eddo

they did. they let their house burn. Bet they pay the $75 fee on the next house. Bet those others that hadn't paid up have done so as well.

DAMN STRAIGHT! Emkay is my favorite!

It's a joke Madame Gullible. I have no doubt you were looking for Gonzo though weren't you? I certainly didn't... ... ... ...

stupid TJ, Don't you know that it's ok for Obama to lie? It's only bad when other people lie, not Obama. geeze....

it was heartless, but it was also practical. If the fire department had put the fire out, why should anyone else pay the $75 from now on? I'm not gonna pay if I know they will put my fire out either way. Your elevated fee idea won't keep the Fire Department ready and standing by if something happens. They have to be on call all the time, not just when there is a fire- and they deserve to be paid for being on call. and TJ, that is an excellent point about where the county property taxes are going. I would be looking into that if this were my home. On a side note, I would hope if someone's life had been in jeopardy, that steps would have been taken to protect that life. Life > property or a $75 fee. but it all goes back to the owner shoulda paid the fee.

shoulda paid the fee... Public services aren't free.

Reminds me of those bad/good ol days of the GF board. Reason I hung around, I guess. Do your worst. Go hard or go home. This surprises me... Builder (who is almost always bringing up IWS being a mod in debates, somehow insinuating that if he disagrees with IWS that IWS will use his SuperDuperMod powers against him [even though IWS has never done anything like that,]) is ok with Phreak screwing with another users account.... Ineresting....

why is this single massive point so hard for some to grasp??? Yeah, Bush wasn't the greatest prez ever. We get it. blah blah blah. With the Dems having complete control of the House, Senate, and the White House- why is our country not all happiness and rainbows now??? Sorry, can't blame that one on the Repubs...

So Bender, Government = God? I think that is a big part of the issue here. Some folks want Government to be God, because us poor peons can't ever decide for ourselves what is right and what is wrong. I agree that we should take care of those less fortunate. I do not agree with anyone but God telling me that I have to.

and Wez...

Herman Cain is a good one. I would also still vote for Huckabee. or quite possibly a Newt Gingrich. Romney would be a stretch, but would get my vote over Obama any day. Not saying any of those are planning on running, but those are peeps that I think would do a much better job than Obama is doing.

sorry, I guess I missed what you meant then. I did use a couple of Old Testament examples. Was that not what you meant? If not, would you mind elaborating on what you mean?

Ahhh, but there were eye-witnesses that saw him in person after he died. Interesting question Snaf. For me, I believe the entire Bible. I believe it is true, I believe it is factual and applies to my life today. Having said that, I do understand that not all of it was written to me, where I am today (that falls under the cultural aspects of the writings.) The fun is figuring out which parts fall where.

for the record, I have no issue with the idiot box- if used according to the laid out rules, and those rules are applied to all members equally. I also have no issue with banning folks that have clearly broken rules- these are responsibilities of having mod/admin abilities. going in and changing profile pics, changing signatures, posting as members (don't think that has happened here, but it has at other places,) immensely detract from the credibility of the entire site. If your board is set up for that, then fine. There are sites like that, and they can be fun. But if you are trying to have a legit discussion forum, then, in my opinion, it is extremely bad form- and I have said so before, and will say so again. my $.02

Which writings? Again, this goes back to the context. Is the verse in the OT that tells me not to mix types of thread together open to interpretation? No, it's pretty straight forward. don't mix cotton and wool. But what is open to interpretation is the reason why that verse is in there. Back in the day, clothing had to last. Mixing thread types back then would severely shorten the lifespan of you clothing. It isn't a directive meant to keep folks from wearing polyester leisure suits (although, you could make that argument...,) instead it is there to help set up a community that didn't have unlimited means and a Kohl's on every corner. Does this mean that I am going against God's wishes by wearing the polyester leisure suit? well.... it's a leisure suit, so bad example... But no, it was a cultural rule, not a spiritual one- so it's not relevant today, as cultures have changed. Is the creation account in genesis literal? No. I do believe that it only took 7 days for an all powerful God to create the universe, but the creation account isn't an eye-witness account of creation. If you watched an instant replay, there is likely a lot of stuff left out. heck, Genesis wasn't even the first book of the bible written. Is the story of Jesus life open to interpretation? I would say no. The life of Jesus is told Biblically by 4 eye-witnesses of his life. People nowadays have been executed on flimsier evidence than that. His teachings though? To a point. Interpretation may not be the right word to use here, but like I said: He spoke in parables so that folks would have to really listen to what he was saying in order to get what he meant. His message doesn't change, but the way we read/hear it most definitely can- depending on our mood, what is going on in our lives, our level of spiritual maturity. I can read a passage of his teachings and get something out of it that I never saw before. heck, I was reading the account of Jesus turning water into wine the other night and got a totally different meaning out of it than I ever had before. The message didn't change, but the way 'I' interpreted it did. This is what leads to so many different denominations and churches- man reading and interpreting things differently. That goes back to fallible man getting in the way.

"Hypocrisy", as used in the bible, roots from the word of the time used for actor: someone on stage putting on an act for others. the word itself has little to do with punishing, condemning, judging, or labeling. It is pretending to be something you are not. Which is pretty close to what Webster says. (people, however, love to interpret it differently) The LDS site goes further into that definition, and that is fine. I don't necessarily agree with the breakdown of different "levels" of hypocrisy (I'm only kinda a hypocrite! ummm no....) but do agree with the part about the hypocrites attitude. It is this attitude that leads this brand of hypocrite away from seeking forgiveness and repentance, and towards the "Weeping and gnashing teeth." One that does not "need" forgiveness won't get it, 'cause they aren't in a place where they think they need to ask for it. This attitude (and it doesn't just relate to hypocrisy) feels no need for a savior, no need for forgiveness, no need for making their life better.

