2. The Companions
Chapter 2 – The Companions
Fluttershy friends stood frozen for a minute, trying to understand what had just happened. Fluttershy, one of their best friends had just run inside the Everfree forest. Where was the scared, low initiative pony they knew and loved?
The first one to snap out of it was Rainbow Dash. She turned back to her friends and said: “What are you guys doing? We have to chase her!” starting to run towards where Fluttershy had disappeared.
“Rainbow Dash, don’t go without us!” shouted Rarity, who went running after her.
“We need to make a plan first!” followed Twilight.
“And what do you plan to do when you get to her?!” asked Applejack loudly, before continuing: “Bring her by force?!”
Rainbow Dash suddenly turned midway, shouting back: “She needs our help! That is the only thing that matters!”
Without losing another moment, Rainbow Dash returned to her chase, going in a speed that was impossible to follow.
Pinkie Pie prepared to go after the duo, when she noticed that Twilight was still frozen in her place. She looked at her with sad eyes, asking: “Hey, Twilight? What’s wrong? We have to follow Fluttershy!”
“It’s… it’s my entire fault that this happened. Why did I allow her to borrow that book? Now she is inside the forest, searching for something that probably doesn’t exist, in a place full of dangerous creatures and monsters...”, answered Twilight, a tear falling from her eyes.
“Twilight, it’s not yer fault” said Applejack, putting a hoof on the back of her friend. She continued: “You could never expect that to happen.”
“Twilight, we can still catch her! Let’s go after them!”,Pinkie Pie shouted while bouncing in place, trying to get her attention.
Twilight shook her head, trying to recover from the shock. She turned her view to Pinkie Pie, then to Applejack… and then to Evangelist. Looking at him, she began to walk towards the stallion, clearly anger in her eyes.
“YOU! It’s your fault this happened!” shouted Twilight in a menacing tone, continuing: “What things have you put into her head?!”
“She made her choice. In truth I tell you I wouldn't be here if she didn't ask for it”, Evangelist answered in a soft voice.
“You took her from us… you sent her to a place full of monsters and dangers! What were you thinking!?” Twilight kept shouting.
“And in truth I tell you: she is far safer there, with the many monsters and dangers that lurk in the Everfree Forest, than here, living under sin and in ignorance of what is going to happen”, Evangelist answered again, this time raising a bit the tone of his voice.
At this point Twilight anger was getting pretty close to explode. “If anything happen to her… I will never forgive you”, she warned, her words cold like steel.
“Should you ever do anything to me… know that I will forgive you”, Evangelist answered with a smile.
“Wha.. What kind of reply is this?!” Twilight shouted, not finding a way to counter it. Who in the world replied a threat like that? “Ah, forget you! Pinkie, Applejack, let’s go after Fluttershy!”
“Okie dokie loki!" said Pinkie Pie, starting to bounce in place again.
“Right after you, Twilight!”, said Applejack, a determined look on her eyes.
Together, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Twilight Sparkle rushed towards the forest, trying to catch Fluttershy and hopefully take her back to the safety of Ponyville and her friends.
Evangelist stood, only looking as they disappeared from his vision. When the last mares entered into the forest, he knelled into the ground, starting to pray: “My lord… I know that the yellow mare will be safe… but what will happen with her friends? Please… look after them.”
Fluttershy ran the further she could inside the forest, before her need of breathing finally catching up with her. Stopping to rest for a minute, her mind started race again: ‘What have I done? I never thought this was actually inside me. As I too reckless? But… he was right. They would try everything to stop me. Oh, I really hope I didn't cause them too much worry…’.
Fluttershy looked back, checking if she had truly lost her chasers. Not seeing anything, she got up and started to walk through the forest.
‘It’s strange…’ , Fluttershy thought, continuing: ‘It seems that the Everfree Forest isn't so terrifying… not like in all those times I visited her before. In fact, I never noticed how different some of those flowers are… some are even kind of pretty.’.
Fluttershy started to daydream as she went through the path, her thoughts only being interrupted when she stepped on a stick or almost tripped at a branch.
The forest was serene: the only sounds that could be heard were of birds and small animals. For a place that was usually regarded as a dangerous and spooky place, the forest was actually relaxing Fluttershy’s body from her previous chase.
As Fluttershy kept going through the path, suddenly a force pushed her with great strength. Fluttershy rolled on the ground, ending falling on her back. She looked back only to see Rainbow Dash and Rarity standing near her.
“Girls, how did you catch me?” Asked Fluttershy, surprised.
“*puff* *puff* I am not called Rainbow Dash for nothing!” said Rainbow Dash, who was catching her breath. Feeling a bit better, she continued: “Anyway, are you nuts Fluttershy? Running away like that?”
“*puff* *huff* Yes, darling. You shouldn't try to do such reckless things without telling us!, Rarity continued, also recovering from the chase. She continued: “Because of you, my hooves are muddy and my mane is full of leaves.”
“I am sorry. But you guys didn't believe me before… you would try to stop me.” Fluttershy answered, looking sad.
“Of course we would!” shouted Rainbow Dash, continuing: “Listen Fluttershy, this is foolish! I already talked with Twilight and she told me that this… book of yours is just a tale, a myth! And besides, why are you doing this? What did this story promise you that would make you risk your own life?!”
Fluttershy stopped for a moment, remembering about everything she had read. She then felt a surge of confidence filling her, allowing her to say everything that was in her heart:
“Rainbow Dash, I know it’s hard to believe… but I felt it. I know it’s true. Listen, Silver Light promises us a refuge from the destroying fire. I read about it, the Celestial City... it will be a place where we will receive eternal life, a place where everything will be happiness. There will be treasures that nopony never touched before. And most important... it will be a place with no tears, because its owner will be there to wipe out each one of them”, Fluttershy answered.
“Wait, there is more”, Fluttershy continued: “But while the promised rewards are many, they aren't the true reason I ran away. Listen, when Silver Light died on the cross... he sustained all of the sins of the world. I read the book and I say, there were many passages who made me feel terrible. But I saw that each of them had been provoked by evil. He didn't just die on the cross; he took the burden of all of the sins in the world! He paid the ultimate price just that you and me could have a chance for salvation. And we never asked for it… he died so that those who believe in him could be saved…”
Fluttershy stopped again, a tear falling from her eyes. She touched her heart with one of her wings before continuing: “I want to see him, Rainbow Dash. To sacrifice yourself to save the whole world and everything that will come after you… is there a greater proof of love? Or kindness? He was the son of The Master, he didn't need to do any of this. But he did. This is why I believe in the book and this is why I believe in him.”
