Halloween is SATANIC! No, get ready for Jesusween!

[Zeze]

So I'm asking this from curiosity rather than sarcasm so I hope that it comes across ok.

What was it about the stories in Christianity that you could accept them as true as opposed to other stories that you'd call false or just tales?

I'm not a believer. I wrote I *was*, homie.

At around mid-twenties, I couldn't take it just not being logical anymore. Most at church are genuine believers that want to help others. Church is fine by me.

It just doesn't make sense.

And some don't even question it... like incredibly smart people like surgeons, lawyers, or witty standups, etc. My head pastor didn't even know the terms Atheist. And he got a Master in Theology in Harvard.

I really really miss the community and being in a huge group... Christmas service with all your church friends, late praise band practices and hanging out... also going out to clubs to go underage drinking, lmao. We were good kids.

 

[pete6032]

So I'm asking this from curiosity rather than sarcasm so I hope that it comes across ok.

What was it about the stories in Christianity that you could accept them as true as opposed to other stories that you'd call false or just tales?

The foundation of Christianity is not Bible stories. The foundation of Christianity is the belief that a man named Jesus walked the earth. Jesus was God in human form. They believe he showed the world that he was God by predicting his own death and resurrection. This one story is the foundation of Christianity.

Different denominations of Christianity differ in how they interpret old testament stories as literal or allegorical. What you are referring to in your question about believing all the stories is a question of biblical literalism. Evangelical Christians, which are about 1/3 of all Christians in the US often believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible, i.e. the earth was created in six days, Noah's Ark was real etc. Other denominations interpret these stories as allegory.

 

[WelshBloke]

The foundation of Christianity is not Bible stories. The foundation of Christianity is the belief that a man named Jesus walked the earth. Jesus was God in human form. They believe he showed the world that he was God by predicting his own death and resurrection. This one story is the foundation of Christianity.

But I just don't get how someone could believe that god's exist and that one walked the earth without asking for some fairly hefty evidence!
Like people think that the scientologists are nuts but are happy to believe things just as fantastical with no evidence.

 

[nakedfrog]

Halloween is pleasurable harm to kids.

Candy is unhealthy food.

I'm glad you won't be reproducing.

So I'm asking this from curiosity rather than sarcasm so I hope that it comes across ok.

What was it about the stories in Christianity that you could accept them as true as opposed to other stories that you'd call false or just tales?

My partner's dad converted as an adult, apparently his best friend convinced him by way of Pascal's Wager, and he went in for it fairly hard. I'd kinda like to have this discussion with him someday, but probably shouldn't I'm like... sure, maybe Pascal's Wager would be sound if there was only the one religion. So he was raised kind of non-religious, but his own kids got to grow up waking up early on the weekends to have the Bible read at them, couldn't listen to secular music with English lyrics (the Italian opera he loved was, of course, fine), he loves science but fervently denies evolution, and dinosaurs are fake, etc. They'd still watch movies with swear words and stuff, he would just chide the characters on-screen for their language.

 

[WelshBloke]

I'm not a believer. I wrote I *was*, homie.

Yeah, I got that!

At around mid-twenties, I couldn't take it just not being logical anymore. Most at church are genuine believers that want to help others. Church is fine by me.

It just doesn't make sense.

I'm not arguing about the merits of having a club with mutual interests and morals it was about how can people believe something that changes the entire way that the universe works without questioning it or thinking about it!

And some don't even question it... like incredibly smart people like surgeons, lawyers, or witty standups, etc. My head pastor didn't even know the terms Atheist. And he got a Master in Theology in Harvard.

I just can't get my head around people not thinking about the stuff that they believe in!

I really really miss the community and being in a huge group... Christmas service with all your church friends, late praise band practices and hanging out... also going out to clubs to go underage drinking, lmao. We were good kids.

I get the social side of it completely.

 

[WelshBloke]

My partner's dad converted as an adult, apparently his best friend convinced him by way of Pascal's Wager, and he went in for it fairly hard.

I had an argument in my head but that gif sums it up better!

