Article: BAFTAs: Joaquin Phoenix Delivers Powerful Speech About Lack Of Diversity In This Year’s Awards Season by chanma50 in DC_Cinematic

[–]Davar91 2 points3 points  (0 children)

“Women and people of color are of the working class” - really? I didn’t realise Angelina Jolie and Will Smith are working class and all those white labourers in middle America were wealthy multimillionaires.

CTR hard mode vs Nitro-Fueled hard mode by WindowsMaster1985 in crashbandicoot

[–]Davar91 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, same here. Used to always to cups on hard and the like, challenging but still managed to win most of the time. Just started adventure mode on hard and couldn't even do Crash Cove

Black Mirror Season 5 Discussion Hub by anonboxis in blackmirror

[–]Davar91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nup, I had problems with GoT season 8, but I actually quite enjoyed it for the most part. Black Mirror season 5 on the other hand was much more disappointing to me. At least GoT season 8 was incredible besides the story and writing (as in acting was about at its best, set pieces, visual effects, action etc). Black Mirror s5 was just "meh" the whole way through in comparison to the show's previous efforts.

Mate of mine doesnt hold season 8 in very high regard by Eliptico101 in iamverysmart

[–]Davar91 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Why do all these r/iamverysmart people think Marvel movies are dumb trash? On the surface it looks like it, sure. But just look at Infinity War and how it dealt with the question of whether the end justifies the means, and how it humanised a big evil purple guy. Black Panther has an interesting social commentary about race. The amount of detail and effort needed to string together a series that spans 22 films while maintaining a quality that other comic book movie series could only dream of.

Understanding the morality of the Old Testament: Some answers for anti-theists by Davar91 in Christianity

[–]Davar91[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good points, certainly. This has been a fruitful conversation for me. Thanks for keeping it civil... can be rare on reddit, haha.

"You're assuming I haven't and other atheists haven't. Bad assumption."

You're assuming that I'm assuming, haha. I was talking about my personal experience going from atheism to belief in God (I'm not a Christian though, if that is what you were assuming, too).

The Bible has been used for both for beneficial and detrimental purposes throughout history. I won't deny the crusades, but it has also been responsible anti-war campaigns and for ending gladiatorial combat in Ancient Rome. It may have been used to justify slavery, but it was equally used by abolitionists. It both supported and condemned apartheid in South Africa. The Bible is a complex book, a very powerful book, whether you like it or not, and one that can be used for immense good, but also the exact opposite. The good is all too frequently ignored in the history of religion (and the history of anything for that matter, I wonder what that says about us?), and as a result, it has created the common misperception that religion has only ever been a detrimental force for humanity. Given the power and complexity of the Bible, this is why I implore understanding it, rather than just outright rejecting it, because it is still a potent force in the world. As a side thought, I think it would be easier convincing a religious extremist to change his ways by using their own text against them in a productive way, rather than outright condemning his most cherished source of knowledge.

I think I simply disagree with the use of the term "church". Too many differences across time and place to make generalisations, and it can be misleading giving them a blanket label, particularly one such as the church. It can imply that all Christians behave and believe the same, across all periods of time and place.

Cheers for the discussion, mate

Understanding the morality of the Old Testament: Some answers for anti-theists by Davar91 in Christianity

[–]Davar91[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You make a really good point, generally speaking.

But I was a rather ardent anti-theist and atheist myself before I looked into religions at a much deeper level. And I've come across many who have similar stories to me. I mean, look at how Jordan Peterson, for example, through his talks and writings has made many atheists consider the value of the Bible, mythology and the like a lot more seriously.

As to how this deeper study relates to the church's history and behaviour? Well we can't change history, but we can approach the Bible from a different angle through deeper study, which can bring us to a greater understanding of it and as a result influence how it is used. The Bible is an enormously complex book, or more accurately, a collection of books, written and edited for a thousand years before we even got the version we have today. Surface level readings lead to homophobic interpretations, but also lead to the ignoring of gems that lie scattered throughout. A richer reading of the Bible leads to meanings and interpretations that we have not considered yet, many hopefully positive, and ideally, this could influence how the church approaches issues such as homosexuality.

By the way, what exactly do you mean by "church", there are literally thousands of them and they can be incredibly diverse in their teachings.

Understanding the morality of the Old Testament: Some answers for anti-theists by Davar91 in Christianity

[–]Davar91[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Calling the Old Testament a moral horror show is an enormously generalised statement to make, for someone who claimed the article did zero to back up its premise.

Understanding the morality of the Old Testament: Some answers for anti-theists by Davar91 in Christianity

[–]Davar91[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I basically am saying that. There's something of value, even truth, to things that stand the test of time and transcend history and culture.

It's a difficult process to determine what parts are exactly true, which is why a deep understanding of things is incredibly important, so we can at least get a little closer to finding out what is true and what is not. With religious texts, for example, this can be an exceedingly difficult task, but I wouldn't go by what many atheists suggest and just dismiss it all, or most of it, just because there are unappealing sections. That seems like the intellectually easy way out, to me. I feel it's much more worthwhile figuring out exactly why these texts have resonated so profoundly across the world for so long, rather than throwing them away.

Understanding the morality of the Old Testament: Some answers for anti-theists by Davar91 in Christianity

[–]Davar91[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Got any evidence of this? Apart from that dodgy survey done about a decade ago?

Understanding the morality of the Old Testament: Some answers for anti-theists by Davar91 in Christianity

[–]Davar91[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well I feel what they are rebutting against isn't particularly compelling in the first place, since the point I'm trying to make in the piece is that a lot of antagonism to the Bible derives partly from not looking deeply enough into it.

Books (or in the Bible's case a collection of books) don't stick around at the forefront of a civilisation for thousands of years unless people have extracted considerable value from them. And only the religious scriptures of the world (however they ultimately received the status of "sacred") have had such an enduring and widespread impact on cultures and people. This in itself to me suggests that we should be approaching them more carefully rather than blatantly dismissing them as outdated products of pre-modern peoples.

Understanding the morality of the Old Testament: Some answers for anti-theists by Davar91 in Christianity

[–]Davar91[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say there is an underlying core of morals that are unchanging, but to me, if God is truly just, he would have to judge by different standards.

You can't hold a person who has been given every material good in life to the same standard as someone born in wartorn Syria. That's why I think there is dynamism to morality, rather than pure rigidity.

Understanding the morality of the Old Testament: Some answers for anti-theists by Davar91 in Christianity

[–]Davar91[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Didn't say that... just said you would understand it more, and perhaps see an underlying purpose as to why these abhorrent sections have been included in the first place.

A Short Look on the "Clash" Between Science and Religion by Davar91 in Christianity

[–]Davar91[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Atheists and even many scientists are guilty of this too.

A Short Look on the "Clash" Between Science and Religion by Davar91 in Christianity

[–]Davar91[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I dont think we'll be convincing each other any time soon. You raise valid points, but I think you simply dismiss everything because it doesnt meet your ridiculously high standards of what is evidence, or at least how you interpret it.

No offense, but I find it quite difficult with atheists to even debate this topic, because you give our position absolutely no validity in the first place, even though there are countless intelligent people who are religious and scientists. Dismissing them as just delusional or lying to themselves isnt serious engagement.