Have you ever messed with someones account eddo? nope. sure haven't.

messing with users profiles/accounts is a second grader kind of lame. I've never been a fan of it, and think it degrades the entire board. but it's funny to see that TJ has this much of an effect on Phreak.

So.. you're saying one must think critically and be picky and choosy on how they interpret it? I really shouldn't get into this with you, as you never want to actually learn anything about religion, you just want to attack (as your post right here already shows...) and we established long ago that your definition of "hypocrite" is different than what the dictionary says. but fine: Yes, that is what I am saying. It's easy to pull a verse out and use it to dictate your life (it's even easier to pull a verse out and try to apply it to someone elses life.) It's much harder (and thus more rewarding) to actually understand that verse. Understand who is saying it. When they are saying it. Who they are saying it to. What the rest of the letter says in conjunction to that verse. Example: I can take two verses, and put them together: "Judas hung himself from a tree." "Jesus says, go and do likewise" and make it give a message that neither verse ever intended to say. Context is so important. Jesus was asked by his disciples why he spoke in parables. his answer? So people would have to search for the truth of what he was saying. they would have to dig. They would have to care about what they were searching for. Much like TJ was saying earlier, you can't fully grasp Christianity from just reading the Bible. The Bible is only part of the experience. The understanding, the spiritual aspects, the contentment, the immense joy I feel when I am around other like minded folks- those come from living it. I can stand in a bank lobby and proclaim I am a sack of one hundred dollar bills. Doesn't make it true... Nothing against Snaf and TJ, but I honestly have no idea what they believe. Both claim to be Christian, as do I, but I have never sat down with either to discuss it. However, claiming to be a follower of Jesus while disregarding one of the more important parts of his life seems a bit odd to me. I was asking for clarification from Snaf, not trying to attack or belittle him. I don't deny that Christianity has many different forms and structures of beliefs. That is where "religion" gets in the way. as I said earlier: that comes from man's fallibility getting in the way of an infallible God. Romans 3:23: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Everyone has sinned. Everyone. Everyone at some point in their life tells someone not to do something that they themselves have done. Everyone expects others to behave better than themselves. This includes me, and this includes you. The difference there is the forgiveness factor. Hypocrites who will spend eternity apart from God (weeping and gnashing of teeth) are content in their hypocrisy, and live in it. Hypocrites who seek forgiveness will spend eternity with God. Context there is the whole New Testament and God's plan of love and forgiveness. I don't remember ever saying that. If you have a link, I would be interested in what the conversation was at that point. I do, however, remember pointing out many times that you get upset when someone judges you or someone else, while you judge people all the time- in essence being a hypocrite yourself while being upset that others are doing the same thing.

How can you be a Christian and pick and choose which teachings from the Bible Old and New Testament, to follow and which ones to not? Thru reading, examination, and understanding. Context is key. Some of the Old Testament was written to a specific culture. Some of it to a specific group of people. Some of it laws to base a society on. Some of it to give a history lesson. Some of it laws to enter into God's kingdom (which God later made another, better, way to enter His kingdom.) The New Testament tells the story of Jesus, as a man- and the years immediately following his presence on earth. It is written to believers to help them in their walk with Christ. To understand the Bible, you have to take more than just a few words and try to make it fit where you want it to. You have to delve into not only what is being said, but to who and why it is being said. Geeze, even that was one of Jesus teachings...

ha, not so fast. Jesus himself talked about the resurrection before it happened (John 2, Matthew 20, Mark 10.) This is one of his teachings- if you claim to be a follower of the teachings of Jesus, how do you pick and chose which ones to follow and which ones to not? How can one be a Christian and not believe in the resurrection of Jesus? Snaf, what do you believe about Jesus? I believe he is the son of god and was brought to earth to cleanse our souls and give us direction to god. I don’t see why he would need a material body in the after life and being that he was mortal then the body he was in also died and rotted away like all the rest of us. I think the resurrection would be a metaphor for his retuning to god not literally. So the eye witness accounts of Jesus are metaphorical, but him being the son of God is not? How do you decide which parts of the Bible is real, and which is not?

How can one be a Christian and not believe in the resurrection of Jesus? Snaf, what do you believe about Jesus?

back on topic, sort of: To quote someone smarter than me (I dunno who originally said it, but it's part of a song I like) Faith is evidence of things unseen. I can't see the wind. I can see the effects of the wind, but I can't see the wind. Religion is man's attempt to be closer to God. Unfortunately, it is easily manipulated and can bring a lot of hurt, instead of the love that is is supposed to bring. Religion should be a tool to help you grow closer to God, but too often it ends up driving a wedge. the Bible and church are supposed to be helps for you in your search to find God and what He wants for your life. But sometimes fallible people get in the way of an infallible God (sometimes I'm one of those that gets in the way of God.) Times is right- you don't have to read or even go to church to be saved. Another fun quote is "going to church makes you a Christian just as much as standing in your garage makes you a car." All religions are after the same thing: closeness with God (personally, I think they are all seeking the same God, then just don't always want to admit that.) Man has gotten his grubby little hands over that process, and jacked a lot of it up.