The following passages are used by Jewish rabbis (example) and Christian clergy (example) to assert that masturbation is prohibited.

>Genesis 38:8. So Yehudah said to Onan, "Come to your brother's wife and perform the rite of the levirate, and raise up progeny for your brother." >9. Now Onan knew that the progeny would not be his, and it came about, when he came to his brother's wife, he wasted [his semen] on the ground, in order not to give seed to his brother. >10. Now what he did was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and He put him to death also.

Rabbis and Christian clergy assert that this passage indicates that wasting semen is sinful and therefore masturbation is sinful. However, one could argue that Onan's wasting of semen instead of using it to impregnate his deceased brother's wife was the sin, not the wasting of his semen in and of itself. Furthermore, if the rabbis' and Christian clergy's interpretation is correct, one could argue that a woman sins everytime she ovulates without being impregnated or that women are exempt from the supposed prohibition against masturbation.

There's also the following, exclusively Christian passage.

>Matthew 5:27. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ >28. BUT I TELL YOU THAT ANYONE WHO LOOKS AT A WOMAN LUSTFULLY HAS ALREADY COMMITTED ADULTERY WITH HER IN HIS HEART. >29. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.  >30. AND IF YOUR RIGHT HAND CAUSES YOU TO STUMBLE, CUT IT OFF AND THROW IT AWAY. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Christian clergy argue that the lustful thoughts that accompany masturbation violate the principle of verse 28 and that therefore masturbation is sinful. Some also state that verse 30 can be interpreted as being somewhat literal, since a person performs masturbation with one of their hands and that therefore the hand causes them to stumble. However, some people may not think lustful thoughts while masturbating but may be thinking about only the physical feeling they're experiencing or about their marital spouse.

Anyhow, no matter what the correct interpretation of these passages are, masturbation cannot actually be sinful, because studies have revealed that frequent ejaculati

Can you imagine, having to rethink your whole economic model without free labor ? What about the small businesses ? And what about these really simple jobs that anybody can do ? But we have them ExPeRiEnCe and free food ! ...

*authorities

The Libertarian party has long held the position of abolishing the federal minimum wage, as they see it as being counter-productive to a functional free-market. They argue that it actually hurts low-income, young, and minority workers and does more damage than good.

What are the arguments for and against abolishing the minimum wage in the U.S.? Has there been any precedent in other countries? If so, what were the results?

I was in religion class when my teacher started doing the prayer and said that I should do it, when I refused he started arguing and next week he said that I need show him "actual" arguments so if you guys would help me with this it would really good for me.

I do not know what to believe so I am creating this post as part of my research.

I almost lost my faith completely but I would like to see what others think about Christianity.

So, why you left Christianity?

After hearing arguments against ChRISTIanity and being a non-christian, why you started having faith in Jesus?

Hi there this is a direct response to concerns and statements made to my other post at : This Fair warning, this is going to get really preachy but it's also got some super cool stuff in it you might not get taught in sunday school it's just a response for the comments saying I'm an athiest or not knowledgeable about the topic so I figured I'd write this to show off my knowledge a bit ;) Hope you enjoy.

So my other post kind of blew up over the last few hours and while many people were highly receptive, It also got a lot of backlash (obviously) From christians and Atheists alike disputing some of the facts and the overall message. For starters I want to get a few things out the way, as I know most people will skim read this which is why I didn't write a text wall in the original in the first place.

1. I 100% believe in god, I'm not agnostic or an atheist.
2. The speculation that Jesus is either a great cult leader or a terrible savior of humanity is built in my own sound logic not a reflection of whether or not he personally saved you.
3. I have extensively researched the bible, the book of mormon, the qu'ran (not as much I admit this one freely but it's the most beautifully written, just difficult to get into) And Judaism (Most of the cannon books and also some jewish folklore) I have dabbled in paganism, mysticism and folklore so no, I am not misinformed or ignorant on the subject. I've even been to bible college.
4. The way I view religion is not a reflection of the way I view god but it does effect how I view the effectiveness of what Jesus tried to achieve but we will get into that point later.
5. My experience is my own, and I would love to hear about yours but don't belittle me as if you're superior 200 comments on my last post, 80% were thoughtful and introspective, 20% were just weird. If you want me to reply at least try to understand where I am coming from first.

Okay so first lets get into the effective cult leader argument first. From the perspective of an atheist or someone who is Islamic, Jesus was at best, a prophet but not the son of god, and at worst a con artist. The last possibility is he did not exist, however I don't believe this so it's not relevant. (sorry guys it's a post about me I know I'm narcissistic) Now in all religion there's certain universal truths. The general concept is try not to be a dick and try if

Some arguments I have found against Christianity. Its not mine but can you answer them? I have almost lost my faith completely and I do not know what to believe. I am in a research journey.

