The Mark of the Devil

[Bret]

http://www.boston.com/business/techn...f_enthusiasts/


While this is still in play-time mode pretty soon chips will be able to do a lot more than sign into a computer, give health records, or whatever else. The day a chip iis required for sale transactions is a sad day. While it might help to ID the "anti-Christ" usually prophecies aren't found or understand until after they happen. I'll be on the look out, and if it so happens to be during my time that these chips are required I will rip it right out of my skin.

Not to mention personal information would be on these chips. I mean, with all the work I've done on computers (not much) I know that no matter how hard anyone tries to secure something there will always be someway around it. So, with that noted; people could very well steal people's money a lot easier.

[AZN_FLEA]

interesting. but why do you link this to the mark of the devil '666' anyway? there is no hints about it doing transactons for you, although it is a possiblity.

maybe you are being paranoid

[Venice_native]

It is just like having a wallet. Wallets can get stolen, there goes your identity. Putting a chip under your skin might be a bit harder to remove than a wallet.

[Neolch]

You don't have too much to worry about.... tecnology.... is... our.... friend...... Tecnology.... is..... the future...

Really though, this may be a small problem. When the power goes out, or electricty gets cancled out, your chip may die. When that happens we can't open our doors, our cars, buy food, or maybe even access our bank acount. This may become a problem one day.

[Bret]

Or, any EMP might short the chip. There small natural EMPs that exist and could damage which would lead to problems. ID theif can still happen without stealing someone's wallet. There will be devices to access these chips and steal their information. You know that people are usually one step ahead of the game.

Back on topic:

The chips and something with a marking of 666 is mentioned in the Bible. And it is through these chips that the anti-Christ could be found. Are we getting closer to the end?

[Venice_native]

I don't think you have read to much into this, have you? The Bible says, that a leader will come, and promise good hope, and once he is an elected leader, he will place the mark of the beast [666] on peoples right hands. From this the rapture will come and so on.

Now, even if you believe in Biblical Superstitions [I for one do not], this isn't good enough grounds to declare the rapture. Maybe, once all people are required to have one of these, and has some satanic references to it, it can be declared somthing far worst. For now, consider it a nice break in technology.

[Bret]

Its not superstition, its stories.

Originally Posted by Revelation Chapter 13

1 And now in my vision I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were names that blasphemed God. 2This beast looked like a leopard, but it had bear's feet and a lion's mouth! And the dragon gave him his own power and throne and great authority.

3I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery--but the fatal wound was healed! All the world marveled at this miracle and followed the beast in awe. 4They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they worshiped the beast. "Is there anyone as great as the beast?" they exclaimed. "Who is able to fight against him?"

5Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do what he wanted for forty-two months. 6And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and all who live in heaven, who are his temple. 7And the beast was allowed to wage war against God's holy people and to overcome them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. 8And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb who was killed before the world was made.

9Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand. 10The people who are destined for prison will be arrested and taken away. Those who are destined for death will be killed. But do not be dismayed, for here is your opportunity to have endurance and faith.


The Beast out of the Earth

11Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, and he spoke with the voice of a dragon. 12He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and those who belong to this world to worship the first beast, whose death-wound had been healed. 13He did astounding miracles, such as making fire flash down to earth from heaven while everyone was watching. 14And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people of the world to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. 15He was permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.

16He required everyone--great and small, rich and poor, slave and free--to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. 17And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. 18Wisdom is needed to understand this. Let the one who has understanding solve the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is *666.

* Some manuscripts read 616.

[Venice_native]

It is 616 or 666, it is just how you interpret the Bible. Wether or not you consider it to be superstitions, you are still worrying about something that has no real evidence behind it, except that it appears in a book.

[Neolch]

You don't have much to worry about, if the 'anti-christ' comes, you'd be long dead so it aint so bad. 'Let the future deal with the mess of the past'

[Venice_native]

Unless the anti-christ were to come in his life time. Then he might have a few things to worry about.

[Pale_Horse]

LOL! I can see people running around with severed hands for identity theft. Also no one mentioned the fact of implant rejection, or, that their is no way everyone in the world would get this done. For god sakes theirs tribes in other countries that have barely seen technology.

Onto religion, a chip is a far cry from end of the world or whatever. The day, god comes down and slaps me and says get with the program, or the dead rise and consume us all, seems more realistic of the end of days to me.

[Гражданин СССР]

This is exactly the kind of superstition that forced human civlization to remain in the Middle Ages for several centuries more then was needed.

[Bret]

What religious text held people back? lol I don't think so. You know. There was a time when people rode on horses and not cars! Oh man, it MUST have been because of the Koran, or the Bible, or other religious text.
Yes, just because of stories of values kept people back. As if not having these stories would advance people thousands of years into the future.

[Venice_native]

Well, with our decreasing moral values, we are improving on our technology quite a bit. So there is some truth to what he said.

