The Evangelical Universalist Forum

How To Live Under An Unqualified President by John Piper

Which…without knowing all the statistical variables involved…it could be due to technology advances alone. :wink:

Yes most of it is because of technology making equipment more and more efficient and the motivation for this improvement is a capitalistic word called “competition.” :astonished:

And yet. Japanese, Korean and German vehicles, still outrank their American counterparts - in terms of quality. And Chinese products, are giving us - a run for our money. I have NO problems with capitalism. But don’t make it the ONLY system - that produces technology advances. :wink:

Hence, we have “competition” in capitalistic, communistic and socialistic systems.

And we can continue the chess game - of point and counter point - until the end of time. :laughing:

Unless you are trying, to “sell” us something. :laughing:

“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man… It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition is gone, pride is gone.” ~~ C.S. Lewis

The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility. You may remember, when I was talking about sexual morality, I warned you that the center of Christian morals did not lie there. Well, now, we have come to the centre. According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind. ~~ C.S. Lewis

In the passage where the New Testament says that everyone must work, it gives a reason ‘in order that he may have something to give to those in need’. Charity - giving to the poor - is an essential part of Christian morality: in the frightening parable of the sheep and the goats it seems to be a point on which everything turns. Some people nowadays say that charity ought to be unnecessary and that instead of giving to the poor we ought to be producing a society in which there is no poor to give to. They may be quite right in saying that we ought to produce this kind of society. But if anyone thinks that, as a consequence, you can stop giving in the meantime, then he has parted company with all Christian morality. ~~ C.S. Lewis

And yet. Japanese, Korean and German vehicles, still outrank their American counterparts - in terms of quality. And Chinese products, are giving us - a run for our money. I have NO problems with capitalism. But don’t make it the ONLY system - that produces technology advances. :wink:

Hence, we have “competition” in capitalistic, communistic and socialistic systems.

Japan and Korea have capitalistic systems and Germany is a mixed economy and Chinese products are from private cos. So i don’t know what competition you envision from Communist systems since by definition the government runs the means of production which explicitly eliminates competition.

But China is a communist country and Germany is a socialist country. Both do allow folks to make money. The only “unwritten rule” for China, is NOT to criticize the Chinese government.

So what are you and Dave trying to “sell”? Become a Republican and all your problems will be solved? I prefer to watch TV evangelist Joel Osteen,… where all my problems - might possibly be solved. :laughing:

Why would I try to sell republicanism? Or Trumpism? Or conservatism?

But I will be continuing on, Randy, so maybe for your peace of mind you should not bother reading this thread? Don’t want to cause you any more distress!! :unamused:

I’ve tried to bring up things related to the OP. Under this heading, health care, Islam, Korea, Hillary the crook, Clinton scandals, P***y grabbing, erosion of the educational system, attacks on Christianity in America, Black LIves Matter thuggery, black on black crime, inner city violence, white ‘supremacy’, snowflakes, safe spaces, - oh it’s a rich topic, usually represented by the so-called ‘drive-by-media’. Needs some balance, imo - which does not mean I am on one ‘side’.

But it just brings up one step closer, to the en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie_apocalypse :laughing:

You might be trying to exercise some control, over events you have little - or no control over - Dave. Perhaps you MIGHT persuade one or two folks, to join your crusade. But it will be little, to change the overall picture.

What I have learned, from hanging around the Buddhists (i.e Zen masters)…Native American medicine men and women… and reading Russian Orthodox Holy Fools - is this. Folks really need to develop, a strong sense of humor. It’s the best tool, to ride out the storms of life. :laughing:

But I do step in to warn people - when their lives might be in danger. Like today in church, when they announced a missionary trip to Chad.

From en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer

Randy, you don’t HAVE to read it, really - there are other threads here and maybe you can convince someone else that the ZA is real and imminent. :laughing:

I will continue to plug along on this thread, even if noone reads it. There are some things that I feel need to get ‘on the record’ just out of principle. That’s the way it’s going to be.

By golly, I was just thinking about these particular things and up pops MavPhil’s post today. You’ll love it. :laughing: Here it is in full.
quote
Which Side Are You On?
It is an appropriate question to ask in politics, though not in philosophy. Politics is warfare. If you call yourself conservative and don’t support Trump, then you are helping the enemy. Which side are you on?

In philosophy we strive for objectivity. We take our time; we consider all points of view. We show respect for our interlocutors. We are civil. But one cannot be objective in a fight for one’s life and way of life especially if one’s way of life includes free speech, open inquiry, and resistance to the Left’s totalitarian politicizaton and ideologization of everything, including pure mathematics! (More on this later.) One has to secure, with blood and iron if need be, the space of objective inquiry against the ideologues who, at the present time, are chiefly leftists and Islamists.

