Maybe I'm Just A Little Behind But What Is This?

[Carp E Diem]

Have you guys ever seen actual footage of it? I have, and it ain't pretty. It's flippin' horrible and disgusting. Comparing an intelligent animal like a seal to a rat is a worthless analogy. That's like comparing dogs and fish. Hey Carp E Diem...Why don't you put a snausage on a hook and take your ultralight outside for a little fun with that cute little weenie-dog? I rest my case.

First off, that's not my weenie. And I have no desire to eat a dog, not yet, the economy isn't quite that bad yet. I have seen pictures of seal clubbing, but not video, you're right, not pretty. Seals are used for both their hides and their meat. Are you a vegetarian? If not, what animal do you eat that you think that it would be fun to watch being slaughtered? Bullet in the head of a cow? Are cows not intelligent? Cutting the heads off chickens? I've seen that, not pretty. But that's how nature works, animals kill and eat other animals, many while they are still alive. We are fortunate enough to be able to knowingly lessen the suffering of the animals that we eat, and most people strive to do this in the most humane way.

[Chief Grey Bear]

I know some of these idiots. The ranchers beg them to come in and kill as many as possible to control the population. I guess in some areas they are a big problem. My only memory of them is going as a kid and feeding them bread because they were so cute. There used to be a game you could download off the internet called Prairie Dog Hunter or Killer or something.

Funny how millions of bison lived with them over vast amounts of prairie just fine. Now the dogs are in isolated pockets on the high plains. The bison don't roam any more. Such is progress I guess.

Cattle don't ever seem to break a leg running up and down a steep bank to the river but a hole in the short grass prairie they can't see? I say a great big B. S.!

[eric1978]

Ok, I can't hold my tongue anymore. If your God is all-knowing and all-powerful, then it can't be a good God. It can be a good God, but then it is either not omniscient or not omnipresent. It's called the "Problem of Evil". And if you dive into the Old Testament just a little, I'm sure you will come to the conclusion that your own morals are far better than those of the god of the Bible. Unless you think that slavery, genocide, rape, murder, incest, blood sacrifice and many other horrific atrocities, are in any way moral. What about this god is good????

He's supposedly omnisicient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omnibenevolent (all-good), which makes your argument exactly correct. They blame evil on humans, but if God was all three of the above, he would innately be forced to stop evil, which he clearly hasn't. So either he is not omniscient, omnipotent and omnibenevolent, or he does not exist. The latter makes more sense to me.

Are you a vegetarian? If not, what animal do you eat that you think that it would be fun to watch being slaughtered?

Read back a little further and you'll see that I've already conceded that all the animal cruelty in the world isn't enough to keep me from eating meat since it is my nature and primal urge to do so. Hypocritical, I suppose. But I still don't get people who can do the dirty work. You'd think God would put an end to such brutality.

[Trevor K]

Wow, this got way off topic. I doubt anybody is going to change anybody elses mind either. Time for me to go back to reading the fishing topics.

[Phil Lilley]

Evil is the absence of love. God is love. Evil is the absence of God. By man's choice, he turns his heart from God, against God and evil follows.

There are many questions I have about the things you've mentioned. But I do chose to believe in a loving God. To not do so leaves this life meaningless and any life after, hopeless.

[Chief Grey Bear]

That is quite a statement. I personally respect everyones choice to be or not to be religious and their choice of religion. It is not for me to decide. But to say that someone's existence without religion is meaningless is pretty profound.

[Phil Lilley]

In any of my statements here, I am referring only to myself. That's what I consider in my life. I would consider my life to be meaningless if I were to turn from the God I know, presently in my life.

[Fly_Guy]

a little off topic. I have never been able to explain existence, and neither has anyone else (adequately), in the absense of God. The fact that things ARE, that awareness exists, if you get down to the root of it, cannot be explained. Something in us looks for meaning, looks for explainations. Human knowledge can give us as far as this is made up of this, and this happens because of these physical events, but cannot give meaning or purpose to any of it. And cannot explain how it exists. Even if I can somehow believe that all matter exploded out of one tiny little void, I cannot explain the impetus or the stimulus that caused it to be so. It take more faith for me not to believe in God.

This applies only to me as well. And what Trevor says is correct - we wont change each others minds. This one has the potential to make people mad, and there is little profit in it. Won't be responding again - happy fishing!

[Guest P. owensby]

OK Boy, I can't HOLD my tougue anymore. If you are equating some of the thing's that you brought up in you're essay to modern day Christians, you are even more warped than I previously thought. And since we are on the topic of believe Secular Progressive, what god do you believe in? What are the good morals that are expressed in YOU'RE religion (or lack there of)? Ohh Yeah, YOU are a secular and thus you do not believe in a God, and as a result, you're just as apt to believe that a tree is a high spiritual source as you would a man and in this case the MAN. It is one thing to not believe in a religion or a god and that is fine, but thank GOD we live in a country where we do have a choice on this topic. And, the second all of you secular's start spouting you're mouths about non-believe or that we have something wrong with us, or our thinking is flawed becuase we are Christians, you better be ready to drop the gloves (metophorically speaking of course) and be ready to be enguaged in a serious conversation my friend. To all the People of believe and that believe in any kind of higher spritual calling, it is time to respond and respond hard because the Seculars are not backing down, and I refuse to have some godless, soulless indivitual tell me who I am or what I believe is flawed or somehow I'm of less intellegence because I don't buy in to their far Left wing or Secular view of relgion. And Eric from St.Pete, you seem like a nice guy and you definetly post some very interesting E-mails, but I take offense to you're Darwinian scale, and if you think you're a ancestor of a Monkey that is fine, BUT I'M NOT, and I refuse to have a far leftest philosophy paint me in some evolutianary light to which I don't subscribe to. Oh yeah, Darwin nearly reputiated of his believes at the end of his life, just something to ponder for all the non-believers out there!!!!

[kre11]

Wow, with all the people responding to this forum, let's get something accomplished! Anybody catching any fish at Stockton with the water falling like it is?