[gumby]

> It's been awhile since I've seen this passage. I forgot how much of the bible is a diss track on the pagans.

Ideal marketing is both puffing your product and dissing the competition. The old testament is really full of the latter...the new testament has less.

> > Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

So why pray at all?

[jordanmoconnor]

I've thought about this specific question a lot and I think it comes down to humility. Being in a place of needing something (and acknowledging that fact) is the opposite of pride. Pride is something the Bible mentions many times as something detrimental: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18

[hprotagonist]

>So why pray at all?

so that you learn what you need, too.

and, ultimately, to say "thanks".

(same question asked differently: "why meditate?" "why mindfulness?")

[falcolas]

Yeah, things get a bit weird when you make your God omniscient. Even though I know exactly what you need and whether or not you'll pray for it, you still need to pray for what you need, but you might or might not get it based on my whim (even though I know my answer before you ever identify your need), whether or not you pray.

[tekknik]

Why are you here? You’re spreading hate because you don’t believe. It’s fine if you don’t believe, but you have to spread your hate to the rest of us? Could you not have simply moved passed this post?

[gumby]

> because you don’t believe

Seems like a strong assertion to make based on a short comment by someone who based their statement on having read the gospels and a good chunk of the Old Testament.

And what’s with the mention of hate? I don’t see any in the comment. And sure, there’s plenty of it in the Old Testament but the New Testament doesn’t even want you to hate the Romans.

Was the Apostle Thomas not a believer? Did he preach hate?

The beam might be in your eye, tekknik.

[tekknik]

Oh so you’re religious then?

What’s with the “marketing” thing? Can that be taken as hateful or not?

[gumby]

I see billboards and bus bench signs encouraging people to chose this or that religious experience. Tv ads for people to pay for this or that religious knickknack. Are they all hate speech? Jesus famously wasn’t a fan.

I was responding in my comment to a previous comment which was correctly describing various parts of the old testament in which their god assails all those other gods, says that you have to worship him first, talks about his wrath and jealousy and the risks if you don’t stick him first. Not to mention the dissing of other tribes, and witches, and other undesirables. All that stuff is a pretty clear marketing message.

There are of course other messages as well, but the original commenter, and my response, referred to the marketing sections.

As for being religious: is there a constraint on who is allowed to read the texts and or interpret them? Are adherents of only certain religions permitted to read them?

[tekknik]

Since this seems to be hard for you Ill make it easy. Your argument was made in bad faith. It’s extremely easy to tell from the words you wrote that you hate religion. In all other cases in society, if you don’t agree with something you just keep your mouth shut and move on.