 

[nakedfrog]

View attachment 88128

I had an argument in my head but that gif sums it up better!

Yeah, I had kind of assumed he grew up in it, and that was similar to my reaction as well when I found out about the conversion.

 

[WelshBloke]

Yeah, I had kind of assumed he grew up in it, and that was similar to my reaction as well when I found out about the conversion.

I mean ignoring all the massive logical problems with it and the fact that it doesn't address whether something is true or not if the god that he settled on does exist wouldn't he be pissed because the guy "believing" in him is just playing the odds?

 

[WelshBloke]

My dad only broke one record, my brother’s Plasmatics album. It was the only time my dad censored anything.

Poor W'o'W, she didn't have a great lot in life.

 

[mv2devnull]

You approach a house ...

Such houses should clearly mark that they worship satan or for some other reason have no stash of treats to distribute, i.e. are not to be approached.

In some towns that is the agreed code of conduct.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

I mean ignoring all the massive logical problems with it and the fact that it doesn't address whether something is true or not if the god that he settled on does exist wouldn't he be pissed because the guy "believing" in him is just playing the odds?

Yeah I can't get over this inconsistency either. The one true omniscient God can't tell one is faking it?

 

[pete6032]

But I just don't get how someone could believe that god's exist and that one walked the earth without asking for some fairly hefty evidence!
Like people think that the scientologists are nuts but are happy to believe things just as fantastical with no evidence.

Yes, an important question. I am not a scholar in this field but you would be hard pressed to find any mainstream historian who would argue in earnest that Jesus the person did not exist. There are many non-Christian texts from around Jesus' time that confirm a man named Jesus existed during biblical times. These accounts also confirm that Jesus claimed to be the son of god, that he was the brother of James, and was crucified under decree of Pontius Pilate as the bible describes.

Historicity of Jesus - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[lxskllr]

Doesn't mean he was a god. Probably a schizophrenic landscaper that had stories continuously embellished til he turned into something.

 

[WelshBloke]

Yes, an important question. I am not a scholar in this field but you would be hard pressed to find any mainstream historian who would argue in earnest that Jesus the person did not exist. There are many non-Christian texts from around Jesus' time that confirm a man named Jesus existed during biblical times. These accounts also confirm that Jesus claimed to be the son of god, that he was the brother of James, and was crucified under decree of Pontius Pilate as the bible describes.

Historicity of Jesus - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I mean none of that is evidence for the existence of anything supernatural. And there are texts and legends in most civilisations, do they all have the same bar to be true?

My issue isn't with Christianity or Jesus it's with the fundamental belief that supernatural beings in general can exist. If they can exist then reality basically runs on magic which I'm going to need some real solid proof to accept.

 

[Torn Mind]

I'm glad you won't be reproducing.

In the long run, it absolutely is unwise to consume candy. Those who eat Skittles may have already reaped the "benefits" of eating it.

 

[nakedfrog]

In the long run, it absolutely is unwise to consume candy. Those who eat Skittles may have already reaped the "benefits" of eating it.

Blah blah blah, don't ever do anything fun or enjoyable so you can live a joyless life and die a miserable prat at 107. Or maybe die due to an unforeseeable accident next week.

 

[WelshBloke]

In the long run, it absolutely is unwise to consume candy. Those who eat Skittles may have already reaped the "benefits" of eating it.

Not to be hideously morbid but whether you eat skittles or not you (general you, not you you) are going to die of something unpleasant anyway.
A few skittles aren't going to change that outcome.

 

[Torn Mind]

Not to be hideously morbid but whether you eat skittles or not you (general you, not you you) are going to die of something unpleasant anyway.
A few skittles aren't going to change that outcome.

People who eat candy in the states don't eat "just a few", if we're talking about the obesity "epidemic".

Titanium dioxide might be safe according to the U.S but not according to France. The sugar is a problem, the TiO might be a less significant variable than sugar, but is on the map of a potential new issue.

