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I like it better than the last one

It's good, but I don't see the need with the discussion thread

It's not going to go anywhere good, just lock it now.

[Orange Wizard]

I can see which one seems more likely to me :/

A wizard did it.

...

I'm thinking about signing up to answer questions, but I don't have much time. Should I sign up anyway and do what I can?

Yeah, go ahead. The more the merrier!

[SHAD0Wdump]

I would like to sign up for answering questions as a... Very Unorthodox Christian.
 I say this since I have very theoretical views on a number of subjects. I definitely think very deeply on things here, but I'm just uncertain of how I would be classified.

 This may be a bad idea, but I'm taking it as an opportunity to get alternate viewpoints from other Christians where possible, and say my opinion.

[Ghills]

All Christians

I was thinking today in school. If the creation story is just the bible's way of describing it, and that it's just a story shows how evolution may go hand in hand with it, then why did Jesus have to die for our sins? I think the whole purpose of that was he was dying for original sin, thus letting us repent of our own sins by ourselves and thus achieve heaven.

That's an interesting question. I'm afraid I don't actually have an answer for you. I guess we could cheese it and say that even if animals/plants evolved, it doesn't mean humans did (missing link, et cetera) and we could shoehorn in Adam and Eve after the fact.
Alternatively: "it's metaphorical, duh".

The answer as I understand it is that Jesus died so that we can return to a perfected state - not because of original sin, but because we all make mistakes and become imperfect, and thus don't qualify for heaven.  It's kind of like someone taking over a debt from the original lender - the person still owes the debt, but the new lender may change conditions or offer loan forgiveness.  Jesus is offering loan forgiveness so long as we keep trying, and has provided a lot of documentation and examples for what counts as trying (i.e. scriptures).  People can choose not to take the loan forgiveness, but personally I think it's a great deal. 

This also ties in with forgiveness - to continue the metaphor, Jesus holds everyone's metaphorical debts, and as such is the proper person to decide on consequences for sins/offenses/that person who cut us off this morning on the way to work. He also promises that our suffering will be made whole.  We don't have standing to demand retribution for other's mistakes (and also, He requires that we try to forgive as freely as He does, as part of His loan-forgiveness program).

EDIT: Oops, we're supposed to sign up.  I'm happy to answer questions. Christian, Latter-Day Saint.

[SHAD0Wdump]

I'm going to jump out and aim at the 'original sin' bit.

 I do believe the Garden of Eden story is a metaphor, and I believe it is a metaphor for the fact that God truly gave us one thing, the power to make decisions. It is the one thing he will not take from us. He could easy remake us into peace loving people at a whim, but instead he has us decide for ourselves, between him and all he has created, everything our five senses can experience, and total separation and nothingness also known as hell.
 I believe first humans at some point decided for themselves to think themselves more than they are, and tried to strive for more than they were made for, and I think that would be self-sufficiancy. Most if not all sin in our modern world can be attributed to selfishness, and since God made every perceivable thing, we ultimately can't be without him or that which stems from him, so this makes sense to me.

[TheDarkStar]

I'm open to answering questions (also Latter-Day Saint here). I don't have much time, though, so I might only be able to answer sporadically.

[LordBucket]

TheDarkStar: Latter-Day Saint

Oh! LDS! Loaded question time!

*ahem*

The guardian of the golden plates who led Joseph Smith to both the plates and the Urim and Thummim used to translate them, was the Angel Moroni. These plates were the source material which from the Book of Mormon was translated. Moroni was an integral part of this, and without him, it's quetsionable whether the the church of LDS would even exist.

But, Angels in Judaic religions traditionally have names that end in the Hebrew suffix -el which means "of god." Micha-el, Gabri-el, Uri-el, Barachi-el, Rapha-el, etc. There is however, one especially notable exception:

Lucifer.

The fallen angel, the one who was not "of god."

The name of the angel Moroni does not conform to the naming convention of angels who are still angels of god. The implication being that Moroni, like Lucifer, is a fallen angel, and that Joseph Smith was deceived by him.

How do you explain this?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Within the context of mormonism, there's actually a totally reasonable explanation for it. But the vast majority of mormons I ask don't know it. So do your best.

[MaximumZero]

Doesn't this kind of violate the spirit of the thread? Loaded questions do absolutely nothing for tolerance.

[Frumple]

Popping in to snipe, there's actually a really simple response to that, too. The original hebrew that got eventually mangled by later translations into Lucifer was hêlêl (or heylel)

Lucy's not really ol' scratch's name, anyway. Iirc, it was never actually explicitly stated in the biblical texts.