1. It contradicts itself.

For example, the Bible contradicts itself in the first two chapters by telling two different and contradictory accounts of how the god of Abraham created the world. When you compare the two chapters side by side the narrative is different in both, citing different orders of creation.

2. It contradicts science.

The people who wrote these passages didn't understand the world or how it could come to be, so they filled in the gaps of their knowledge with stories describing how they imagined it should be, like Jacob manipulating the breeding of cattle by carving sticks. They reasoned it to be so, therefore they decided it should be so. Now that we have better tools for examining what we think to be true, we can see that these stories are just stories and not literal truth as so many generations had accepted.

3. It contradicts historical evidence.

The Bible references some historical places and people (we know that Ramses II and Nebuchadnezzar were real people) but the events attributed to them are demonstrably false. None of the pharaohs, for example, kept the entire Hebrew nation as slaves nor held them in captivity to build their pyramids. Archaeological evidence clearly refutes the Bible's narrative.

Just because Tyre and Babylon were real places doesn't mean Nebuchadnezzar's army destroyed Tyre so it would never be rebuilt. Alexander was the only conqueror to breach Tyre's walls, but it still exists today.

Jesus could not have been born before the death of Herod the Great and simultaneously during the Census of Quirinius since Herod the Great died a full decade before the Census took place. But the book of Matthew in the Bible claims that Herod the Great slaughtered the innocent children in Bethlehem to try to kill Jesus and prevent him from claiming Herod's throne while the book of Luke claims Joseph and Mary only traveled to Bethlehem because of the Census.

So those are three ways the Bible contradicts itself and these themes are repeated throughout the entire collection of books. It doesn’t even begin to look at moral contradictions and failures, such as substitutionary atonement.

Even aside from the Bible, Christianity makes claims about the nature of reality and what we should expect to see in the world that simply can't stand u

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a U.S. law enforcement agency that was formed in 2002 by combining several border and revenue enforcement agencies under the newly established Department of Homeland Security. Its mission is to enforce federal laws governing border control, customs, trade and immigration to promote homeland security and public safety.

Recently, some Democratic candidates have laid out arguments for abolishing the agency and a number of others have gotten behind the idea. Here's a full explainer.

President Trump, on the other hand, has strongly supported ICE and said there's "zero chance" of abolishing it.

What are the strongest arguments for and against abolishing the agency? Assuming the US wants to maintain some means of enforcement for immigration and customs laws, what proposals have been put forth to take over the mission of ICE if it were to be abolished?

its as if they are many studies in which they try to prove that Jesus did not exist or that they are just lies/misunderstandings spread by christian tradition.

i know that if I want to have faith, I must not reading them. But I feel that if I do not search both sides, I will have fake faith. Once learned about these arguments, I cant ignore them.

https://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/wiki/historicaljesus#wiki_did_jesus_really_exist.3F

Hey all

I hope you are doing well

Just a question I was pondering in a debate between an evidentialist apologist and a presuppositional apologist. I understood the presuppositionalist to be claiming that one needs to presuppose the Christian God in order to make coherent claims and thoughts regarding the world - which of course the evidentialist rejected.

But I am confused by this line of reasoning.

Even if we grant that one must presuppose a God (rather than any alternative) why does the presuppositionalist apologist argue that this must be the Christian God? Rather than any other theistic or deistic claim? Is this not based on - at the very least - an evidential argument?

Thank you for your time!

Hello, I assume this subreddit is majority atheist, although believing in a God i don’t believe in christianity itself and i am horrified of converting to another religion and finding out christianity is right and being sent to eternal hell. I see a lot of people leave christianity due to abuse from the church or family and use a lot of emotional arguments, is there anyone who has taken an analytical approach to christianity and came to the conclusion it wasn’t the right religion and made you lose faith in christianity or God entirely, what are some of your best arguments against christianity, thank you

Thesis: The Predominant Christian worldview is one of such despair, uncertainty, and extreme consequences that no rational person would ever choose to bring a child into such a world.

I would like to open my argument with a quote by Christian universalist David Bentley Hart talking about the ETC (Eternal Conscious Torment) theory of hell:

> “If he truly thought that our situation in this world were as horribly perilous as he claims, and that every mortal soul labored under the shadow of so dreadful a doom, and that the stakes were so high and the odds so poor for everyone—a mere three score and ten years to get it right if we are fortunate, and then an eternity of agony in which to rue the consequences if we get it wrong—he would never dare to bring a child into this world, let alone five children; nor would he be able to rest even for a moment, because he would be driven ceaselessly around the world in a desperate frenzy of evangelism, seeking to save as many souls from the eternal fire as possible.”

I agree with DBH so much, that I decided to incorporate my knowledge of Anti-Natalist philosophy into an argument against having children given the presence of negative eternal consequences associated with existence in the Christian Worldview. My argument will be directed at Christians who believe in the ETC theory of hell.

