Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by GD Heathen on March 29, 2012 at 4:39pm

Excuse me?  What does that have to do with... ;)

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Permalink Reply by Kenny Howse on March 29, 2012 at 5:58pm

It's just a question as the person I replied to made a comment about some guy's cowboy hat! Look at the previous comments page.

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Permalink Reply by GD Heathen on March 29, 2012 at 6:20pm

See my pic, think of that post as more opportunistic. I wear a cowboy hat occasionally, and funny enough don't fit that stereotype. Oh, and it wasn't in reply to you but the previous post.  The stereotype is that it would be some backwoods hick that doesn't know how to think for themselves I guess.  Same reason every Texan you see on TV talks like a toothless, uneducated hillbilly.

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Permalink Reply by Ron V on February 22, 2012 at 10:12pm

Well, I confess, I am accomplished in my field - and yes, based on IQ and standardized testing, my scores have consistently corresponded to what essentially equates to the top 1-5% of the American public.  But that is not really relevant, even though you raised the questions.

I have read the bible- several times.  Let's get right to the heart of it - there is nothing beautiful about human sacrifice - no matter how you try to sugar coat it with talk of redemption, salvation, etc.  And you can't default to the New Testament- Jesus himself said he did not come to abolish the (horrific, barbaric, primitive) law.  Nor can you escape the reality that Jesus wasn't all that nice to non-Jews. 

Face it, the bible is morally reprehensible - so, how about you put that old bible away and move on - you will be fine if you put that imaginary friend in the sky behind you, along with the mythology, superstition, and magical thinking that comes with him.

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Permalink Reply by Don Leonard on February 23, 2012 at 12:29am

For Colt.....Ok I will say I've read the bible and I will not say it is beautiful.  While there may be be a few good messages in there I think children should learn their morals from their parents and not the bible.  I also would like to know where you found historical fact that Jesus actually lived let alone crucified etc.. As far as the gospels go no one even knows who actually wrote them.  They weren't know as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John until late 2nd century.  Plus over half of the new testament is made up of Pauls letters. These letters from a man who converted only after having a vision and who talks of jesus in a spiritual sense. Plus most of his letters have been proven fake by many bible experts.  

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Permalink Reply by kevin searley on February 23, 2012 at 7:02am

GURGH?! I've read the bible, its not beautiful, its quite profoundly evil, its about a bloke in the sky who wants to control your mind and insists that you love him no matter what, even if you have to prove it by sacrificing your own child (I know he didn't, but he had to prove that he would, oozes love that don't it?). Your challenge is pathetic. Religion outnumbers atheism because it was founded thousands of years ago before we had access to scientific knowledge, you know, when our foreheads protruded further than our noses, from that point on it was bled through society and civilisation as the only possible answer BECAUSE THERE WAS NO SCIENCE. Anyway, enough, one last thing, please supply your historical evidence that someone called Jesus Christ actually existed, oh, and do please also supply the evidence that the earth did quake at his death. Hilarious.

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Permalink Reply by Unseen on February 23, 2012 at 2:17pm

To say that we (the United States) was founded on Christian principles would imply that the founding fathers were basically Christians as we understand the term today. But they were Deists for the most part. They believed that God made the world then went away and didn't participate in it or intervene in it. God Is Dead theology is a variant on that theme.

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Permalink Reply by Mith Barnes on March 3, 2012 at 10:36am

I hate to be contentious, but for one thing, I have read the bible, a lot (raised in Lutheran schools, now professor of Religious Studies - just for background) and I find its message many things: disturbing, violent, dark, oppressive, primitive. But rarely beautiful (or inspiring, uplifting, etc.) In no way do I consider it a good guide for morality OR ethics. 

 Secondly, it is not a proven historical fact that a man named Jesus Christ lived as you describe. In fact, there are many problems with your claim. It is true that Yeshua was a common name in Judea in the 1st C, so there were many men with that name. 'Christ' is a title, a sort of honorific, so would not have been part of his name. There could not have been a man named Jesus Christ at all.

Now, it is also true there were many, many, messianic prophets, teachers, and preachers in this time period as well. However, there is no historical evidence of any of the major events of Jesus life, death, or resurrection outside the bible; not one mention, even given the remarkable events that accompanied his death, for example, finding no record of it elsewhere, even despite the vast records we do have of the time (the Roman Empire kept obsessively good records).

As to the 'evidence' of the New Testament itself,  the very earliest texts (the Pauline epistles) were not penned until years, even decades after his death. The four gospels which are included (many others which tell different stories altogether were rejected and all but destroyed), are second- and third-hand accounts, preserved in oral form and much later written down by people with different ideas, purposes, and priorities. Even once written down, they have been subject to countless edits, revisions, redactions, and translations (to say nothing of outright copying errors) for 20 centuries. Look at how many 'versions' of recent historical events, even well-documented ones, exist today? There are those who deny the moon landing, and publish alternate histories. By any reasonable standard of evidence, the bible is 'evidence' only of a mythology that developed along similar lines as others of the same time period, and has continued to develop and change over time.

 Finally, regardless of IQ, education, or profession, choosing evidence over lack of it is the more rational, intelligent choice. Yes, many very smart people are Christian (or another faith). However, this does mean they choose, in this one area, to reject the same standard of evidence, logic and reason that doubtless got them that MD, Law degree, or PhD. Ignorant choices don't necessarily mean ignorant people. 

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Permalink Reply by Kenny Howse on March 3, 2012 at 10:40am

Maybe not ignorant people but without doubt ignorant beliefs!

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Permalink Reply by Nelson on March 3, 2012 at 12:40pm

Great post. Well done. Welcome to the community!

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Permalink Reply by james d on March 11, 2012 at 10:40am

a beautiful presentation of some of the issues that christianity continues to refute, ignore and utterly lie about Mith. the 'preacher' of biblical truth from every pulpit and on every podcast, tv show, radio show, book, blog, magazine or media of any form as well as word of mouth, presents HIS <let's not even go there with the non-new testament HER> version of the gospel!!

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Permalink Reply by Tex on June 10, 2012 at 7:35pm

Thanks for setting the record straight Mith, love to read stuff from people that actually study these things, great post. 

I

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