There ain't no Sanity Clause

[The Mighty Thor]

Fundy Xians often have a 'get-out clause' when accused of hypocrisy. Like Riddik says 'yeah, turn the other cheek once, get hit, then take the sucka down' or some such nonsense.

I've heard the 'eye of the needle' was some kind of gate in Jerusalem and that it's therefore ok for Xians to get rich.

What other get-outs are regularly used?

[Dancing David]

The Devil made me do it...
Eve told me to...
The snake told me to...

[Blue Monk]

God works in mysterious ways.

God has his own plans that we should not question even if we don't understand.

[Brahe]

God does answer every prayer, it's just that sometimes the answer is 'no.'

They weren't True Christians.

God created logic, so he can't be bound by it!

Sure, my actions contradict Jesus' teachings, but it's far better to violate some petty human crime like murder or rape if it brings more people to the Lord!

Oh, we don't need to follow that rule any more. Jesus came to fulfill the law. Of course, the rules against homosexuals and any other minority I hate, uh, I mean God hates, are in full effect.

Sure, I just committed a sin, but I've been forgiven my sins through the gore of Jesus.

[sampatgong]

"God's timing is not our timing."

"Don't test the Lord."

"When you get to heaven (or Judgement) you can ask him why (insert reasonable question)."

:D

[evildave]

"Only certain parts of the Bible are literal, and others need to be 'interpreted'."

Once, literally even "You can't get the meaning from the Bible unless you read parts of stories in the right order." (That order was NOT sequential.)

[Yahweh]

"Because God works in mysterious ways."

"Because God has a plan for everyone."

"God can make the rules, God can break the rules."

"The human mind cannot comprehend God because the human mind is fallible."

"You're a stupid atheist who wouldnt accept Truth™ if it came up and kicked you in the teeth."

[rachaella]

Well if you ask my fanatical christian exboyfriend, his excuse to break those no fornication laws seemed to be "I'm horny". Although afterward apparently a lot of that good ol' fashioned repenting went on.

[scribble]

Originally posted by rachaella
Well if you ask my fanatical christian exboyfriend, his excuse to break those no fornication laws seemed to be "I'm horny". Although afterward apparently a lot of that good ol' fashioned repenting went on.

It's funny you would say that. I had a strongly Lutheran ex-girlfriend (she eventually broke up with me because I wasn't Christian enough). She cheated on my a couple of times near the beginning of her relationship and her excuse was that she just wasn't strong enough and she'd prayed to God to help her but it hadn't worked.

To which I said: God didn't fail, you did, and get lost. But it was an interesting one. She didn't stay lost, though she should have. Hindsight is 20/20.

[Iconoclast]

Originally posted by malcolmdl
What other get-outs are regularly used? Well, Christians seem to have reclassified fish as a vegetable as a way of ensuring they get a decent meal on Good Friday.

[rachaella]

Originally posted by scribble


It's funny you would say that. I had a strongly Lutheran ex-girlfriend (she eventually broke up with me because I wasn't Christian enough). She cheated on my a couple of times near the beginning of her relationship and her excuse was that she just wasn't strong enough and she'd prayed to God to help her but it hadn't worked.

To which I said: God didn't fail, you did, and get lost. But it was an interesting one. She didn't stay lost, though she should have. Hindsight is 20/20.

Yeah, he ended up cheating on me too. In an interesting turn of events, things got hot and heavy at one point and it would seem some strictly forbidden activity was imminent, and he stopped and said "God says no", then, literally not three minutes later, he's begging me to continue where we had left off. I guess his penis was speaking louder than god.

[Ladewig]

I've heard the 'eye of the needle' was some kind of gate in Jerusalem and that it's therefore ok for Xians to get rich.


I've heard that too, but always second or third hand. Isn't the gate that is referred to too tiny for a camel to pass through? I thought it was no bigger than 2 feet by 3 feet, but I can't find any accurate information on the web.

Referring to a gate that a camel could, with difficulty, pass through as part of a metaphor seems strange coming a verse or two after Mark 10:21 "..go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me."

[evildave]

Took me only one search, and first hit through google. You can use quotes on part of a phrase that needs to stay together, and leave other words out to do a search.

http://www.biblicalhebrew.com/nt/camelneedle.htm

[Ladewig]

Yeah, I found that site, too, but I wasn't sure if I could consider it accurate enough to quote from.