“I believe that he exists… and that he is around the world, somewhere waiting for us to find him”, Fluttershy said, tears starting to fall freely. She continued: “I have to find him. This is the only way we can have a chance at salvation.”
Her two friends could only stare blank as the yellow pegasus made her speech. When Fluttershy finished it, she got kind of shocked: she had never talked so much about herself before. And for the first time… she had finally said everything that was in her heart. She looked at her friends, waiting to see if they finally understood why she believed in the book.
Both of Fluttershy friends stood for a few minutes in silence. Rarity was the first one to say something: “Darling, I am so sorry. I now see why this is important for you.”
Then it was Rainbow Dash turn to say: “Yes, this… Silver Light, is it? That seems like a cool name.”
“So... hum... you guys believe in me?”, said Fluttershy, wiping her tears and giving a smile.
“Hum… nope”, answered Rainbow Dash with a sly smile. She continued: “However I won’t stop you anymore. You must do what you must do.”
“Rainbow Dash… I really wish you would believe it”, Fluttershy said sadly. She then remembered of her vision about the destruction that was coming. Suddenly her face was filled with hope as she had an idea. She said: “Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash! When I arrive at the sacred place I will ask the lord to send you a personal invitation.”
“Well… sure, why not!” answered Rainbow Dash, feeling a bit uncomfortable. She turned to Rarity and said: “C’mon Rarity, let’s go.”
“Wait Rainbow…” said Rarity. She smiled before saying: “I will go with Fluttershy.”
“Are you kidding?” Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief.
“Rainbow Dash… if a place like this truly exists, don’t you think it’s worth trying to find it?” asked Rarity, showing her a wink.
Rainbow Dash quickly got close to Rarity, whispering: “Rarity, do you truly believe in what Fluttershy has said?”
“Of course not, darling” she whispered back, continuing: “But haven't you heard that every tale has a little of truth? Perhaps there is something to be found. And besides… somepony has to go to keep an eye on her, doesn't it?”
Rainbow Dash nodded, agreeing with Rarity. She then gave a few steps back, turning to Fluttershy and giving her a wide smile: “Well, okay then! Have fun with your search guys. I am going to get a cloud, take a little nap, you know?”
“Oh bye, Rainbow Dash. We will see you later!” Rarity said, making a hoof signal to her.
“Rainbow Dash, are you sure you don’t want to come with…” before Fluttershy could finish talking, Rainbow Dash started flying, quick leaving in a rainbow colored flash. Fluttershy could only stare as her friend left the area.
“Don’t mind her, darling” Rarity said, putting a hoof on her back. She smiled to her, before continuing: “Now Fluttershy, tell me more about what we can find in this refuge… especially the treasures.”
Fluttershy eyes got wider, truly believing that Rarity was wishing to learn more. She began to talk about everything that she had read, while Rarity was only nodding with her head.
Together the duo went deeper into the Everfree Forest. Little did they know that their first test of faith was at hand…
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The search continues... For whatever reason, I'm addicted.
960486
Yeah, that was supposed to be only one hundred, but the count was still off. It changes nothing, however.
I simply cannot concieve the idea of any God(s) being accepted in Equestria other than Celestia and Luna.
960468
Thank you for your comment. It motivates me to keep going.
I can smell the hate even before I write this comment, but it's on my read later list. Not even i would touch this topic; I don't have the skills to do it.
Nonetheless, it's on my read later list. Tomorrow I'll see how good you really are LightPony.
960554
I had to fight through something similar with "The Game of Shadows" in order to tell the story I wanted to. Keep fighting!
"Get back on your feet / Get back in the fight / Get back in the ring / And get back in the light
Get back in your place / Get back in the fire / Get back on the stage / You got to get back!"
Pillar
"Get Back"
From "For the Love of the Game"
960527
And so God has been fighting since the beginning of time to be recognized. What makes Equestria any different?
960213
First of all, I've never heard of Craig, Hovind, Comfort nor Cameron before you said I took their arguments.
Second, I HAVE read it.
Third, I am well aware of what the third Commandment is, however, God didn't say to stone people for getting things done on a Saturday, He said to keep holy the Sabbath, not kill people who do something on the Sabbath. The people in Jesus' time were the ones who said to punish someone if they carried a weight heavier than a fig and what not. God didn't tell them "this is what is considered work on the Sabbath" or "stone anyone who works on the Sabbath". He said to keep the day holy, and people took that too far.
To address this:
I've already gone over this in every one of my previous comments: The Bible shows God's progressing relationship with mankind, going from vengeful and bloodthirsty to loving.
>Third, try sitting down and actually reading the Bible. If you can muscle through the painfully long repetition of "X begat Y," you'll eventually find the part where Yahweh specifically commands wars and murder, and acknowledges that he is a vengeful, bloodthirsty god.
On slavery:
You need to re-read my comment, I was talking about how JESUS said to treat slaves when He was asked about it. Also, you are still using the same "Old Testament God was bad" argument for just about everything, and avoiding anything having to do with how Jesus explained the Law and fulfilled it. If you just let them go, then the Romans get PO'd and that just makes things worse for the people who were slaves, and if he said to sell the slaves then that would just be putting them in the hands of the Romans, who treated their slaves like how non Jewish slaves were treated in the Old Testament, if not worse.
Sorry about the formatting of the previous comment, my computer fails me at times. I hope this formats right and is easier to read.
>an infallible God doesn't change His mind
>God's progressing relationship with mankind, going from vengeful and bloodthirsty to loving.
>he was never happy with the stonings and what not
That one still gets a chuckle, thank you. Not just because of being contradictory, but because Bible:
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.
Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
Exodus 31:12-15 KJV, of course, because apparently that's the holiest of holy book translations. But, you know that, having read the Bible, right?
And surely it's just the Sabbath-stick-grabbing. But, wait! There's more!
If you believe now, we'll include orders to kill gays (Leviticus 20:13), apostates, infidels (Romans 1), non-virgin brides (Deuteronomy 22:20-21), witches (Exodus 22:17), less obedient members of the faith (Deuteronomy 17:12), disrespectful chillins (Leviticus 20:9), cheaters and, by extant, people who glance at a woman's ass or tits (Leviticus 20:10). You just pay for the extra rocks! [/Billy Mays]
>avoiding anything having to do with how Jesus explained the Law and fulfilled it
Them's fahtin' wurds.
