(Wrote out a very lengthy post on my feelings on the subject of this thread last night in response to Hankdawg and could have sworn I hit Submit Reply, but it seems to have never appeared. Don't want to type it all over again, so will just reply this...)
quote:
Slavery, in the ancient times, was extremely common, practiced by practically all peoples. The Isrealites were unique and even progressive because they limited slavery. However, the time had not yet come to totally abolish it.
But if morality is absolute, why would God have allowed or encouraged it at that time any more than today? Whether their form of slavery progressive or not, moral principles are still principles and not adaptable if morality is truly absolute, is that not so? I doubt anyone would classify God as being manipulative and telling them that because it was what they wanted to hear, so why was he compromising absolute truths?
(...and this from
Message 121)
quote:
Since many people are anti-God in their thinking, they have to get away from absolutes, or else they will be led to God.
I am absolutely sure that, (for example) contrary to what you said in
Message 123, marriage is acceptable between two men or two women as well and it is the restriction of their right to do so that is immoral. This is why I don't believe in absolute morality. I think that many if not all people believe by natural intuition and judgment they know what is right and wrong and thus are born morals that they try (or don't) to follow... but those changes from person to person - so it is relative to each individual. I assure you that I am just as absolutely sure that there is nothing wrong with homosexuality as many are that there is. I don't believe in moral absolutes among the entire world for this very reason - that two people can be so absolutely sure that they are both right even with conflicting views - not because I want to separate myself from God. It seems to be a common misconceptions that atheists are trying to push God away, but I simply don't believe that there is a God to push away (at the very least, not the one of the Bible), and
that is what makes me an atheist.
For the same reason, in my opinion anyone who (as with many teenagers I've known who fit typical "rebel" stereotypes) claims to hate God and to be an atheist is either lying or misinformed as to what an atheist is. To hate Him requires that you believe in His existence.
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