Your Questions on Christianity Answered

reply to post by pplrnuts


Where on this post did you see that.

I believe Jesus sacrifice is absolute for all, though his life God gained compassion for us all.

As long as they never went against the Holy Spirit. I.E. Evil for Evil sake.

It's all forgiven.

Though I do believe that Bible is the truth and is the best guide to live a good life.

funny post, like people of today... i have questions, here are some of them:

...nazca lines?
...piramids around the world?
...puma punku?
...summerian tablets?
...egyptian hieroglyphs in grand canyon?
...tiahuanaco?
...bosnian piramids?
...black jesus?
or just
www.s8int.com... cos i am tired...

reply to post by bobbobulau


Do you ever stop and think "i could be lying to people"?

I mean you talk about Hell and God as if you know. As if you know at the source of this universe is some omnipotent being. What if you're wrong. I mean i know the bible says so, and the priests urge it so, but how do they know? How did the first preist know?

Bhuddism states reincarnation is the truth, and im sure a Bhuddist will just be as convinced as you are about Christianity - so what if? What if you're wrong about the creator of this reality? What happens if there is no creator, and reality is inifinity?

I'm Agnostic Atheist, but i don't make any claims before having evidence, i can only do so on the basis of evidence. This way, i don't have to worry that i'm lying to children and other adults. I don't think faith is a virtue so i wouldn't ask someone to believe without evidence.

Jehovah is Jupiter - who Enlil. In fact, the word Jeu means Heaven/Sky and Piter means Father if I am not mistaken, thus rendering Jupiter as "Heavenly Father".Jesus Christ is based Julius Caesar, to cover up the story of Yeshua, who was hanged as a sorcerer in the Talmud. - The Bible is a collection of older stories, the OT largely based on Sumerian lore, which Akhenaten (Thutmose) plagerised when he faked his death and left Egypt under the guise of Moses - which is why Israel is name made up of three Pagan Deities Isis, Amen Ra, and Elohim. Which is why you say, "Amen" at the end of prayer, not Amein.

Solved. lol

Originally posted by Agree2Disagree

I don't have an extreme amount of information on the noncanonical texts but I have a sufficient amount I suppose. As far as any more or less Christian than the canon, from what I've gathered, they appear to be more gnostic than anything.

In order to answer your last question...I request specific "christian movements". I don't completely understand the question so just clarify it for me if at all possible. Thanks.

A2D

"Gnostic" is a term recently assigned to many different types of Christianity, like Valentinians, Thomasines, Sethians, etc. It would be like equating Snake Handlers and Unitarians just because they're not Catholic.

For the second part, there were groups who agreed with the canon, but were deemed heretics because of variations on interpretation of the scripture, like Donatism, Palagianism and Arianism. I guess my question has more to do with the larger context of the religion. As Christianity started, it was a religion of martyrs. They were persecuted, just as Christ was. They were outcasts who thrived on not being part of the mainstream, which is what defined Christianity. They sacrificed their bodies, as Christ did, in order to be more like Christ.

As Christianity became the primary religion of the Mediterranean, Christians could no longer sacrifice themselves to an oppressive power as Christ did, so they took on other means of bodily sacrifice in order to become more like Christ without being persecuted. Early ascetics, for example, were famous for self abuse, such as living in caves, chaining themselves to rocks, wrapping sharp reeds around their bodies or extreme fasting to the point of near death in order to reach the level of the perfect Christian.

Because many of these movements were halted before they were allowed to gain full steam, many of the earliest philosophical concepts of Christianity died off. Do you think that the Arians or the Palagians had acceptable ideas of Christianity, or was the Church right in deeming them heretical, knowing full well that if these branches had been allowed to continue, modern Christianity might have a very different form than it does today?
(Keeping in mind that if these concepts were allowed to thrive in their time, the Protestant Reformation might have never been necessary)

reply to post by purplemonkeydishwasher


Even if you account these scriptures as historical and accurate, the inference to the "almighty" isn't any more verified - "The bible says so, it must be true". There's no historical proof of such truth.

Now, more than ever we have much greater truth to uncover regarding the universe, and it isn't no mystical human babbel, it's actually publically verifiable evidence - I feel a warmth that 2000 years from now, a human may be able to verify some of Stephen Hawkins claims with evidence that was around at the time such as the Hubble Telescope Deep Field Image.

2000+ years on from the birth of "the son of God" we have nothing to work with - neither evidence of the son or the God. And still the omnipotent "theory" still remains to be seen. The epicurean paradox still stands true. And also the Euthyphro dilemma still is testing the theist to this day.

I would even grant a believer that prophets and "GODs" throughout history may actually have been "alien astronauts" or such like...this still doesn't prove an omnipotent being created reality/the universe. All it would prove is that E.Ts visited earth, and humans vastly anthropomorphized the account - Especially when language was early in it's development, and humans looked to animals to describe things.

Originally posted by Agree2Disagree
I think it's sad that any faith could be used as a scapegoat for such selfish agendas.

But early Christian government didn't exactly use Christianity as a scapegoat. Instead, it was the desire of the faithful to spread their ideals. If Christianity was only a governmental tool used by the Romans for expansion, then the empire wouldn't have taken as much of a territorial loss as it did when Christianity gained popularity. It was, in fact, the desire for the Church to maintain the "right" Christianity.