No, but that's mighty big talk, for a guy who tries to handwave the original topic. You can't pretend it's not important, when the law's still in effect.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Matthew 5:18
Until the world kerplodes in Satanic fire, War, Conquest, Famine and Death ride, and naked people fly into the giant moon bounce in the sky, Christians are still bound by the entirety of the Old Testament. Minus atonement through blood sacrifice, 'cause Jesus joined the SPCA, or something. Feels like I've said this before... Can't remember who with.
>Also, to address the slavery issue, slavery in the Jewish sense is nothing like the slavery most people think of. What God said was that you take care of the person who owes you the debt;
>You need to re-read my comment, I was talking about how JESUS said to treat slaves[Emphasis added for lulz]
*Cough*
>I've never heard of Craig, Hovind, Comfort nor Cameron before you said I took their arguments
Then who ripped them off, that you repeat, I wonder? 'Cause those are the same apologetics their flunkies parrot incessantly, without bothering to look up why they're bad. Seriously, have you never actively sought information on why they don't work? Be honest; I've come to expect this from years of experience, so it won't lower my opinion of you. Like I mentioned, the vast majority of Christians don't read the Bible, so why should I expect extra effort?
Please look things up. If I have to keep doing it for you, Google and Bible Gateway are going to stop taking my calls.
>Sorry about the formatting of the previous comment, my computer fails me at times. I hope this formats right and is easier to read.
Meh. YouTube's done the exact same thing to me, so I know those feels.
Problem with my writing style, I'm not sure if I got to everything...
I'm not going to read this story because I'm not a theist, and I'm not interested in anything associated with religion I am glad however, that the story exists, because I'm sure people will be drawn to it. Christian MLP fans exist, and it's nice to see that there's some authors on here that cater to them. Good luck, you're going to need it.
974036
Not only was that response utterly psychotic, it shows that you weren't paying any attention to the conversation before you decided it was your turn in the spotlight.
961590
IDK if you just didn't post this comment as a reply to mine, or if Fimfiction hates me, but for some reason I didn't get a notification when you posted this, so I am sorry it took me about 5 days to reply.
It appears that we are getting to the point where we could spend a month discussing this without swaying the other's beliefs, and start tossing Bible verses left and right without anyone getting anywhere.
Basically, I'm Catholic, so if you want to know what all I believe and why, I could ge out my Catechism of the Catholic Church and show you all of the Bible references and cross references and other arguments to support my point, but as I said, we could go on for a month at least on this.
Ultimately, your argument is flawed in one respect: If the Bible teaches people to be so violent and hateful, then why is it that the vast majority of Christians believe in showing love to everyone, and not discriminating against anyone regardless of their race, beliefs or sexuality? I understand that there is this stereotype of Christians as hating gays and what not, but you seem to be the kind of person who does his homework, so you should know that those are only a few fringe group "Christians" and that most Christians are against such hate.
960554
I haven't seen the movie, so I'm not entirely sure how these characters are supposed to behave in regards to how the characters do in the movie, but if you are trying to make the characters more like how they are in MLP, then I think Fluttershy converted a little too quickly; It's something that doesn't happen quickly, and for some people, it takes them years to make up their minds on what they believe.
I also think that Rainbow Dash probably would have taken longer to accept Fluttershy's decision. Rainbow would have most likely thought that Fluttershy was crazy at first, and only accepted it after a long time.
Other than that, I'd say so far, so good. I assume that it sounds a bit preachy because that's how it is in the movie, and I can't help but imagine Morgan Freeman as the narrator of the story, so it definitely has the feel of a movie. You did a good job of setting the mood of the story if that's the mood you were going for.
Also, you said that English is not your first language, so considering that, I have to say that there are far fewer grammar mistakes than one would expect.
Over all, good job!
990442
>IDK if you just didn't post this comment as a reply to mine, or if Fimfiction hates me
I don't see a reply tag there. Likely, I managed to delete in in the course of coloring the quote, or some other pre-post editing. Either way, that's my fault, sorry. A bit ironic, though, that changes meant for your convenience wound up hindering you.
Though that's not to say FimFiction hasn't neglected to give me notices, before.
>cross references and other arguments to support my point
And I could do the same. It tends to disagree with itself. But then, we have to remember that my point in first posting was that Fluttershy wouldn't have read, let alone liked the book. The guy that came before you steered us a bit off course.
>Ultimately, your argument is flawed in one respect: If the Bible teaches people to be so violent and hateful, then why is it that the vast majority of Christians believe in showing love to everyone
The flaw is in that argument. I'm a bit of a history buff, in some respects. As such, I remember those rather dark periods where your religion wasn't kept in check by secular law. When Christianity was given free reign, their MO was brutality. The Dark Ages aren't so named because the hippy love-in forgot to pay the electric bill. And beyond that, the witch-burnings in Salem. All of that was not only justified, but commanded in the Bible. It was through secular pressure that it was changed. Those who opposed them were turning away from their book, in favor of reason and observation. As much as your priest may not like to mention, the Muslim theocracies are what you would be, were there not people on the outside whapping you on the nose with a newspaper when you start growling at the mailman.
The fact that only 'fringe' groups of Christians - and the quotes are unnecessary, because they're Christians whether you like it or not - only shows that your religion is slowly dying, its bad information being replaced with what we now know, and it's moral codes being usurped by what modern societies now decide.
990658
I don't know what history books you were reading, but during the Dark Ages, most people in Europe were pagan and still made human sacrifices to gods like Thor (Yes, they DID make human sacrifices; look it up). Christianity was also what basically brought Europe out of the Dark Ages. Literacy and education increased thanks to Christian monestaries, and it is this education, compliments of the Catholic Church, which brought Europe out of the Dark Ages. You can thank Christian monks for preserving pretty much everything we know of Greek and Roman literature, culture, science, etc. You can also thank them for developing the scientific method. Yes, that is right, the scientific method was developed by Catholic monks. Oh, and Don't forget the modern idea of a university (there were universities in the Middle East and China as well, but those focused on things like astrology, and in the Middle East, on the Koran, instead of literature, arithmetic, science, etc.).
Also, you should know that during the Medieval period and the Renaissance, the vast majority of the brutality was being done by the secular leaders, and that they were often in conflict with the Pope because of it. Was there corruption of some people in the Church? Yes, but the same can be said of any group. The witch burnings in Salem, are again, one of the instances of a fringe group that most Christians don't agree with.
