him. 😉
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Wally Fry said:
Ok you are crazy lol. Your point is still valid though
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David said:
Well, at least you all understand that there’s a problem. That’s something, I suppose.
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PARTNERING WITH EAGLES said:
Liked your “acquired taste’ sign. This post practically begs me to become rather verbose about those “critical thinkers” who would rather trust a theory, so improbable against things developing (KEY WORD) as they have without a divine creator, as to be in the quadrillions. The hardest core gambler wouldn’t take those odds.
However, for example, there are biblical reasons for a death penalty. God’s grace and love are predicated on His holiness, and He is unchanging on His established laws, covenants etc.
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A Hitchhiker said:
“…there are biblical reasons for a death penalty….”
is that a bad reference to the commandment of “Thou shalt not kill”?
Or is the bible just contradictory every X pages? Like Genesis vs the story of Eden?
Also, “…those “critical thinkers” who would rather trust a theory…”
So those, I don’t know what to call you, think its better to believe in a randomly written story?
You know I got a really good one here about a dude who could bend reality to his will, like stopping bullets and flying and stuff. And on top of that, I Actually saw him do it! Maybe we could make a religion about that too ^^ Down with the robotic overlords!
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PARTNERING WITH EAGLES said:
I must:
https://partneringwitheagles.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/all-dogs-go-to-heaven-humor/
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insanitybytes22 said:
Now that really was some fun humor. Thank you 😉
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Eric said:
The ‘enlightened’ Dark Age into which Western Civilization is slowly sinking hates any idea of ‘Judgement’ because judgement is simply a matter of taking consequences for one’s own actions. Likewise, they hate the concept of ‘Repentence’ because that implies taking responsibilty.
The Libtards talk about ‘postmodernism’ and ‘progressivism’ but their whole dynamic is seeped in lowest form of barbarism. Everything they want to overthrow: Patriarchy, Religion, Family, Nations, Civilization: would take society back to the level of the ape—before anything civilized existed. All their sexual anarchy, lack of moral values, herd-following, and refusal take responsibility for anything: that would fit a colony of gorillas, but nothing for human beings.
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A Hitchhiker said:
So Eric…
-Patriarchy, is archaic. This is literally what we had in the Dark Ages. And as a man I say its ridiculous to think men are superior to women. Especially considering every man, is first a woman before he becomes a man(Hint: its called biology)
-Religion, is …. ‘special’. Lets leave it at that.
-Family, … exactly how are they going to ‘overthrow’ family? Is there some plan I’m not aware of where kids will be bred and then raised in closed off institutions without their parents?
-Nations & civilisation, really? I don’t think my nation is going anywhere, is your leaving perhaps?
Or do you refer to unions? Kinda like, the united states? I’m sure life would be better if we returned to the Feudal age and had every state become an nation if that’s what you’re suggesting.
I’m also curious how they’re going to undo civilisation, I’m pretty sure that would include America & possibly North-Korea going crazy with nukes or something.
“Sexual anarchy” made me laugh btw. “Lack of moral values” is completely baseless and herd-following is the sort of definition of religion. Also there’s more ways to take responsibility than thinking you’ll go to hell.
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Liz said:
“Especially considering every man, is first a woman before he becomes a man(Hint: its called biology)”
Men and women are fully grown people. Perhaps you are speaking about changes in utero.
Biology, Yo!
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A Hitchhiker said:
That is indeed what I am speaking about, it would seem I used the ‘wrong’ words in English.
The correct words would be ‘male’ and ‘female’ but I figured man and woman should have been clear enough
Proper terminology, yo.
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Liz said:
“The correct words would be ‘male’ and ‘female’ but I figured man and woman should have been clear enough”
It would have been, if you had turned that condescension dial down just a couple of notches.
(“Hint: it’s called biology”) That gave your statement some hint: irony.
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A Hitchhiker said:
I’m sorry but people making up the meaning of a post & simply ignoring everything but perhaps one sentence (that is usually completely irrelevant) kind of brings out the ‘condescension’ in me.
And I’m not only referring to this post.
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A Hitchhiker said:
Sorry for the spam but I can’t edit my posts.
Its also nice to see the person that could be replying to some of that to simply be liking everything you say, instead of perhaps formulating a full reply.
I need only point out the length of my posts and the briefness (due to choosing one, maybe two things to reply to) of the replies.
