Will Ken Lay Go To Heaven?
The smirking scumbag just died.
On a related note, this religious nutter woman keeps writing me about belief in god, telling me all it takes to go to heaven is accepting Jesus as the savior:
It is not only belief in the Bible....it is faith from the heart. Each of us has a sense of God. Believing in him is easy. All he requires is that you believe that he died for your sins. yes even Adolf Hitler can be saved. Even the murderer or adultress.
Even Adolph Hitler can be saved? So, you can murder millions and millions of people, and go to heaven, or, in Ken Lay's case, cause thousands to lose their homes and retirement funds...and all you have to do is give a wee thumbs up to Jesus, and you're in?
Yet, if there's some person who spends their time on earth making it a better place for the rest of us, but doesn't believe without evidence, in this religious hoohah, they'll burn forever?
Who believes this shit?! Well, a whole lot of people, considering the church is pretty much the most successful multinational corporation ever. A lot of sheeple, that is. Come on, it's 2006, wake up and think.
Not all Christians believe that, by the way. My own religion teaches that just because you die, your eternal fate is not sealed. You continue working out the problem of being until you find your way to God. Someone like Hitler has a much further distance to go. And, yes, he will pay for his crimes against humanity. (Not with eternal hellfire, though. I think it's funny that by human standards, torturing anyone in unspeakable agony is considered barbaric, yet God is supposed to consign someone to this for all eternity, yet he's good??? I would beg to differ with that assessment.
Patrick at July 5, 2006 8:03 AM
"Even the murderer or adultress."
Cheating on someone isn't so nice, but putting it in a class with murder is ridiculous.
Lena Cuisina, The Adultress at July 5, 2006 8:49 AM
Well, I guess, in terms of much of Christianity, it doesn't matter what you do as long as you give the thumbs up to Jesus at the end. Convenient, huh?
Amy Alkon at July 5, 2006 8:52 AM
A better question would be "What constitutes 'belief'"?
According to the more orthodox denominations, you have to accept the fact that Jesus' death was to pay the penalty for your sins and everyone else's. Now, what happens, if after lemming-like acceptance of this belief, you get to thinking things like: "Now wait a minute. This doesn't make any sense. Why should someone else have to pay for my mistakes? That seems unjust." Or, perhaps you might wonder, "How does one person's death manage to cover the sins of everyone who's ever lived?" Or, better still, "Why does God require someone else to die for my mistakes? He can't just forgive me?"
Now, after thinking of all of this undoubted heresy, and not coming up with a solution (other than, "Because God said so!"), how can you claim to "believe" Jesus died for your sins?
Patrick at July 5, 2006 9:29 AM
Actually Patrick, most Christian religions belief that God gave his one and only son as a symbol of his love for all people, and as a promise that he would forgive all sin. I personally think that religion is for the weak and narrowed minded, but I came to this conclusion after studying world history and many religions.
Shannon at July 5, 2006 11:51 AM
Even if it existed, an unethical scumbag like Ken Lay wouldn't recognize Heaven.
Lena at July 5, 2006 4:48 PM
>>In terms of much of Christianity, it doesn't matter what you do as long as you give the thumbs up to Jesus at the end.
I know a lot of diehard Christians with this attitude. They think their belief system exempts them from having to have any manners, principles, values, integrity, honesty, restraint, or basic decency towards other people.
I'm sick of the "but I'm a Christian" argument. I've heard it so many times, in defense of so many actions that spiritual people should not have to be instructed on. (Most recently, workplace racism.)
When I was a kid, I was taught that going to heaven was based on belief in Jesus. "We are judged by faith, not by works." But at least they tried to teach us some principles along with it. That component seems to be sadly missing from today's Christianity.
John 3:16 is not a loophole.
Gary S. at July 5, 2006 9:18 PM
When I was a kid, I felt like a bad person, but I knew I wasn't terribly bad. So my goal was to get into Purgatory, and work my way out of it after a while. It was sort of my entry-level Heaven. Purgatory seemed like a realistic goal for a young chubby fag like me.
Remember how the Catholic Church recently decided, out of nowhere, that Limbo doesn't exist? I was flabbergasted. I prayed for the fucking babies in Limbo! I felt really sorry for them! And now they're telling us they were never there. What the fuck?!
I was reading Anthony Appiah on Rene Descartes tonight. It seems like the mind and the body have come a lot closer to each other since the 1600s. Descartes thought the mind existed independently of the body. More and more, science is making it clear that our minds are pretty much a pot of chemicals sloshing around in there.
Let's keep funding those scientists. And letting those priests lick our weiners.
Lena at July 5, 2006 10:43 PM
In early hours, the cause of Lay's death was not announced pending notification of kin. For a few moment there was this fantasy that his death might have been self-inflicted or otherwise induced by shame, regret, or matters of honor. Wasn't that a silly thought?
Crid at July 6, 2006 3:23 AM
Shannon writes:
I beg to differ, but they do not believe anything was "symbolic" about it. Jesus was intended to be a literal sacrifice, to pay the price of all sin, now and forever. As much as your theory is more palatable, Christians do not subscribe to it.
Patrick at July 6, 2006 6:05 AM
Lay died as the result of a long-term, chronic illness (cardiovascular disease). Given that some people live much longer with plaqued-up blood vessels and overworked hearts, the timing of the heart attack is pretty amazing. Many religious folk may take it as a sign of divine mercy, saving him from prison.
Lena at July 6, 2006 8:43 AM
Scott Adams (creator of Dilbert) has a slightly different take on the timing of Ken Lay's death.
Rex Little at July 6, 2006 9:23 AM
There was supposed to be a link to Adams' blog in my comment above. The address is http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2006/07/ken_lay.html
Rex Little at July 6, 2006 9:26 AM
Believe me, that crossed my mind, too. I hope somebody gives him a DNA test before they dump his slimy ass in the grave.
Amy Alkon at July 6, 2006 10:10 AM
And if the DNA test results are questionable, we can always go after Esther Dombrowski in her small apartment in Queens.
Lena at July 6, 2006 10:40 AM
This should answer your question Amy....from a comment on the Dilbert blog.
"There was a brief 'feature' on him (or whatever you call it) on the news when they reported his death. One of the things they mentioned was that he was a devout christian and they showed a clip of him giving (probably) a press conferance saying that he knew God was with him. Maybe God took offence to that and offed him ;)"
Rob at July 6, 2006 10:59 AM
I see the word, "belief", above.
Please take a few minutes to think about how a belief is formed, built upon and defended.
Most people have never thought about it, and it is an illuminating exercise.
Meanwhile, I am glad that Ken Lay didn't decide that his faith commanded him to take others with him, as others have.
Radwaste at July 6, 2006 4:51 PM
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