If you're going to use the "some people in this group are bad so everyone in it is bad" argument, then let's look at the ONLY instances of unhindered atheism. They include a grand total of nothing but every communist and most fascist governments. Here's just a few examples.
-Hitler: atheist autocrat: tortured, mutilated and killed an obscene amount of people. Why? To further the evolution of the human race.
-Joseph Stalin: atheist autocrat: tortured, mutilated, and killed even more people than Hitler. Why? Because those people either disagreed with him, or they were of no particular use to him, so without a religion to tell him that killing people for no reason is bad, he went ahead and did away with whoever he didn't want around.
*sarcastically* Isn't atheism just great?
>As much as your priest may not like to mention, the Muslim theocracies are what you would be, were there not people on the outside whapping you on the nose with a newspaper when you start growling at the mailman
-Really? The only reason why there is still a concept of a democracy or a republic is because of Christianity. If it were not for those Catholic monks, we would have lost all of those ideas that inspired the founding fathers of the United States (who were motivated by Christianity by the way) to create the first republic since Rome. Additionally, if Christianity is really all for theocracy, then why is it that domocracies and republics are the only forms of government today that the Catholic Church supports? Were there monarchies that the Church supported during the Medieval period and the Renaissance? Yes. Was it possible to establish a stable republic or democracy at the time, considering how things developed during the Dark Ages? No.
I almost forgot. On the original topic, I actually think I agree with you; Fluttershy probably wouldn't like the Bible, except for the Gospels if you exclude where John the Baptist got beheaded, Judas hanged himself, and Jesus' Passion, because I don't think Fluttershy would have the stomach for that kind of stuff. Most people don't convert just because they read the Bible, they usually convert because they know a Christian and like his attitude towards life and other people, so they learn more about what Christians actually believe. This fic is a ponification of a movie, however, so it follows the storyline of the movie, rather than how things might more realistically play out.
990834
>If you're going to use the "some people in this group are bad so everyone in it is bad" argument
Yeah, that's kind of the opposite of what I said. You might remember "the quotes are unnecessary, because they're Christians whether you like it or not," where I called you on something along those lines.
>then let's look at the ONLY instances of unhindered atheism.
I could tell this was going to be failtastic before I even read lower. I could point out that, unlike Christianity, atheism has no belief structure, and that anything an atheist government acts on is either absorbed from the culture around them or the result of human nature. But then, when has that stop Christians from projecting?
>They include a grand total of nothing but every communist and most fascist governments.
Alright, up to this point, I thought you were more or less decent. Not very well informed, naive, and willing to bend the truth a bit to defend your religion, but no worse than any other Christians I've had the dubious pleasure of encountering. But now, holy shit. Apparently, Japan, Sweden, Denmark and Norway fell off the planet while I was taking my lunch. Fun fact: Japan's murder rate, with their 15-25% religious population (.5-2% Christian), is around seven percent of ours, by proportion. Not really related, but I found that very interesting for some strange reason. Odd, that.
>-Hitler: atheist autocrat
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/059/143/Ohwow.jpg
No. Hitler was a Christian. He mentioned many times how much his faith influenced him. "GOTT MIT UNS" wasn't just flashy belly-bling. He pushed, not for evolution, but to bring the pre-existing 'superior race' to power. Sound familiar?
*Cough*Chosen-people-of-Isreal*Cough* Oh, my. Excuse me.
And even if you somehow managed to prove that Hitler was faking it to manipulate the Germans into perpetrating the Holocaust, that only makes your case worse. Either way, Hitler's the wrong way to go in this subject.
Also, the late pope, John Paul II, himself endorsed evolution. Another interesting little nugget, there.
>-Joseph Stalin
Time for a brief lessen on dictatorial communism. In dictatorial communism, the government used under Stalin's reign, the ruler is set up as a mythical, infallible man. This can be seen even today, in North Korea. The ruler is established as a god in human skin. Religion is not abolished, they weren't atheist - you are, instead, restricted to religious worship of the party leader. Religion provided a distraction from your obedient veneration. After all, if everyone can drink poison and live, or command bears to maul children, what's so great about that 'Jo' jagoff?
I was gonna say something... But every time I start to type it, I get the weirdest sense of Déjà vu... Well, until that passes, have a filler quote!
>"some people in this group are bad so everyone in it is bad"
> if Christianity is really all for theocracy, then why is it that domocracies and republics are the only forms of government today that the Catholic Church supports?
>Implying forced religious law relies on a specific governmental structure
>the scientific method was developed by Catholic monks.
And yet, today, they fear it like they fear death, for some reason. Funny, the way the mind of a Christian works.
Poor Fluttershy. So easily brushed aside.
990648
Thanks for feedback.
Anyway, yes, I agree it was too quickly. My first attemp was to rewrote it, add some more details. But you know, perhaps I should have reserved an entire chapter to the conversion... Yeah, that's right! I will make another chapter, like a prologue and then reorganize it.
...Uh, does Fimfiction allow to add chapters before?
About Rainbow Dash decision... in fact, Rainbow Dash thinks Fluttershy is crazy. The only reason she let it go was because of Fluttershy speech. She noticed how important this was to Fluttershy... and thought she could lose her friend if she still refused it. Just like in Dragon Quest: At first she tries to stop Spike, but after hearing Twilight speech, she let him go...
Or maybe she just seemed to let go, and is watching from afar?
Thank you again!
991148
>Yeah, that's kind of the opposite of what I said. You might remember "the quotes are unnecessary, because they're Christians whether you like it or not," where I called you on something along those lines.
I was basically saying the same to you with that line, but I guess the wording made it sound a little off.
Apparently, you've failed to notice the trend in which Japan, Sweden, Denmark and Norway are heading. Is the majority of the population in those countries atheist? Yes. Are those countries enacting more and more policies that seem to be moving them in the direction of communism? Yes. I also think that the murder rate in Japan has more to do with traditional Japanese culture than anything else.
>And even if you somehow managed to prove that Hitler was faking it to manipulate the Germans into perpetrating the Holocaust, that only makes your case worse.
