Religious People - Prepared To Risk?

[agchristie]

Question mainly for theists (atheists welcome to comment though) as a study shows that religious folk are prepared to take risks...

Do you take risks as you believe that God will be right behind you?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2970682/Does-religion-make-risks-Believing-God-make-think-protected-harm.html

[sandyRoe]

We're all doomed to die. How, or when, that happens is likely to be of little concern to God.

[idiosyncrasy]

Naomi@

Prayer can be a great comfort to believers. I pray and I find that I have a sense of peace and wellbeing after I have done so. My prayer may not be answered but I still find that it gives comfort.

Many people feel that God answers their prayer and perhaps the sick child or adult does make a recovery. There is of course, the other side of the coin. Perhaps they pray for the release from pain and suffering and when death does occur it can prove a source of relief/comfort knowing that the suffering has ended.

God does not intervene in man's affairs yet. Adam's act of rebellion in the Garden of Eden brought the entire human race under the umbrella of sin and death. Adam was told he would die if he disobeyed the command to eat of the tree. Although he lived on for a total of 930 years, he effectively died in "that day" of 1000 years (1 day with God is as a 1000 yrs).
The creation account tells us that on the 7th day God rested. According to chronology we are still in that 7th day. According to the composite sign given by Jesus we are close to the end of that day. There is only one major prophecy to be fulfilled and when that happens - armageddon. World events now show that this prophecy is nearing fulfillment.
Remember the prayer we were all taught at school - the Lords Prayer or "Our Father". In that prayer we ask for God's Kingdom to come. That is what will bring an end to pain and suffering etc.

[mibn2cweus]

And the answer to the question framing this thread is apparently a resounding, "Yes!"

[mibn2cweus]

Not only are the religious prepared to risk the health and well-being of loved ones on appeals to an alleged divine overseer of reality for the sake of a false sense of momentary comfort but the destruction of all of civilisation on a “7000 years old” planet in the bargain, all while Isis in allegiance to the same God are doing all in their power to realise the vision of religion’s millenniums old apocalyptic dream.

[idiosyncrasy]

mibn2cweus@
I think you will find that this earth is a lot older than 7000 years. In fact it is millions if not billions of years old.

Plus I would never leave the medical profession out of the equation with regard to my health, nor my family.

[mibn2cweus]

The "7000 years old" Earth was a calculation based on -

//...(1 day with God is as a 1000 yrs).
The creation account tells us that on the 7th day God rested. According to chronology we are still in that 7th day.//

For a minute there it appeared you were a "young Earth'r". Thanks for the . . . clarification.

[Khandro]

If you want to experience religious people prepared to take risks, try taking a taxi ride from central Bangkok to the airport!

[naomi24]

idiosyncrasy, I understand that people find personal comfort in prayer, but how odd that Christians believe so differently. Doesn't that concern you?

//Adam's act of rebellion in the Garden of Eden brought the entire human race under the umbrella of sin and death//

How anyone can find justification in that is quite beyond me. Disgusting. God should be ashamed of himself. How do you justify the whole of humanity paying a terrible price for one man's misdemeanour, and furthermore if that were to happen in any other circumstances would you still find it acceptable?

[birdie1971]

idiosyncrasy - "... God does not intervene in man's affairs yet..."

I like the "yet" part. But that aside, how do you know that God isn't interventionist? From where do you derive the scriptural proof of your assertion? And if He isn't an interventionist God - yet has the power to intervene - doesn't that make Him quite despicable given the suffering in the world that He could easily prevent?


I - "... Adam's act of rebellion in the Garden of Eden brought the entire human race under the umbrella of sin and death..."

At the risk of repeating what Naomi wrote above, can you put your hand on your heart and say that this is acceptable? To condemn the entire human race because of one man's indiscretion?


I - "... Although [Adam] lived on for a total of 930 years..."

Did he now.. did he? And you actually believe this to be factually accurate?


I - "... There is only one major prophecy to be fulfilled and when that happens - armageddon. World events now show that this prophecy is nearing fulfillment..."

Really? Don't you find it fascinating that every - and I mean every - generation has had people who (like you) believe that the 'end of the world' is just around the corner? So for thousands of years of human existence the 'end of the world' has been imminent. I can't help but notice that you seem somehow disappointed that the destruction of mankind hasn't happened already.

[Canary42]

sandyRoe:"God gave most of us the wits to look after ourselves....."

So what about the ones he didn't give the wits? Will He look after them himself?

[Cloverjo]

I think of the Bible as equivalent to Greek or Roman myths. You can take whatever morals or lessons from them that might help you.
When I used to believe in higher spirits, I hoped they would help me in some way, but I never believed they could protect me from all harm. Now, I know there are no higher spirits. It's just us random life forms.

[Khandro]

Cloverjo; // It's just us random life forms //
If you wish to consider yourself as a 'random life form', then go ahead, but please count me out of your band.

[Old_Geezer]

Well I thought folk were assigned Guardian Angels so God didn't have to be doing it itself all the time. Anyway surely most believers are more into believing their God will gather them to it on bodily death, rather than be given superman/superwoman qualities whilst alive.

I'll read the article later to see what type of risks we are discussing.

[sandyRoe]

Canary42, my old dad, who had been a marine radio operator, had a favourite saying: 'Only fools and firemen sit on rails.
If you haven't the wit to look after yourself God isn't going to be there with a safety net when you fall overboard.

[Old_Geezer]

Body form / species can be a random life form. The issue is whether awareness of the individual body is merely emergent from the electrical /chemical activity of the nervous system, or 'imposed' by a spiritual 'being' that survives bodily death.

[Khandro]

OG; your either/or scenario is a trifle simplistic methinks, there are quite a few alternatives.

[Khandro]

ran·dom
(răn′dəm)
adj.
1. Having no specific pattern, purpose, or objective

[Old_Geezer]

Indeed, body modification via evolution is random. What makes it work is the destruction of random forms that prove unfit for purpose leaving those forms that seem, but are not, designed for their environment.

[Khandro]

OG; If something is rejected because it is "unfit for purpose" as you say, it presupposes that there is some form of teleological principle operating does it not? and therefore these events can not be random.

[idiosyncrasy]

Naomi@
//I understand that people find personal comfort in prayer, but how odd that Christians believe so differently. Doesn't that concern you?//

What other people do or feel is entirely up to them. We are all given free will so how we choose to use it is up to us. The Bible tells us we are all responsible for ourselves.

Your second point about one man being responsible for all humankind's problems. Commonsense don't you think? If a parent has a genetic/heredity disease/defect then all children born of that parent will carry that same defect. We are born from Adam, therefore our defect we all have to bear is that of imperfection.

As time goes by, that defect becomes worse, very much like a defective piece of machinery, it cannot repair itself and with continual use becomes worse. Our imperfections cannot disappear of their own volition. They get worse as generations go by.

Look at this scenario:
If someone should threaten your family in any shape or form - what will be your response? Will you sit by and ignore it. From your previous comments in other threads I would say No. You will do anything to protect your family.

Taking in the bigger picture, this is how God views it. Back in the days of Ancient Isreal when they were his chosen people, he protected them by removing the threat namely surrounding pagan nations who were often very cruel and dictatorial. (For example the Assyrians - they were particularly cruel and beheaded their prisoners - often playing ball with the heads; and also skinned people alive).

We look at some of the barbaric things done today and yet they are no worse than some of the acts committed by nations who did not worship God. ie Philistines, Syrians, Assyrians & Egyptians. We do not condone what is done by ISIS, Hitler etc. so why should we condone what these nations did. Just as the British Government, The USA etc executed war criminals, so did God.