The Christian religion is based on the idea that we are inherently corrupt/have a tendency towards corruption and that our choices made under the assumption of free will will yield eternal consequences in the next life. Given this predicament which we are all in, it raises the question of the ethics of bringing another human into existence given the gravity of existence in itself.

Thought experiment on the asymmetry between pleasure and pain

Many Christians like to point out that "yes many go to hell, but there are also many who go to heaven so they cancel out and thus the act of procreation is at the worst, a morally neutral action". But this assumes pleasure and pain are of morally equal worth when they're not.

Imagine you are in a room with two different people. One person is tied down and is being tortured while the other is off in the other side of the room also tied up but not suffering. You have two options, you can either press a button to end the suffering of the person being tortured or you can press a button to give the person not suffering a pleasurable experience directly proportional to the suffering be

I am have been watching a few of atheists arguments and to me it seems like these have less of an issue with admitting that there is a God because...let’s be honest you see all that we have you can’t just say it came from nothing. There I find a flaw already in there thinking there already admitting that there might be a creator (agnostic) however Instead they focus on Gods morality thinking that he is flawed in some way but there are flaws in those arguments already because it seems like half of them haven’t even read the Bible for the arguments they use!?

Greetings to the people here.

I want to completely become an atheist. I've searched "best arguments against God" on YouTube before and I found the search results to be underwhelming. I think YouTube's search results are not the best now days and it's more algorithm focused if that makes sense? Anyway..

The problem of evil never really bothered me as a Christian. Any "Christian destroying YouTube channels" at least that you think are the best?

Whatever. I've heard all the Christian arguments but I was always afraid of the atheist/skeptic viewpoints and wouldn't dare watch them. Give me your best shot! I'm not here to argue.

Thanks in advance.

They said “imagine still believing in monarchism in 2020.” Welp guys this is it, I’m no longer a monarchist, I mean who could ever refute such a logical argument?

I am a Christian and I am starting a bible study series where we are going over defending our faith. In this bible study I am going to teach what I can about other religions and beliefs. I know quite a bit but I know that I don’t know everything. I am also going to go deep into science and philosophy which I also know quite a bit about but not everything.

So basically this post is going to be for anybody who has anything that can help me. If you are not a Christian I would like to hear why and what you would say if you got into an argument with a Christian. If you are a Christian I would like to hear anything you think might be helpful.

So if you think that this is me asking you to basically dis my religion and tell me why it’s wrong, it is.

its as if they are many studies in which they try to prove that Jesus did not exist or that they are just lies/misunderstandings spread by christian tradition.

i know that if I want to have faith, I must not reading them. But I feel that if I do not search both sides, I will have fake faith. Once learned about these arguments, I cant ignore them.

https://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/wiki/historicaljesus#wiki_did_jesus_really_exist.3F

Some arguments I have found against Christianity. Its not mine but can you answer them? I have almost lost my faith completely and I do not know what to believe. I am in a research journey.

1. It contradicts itself.

For example, the Bible contradicts itself in the first two chapters by telling two different and contradictory accounts of how the god of Abraham created the world. When you compare the two chapters side by side the narrative is different in both, citing different orders of creation.

2. It contradicts science.

The people who wrote these passages didn't understand the world or how it could come to be, so they filled in the gaps of their knowledge with stories describing how they imagined it should be, like Jacob manipulating the breeding of cattle by carving sticks. They reasoned it to be so, therefore they decided it should be so. Now that we have better tools for examining what we think to be true, we can see that these stories are just stories and not literal truth as so many generations had accepted.

3. It contradicts historical evidence.

The Bible references some historical places and people (we know that Ramses II and Nebuchadnezzar were real people) but the events attributed to them are demonstrably false. None of the pharaohs, for example, kept the entire Hebrew nation as slaves nor held them in captivity to build their pyramids. Archaeological evidence clearly refutes the Bible's narrative.

Just because Tyre and Babylon were real places doesn't mean Nebuchadnezzar's army destroyed Tyre so it would never be rebuilt. Alexander was the only conqueror to breach Tyre's walls, but it still exists today.

Jesus could not have been born before the death of Herod the Great and simultaneously during the Census of Quirinius since Herod the Great died a full decade before the Census took place. But the book of Matthew in the Bible claims that Herod the Great slaughtered the innocent children in Bethlehem to try to kill Jesus and prevent him from claiming Herod's throne while the book of Luke claims Joseph and Mary only traveled to Bethlehem because of the Census.

So those are three ways the Bible contradicts itself and these themes are repeated throughout the entire collection of books. It doesn’t even begin to look at moral contradictions and failures, such as substitutionary atonement.

Even aside from the Bible, Christianity makes claims about the nature of reality and what we should expect to see in the world that simply can't stand u