O really? For a history buff you don't seem to know much about WWII, because the German population didn't know what the Nazis were actually doing with the Jews. They just thought that the Jews were being sent off to live in their own little Jewish towns where they would just be out of the way and not bothering anyone. They had no idea that the Nazis were trying to exterminate them, and as a matter of fact, the people were so kept in the dark that the towns near death camps had no idea what was going on there until American troops brought the people there to help clean up the place. There were rumors of death camps amongst the people after the first few were liberated by Americans, but no one believed it because they thought that it would be ridiculous for their beloved government to do such a thing. Needless to say, they were lied to. I have several family members who were involved in WWII, one of which was captured in the Battle of the Bulge and sent to a death camp (he survived and still gets around even though he's about 90 by the way), so it's pretty safe to say that not only do I know about that from history books and such, but I also know from first-hand accounts.
>Time for a brief lessen on dictatorial communism. In dictatorial communism, the government used under Stalin's reign, the ruler is set up as a mythical, infallible man. This can be seen even today, in North Korea. The ruler is established as a god in human skin.
That is actually true for the most part, but you are forgetting that communism is founded entirely on the idea that there is no God. Now for a brief lesson in dictatorial communism. I think you may have forgotten that Carl Marx said "Religion is the opiate of the masses." and that he believed that having a religion was foolish. Carl Marx, Joseph Stalin, Lenin, Kim Jong Il, etc. did not believe in any god. They used leader worship to control the people. In communism the people are taught to worship their leader, but the leader himself believes in no God, and acts accordingly. In communism, the victims are usually the people of said country, so what the masses are taught to believe does not necessarily reflect what the government upholds.
>Also, the late pope, John Paul II, himself endorsed evolution. Another interesting little nugget, there.
>And yet, today, they fear it like they fear death, for some reason. Funny, the way the mind of a Christian works.
-That there is just a failgasm.
For supposedly fearing science like we fear death, I think it's kinda odd that Pope John Paul II, I, and most Christians are totally OK with evolution. I was saying that to state that without us Christians to whack you atheists on the nose with the newspaper, you can take evolution a little too far and try to rush it by killing people. The scientists who did the human experiments for Hitler were mostly atheist, and neither cared, nor believed what Hitler was trying to say about the Bible. Also, for fearing it like we fear death, it's pretty strange that Catholics, as well as most Christians say that science supports the existence of God if anything. As a matter of fact, I met a Christian astrophysicist who gave a talk on the book of Genesis about a year ago, so saying that we avoid science in any way is not only incorrect, but it makes me question your competence, as you are basically just listening to a stereotype without looking at the facts in any way, shape, or form.
>He pushed, not for evolution, but to bring the pre-existing 'superior race' to power. Sound familiar?
*Cough*Chosen-people-of-Isreal*Cough* Oh, my. Excuse me.
-*Caugh*He-was-trying-to-exterminate-the-chosen-people-of-Israel*Caugh*
>Implying forced religious law relies on a specific governmental structure
-You seem to have never read that part of the Constitution where it says that the govt. isn't supposed to make laws concerning religion; its under that thing we call the First Ammendment. I don't know about you, but that seems like a pretty weird way for our Christian founding fathers to set up a theocracy if you ask me.
Now, not to brush poor Fluttershy aside, I must remind you of the paragraph at the bottom of my last comment where I gave my oppinion on that, but since you seem to have ignored it, I'll post it again.
>On the original topic, I actually think I agree with you; Fluttershy probably wouldn't like the Bible, except for the Gospels if you exclude where John the Baptist got beheaded, Judas hanged himself, and Jesus' Passion, because I don't think Fluttershy would have the stomach for that kind of stuff. Most people don't convert just because they read the Bible, they usually convert because they know a Christian and like his attitude towards life and other people, so they learn more about what Christians actually believe. This fic is a ponification of a movie, however, so it follows the storyline of the movie, rather than how things might more realistically play out.
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Ah, I see now. Thanks!
Lightpony, you've inspired me to go and write a fic about Rarity borrowing the Koran. Dunno if she would go with the turban though, I shall need to do some research.
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I inspired someone? That's a new!
Well, if you want some more inspiration, there is this tumblr: Here
I don't follow it, but people seemed to talk good about it on Ponibooru. And the art looked cute. You could check it out.
>Yeah, that's kind of the opposite of what I said. You might remember "the quotes are unnecessary, because they're Christians whether you like it or not," where I called you on something along those lines.
Yeah, I was kinda saying the same to you about atheists but in different words.
>And even if you somehow managed to prove that Hitler was faking it to manipulate the Germans into perpetrating the Holocaust, that only makes your case worse.
For a history buff, you don't know very much about WWII. In case you didn't know this, almost none of the German people acutally knew what was happening to the Jews. The German people thought that the Jews were going off to live in their own "happy little Jew town" where they would be left to do their own thing, and leave the other Germans alone while still contributing to society. (Most Germans thought they needed the Jews because the Jews tended to be well educated.) The German populace was so left in the dark that even towns right by death camps had no idea what was going on until American troops brought the towns people in to help clean up the camps. After the first death camps were liberated by the Americans, there were rumors of what was actually going on, but not many people believed it because they thought it was ridiculous to think that their beloved government would do such a thing.
As far as being Christianity goes, you should look at the statements of the scientists doing human experiments under Hitler. They did indeed want to further the evolution of the human race, and did not believe in God.
Several members of my family were involved in WWII, one of which was captured by the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge and sent to a death camp. (He survived by the way, and he still gets around even though he is about 90.) So it's pretty safe to say that I know what I'm talking about; not only do I have knowledge from history books, professors, and media, but I also heard first-hand accounts.
>Time for a brief lessen on dictatorial communism. In dictatorial communism, the government used under Stalin's reign, the ruler is set up as a mythical, infallible man. This can be seen even today, in North Korea. The ruler is established as a god in human skin. Religion is not abolished, they weren't atheist - you are, instead, restricted to religious worship of the party leader. Religion provided a distraction from your obedient veneration.
Time for a brief lesson in dictatorial communism. Carl Marx founded the idea entirely on the basis that there is no God. The reason why they teach the populace to worship their leader is because they believe that, as Marx himself said, "Religion is the opiate of the masses." Before you try to teach people about communism, try reading the Communist Manifesto, or maybe Das Kapital. The communist leaders themselves do not believe in any god, and as a matter of fact, Carl Marx thought that believing in a religion was foolish.
>Also, the late pope, John Paul II, himself endorsed evolution. Another interesting little nugget, there.
