Military Spending Is Already Bankrupting America

You are mistaken about that

The world needs God to survive

But false religions like islam cannot save us

Nor can the athiests

 

More crimes against humanity have been committed in the name of religion throughout human history than any other reason. Onward, Christian and Jewish Soldiers, Heaven and Glory await you. The Muslims are lucky--they get 21 virgins and a month's supply of Viagra. LOL

 

You keep mentioning one of my favorite songs

Yes wars have been fought in the name of Christ and bad things done by men that He never authorized or encouraged

But equally bad things have been commited by athiests like stalin and mao

I’m not here to convert you

If you never believe thats your loss not mine

But I will defend myself and my religion

 

I'm a fan of the simple wisdom of Mark Twain. He observed that "faith is when you believe in something that you know ain't true."

I admire your style, but am able to understand the many failings and crimes committed in the name of religion.

 

It should be noted that Rome was a vast empire without any form of mass communication or telecommunication, no central bank or fiat currency (they had to debase silver coinage to achieve inflation, which was obviously only going to work for so long), an inferior form of government that regularly had to cope with incompetent, insane emperors, and it all existed in the midst of a rather hostile world full of non-Roman "barbarians" who would regularly attack and invade and plunder. The US is in far less danger of the kind of decline and breakdown Rome suffered. It is a very different world today, and the US is a very different beast from Rome.

 

Christians are not robots

Jesus set the example but very few Christians even come close to that high standard

What I believe - because I think it is so - is that God has a plan for mankind that will in the end save us from ourselves

 

We have the capacity to save ourselves from ourselves.

 

Are those my words?

I dont remeber posting them

 

That was in response to the text quoted originally in the OP, actually. I just responded separately to your latest Christianity post.

 

I dont think we do

Technology changes but human nature does not

The world is just as sinful today as it ever was

 

We've achieved quite a lot despite our "sin." While you're certainly right that our nature does not change, what does change is our knowledge and our ways of thinking. We are highly adaptable. One of the better things we have going for us is that, as violence decreases, we tend to abhor violence all the more. This keeps us progressing towards more peace overall.

 

I’m sure it was an honest mistake but I think you have misquoted me

 

Oh, I see now! Yeah, I don't know what happened there.

 

Because of advances in technology I would much prefer living today than 1000 years ago

But material wealth does not make us better people under the skin

The world is no happier today than it was then

 

Hard to say, being so far removed from life in those times. I'm sure people will always find things to be unhappy about.. But at least we do have our material improvements. These are by far quality of life improvements as well as wealth. We've also advanced marvellously where personal freedom and liberty are concerned, with some nations obviously leading over others in this as in other things.

 

All good and well but, the leaders of Christianity were against the Elightenment - not for it. That some smart person happens to be a Christian does mean their ideas can be attributed to Christianity .. or their race for that matter.

 

Sorry, my error: I was referring those who think it possible to profit from wars for war’s sake, or by cheating and defrauding those who pay for them for defense of their liberty.

There is only one fundamental human weakness, the refusal to think. Anyone who thinks wars are good for business is short-sighted. They are refusing to see the logical conclusion of their actions. They are the worst of all worst, they are pragmatists.

The only moral weapons and munitions manufacturers are those that to do so in defense of liberty. It can be argue that they are the only true moral profiteers of wars—and they do this best by creating the best weapons to bring about the fastest surrender with the least amount of property damage and human deaths.

So, my disagreement with the OP is not in stopping fraud, but his implication that it’s inhuman and immoral to possess just one bullet if there’s one child in the world hungry. It is obvious to me that he cares not one bit about fraud, just wants more to spend on social welfare. That’s his gripe: Guns not butter; and his demand: butter not guns, for everyone.

For there is certainly a humongous amount of far more fraud in one year in the social welfare programs then there has been in defense spending since Patrick Henry shouted, “Give me libert or give me death!”

BTW: It’s not military spending driving us bankrupt, nor even the social spending. It’s altruism, the moral principle behind the social spending. For if there’s plenty of anything in this country, it’s the sacrifice of the one for the sake of all.

 

Quality of life matters

I am a very materialistc person myself

But then we die

The quality of life after deart is more important

 

Well yeah

That was the Roman Catholic Church that led to the Reformation and the Protestent Movement

But all men on earth are flawed

Including the reformers to some extent

 

That's where pure fantasy comes in, of course. There is no telling what, if anything, happens from a personal perspective upon death. Non-existence is an impossible state to contemplate, because it is the complete lack of state.

 

It is true that Locke did not have a high regard for Catholics

https://www.crisismagazine.com/2014/those-intolerable-catholics-in-lockes-time-and-ours

The reformation came out of a desire develop a justification for authority of (Gov't) other than "Divine Right" and to set limits on the power of that authority.

This is the basis of the Declaration of Independence.

1) Individual liberty is put "Above" the legitimate authority of Gov't.
2) this authority comes from "we the people/consent of the governed" as opposed to "Divine Right" / God - as was the case in the past - even under Protestantism.

 

I knew that. But Saddam Hussein did not control the Ba'ath Party in 1963. He didn't achieve his position in Iraq until 16 years later.

 

Im not sure which kills more Americans; pharm products or war. The words "Free" and "Healthcare" are misleading. Its not free and increased access to pharm products has not made Americans any healthier.

Either we have free will or god has a plan. It can't be both.

 

I think it can be both

Humans are free to give it our best shot

We may not see that failure is inevitable but God knows it

When the time is right Jesus will teturn and set up a perfect kingdom to save man from himself

 

Not possible. We either have free will or are just meat bags running gods software. It can't be both.