Misc All Things Religious

[Sandbar]

Have you considered this might apply to you as well? One of the biggest reasons people do not not believe Jesus was who He said He said He was, or even that God exists is because they do not want it to be true. We all have a desire to want to do things our way; it's a human trait. Many people are so opposed to the idea that there is an ultimate authority that tells them it is not ok to do certain things that they just decide they don't want any part of it. "I want to do what I want to do, sleep with whomever I want to, lie cheat and steal when it suits, and I don't want anyone to tell me it's not ok or accept any consequences for it."

I also don't believe Jesus was the messiah. A great teacher absolutely but not a messiah. I believe a lot of things that boast he was are simply rubbish

 

[Sandbar]

I guess my question to you is : who is this "creator of the universe" you speak of, and where do you get your information about his design?

The creator is light consciousness as I have mentioned before. The same light that's inside you. Non-duality.....The creator is experiencing life on this planet through everything in the universe. Neither of us nor anyone else has proof of anything right? Belief is in the eye of the beholder but we are all going to the same place in the end which is the goal right? Only real difference between my path and yours is that book and your belief that those who don't follow your path are doomed to hell. Most christians believe this so I am making an assumption you do as well but I don't know what's in your heart

 

[Rain Cold]

I also don't believe Jesus was the messiah. A great teacher absolutely but not a messiah. I believe a lot of things that boast he was are simply rubbish

This is where you run into an issue with logic. There is no middle ground with Jesus. He claimed he was God's son/the Messiah. You either believe him or you don't. If you don't believe that, then you can't possibly think he was a great teacher. He is exactly one of 3 things:

1) The Messiah, as he said he was
2) A lunatic who went around proclaiming to be something he was not
3) A liar

Options 2 or 3 do not leave the door open to any possibility of him being a teacher of anything great.

I know you aren't going to change your mind about anything. But it's never a bad idea to point out logical fallacies when they present themselves. It helps to cut through the emotional debris and prevents us from deluding ourselves too much.

 

[Sandbar]

This is where you run into an issue with logic. There is no middle ground with Jesus. He claimed he was God's son/the Messiah. You either believe him or you don't. If you don't believe that, then you can't possibly think he was a great teacher. He is exactly one of 3 things:

1) The Messiah, as he said he was
2) A lunatic who went around proclaiming to be something he was not
3) A liar

Options 2 or 3 do not leave the door open to any possibility of him being a teacher of anything great.

I know you aren't going to change your mind about anything. But it's never a bad idea to point out logical fallacies when they present themselves. It helps to cut through the emotional debris and prevents us from deluding ourselves too much.

That's by your Christian biblical standards and nothing more. This is what someone thousands of years ago told you he claimed you just chose to take their word for it. I don't belong to that church/bible mentality so YES he can absolutely be something opposite of what you think. You have zero proof of anything but word of mouth and faith. Remember the bible was put together LONG after Jesus death. If I told you a story today it would be different by Monday of next week when it got back to me. We all make up our own truth when it comes to things of this nature. I know you don't see it that way but your religion isn't the first by a long shot. Because someone claims someone said something doesn't make a word of true

 

[Sandbar]

Do you guys think the Hindu is going to hell? The Buddhist? Jews? Muslims? People who live in a jungle who will never know Jesus because of where they live? Everybody going to hell that doesn't have a membership to your country club? Tell me what's in your human heart right now not what Scripture says. Are these folks going to hell for not believing EXACTLY as you think? Christians can't even agree amongst themselves

 

[Rain Cold]

That's by your Christian biblical standards and nothing more. This is what someone thousands of years ago told you he claimed you just chose to take their word for it. I don't belong to that church/bible mentality so YES he can absolutely be something opposite of what you think. You have zero proof of anything but word of mouth and faith. Remember the bible was put together LONG after Jesus death. If I told you a story today it would be different by Monday of next week when it got back to me. We all make up our own truth when it comes to things of this nature. I know you don't see it that way but your religion isn't the first by a long shot. Because someone claims someone said something doesn't make a word of true

This is why it is pointless to debate with you. Because you jump all over the place. My belief of who Jesus is or isn't is irrelevant to what I posted.

Stay on point. You said Jesus was absolutely a great teacher. He can't possibly have been a great teacher without teaching truthfully. He is either who he claimed to be, OR he was absolutely NOT a great teacher. This is not an option, a dream, a drug-induced experience, a vision, or a prophecy.

If you truly believed and went around proclaiming that you were Elvis and went around pretending to be Elvis, it calls into question your credibility on everything else you do and say. It certainly would not be the basis from which to build your legacy as a great teacher.

If Jesus was not who he said he was, then he is a fraud. Period. He cannot be believed and he is by definition not a great teacher of anything.

