Every major religion claims to be correct where others are not. This is certainly not exclusive to Christianity.
CoinOperatedBoy said:Indeed it does speak volumes: It should tell you that no one faith is required to be happy or lead a good, fulfilled life. I would think it would also make you wonder if any is required at all. If not, then of what real use is it?
Every major religion claims to be correct where others are not. This is certainly not exclusive to Christianity.
Indeed it does speak volumes: It should tell you that no one faith is required to be happy or lead a good, fulfilled life. I would think it would also make you wonder if any is required at all. If not, then of what real use is it?
Well, if there is a God, and if we were created to have a relationship with him, living without him is bound to be less fulfilling than living with him.
Evangelicals are not growing in numbers, only in how loud they are. I think they crank up the volume every year to try to make up for their increasingly marginalized positions, which just makes them more marginalized.
Well, if there is a God, and if we were created to have a relationship with him, living without him is bound to be less fulfilling than living with him.
I really don't have too much problem with Christianity, just the hypocrites that call themselves Christians and do not follow the book. I do have an issue with the church though, faith is between God and oneself, no third party required.
How could you not have contempt for those who do follow the book, given its contents?
Not my business.
It very much is, when a third of the world's population claims to believe it and live by it. Add another 25% for Islam and you've got the majority of the human beings on the planet readily admitting to a delusional worldview founded upon books that advocate moral atrocity in the form of violence, xenophobia, and intolerance.
I really don't have too much problem with Christianity, just the hypocrites that call themselves Christians and do not follow the book. I do have an issue with the church though, faith is between God and oneself, no third party required.
It very much is, when a third of the world's population claims to believe it and live by it. Add another 25% for Islam and you've got the majority of the human beings on the planet readily admitting to a delusional worldview founded upon books that advocate moral atrocity in the form of violence, xenophobia, and intolerance.
The bible doesn't advocate violence, xenophobia, or intolerance of any kind.
Except if you READ his quote you will see he was talking about Christians NOT ISLAM, and don't bring up the churches atrocities because he clearly said he has issues with the church.
I am not taking sides ATM but it bugs when one side states the other is “uneducated” and then fails to fully read what the last person wrote.
Wait maybe you were joking right.
It's funny how divorce in the Bible Belt red states is multiple times higher than us north eastern blue staters. These are the same assholes who blame gay marriage for destroying traditional marriage.
Well, if there is a God, and if we were created to have a relationship with him, living without him is bound to be less fulfilling than living with him.
Another baseless Assumption.
yup. sanctity of marriage my ass.
I'm not sure what you're rambling about. I was talking about Christianity, and mentioning that along with Islam, the believers of these two religions compose more than half the world's population. I think that should be a sobering figure to someone who claims that it's not their business what others believe. I also didn't mention any church or its atrocities, nor did I call anyone uneducated. Who is really the one failing to read here?
Oh you were, then I do wonder where the bible says it advocates moral atrocity in the form of violence, xenophobia, and intolerance.
I know people love to take verses and quote them out of context, is that what you have heard and maybe made some assumptions about the whole book? Also you seemed to be speaking about some events in history that the church committed stating it was Gods will but really it was just mans greed for power. If that is not the case it is my fault for assuming that.
Read my answer I did not say you called anyone uneducated, I simply implied that you were on the side that uses that tactic and you were doing more harm for their argument then good.
I can see you took the “READ” comment personally. If you took THAT so personally, do you really think you are going to sway anyone’s opinion by calling them delusional?
And remember this is the Internet, nothing written here matters anyways.
Anyone who's been involved with church planting would know the truth. Most increases in churches are transfers, not new converts. The actual numbers are pretty bad.
The reality is that what most atheists believe is true. People use religion as a crutch. It becomes something they feel expected to do every Sunday. After a while some start to wonder why they bother, their life is not impacted in any way by going. Thus church attendance falls.
