NO JOKE! Confronting vs. Defeating EVIL and the Bible! McCain believes he is the 2nd Coming!!!

[FrenchieCat]

The Second Coming is the event when Jesus Christ returns to the earth to defeat evil and establish His reign of justice and peace.
http://www.allaboutgod.com/the-second-coming.htm


If God is so good, why is there evil?
The thrust of this charge is that evil's presence disproves God's power. But is the presence of evil consistent with the God of the Bible? Consider:


God didn't create evil. Sin entered the world through Adam's disobedience (Genesis 3).

Evil is necessary for a free world. Freedom, or free will, gives humans the opportunity to make wrong choices.

God hesitates to stop evil for an important reason. Just as parents often allow their children to make mistakes and suffer the consequences, God acts in a parental fashion with his creation.

God has the solution for evil. Jesus accomplished the ultimate defeat of evil on the cross. But just as we don't yet have eternal bodies, evil has yet to be removed from the world.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/areas/biblestudies/articles/tcw-2000-002-7.62.html


If there's a hell, why would a loving God send people there?

God hates evil, and one day, evil will cease. While evil and suffering and pain are very real, they are also very temporary.

The day God deals with evil, he will deal with all evil. In the meantime, God strives for as many people as possible to accept Jesus' death and resurrection as payment for their sins, so they can live eternally with him. The sad fact is, many will make the decision not to be a part of God's heaven. God won't send them to hell; they'll send themselves.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/areas/biblestudies/articles/tcw-2000-002-7.62.html

According to Christianity, evil entered our world as a result of Satan’s fall, so it has a personal character. Jesus Christ spoke directly to Satan at the moment of his temptation (Matthew 4,1-11; etc.). He cast out demons (Mark 1,21-28; etc.), and the apostles did also (Acts 5,16; etc.), so they were not addressing illusions. The Apostle Peter warned his fellow Christians that Satan is a real and dangerous presence: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5,8). Likewise, the Apostle Paul emphasizes that "Satan himself is masquerading as an angel of light" in order to deceive humans (2 Corinthians 11,14). Although belief in the existence of demons is old-fashioned, to say the least, such verses cannot be ignored and taken as mere childish bogus tales.

Although Satan is the initiator of evil, humans are responsible for spreading it into our world through sin. Thus we are not innocent victims lacking any responsibility. By misusing the freedom of choice that God has granted us, we became the perpetrators of evil in our world. Although we have real freedom to refuse evil, we don't do it, so evil continues to spread. The reason why God allows this situation and does not extinguish all evil in an instant is that such an act would necessarily involve the damnation of all those who perform it. This would cancel any possibility for them to repent and be reconciled with God. As he takes no pleasure "in the death of the wicked," but rather wants "that they turn from their ways and live" (Ezekiel 33,11), a sudden extinction of evil would contradict his love for mankind. Which one of us would pass the test of God’s holiness if the extinction of evil were performed apart from his love?
http://www.comparativereligion.com/evil.html#Christianity

Christians and War – Confronting Evil

http://www.martinrothonline.com/Christians&War/warnotes.htm

[Motown_Johnny]

1. Excellent post, This does show a direct disconnect between what McCain believes and what fundies

believe (or are supposed to believe)

[FrenchieCat]

5. That is why Obama answered specifically with his own choice of what to do about evil.......

Obama specifically said "confront evil"-

Confronting Evil (Beth Shemesh)
Unlike Samson, who succumbed to the evils of the Philistine culture, our lives must be distinctive, virtuous, and godly if we are to effectively influence modern society.
http://www.christiananswers.net/catalog/faith-vs.html


Evil in the world exists because of sin. God has provided a way for our sin to be cleansed through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ on the cross. By confessing our sins to God we are immediately cleansed of our sin and can enjoy a right relationship with God.

John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
http://www.hopenowbiblechurch.com/my_weblog/evil/

Psalm 55:23 But You, O God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction; Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.
http://bible.cc/psalms/17-13.htm

[BlooInBloo]

2. Welcome to American Exceptionalism.

[derby378]

3. In the absence of evil, there is still room for free will...

You can choose between order and chaos, discipline and individualism, "the greater good" and "make your own path."

