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Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

see https://www.catholic.com/...and-the-whale-a-myth

This website seems to answer lots of questions from the Catholic perspective. I do not think many of the other denominations spend as much effort explaining their beliefs online.

regardless of what current priests and theologians say, Jonah and the whale is a parable describing reincarnation. btw, I'm going on record as being opposed to reincarnation.

I haven't seen the documentary, but will say that many folks opposed to Christianity (just what I'm citing for reference, could be applied to any or every religion & then distilled further to specific denominations and sub-denominations) pick and choose what they base their entire opposition on. Sure, some Christians think the earth was created in a literal 6 days 6000 years ago. Not all do; many see the story as a parable, as they do with many other things in the Bible. It's just not so simple.

But I'll also agree that many people grow up with what they're told to believe, don't question it, and say they believe it but don't know what they say they believe or don't really believe it even if they understand. I'll use Hell as an example: the modern belief of hell as a place of Eternal Conscious Torment (ECT) is something many Christians say they believe. Very few actually believe it. Why? Because if they did believe it they'd stop everything they were doing and make it their entire life's mission to work their ass off to save even just one single person from going there. If they didn't they'd be a sick, depraved, evil individual that would be worthy of such a place, and there are few of those type of depraved people so the explanation is they don't believe in that thing they say they believe in.

This all said simply -- it's so much more nuanced than people say. I'm firmly Christian but not fundamentalist and have more doubts and questions than I do answers, which is actually fits very comfortably into an approach to faith when one doesn't approach faith as "the place" where all of their questions are given certainty and packaged answers. Ask away if this raised questions about what I mean and I'll do my best to find the time to answer.

I'll go back to church when someone can explain free choice and a omniscient creator. That is, how can we have free choice to make our own decisions if God already knew everything we were going to do before he/it created the universe

How can we have free choice when God decided to destroy the world with a flood because we sided with evil? We chose, he hated our choice. Game over?

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"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."

Can god create a rock so heavy that he can't lift it?

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Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

More specifically, he made you such that you would choose evil.

"Whatcha doin', Jesus?"
"I'm making jkca1.....oh, and please call me God when I'm making a dude."
"You gonna give him free will?"
"Sort of. I mean, he'll have free will, but since I'm omniscient, I already know that he'll choose evil and I'll have to punish him with an eternity of torture."
"So then why make him in the first place?"
"Love."

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

The bible defines God away...

1.) God is good.
2.) God made the universe.
3.) God is all-powerful.
4.) Yet, the universe contains evil and the suffering of innocents.

You forgot:

"So what are you going to do about that eternity of torment?"
"Send you to die for him"
"Will that work?"
"No, he'll still chose evil, and get the eternity of punishment"
"Do I still have to die?"
"Yes, painfully"
"Seems legit to me"

Post your question on Slowtwitch lavender room.

Good on you for pursing answers to questions you have. I have found that these type of questions have been addressed and debated for 2000 years. For instance, Augustine 1600 years ago took the position that the bible should not contradict natural reason (the greatest Catholic philosopher, Aquinas, some 800 years ago also advocated faith must be in accord with reason). Thus, Augustine said when the bible contradicts reason, it should be interpreted metaphorically. Augustine was one of several who wrote about faith and reason in the early centuries.

The foregoing is a very brief and loose statement about biblical interpretation and the positions of Augustine and Aquinas. You have to ask yourself whether you want to inform yourself or be taught by someone. If it is the former, pick and issue and start digging into it seeing what the various schools of thought say about it (and/or what various denominations teach as their dogma on the issue). You can start on the internet but on many issues you will eventually have to get and read some books.

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

Do you believe that you have free choice to make your own decisions? Are you not a biological machine created, programmed, and operating in accord with physical laws? If so, how can any decision you make be anything other than what is demanded by the physical laws?

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

Do you think it is evil for people to have children?

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

By what rule do you determine what a writing or story "is."

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

Children are evil.

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_____________________
Fester from Detroit, Mi

Exactly, so explain this while being created by an all knowing creator. Btw God knew you were going to say that before he/it created anything.

Why seek an explanation. Your understanding is a fact of nature. Whether you are right or wrong, you cannot know.

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

Cant know what?

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who's smarter than you're? i'm!

Generally, no, but it's a complex world. There are scenarios where it could be.

Do you think there is any child brought into the world that does not suffer innocently?

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

There are lots of ways to get at this. The laws of physics should make it clear to you. But let's try logic. Have you ever been wrong about something, i.e., believed something to be true and later determined that it was false?

Now let's ask about today. Do you believe that everything you believe to be true is in fact true? Or, instead, do you believe that there are things that you are wrong about today, but just don't know it?

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

Are you trying to compare me to God?

Are you saying there is a God?

Edit: and to the point: I'm saying that one thing I don't understand is how people can have problem with the Problem of Evil, and have no problem bringing children into the world themselves.

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

There was a point? Next time just get to it.

People don't claim to be all-powerful creators of the Universe.
People don't claim to be entirely good.

As such we can make judgement calls on net benefit to ourselves, the world, and our children.
The bible's propositions on God aren't "on net" types of propositions.