The bible

[Dannis]

Lanklock wrote:
(Be a buddist) :"D


So, are you a Buddhist arguing for Christianity? Or...?
Because it is one thing for a protestant to speak up;
and quite another for a believer in karma to preach the gospel.
(Of course, I lack even Come_Forth's level of religious education, so perhaps I am throwing stones from a glass house.)

I'm not a buddist, i'm just interested in there religion, as there are some quite amazing things about them.

[Come_Forth]

The sum of the whole can be greater than the parts themselves.

I might have more religious education, but I have let a lot of bias come in, I do not read the Bible just to read, but to attack it. I probably lose some of the original meaning. Plus my text debating skills are not near as good as yours. I like person to person debates because then I can use my tricks.

I will be taking a class on the OT next semester so I will see how that goes. I prefer the NT a lot more.

[Come_Forth]

Lanklock wrote:
(Be a buddist) :"D


So, are you a Buddhist arguing for Christianity? Or...?
Because it is one thing for a protestant to speak up;
and quite another for a believer in karma to preach the gospel.
(Of course, I lack even Come_Forth's level of religious education, so perhaps I am throwing stones from a glass house.)

I'm not a buddist, i'm just interested in there religion, as there are some quite amazing things about them.

As was I for awhile, but then I found naturalism and have found my niche.

[darkness5723]

Well, I'm going to jump into a debate a little late and throw my ideas into the ring. I was raised Christian (Episcopalean), went to church every week, did sunday school, was an altar boy, sang in the choir. I have very Christian morals, yet I cannot except any churchs view of God for many reasons, which I'm not going to go into. I just want to put out my beliefs because I feel compelled to.

I believe that neither side is entirely right (by either side I mean religion and science). I believe that both sides are partially right. I support the Big Band theory, but then the problem arises of what caused the massive energy source that started it all? I believe that that energy source, was God.

I also think that evolution is right, to a point. Natural selection I think is almost undeniable, but where did the original species come from? I think that God had a part in that. But remember that the atmosphere of the Earth was way different when it was created, and over time the plants on the Earth (where'd they come from?) changed the atmosphere to a suitable one for humans. So we cannot really say that nothing can be created from nothing, because we don't know what the conditions were like back then (primordial soup theory).

Blah blah, I could keep going but the main point of my belief is this:
I cannot except the Christian view that God is an omniscient being that lives in Heaven that sees everything we do and judges us for it. Instead, I think God is a force, not a being. It's what gives Humans our Souls (emotions, thought processes, etc, etc) Every now and then it does some strange things (miracles I guess, since alot of them can't be proven by science they get classified as some sort of Divine Miracle.) I just think that God is more of a force than a being, a motivation for most people in the world, and occasionally an acting force.

just reread the post, and its kinda roughly thrown together, too tired to make some coherent thoughts.

[jeffmo]

I too am late in this, but here I go:


The Old Testement is a historical fiction, much like Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. It is based on historical facts and events, but the characters have been changed to suit special interests. Did Abraham exist, I think so. Did everything happen the way it is described? Probably not since there are 3 different versions of that tale. Did Abraham have a personal journal to go along with it? I hope I find it if he did (planned archaelogy major).

The New Testament is much as a historical narrative, where the life of Jesus is chronicaled by his followers. Did Jesus really exist? Though there is no definative proof he really lived (and the Romans were good at record keeping), I do believe he did in fact teach others to be more kind. I suppose it is Jesus actually practicing what he preached that makes me still say I am Christian, because the word Christian actually means "Followers of Christ." Though I would not act as he did, I respect him for his kindness and peacefulness; much like Martin Luther King Jr. But I do not follow the New Testament, or any "Church" for that matter, because the Bible was in fact hand written by men, as the lost Gospels of Mary and others have been found. Parts were left out of the whole story of Jesus, so that is like trusting a history book with every 4th page removed by a censorship board. It all relates, but there is still some missing parts that you cannot overlook.

