LOL! There is and was NOTHING OF THE SORT in the proposed bill. No death panels, no death handbooks. You need to stop listening to Rush and Steele and read the thing yourself.

The ONLY thing that it said was that if a patient requests end-of-life counseling from their doctor (living will, etc) then the Government will pay that doctor for their time.

That’s it. What in the hell is wrong with that?!

The truth is that it will be more like a death handbook. The government will lay out the guidelines in print, and doctors will be forced to follow them. There will be no appeal, no chance to try to persuade a human being. The decision on granny’s life will be made by people who never have to look her in the eye.

I have enjoyed our discussion. I think we might have time for one more round before the link is lost.

As Paul said to the early church, if the ressurection of Jesus is not true then we are to be most pitied amoung men. However, like Paul, I know that Jesus rose from the dead. Historical evidence points to the fact. If he had not risen, then why would the Jewish leaders not have produced his body when the disciples started saying he had been raised? Why would the Jewish authorities not have nipped the church in the bud? What about all the witnesses who gave testimony to the resurrection and to actually have seen the resurrected Jesus? Many of them were killed because of that testimony. Would they die for a lie?

If the resurrection of Jesus is not true then how can you say that He is awesome. Without the resurrection, I am afraid we must discard the New Testament because that is the keystone of its teachings. We must also discard Jesus as a teacher because He clearly communicated to his disciples that He was God and would be resurrected. If the resurrection is not true, then Jesus was either a liar or a lunatic, and therefore not worthy of worship. C.S. Lewis goes into more detail along these lines in Mere Christianity.

If Jesus was resurrected from the dead, then the other events you list as parable have to be acual events because Jesus refered to most of them as actual events from the Jewish past. The story of creations and the fall of man (Adam and Eve) are essential elements to Christian theology. They answer the higher story questions of life and lay the foundation for all that followed. Liberal christians who banish these events as myth have really cut their theological anchor and are essentially adrift in moral relativism and untruth.

The Apostle Paul once charged Timothy with the task of proclaiming the “economy of God” or “the law of God” to the world. I take that charge very seriously. God, through Scripture, speaks to every area of our lives and it is the duty of the Christian to get that message to the world. We do so not to harass the world but rather to show them the abundance of God’s love and provision for them. We are to be like Jesus. When He saw the people harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, He felt compassion for them and taught them how to make God their shepherd and live in a more excellent way.

Like Paul, I am always eager to engage in debate because I have confidence in who and what I believe. Let me say again, I have truly enjoyed our discussion. Any time you would like to continue, I can be found at http://jhpruitt.blogtownhall.com/. I hope to see you again in these blogs.

Best,

Kipling

I bet Rashputin goes to this guy’s church:

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/gospel-hate-arizona-pastor-steve-and

Thank you. Really. You proved my original point without even realizing it:

“Jesus was awesome, but SO many supposed ‘Christians’ need to take his message to heart. React with love and understanding, not hate and lies.”

I think it was probably best said by one of the greatest men to exist in the past century:

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
— Mahatma Gandhi

Go back up and read, then use the brain God gave you. I never claimed I was Christian and only quoted scripture because the very capable Kipling asked me to.

Conveniently, you ignored the substance of my post and resort to analogies concerning seals balancing beach balls and dismissing original thought as ‘leftist fairytales’ simply because you don’t agree with it.

Your words are dripping with scorn and hubris, and Jesus would be sad for you. Here you are calling yourself a TrueChristian™ yet you so obviously think yourself better than someone else because they have a different viewpoint.

“It’s also additional proof that you’re unfit to even tie the shoelaces of people who struggle to live by the high moral standards of Christianity.”

“Either stick to your favorite rap singer as an authority or go learn something about Christianity…”

Really? Really. You jump to conclusions and insults, then when presented with reality you immediately write it off as ignorant leftist BS.

I’ve read the 3 versions of the Bible, the Torah, Qu’Ran, Book of Mormon, and many Sutras from the Buddhist philosophy. When you look with an open mind and heart (isn’t that what Yeshua was all about and how people are told to get in touch with the Holy Spirit?) you’ll find that underneath all the doctrine, most major world religions have the same basic message:

There is a God. Be a good person, in your heart and actions, to yourself and the world around you. Be humble, honest, and don’t hurt anyone else. There is something after we die. If you’re bad you’ll go somewhere bad and if you’re good you’ll go somewhere good.

I think there is a great deal of value to come from reading religious scriptures and they have the ability to deliver a powerful and just moral message.

Kipling:

Again, thanks for welcoming intelligent discourse on the subject.

As for the parts of the Bible that I consider to be parable rather than literal in part or whole…

Creation story from Genesis
Adam & Eve and the Garden of Eden
The Great Flood & Noah’s Ark
Soddam and Gomorrah
Jesus’ physical ressurection

The list goes on. So..pretty much all the ‘magic’ stuff.

I am reminded of the proverb: “But the correction of fools is folly.” My mistake.

When you have matured a little and would like to have a serious discussion, feel free to look me up.

Thanks for writing back! You neglected to spell my name correctly though. Is this a sign of disrespect, or are you just a little slow?

Either way, i’d suggest it’s your education system that’s to blame. You guys really should get onto that next.

And guess what? We already “have” your President. Just like we “had” the last one. And didn’t he do a bang up job?

Anyhoo, I must fly… I’ve got some lush meadows to wander through in bare feet… I’d like to discuss your last sentence in more detail, but it doesn’t seem to make any discernible sense. In any case, it sounds like you’d quite like to slip into your black Ray Bans, whip off your strides and slide around the Great Plains singing Bob Seger into a cucumber or somesuch.

Right on!

Thanks for speaking for the rest of the world. When your quality of health care matches ours, then you may have something to say on the subject. As to not liking us anymore, fine, call France the next time you need your butts saved from an aggressive regime or the aftermath of a natural disaster.

If you like our ‘cool black’ President, you may have him. Nice to see you are color blind there and judge leadership qualities based on coolness. I’m sure that is why the rest of the world leads the way in so many things. Freedom is a risky business but I prefer it to your neutered masculinity.

We used to like you when you were famous for Mickey Mouse, The Fonz and soda pop. Now you’re all about religious zealots, gun crime and “Two And A Half Men”. You’ve changed America. Nobody likes you anymore (although your cool black President who settles beefs with a couple of frosty ones in the yard seems to be a step in the right direction).

In the meantime, lay off the Bible and read something a little more plausible and relevant to the world today. Do you have Enid Blyton books over there? They’re great.

Lots of love,

The Rest of The World

p.s Your health care system would be a laughing stock if dying children were funny. Stop your bleating and change it now, you’re an embarrassment to the rest of us.

Absolutely correct in whole and in part. Tnank you for posting the truth of the matter. I leave “Walker” in your obviously capable hands.

Regards.