 

[thundersnow]

Ok.....that about wraps this conversation up.

Well, that sure didn’t last long- I guess you changed your mind since you posted that, huh? Keep coming back for more.

 

[Sandbar]

This is why it is pointless to debate with you. Because you jump all over the place. My belief of who Jesus is or isn't is irrelevant to what I posted.

Stay on point. You said Jesus was absolutely a great teacher. He can't possibly have been a great teacher without teaching truthfully. He is either who he claimed to be, OR he was absolutely NOT a great teacher. This is not an option, a dream, a drug-induced experience, a vision, or a prophecy.

If you truly believed and went around proclaiming that you were Elvis and went around pretending to be Elvis, it calls into question your credibility on everything else you do and say. It certainly would not be the basis from which to build your legacy as a great teacher.

If Jesus was not who he said he was, then he is a fraud. Period. He cannot be believed and he is by definition not a great teacher of anything.

He WAS NOT a Messiah. If he indeed said he was and you have a record of him saying it then yes he was a liar but I don't believe he ever said such a thing. I believe the downtrodden peasents who were being beaten to death wanted him to be and so they made him such. There is not a single word in the bible written down BY JESUS. Not one. As far you really know, people have been believing in nothing but a fairy tale for 2000 years. I don't 100% know but my guess would be that most of the disciples couldn't even read or write so if that's true how do you know what you are reading is 100% accurate? Again all you have that can be 100% proven is your faith. That's all anybody has when it comes to religion. Try jumping off a cliff and have faith you can fly and see where it gets you. You are gonna go splat 10 times out of 10 even if you say your prayers before you leap

 

[Sandbar]

Well, that sure didn’t last long- I guess you changed your mind since you posted that, huh? Keep coming back for more.

I was referring to that specific topic whatever it was. These are great conversations to me. I've already been where you are for a long time and I really didn't change that much but man you folks can't stand to be challenged

 

[thundersnow]

I was referring to that specific topic whatever it was. These are great conversations to me. I've already been where you are for a long time and I really didn't change that much but man you folks can't stand to be challenged

Oh, about Krishna. Yeah, you might have figured out you're not getting very far with that one.

I'll have to catch up on today's additional discussion.

 

[Sandbar]

Oh, about Krishna. Yeah, you might have figured out you're not getting very far with that one.

I'll have to catch up on today's additional discussion.

I put it out there in black and white a page back. If you disagree that's cool but YES they are ironically similar for being 3000 years apart

 

[Rain Cold]

He WAS NOT a Messiah. If he indeed said he was and you have a record of him saying it then yes he was a liar but I don't believe he ever said such a thing. I believe the downtrodden peasents who were being beaten to death wanted him to be and so they made him such. There is not a single word in the bible written down BY JESUS. Not one. As far you really know, people have been believing in nothing but a fairy tale for 2000 years. I don't 100% know but my guess would be that most of the disciples couldn't even read or write so if that's true how do you know what you are reading is 100% accurate? Again all you have that can be 100% proven is your faith. That's all anybody has when it comes to religion. Try jumping off a cliff and have faith you can fly and see where it gets you. You are gonna go splat 10 times out of 10 even if you say your prayers before you leap

Well, I'm not the one going around claiming he was an absolutely a great teacher. It seems like a pretty "faith-based" point of view coming from someone who doesn't trust anything that was written down about him.

 

[Sandbar]

Well, I'm not the one going around claiming he was an absolutely a great teacher. It seems like a pretty "faith-based" point of view coming from someone who doesn't trust anything that was written down about him.

Was he not a great teacher? Absolutely he was. Was it confusing the way I wrote it? Didn't intend it to be. It's difficult to take something that old that is second hand knowledge as gospel. The Jewish people were a majority oral society back then and there is zero chance that what was written is 100% historically accurate. In fact I would put the odds at very low. If you are going to call a book holy and change the course of history of a human race you had better have something more to offer than "just have faith". If I do come across harshly I apologize but it angers me the grip religion has on people and the fear it brings to people's lives. It's caused a lot of deaths but I can't make you see it bro. I spent many years in the heart of it and the human race will never advance where the heart lies with religion trying to lead the way

 

[snowlover91]

He WAS NOT a Messiah. If he indeed said he was and you have a record of him saying it then yes he was a liar but I don't believe he ever said such a thing. I believe the downtrodden peasents who were being beaten to death wanted him to be and so they made him such. There is not a single word in the bible written down BY JESUS. Not one. As far you really know, people have been believing in nothing but a fairy tale for 2000 years. I don't 100% know but my guess would be that most of the disciples couldn't even read or write so if that's true how do you know what you are reading is 100% accurate? Again all you have that can be 100% proven is your faith. That's all anybody has when it comes to religion. Try jumping off a cliff and have faith you can fly and see where it gets you. You are gonna go splat 10 times out of 10 even if you say your prayers before you leap

Paul wrote 13 of the New Testament books and was as highly educated as you could be in that day and was incredibly brilliant. Matthew was a tax collector and Luke was a physician/doctor.

