EC:
: : ô no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in commonö (Acts 4:32). STU
: Who had everything in common? What were those things? Money?
: Material things? Only that?
EC:
Who? Believers! And since you only pick and choose comfortable bible quotes, and ignore the real mandate to share the world's bounty, then maybe you aren't the believer you claim to be. Only you can answer that question! (And they shared everything, material things, food, etc., something the "christians" of today resist with their greedy "every-man for himself" attitudes.
Stu:
Try verse 9:7 -
: "Let each one do as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver".
: Does that call out against organized "equality" or what?
EC:
It sure calls out against forced drudgery of the capitalist system! I have considered using this very quote myself, but you saved me the trouble. The problem is that you cannot see the compullsion that exists today, and believe everyone on the planet (Earth, not Planet Amerika) has the same circumstances as you and I do in comparitively cushy Western WA.
Let each one do as purposed in his heart! What a great ringing endorsement to ending wage slavery and corporatate governance!!!
Stu:
: "Religion is the opiate of the masses." We fundamentalists must be
: taking this one out of context. You hypocrite! The U.S.S.R. thwarted
: any attempt at freedom of religion at every step of it's godless
: existence - and you know it. They tortured and killed Christians. I
: know people that were there after the carnage. Do you know that
: there are many villages where all the God fearing males were
: killed? Many villages emptied of thier men because of "godless communism" which you are so cavalier about.
EC:
A couple things:
The soviet government was not democratic socialism, communism, or anything else like it. It was state capitalist, monopolized by the powerful, something the US and other western nations are full-steam-ahead towards.
The despots in the soviet union rounded up democratic industrial unionists at the same time the US did it here. As far as the rounding up and execution of anyone, I oppose it no matter what it calls itself. You need to read a little more about the IWW before you take us as an endorsement of the Soviet government, China's government, or ANY despotic government. I thought you knew this, Stu, but maybe you are trying to cloud this up for other readers.
Religion=God? Is that what you think? So if someone says religion is the opiate of the masses, does that mean God is? I thought you were amongst those who do not refer to yourself as "religious." Correct me if this is a mis-statement, please.
You have made statements that none of the bible quotes I have offered here count because I "don't believe", but I ask you a couple of questions: If YOU believe, then all those things should apply to you, and you can just believe I'm going to hell; so why do you ignore those central parts of your favorite book?
Is it up to me or you to decide who is worthy of food, clothing, or shelter?
Apparently you think you know God's will better than I do. Judge not...
Mike, The Everett Citizen