[Гражданин СССР]

Originally Posted by PauseBreak

What religious text held people back? lol I don't think so. You know. There was a time when people rode on horses and not cars! Oh man, it MUST have been because of the Koran, or the Bible, or other religious text.
Yes, just because of stories of values kept people back. As if not having these stories would advance people thousands of years into the future.

The church kept people back, the inquisitions, the control of the church over people's daily lives. Progress was discouraged because the clergy men were enjoying their seat of power too much. Its easy to contoll an uneducated populace with magical fairy tales like in the bible, it gets a bit harder once the populace becomes educated atleast to a degree. If not for Luther starting the reformation of Christianity we'd still be riding horses and living in a feudal system sponsored by the church. I am not saying that Luther was not religious, but his way gave more power to the monarchs and that lead to a lot of monarchies switchin religion and releasing themselves from the yoke of the Catholic church. That was the first baby step towards democracy and technological progress since although most of the new "free" (as in free from the church's oppressive yoke) monarchs were just as oppressive as the church they did not try to controll the daily lives of people as much as the church, this lead to progress. I mean look even in Italy where Renaissance began, all of it only happened because the Church's oppressivism was reduced due to a series of more secular popes.

[Bret]

@ Venice, well yes as our morals go down we are not so scared to do things normally considered profane or immoral. That's not a good thing though.

I'm not going to even read any further into what CCPX XP said, of course the inquisition held people back....it killed them.
So, after the power whores from the church were removed and people starting reading the Bible on their own, after Martin Luther gave them that chance, did the ball start rolling again. You forgot to mention that it was the church that was charging people the 'right' into heaven. Money had its part to play.
And no our technology isn't that great, I mean come on, we are still using wires to our house to get electricity. If anyone read what Nikola Tesla did he literally tried and create pylons like in Starcraft for free safe and clean energy. But the powers that be had their say in it. And the power that be always answer to one god, money. No, it was religion that kept people in the dark it was power and greed for money.

[Гражданин СССР]

Wait, you know any better technology? Human civilization has been going through one technological revolution after anohter for the past 200 years. Industrial, aviational, nuclear, digital, we're about to go through another revolution the nano technology. Either way, after Martin Luther came not everybody started being free and happy and all that stuff (who really is now?), but it was the first step. Martin Luther hated the common man and expressed it execively in his writings, but what he did was give basis which monarchs could use to separate themselves from the Catholic church, after they did that they were still oppressive but they did not wish to control the lives of the people on the same scale as the Catholic church did, either way, after a series of wars between protestants and Catholics it was decided that the religion of the monarch is the religion of the nation it was centuries before average people became free to form their own opinions. I repeat Christianity was used as a tool of oppression, that is a fact, but its not because of christianity, its simply the purpose of any religion from the beggining of time even in ancient Summaria a hierarchial social structure was backed up with a religious philosophy. Priests were the kings and they ruled the people. Same think happened with Christianity which first the Roman Emperors used to justify their hold of power in the nation (the devine right), before Christianity Romans were using a pagan religion to the same exact effect. Catholics did the same, Muhammed's followers did the same, through out the ages control of the masses has been the sole purpose of religion. You want to proove me wrong, go ahead, try, but i'd like to see some historical facts.

[Bret]

Why? You make up facts as you go along. Its pointless for me to even try and argue with you.

[Гражданин СССР]

Eh, i don't make up facts, i remind you of facts you can learn by studying a little world history. And your statement that its pointless for you to argue me only demonstrates that you have no argument to begin with, not a single fact that supports your naive beliefs.

[Tipsy]

I just wanted to comment on a few things Kuzmich said about the Catholic Church.

Originally Posted by Kuzmich

I mean look even in Italy where Renaissance began, all of it only happened because the Church's oppressivism was reduced due to a series of more secular popes.

Wouldn't it be more accurate to say 'a series of religious popes' rather than a 'series of Christian (in the sense of following it) popes'? The popes that wishes to live their religion by promoting Christian values, one of which would be basic tolerance of other religions. What I am saying is that, isn't it more accurate to say that it is because of the popes that promoted Christianity for what it is rather than the popes that, as you put it, the popes "enjoying their seat of power too much" and "use[ing] as a tool of oppression."

Originally Posted by Kuzmich

I repeat Christianity was used as a tool of oppression, that is a fact, but its not because of christianity, its simply the purpose of any religion from the beggining of time even in ancient Summaria a hierarchial social structure was backed up with a religious philosophy.

(This is just commenting on the second part, the first is just included to leave the quote in context.)

Wouldn't it once again be more accurate for the most part to say that rather than 'the purpose of any religion' was to be used as a tool of oppression, to say that most political bodies adopting a religion was for political gain?

I'm not denying the fact that the humans in charge of spreading God's word in my church aren't perfect, the fact that they aren't and have said they aren't is actually an appealing aspect to me, but I must say, the extreme of saying all religion is created (key word) for political power seems to be a bit of an exaggeration to me.