Historically the people of Jesus day were looking for a Messiah but not the type He was/claimed to be. They were looking for freedom from Roman oppression; economic security, peace and freedom. Btw there are external sources apart from Scripture

He WAS NOT a Messiah. If he indeed said he was and you have a record of him saying it then yes he was a liar but I don't believe he ever said such a thing. I believe the downtrodden peasents who were being beaten to death wanted him to be and so they made him such. There is not a single word in the bible written down BY JESUS. Not one. As far you really know, people have been believing in nothing but a fairy tale for 2000 years. I don't 100% know but my guess would be that most of the disciples couldn't even read or write so if that's true how do you know what you are reading is 100% accurate? Again all you have that can be 100% proven is your faith. That's all anybody has when it comes to religion. Try jumping off a cliff and have faith you can fly and see where it gets you. You are gonna go splat 10 times out of 10 even if you say your prayers before you leap

When you study the New Testament and extra biblical sources and documents you see an interesting picture. The Jews DID want Jesus to be someone who would deliver them from the oppressive Roman Empire. They wanted peace, economic stability, financial freedom, etc.

The New Testament instead presents Jesus as One Who will “save His people from their sins” in Matthew 1:21. All throughout the New Testament the message isn’t one of overthrowing the Romans but instead revealing Jesus as the promised Messiah who would offer freedom and forgiveness of sin to all who respond in faith.

In regards to NT authorship and literacy, Paul wrote a significant portion of the NT and was a well educated and incredibly smart man. Luke was a physician/doctor and Matthew was a tax collector.

 

[Sandbar]

Paul wrote 13 of the New Testament books and was as highly educated as you could be in that day and was incredibly brilliant. Matthew was a tax collector and Luke was a physician/doctor.

Historically the people of Jesus day were looking for a Messiah but not the type He was/claimed to be. They were looking for freedom from Roman oppression; economic security, peace and freedom. Btw there are external sources apart from Scripture


When you study the New Testament and extra biblical sources and documents you see an interesting picture. The Jews DID want Jesus to be someone who would deliver them from the oppressive Roman Empire. They wanted peace, economic stability, financial freedom, etc.

The New Testament instead presents Jesus as One Who will “save His people from their sins” in Matthew 1:21. All throughout the New Testament the message isn’t one of overthrowing the Romans but instead revealing Jesus as the promised Messiah who would offer freedom and forgiveness of sin to all who respond in faith.

In regards to NT authorship and literacy, Paul wrote a significant portion of the NT and was a well educated and incredibly smart man. Luke was a physician/doctor and Matthew was a tax collector.

How many of those books have been 100% confirmed as being written by him? Britannica says 7, the rest can't be confirmed. How many of the rest of the biblical text have 100% confirmed authors that wrote their own books because Paul alone doesn't move the needle. If you are gonna call a book holy and God's word you need a lot more than 1 dude you can actually tie their own words to

 

[Rain Cold]

Was he not a great teacher? Absolutely he was. Was it confusing the way I wrote it? Didn't intend it to be. It's difficult to take something that old that is second hand knowledge as gospel. The Jewish people were a majority oral society back then and there is zero chance that what was written is 100% historically accurate. In fact I would put the odds at very low. If you are going to call a book holy and change the course of history of a human race you had better have something more to offer than "just have faith". If I do come across harshly I apologize but it angers me the grip religion has on people and the fear it brings to people's lives. It's caused a lot of deaths but I can't make you see it bro. I spent many years in the heart of it and the human race will never advance where the heart lies with religion trying to lead the way

I am having trouble understanding why you think he was a great teacher when you continually say you can't trust what was written about him, which is the only basis we would have be able to formulate an opinion about what he taught. It's a head-scratcher for me.

 

[snowlover91]

How many of those books have been 100% confirmed as being written by him? Britannica says 7, the rest can't be confirmed. How many of the rest of the biblical text have 100% confirmed authors that wrote their own books because Paul alone doesn't move the needle. If you are gonna call a book holy and God's word you need a lot more than 1 dude you can actually tie their own words to

I highly recommend reading “An Introduction to the New Testament” by D.A. Carson and Douglas Moo. These two men are some of the very best and answer all your questions/objections and more in a very thorough and well documented way. Paul actually wrote 13 NT books for certain and there may be a few others (such as Hebrews) that he wrote. Paul very clearly identifies himself in each of the 13 attributed to him and Carson/Moo provide compelling documentation (640 pages of it) detailing all of this in the book mentioned.