O really? If we really avoid science like how you think we fear death, then why on earth would, Pope John Paul II, most Christians, and myself all accept evolution? I was saying that without us to whack you atheists on the nose with a news paper, you seem to be inclined to speed up the evolutionary process by killing people who you don't consider genetically pure. As for "fearing" science goes, that is just straight up incorrect. I, as well as just about every Christian, believe that science supports the existence of God if nothing else. Heck, I even met a Christian astrophysicist who gave a talk on Genesis at a Christian college. I don't know about you, but Christians are willing to be astrophysicists, I'd say that we aren't very scared of science.
>>the scientific method was developed by Catholic monks.
And yet, today, they fear it like they fear death, for some reason. Funny, the way the mind of a Christian works.
As for the fearing death part, I personally do not fear death, because I know
>> if Christianity is really all for theocracy, then why is it that domocracies and republics are the only forms of government today that the Catholic Church supports?
>Implying forced religious law relies on a specific governmental structure
I think you missed that part of the Constitution where they say that the govt. isn't allowed to make laws concerning religion. It's under that part that people call "the First Amendment". I should also have you know that the Catholic Church supports a separation of Church and state, and even talks about it in the Catechism.
>*Cough*Chosen-people-of-Isreal*Cough* Oh, my. Excuse me.
*Caugh*He-was-trying-to-exterminate-the-Chosen-people-of-Isreal*Cough*
>He pushed, not for evolution, but to bring the pre-existing 'superior race' to power.
Read that sentence again. A "superior race" is what you get when you remove the genetic "impurities", and essentially, initiate social darwinism. (That means evolution, buddy. Congratulations, you proved your own argument invalid.) The Jews were not the chosen people of Israel because they were superior, they were the chosen people of Israel because they were the ones who had entered into the Covenants with God. Jesus' New Covenant, however, includes all people, and does away with the laws that separated the Jews from the Gentiles. Christ came to bring all people, not just the Jews, to Him.
>Poor Fluttershy. So easily brushed aside.
You didn't read the last paragraph of my last post, did you? Well, since you missed my opinion on the original topic I'll post it again.
>On the original topic, I actually think I agree with you; Fluttershy probably wouldn't like the Bible, except for the Gospels if you exclude where John the Baptist got beheaded, Judas hanged himself, and Jesus' Passion, because I don't think Fluttershy would have the stomach for that kind of stuff. Most people don't convert just because they read the Bible, they usually convert because they know a Christian and like his attitude towards life and other people, so they learn more about what Christians actually believe. This fic is a ponification of a movie, however, so it follows the storyline of the movie, rather than how things might more realistically play out.
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>the German population didn't know what the Nazis were actually doing with the Jews
Yet they still had plenty of new recruits to torture them, kill them and experiment them. Oh, but I'm sure they were purely atheist, right? And even if they didn't know what happened in the death camps, they were A-OK with the abuses and oppression occurring right in their own towns, and then in the Jews' locked down prison communities before they were shipped off. I don't know about you, but if the beloved leader started calling an entire race of people rats, vermin and a plague on your people, started stripping away their rights until they're tagged and unable to leave an isolated JewTown, and then he started rounded them up and shipping them off... I'd like to think I'd be a bit wary of our beloved leader. Especially since it was happening to any 'undesirables' around, including blacks, gypsies, homosexuals, the mental ill or deficient and the elderly. But, hey! Forced deportation and imprisonment're just the way shit goes. Not like they're being gassed, so why should we care? The obvious disease and crippling malnutrition, rather hard to hide, is probably just train-lag. Sky-darkening plumes of black smoke, coupled with the acrid smell of burning flesh? Oh, I'm sure that was just all of the old people in Germany dying at once.
And I don't for a second believe anything you put forward as evidence from a relative in the Holocaust. The internet being what it is, everyone seems to have five of them, and a Ph.D. in every relevant field. And you also 'read the Bible.'
>They used leader worship to control the people. In communism the people are taught to worship their leader, but the leader himself believes in no God, and acts accordingly.
So, basically:
"Well...yeah... But OMG no!"
Except that, as we covered, atheism has no belief system and no code of conduct. It can't be used to justify or command anything.
Anything Stalin did came from the culture he grew up in, and him just generally being a dick. His lackies and thugs policing, reeducating and killing the populace worshiped him as an infallible savior.
>most Christians are totally OK with evolution.
Well' okay. I'll give you that.
Oh, wait! That was an ass pull!
While I'm having trouble finding the general numbers, America is somewhere to the effect of 75% Christian, with most denominations accounted for. 46% percent of Americans believe in creationism. Already, the numbers aren't looking good for you. Another 32% chose to go with evolution with a god pulling the strings. Which is just a not-so-sneaky way of saying 'God created us, but really, really slowly.' Only 15% of Americans actually accept the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. Funnily enough, the more religious they are, the more they tend to be creationists.
>you can take evolution a little too far and try to rush it by killing people.
Much like atheism, evolution is not a belief system. Blaming evolution for the doctors killing people is like blaming Germ Theory for giving you the swine flu. A scientific theory only explains how the natural world operates; it doesn't command you to charge in, kill the men, women and children and take the virgins as your wives.
I hate sounding like a broken record with this, but I'm beggin' ya, here: Please look evolution up before you start making arguments against it.
>The scientists who did the human experiments for Hitler were mostly atheist
Quite a feat, given we made up less than 2% of the German people, at the time.
>without us Christians to whack you atheists on the nose with the newspaper
Dohohoho! See, it's funny, cause you took what I said, and showed you have no idea what you're talking about. Never say Christians can't tell a decent joke.
>Are those countries enacting more and more policies that seem to be moving them in the direction of communism?
No. Liberal=/=Socialist=/=Communist
>Christians say that science supports the existence of God
And you know why? Because they don't know what they're talking about. They don't apply the scientific method to the claims of the Bible, they take scientific discoveries and dig through the Bible to find anything that a cock-eyed apologist with too much faith in how poetic he is can read as sounding vaguely similar with the right metaphorical interpretation. In fact, the Bible is so full of scientific flops that it's amazing it can stand on end. Muslims also claim science supports the accuracy of the Koran.
>you are basically just listening to a stereotype without looking at the facts in any way, shape, or form.
>without looking at the facts in any way, shape, or form.
>without looking at the facts
>*Caugh*He-was-trying-to-exterminate-the-chosen-people-of-Israel*Caugh*
Do me a favor, sonny - tomorrow, ask your English teacher about 'drawing parallels.' Then ask them about 'irony.'
>You seem to have never read that part of the Constitution where it says that the govt. isn't supposed to make laws concerning religion
You seem to have never read a newspaper.
