Not sure if my previous post on this topic took.
One must marvel at the irony that Christians, who seem to revere the 9th Commandment, lie so often.
Six day Creation. This is not a matter of faith, it's a matter of common sense, reason, and science. It's a lie. Not an alternative truth, but a ****able lie.
Original Sin. Another lie. Given the Adam and Eve story, God made humans imperfect, and has punished us ever since. Not given the story, there was no Adam and Eve, as we all know. Either way, Christians cannot come to the truth of the issue that we are necessarily imperfect, whatever the consequences may be. Forgiveness for the inevitable is ludicrous.
And the Big One. Evolution. As much a fact as gravity, yet denied by those who prefer, to the point of political persuasion, a lie that says we were magically poofed into creation within a literal week. Of course, those who sincerely believe this are imbeciles, and those who perpetuate this belief are dishonest hucksters. Shame on them both.
Shall we accuse those who insist, who "know", that there are gods and hells of lying. It's about time we did. They do not know. They surmise, they assert, they pretend, they prevaricate. But they do not know. We are of such philosophical accomplishment now that we have some inkling of what it means to "know", and their superstitions do not qualify as knowledge. This said, I do not accuse the rank and file
Christians of deliberate dishonesty, but their leaders... yes, of course. They know that they mislead the sheep for their own benefit.*
This is just the beginning of Christian dishonesty. The most dishonest among them are those who claim to defend Christianity (and all religion) on grounds of reason. I accuse Wm. Lane Craig, Ken Ham, Kyle Butt, the Hovind Family, the Ian Juby's of the world of deliberate dishonesty.
Fred Phelps is not dishonest, he makes no claim to reason and sticks to his "holy" book. I have no respect for his honesty, however, as it is an uncritical honesty. If one honestly believes in Mother Goose, for another example, his is an unrespectable honesty, same as Phelps'.
Jesus hates abortion? Lie! What Jesus hated was divorce. Someone tell Newt Gingrich.
Jesus was the epitome of love? Lie! Jesus invented Hell.
Stop the lying.
DF
Such Hypocrisy and the utmost Arrogance is demonstrated in your post here. You chide Christians and Believers for doing, in effect, just the same thing that you are doing only where Christians/Believers make their statements based upon their own reasons (Their Belief in God) you make your equally unprovable and faith based (all be it faith in a non-divine direction/source) yet because you have such a high opinion of yourself you set yourself up as infallible and beyond reproach (at least in your own mind).
You make statements of opinion based upon theories, such as evolution, which are no more absolute and provable than those of Creation. Both Creation and Evolution claim to have evidence yet the evidence is only as good and sufficient as those who interpret it and always that interpretation is with a bias so when it all comes down to it they are equal in that they are unprovable theories. Here though we have demonstrated the arrogance that permeates the Scientific and educational communicates that eliminates and excludes all other theories from being presented and taught. The First Amendment is, again wrongly, used to keep Creation from being presented as a viable alternative, with it's own points and merits, as well as Intelligent Design.
From my own perspective I will grant that Evolution, by it's own nature, is certainly a non-intelligent process for evidently it takes no thinking or intelligence to accept it but rather just blind allegiance and acceptance that life comes from an accidental arrangement of elements. Never mind that none of it can be reproduced or that absolute proof can be provided that life comes from non-life and one species comes from other species we are just to accept it on someone's own word or accept their own bias and their own beliefs as our own and be prohibited from challenging it. You have very well demonstrated the prejudiced opinions feelings toward people of any other opinion, other than evolution. If someone doesn't believe lock step with you then they are either mentally deficient or they are lying. Does your own arrogance know any bounds? I present that your apparent arrogance in this area is only exceeded by your unrealistic haughty opinion of your own personal abilities.
At least there is benefit in your post though. You are neither correct or unique in your bias and prejudice toward believers and Christians for there are many that came before you and they discovered that they were just as fallible and human as everyone else, in the end. I hate to break it to you but your "superiority" and godlike infallibility is principally within your own mind and you only demonstrate the validity and wisdom of those who spoke and put their recordings down thousands of years before you were a thought in anyone's mind.
1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (NLT)
{18} The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
{19} As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”
{20} So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish.
{21} Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.
{22} It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.
{23} So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.
{24} But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
{25} This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.
{26} Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.
{27} Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
{28} God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.
{29} As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
{30} God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.
{31} Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.”
and
Romans 1:18-23 (HCSB)
{18} For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth,
{19} since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them.
{20} From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse.
{21} For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened.
{22} Claiming to be wise, they became fools
{23} and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.
and finally
1 Corinthians 3:18-21 (ESV)
{18} Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
{19} For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”
{20} and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”
{21} So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,
Your demonstration of Pride and Arrogance are nothing new for there have been those claiming the same thing, essentially, throughout history and God's word addresses those today as it did in those days only if people could see past their own biases and prejudice to yield to it's wisdom. At least in your post did you not only present your opinion but you sufficiently provided example as well that Pride still controls mortal man in thinking themselves to be something they are not.
Man! I have just got to say a BIG Amen! Great post!