Humans are fed similarly to and fattened up like industrial cows(cheap corn or soy) but unlike cows...humans have minds willing to fight to protect their dopamine rush and pleasure from said cheap starchy or sugary foods.

 

[nakedfrog]

People who eat candy in the states don't eat "just a few", if we're talking about the obesity "epidemic".

Titanium dioxide might be safe according to the U.S but not according to France. The sugar is a problem, the TiO might be a less significant variable than sugar, but is on the map of a potential new issue.

Humans are fed similarly to and fattened up like industrial cows(cheap corn or soy) but unlike cows...humans have minds willing to fight to protect their dopamine rush and pleasure from said cheap starchy or sugary foods.

Is there a middle ground for anything with you?

 

[pete6032]

I mean none of that is evidence for the existence of anything supernatural. And there are texts and legends in most civilisations, do they all have the same bar to be true?

My issue isn't with Christianity or Jesus it's with the fundamental belief that supernatural beings in general can exist. If they can exist then reality basically runs on magic which I'm going to need some real solid proof to accept.

Have you done any research into this topic? It's a valid question. There are outside non-biblical sources that reference Jesus' miracles, as well multiple accounts of these miracles in the four gospels.

 

[pete6032]

Is there a middle ground for anything with you?

No. And that's what makes him so entertaining.

 

[lxskllr]

Yea, miracles didn't happen. Instead of cheezy parlor tricks, how about living forever? You can do that when you're a god, and instead of bullshit symbolic stories, you can live to tell the great great great great great great... grandkids of your followers the true path. I thought of that, and I'm not even a fucking god. I'd think someone smarter than me could do better than some tricks and sight gags.

 

[snoopy7548]

As long as you exercise regularly, there's no harm in eating candy.

 

[Mai72]

The foundation of Christianity is not Bible stories. The foundation of Christianity is the belief that a man named Jesus walked the earth. Jesus was God in human form. They believe he showed the world that he was God by predicting his own death and resurrection. This one story is the foundation of Christianity.

Different denominations of Christianity differ in how they interpret old testament stories as literal or allegorical. What you are referring to in your question about believing all the stories is a question of biblical literalism. Evangelical Christians, which are about 1/3 of all Christians in the US often believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible, i.e. the earth was created in six days, Noah's Ark was real etc. Other denominations interpret these stories as allegory.

Yea. Those are claims.

1. Do we have any first hand acounts of Jesus resurrection? No.
2. What about Jesus miracles? Is there an outside source(s) that talks about those miracles? No.
3. Are there MAJOR contridictions in the bible? Yes.
4. Do we have the original sources of the bible? No.
5. Was the life of Jesus a game of telephone for well over 40 years? Yes.
6. Who wrote the 4 main gosspels? Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Not a clue.

What I beleive about the historical Jesus is he was an apocalyptic prophet. Our earliest sources Mark 9:1 and 13:30 bear this out. Our earliest sources M, L and Q are laced with end time predictions. Who did Jesus hang out with when he first started his ministry? John the Baptist. Who was John? He was an apocalyptic prophet. Paul 1 Thessalonians 4, and 1 Corinthians 15 expresses that Jesus will return in his life time. The apolyptic message from Jesus in Matthew, Mark and parts of Luke starts to get changed from the coming kingdom, to the kingdom within ourself which is expressed fully in John. Parts of Luke as well. When we look at the key in the middle of this. The history from that time period we see the Jews being oppressed from just about every surrounding nation. The Assyrians, the Babylonians, other neighboring tribes and finally Rome. The message was just hold on a little bit longer because God is going to come back, smite the enemies and bring a new kingdom here on earth. That was the message at that time. And so, when I look at all of this its very easy to see Jesus as an apolyptic phophet.

Most Christains are unaware of this view which is believed from just about every respectable NT scholar today. A HUGE contributor was the book: "The Quest of the Historical Jesus." by Albert Schweitzer.

The Quest of the Historical Jesus - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Torn Mind]

Jesus was more lawyer than prophet.

In fact...I'm inclined to believe in him being God for the sole reason he was lawyering the pros....without any apparent pro education.