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Eric said:
Undoing Civilization is not that difficult. In modern times, Jacobins, Bolsheviks, and Nazis have managed to undo it, at least locally and for brief periods of time. Western ‘Progressivism’ is on a predictable trajectory to run the same course.
Civilization comes starts with individuals who have learned that submitting the emotions to the intellect distinguishes us as humans. You need a family—with a masculine/feminine polarity to teach children how to do this. You need a nation—with a system of law and defense to safeguard and encourage the process. And you need a religion—that teaches mankind at large the Ideal for which they should strive.
So how do you undo civilization? Easy: teach people instead that their feelings should rule their intellects. Then you get abortion, divorce, gender identity disorder, and broken homes instead of families. You get riots, mass shootings, and rampant drug addiction instead of a well-regulated nation. Religion? Well—that goes a different route. Because invariably a Robespierre, Lenin, or Hitler comes along and offers an emotional, non-intellectual religion of their own, where their followers a Paradise on Earth—which consists of sating their sense of entitlement by striking back at those deemed to be obstructing it. IOW, they turn organized religion into organized narcissism and substitute political correctness for dogma.
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A Hitchhiker said:
I like that post Eric, it’s probably the first decent reply I got so far on this blog…
I can only agree with you about this, “…Jacobins, Bolsheviks, and Nazis have managed to undo it, at least locally and for brief periods of time….”, the part about Western ‘Progressivism’ I’m not sure about but I can fully agree that things Need to Change if we’re to get through this in one piece.
“…submitting the emotions to the intellect …” <- 100% genius.
"…masculine/feminine polarity…" by this you mean masculine: 'bringing in the food/money', feminine: raising the children, …?
I can agree with that but I'd like to add imho that the masculine shouldn't necessarily be male and visa versa.
"… system of law and defense to safeguard and encourage…" this might very well be true, but I'm going to stay out of that one. I have a peculiar view on that of which I'm not entirely sure yet myself :')
"… And you need a religion—that teaches mankind at large the Ideal for which they should strive."
Well you can imagine I do not agree with the part where 'religion' is mentioned. I agree with the 2nd part, but I'm more than 100% certain that Religion is not required for this. In my country we have the choice in public schools to study any type of religion or 'morale'/'morals' I'm not sure how it translates to English.
In the Morals class we discuss topics like suicide, abortion, morals, … It's a really cool class.
In religion(Christian), I hear they watch movies and discuss what colour they abstractly believe Jesus to be (as in "green because he's calm and loving"). But I'm not saying that means they don't also discuss morals and the likes.
But looking at what you said it sounds like we need religion for the "be good, or be punished… FOR EVERRRRRR" part, which I think is a bit silly and does not weight up top the downsides of religion (stagnation, reverse-progress, …).
Furthermore considering this part, "teach people instead that their feelings should rule their intellects." I also TOTALLY agree with.
But I must regretfully say that again imho when people's feelings rule their intellects things like religion and superstition are Rampant (I can again refer to the Dark Ages).
To have intellect rule you you'd be a humanist/Atheist/… since those pretty much reject dogma's and the like (due to intellectual thought).
Also, and this is probably be the fault of the media, but regarding "mass shootings" those things mostly seem to happen in America, a place that looks Extremely religious from this side of the puddle.
Anyway I'm not (as you probably guessed) against abortion & divorce since I believe in personal freedoms. But that also doesn't mean I'm happy to hear people do these things, but it's their right to do so I guess
Also rampant drug addiction finds most of its source in the 'War on drugs' also known as
"Let's be retarded and make drugs more attractive to rebellious kids by making it illigal, turn people into criminals and give criminal orgs more money by letting Them sell the drugs instead and perhaps they'll mix some even worse shit in there (like washing powder + cocaine/XTC)". But yes there are also other causes for this such as depression and exclusion.
By all means I'm Not saying society is perfect.
I also like & agree how you say this, "..Robespierre, Lenin, or Hitler comes along and offers an emotional, non-intellectual religion of their own…" since people love to bring up Hitler here to show how evil atheists are.
Though I'll have to argue every religion is emotional since there is no religion on earth that can fully intellectually and irrefutably Prove the existence of their God and yes Anyone can write a book.
Also sorry but I couldn't resist, "which consists of sating their sense of entitlement by striking back at those deemed to be obstructing it." Here's what allegedly happened to those who opposed God's chosen/orders:
Numbers 16:16-49 : Death to all those who complain (14 950 of them altogether).
