greg775

I still don't know if I agree Christianity has jumped the shark. There are an awful lot of people who abide by it. Think about starting in Oklahoma and going down South and to some of the other states round there.

QUOTE (CanOfCorn @ May 10, 2012 -> 07:32 PM) And there you go...a religious person says it this way. A non-religious person leaves out God. End of story. I don't know your point. A Christian, or I should say a good Christian IS supposed to act that well as well as a good human being. Are you taking issue with my statement? Also I don't think Christianity has "jumped the shark" as badger said. There are still a lot of believers out there and even some church-goers. I actually enjoy going to Mass and would feel sort of empty without that time in the church.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 10, 2012 -> 07:55 PM) If you're interested, greg, 3) is known as the "Problem of Evil" and philosophers and theologians have been wrestling with it for millennia. Yes, which reminds me of the issue of the "devil" which is another thing that is bizarre and probably not something we want to get into. As far as I know, my fellow Catholics still believe in the devil, though he doesn't get mentioned a lot any more. This religion thing is weird, but I do know I am a believer (cue song from the Monkeys).

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 10, 2012 -> 09:17 AM) What do they think in Lawrence? Oops, that would end up getting Reverend Fred Phelps involved in this discussion, although that's technically Topeka, I think. Under this kind of definition, gay people would be incapable of good acts because in the eyes of many Christians, their "wayward lifestyles" preclude them from going to heaven...so no matter what secular "good acts" they performed, they would be not counted in a sense because their own brand of religion couldn't countenance homosexuality, for instance. On the other hand, even the most "egregious of sinners" who never performed a single good act in their lives could theoretically be accepted into the white light of heav'n if they asked for forgiveness and believed wholeheartedly (see John 3:16, etc.) Greg's example is that "holier than thou person" who makes people feel uncomfortable...why does every action like that have to include a reference to God? But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. QUOTE (Quinarvy @ May 10, 2012 -> 12:21 PM) I don't think the bolded has ever been uttered before. Also, to jump in on this atheist/religious debate. Back in HS, one of my friends was ostracized for being atheist...asked the same thing greg is asking, "how do you have morals?" I didn't bother openly saying I was atheist until my senior year, even though I've been atheist since I was 14. Took me three years to start openly saying it, even though my close friends kind of figured I was "Jewish" in name/culture only at that point. And guess what? My mom and brother got on their high horses acting as if I was suddenly a different person who hated everyone...even though I had been an atheist for three years prior to them finding out. Three things will always bug me though: Once I saw a man outside a Wendy's. He used a walker and had fallen down a slippery grass slope and the footing was so bad he couldn't get up. Despite the fact that I was in a rush, I jumped out my car, ran over, picked him up and made sure he was ok before leaving. Some bystander told me I was such a good Christian. Why was that a precursor to me helping an injured person? Another time, out with some friends in Chicago and it's freezing out. We were dressed nicely and one of my friends, she started shivering crazy. So I took off my dress shirt (didn't have a jacket as two layers generally is enough to keep me warm, but now all I had was a Sox T-shirt on in snowy weather) and put it around her. Literally gave someone the shirt off my back. Later a friend asked me how I could do that and not believe in Jesus, then tried to convert me lest I go to hell. Finally, two weeks ago when I was diagnosed with epilepsy it got my really, really down. Like, mad depressed. Someone told me that the diagnosis, along with all the other s*** that's happened to me this month, "is all part of God's plan." It took every fiber in my being to not berate them right then and there. Considering this past month has been the second worst part of my life, I'd rather this not be part of someone's "plan." QUOTE (Soxbadger @ May 10, 2012 -> 05:03 PM) Drugs are nothing more than a creation by God, since God is good, would his creations not be good as well? How do we rectify a good God doing bad things? What about all of the first born Egyptians that God murdered for the crimes of Pharaoh? Is that fair? What would we say about a God who murdered all first born Americans due to the acts of Obama or Bush? If we do believe in the Jewish God, then we must realize that God is a trickster and vengeful. With that in mind, one must wonder if the Jewish God is truly "good". I mean, what type of good God screws Job just to prove a point. Philosophical arguments are fun. All good posts. 1.) Guys like Tebow who spread the word a lot must be motivated by the passages where we are supposed to spread the word and glorify God. He probably should shut up and pick his spots cause it doesn't work very well when u are preaching like that. As far as my h.s. friend, his dad told me about his son's good deeds at my dad's funeral. He lives in Arizona and didn't make it back. I had no idea my friend did all those good deeds. 2.) Those things you did for people were amazing and commendable. And your friends should never have said things like 'How can you not believe and do all these good things?' You did these things because you are a good person and if there is a God as I believe there is and you don't, he assuredly would be happy at your actions. I think when the guy said you were a good Christian he was prolly trying to be nice. Your actions were those of a Christian, yes, but more importantly of a good human being. You proved you don't have to be a Christian to be great. You actually wren't trying to prove anything, your core being just had you do the right, good thing. The person that said that about your seizures is an idiot. I'm guessing they were just running at the mouth and said something hurtful and something they'd regret if they'd think about what they said for a moment. If they knew you were atheist, would they have taken it a further step and said something really horrible? Hope not. It ruins my day to think somebody said it was God's will to you. That's utter crap to say to a person. It might be worth calling them on it next time. Just remember people say stupid s*** all the time. 3.) As far as why God allows bad, horrible things to happen, I don't know. Priests will tell you that nobody knows this, it's kind of a cop out, but that God does care and doesn't give us more than we can handle. I don't know about that either. I have no idea why some little kids get cancer, people get diabetes and seizures and healthy people drop dead jogging and people like Dahmer do their thing. I have no fricking clue. I do know that believers somehow shrug these things off and just pray to God to help everybody involved to recover from the horrible thing that happened. I was kind of amazed as family watched my dad die that everybody was praying and nobody was really mad that he was suffering as he was. Even my mom seemed to be OK with it. My dad was a big believer so it gave me some comfort thinking he probably felt he now had something in common with Jesus who suffered big time. If some believer has a theory on why God allows bad things to happen to good people lemme know.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 10, 2012 -> 03:46 PM) From the sounds of everything, yes to all three, plus playing in the field more, and understanding being a DH better. That was a good move by Robin having him play first base more. And Paulie doesn't get mad about it cause he's been banged up some (right?). I'm sure putting him in the field a lot more gets him more involved in things. Since he appears thinner, his defense hasn't been rotten at all.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 10, 2012 -> 12:48 PM) The team is winning. The angry people have gone away. Also look at how short the game thread is. That's why they call it, "Just Win, Baby." It's human nature. The only way to shut fans up is to win. Otherwise there are tons of things to second guess. Yes a great fan has faith and shrugs off the losses and keeps the faith all 27 outs. That's difficult to do with all the wild losing streaks and ways this team has pissed away games the past 2-plus seasons. You could say all teams lose games, but the White Sox have really held the market on horrible losses/weird player slumps in the time span I've mentioned. Go Sox.