Any AD&Der could tell you that.

[anonymous171]

4. The evangelicals probably don't believe that. They probably think evil comes from homosexuals,

abortions, and Osama Bin Laden.

[FrenchieCat]

19. Well I did hear that Megachurches don't have Bibles or Pews......

just comfy concert chairs and a big screen where you can read the words of God that have been chosen.

[and-justice-for-all]

6. Gawd has still killed more people than Satan...nt

That is, in the fictional words of the bible, because neither exist.

[Motown_Johnny]

9. Wow

That is so wrong on so many levels.


First and foremost, you can't prove a negative. Your definitive statement that neither exist is self contradictory. You can say that there is no conclusive evidence for their existence but you can't say for certain that they don't.

Also, if you believe that Satan/Devil is responsible for all the evil in the world then clearly God has not killed anywhere near as many people.

[and-justice-for-all]

12. Its an accurate assesment

and I know exactly what I am talking about when I say "Gawd has killed more people than Satan, in a fictional sense."

your "you can not prove a negative" is wrong. Also, I am not the one advocating such things exist, it is not my responsibility to disprove, them when there is, in fact, no evidence supporting the claim that they do. It is those who make the claim thet need to cough up the evidence. However, Divine beings disprove themselves just fine.

I do not believe that gawd/satan is responsible for jack shit, there are obviously people who do.

[Motown_Johnny]

14. I'm not going to turn this thread into a theological debate, the simple fact exists

you can't prove that God and/or Satan do not exist.


There is some circumstantial evidence for the existence of God.


Your statement that you are right and it is up to everyone else to prove you wrong is exactly what all the religious nuts say, that they are right and it is up to everyone else to prove them wrong.


BTW I am agnostic. I see no conclusive evidence of the existence of God but i am open minded enough to entertain the possibility,

[and-justice-for-all]

15. "There is some circumstantial evidence for the existence of God. "

Really, Where?

If you have some empirical evidence to support they claim of existence of invisible friends, please indulge me and the rest of the world.

Which is it: "There is some circumstantial evidence for the existence of God." or "I see no conclusive evidence of the existence of God but i am open minded enough to entertain the possibility," Contradictory statements.

Until there is empirical evidence to support the claim of the invisible man in the sky, there is no such thing. Just because one believes or has faith that it exist, does not make it so.

[RaleighNCDUer]

13. It wasn't the mythical satan that sent the mythical flood and killed

ALL humanity. It wasn't the mythical satan that torched the mythical Sodom and Gomorrah.

Don't know about anybody else, but I CAN say that neither exist, and am 100% confident that nobody can offer any contradictory evidence. While it may be true that you cannot prove a negative, I think there is sufficient evidence in an inability to prove a positive.

Good and evil are philosophical constructs, and very valuable ones, but neither has ever been embodied in supernatural creatures.

[FrenchieCat]

7. Confronting Evil versus Defeating Evil

Christians and War – Confronting Evil
http://www.martinrothonline.com/Christians&War/warnotes.htm

[PurityOfEssence]

8. When one starts talking seriously about silliness, anything's possible

That's why religion is so dangerous: it's irrational, unprovable, visceral and laden with all the fear and certainty of superstition.

The idea of having a rational and causal discussion about astrology is ludicrous, just as the idea that one can have a sober and sensible discussion about a magical supernatural world with a super-duper godthing and legions of angels who somehow can't subdue an inferior evil just beggars reason.

It's always amazing how people who sanctify the extremely irrational as true are so are surprised when others can't toe the line and behave rationally in the face of it.

Crazy is crazy, whether people talk calmly and coherently about it or not.

Dangerous stuff, this religion; it's best to have as little to do with it in open society as possible.

[FrenchieCat]

10. I sent letters out to this effect.....Obama vs. McCain aka Confronting Evil vs. Defeating Evil

Dear...........

After today, true Christians will recognize that John McCain doesn’t not know his bible at all. He stated that he wants to defeat evil. There is a problem with that, as the only person who can defeat evil is Jesus Christ.

