maadmax

The interesting thing I have observed about the Bible, is that, in it you can find what ever you are looking for. If you are looking for Truth and meaning, it is there. If you wish it to justify evil actions, you can corrupt its meaning and do that as well. The Bible is like a mirror, what ever you are is what you see.

How is evil recognized? There are many instances were an act is considered evil by one and good by another.

No, we really, honestly don't. We don't take gravity "on faith." We don't know how it works, so we don't claim that we do and "you just have to have faith." We have a law that accurately describes it, and we have a lot of theories. But until one of them is proven through experimentation, it will not be valid. _____________________________________________ I agree, but faith can mean more than you have allowed in your illustration. I see faith as a starting point of perception until a better alternative can confirm or replace it. In science we have faith that the universe is governed by laws that can be discerned. Otherwise why would we bother to look for them. Some of us have faith that these laws were established by a lawgiver as opposed to chance occurrence. In the quest for spiritual truth I have faith & experience that God has established laws. Their discovery has brought order out of spiritual chaos and allowed for the most productive use of life.

, The thing that has been the most amazing to me is the absolute order and infinite consistency of the mater and energy that make up the universe. Sure it is easy to dismiss , as so many have, by saying well its always been that way or if it wasn't that way then we wouldn't be here to study it. Without an explanation for the order of the universe, how it got there and how it maintains itself as a part of the big picture, then this fact has to taken on faith. Uncovering its mysteries is of course science.

If you attempt to use science to underpin your morality and search for personal "truth" you will fail as soundly as the guy who uses Genesis to try to figure out how the Grand Canyon came to be. On the other hand, if you try to use science to figure out how the world works, and religion to understand your place in it (and the importance of morality, the meaning of life etc) you'll be in good shape. ______________________________________________ Good summary! But until we know all, we still have to take many aspects of the physical universe on faith. Which is the same for spiritual discovery. We have to start with concepts based on faith and hopefully grow from there. Faith is only bad when it is applied blindly. When it is open to revision in both science or spirituality, it is a good place to start.

Sorry to hear how things turned out. I can tell that RePete was loved and that you did everything that you could to save her.

It may not be the quick fix you are looking for, but self hypnosis works like a charm. I learned it many years ago while in grauduate school when I suffered form insomnia. I found time spent in a hypnotic state was as restful as sleep. But most of the time it will put you to sleep.

The lab work appears to be within normal limits. No clotting abnormalities or infections. A spider bite might be a consideration. What kind of spiders do you have where you live? If your Vet can rule out an orthopedic injury then I would suggest a minor exploratory surgery with debridement, drain placement, and collection of tissue for histopathology. Osteosarcomas or any type of bone cancer is usually very obvious on a x-ray, so I doubt you have that. Again, this is an unusually difficult case.

Hi I am a Vet. This sounds like a tough case. I imagine your Vet has already checked, but you didn't mention if a partial tear of the gastrocnemius tendon had been ruled out and or if a clotting profile had been preformed? I would say it sounds like some sort of tendon/ligament injury, possible chip fracture or neoplasia. You might also request a referral to an Orthopedic Specialist. GOOD LUCK!

[ So I ask, why does your god target churches? You know maybe he doesn’t because he doesn’t exist….. Interesting history lesson. It would appear Gods reality is unaffected by our pie in the sky ideas of how reality should be. Believers and the unenlightened are all subject to the same divinely established laws of nature. Build a lightning rod onto your Church and you will probably see the electrical wonders of Gods creation first hand.

I can pick up any undergrad physics text book and find the corrected and revised works of Newton. Where is the corrected and revised version of the bible? By what standard do you test the bible for its correctness? ____________________________________________ In the hearts of mankind and by the fruit of their labor.

_________________________________________ Ha ha - you obviously misunderstood his point. No I didn't, there is the group of people that won't see the Truth no matter what, there is another group who after much prodding from God will finally get it, and then their is a group, humble in spirit, who see God from the very beginning. As far as the Bible being a book of contradictions and false hoods ---- rubbish!

_________________________________________ Since doubting Thomas believed, does that mean maybe there is hope for you to? Or was Abraham right after all? You all are damn good with your Bible verses, how did you lean so much about the Bible, but end up with so many mistaken ideas about what it is saying. _________________________________________

Ask Him Do you have a number for him? maybe an email address??? or what do you suggest?? prayer has been proven countless times not to work, so perhaps a mailing address, ICQ number, or is god on facebook? ______________________________________ Sorry, prayer works, and it has been a great source of strength and guidance for me. But the one hitch is that you have to have a relationship with God and be forgiven of sin. As a Christian and a medical professional I strongly believe in preventative medicine. Disease prevention can be accomplished by both proper moral behavior and medical practices. There are certainly no contradictions that I can see.

