?

'But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.' Matthew 5:39

'But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,' Matthew 5:44

The justice system takes vengeance, judges people, hurts people, and lords authority over others, just as Jesus told us not to do.

Do you think the world would be a far better place if all the Christians in the world followed it literally (except for eye gouging and hand chopping)?

Do you try to live by it always? How?

Would you agree that if these teachings were practised, Christian society would resemble Anarchist Communism?

If you don't know it, it is in Matthew 5-7

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthe...

Thank you, and God bless.

I'm a Christian, and I believe that according to Christianity the meaning of life is love.

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength.'

'Love your neighbour as yourself.'

'God is love'

So what do you believe it is?

Thanks and God bless.

Because of becoming a vegetarian, I feel as though I am morally superior to omnivores. I think this is understandable, as I'm following a rule I believe is correct, and omnivores just ignore this.

But being judgemental and having pride is not good (I believe), and I don't want to any more.

How can I stop this?

Thanks and God bless.

When I was little, I was briefly a little upset when I thought of animals being killed for my food, but I dismissed it quickly because the status quo being already justified seemed easier and more likely.

I think it is unhealthy to ever teach a child that something they just know to be wrong is OK, as it will lead to them doubting the morality of other things that we just know are wrong.

What do you think?

Thanks, and God bless.

I'm not referring to the atheists without belief in any gods, but ones that are adamant there is no god(s). Are there any which have been as devoted to doing good for others as these two?

Of course, you don't have to be religious to do good, but it does seem there is a correlation. Feel free to prove me wrong.

Thanks, and God bless.

I know that I experience, but I fear that I hear the thoughts of a thinking machine, while I myself think nothing, understand nothing, and don't have any opinion on what I experience.

Even experiences such as emotions, are felt in a way that is only as abstract as the sensations of colour, sound, hot and cold etc. and since I know (well, maybe the thinking machine knows) that I don't create colour, it feels illogical to believe I create any sensation I have, such as emotion, and the feeling of thought, are created by me.

If this were the case, would the thinking machine be able to discover that this is the case? If the thinking machine would not be able to discover that it is the case, then there is no way for me to know that it isn't the case, as I could just be hearing the thinking machine think it isn't the case.

The thinking machine believes it can feel, but cannot. But I (some sort of consciousness blob) feel everything the thinking machine simulates. I (as the consciousness blob) do not have beliefs, feelings, ideas, thoughts, or opinions on anything I experience.

Please convince me that this isn't the case. At the moment I'm living with the assumption that it isn't the case, only on the basis of it removing my purpose, which I feel the need to assume exists.

I know that philosophers have found in similar areas in the past, but have any dealt with this question in particular?

Thank you, and God bless.

Because of Papal inerrancy, why don't Catholics think it's OK to include his books in the Bible?

Also, are his books any good? How accessible are they?

Thanks, and God bless.

Are Christians in places such as North Korea, China, and many Muslim nations where they are persecuted for following Christ, allowed to lie to prevent themselves being captured, imprisoned, and tortured, or should they tell the truth or nothing at all even in such circumstances?

References to relevant scripture would be much appreciated.

Thanks. God be with you all.

Christian monks, to be clear.

Thanks and God bless.

Christian monks, to be clear.

Thanks and God bless.

What intelligent rule can be applied to all life for when killing is and isn't wrong, so that all humans can't be killed, but other animals can?

By intelligent rule, I mean one which considers deeper than face value, eg. If someone says 'It's wrong to kill of your own species' you must consider what differentiates a species, and you would probably either say genetics or appearance, in which case killing someone of a different race isn't as bad as killing someone of your own race.

I tried this, and couldn't find any rule that worked.

Please remember that there are people who are mentally disabled and less smart than some animals.

Thanks and God bless.

Specific actions please, and don't include attitude changes. Just actions.

Thanks and God bless.

What actions have you taken because of your belief? Actions beyond belief itself, reading, and a change in attitude etc.

Please also note your beliefs.

Thanks and God bless.

By this I mean living on the bare necessities in order to donate all excess to charity.

How can any life of luxuries such as T.V. be a loving life, when others have nothing at all?

It is especially compelling when I consider how a takeaway for me could buy a week's food for a starving person, and save many lives through medicine.

'Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."' Matthew 19:21

Is this what Jesus is saying to us?

Thanks and God bless.

What do you think of living a life of voluntary poverty, and donating the excesses of this simple life to good charities?

It's been playing on my mind a lot, how a fancy meal for me could feed four starving people (I'm not sure of actual statistics, but I think this estimate is still fairly conservative).

Can you be a loving person in a palace, when so many are homeless?

Just praying for good things to be done is like saying, "I know it should be done, but I can't be bothered. You do it." which is insulting.

If you have no intention of also doing this, please tell me why.

Thank you all and God bless.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchorite

Is there anywhere where this is still done?

Thanks and God bless.

Consider:

There is a thinking machine that can understand the workings of a thinking machine, and can imagine the cogs and how they would turn in a superior thinking machine. It imagines the superior machine's arrangement of cogs and imagines how they turn in response to a given stimuli. It then conveys to us the superior machines thoughts.

Now the machine (number 1) imagines the cogs turning on a machine that is superior to itself (number 2), and this imaginary can also imagine a yet more superior machine (number 3), which can also imagine an even more superior machine (number 4). To make it easier on each machine, they only interpret the part of the machine they've imagined that is making a conclusion, eg machine 1 figures out machine 2's conclusion.

Now machine 1 imagines the cogs of machine 2 turning, and within these cogs turning there is simulated imagining of machine 3's cogs turning, and within machine 3's cogs turning there is the simulated imagining of machines 4's cogs turning, which simulate a mind figuring out a difficult problem.

The conclusion part of the machine 4's cogs is then understood by machine 3's imaginary cogs, which is then imagined to be processed into machine 3's conclusion centre, which is then understood by imaginary machine 2, which processes it to its conclusion centre, which is then understood by machine 1, then only machine with real existence. Machine 1 then tells us the answer.

1) Is this possible?

2) Would it be able to go for infinite, or would the time of machine 1's actual cogs turning limit its speed of imagination? 3) Would machine 1 have to be as intelligent as the imaginary machine 4 in order to imagine it, even if it were just imagining the cogs of machine 2 turning?

4) Would machine 1 have consciousness? Would the imagined machines 2, 3, and 4 also have consciousness? Or would any of them be philosophical zombies?

Thanks and God bless.

There are lots of questions and insults addressed to "fundies" of Christianity, and I would like to know if I qualify. What is the criteria for being a fundie?

I realise it stands for fundamentalist, but all Christians are supposed to have Jesus as their foundation, as He shows us in the parable of the wise man who built His house upon the rock (Jesus), and the fool who built his house upon the sand.

Thanks and God bless.