I understand if laymen reporters and television pundits want to believe that John McCain did well, but Obama's answer that we confront evil was the indication of a true believer, and that he is one of us. As a Born Again Christian (Baptists), this forum showed me that John McCain is either non religious, or believes himself to be the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The Second Coming is the event when Jesus Christ returns to the earth to defeat evil and establish His reign of justice and peace. http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/areas/biblestudies/articles/tcw-2000-002-7.62.html

If God is so good, why is there evil?
The thrust of this charge is that evil's presence disproves God's power. But is the presence of evil consistent with the God of the Bible? Consider:


God didn't create evil. Sin entered the world through Adam's disobedience (Genesis 3).

Evil is necessary for a free world. Freedom, or free will, gives humans the opportunity to make wrong choices.

God hesitates to stop evil for an important reason. Just as parents often allow their children to make mistakes and suffer the consequences, God acts in a parental fashion with his creation.

God has the solution for evil. Jesus accomplished the ultimate defeat of evil on the cross. But just as we don't yet have eternal bodies, evil has yet to be removed from the world.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/areas/biblestudies/articles/tcw-2000-002-7.62.html


If there's a hell, why would a loving God send people there?

God hates evil, and one day, evil will cease. While evil and suffering and pain are very real, they are also very temporary.

The day God deals with evil, he will deal with all evil. In the meantime, God strives for as many people as possible to accept Jesus' death and resurrection as payment for their sins, so they can live eternally with him. The sad fact is, many will make the decision not to be a part of God's heaven. God won't send them to hell; they'll send themselves.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/areas/biblestudies/articles/tcw-2000-002-7.62.html

According to Christianity, evil entered our world as a result of Satan’s fall, so it has a personal character. Jesus Christ spoke directly to Satan at the moment of his temptation (Matthew 4,1-11; etc.). He cast out demons (Mark 1,21-28; etc.), and the apostles did also (Acts 5,16; etc.), so they were not addressing illusions. The Apostle Peter warned his fellow Christians that Satan is a real and dangerous presence: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5,8). Likewise, the Apostle Paul emphasizes that "Satan himself is masquerading as an angel of light" in order to deceive humans (2 Corinthians 11,14). Although belief in the existence of demons is old-fashioned, to say the least, such verses cannot be ignored and taken as mere childish bogus tales.

Although Satan is the initiator of evil, humans are responsible for spreading it into our world through sin. Thus we are not innocent victims lacking any responsibility. By misusing the freedom of choice that God has granted us, we became the perpetrators of evil in our world. Although we have real freedom to refuse evil, we don't do it, so evil continues to spread. The reason why God allows this situation and does not extinguish all evil in an instant is that such an act would necessarily involve the damnation of all those who perform it. This would cancel any possibility for them to repent and be reconciled with God. As he takes no pleasure "in the death of the wicked," but rather wants "that they turn from their ways and live" (Ezekiel 33,11), a sudden extinction of evil would contradict his love for mankind. Which one of us would pass the test of God’s holiness if the extinction of evil were performed apart from his love?
http://www.comparativereligion.com/evil.html#Christianity

Christians and War – Confronting Evil
http://www.martinrothonline.com/Christians&War/warnotes.htm

[Motown_Johnny]

11. Great letter, my one and only suggestion

is that the second sentence of your second paragraph be your lead

*As a Born Again Christian (Baptists), this forum showed me that John McCain is either non religious, or believes himself to be the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.*


It is very powerful and directly to the point

[FrenchieCat]

16. Thank you for the suggestion.

I have sent this off to about 12 journalists thus far.

[Usrename]

17. I always thought there is good and evil in everyone.

That's what they learned me in Sunday school.

[FrenchieCat]

18. So McCain will defeat 1/2 of himself....and 1/2 of everyone else....I guess.

which is why his answer didn't make any sense, and Obama's answer of confronting Evil was the correct answer. I just don't know how smart the folks that were listening are....

[WinkyDink]

22. Not to mention secular public school ("Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." :) )

[ladjf]

20. American politics is the victim of viral religionism. The patient isn't

going to be cured by pretending to be one of them.

[WinkyDink]

21. McCain didn't answer "religiously"; he answered in a bellicose way because THAT is what Americans

LIKE to HEAR.