Wednesday, October 20, 2010

FacePalm Quote of the Day #18: Debunking Christianity: 60 Minutes On a Historic Film: Market Street 1906

Here is a recent quote from John Loftus regarding film footage that has recently been shown to have been taken just a few days before the great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.
Morley Safer reports on a mystery that was solved about a 100-year-old film that we now know was made on San Francisco's Market Street just days before the 1906 earthquake. Link
I find this story fascinating for it's a film of San Francisco days before an earthquake destroyed what we're looking at. It's like we have detailed foreknowledge of what's to take place in just a few days. We know when looking at it the people in the film will suffer, many of them will die. What would YOU do if you had that foreknowledge? What did God do? Are we better than God? I would think so. For we would warn them.
Here is the video:


Of course Loftus takes the opportunity to argue that if God was real and good God would not have allowed the Earthquake without warning the people. Loftus seems to forget that God has a purpose for everything even when we don't understand. Think of how many people and variables there are surrounding that one event in 1906. Had it not happened, some of us would not have been born, California, and the whole would not be the same as it is now. Some people would not exist at all. We can't see the whole big picture. However even in the midst of any disaster we can count on two things.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. - Romans 8:28-29
And when Jesus was asked about such matters He said the following:
Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."   - Luke 13:1-5
Debunking Christianity: 60 Minutes On a Historic Film: Market Street 1906
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6 comments:

  1. Marcus said "Of course Loftus takes the opportunity to argue that if God was real and good God would not have allowed the Earthquake without warning the people."

    It's not that god can't be real because events like this happen, but he can't be both Omnipotent and Omnibenevolent simultaneously. So it kinda rules out Paul's version of god.

    That is all.

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  2. You just restated the argument. It rests on using your own idea of what "omnibenevolence" is. It's not like you can call God down to the carpet and hold him accountable to what your standard of "good" is because your standard isn't high enough. It's like measuring a line with a broken ruler. That's all.

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  3. Well, of course I restated the John's argument since your restatement of it misrepresented it.

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  4. Is it your understanding that Loftus thinks that a real and good God would allow Earthquakes without warning people?

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  5. Problem is you left out the word "omnipotent" and "real" is irrelavant.

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  6. "Real" isn't irrelevant. If God's reality wasn't relevant than neither is atheism. You're wasting your time. Loftus didn't mention God's omnipotence in his quote, why should I have to state it (although it is true - God is omnipotent and you should obey God).

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