QUOTE (Reddy @ May 10, 2012 -> 04:30 AM) the royals rank 20th in runs scored. Hosmer, Moustakas, Gordon can beat you.

QUOTE (jeffro2525 @ May 10, 2012 -> 04:25 AM) The Royals seem to be coming into the weekend playing pretty well. A nice 4-3 homestand vs. the Red Sox and Yankees...wish the Sox would have caught them earlier this season. The Royals know how to hit the baseball. It would be smart to set the tone early against them and take all 3 or 2 of 3 and not lose 2 or 3. Hochevar has been horrible and it really will make no sense for him to throw a gem vs. the Sox. It would make no sense at all. I do realize it could happen though, knock on wood.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ May 10, 2012 -> 02:30 AM) No I am not saddened that I will not see my loved ones after I die. The same thing happens to all of us no matter what we believe. Remember those few weeks and months before you were born? That's what it will be like after you die. But at that point our brains were not developed and we did not have a lifetime of experiences and a lifetime to generate data in our brain. What is the point of all this if it is all to be discarded upon death? How do u justify those seeing the bright light in a near death experience and those people who say their relatives were coming into the light to welcome them before God let them return to earth miraculously.

QUOTE (Cali @ May 10, 2012 -> 04:08 AM) 166 replies for a winning game... Funny. Attendance is down everywhere in Soxdom. They can take care of the apathy by continuing to play like this. Down 0-2 in the series they showed some fight to finish it 2-2.

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ May 10, 2012 -> 03:44 AM) Why does any pitcher pitch the way they do?? Just needed to nit pick about somethin right....Great win for the Sox as they split the series and are only 3 games outta 1st. Yeah I'm nitpicking. Sure I am. DeAza is hitting.285 and Lexi got three hits. Nice.

I'm not crazy about Jones' Keith Foulke-like delivery. Why does he pitch that way?

I think it's safe to say Dunn is back and last year was some sick aberration. He has 10 home runs. I don't know if it was him getting used to AL or DH or the weight issue, but he's recovered. Congrats to those of you who stood by him and did not ridicule him or call him a bum as some of us did.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ May 9, 2012 -> 11:02 PM) Again....you are inferring that only "believers" have morals. Well I should clarify then. YOu don't have to believe in God to be a good, moral person. I'm just pointing out instances to be devil's advocate like about my friend the doctor who gives 100 bills to the homeless a few times a month and adopted 3 kids from poor countries, etc. I pointed out he drops the word "God" every four sentences or so and wanted your opinions on that. You can still be a good person and not a believer in God and the afterlife. To those of you who have kids, though and do not believe: Are you not saddened at the fact your belief system indicates that you will never see loved ones again once you pass away? In heaven? What is the purpose for to have a great family then if you never get to see them following death?