Hi Nightingale I am a Vet. The two possibilities I would rule out first would be an allergic/ autoimmune inflammatory condition of the intestinal tract easily treated with prednisalone and a hypoallergenic diet. If you change the diet you can monitor for urinary tract infections. The other thing would be a possible gastric foreign body. One abdominal X-ray would be helpful. I would also be concerned about all of the skin lumps, they sound allergic usually responsive to steroids. I have seen a lot of hairball induced gastroenteritis but they usually are not this chronic.

He is honoring it by doing what exactly? By allowing people like you to have it and exercise it freely. ____________________________________________ Absolutely fuck all? I thought so. Convenient. He shows his presence by doing fuck all. What ever on earth are you talking about? ____________________________________________ Which links me to my other thread - what does God do while he is "Honoring our free will"? Ask Him.

Don't confuse disbelief with not caring. I care very much when people knowingly lie, especially when that lie can cost lives. The real question is why don't you care? ___________________________________________ I do care very much about the temporal and eternal condition of yours and others souls. You are right those who spread false information should be held accountable. Hopefully all people who engage in such activity will stop. But the last time I looked this thread was about God, not the Catholic Church. __________________________________________ But if we assume that god did say that, it would imply that he sent HIV as a punishment for sexual impropriety on top of the eternal punishment waiting for us in hell. How you can think god is loving after that is beyond me. _________________________________________ God created a perfect world. Because of sin we screwed it up. Death and disease is the result. God is honoring our free will and making a way for us to regain our previous position. Jesus is the Truth, the Way, and the Life. All that believe in Him shall not perish but will have eternal life.

I guess if reality only consisted of what little you know, believe, and have faith in, then yea it would be a pitifully boring place. But thank God that for the rest of us what you think has no importance or meaning.

This is indeed a horrific crime. But is has nothing to do with Christianity. The Bible warns us "Certain people will creep in among you unnoticed. Ungodly people marked for condemnation who turn the Grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our Lord Jesus Christ. These men revile the things which they do not understand and the things which they know by instinct like unreasoning animals, by these things they will be destroyed" Jude The Bible also warns of the fools who say in their hearts " There is no God"

So atheists, what is the big deal. None of you could care less what the Catholic Church has to say about anything. You are obviously trying to make some other point. There is nothing in the Bible about condom usage. So it is a non issue as far as developing a relationship with God is concerned. If some religious person wants to "help God out" by clarifying or confusing the issue, that is his problem. It is not a Christian Spiritual problem. You all are using another smoke screen issue to confuse what the more important issues are. Mainly salvation and relationship with God. The Bible does say those guilty of indecent sexual acts will receive the due penalty of their sins manifest in their person. Go figure, Why would a loving God make such a statement?

_____________________________________ God loves us and wants to have a personal relationship with us. Through our own free will we have created a barrier between us and God. Jesus came to remove that barrier. All that believe in Him shall have eternal life. " God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so who ever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

______________________________________________ Hi DropDgorgeous, your display of grace under fire is commendable. I know the atheistic peanut gallery disagrees but I believe we, Homosapien sapien, are an example of Gods creative genius & generosity . He created us with an eternally conscience soul, & He created us to share eternity with Him. If the details were important on how He did it , He would have been more specific. Since He wasn't, then I guess it is not the most important issue we have to deal with. Stay strong, and good luck in school.

Sorry Jack, were are talking about two different things and using the same words that have different meanings. I am at a loss. The only thing I can say is we were created to be receptive to God. You will never achieve your true potential otherwise. I wish you the best.

Which God would that be? Indra? Varuna? Akash Bhairab? Odin? Horus? Zeus?[/reply ________________________________________ The "I AM THAT I AM", The God who created the universe and everything in it, of course.

You are definitely thinking. I am not sure how to respond other than all that stuff you mentioned is irrelevant, unless you have a concept of personal sin and can see a need for a Savior. Otherwise it is impossible to understand anything about Christian teaching. Don't get me wrong, I hope you have a wonderful life. But I have lived long enough to see what happens when people try to live life in the moral framework you have described for yourself. GOOD LUCK!