Christianity, Control, and Fear

hahahaha. naughtbob you didn't even go over my points, you said the same EXACT thing as you did in the op. you have to be a spammar looking for flame bait.

i'm done in here.

this is a joke. take care op, seriously.

Originally posted by Naughty B0B
Those are some nice interpretations of the bible. It makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside when you pretend that it all makes sense doesn't it?

Nope. They are the hard cold facts.

Originally posted by Naughty B0B
You're okay with children in the world being raped, tortured, and killed, all for some imperfect guy that God created, according to a man-made book. How about this? A child dies every 5 seconds from hunger. There's a truth for you.

Who says I'm okay with children in the world being raped, tortured and killed? I never said that. Why do you do that for?
What about personal responsibility from people? It isn't God that does that stuff it's people.
And the Bible isn't a man made book. God wrote it through prophets and the apostles of Christ. Historians and critical scholars believe the Jesus rose from the dead.

Originally posted by Naughty B0B
Evil, suffering, and millions of people being eternally burned in hell is allowed as punishment for a man that ate from a tree. Anyone that believes that should really get their head checked.

It's the humans bad choices that got us into this problem.

Originally posted by Naughty B0B
God could've just simply not created the magical tree in the first place. Let's not get into free will either, especially when talking about an all knowing God. An all knowing God would've foreseen and could've prevented the very fall of humankind and the punishment afterwards. He could've prevented Jesus from having to be beaten and nailed to a cross. He also could've prevented all of the suffering and all of the people that will go to hell for something that God could've prevented in the first place. Nice belief you've got there.

God didn't want robots. Sure, He knew what was going but He still wanted His creation to willingly love Him.

Originally posted by Naughty B0B
Your belief, along with millions of others, was created to help comfort us with our fear of death. It's as simple as that. While you're preaching until you're red in the face about how Jesus is the truth, another guy in the world is preaching about how his God is the one true God. What can we gather from that? That no one knows the "truth". Stop pretending that you do.

I don't have to fear death even if I wasn't a believer. Death is part of life.
Jesus is the only religious leader to be raised from the dead. That is historical and backed up by historians and scholars.
Jesus is the truth because He rose from the dead.

Originally posted by Naughty B0B
Everything people believe when it comes to death is what people want to believe. People are willing to believe and follow anything that makes them feel better about death, even Christianity. Accept that we don't know. Accept that people have been controlled by Christianity, and continue to be controlled by it. Accept that people are scared into following the bible through the fear of death, the devil character, and hell. Accept that some people don't like to take responsibility for their own actions, so they use the devil as an excuse. Accept that people blamed anything they didn't understand on God or Satan because we were ignorant at the time. Accept that we are still ignorant, which is made evident by people like you that still believe in this outdated nonsense. Accept that the bible has been messed with, retranslated numerous times, and interpreted in thousands of different ways. Why anyone would have any faith in it whatsoever is beyond me.

We don't die when we have Christ. We live on when we are resurrected.
Scholars and historians believe in the Bible. Archaeologist believe in the Bible. The Bible has not been messed with. What we have today is the same as they had back then. The oldest New Testament text is the same thing we have today. The basic doctrines of Christianity are agreed on by Protestants. There's nothing wrong with retranslating. Have you taken the time to read what scholars and historians have to say about the Bible? They say it's very reliable.

Originally posted by Naughty B0B
If you can't accept any of that, and can't even question your religion and its flawed book, then you aren't worth anymore of my time. You will continue to be controlled and live your life in fear.

Sure I've questioned it because I wanted to know for sure if it was true. Jesus's resurrection is a historical event that historians and scholars have verified.

Originally posted by Naughty B0B
Here is a link that shows a good amount of contradictions in the bible btw www.infidels.org...

All those contradictions are out of CONTEXT.

I don't know why your so hostile towards God when He sent His Son to die for your sins. Jesus gave us a choice to believe in Him or not in John 3:16
and it's our choice to choose. God or the devil doesn't force us. It's our choice.




[edit on 7/30/2010 by texastig]

reply to post by Jovi1


It's my opinion. I never said that I knew the "truth". I'm not here to think up new ideas. I'm here to attempt to get anyone to question their beliefs. People like you have shown me that it's a very hard thing to do. But maybe, just maybe, there's someone on here that will question something they believe because of threads like these. I don't count on anyone ever openly admitting it if it did happen though.

Have you questioned your beliefs? Do you continue to question them? I don't know if there is a God, but I can admit when things just don't add up. I can admit that I don't know. Can you admit that? Or has your God threatened you if you do?

To me, one of the worst things about Christianity is that you aren't supposed to question or disbelieve it. It rewards ignorance. It controls people. It's taught as the one and only truth. The non-believers are wrong and not getting tickets to heaven. Religions aren't made to change. Science doesn't have all of the answers and no one claims that it does. When proven wrong, it at least can be changed and improved.

I can admit that the big bang theory is hard to believe, but it makes more sense to me than a being that created everything out of nothing, has always existed, is all loving (even though he allows evil and suffering to exist, and sends people to a hell that he created as punishment, that he could've chosen not to carry out, for something he could've prevented.), is all knowing (even though he couldn't or chose not to prevent the fall of humanity and the suffering afterwards), is all powerful (even though he can't or chooses not to destroy the devil), is everywhere (including the room where a child is getting raped and killed).

"There are over 85,000 registered religions. Do you know what that means? That means somebody's wrong. There are gonna be a bunch of us sitting in Hell one day asking each other 'Who did you think it was?'" -Billy Gardell




[edit on 31-7-2010 by Naughty B0B]

reply to post by Naughty B0B


Again you assume, you know what goes on in other peoples lives. If you don't question your beliefs you will never grow, you are supposed to question them. Do I know for certain with any degree of proof you would accept? No. With my life experience and the things I have been through, I can say yes he is there and willing to move in my life in ways often unexpected and seldom understood. So for me as subjective as it is he has meet enough proof to satisfy me. God doesn't threaten me for questioning or having my doubts at times doesn't punish me for it either.

Christianity doesn't force anyone not to question their faith, it isn't a prison. Do not mistake other peoples laziness or inability to think it out for themselves as a rule that is passed down. I have yet to see an ignorant person rewarded for their faith. Most social constructs can be used to control people this isn't a religious exclusive deal, whatever the particular ideology is.

Of course Christianity claims to be the right and only way, so does every other faith out there. It goes with the idea that we are following the teachings of Christ and well that was one of his teachings. What else would you expect? Do some people go overboard with it?

Yeah id agree with that. My personal stance is if you want to ask me about what I believe I will happily discuss it with you. It is completely your choice as to whether you believe it or not. I'd rather let my example show others the way than tell them that they are stupid, ignorant and wrong.

As far as the suffering and everything we deal with as a society. Could God make it all perfect? Certainly, but the thing is we do not know what the ultimate design is we do not know the purpose for it. I wish I could tell you I know why, I cant all I can do is whatever is in my means to help ease as much of it as I can where I can.