Joshua 6:21-24 "With their swords they killed everyone in the city, men, women, young and old. They also killed the cattle, sheep and donkeys. … And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord."
Exodus 32:29 "Moses said to the Levites, "Today you have consecrated yourselves as priests in the service of the Lord by killing your sons and brothers, so the Lord has given you his blessing."
Judges 20: Description a battle and city-burning, with no morality or sense of loss at all.
Maybe Hitler and his 'friends' got some inspiration from the bible?
——–
Thanks for the real reply Eric, also I mean no offence
I'm a bit confused though since you seem to contradict yourself a bit, are you actually religious or not?
Cheers
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David said:
“You get riots, mass shootings, and rampant drug addiction instead of a well-regulated nation.”
So, you like well-regulated nations? One sign of “civilization” would a well-regulated nation?
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Liz said:
I’d say that ultimately, Civilization is based on trust, and it takes a long, deep look at the social mechanisms that build trust as well as those that destroy it, to reverse the slow downward movement we’re on. There are some areas even within the US that could be described accurately as uncivilized. It’s in those areas that predatory violence tends to flourish and there aren’t a whole lot of people demonstrating Christian values, or any concept of honor or strength of character.
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Paul said:
I really like that comment Liz that civilization rests on trust. That said, I really do not take as bright a view as you have. In my experience the vast majority of our economy and businesses are not worthy of our trust. They do act as if they are only to the extent that they think it may affect their image. Optics is the ruling factor – not trust. I was a business analyst for a major eastern Canadian family retailer that I had found to be trustworthy with integrity and solid values. This was a billion dollar privately owned operation with about 110 stores. As an analyst I was instrumental in the development and roll out of a computer accounting program that paid vendors based on receipt of goods at store level not on invoice. This may seem a potato/potatoe question but in reality it saved over $1 million a year (savings increasing year over year as the company grew) in processing costs and involved enterprise computing. Our developers wrote the programs and in the logic they embedded an assumption that would often pay vendors less than what they were actually owed. It only happened when there was a shortage or overage (quite common as we issued 900,000 PO’s per year) and it was not an upfront charge for failure to properly fill a PO – it was an out and out deliberate miscalculation of monies owed. I objected to the developers (I had written most of the logic and this had been added after) and they shrugged and pointed to their boss. I objected to him and he shrugged and pointed to the VP. I objected to the VP and his response was : If they want their money, let them figure it out.
I’m afraid that this type of thinking is far more prevalent behind the scenes than most realize. Trust is only skin deep in our world. Behind the world of optics whatever you can get away with flies.
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Liz said:
Thanks for your response, Paul. 🙂
I agree that a great deal of trust is squandered in this world. Typically, since human behavior is incentive-based, communities have to find ways to muster enough force (“rule of law”) to prevent predatory practices. But short of tyranny (typically seen under governments that ban religious freedom, unsurprisingly) there can never be enough force to maintain a civil society if the vast majority of people don’t share and adhere to certain values about right conduct. It is a community’s value system that keeps it civilized.
So, at the end of the day anything that works to build and maintain trust works to strengthen community and civilization. And anything that doesn’t, works against it. And I agree we are on the downhill.
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A Hitchhiker said:
I’ll have to agree with most of that 😛
It seems like capitalism might be getting a bit outdated from what I read here?
But don’t get me wrong, I know where Americans go to when you criticise capitalism. I’m not saying we need communism :’),
but maybe something new might be useful. Not that I know what that would be.
“(typically seen under governments that ban religious freedom, unsurprisingly)”
I don’t think you need to be so narrow, I’m pretty sure they will infringe on most freedoms. Freedom of speech, freedom of learning, …
It’s only natural that such people will try to ban Everything, it’s not an exclusive thing imo.
One of the first things Hitler did for example was burning books.
Also that’s just nasty what they did there Paul
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Paul said:
That’s easy for you to say IB – in fact, I bet you were wearing your bunny slippers when you said it, weren’t you? Bwahahaha! .
Well said. To my mind, it is the inherent paradoxes in Christ that make logical arguments so challenging. From the very git go – power is attained when one surrenders. And at the center of every human heart are both fear and love – simultaneously. Such is the life of the Godly. (That , like most things associated with God, being a direction for humans, not a state.)