You don’t like Trump? Tough shit. He’s all we’ve got. Face reality and its limitations. Don’t let the best become the enemy of the good. The milque-toast McCains haven’t done jack and won’t do jack, except talk and obstruct. David Horowitz:

The movement galvanized by Trump can stop the progressive juggernaut and change the American future, but only if it emulates the strategy of the campaign: Be on the offense; take no prisoners; stay on the attack. To stop the Democrats and their societal transformation, Republicans must adhere to a strategy that begins with a punch in the mouth. That punch must pack an emotional wallop large enough to throw them off balance and neutralize their assaults. It must be framed as a moral indictment that stigmatizes them in the way their attacks stigmatize Republicans. It must expose them for their hypocrisy. It must hold them accountable for the divisions they sow and the suffering they cause. (Big Agenda, Humanix, 2017, p. 142)

Trump alone, an outsider who doesn’t need a job, has the civil courage and is in a position to deliver the needed punches. That’s why we like him. He punches back. And for other reasons…
unquote

Social Darwinism Is What Truly Guides Trump

His father taught him that the rich are better people. Who in the GOP disagrees?

nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/06/social-darwinism-is-what-truly-guides-trump.html

Who in the democratic party disagrees in practice?

And I’ll keep talking, about how all this political stuff - will lead to the Zombie apocalypse :frowning:

And when all is said and done - in this thread, I predict the zombies will win :laughing:

To paraphrase John Paul Jones:

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/plantsvszombies/images/2/2a/Broken_zombie.gif/revision/latest?cb=20150629031104

But …but …Randy - zombies aren’t real. Hate to say it, dude, but it’s a fact.
OTOH, the culture war is real.
Just the way I see it.

How do you know - zombies are not real? There are rumors that evil people in Haiti …(I think they call them witch doctors)…cause spirits to inhabit dead bodies. When in Africa, I have heard rumors - regarding similar stuff.

I’m being serious now, Dave. Black magic is REAL and ALIVE and Well - in the world. Much as I hate, to admit it.

Now I’m off to watch Dawn of the Dead and The Walking Dead - on televisions.

Actually, zombies are some of my best friends. So they are “real” to me.

I honor your illusion.

Look. I also honor universalism. And hope and pray it is true. But some folks here, present some “far out” theologies - how it might happen. So why can’t I entertain, some “far out” political theories?

I think some of the African and Haitian witch doctors, have settled in the western countries. Some have even opened up Voodoo shops, in places like New Orleans. And they are probably all reading, these political left and right wing discussions - on Facebook, here perhaps, etc. So they create some zombies - out of spite. But things get out of control. Perhaps these zombies got a hold, of some illegal drugs, etc. And the witch doctors, are busy creating more zombies. And before you know it, we have the zombie apocalypse. There. I have presented my political theory. And it ties in nicely, with the P-Zombie version of hell (as presented by folks like Anglican, New Testament scholar - N.T. Wright). And the Left Behind (book and movie) series - in theology.

Now that I’ve brought this up - there’s no turning back. It’s my duty, to “enlighten” as many people - as possible :wink:

But China is a communist country and Germany is a socialist country. Both do allow folks to make money. The only “unwritten rule” for China, is NOT to criticize the Chinese government.

So what are you and Dave trying to “sell”? Become a Republican and all your problems will be solved?

Germany is a mixed economy, it has plenty of private enterprise plus a stock market as does China. China has a huge private sector too. Why does it seem to you Dave and i are selling anything? We have opinions as does everybody else here,yet you single us out as trying to sell our opinions or political viewpoints?

Which just says that communistic, capitalistic and socialistic systems - can all allow competition, making money and becoming rich. Without the need, to change the particular system.

You and Dave can present your opinions, Steve. And I can also present my opinion, on what will trigger - the up and coming zombie apocalypse. Which I have presented, in the previous post. And I will be expanding on it - in future posts. :wink:

Perhaps we can have, what I call - a “Tit for Tat dialogue” :question:

Which just says that communistic, capitalistic and socialistic systems - can all allow competition, making money and becoming rich. Without the need, to change the particular system.

You are encouraged by me to present your opinions on Zombies or economic systems or anything else & i don’t care if you or anyone agree with me or not. We all seem to have this need to have our opinions validated by others but i’m aware of this and trying to get past it.
Again a communist system by definition doesn’t allow competition, so China & Germany are mixed systems with the private sectors being the area the creates new stuff. Most communist systems have evolved by necessity to be blended systems of communism and capitalism like Vietnam,China & Russia but there are still relics left like Cuba and North Korea. Venezeula & Bolivia seem to be solidly socialistic.