>seems like a pretty weird way for our largely deist founding fathers to set up a theocracy
Fixed that, for ya. And isn't that adorable - he doesn't think countries change over time.
>since you seem to have ignored it, I'll post it again.
Actually, when I posted, I didn't see that. In case you're not aware, FimFiction doesn't inform you of edits to comments.
>except for the Gospels if you exclude where John the Baptist got beheaded, Judas hanged himself, and Jesus' Passion
Without a Christian upbringing, she wouldn't be conditioned to skip right to the gospels. She wouldn't even realize the book had that scizoid switch.
>rather than how things might more realistically play out.
Which, as anyone who read my first post would recall, was my problem with the story, and the start of this whole ordeal. But your predecessor seemed to prefer equating 'the Bible' and 'modern Christians,' in spite of how much you've fallen away from the Bible, and only use it as justification. I can't really blame you as much for the subject, though, since it had already shift by the time you got here, as I recall.
Oi, this is a long one.
>they were A-OK with the abuses and oppression occurring right in their own towns, and then in the Jews' locked down prison communities before they were shipped off.
>I don't know about you, but if the beloved leader started calling an entire race of people rats, vermin and a plague on your people, started stripping away their rights until they're tagged and unable to leave an isolated JewTown, and then he started rounded them up and shipping them off... I'd like to think I'd be a bit wary of our beloved leader.
You seem to forget the years leading up to this, in which the people were basically fed Nazi propaganda until it was spilling out of their ears, and if you tried to speak out against it, then the Gestapo "paid you a visit". Hitler was put up on a pedestal, just as communist dictators were. He may not have been worshiped by all, but he was made up to be the "savior of Germany". So, when they saw the oppression and abuse, they either figured that the people who were being abused were "bad guys" or they didn't say anything because if they did, then they woud "disappear".
> I don't know about you, but if the beloved leader started calling an entire race of people rats, vermin and a plague on your people, started stripping away their rights until they're tagged and unable to leave an isolated JewTown, and then he started rounded them up and shipping them off... I'd like to think I'd be a bit wary of our beloved leader.
So would I, but the people were fed lies for years (there IS a reason why the term "Sheeple" exists), and so when the government said that they were isolating the Jews so they could go live in their "happy" Jew town where they wouldn't bother the rest of the Germans, most people didn't question it. Some, however did, and that's where the "rumors", which were not rumors at all but the truth, started. The people who did question the Nazi's actions, and suspect what was actually going on either [again] didn't say anythig because they would get killed too, or they tried starting underground resistance movements.
> Especially since it was happening to any 'undesirables' around, including blacks, gypsies, homosexuals, the mental ill or deficient and the elderly.
You forgot the thousands of Catholics and other Christians who had the balls to point out the atrocities the Nazis were committing and showing them for what they truly are. Hitler actually threatened the Pope with invading Rome and killing even more Christians, especially Catholics, if the Pope didn't stop criticizing the Nazis. The Pope of course said "OK" but that didn't stop him from hiding Jewish refugees from the Nazis in monestaries in the Vatican and continuing to preach against the Nazis anyway, just more subtly. The Pope actually pushed the envelope with Hitler as far as he could go without doing anything that would cause more people to get killed, and Hitler had considered assassinating the Pope several times, and even had a written plan to do so.
>The obvious disease and crippling malnutrition, rather hard to hide, is probably just train-lag.
Civilians weren't allowed anywhere near the death camps, and if you wandered to close to one, you suddenly found yourself as one of the inmates, or you were just shot dead where the guards saw you.
Oh, ok... but NO. I see your sarcasm, but I also am not dumb enough to think that civilians just walked through the nearest death camp on their leasurly afternoon stroll, which is the ONLY PLACE WHERE YOU WOULD SEE THE DISEASE AND THE MALNUTRITION.
>Sky-darkening plumes of black smoke, coupled with the acrid smell of burning flesh?
Ok, you can see plumes of smoke from three to four miles away, but no human could possibly smell the burning flesh from that far away. The people in the nearby towns knew there was something there, but if you notice that there is smoke coming from an area where the military won't let you go, the first thing that pops in the heads of most people is "Oh, they must be manufacturing weapons, or parts for some top secret plane.", not "Oh, they must be killing people over there."
>And I don't for a second believe anything you put forward as evidence from a relative in the Holocaust. The internet being what it is, everyone seems to have five of them, and a Ph.D. in every relevant field. And you also 'read the Bible.'
I could say the same to you.
>Except that, as we covered, atheism has no belief system and no code of conduct. It can't be used to justify or command anything.
Tell that to Carl Marx. And Lenin. And Stalin. And Kim Jong Il... Additionally, it CAN be used to justify moral relativism, because without a God, morality is something that man simply decides for himself, so if a bunch of people decided that murder is perfectly OK, then, with no God to give an objective morality, then there is nothing wrong with that because what is right and what is wrong is decided by man. Atheism may not command anything, but it can most certainly justify everything.
>While I'm having trouble finding the general numbers, America is somewhere to the effect of 75% Christian, with most denominations accounted for. 46% percent of Americans believe in creationism. Already, the numbers aren't looking good for you. Another 32% chose to go with evolution with a god pulling the strings. Which is just a not-so-sneaky way of saying 'God created us, but really, really slowly.' Only 15% of Americans actually accept the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. Funnily enough, the more religious they are, the more they tend to be creationists.
I think you got the wrong idea of what I was trying to say, but that's my fault, so sorry about that. Being OK with something doesn't mean that you take that as your own, it means that you don't have a problem with it, or with people believing it. Of that 46% you will find that there are VERY few of them who would actually try to tell you that you can't believe in evolution and/or you will go to Hell for it. Now, as far as evolution by natural selection vs. by God goes, the reason why I personally believe in God pulling the strings is because if you look at how the fossil record goes, you do not have just a few isolated and random cases of quantum evolution, but it conveniently seems to happen whenever it is necessary (ie. just in time for a species to survive a mass extinction). It's pretty safe to say that you believe in evolution by natural selection, and you know what? I don't have a problem with that.
>Funnily enough, the more religious they are, the more they tend to be creationists.
Hurray for subjective, unfounded assumptions! In case you haven't noticed by now, I'm pretty religious, and Pope John Paul II was even more so, and yet he and I both believed in creation by evolution...Hmm...
>Much like atheism, evolution is not a belief system.
>it doesn't command you to charge in, kill the men, women and children and take the virgins as your wives.
