Original Sin?

Quote: Pacomartin

But that still leaves tens of billions of people left over..

Indeed. I thought about going there but didn't
want to open that can of souls. Too tedious and
unexplainable.

Quote: aceofspades

Wait…FrG, can you prove that fairy unicorns and talking rainbows do not exist…? And, if so, how…?

Besides just common sense you mean? Well first off nobody has ever seen a fairy unicorn or a talking rainbow. Secondly neither of those things make any logical sense. Finally and most importantly fairy unicorns and talking rainbows don't help us as human beings to live good lives and better understand ourselves.

Look, I understand that most of you think religion is just wishful thinking at best and believing in evil unicorns at worst. Many of you could take the above sentences and replace unicorn and rainbow with God and Jesus. Yet I've shown over and over again how the belief in God is not inconceivable. In fact while unable to prove it beyond a shadow of doubt belief in God is even probable, yet there is still lots of room to doubt God's existence and surely lots of room to doubt the existence of the Judeo-Christian concept of God. However, I don't think any of you will doubt that the person of Jesus Christ truly existed. It is my experience, through prayer and through serving people, that He is truly God and as real today in my life and the lives of others as each of you are.

Pater, feeling better today I hope?

Still feeling awful, when will these antibiotics kick in?!?

Anyway here is a section from the Catechism that I think makes it clear that no just soul that preceded the Lord missed out on salvation.

Quote: CCC

634 “The gospel was preached even to the dead.”484 The descent into hell brings the Gospel message of salvation to complete fulfillment. This is the last phase of Jesus’ messianic mission, a phase which is condensed in time but vast in its real significance: the spread of Christ’s redemptive work to all men of all times and all places, for all who are saved have been made sharers in the redemption. (605)

Quote: FrGamble

Besides just common sense you mean? Well first off nobody has ever seen a fairy unicorn or a talking rainbow. Secondly neither of those things make any logical sense. Finally and most importantly fairy unicorns and talking rainbows don't help us as human beings to live good lives and better understand ourselves.

This made my day

I was about to be critical about this thread being unable to get off the Talking Snake objection

Bringing up that there are still people believing in the 6000 yr old universe got to me.

But watching the new "Cosmos" TV program hosted by Tyson, I noted they are taking their shots at fundamentalist [edited] beliefs quite often. Sure enough last night we watched our recording of it and Tyson says something to the effect of "a certain set of beliefs has the age of the Universe as 6500 years" , then goes on to beat up on such.

Honestly, both here in this thread and there in that program, I just feel this is setting up straw men to tear to pieces. Sure, some people believe this stuff. That is not Fr. G though, nor anyone likely to be posting here, nor anyone with any influence in intellectual discourse.

So I was going to come down hard on it. However, since Tyon et al seem to think such beliefs are worth worrying about, maybe I should just shut up.

Quote: FrGamble

Besides just common sense you mean? Well first off nobody has ever seen a fairy unicorn or a talking rainbow. Secondly neither of those things make any logical sense. Finally and most importantly fairy unicorns and talking rainbows don't help us as human beings to live good lives and better understand ourselves.

In this way unicorns and talking rainbows are just like atheism.

Quote: FrGamble

In this way unicorns and talking rainbows are just like atheism.

FrG - you still have provided no tangible proof that fairy unicorns and talking rainbows do exist.

I think on my next divorce case where someone is religious and my client is atheist, I will make an argument that the religious person is delusional

Ace - I thought I gave three reasons why they didn't exist just a few posts up, do you disagree with them?

Quote: FrGamble

In this way unicorns and talking rainbows are just like atheism.

This comment does not follow logically at all.

More over your third case against rainbows and unicorns is a fallacy. It presupposes that things have to exist to make our lives better or understandable. That's a large stretch, and certainly a huge underlying assumption in the way the world 'works'. Its one you often make as justification for the existence of God... but it requires a leap of faith, not a logical step.