How much is lying a part of Christianity?

Started by Jagella, March 08, 2020, 05:01:50 PM

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Cassia

Quote from: Baruch on April 06, 2020, 10:23:51 PM
All scripture is about "a better story".  The Bible was informally amended after the canon was closed.  And Churches reinterpret the Bible as they will.

Since Jesus supposedly led a completely unrealistic and totally symbolic life and has so many attributes of many supernatural characters that came before him, I doubt much of anything written about him is true. The earliest writings are simply “revelations” that came to Paul; there is little about a worldly man, his family or his humanity. Oddly enough as the decades pass early Christians (who were not witnesses to any of it) wrote allegorical details in the gospels as they incorporated concepts from their conqueror’s religion of Zoroastrianism and the several prevalent Mystery cults into their baseline Judaism.  Jesus’s life mirrors Moses (another fictional character). Many times early on they wrote about how the world would end and Jesus would return during their lifetime. Of course, that failed and then the early church starts assembling a longer term story. The authors of the gospels were skilled writers, no doubt.

Baruch

#136
Quote from: Cassia on April 30, 2020, 12:14:42 PM
Since Jesus supposedly led a completely unrealistic and totally symbolic life and has so many attributes of many supernatural characters that came before him, I doubt much of anything written about him is true. The earliest writings are simply “revelations” that came to Paul; there is little about a worldly man, his family or his humanity. Oddly enough as the decades pass early Christians (who were not witnesses to any of it) wrote allegorical details in the gospels as they incorporated concepts from their conqueror’s religion of Zoroastrianism and the several prevalent Mystery cults into their baseline Judaism.  Jesus’s life mirrors Moses (another fictional character). Many times early on they wrote about how the world would end and Jesus would return during their lifetime. Of course, that failed and then the early church starts assembling a longer term story. The authors of the gospels were skilled writers, no doubt.

"Danger, Will Robinson!" - robot from original Lost In Space TV show ... you know more than most clergy!!

Correct, the gospel writers were "anonymous" with names attached many decades later by the Church.  Most show show signs of careful composition by people much more educated than Galilean fishermen.  Paul was quite educated himself.  The Last Temptation of Christ has Paul meet a very living Jesus (living with Mary Magdalene), with Paul clearly shown as a snake-oil salesman.  The fictional Jesus is a far better sales pitch.  That meme is one of the most successful in history (along with "New & Improved" aka Protestantism).
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Unbeliever

Quote from: Baruch on March 16, 2020, 06:43:52 AM
JW is an interesting variant of the vast diversity of Christian thought and practice.  I wish you happiness and further growth (whatever that may be).  There have been many point-by-point criticisms of the Bible.  Some of which are valid (IMHO).  At
Quote from: Baruch on March 16, 2020, 06:39:21 AM
Atheists don't believe in damnation, so damn lies are oxymorons for them ;-)
best, the Bibl
Quote from: Baruch on March 16, 2020, 06:39:21 AM
Atheists don't believe in damnation, so damn lies are oxymorons for them ;-)
e is an inspired work of men (and women) that has consistently fascinated people for nearly 2000 years (much to the annoyance of the residuals of atheist writers).  My favorite Biblical criticism is musical ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x2SvqhfevE


That's why we like statistics, because 'damned lies' is an oxymoron.  LOL
God Not Found
"There is a sucker born-again every minute." - C. Spellman

Baruch

Sept 2018 the Vatican made a secret agreement with CCP ... because Pope Francis is an Argentine Marxist plant.  CCP and Vatican get closer and closer since then.  A few bishops are fighting back.  China is literally bribing the Vatican, same as Saudi Arabia was during the BCCI scandal 40 years ago.  This Pope is what you guys love, because he is joined at the hip with Euro-Communism, Italy is the far end of the Belt & Road Chinese plan.

Not the first time.  Vatican sold its soul to Mussolini and Hitler back in the 20s and 30s, over Italy paying gold in compensation to the Vatican for the Papal States then in 1870.  As a result, Hitler's Pope sold out the Roman Ghetto that the Vatican had protected for 1600 years.
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

SGOS

#139
Quote from: aitm on March 25, 2020, 08:28:35 AM
I am always embarrassed by the depths many will go to in order to mate science with religion. Here we have Newt, obviously a bright, intelligent person who takes serious interest in science..but only how it can used to help him maintain his faith.

And in the same breath admits god couldn't beat one army because they had chariots with iron wheels.....lol...man the pretzelizing of oneself of logic and reason to maintain that so much needed mattress to comfort the insecurities and fear of death. Must be terrible in that head...bouncing around looking for any and every scrap of information that somehow can justify the lunacy that even he knows throttles logic.
Speaking from my own experience, it was "terrible in my head."  I remember the struggle trying to make things fit that didn't fit.  At a young age, I was creating my own system of apologetics as an attempt to make things that didn't fit seem like they fit.  Years and years later I came to find out that Biblical scholars have already done the work for me and Bible schools were teaching an actual ideology called "apologetics", which continues to grow.  I can't imagine why they call it apologetics.  What a name for something that is flimsy as an apology.  And the sick part is that the new scholarly apologetics is every bit as rationally flimsy as mine was as a teenager.

Most Christians don't outwardly seem like they are troubled by the conflicts between reason and fantasy.  Maybe some are at a deeper level, but most don't question the irrationality of the Bible.  I don't know how they don't because starting at an early age, I could not help being haunted by Biblical irrationality, the biggest problem being the irrationality of the god concept itself.  To me the problem starts right there with the presentation of a concept which cannot be proven.

OK, some things cannot be proven and it isn't so bothersome.  Prove the universe started with a singularity.  You can explain it through theory, but you cannot really know this as absolute truth.  But then no scientist that I've ever heard of is telling people they have to believe in the singularity or they will burn in Hell for eternity.  In fact, we can't even know if eternity actually exists.

Why would religion muck with reason by adding an absurd caveat that if you do not believe the fantasy you will receive a fate more horrible than you can imagine.  It does so because it works for the sheep.  Reason be damned.  You are taught not to reason, even though the consequences of reason itself demands reason, for which there is none.

Yeah, I remember it as "terrible in the head," although at the time, I had nothing else to compare it too.  I was not ready to just up and quit believing in obvious bullshit.  That turned out to be a big step for me.  Life long atheists may wonder how that can be.  Indoctrination is why.