I never claimed that it did, but I think the misunderstanding this time came from you blindly assuming that I think evolution is an evil theory or something. If you believe in no God to tell you that "Thou shall not kill", then it seems reasonable that the only "good" thing would be the advancement of the human species, and what better a way to do so than by speeding up the process of natural selection in order to create a "perfect" master race? Yes, I know, that sounds crazy, but when you have nothing to base your morals on, you get people who come up with crazy stuff like that, and Hitler's scientists were indeed crazy. I wasn't saying that believing the theory of evolution is bad, I was saying that without anything to define a good or bad, you can pretty much do whatever you want for whatever reason you want.
>Quite a feat, given we made up less than 2% of the German people, at the time.
Think about that sentence for a second. The scientists under Hitler weren't exactly a large group of people; a small group of people can consist primarily of a small demographic. There were far more atheists than scientists under Hitler. It doesn't take everyone in the German populace for a select few (ie. the psychos working for Hitler) to do evil things. They say that all that is needed for the devil to win is for good men to do nothing, and in the case of the Holocaust, the Nazis, especially those in the Gestapo, did a very good job at keeping the good men from acting.
>Dohohoho! See, it's funny, cause you took what I said, and showed you have no idea what you're talking about.
Dohohoho! See it's funny, because not only did you completely miss what I was saying, but when you tried to counter my argument, I showed you that you are the one who has no idea what he is talking about.
>No. Liberal=/=Socialist=/=Communist
Yeah, no. Now you're just trying to put words in my mouth. Great Britain and Canada = liberal. Holland = communist. You should visit Holland sometime and try to visit all of the people over the age of 75 in the hospital. Oh, wait! You can't because they just kill them when they're that old instead of treating them! Why? because they are a "burden to society" and they "don't contribute to society"...hmm... I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure Marx used similar justification for killing people...
>And you know why? Because they don't know what they're talking about. They don't apply the scientific method to the claims of the Bible, they take scientific discoveries and dig through the Bible to find anything that a cock-eyed apologist with too much faith in how poetic he is can read as sounding vaguely similar with the right metaphorical interpretation. In fact, the Bible is so full of scientific flops that it's amazing it can stand on end.
Hurray for subjective, unfounded assumptions! Again!
Sorry, but I'm going to listen to the astrophysicist (who is in favor of taking the Bible more literally rather than poetically, by the way) before I listen to some guy I met on the internet when it comes to science and its relation to the Bible.
Besides, look at the laws of thermodynamics. Now, if there is nothing to create matter, then it is not possible for the matter to come into being. I know, that's a very simplistic way to look at it, but when basic laws of science point towards the existence of God...
>Do me a favor, sonny - tomorrow, ask your English teacher about 'drawing parallels.' Then ask them about 'irony.'
No, that was me mocking you for trying to say that Hitler would draw a parallel between his beloved "master race" and the people who he thought were the scum of the earth. That would be like you drawing a parallel between your favorite historical figure and Vlad the Impaler.
>You seem to have never read a newspaper.
I was talking about the values that this country was founded on. If you want to talk about how politicians fail to do their jobs properly, then that would be a very long political discussion, as they fail quite frequently.
>Fixed that, for ya. And isn't that adorable - he doesn't think countries change over time.
Wow, that's a good one! So, you really think that the US government is a theocracy now? Let me guess, you're going to go into one of those crazy conspiracy theory soliloquys about how the president is secretly mind controlled by the Pope.
Last time I checked, for the last oh, what, several decades, the government and the ACLU has been trying its hardest to stop Christians from openly practicing their faith. If we are really in a theocracy, then how is it that a woman can get sued by the ACLU for putting up a cross in her own front yard? (Yes, that actually happened.)
>In case you're not aware, FimFiction doesn't inform you of edits to comments.
Thank you, I was not aware of that. Sorry, my bad.
>Without a Christian upbringing, she wouldn't be conditioned to skip right to the gospels. She wouldn't even realize the book had that scizoid switch.
I don't think you are getting what I am saying. I never said for anyone to skip right to the Gospels, nor that doing so is a good idea, I was simply stating that she would like the Beatitudes, and things like the golden rule, and turn the other cheek, but as I said, I don't think she would have liked reading the Bible, and she probably wouldn't have gotten all the way to the Gospels.
>in spite of how much you've fallen away from the Bible, and only use it as justification.
Haha, ok, that's a pretty funny one. Let's look at reality for a second here. The oldest form of Christianity in the world is Maronite Catholic. The Maronites have not changed their core beliefs in any way, shape, or form since Saint Paul brought the Good News to Antioch, which happened before the writing of the Bible. Now, the Maronites have never strayed from their original, core beliefs in the slightest for the last roughly 2000 years. They have had no heresies, nor schisms in their history. Funny thing is though, they just so happened to have the same core beliefs as the rest of the Catholic Church, despite the fact that they have been cut off from the rest of Christianity for most of their history. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like falling away from the Bible to me.
Now, it appears to me that neither one of us is going to change the other's mind and we are at the point where we are each finding the other's comments to be loltastic, so continuing this argument seems pointless to me. If you reply to this, then good for you, but I really don't care because I'm done with this, and don't want to ague for the next year and a half. As we've aready agreed, we could keep showing eachother references, cross references, make fun of eachother, etc. until the cows come home, but we really wouldn't get anywhere.
So, basically, from this point on, God Bless, and
images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A0PDoV6K.BVQLCgA7DSJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3DI%2Bm%2Bgoing%2Bto%2Blove%2Band%2Btolerate%2Bthe%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701%26fr2%3Dpiv-web%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D33&w=256&h=256&imgurl=i.qkme.me%2F3540lm.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.quickmeme.com%2Fmeme%2F3540lm%2F&size=21+KB&name=im+gonna+tolerate+and+love+the+shit+out+of+you+-+Twilight+sparkle&p=I+m+going+to+love+and+tolerate+the&oid=03b3196008d0f88ddaef3440a02a6371&fr2=piv-web&fr=yfp-t-701&tt=im%2Bgonna%2Btolerate%2Band%2Blove%2Bthe%2Bshit%2Bout%2Bof%2Byou%2B-%2BTwilight%2Bsparkle&b=31&ni=84&no=33&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=115cl74nk&sigb=13svv3dtt&sigi=10kl2o310&.crumb=xhpSzPaZq.2
Still reading still liking. Maybe Rarity will change.