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violetwisp said:
I’m sure I’m as deluded as everyone else in many respects. I just find religion and invisible gods to be one delusion too many. You have an interesting new comment friend. I wonder who it is – I’m always incredibly suspicious of people who pop up with no blogs and random names.
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insanitybytes22 said:
“I’m always incredibly suspicious of people who pop up with no blogs and random names.”
I’m always curious why random non believers show up so full of hostility, disrespect, and condescension. If Christians were out lopping off people’s heads it might make more sense, but let’s go find a rather non threatening wife and mother and try to to kick her a few times for believing in a God of love, is an odd compulsion indeed.
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Paul said:
I just know that Violet does not believe in that invisible air that she breaths either – and as a blog-free commenter, I take exception to being called suspicious, my random name being Paul.
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insanitybytes22 said:
LOL, I assumed Violet was talking about Hitchhiker,because he has newly appeared on the scene, but I don’t really know, perhaps she was thinking of you, Paul, in which case all I can say, is enjoy your new alter ego, be random, be suspicious, and always keep them guessing. 😉
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A Hitchhiker said:
I think it’s safe to say most of our names are random :’) though mine isn’t since in my introduction I have told you that I’m a hitchhiker 😉
….
It all began in the third year of high school, my exam was finished and when I took the bus to the bus station I learned I had at least a wait of an hour ahead of me. Knowing my older brothers would frequently hitch hike I called them and got the green light from them. So I stood on the cross roads and got my first quick lift home. Like this life continued for many years, now I drive a car myself and pick up a hitch hiker when I see one. One time I was driving home in the dark I actually missed a black guy hitch hiking, so having noticed too late I drove on a bit then made a u-turn and drove him to his destination.
That aside I actually found this place because of You advertising it somewhere else IB. That and me wanting to say something to WorldGoneCrazy since some Christians got quite stuck up and started removing All my posts (even ‘normal’ friendly ones) truly those people were the pinnacle of silliness.
At least you IB grant me to occasional retort, though usually sorely lacking in analysis and logic usually or at least that’s how I perceive replies that choose a random bit to reply to instead of the actual statements or questions.
The hostility is strong within many Christians, but you choose, albeit consciously or not, to not acknowledge it as such.
You might not see it, but you give off a constant aura of superiority imo. And yes I know you feel the same way about me <3.
People like Eric though, they make good arguments. I like a good argumentation.
And just like you people won't let go of the past; "Hitler, … were bad atheists!".
Just like that we can't let go of the past of your religion that has been baptised in the blood of innocents; crusades, witch hunts, killing those that oppose, torture, inquisition, …
You act as if Christianity's hands are clean, but time does not forgive, it does not forget.
Granted you have made great progress since the Dark Ages. But that does not change what is.
You know Scientology kind of reminds me of Christianity from the Dark Ages. Both are/were power hungry scammers.
And I don't know how many times you want me to repeat this but if you make a post " full of hostility, disrespect, and condescension." you should only expect to get what you have sown.
The bible says it quite nicely does it now?
Exodus 21:25
"burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise."
I will never understand how you give God a loving face while at the same time the bible shows duality in this matter.
It is the basis of your faith right?
Its these contradictions that drive me to argue with you I suppose.
What do you have to say about that?
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insanitybytes22 said:
“What do you have to say about that?”
Well, at least you have taken the time to introduce yourself before flinging more insults, so that is something.
I seldom delete any comments, unless they are filled with vulgarities or relentlessly spamming me, so you may comment if you wish. However, I do have a life beyond blogging so I cannot respond to every single issue brought up, especially from people who wish to try and blame me for the Emperor Constantine or the crusades. I would however,encourage you to read some more and to engage in some polite discussion.
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Paul said:
But IB, surely Constantine was your fault? And the Mongols – I KNOW they were your doing, so ‘fess up.
Bwhahahaha!
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A Hitchhiker said:
You indeed do not do so 🙂
(also this was my 2nd intro)
I try not to fling insults and I also try not to whine about the past, but people make it very difficult when that’s all they do when the time comes to pull atheism through the mud.
“I would however,encourage you to read some more and to engage in some polite discussion.”
I am, albeit slowly, I also have a life outside of this :’) 😉
I for example recently read a bit about the Kalam argument but it would seem to have completely failed to convince me. Also it didn’t tell me much that I didn’t already know
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pearlgirl said:
Loved the Tom Sawyer reference! It’s so true!
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