Who wrote most of the New Testament? | GotQuestions.org

Who wrote most of the New Testament? Who wrote most of the books in the New Testament?

www.gotquestions.org

 

[Iceagewhereartthou]

This is where the fear part comes in for you. You fear the lord in that book. I don't because I don't believe in any loving god that would cast me into a burning hell for something as shallow and ignorant as not obeying his commands. The fear of that biblical god doesn't seem to be working because the world is on fire right now. Can you not see how this can be used to control people? This is exactly what a dictator does. Puts fear into people. Controls people. Oppresses people. Those same people can't make it through life without the dictators threats. I would be extremely surprised if a high percentage of people who call themselves christians believe everything that book tells them for no reason other than fear. Fear is a hell of a tool

How do you get fear out of this post? I said absolutely nothing about fear; I am talking about people not wanting to acknowledge that they may have to take responsibility for how they live so they just do whatever they want. It's a convenient way to justify doing whatever one wants if there is no real morality against it. You have brought up the fear based faith several times in the thread and it has been sincerely and easily explained that that is not the case for many believers. For some it is; but many know that faith is based in forgiveness, sacrifice, hope, life, and love. As for control, if God wanted to control people that would have been easy enough; create people without free will; they would just be robots or puppets. God chooses not to control people because He loves them and wants them to be capable of love. Love is only possible in humans with free will, because love has to be freely given. Dictators don't care about any of that; just power. If that is all God wanted He could have arranged it without any difficulty.

 

[Iceagewhereartthou]

He WAS NOT a Messiah. If he indeed said he was and you have a record of him saying it then yes he was a liar but I don't believe he ever said such a thing. I believe the downtrodden peasents who were being beaten to death wanted him to be and so they made him such. There is not a single word in the bible written down BY JESUS. Not one. As far you really know, people have been believing in nothing but a fairy tale for 2000 years. I don't 100% know but my guess would be that most of the disciples couldn't even read or write so if that's true how do you know what you are reading is 100% accurate? Again all you have that can be 100% proven is your faith. That's all anybody has when it comes to religion. Try jumping off a cliff and have faith you can fly and see where it gets you. You are gonna go splat 10 times out of 10 even if you say your prayers before you leap

I am having trouble understanding why you think he was a great teacher when you continually say you can't trust what was written about him, which is the only basis we would have be able to formulate an opinion about what he taught. It's a head-scratcher for me.

I think what CR is saying is 2 fold.

1: If you are going to dismiss that he was the Messiah because it was not written in the Bible by Jesus himself, then why would we trust that any of the things he supposedly said about morals and teachings were true, since none of those were written by Jesus himself either.

2: If one of the things He taught was the he was the Messiah, and he was wrong about that; then we would be fools to think anything he said had any merit, especially his ethical teachings; since honesty is an ethic.

In either case, there would be no basis for saying He was a good moral teacher. In the first case we would have to say there are no grounds to reject His being the Messiah but accept His moral teachings; other than just picking and choosing what we like; and in the second case His lying about being the Messiah was evidence of His lack of integrity and his teachings would be meaningless.

 

[Iceagewhereartthou]

Do you guys think the Hindu is going to hell? The Buddhist? Jews? Muslims? People who live in a jungle who will never know Jesus because of where they live? Everybody going to hell that doesn't have a membership to your country club? Tell me what's in your human heart right now not what Scripture says. Are these folks going to hell for not believing EXACTLY as you think? Christians can't even agree amongst themselves

Sandbar; this exact question has been discussed multiple times in this thread by multiple people with some very good, insightful, and fair posts. Some have even had good articles and videos included that gave a lot more input than we can give here. I have given thoughts on this before as well but I will give a quick version of my take.

I hope others don't just think what I think. I am a fallen human with many errors and flaws and I am not the moral arbiter of the universe, nor do I have the power to decide if anyone goes to Heaven or Hell. What is in my human heart is greed, lust, envy, pride, ungratefulness, and countless other detestable traits. I am unworthy of Heaven simply because of these traits. Would other people want someone like me in Heaven? I doubt it; not with those traits. Now I like to think I also have some wonderful traits as well but unfortunately my bad ones stain my good ones and overpower them. If there is indeed a Heaven, I am only getting there by someone giving me forgiveness and reconciliation that I cannot earn and do not deserve. I think the evidence is very good that such a being exists and that there is a way for me to accept that forgiveness but I do have to be willing to accept my flaws and try to follow the one who has given that path. We all have choices to make; we can choose to believe what we want and follow who or what we want; that is free will. But God wants us to love Him and that must be freely given as well. If we choose that we do not want to be with God then He will not force us to be with Him and he will allow us to be seperated from Him; even forever. That is what Hell is; permenant separation from Him and all of his attributes.