[evildave]

Well, after reading a few of them, they generally agree that it's a turn of phrase meaning "impossible".

[DangerousBeliefs]

Originally posted by Iconoclast
Well, Christians seem to have reclassified fish as a vegetable as a way of ensuring they get a decent meal on Good Friday.

You sparked my interest in finding out about Lent.

Interesting history there. Is Lent 40 hours or 40 days? Is it fasting, light meals or, anything goes except on Fridays?

Seems its one observance which has evolved over the years from hardcore religion to one of almost total lip service.

I can imagine we'd have a lot less Catholics in the world if they all fasted for 40 days every year.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09152a.htm
http://www.kencollins.com/holy-04.htm
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/lent/faqle9902.asp

To sum up those requirements, Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In addition, all Catholics 14 years old and older must abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent.

Fasting as explained by the U.S. bishops means partaking of only one full meal. Some food (not equaling another full meal) is permitted at breakfast and around midday or in the evening—depending on when a person chooses to eat the main or full meal.

Huh? So I'm confused. Lent is a time of fasting, reflection, and sacrifice (personal), but there isn't really any fasting and the sacrifice is to eat fish on Fridays (but not too much, except one big meal and light snacks)?

[Iconoclast]

Originally posted by DangerousBeliefs
Huh? So I'm confused. Lent is a time of fasting, reflection, and sacrifice (personal), but there isn't really any fasting and the sacrifice is to eat fish on Fridays (but not too much, except one big meal and light snacks)? I hope you're not trying to imply that religion is full of inconsistencies.

[Wrath of the Swarm]

The "eye of the needle" gate is supposedly so small that a camel can only get through it if it's lead through on its knees while not carrying anything.

Rather a poignant metaphor, I thought.

[evildave]

So much so that it doesn't seem to matter that it probably never actually existed.

[elliotfc]

Originally posted by DangerousBeliefs

Huh? So I'm confused. Lent is a time of fasting, reflection, and sacrifice (personal), but there isn't really any fasting and the sacrifice is to eat fish on Fridays (but not too much, except one big meal and light snacks)?

It is not part of any Christian creed that fasting must occur during Lent. It is a (primarily) Catholic tradition that was elevated (most people think outrageously elevated) to an extent that the practice became as important as essential dogmas, when it isnt a dogma at all.

Fasting is a time-honored and highly regarded way of personally enduring a form of denial for spiritual reasons; making it compulsory seemed to miss the point of that, which is why it is not officially compulsory in they ways that it once was.

In other words, even if there is not an official "fast" anymore (with the exception of meatless Fridays, Ash Wednesay, Good Friday), all Catholics are still called to fast during Lent; that fast could take a much more liberal meaning to include non-foodal (foodal?) issues.

-Elliot

[WildCat]

Originally posted by Wrath of the Swarm
The "eye of the needle" gate is supposedly so small that a camel can only get through it if it's lead through on its knees while not carrying anything.

Rather a poignant metaphor, I thought.
Actually, this explanation (http://www.angelfire.com/wy/Franklin4YAHWEH/camelthroughneedle.html) makes more sense:
The original Greek tells not of a camel, but a rope (kamilos ). When it was translated into Latin, kamilos was confused with kamelos ( camel).

[Wrath of the Swarm]

Originally posted by evildave
So much so that it doesn't seem to matter that it probably never actually existed. That describes Christ himself rather well. See? You've become profound!

[evildave]

Originally posted by WildCat

Actually, this explanation (http://www.angelfire.com/wy/Franklin4YAHWEH/camelthroughneedle.html) makes more sense:


Then it goes on to say that it was camel.

Then it goes back and forth.

Maybe he was dictating....

[The Mighty Thor]

Thanks for all those, folks. Most illuminating!

What do you think the answer would be if we asked why the Son of God didn't seem inclined to personally write down his teaching for all mankind. I guess he was too busy to be so mundane.

I think the biggest one has to be the get-out clause of sect that Rasputin belonged to:

The highest reward is salvation.

The bigger the sin, the greater the salvation.

Ergo, SIN BIGTIME!