Sinfest

[Xilonen]

[jeep]

Proving any of the supposed god's existance may be impossible.

But...

no one can deny the Flying Spaghetti Monster has all the others beat on both style and, most importantly, tastiness.

[MellowFish]

[Secret]

[MellowFish]

[Inept Villain]

You don't need God to be a good person. I don't see how you would. To me-- Faith, is in essence, an emotional crutch for those too spineless to do the right thing on their own (without some ultimate divine thumbs up in the background justifying all that they do.) In my opinion, a good deed done for a reward is no good deed at all. The final, undeniable hypocrisy of God is that I could die saving orphaned babies and newborn kittens from a burning building... and yet I would be cast into hell for not acknowledging the existence of a supreme intangible entity. It doesn't make any sense. I personally don't believe in God because I simply can't bring myself to BE sadistic enough to support the idea that *anyone* has to burn forever in a plane of infinite torment. Forever. I can't do it. I'm sorry. I guess I don't have enough of the holy spirit to hate other people (despite their crimes) to such a horrifying extent. If the only way to "save" them from such a gruesome fate is to subvert every facet of their individual principles... well.... they might be better off in hell. At least they'd go with their integrity intact. I know I'd go with a smile, because I would know that I did the right thing by staying true to what makes me-- me. Rather than living the way someone else told me to. The correct choices in life are the ones made honestly.

It also grinds my gears that the bland, uninteresting suck-ups are the ones who are supposed to receive happiness everlasting. That too, makes no sense... because static happiness serves no purpose. So, we die... and then we go to a place where nothing bad ever happens. Ever. Unless we want it to. That is terminally lame. Someone could become physically ill from how lame that is. The entire point of existence (and entertainment) revolves around conflict. Without pain, the weight of pleasure is very difficult to grasp. Without hatred, love isn't really all that special. The opposing force defines and justifies the other. So heaven and hell as a general rule are fundamentally absurd.

I don't believe God has ever done ANYTHING which could be construed as "nice." It's all thunderbolt smotings, telling people to kill relatives, and rattling off eternal punishments because God's creations didn't behave the way he told them to. What was God's greatest gift to man? He sent some guy with a beard to die horribly in OUR name. Gee, thanks God. God is a vain, spiteful asshole who plays favorites. Granted there was the whole "genesis of everything" deal... but the positive side of that is debatable considering how much life tends to suck. Of course the church of today preaches that it's all peace, love and wild parties up in heaven... but that's not what is in the print. The bible constantly informs you of the evils of God. I'm not talking about the cruelty and mass murder carried *in* God's name either. God rains enough fire, brimstone, and unspeakable forms of death upon puny mortals without other mortals needing to do it for him. I don't really even have to QUOTE ANYTHING! You can flip through a few pages of almost any bible and read about the next sadistic judgement as God lays the smackdown on some poor fool who probably deserved a much less extreme form of "justice."
The basic principle of "How to qualify for heaven" is to kow-tow to God, lick some serious sanctimonious boot in order to save your own sin-ridden worthless skin... OR you can live your life the way which comes naturally and go to hell. Regardless of how noble your life happened to be.

True goodness, honesty, love, and universal creaminess are unconditional. People (humans) indulge in these things often enough because we just felt like it. We were in the mood to be awesome that day, and share the awesome while we were at it. God demands payment for these things. Worship, and the acknowledgement of God's total superiority. God is a hypocrite. He disregards his own commandments at every turn. God wants you to either love him... or fear him. He apparently doesn't care which, as long as you're under his thumb. I don't see the attraction to following him. What does he offer except the freedom of no longer having to make difficult moral decisions? There's the wrong choice, and then there’s the choice God told you to make. EZ cupcakes. No doubts, except when the word of God sounds like it’s wrong, or it goes against what you feel deep down. Oh well.
I do not view God as salvation, or as a bringer of wisdom. I see God and the assorted divinities as attempts to make everyone think exactly alike and share the same values. That, for me, is unbelievably depressing. Especially since it is an impossible goal which only leads to segregation and the building of snotty factions who are ALL equally convinced of their own absolute, irrefutable correctitude. What a waste of time and intelligence. Perhaps I have led a life which was better than most had. It could be that the circumstances of my birth; and where I grew up were conductive to a reasonably comfortable and uncorrupt lifestyle. I don't really care if I would have been a different person had I been born into a poorer, more desperate household. I am the person I am, and I haven't kicked any puppies lately. As far as I'm concerned I am a fairly decent guy. I'm definitely not going to get on my hands and knees and beg forgiveness for jack shit. I made my own choices in life, and I take responsibility for them every day. Fuck God and what he thinks. All that matters is what *I* think.

Having said all of this... I don't believe it is wrong of people to believe in God, or to follow any particular religious teachings. Why? Because this is just what I think. One individual. These are my philosophical deductions, and most of them are based on face value. I have never been formally educated on any vein of theology. I haven't analyzed every version of the bible ever released. I was raised Catholic, and went to sunday school. That is the extent of my experience outside of mundane life observations. I wouldn't trust me to give you good directions to the nearest gas station, much less how to spend your life. At the end of the day though, I suppose that if you're happy... then you're doing something right.

Mellowfish, I don't want to silence you. I don't want to beat down your views. When you stand on a soapbox and start preaching, though? People have to right to say that you're wrong. If your only defense is that they “don’t understand,” then there are only two possibly reasons for that. One: They don’t want to understand. So you wagging your belief system in their faces isn’t going to do ANYTHING except piss them off. You accomplish nothing apart from gaining minor personal gratification from having tormented your philosophical opposition. Which is disappointingly petty of you if this is the case. Two: You are merely afraid they *do* understand your faith and they are actually happier not believing in what you believe. Astounding, I’m sure… but completely plausible.

[EDIT: Whoops-- put this in the wrong thread. Hopefully no one will notice.]

[Secret]

[Twister87]

He did just admit that he wasn't right though.

[idontknow]

Anyone ever considered Buddhist? After all, that is how Tat rolls...


Personally, I think today's "catch phrase" is just to mess with people.

[QuoVadis]

Yeah, I know what you mean. It could simply be purposely deceptive. But then again, maybe he is? I always pegged him as a sort of Christian in the beginning years, and then something else (maybe even Buddhist) now. I kinda got that impression as the comic progressed.

But, all in all, I think Buddhism would be a totally cooler Public Relations move for Tat. Ya gotta totally milk that whole Japanese thing for what it's worth, man. Kinda like how my own Polish family needs to buy smelly meats every weekend to impress the neighbors.
_________________
I was much happier when I thought Christianity meant simply being nice.

[QuoVadis]

like so..

2004-12-31



2006-10-07




This, of course, is assuming his comics actually mean something. Which.. they probably don't. Sometimes didlos are just didlos.

(yes! I AM calling Tat's strips d_____!)

::runs away::
_________________
I was much happier when I thought Christianity meant simply being nice.

[WheelsOfConfusion]

[QuoVadis]

Much liked the origin of the word 'pwn', I hearby declare to henceforth refer to all dildos as didlos. ..rather than admit a simple mistake

Signed - QuoVadis
_________________
I was much happier when I thought Christianity meant simply being nice.

[Major Tom]

d

i

d l o

and didlo was his name-o

[QuoVadis]

Interesting rebuttal, Major Tom! I can see you're on your way to becoming a rhode scholar yet!
_________________
I was much happier when I thought Christianity meant simply being nice.