"But the Lord honestly spoke to me. And he took me to Moses standing at the burnish bush. And the Lord said, "I have one question for you." And I said, "What is that Lord?" "The bush is burning but it was not consumed, why do you think that was?" I said, "I don't know." He said, "Because that bush was burning with the right fire." Link
One of the most important confrontations that Jesus had during his ministry was on the topic of Sabbath where he said some famous words: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."(Mark 2:27) So the same could be said of religion. God didn't make men to sit in pews, say preset prayers, and wear fancy robes with pointy hats. Religion was made by men to offer a comfort other than what God offers. The biggest example of this psychological affect was when Moses brought men from Egypt. Despite the miracles and constant presence of God, the men still turned to ritual and tradition when Moses was gone for a short time. Needless to say, both God and Moses were frustrated.
This too shall pass. As bad as it ever gets, we survive. So history has shown and prophecy foretells. Even if I should stand alone, I have no reason not to.
why make that assumption though?
how do you know jesus is right and none of the others?
Jesus died and rose from the dead. That makes him pretty unique.
The bibles message is meant as a whole from what I understand, the Old Testament proves the need of what the new testament offers. It is meant to show that even when given specific instructions on what to do man still failed.The Old Testament is so chock full of condemnations and explicit commandments from God for his chosen people to kill rival tribes, non-believers, and sinners that I hardly see the need to provide an example.
The Matthew 10:34 quote is out of context he is not speaking of a physical sword. Once you read the rest of the text you may see that. In the way it is being used here it is like saying I did not come here to appease people but to cause people to think and choose their own way which WILL cause conflict as others will not like Christianity. I would think this thread is proof of that.The New Testament is a little more benign -- as Christians love to point out -- since it supposedly bucks Mosaic law, but it's still not hard to find examples. Jesus himself says, "I come not to bring peace, but to bring a sword" (Matthew 10:34) and "Bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me" (Luke 19:27). Before you go all Biblical exegesis on my ass, I know that the second was in the context of a parable, but its meaning is rather unambiguous.
Well I will give you credit, most people have not read it a single time. That being said I know people who have read it each year, they still are learning from it and understanding it's message. I have read through it several times and I am not going to pretend I understand it. It’s some pretty deep stuff; I think you would agree on that since you have read it. I am sure you know it takes quite a few reads to grasp the entirety of some of the messages.I've read the Bible in its entirety more than once, so you needn't assume that I have made a baseless judgment about the book. I suspect that my copy is more dogeared than your own.
I really cannot refute what you have decided to believe. Part of belief is sometimes even though the facts seem to point to something else you stay your path. I AM NOT SAYING YOU ARE FACTUALY WRONG SO DON’T THINK I AM. Belief works on both sides of this argument. It's your belief, which is good that you have formed your idea of what it right.The Bible contains plenty of fodder for discussing God-approved violence, but since I do not believe that God spoke to the ancient tribes of Israel, their crimes are rather analogous to more modern atrocities performed in his name as well. So sure, the Crusades and other nastiness are easy to pick on, but these supposed holy texts are sufficient for my purposes. Regardless, the fact that people who do bad things in the name of religion have such an easy time justifying their actions does not speak well of that belief system.
I never looked at it that way. That is a good point.Your post was in response to mine and you pointedly mentioned calling people uneducated, then sarcastically asked if I was joking. I just wanted to point out that I never did that. In terms of education, it might be natural to assume that someone has little formal background in science if they deny or ignore it in favor of faith, but I too think that's a fallacious idea and I don't intend to spread it. Similarly, you might consider the hypocrisy of accusing someone of having not read the Bible if they criticize it.
It's a moot point now; it was just the point of stating that by using the word delusional to describe the other side I don't think you would win any converts.I don't understand your question or the connection. I responded to your personal accusation, and that's all.
That was meant as a joke, but I should not have joked here probably.Oft-repeated and false, just like so many tenets of faith.