Is The World Getting Better Or Worse?

Yet the fact is that in the Americas both Roman Catholics and Protestants forced Native American to adopt Christianity. They were seen as savages and heretics and were killed, tortured, confined, deported and had their language, dress, customs, diet, beliefs, sacred places and territories all desecrated and taken away from them.Claiming "Billy did it" only works before kindergarten.

Faith, you do know we can read the Treaty of Tripoli?There is nothing anti-Christian in the Treaty of Tripoli.

But that is NOT the topic Faith and has been answered several times in this thread.The FACT is that Protestants in the Americas are as guilty of genocide and ethnic cleansing as the Roman Catholics.The "Billy said to do it" defense also doesn't work once kids get to Kindergarten.

Once again, where did I ever say we should return all lands?Phat, look up the histories of the Treaties we made with the Indians.Find one where we actually fulfilled our obligations under the Treaty.Edited by jar, : fix quote box

No one wants to outlaw belief. What we do want is for people to understand that belief is not fact or reality and that evidence should trump belief.When someone says that the God in Genesis 2&3 must not have been fearful or that the serpent lied and the God in the story told the truth they are placing belief above the actual evidence. They are in fact misrepresenting the Bible. It's fine for them to say that they do not believe the Bible says what it actually says as long as they also deny that they believe the Bible is inerrant or "God Breathed" or any other such nonsense. When they start making mutually exclusive belief statements folks should understand they are creating God in their own image.

Good. You should not just trust someone, particularly someone who tells you what you want to hear. When have I simply asserted folk are lying without providing the direct evidence that that is what they are in reality doing?The Apologist don't accept what the Bible actually says for their own reasons. I cannot say what those reasons are but I can point to what is actually written in the Bible and compare that to what they claim. But you can test my argument and should test my argument Phat. What does the evidence show; does it support or refute my argument? I became a believer based on the influence of my environment. I remain a believer based on choice. I grew up in a Christian household, was educated in a Christian school and have been immersed in Christian culture all my life. Yet you have never been able to provide any evidence that there is some boat that I missed.Edited by jar, : appalin spallin

I don't interpret meaning, I report fact; I simply believe that the story says what is actually written.It is not an interpretation that the serpent told the truth and the God lied; it is exactly what is written.The issue is that what is actually written conflicts with the meaning someone wants; the Bible is not the Bible they want and so they "interpret" what it must "mean". Screw explanations; what is actually written?

Maybe because it is not written the way they want it to say? Please point out where Jesus said doing what is right should be easy or fair? Who will forgive you? God may well forgive you but what about China or Japan or the EU or the bank or ...

GOD, if God exists can by definition decide not to change things.AbE: That is a silly question with no meaning or content Phat.Edited by jar, : see AbE:

Why is God worthy of of critical thought?Humans didn't create pond scum so is that exempt from critical thought?Humans did not create stars so are stars exempt from critical thought?Humans did not create milaria so is malaria exempt from critical thought?

Only sometimes. The absence of holes in the target is evidence the target was not hit.

But if the claim was that the target was hit it is evidence that the target was not hit.

Okay, let's use it.About one third of the religious people in the world are Christians; two thirds of the world's religions people are not.The vast majority of Christians are Roman Catholic.By popularity Christianity loses.By popularity Protestantism loses.

What message? Really Phat. You have evidence that more people that have a conversion experience choose Christianity than Islam or Taoism or Hinduism or Buddhism or ...?

Correct. He is Not a Nazi Polka. But he is a Fascist.