Jesus's enemies admitted He performed miracles...they merely claimed he was doing it by the power of the devil.
You're free to disagree obviously.
Face it you heathens... the Bible is VERIFIABLE HISTORY
- Thread starter NoleATL
- Start date
Jesus's enemies admitted He performed miracles...they merely claimed he was doing it by the power of the devil.
You're free to disagree obviously.
Religion was created to explain the unexplainable. It was hijacked by the powerful to rule over the powerless. It's first purpose is no longer relevant.
Where are these "admissions"? You can't use the Bible to prove the Bible.
The Hobbit wasn't a real historical person so, no, but you can always take as much wisdom from the writing as you want.
And Brian,
I'm a history buff. I know Jesus was real. There is undeniable evidence that he walked the Earth. But a lot of the Bible is full of fake stories like the Hobbit, Wizard of Oz, King Kong, or Space Jam
Neither of us knows. You can claim a belief but you have absolutely zero evidence to support it - and the Bible is NOT evidence. I have no problem saying I don't know.
Dust to dust, ashes to ashes. Worm food
Here's an article from a scholar.
The majority of Jesus's life comes from the New Testament so if you reject that you can't know much.
The 6 Criteria Historians Use for Proof of Jesus' Miracles
Did Jesus really perform miracles? Historians use 6 main criteria to determine if an event really happened, and these can provide proof of Jesus' miracles.
www.magiscenter.com
That's fine.
I believe in the virtue of hope...I can hope I'm worthy of eternal bliss.
Agreed. I also think Alexander was a real person but I don't think he was divinely conceived as is historically attested. I don't believe the miracles of Vespasian. Or the divinity of the Caesars. Apollonius of Tyanna's biography documents his miracles and ascension to heaven. Most scholars believe it more likely than not that he was a real person.
Verified?
How old was Noah when he died? According to the Bible.
How long do you think humans lived at any point in history?
Or are we just saying “Pass” on the Old Testament now?
Keep in mind the context of Jewish history. Jesus communicated in a format that would be familiar to His audience. Jesus’s parables were the best way to convey His ideas.
Nope. Hence the agnostic and not atheist approach. Neither of us know. I can accept that.
I do actually enjoy good friendly discussions about this stuff. I think it healthy until someone goes overboard.
Your opinion seemed like the atheist approach since you believe there's nothing after death.
No. I don't know. There is no evidence whatsoever to prove that there is. So I side with the nothing. That is fine. I don't believe in hell either. So I guess you could say that rather than hedging my bets, I'm staying out of the game right now.
Remember...life is short, eternity is long.
"Pray, Hope and don't Worry."
- Saint Padre Pio
@tarheelbybirth
Exactly.
His metaphors about the sheep and the goats and the fish are about people at the final judgement.
I can appreciate your stance because I did the same thing in my younger years.
One perspective that helped get me into the game and off the bench was taking a step back and looking at the big picture if everyone thought the same way. What if everyone stayed out of the game and all were agnostic?
In this scenario, everyone would end up doing what they thought was right in their own eye. Everyone would adopt their own version of morality. Israel went through a similar time in its own history during the time of the Judges. The lesson is their civilization thought it could work, but it didn’t as each tribe was doing what they wanted. God was teaching them their need for a singular morality, truth, King, savior. Same holds true today.
Long story short, what got me off the fence and into the game was realizing it will never work if we all stay on the fence each doing our own thing with our own morality trying to work out our own salvation.
I appreciate your sentiments. I really do. I just know how to do kind things without religion. Maybe I'll come off the bench some day again. But right now, I'm just trying to be a good person when I interact with other people in public. Not saying I'm successful all the time. But I know plenty of people that act all religious and then do shitty acts.
How do you determine what is metaphorical and what is literal?
I don’t understand what you mean by this.
Similarly, Id say I'm "optimistically agnostic" - I hope there's a heaven, and that I do enough good things when no one's watching to balance out the scorecard.
I'm kind of a "golden rule" adherent for the most part: be good to people that deserve it, and hope they'll be good to you - be especially good to animals that have to rely on us for their well-being; to me, THAT is the easiest way to prove who you really are.
There are plenty of people that don't deserve for me to be good to them, and I'm not much for turning the other cheek or looking for the best in people that are already willingly showing you that they're shitty - even when they overtly tell you how "Christian" they are.
Good question. It's interpreted by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.
Other people have different views and interpret it by themselves.
Everyone DOES do what's right in their own eyes. You included. That's how you have Christians killing Christians in Northern Ireland. You can use a book to justify your moral framework but the idea that one single book is the ONLY source for that framework for everyone in the world is nonsense.
All good.
Just remember that “good” is subjective.
Muslims killing in the name of Jihad think they are doing “good.”
David Koresh thought what he was doing was more than good and divinely ordered.
Some parents think spanking their kid is good. Some think beating their kid/wife is not just good but necessary.
Who decides what is good???? Is the fact we all are able to judge the same thing evil evidence that someone decided what was objectively good? All good questions to ponder.
This article may interest you:
Keep Your Focus on Building Treasures in Heaven
This pandemic shutdown is, if nothing else, a time for us to hit the “reset button” in our lives. As money and livelihoods are slipping away and diminishing, we remember that everything in this world is fleeting. As Ecclesiastes says, all is vanity! Our tenuous existence is a reminder that we...
Yep, you’re absolutely right. It’s almost as if we need saved from ourselves and our sin nature!
Killing, raping, stealing are all bad things. I can't help what any extremist of any religion believes is good. I know those things are bad. Hence they are not good. But you are right, I suppose it is subjective to some
If you understand what Christianity is all about (appears you don’t), the book is not the source. It certainly helps since it is the living word of God. But God and the Holy Spirit are the real source. Surrendering to the will of the Father is the only source of good. Our own hearts and flesh are sinful and deceive us.
LOL...so...looooong ago makes it irrelevant? Is 2,000 years a loooong time? And the killings were justified by religion in a country where religion IS political.That was more political and a looooong time ago, just saying.
Killing a tyrant like Putin would be good, though. 👍
Going back to the topic, my point is that the Bible doesn't teach that Christians should kill each other.
Yep. Killing is a good example:
Murder = terrible
Manslaughter = Not good
Killing in war = Necessary (does that mean good?)
Killing to protect your loved ones = Honorable???
Good is absolutely subjective.
Yes, but fanatics of nearly every religion do evil things.
Absolutely right. Tarheel thinks religion (and singles out Christianity) is like a pill. You take it and all problems should disappear. But the Bible explicitly teaches otherwise. Tar likes to criticize that which he does not understand. It’s a shame.
