It's kinda funny how blunt Thomas Merton is. Although I don't always agree with him, he does have some good points:
"Do not think that you can show your love for Christ by hating those who seem to be His enemies on earth. Suppose they really do hate Him: nevertheless He loves them, and you cannot be united with Him unless you love them too" - Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
2 years ago · 👍 kevinsan, adou, eph
@bavarianbarbarian If you want to engage in this question, you need to stop hating and explore the answers to suffering (and what you think you agree with). Suffering is inescapable, so it's about how you respond to it. Open your mind and explore what each religion and philosophy has to say about suffering, and you might be surprised on how nuanced they are. · 2 years ago
@bavarianbarbarian The questions you pose are questions that many philosophers and theologians have dealt with. For why bad things happen - this is the question of suffering that is THE central question of all religions. Every religion deals with this question. For Buddhism, it's about attachments and desires, as outlined by the Four Noble Truths. The way one gets out of this is by following the Eighfold Path - a middle path that emphasizes ethical behavior and control of ones thoughts. Judaism and Christianity see Suffering as something that one goes into with others (compassion - "to suffer with"), so that we each can lighten the burden for each other, and then come out of it. · 2 years ago
@bavarianbarbarian
If he is almighty, can he make a burrito so hot he can't eat it?
yeah, sure – counterpoint: who cares
if God exist why bad thing happen
has been 'argued' ad nauseam; go read Job · 2 years ago
@eph i can simply prove god does not exist, or if, he/she/it is a reeeeally big (§"§%§$!"!"§"§. How to prove it? Just watch the news... Would his greatness let have this happen if he could change it within a blink of an eye? If he is almighty, can he make a burrito so hot he can't eat it? The FSM exists in quite the same way as your or everones god. · 2 years ago
@bavarianbarbarian, it doesn't matter what you or I want, what matters is what *is*. Whether or not you trust that the presupposed metaphysics exist is moot.
Man's unfailing capacity to believe what he prefers to be true rather than what the evidence shows to be likely and possible has always astounded me. We long for a caring Universe which will save us from our childish mistakes, and in the face of mountains of evidence to the contrary we will pin all our hopes on the slimmest of doubts. God has not been proven not to exist, therefore he must exist.
— Academician Prokhor Zakharov, "For I Have Tasted the Fruit" · 2 years ago
Just regard me as a missionary xD · 2 years ago
It's just a metaphor. You are not the enemy, you are the hater of the enemy, or maybe you're Christ. Either way, it's saying that mere hatred is pointless. There's no gain. · 2 years ago
@bavarianbarbarian You were not the intended audience. In fact, the quote has no relation to atheists or people of other faiths. It's a quote about Christian theology for a religious audience. · 2 years ago
I do not want to be loved by an imaginary being, i'm not into this. Even my cat loves me more, Christ never put mice guts into my shoes. · 2 years ago
You give me the desire to read some Merton. · 2 years ago