Lahore bombing - where is Christian god?

[lulucappuccino]

Ok, I know this is a very clichéd question, but 70+ people, mainly children, brutally murdered at a Christian, Easter celebration.

Families gone. Lives shattered. Unbearable pain.

WHY would god allow this?

Aibu to think this sort of thing proves there is no Christian god. Or if there is, "he's" not a good force?

And neither of us started the thread.

I've never felt that other people's faith impacted on me.

I suppose if I went looking for it, I'd find something to be offended by...

Thank you *Fantastic . I'm really not brave I just did what had to be done. The irony is my experience has actually made me more tolerant. but thats obviously not a popular point of view.
A Christian who forgives, who would have thought it?
punkrockergirl I feel for you, I will pray for you and your family

As I've said, bishops in the HOL. That AS JUST ONE example, impacts on society.

much love to both of you Fries and Punk x

I'd abolish the HOL all together - I'm not sure Bishops are it's biggest problem - although they did collectively stop the cuts to CTC

Punk your points are spot on - it's impossible to have a civilised discussion about this - so much anger towards people who just have a different belief - it's sad to see such intolerance - as a wishy washy liberal atheist it disturbs and saddens me

And as you said cock
some people only hear what they want to hear

I really don't understand how this has not been 'civilised'?

Punk to you too.

Time to bow out and hide the thread; may your gods go with you, as Dave Allen used to say.

Would Islamic State exist without Islam? er, no.

Some other similar kind of group would probably exist instead.

If there was no religion left in the world, does human nature really mean we'd all be living in peace and harmony?

You see, not everyone debates religion because they want to belittle others' views though. Personally, I would like to think that there is something out there. My DP has a strong faith, but I was brought up in a deeply and devoutly religious country where God was preached as vengeful, where if you sinned (and sin was a pretty broad spectrum) you would be going directly to hell, where tolerance was not something which was considered a reality. I had no wish to be a part of any of that.

And now I look at the world and all I see is murder, death, serious illness, suffering, and as I said above, while I believe in the concept of free choice, and the idea that God has given us free choice and thus the ability to make decisions and live by the consequences of those choices, I cannot then reconcile that thought with the idea that the bad choices we make in life are ours to own, whereas we should be thankful to God for the good which happens. Surely it has to be either all or nothing. If we are responsible for the bad choices we make (and I am quite comfortable with that concept), then surely it also follows that we are responsible for the good things which happen as well? And if not, why not?

I have no time for some of the comments from people who belittle those who have a faith - any faith, and I find some of the views uttered by atheists baffling. After all, if you don't believe, then surely you just don't believe and that is that. Even to the point that if you've been told that God made something bad happen, if you don't believe in a God, then that point of view wouldn't impact you, surely? But equally I find blind faith which doesn't question baffling, because if there is a loving God, why does no-one stand up in church and ask "why in God's name are all these atrocities happening in the world? Why God, if you are able to create good in the world, can you not combat evil?" For me there has to be a middle ground view. I do believe that many things happen for a reason. But the difficulty I find is in believing that a God who claims to be a loving God could look on while atrocities happen all over the world - sometimes in his name, sometimes just in the name of violence.

OP you started this thread. What are your thoughts and feelings about the responses? What do you think of your own on-line response to the Lahore bombing? Because it seems a bit weird to me.

Thank you Ducky for your apology. For many people it is not easy to apologise. Much easier to make assumptions. You have stated your annoyance at assumptions about you based on your non faith stance. Those of faith have the same annoyance. And thank you to Withfries for talking about your personal trauma due to bigotry. I know how difficult that is.

So we blame God for all the bad stuff, shouldn't we then thank Him for all the good stuff. You really can't have it all ways. But why not just blame the evil bastards that did it.

I don't know why people get into such a state about someone they think doesn't exist.

Because this being that doesn't exist can still have a huge impact on your life, even if you don't believe.

I don't know why people get into such a state about someone they think doesn't exist.

Do you think religions around the world have zero effect on people who don't follow them?

Christian privilege did not exist for the victims of the Lahore bombing.

If God was real, they're a cunt. FWIW, of course he isn't. Happily, I had an education and God is incompatible with science. As there is irrefutable proof of one, science wins.

People get into a "state about something they think doesn't exist" because religion is fucking evil and believers are, at best, ignorant.

People have used religion as a means to war, rape, slavery, genocide, infanticide and the like. "Disbelief in a God isn't so much about not believing there's a god but on the assumption there is one, what kind of God? It's perfectly apparent. He's monstrous. Absolutely monstrous and deserves no respect whatsoever.The moment you banish him, your life becomes simpler, purer, cleaner and more worth living.

God clearly doesn't exist (and that goes for whichever god you believe in).He can't stop bombings any more than "I'll have butterflies fly out me ass". The people to blame for the Lahore bombings are the bombers and anyone who supported them. That includes, people who perpetrate religion.

Religion does nothing positive for the world and society. As an educated individual, I've never had to consider whether races were equal, whether rape victims should be punished, whether women were equal to men, whether gays should be stoned and whether children are born with the sin of their fathers. Who the fuck does? Not someone who should be allowed out into society at least.

I almost have respect for Christians who believe all of the bible as some of it is absolutely hilarious.

She lusted after her paramours, whose genitals are like those of donkeys, and whose emissions are like those of horses.

But some of it absolutely indefensible.

God said, "When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live."

At least those Christians who take the Bible as god's word have the courage of their convictions instead of picking and choosing passages to use as a bandage for their own weakness.

The sooner people get over religion, which they are in developed countries, the better.

So according to Herecome, people who are Christians are:

Ignorant
Stupid to believe in the bible
Uneducated
Weak

And should any Christian stop believing (and please crack on as she'd like this to happen quickly) they will become simpler, purer, cleaner and more worth living.

Well.......tempting

Absolutely Colchestergal .

That was a quote from a far more intelligent man than most of us are though. Just noticed I missed the closing quotation mark.

How would you argue against it?