Revisiting Steven Weinberg's assertion

[2Dbunk]

JAG television series (CBS’ “Judge Advocate Corps� by Donald P. Bellisario, Executive Producer – Ninth Season, Disc #5, entitled “Fighting Words,� (one hour)

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the BEST DRAMATIC PORTRAYAL OF STEVEN WEINBERG’S ASSERTION:
Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.�

Rarely are very good examples given in asserting an argument, but when presented they win the day. “Fighting Words� fits that description as the series’ protagonists Commander Harmon Rabb goes nose to nose with prosecuting attorney, USMC Colonel Sarah MacKenzie (the former defending an over-zealous two star Marine Corps general who, in military uniform, disparages Islam from the pulpit of his church’s congregation). The Colonel wins, and the general gets his hands slapped.

This is the best example that I’ve seen on screen of a good man inadvertently trying to destroy the notion that our Constitution is sincere in protecting all religious belief.

Yes, the “unmatched wisdom� of our current president has muddied the waters a bit
when he insinuates that there are “good Nazis� as well as bad; and that white supremacists might make for good neighbors. If that is the case, what was WW II all about?

Was the court decision wrong in this case? If so, can you put forward an example to counter Weinberg’s assertion? OR, another example that supports Weinberg’s assertion?

[1213]

…. And yes, they would claim to be a disciple of …

I think it would be good to hear, because then they should also act like disciples of Jesus. We could see are they honest by this:

Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, "If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
John 8:31-32

[1213]

…We have no way of knowing that you are a Christian…

I think it can be known by this:

Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, "If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
John 8:31-32

…Would you expect a liar to tell the truth just because you rephrased the question?

"Christian" is more vague word, it can mean almost anything nowadays.

[Willum]

[Replying to post 50 by Mithrae]

Let's examine EXACTLY what I did say, without paraphrase.

[Replying to post 43 by Mithrae]

Wow, wow, wow.
Well, let’s start first by saying that the topic states it takes religion to make good people do evil.
As a lesson in history, the Nazi and Hitler were praised by the world.
The New York Times, Man of the Year, for example.
So the Nazi you disparage with the ease of 20-20 hindsight, actually began ‘good.’ Then religion got a hold of them.
What were you saying?
So TCG had kept up, he simply put what you said in context of the OP.

Do we see the ' and ' around the word "good," indicating it is a paraphrase of the interpretations of:
The New York Times, the National News, even the Catholic Church of Rome, and not I?

So are we to say that whom National agencies deemed good, were actually bad, before they began doing bad, or shall we note that a normally good people, once empowered by God and religion, started murdering people en mass, in the name of God/religion?

One thing is for sure, accusing someone of saying Nazi were good, is very insulting, no matter how subtly it is inferred.

But perhaps you doubt that Hitler secured the Nazi party under God:

In January 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed Reichskanzler and the Enabling Act and Gleichschaltung came in effect. As a result, a new wording was adopted on 2 December 1933:

"Ich schwöre bei Gott diesen heiligen Eid,
daß ich meinem Volk und Vaterland allzeit treu und redlich dienen
und als tapferer und gehorsamer Soldat bereit sein will,
jederzeit für diesen Eid mein Leben einzusetzen."

"I swear by God this holy oath,
that I want to ever loyally and sincerely serve my people and fatherland
and be prepared as a brave and obedient soldier
to risk my life for this oath at any time." Wiki

Before this, there was no oath to God, but the German Constitution. So as you can see, only religion can take what was considered by posterity, and not I "good", and transform it into a genocidal institution.

So we have it, lain down in history for us, by posterity, a veritable chronology describing Weinberg's paradigm; when an otherwise good people have their leadership insert God/religion as justification, and then a good people to do evil.

[Zzyzx]

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"If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

Is 'remain in his word' stamped on one's forehead so they can be identified as a 'disciple'? If not, how can they be identified?

Does anyone 'remain in his word'?

Many or most Christians seem only vaguely aware of 'his word', so how can they know who is 'in' and who is not (even for themselves)?

"Christian" is more vague word, it can mean almost anything nowadays.

Agree. Is it just 'nowadays' or has there been disagreement about its meaning for many centuries?