Originally posted by @whodey I don't pretend to know what God would tell me to do. He has a knack for surprising you, and ultimately he is in control.
Doesn't this mean that if you suddenly do something "surprising" as a result of your seething facetious political impotence ~ if you'll pardon my rather unflattering estimation of you ~ that you can just claim that "God" was in control of you?
Originally posted by @fmf Doesn't this mean that if you suddenly do something "surprising" as a result of your seething facetious political impotence ~ if you'll pardon my rather unflattering estimation of you ~ that you can just claim that "God" was in control of you?
Only if I hear the voices in my head telling me to do it. Isn't that what you mean?
Originally posted by @whodey Then you want to make it even harder by referring to a hypothetical tyrannical regime?
You recently rejected out of hand the idea that life is better now for more members of the human race than it has ever been before purely on the grounds of the extent of slavery in today's world. Thread 176043
So, no hypothetical there. For you the issue of C21st slavery cancels out the great strides in health, education, civil society that have lifted the lives of billions and billions of people. Has this non-hypothetical issue that you yourself cited caused any duty in terms of obedience to "God" and rebellion against tyranny to kick in for you [maybe the "surprising" voices in your head you alluded to]?
Or does your Christian spirit - and any duty or obedience attendant thereto - manifest itself only in fatuous snarking from the sidelines about things like taxation and tabloidized versions of serious issues?
Originally posted by @fmf You recently rejected out of hand the idea that life is better now for more members of the human race than it has ever been before purely on the grounds of the extent of slavery in today's world. Thread 176043
So, no hypothetical there. For you the issue of C21st slavery cancels out the great strides in health, education, civil society that hav ...[text shortened]... arking from the sidelines about things like taxation and tabloidized versions of serious issues?
My position is, the world is better since Christ came into it. It is my guess that slavery would still be OK and out in the open had he not come into the world
However, man is not getting any better in that we still sin, which is reflected by the fact that slavery is more prevalent than ever.
Originally posted by @whodey My position is, the world is better since Christ came into it. It is my guess that slavery would still be OK and out in the open had he not come into the world
However, man is not getting any better in that we still sin, which is reflected by the fact that slavery is more prevalent than ever.
Very good point
The most common form of persistent slavery today is that of the sexual kind.
It is probably very likely that, without Christ, we'd have Westerners talking about how getting an 18 year old girl to be your prostitue on retainer for a decade so you pay for her state school so she can one day be a nurse is not just justifiable but a totally natural arrangement, and anyone who argues against it is foolish.
As it stands, enlightened Western European countries tolerate the presence of human trafficking to fulfill exactly this kind of niche in their society.
The most common form of persistent slavery today is that of the sexual kind.
It is probably very likely that, without Christ, we'd have Westerners talking about how getting an 18 year old girl to be your prostitue on retainer for a decade so you pay for her state school so she can one day be a nurse is not just justifiable but a tot ...[text shortened]... lerate the presence of human trafficking to fulfill exactly this kind of niche in their society.
It was common in the ancient world for men to abuse young boys, and socially acceptable.