God’s Aphorisms
Posted on January 20, 2008
Filed Under Aphorisms |
Drive through any small town or suburb in America and you’ll see them: the signposts outside churches and other places of worship advertising the next service or sporting some verse from the Bible. Some churches seem to be getting into the aphorism business, at least judging by these aphoristic snapshots sent to me courtesy of Joseph F. Conte. Read these, and be redeemed …
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Bloody god squads at it again
A professor of mine who was well versed in the history of translations of the Bible used to say that the 1611 King James version was the most readable report ever to come out of a committee.
A friend who taught history and was a devout Episcopalian responded to a sign which said, “Jesus is the answer” by asking “What was the question?”
The truth is I’m more fed up of finding ‘anti god squad’ articles on the internet than anything else. I’m not religious at all but I don’t find myself one bit threatened by signs like this as I am comfortable enough in myself to just completely ignore it.
I am aware of the atrocities around the world which are carried out in the name of religion but its NOT religion that causes wars. Wars are caused by small minded selfish people. If religion was banished from the earth do you really believe there would be no more problems in this world?
“Forgive your enemies it messes with their heads”…..quite true:)
The best signs make you think– just like the best headlines. I too like the forgive your enemies one.
I believe that religions DO cause wars, but I don’t think that they are the only reason. I agree that narrow-minds is the worse enemy to the humanity. But I am quite sure that religions are one of the worst ways to deal with our spirit.
As long as the first photo is concerned, I would ask that priest:
ok, sir, we have seen atheists that claim they dont believe in god, therefore it doesnot exist. We are tired of them.
But were the folk did ya see god expressing its opinion about atheists??? Are you COMPLETELY nuts???
Religion is the heroin of the masses. But saying religion doesn’t kill people is similar to guns don’t kill people. Guns my not pull the trigger but they do give people the feeling of power and strength that gives one the ability to pull the trigger. Religion does plant the fanatical seeds and breeds the intolerance and hate that drives people to do the most anti-religious acts in the name of religion.
But these signs are just plain funny.
It amazes me sometimes how the anti-god squad calls anyone who participates in a religion intolerant, and then fills the comment boxes of the world with responses overflowing with ignorance or intolerance. Those are the tools war and hate. Religion when used as an excuse for war is twisted beyond recognition, and is not then the peaceful code that so many willingly choose. The Soviet Union exterminated millions of people to eliminate differences, like religion, in the name of peace. Nazi Germany was some of the most vile blatant and nonreligious hatred the world has ever seen. The world has been filled with war and manipulation since long before organized religion, and has shown itself to be just as hateful without it.
Everyone has the right to a sense of humor, even pastors and priests. I think the first sign was hilarious.
Reya - Watch who you’re calling ignorant! Don’t you think you should check your “facts” before regurgitating someone else’s opinion next time?!
Here’s a link to get your education started:
http://www.tenc.net/vatican/cpix.htm
I do agree that hatred & war would occur irregardless of religion’s influence; but to deny that influence is the very ignorance that allows it to continue!
- IgniteMe
There is a wonderful book called Church Signs Across America of photographs like these, Joseph beat me to the punch as I was going to submit some of the lines, but the book was gone from the store I’d seen it in so I will have to buy it later. Whatever one may think of the ministry of Protestant churches, they are writers and rhetorical speakers, they have to have a sermon a week and something prepared to say at funerals and all public occasions. These humorous and witty or striking church signs have been a phenomenon for awhile as I remember writing some down walking by them when I was in college at VCU Richmond Virginia. My two I remember were A Darkness no Bleach Can Touch and Evil: You Don’t Have to Put Your Hand in a Bucket of Tar to Know That It Is Black.
I’m sorry, religion does not condone violence of hatred. At least not Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Buhddism or Islam, and most other spiritual schools of thought. In Christianity for example, the teachings of Jesus are often summised into two commandments, ‘Love thy neighbour’, and ‘Love God with all your mind, heart, body and soul’. At no point in there can I see kill one another, start holy wars, of any of those other abhorent things.
True Tom. The messages are pretty much same and quite sane. God’s only mistake was leaving the interpreting to people.
Tom : Agreed, with the exception of Islam - very violent.
Steve, that is an example of the ignorance that is being spoken about.
And religion is not the heroin of the masses. Heroin is.
I love the last one!! Those are all pretty funny.
Hey ignite that link was sad. Most of those facts and quotes are at best rumor that your website does not refute by putting them in quotes.
The facts about the Church and Nazis. Have been proved to a small extent. The problem with your argument is that you blame an organization, when people were involved (Roman Catholic in the US and Canada did not partake in Nazism)
If you condemn the whole church then condemn the US Govt preWW2 since they new what was going on. Blame GM, Ford, GE, Westinghouse, so many more that had their hands in the pockets of both sides at one point or another. Blame Japanese companies like Mitsubishi, Toyota, etc.
Your argument was lame and the website pathetic.
Religion is not the cause of war, it is the leaders who have poor judgment that think they can win as long as they convince their public that right and might is on their side.
Anyone saying that God said he/she should kill is using it as an easy out (individuals are institutionalized, leaders are immortalized.)
* For some, religion cures the soul, for others it sickens the mind. Leonid S. Sukhorukov
* Hell is Nature’s fee for paradise. Leonid S. Sukhorukov (Book of 400 aphorisms of a lifetime by Leonid S. Sukhorukov “All About Everything”, UK, 2005)
* All mortals are hostages of eternity. Leonid S. Sukhorukov (Book of 400 aphorisms of a lifetime by Leonid S. Sukhorukov “All About Everything”, UK, 2005)
I grew up in a religious cult, grossly abused in the name of God and isolated from society, until I was 16 years old. This is gonna be a fun post cantcha tell
It took a long time for me to give up my place in the anti god squad. It hurts to run into a situation where you’re rejected as a valid human being and aren’t allowed to use logic and reason as tools of defense. Anyhow, one day, as I was feeling particularly bruised … it occurred to me … I’m the lucky one. I’m the only one out of all the children raised in the place I come from who made it out (alive anyhow, the only other one to leave did so by killing herself at 17). The other thing I realized, after reading Anne Rice’s Memnoch The Devil (only light reads for me really! After all I was only allowed a fifth grade education 
was that it can’t be personal. I didn’t originate this attitude in people, so it really has nothing to do with me. All the reacting I’ve done over the years fed power into views that cut me deep. It wasn’t the opposition that lent power, it was the pain it caused me.
So now you know my point of view on the matter cause you were dying to right??? I knew it! Glad this worked out well then
I don’t think God would give you a book and a brain and then say read the book but don’t use the brain.
it isn’t religion that is the problem or causes wars
it’s people’s failures to follw them that’s the problem !
All roads lead to Rome, but some roads to peace lead straight to Pompeii. Leonid S. Sukhorukov
Hell always begins with arguments about paradise. Leonid S. Sukhorukov
Those who lean on bayonets are the first to get the point. Leonid S. Sukhorukov
Thinking is the hardest thing to do while marching. Leonid S. Sukhorukov