Scott Merkin just tweeted this. Cue people to hate on Merkin here. "Good to see/read Greg Walker doing well in Atlanta. Great person and one of the more underrated coaches in Chicago sports history ~"

QUOTE (CanOfCorn @ May 9, 2012 -> 09:31 PM) Let's not start the news media thing again. News media, other than Fox, tend to skew left...it's almost always been that way. True. I just think because of the liberal media, the fact we currently have a handsome black president means we always for the rest of time have a handsome black president. Or "minority" president. The news media will help make it that way.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ May 9, 2012 -> 09:28 PM) Lol, digital media is killing the newspapers, not the lack of religious coverage. QUOTE (BigSqwert @ May 9, 2012 -> 09:32 PM) Are you on medication? You seriously type some of the most bizarre posts I've ever read. QUOTE (Steve9347 @ May 9, 2012 -> 09:37 PM) This. Greg, believe what you want. However, your questions are some of the most judgmental posts I've read on the internet. 1.) Digital media and the fact newspapers have cut so much of their staff and size of newspapers (did you read the Chicago Tribune when it had a good sports section of 12 pages or more a day? Wow) and stopped covering things people care about like religion and business as well as sports that it has killed that industry. Who wants to read a f***ing newspaper? It's just the bare bones crap. 2.) What does this mean? Seriously. How can a question (something where I'm seeking knowledge) be a "judgmental post?" As far as you being mad about cheating on the wife, I don't see how you turned that into me suggesting nobody but a believer does not cheat. I'm saying if you don't believe in God and heaven/hell, why not just run amok in ALL FACETS of life. Gambling, debauchery, taking tons of risky chances in life.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ May 9, 2012 -> 07:53 PM) In Chicago it's rarely, if ever, a story. You hear about religion when there's a scandal. And that's one reason the newspapers are all dying and nobody watches TV news. You know how many Catholics there are on the South Side of Chicago? You know how many religious people want to hear about religion? And the news media treats us all like we are lepers. The news media cannot discuss religion. I'm shocked WGN still airs the midnight mass on Xmas Eve.

QUOTE (CrimsonWeltall @ May 9, 2012 -> 08:38 PM) Because it makes it sound like if you didn't believe in your god, YOU would be some crazy hedonist. Or maybe my mind just races and I come up with wild questions.

QUOTE (CrimsonWeltall @ May 9, 2012 -> 08:26 PM) Just FYI, these types of questions reveal far more about the questioner than the people he or she is asking. Why? I am actually a conservative Christian and pretty good person IMO.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 9, 2012 -> 08:25 PM) Maybe your religion says to treat women equally, but the faith they have known since birth tells them differently. Who are you to say that yours is right and theirs is wrong? They would probably call you a cretan for letting a woman make a decision for you in your life. It's the only thing they know. But you said treating them like "animals." That is pretty harsh to me. If you stand by that wording, I stand by my responses.

TRUE STORY: I know a guy who has a beautiful wife and 4 kids, three of whom they adopted from impoverished countries. He goes to inner city Chicago and hands out 100 dollar bills to homeless people a few times a month. He is coach of his kids' teams and he is a doctor. He believes the Bible and reads the Bible. He drops the word "God" in conversation every third sentence or so. he does this all for God. Is he crazy? Is he a saint? You make the call.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ May 9, 2012 -> 08:07 PM) Greg, 1) You dont need a god to not cheat on your wife, and in fact many godly people do far more than cheat on their wife (Id say a priest cheating on god with a little boy fits that bill), cheating on your wife, or your girlfriend, is a personal choice and it depends on what type of person you are. Why not go nuts here? Because I would have to live with the consequences of my actions. If I spend foolishly or do something to cripple myself financially, I would have ruined my life. I cant go to bed at night clinging to the idea that "Its easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven", I cant somehow rationalize my failure as "Gods will" or not to worry because "its part of Gods plan." If I fail, if I do something stupid, I have to batten down the hatches and fix it, because there isnt some unwordly power that will intervene on my behalf. 2) For many years people believed that Aristotle was right, just because people believe it doesnt mean its true. In fact religion is based on "belief" and not "fact", the entire idea is that there is actually no evidence and therefore to be a true believer you must have "faith" in something that cant be proven. Its great circular logic. 3) You still havent answered any questions about beliefs that the church holds to this day which are outdated and completely unfounded. 4) Why would it be wasted? Loving my family, children, pets has nothing to do with God or heaven, it has to do with our relationship in this world, no matter what I may think about the next, it doesnt change here and now. Thought provoking post. I'll have to think about it some more before commenting. Also well written. Interesting how some people go out of their way to have perfect punctuation and caps on the internet and some like me just write quickly to get it posted ASAP.

QUOTE (Tex @ May 9, 2012 -> 07:57 PM) The Bible wasn't designed as a tool. Science has done an excellent job of furthering human knowledge about God's creation. Amazing actually. Good post.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ May 9, 2012 -> 07:47 PM) Depends on what media you listen/watch. Some media blames Obama for everything, other media doesnt. And there are opponents who could beat Obama, they just likely would never get out of the primary. I don't mean the radical talk show hosts like Rush. They don't count. Voters don't care about them. I mean the regular media; newscasters in every town; newspaper/website reporters, etc., who throw him softballs and have the glazed-eye look when they interview him. And national reporters at the press conferences, etc., the ones who daily shape how he's viewed nationally.