@redredred Ok, I understand where you are coming from, but I have to agree with LadyGrace in that it is believed that pterosaurs did use their front limbs for walking. But it doesn't detract from the overall concept of your post.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dont-get-strung-along-by-the-ropen-myth-78644354/

Interesting article about pterosaurs and recent sightings.

Well, I never thought that droo bears were all that scary, but one mention of them and people run away in fear lol

@dunpender
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Examples_of_God_personally_killing_people

@dunpender Maybe not directly, but certainly (albeit inaccurately) in God's name.

@NortiusMaximus good point! Lol. Could be a few of em, fk it gets worse the more I think about it!

Let me explain it this way, if I may, regarding bad things happening. If I go out and rob a store, I can’t blame you for it. You didn’t make me do it. It was my choice. That doesn’t mean you are evil. God doesn’t create evil. Evil is a choice. It means we have responsibility for our own actions. Blaming God for everything would render us utterly incapable of doing or even thinking anything on our own, even if God may desire we do exactly that… It makes God the cause of and desires of sin, then excuses us for our choice to disobey Him. It renders us complete puppets and robots, incapable of doing anything except His will. It would seal our fate, before we take our first breath. Blame God, then we can do no nothing which matters morally. As for the Narcissist, he is responsible for his own actions. No one makes or causes them to plan on hurting people. They know exactly which strings they are pulling when they hurt people. They just don’t care. They don’t think like you and I. I’ve dealt with them. They don’t want to change. So much depends on how a person was raised, that determines how they have processed things in their mind and how they turn out.

God created free will… Choices….Not evil. A conscience, so we would know the difference between good and evil, right and wrong...so we could choose which we will serve. Only an evil God would create evil. God is perfect. There is no sin in Him. He does not create evil. The Bible is clear, that God hates evil, because it separates us from Him, so He would not create it. Some prefer blaming God for their sinful ways, as they are under the mistaken notion that they won’t be held accountable for them. However, God’s Word is crystal clear, when it states that we are each accountable for our own sins.

@TeresaRudolph71

@LadyGrace Thank you. This actually helps a lot. As I said on another post, I often hear people say that it was God’s will when bad things happen, or when people do bad things, and that bothers me. It helps to know that not all religious people believe this, and that this isn’t what God wants. I know that we are each responsible for the choices that we make, and it makes sense that if we blamed God for all the bad things people do, the good things they do wouldn’t really mean anything either. I have, at times, asked God to tell certain people who were hurting others that what they’re doing is wrong, to help them see the error of their ways, but those prayers didn’t seem to do any good. But I suppose it’s possible that maybe God did try to tell them, but they just wouldn’t listen. Maybe there have been times when God tried to tell me that I was about to make a big mistake, too, but I didn’t listen either.

I also understand that narcissists don’t think the way you and I do, and their upbringing has a lot to do with that, but there is a genetic component to it too. Two people may suffer the same kind of abuse while growing up, but turn out completely differently. One may grow up to be a very sensitive person, who may perhaps suffer from PTSD from the abuse, and the other may become a cold, calculating, manipulative person who does whatever they have to do to get whatever they want and can no longer feel all the emotions that most of us feel. I know that it always comes down to choice in the end, but I have to wonder how many people would choose to be that way if it were not for the gene that apparently predisposes some people to become narcissists. But yes, it is important to remember that it is still their choice.

Thanks again. This is something that I’ve been struggling with, and it has really tested my faith.

You’re welcome, Teresa. I’m certainly not a scholar or know-it-all, but I’ve been a follower of God for 45 years, so I’ve learned a lot. So what I’m getting at, is if you have anything else you’d like to talk to me about, regarding God, or even otherwise, I’d enjoy the company and questions. 😆 @TeresaRudolph71

@TheWildEcho Yes He is, praise God.

@dunpender I come from a Methodist background, but family wasn't all that committed to the faith. But as similar lack of tolerance.

@dunpender I identify as an atheist now, but have no problem with other people's faith, provided they don't use their faith to deny reality.

Amen to that. @SW-User

🤗❤️@LadyGrace

@dunpender I'd have to say you could very well be right about that.

@dunpender
Why introduce the complication of an unexplained, unnecessary middle-man? Why not just say that evolution by natural selection caused us to develop those abilities?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

@BeefySenpie they are not though are they? We use censorship and criminalise certain beliefs.

@SW-User Over here we recently had a vote on gay marriage. It was interesting how those who felt they were the victims of intolerance, were in fact the ones most intolerant of others' beliefs

@AmbivalentFriability there's always time to repent... If required ;)

No. There’s not, actually. That’s why Jesus said that now is the time for salvation, since we are not assured of tomorrow. @ozgirl512

Calling Him that, I don’t think you’ll have to worry. He won’t be mocked. @NorthernRoses

@LadyGrace Great, I'm on my way already! 😏 Life is going my way!