I believe the Bible is wrong when it equates ‘lusting in one’s heart’ with actually doing something wrong. The Seven Deadly Sins are Pride, Wrath, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, Avarice and Sloth. The first four name feelings. The last three describe behaviour. Behaviour can be condemned.

However, pride in doing a bit of good work, wrath at injustice, envy in feeling deprived when it is merely the luck of the game that somebody else has something you desire and lust are merely normal human emotions. Since I entered the teenage hormone jungle there has not been a day gone by where I have not felt lust. If I had not had that feeling I would have no descendents. It is unreasonable to regard a normal feeling as a sin. To do so creates unreasoning guilt. There is enough actual wrong done so one should not feel guilt when one has not done anything wrong.

One result of equating feelings with acts is that a person can feel it is no more wrong to act on the feeling than to merely have it.

Religion can be a mechanism of control. Where it creates feelings of guilt for normal human reactions it is antihuman.

Who you trying to convince, Troll?.

davidf

<< Religion can be a mechanism of control. Where it creates feelings of guilt for normal human reactions it is antihuman. >>

I agree, religion is very much about control. It's part of why I'm an atheist.

StG

<< Who you trying to convince, Troll?. >>

For someone whose recent 'rant' is that OLO is like a train wreck that leaves him with a negative feeling, I would have thought you'd be the last person to try and derail this particular carriage with such a negative reponse.

I actually wrote in the other thread AFTER writing in this thread.

Unfortunately I can see past someones last comment and am able to consider someones total contribution and for the likes of "davidf" the total contribution is specifically designed to make those of faith feel bad about believeing in what they do and apologize to him for it.

For people like your yourself, Bronwyn, and David and Co., religion has been USED. It's about as retarded by blaming people of faith for past deeds as it is for blaming the whole of Islam for deeds of the suicide bombers.

I'm a Christian, but I'm not naive enough to believe that hundreds of years ago people with murderous and selfish agendas who at that time were the ONLY ones that had access to, and the ability of changing for the purpose of control of the masses or for personal gain. That quite obviously happened with 'the church' during the times of burning witches and the inquisition. You don't think given the opportunity the Spanish rulers wouldn't have done it?...you're kidding yourself if you do.

Religion for me is personal. It's an agreement between me and the universe not to act in a way that I don't wish others to act. I agreed to "God" - whatever your defintion may be - that I wouldn't judge you for what you do as long as your acts didn't harm me in any way. "God" knows that if you do I will defend myself.

I have no issue with Atheists - however hypocritical the concept may be - and you won't see me writing posts about how Darwinism is only 100 years old as compared to religion's MILENNIA or that you can no more prove evolution as I can prove design. In reality, there's more evidence of design than there is evolution. And evotuion is just as much a faith as religion is. But that's another topic.

David is out to harm. That's what I take issue with. What's worse is that he'll disguise it as "debate".

StG..< "David is out to harm. That's what I take issue with. What's worse is that he'll disguise it as "debate"."

No StG, I disagree with you here. David is merely expressing his opinion. Like many people 'of faith', you don't seem to like anyone disagreeing with your beliefs.
So how does that make you any different to what you said about David?

David, you have made me think about the seven deadly sins like I never thought about them before!

As a young Catholic schoolgirl, the nuns taught us it was a sin to think lustfully about any man other than your husband.

I then felt sure I would be going to hell when I was madly in love (lust?) with Garth Porter, a guitarist in the band 'Sherbet' when I was 14 years old.
I was almost certain this guy was never going to be my husband!
Very confusing to young, hormonally charged girls, I can tell you.

I know that these days the church teachings are not as strict as they used to be. This only goes to prove though that we can all read exactly what we want to in any of the religious texts, to go with the popular feelings of the day.

All a bunch of crock really!

Cheers,
Sue

Bollocks. I enjoy a debate and theological discussion is important. Doesn't make sense to me why an Atheist would CONTINUOUSLY and FREQUENTLY attempt to undermine the beliefs of others unless there's an agenda. His agenda is as ugly as a hat full of a**eholes.