... also, there's a fair handful of not!-el angels.... sorta'. Apparently only two angels period (michael and gabriel) are actually mentioned by name in the hebrew bible. Everything else is extra-biblical. But in all that extra stuff, you've got critters like sandalphon, metatron, yesod... there's a bunch of th'buggers, depending on where you draw from. But the convention kinda' isn't one -- there's only two angels mentioned by name at all in the actual texts, and beyond that the naming patterns falls apart.

[Orange Wizard]

I also have a question, actually. It came up during a game of D&D - don't ask.

TheDarkStar

What happened to the gold plates? Were they buried somewhere? Melted down and turned into an effigy of a farm animal? Or did they just make like the Ark of the Covenant and vanish into thin air when no-one was looking?

...

megatron

[Silthuri]

Silthuri: solitary practitioner of Eclectic Wicca

Do you believe that All is One? If so, why do you then venerate and possibly worship the Lord and the Lady...rather than All?

An interesting question. I feel that The All is a nebulous entity that manifests itself within all religions. The All has no specifications on how to worship it. Therefore any way you wish to honor it is a personal choice and I feel that the Lord and Lady are the manifestations that fit my personal beliefs.

[Reelya]

Signing up to answer questions! I would classify myself as an antetheist. That is, I believe that no gods currently exist, but that they may exist in the future and that we ought to strive to ensure that only good gods will come into being. Ask away!

Go read Biocosm if you haven't already. It gives a good framework for discussing ideas like this. It combines ideas about the coming AI singularity and a cyclic universe. Think about 10 billion years from now how powerful the AI could be.

Science has yet to find a way of knowing what, if anything, existed before the Big Bang that created our universe. Further, how can we account for physical laws that are so finely tuned for the creation of carbon-based life? Science writer and amateur cosmologist Gardner proposes a startling theory: that a pre-existing superintelligent race that inhabited a "mother universe" created this one and tweaked the physical laws in its baby universe to ensure the continuity of intelligent life and of the cosmos itself; this universe, then, will foster the growth of a new superintelligence eons from now with complete command over the laws of nature and the ability to create yet more universes with inheritable characteristics. Thus, Gardner argues, our universe is a "Selfish Biocosm" that created intelligent life to ensure its own survival. Gardner marshals cutting-edge thinking in cosmology, string theory and the associated M theory, and complexity theory to support his ideas. Readers may want to jump to chapter 15 for a full statement of his theory, since the precis in his introduction is vague; still, this is not for casual readers of popular science. If one doesn't favor an explanation for the creation of life that involves a deity of some sort, then Gardner's theory seems a plausible alternative, though some readers may feel that speculating on superintelligences in pre-existing universes may be akin to Darwin's proverbial dog speculating on the mind of Newton.

[Arx]

Reelya/Grek:

Similar to Asimov's short story The Last Question, in which people ask computers how entropy can be reversed until the Cosmic AC responds with "Let there be light" at the heat death of the universe?

If you don't want the ending of one of Asimov's stories spoiled, feel free not to answer the question.

[LordBucket]

Silthuri: solitary practitioner of Eclectic Wicca

An interesting question. I feel that The All is a nebulous entity that manifests itself within all religions. The All has no specifications on how to worship
 it. Therefore any way you wish to honor it is a personal choice and I feel that the Lord and Lady are the manifestations that fit my personal beliefs.

Ok. So then, is it reasonable to suggest that the "god hates fags" protestant, the satanist and the child-molesting catholic are also making a personal choice and choosing to honor the manifestations that fit their own personal beliefs?

"All" is rather inclusive, yes?

The Rede has its roots in Thelema. "An it harm none, do as thou wilt" is the wiccan version of "Do as thou wilt shall be the whole of the law." You choose to honor All through masculine and feminine avatars. So be it. You choose to refrain from causing harm. So shall it be.

But isn't the rational you use to come to your conclusions equally valid for the people who choose to cause harm, choose to love and honor death, suffering and depravity?

[TheDarkStar]

I also have a question, actually. It came up during a game of D&D - don't ask.

TheDarkStar

What happened to the gold plates? Were they buried somewhere? Melted down and turned into an effigy of a farm animal? Or did they just make like the Ark of the Covenant and vanish into thin air when no-one was looking?

...

They were taken back to Heaven (or wherever) by the angel Moroni iirc. I'd have to look it up to make sure though.

[smjjames]

I also have a question, actually. It came up during a game of D&D - don't ask.

TheDarkStar

What happened to the gold plates? Were they buried somewhere? Melted down and turned into an effigy of a farm animal? Or did they just make like the Ark of the Covenant and vanish into thin air when no-one was looking?

...

They were taken back to Heaven (or wherever) by the angel Moroni iirc. I'd have to look it up to make sure though.

Moroni? I don't think that's even the name, lol.