Posted on 08/04/2002 7:13:07 PM PDT by bradactor
I don't know how many of you have seen this author's films-M. Night Shyamalan-who has done "The Sixth Sense," "Unbreakable," and recently "Signs." His movies are really about deep faith, even though he uses the technique of horror and suspense to get across the conflict necessary to portray a shift to faith or good overcoming evil. I heard Michael Medved on the Laura Ingraham radio show the other day say that he is actually a conservative. The movie "Signs," which I just saw Saturday was a brilliant example of this. Although he used the theme of invasion of aliens and crop circles as his background, the main thrust of the film was about how important a deep faith in God is, even for a preacher who turned away from God and then goes back to his faith. I just thought I would mention the film as well as the author in case some of you were thinking of seeing this film. It is one of the most original films I have seen so far this year. Of course, "Sixth Sense" is one of my favorite films. Well, this is off the subject of politics but it is about faith and that is important as well. Brad
The entire point of 'Judgement' IMO is social control -- to scare followers of a religion into keeping in line with the dogmatic commands of that religion.
God is similar to the tides,it dosen't matter if you believe in "him" or not,"he" exists independent of your awareness or approval. I believe that if there is something outside of our space and time, or if there is something that is anything like the deities in which many on earth profess, we do not know his nature. IMO, if there is such a deity, Christianity and Islam et al., are crude explanations of his/its nature.
You really believe that the order and beauty which exists in nature on all levels is a result of benevolent chaos? A rock is a fish, is a bird, is a tree, is a human...?
Not sure what you're talking about unless you're showing a lack of knowledge about evolution.
Amen.
BUMP
God is God. He can do as He sees fit.
Can God be evil?
I believe that society moves away from myths gradually. There used to be many polytheists and people relied on gods of oceans, skies, etc to explain why weather worked in 'mysterious' ways. Maybe eventually we will have no need for a god to explain things away for us. Just my opinion. Continue believing as you wish. Please, try not to get insulted, that is not what I'm trying to do.
The truth is that you end up with more questions,most of which are not possible to answer using "logic" or "feelings".
I don't believe that's a good reason for automatically turning to a god for those answers. Man has for many years relied purely on supernatural beings/occurances to explain what man at the time is unable to explain. Now that science is advancing we are getting to a stage of better understanding the scientific laws controlling our universe.
Does the idea of a completely Sovereign Holy God comfort you?
"I can't say there is no god, just like I can't say we're not some space creature's experimental universe -- I leave all possibilities open for legitimate and hopefully eventually verifiable information."
If that's the case, why do you reject the Word of God out of hand?
Have you actually read it?
Can YOU point out any contradictions for me?
No, but He can allow it.
What do you use as your moral basis to determine good and evil?
The point being, who do you turn to in your most dire need? Who will be there for you? At the moment of death, whose name will you call out?
I'm not trying to prove there is no god.
It's a matter of FAITH,something folks like you,(who deny God),have no concept of.
I just don't believe in your Christian god and I never will. Faith? I used to be a very fundamentalist christian, so I know what faith is -- A warm gusy feeling inside your stomach when you think of how exciting it will be to see Grandma Sue when you get to meet the Big Guy in the Sky.
The universe is so constructed that the evidence is almost evenly balanced. The elect rejoice in God's provision, while still getting lots of opportunities to "walk by faith and not by sight." The reprobate can make a hobby of collecting plenty of excuses to damn themselves with.
The Christian paradigm of a creation that was originally good, later corrupted by the side-effects of the fall, and currently in the state of being redeemed, is emotionally and intellectually satisfying. In our view, the Creator "wrote Himself into the story," and suffered personally the effects of the fall -- then overcame them.
Calvinism.
Oh, on the contrary. Just because Calvanists believe in Unconditional Election doesn't at all change the fact that the "big guy" supposedly looking out for them is also the one who's hurling the lightning bolts of misfortune.
Shyamalan is an American man from a Hindu family, who seems to keep returning to that paradigm. The hindu godhead needs Shiva, destroyer of worlds, to "give balance to The Force." See also his movie Unbreakable, where the protagonist deals with an antagonist, who deviates as far from the norm as he does, but in the opposite direction.
You never knew.
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