As for violence caused by the expansion of Christianity...I think you're a little misled. Humans as a whole have a hard time accepting difference. This inability to cope with difference is what gives way to violence, not the difference itself.

A2D

I guess I can agree with that. I am a little concerned with the level of difference that was required for violence to ensue. The Donatists, for example, had the same canon as the Catholic church, and the same interpretation. The only variation was whether traditors who submitted holy books to the Romans during the persecution should be allowed into the clergy. This resulted in death, destruction and all types of harm from both sides. Here, it was critical what the difference was, since it hinged on who was authorized by God to perform sacraments.

reply to post by SorensDespair


"Gnostic" is not a term exclusive to Christianity or any religion.

Gnostic literally means with knowledge, or knowing.

Quite ironic that the Theist asserts that he/she "knows" without having any evidence. I don't think it is a wise move to claim to "know" on the basis of faith. Faith is the most overrated of the "virtues"

Again, i urge that i am a GNOSTIC Atheist for the above reason;-

As i believe every human, including Theists, do not have the knowledge as to the source of reality/the universe/all that is - when someone begins to define God (religion) i become a Gnostic Atheist.

Peace

reply to post by awake_and_aware


Oh, I'm totally aware of what "gnostic" means. I just hate it when people dismiss early "gnostic" Christianity as if it doesn't matter, when, in fact, some of it the most intellectually stimulating and philosophically acceptable methods of interpreting scripture.

Keeping in mind that there are as many gnostic schools as there were Christian philosophers interpreting scripture. It's just like Catholicism dismissing all protestant churches because they don't adhere strictly to Catholic tradition. The protestant dismissal actually kind of ironic.

Why should we believe the bible? How can we assure the accuracy of its metaphysical claims when it got so much wrong about the physical world?

reply to post by traditionaldrummer


What metaphysical claims do you mean, specifically?

My issue is slavery. I know Christ spoke of returning a slave to his master. Why would he not have used the occasion to say that slavery is wrong and spell it out in that way?

Originally posted by SorensDespair
reply to post by traditionaldrummer

 

What metaphysical claims do you mean, specifically?

Oh, you know. Heaven, hell, divinity, all the stuff in Revelations, etc.
---

Originally posted by traditionaldrummer

Oh, you know. Heaven, hell, divinity, all the stuff in Revelations, etc.
---

Heaven is just the "Kingdom of God", which is really just an ideal state of living. Not too metaphysical, more philosophical (became metaphysical when people began interpreting it that way)

Hell is never really mentioned in the bible. At least not in the way it's interpreted now. It's an adaptation of the afterlife that was incorporated from Greek mythology.

All the stuff in Revelations is just a historical apocalypse describing the Roman Empire's destruction of Jerusalem. It was purposely written in vague symbolism so that John, the Jew who wrote it, and the Jews who read it, wouldn't be persecuted by the Romans who didn't get (or care) about the symbolism. Not a prophesy.

Divinity, well, that's all for the individual to decide.

reply to post by SorensDespair


So what you're essentially saying is that the bible is not believable.
I can go with that.

reply to post by ShakeNBake


I like your post and your proposition, I do have extensive Biblical Knowledge and study for several decades so if you need any help in answering anything feel free to call on me for my help or opinion.

I am a Bible believer but not Jewish or christian but I do attend a Messianic Jewish Congregation. Last night we held our Passover Seder. I would be happy to help in any way if you should need it.

God Bless for trying to allow real concerns and questions to be asked and possibly answered. I would avoid the strife and those who just seek to call names and refuse to even consider the possibilities. But by all means answer those who earnestly seek and ask good questions...

reply to post by aboutface


This statement refers to the mind and thoughts, generally we put our faith in the mind and our thinking ability.
We believe the mind is the master.
When the truth is seen the mind becomes the 'slave' to the true master.

Originally posted by HomerinNC
I can tell you, many people that profess to be 'Christians', arent. They're hypocrites. They hold people in judgment, look down on them and think theyre better then everyone else.

Christ said, "Judge not, lest ye be judged, and the measure you judge with on earth, you will be judged with in heaven," (Matthew 7:1,2)

Aren't you passing judgment on these "Christians" by calling them hypocrites? Aren't yo lookin down on them thinking you're better than them because you are not a hypcrite? Just point out the obvious....

A2D

Originally posted by naeem11111
reply to post by ShakeNBake

 

True or false
The Bible was written by men, to control men. Just as the Torah, Talmud and the Quran.
Most Christian's claim to be LIKE Jesus of Nazareth but do the complete opposite.

I will ask more after your reply.

-Naeem

False

The bible was written by men - true.
The bible was written to control men - false.

Here's the whole pickle...The bible was written by men, inspired by God, for the use of men to understand to the best of their ability God's laws and supra-nature. The fact that it has been USED to control men, does not man that it was CREATED IN ORDER TO control men.

Take this for example.

I use a piece of chocolate to manipulate my child into cleaning his/her bedroom.
Does this mean chocolate was invented for this sole reason?
No, it does not.

A2D

Originally posted by ShakeNBake
There are many out there who don't believe in God, and believe that there are contradictions in the Bible and so on. I would like to answer those questions to the best of my ability. Please post all your questions, and I will do my best in the next few days to answer them all.

Thanks ATS

Well it's been four pages already and you haven't answered one, I note the usual suspects are sniffing around and my BS meter is on high.

Think I'll save my questions for when you decide to show up preacher boy.