Oh dear, GODTUBE is going to cost me a lot of hours and brain cells.

A very dear friend of mine is involved in the drama ministry of her Methodist church. (As churches go, I like it. It's very gay-friendly and has a terrific music program.) My friend often brings scripts to work and I sometimes run lines with her for practice. I've noticed a trend, well exemplified by this skit, called "The Stool." Go ahead, give it a look.

I've ended up reading as some hip, cool version of "Jesus" numerous times for skits very much like this one, and I'm always surprised at how nonchalantly modern day Christians put words in the mouth of their Lord and Savior. These skits are the dramatized equivalent of those billboards that feature messages such as "Hey, why don't you spend Sunday at MY place? - GOD."

I know its supposed to be a light-hearted way of getting a message across, but, really, I could see this approach creating problems. ("I don't feel as close to Jesus as I'd like." "Well, perhaps you aren't listening hard enough." "But, the lady in the skit was able to trade lame quips and actually climb all over him. Why can't I?")

I think there are scriptural passages that would discourage such casual attributions. Anyway, it's hard to satirize this stuff. Jesus needs a better PR person.

I just have to add, for those who have watched the skit linked in my previous post - where in the Bible does Jesus say anything like "Let me make all of your decisions for you!"

Indeed. I won't go off topic too far, but I've found a lovely new (to me) cheese.

Interesting that this topic came up again, since I recently discussed this with a colleague of a different mindset than I.

WWJD?

And don't dare question WHY!

I wasn't saying one had to believe in God, rather that the concept of rules coming from a transcendent authority, and that are known and predictable, is what has created our successful concept of good and bad. Even though our laws came from religion, what's more important is that people develop a sense of conscience (traditionally through religion) so that they choose to behave well before the law has to be used to reign them in.

But the first thing doesn't make sense without the latter. That was my point about the bus ads: our idea of what "the right thing to do" is didn't just come from nowhere or from instinct, it DID start with "because God said so". (Whether you believe or not as Voltaire said). Without that, we are back to whatever each person feels is good.

There are plenty philosophers who deduce what is a priori good, without evoking God. I don't think Buddhism requires a God, but suggests as good the absence of suffering. I think one can understand suffering and it's aleviation as a basis for morality that transcends the concept of God.

Of course, as a rational hedonist, I'd also say that ultimately what feels good is the basis for most morality anyway - it's just easier to justify when you say you were only following (divine) orders (like killing the godless infidels)

Yes, we are. And there's nothing wrong with that.

I would argue that people are like that anyway.

While I'm not a practicing Wiccan, I do try and follow the Wiccan Rede:

"Do what you will, so long as it harms none "

Coming late to the discussion, I respectfully disagree. Christianity has merely incorporated the social contract which has been around forever of "don't do this to me and I won't do it to you." Fear of "in kind" retribution (whether by an individual or the state) is a powerful motivator for choosing what we now call "the moral path".