It’s from the turning away from God. No morals, accountable, it’s all about me no one else. That’s how we got to where we are today.

Thank you for the thought provoking question Mark. Thanks you for your answers James. I believe answers tell something about the person giving the answer.

All is well because we are not driving the bus

They're not nutcases, really, though the diagnosis is antisocial personality disorder. They don't have a conscience, and are incapable of love, affection, and other warm emotions. They do cause great harm, getting their kicks out of deceiving, manipulating, and cheating other people. Fortunately most don't become serial killers.

I'm convinced I ran into plenty of sociopaths during my law career.

Jim[/quote]

If a person doesn’t have a conscience and lacks empathy for others, I feel they have great potential to do physical harm to others. Would you want to sleep in the same room with one?

We all have a different definition of what " bad " actually is. For some, owning an electric appliance is a bad thing and for others, killing a human being that has a different belief is quite ok. The answer to that is somewhere in between I guess. A lot of the time defining what is and isn't bad has been defined by one religion or another. I for my part try to treat people like they treat me. Is that Bad ??? It can be but thats not up to me.

This unrest isnt new neither is the constant media exposure. I know some of you remember how we got the gun control act of 68

You are correct danny.
It's been unrestful for a very long time.
Makes you wonder about the next adventure in front of us.

Meanwhile, I like to trap and fish and get outdoors.
I'm an oddball these days anyway.
I just learned what fortnite is.
My grandkids think I'm pulling their teeth out when I say; "Let's go outside. Follow grandpa!"

I understand the implicit meaning of your comment above, but if you believe the almighty gave man free will, well son, we are in deed driving the proverbial bus.
If you do not believe that the almighty gave man free will, and that God is running the show, well then you and God have a lot of explaining to do.

Mac

Mac thats the part with the "mysterious ways" comes in is my guess.

We no longer have a nation and are not nationalistic we are falling apart. United we stand, divided we fall, we are failing on our own, no middle ground, we are setting our selves up for a big failure.

That here is a ZING.............................. I dedicate this Zing to Flyin Finn, I know your still here lol. WE ain't driving this bus, cause he is, but wait, he's not supposed to. Ok ok, I got it now. We drive the bus and he lets us know if we passed our exam??? Right?

The veneer of civilization is paper thin. Man is predatory by nature. A diet of animal protein is what allowed us to maximize our cranium capacity and gave us the spare time to design and build tools, to be more efficient hunters.
I believe that if a human infant is not loved an nurtured to fit into the “tribe” they will develop into what is commonly known as a sociopath. There are numerous and well documented cases of “wild children “ that somehow managed to survive without adults to rear them. They exhibit animalistic behavior but can be trained much like a dog to not bite a stranger or steal a sandwich from the table for example. They respond to training but not to conscience for they don’t have one.

I read a book about the Yano Mamo the last of the head hunters in the South American rainforest. By modern standards of civilization every one of them could be described as a sociopath.

I have no qualms about there being a Creator who is mysterious, but perhaps we need to define our terms.
Seems as though you deem mystery as unknowable and perhaps even silly? (I don't mean to speak for you. Just attempting to decipher your context).
There are many, as I, who proudly profess God is infinite and we are finite, and we're ok not being the know all.
Mystery to us is wondrous, yet intriguing.
So the term has two contexts.

Those who are don't believe in God, mock those that do sometimes, but that's ok because us trappers are mocked for killing innocent animals and folks not wearing masks are mocked for not caring about others, and.....

Well it's a long list.
My question then is;
Why do we mock those who don't think like us, talk like us, and believe what us believes in?

You see, Darwinism and the theory of evolution doesn't answer very many quality questions like this at all.
But Scripture does.

I'm still stuck on the mystery of why a grasshopper who jumps 500 times his height doesn't die when he comes back down?

Blessings
Mark

I think the devil is driving the bus in the world, and God is directing that bus to its final destination. The choice we have is whether we want to help drive the bus, or help in navigating.

It is a fruitless exercise to discuss evolution with a person that has a strong religious belief Mark. I have been down that rabbit hole a number of times and its just not worth it. I was not mocking your beliefs. But it mostly boils down to .... Ahh its not meant literally .... its how you interpret it ... and god works in mysterious ways ...... With that, scientific evidence just gets blindly pushed aside .... Ohh and then there is the old " something from nothing ' line. Heard it all to many times before and refuse to go down that path these days .... just not worth it. Training my dog is way more rewarding I find. I could explain the grass hopper to you but don't want to burst your mystery bubble

ATB

Michael

considering there's only a "speck" of difference between the Big Bang Theory (accepted Science) and the Bible's version of Creation, it hardly seems worth worrying about.




ooops...I said I was bowing out.

White, I meant that within the context of evolution.

Michael,

Well laid out. First, I don't discount evolution, as I'm a grad level biologist. A scientist to the core. I did my thesis in 1982 on the immutability of a particular invertebrate, so science is my middle name. I'm not sure why the confusion over the term mystery, (as in I don't know and I don't base my conclusions on what I can't know) when all of us are in complete mystery over much in life, true? For example, why is your dog obedient to you? Explain that to my complete and utter satisfaction. I offer, you can't. But your dog obeys, true? Kind of a mystery. Even though it's true. There's my point brother.

As for science, who said it gets pushed aside with Divine? I didn't. Most traditionalists in the faith don't either. There's a great publication called Arts and Sciences that's discusses the merging of the two. In fact, why wouldn't science enter into Creation? There are laws of science for sure (we think). My point always on Darwin is (well there's a couple) although he might propose in several large volumes the evolutionary theory, it does not give us "why" it happened the way Dr. Darwin(s) proposed. Wouldn't the why it happened be also important just as how it happened? Something from nothing? I kinda like the Big Bang theory of the book of Genesis myself as to why it happened.

There is much science actually in the areas of cosmetology, ontological, anthropology, morality, universalism, etc. that are very well laid out as to the existence of a Creator.
I would concur, there was a day when I would discount the talk of deity, and today I don't, so I hold no great truth in my hands.

People mock and discount the core religion upon which our nation was founded all the time. More each decade. That is absolutely true. Turn on the news today to see it in action.
I guess some of us are throw backs, and we pray the culture that is self-righteous doesn't tear down the churches for a while yet.

Oh, and as a Wildlife Biologist, with a grad degree in canid studies, I'd love to hear how these darn grasshoppers don't die upon re-entry! I think they are super cool, but then I've always been fascinated with things outdoors. Just ask my mom, she'll tell ya: that kid was always outside studying ants, or bats, or fish or some such!

Blessings to you!
Mark

Hey Mac,
Good to hear from you sir!
Hope all is well in God's country.

I have faith that the Creator is in charge.
The rest, to be honest, we humbly try and put the pegs in the proper holes.

Blessings!
Mark

Why you ask ........ IMHO Physics has killed Philosophy for the most part. It is unfortunate but I think its true. We can answer most of the "how" questions though in exchange. Even your grasshopper ..... one thinks there should be an answer within the science of biology. Alas most of the biology questions, when taken apart, boil down to physics. Along the way the " why" falls by the wayside for the most part.
Having said that, I will not be drawn into a discussion about religion ... been there done that and have the t shirt.

ATB

Michael