I honestly don't have any explaination for the beginning of the Universe and Life. I believe in evolution, but the Big Bang is too complicated for me to grasp the physics behind it. I honestly don't really care about the origin of the Universe. I just know that I am here, you are here, we are all here. No matter how it happened, it happened. I do believe humans have a higher purpose. Humans, as I feel, are all Gods. We have done so much in our history; we CAN clone and alter life, thus proving it is possible to play God. Our powers our limitless. Our potential to do good and evil are equivelent. Nuclear power can provide the energy for a hospital as well as destroy a city. Humans really are a wonderful creation. We have so much ahead of us, so much work to do, because our purpose in life, as I see it, is to match and surpass the creating force in the Universe.

[Brythalious]

Ok, I wasnt going to post after reading all this.

I personally found that first post to be very funny. Frankly the Bible followers too often get upset by these things, yet meddle in everything else. Look at the end of the day it is irrelevent if that was that persons actual feelings on the Bible or not, pinch of salt people and get over it. YOU WILL BE MOCKED. See Bill Hicks for some of the Best God Botherer comedy.

I like to keep my personal religious views to myself, because they are mine and you don't need to know them, thats between me and Whomever if anyone I have faith in. Don't like it, well don't read it.

For example, stem cell research "goes against god" yet he gave us free will right and also works in mysterious ways. Also things often come down to "god wills it"
Oh so God was too distracted or some such when scientists worked out stem cells.... Wait! Hang on, COULD (big could) it not possibly have been GOD!? You know working in his mysterious ways? Or is it that we know Gods mysterious will cause erm, we dont like it or that a burning bush didnt tell us about it? You would think that person a nut anyway, or at least most of us would..

After all the pope changed the view point on Christs words on killing to get Christian Knights on his side for the Crusade (Number 1) "Hey" he says "it isnt that killing is wrong, no Christ is misinterperated there" But wait he goes on "Killing christians is wrong he said, all the pagans and Unbelievers yeah no they are fine cause they er.. yeah they arent Christian"

oops! So let us be fair, Jesus whether he existed or not is I personally feel largely irrelevant., His message on the other hand is not.

[Medicus Atrum]

Well, I kinda saw this by chance and thought I would say this. (Albeit a bit after the point.)

Wow, Just... Wow.

The amount of people that post in here and have absolutly ZERO idea what they are talking about astounds me.

1. Why is it, that time-after-time, Evolution has been rocked by large sums of disproving evidence, and forced to change it base belief, While Intelligent Design has had no major flaws and/or Evidnce agenst it yet Evolution is the widly spread (and most believed) theory? Evolution is old news, and just that. A THEORY. (And a bad one at that.) Altough you can say preaty much anything is a theory if you don't have th facts, and technicly Evolution is actually a Hypothesis.

2. Jesus was real. Weither you believe he rose again, didn't exist, or is six-feet-under, it doesn't matter. Roman documents have been found that prove he---Jesus---was alive.

3. The Bible is a very importent work of History. Not only does it represent a basic set of morals that define the Human race, but it is also one of the oldest works of recorded history ever. (The oldest if your a christian who argues that each word is "God-breathed", and that thus since He was there when the void went KA-BOOM! That it's the oldest work.) A more plausible arguement would be that it contains the oldest recorded event, I.E. creation, then again, I could say the Universe came in a box of Cracker Jacks but it wouldn't be the oldest recorded event simply because I can't prove it. (Although! Acording to the book of Genesis, There was nothing, then something. Big Bang? I'd like to think so.)

4. The "Three Seconds Rule" isn't true.

5. There is Evidence leaning towards the flood theories. In fact, one of the most probable is also the one the makes the most sense. What next? Bread that slices itself?

6. He who smealt it, dealt it.

7. Although the Holy Spirit (or any spirit for that) cannot be proved by conventional methods, but it has been proven that there is a low-level change in brain waves while a Human is in a state of worship, Be it in a Pentecostal Church, a Jewish Temple, a Muslim Mosque or a Quaker Church. (Scratch the Quaker Church...)

8. Along with the Dead Sea Scrolls, were found several small pots filled with an acidic liquid and a core of metal. This was later found to be the first battery ever created in history. It's still uncertain how the Hebrews (or, in fact, anyone else at the time,) were able to create/design such a device. Some believe the clay-batteries were meant to kill any tresspassers attempting to steal the scrolls. Must have worked.

9. Birds of a feather.... You know the rest.

10. It's my bedtime, or rather, waaay past it.

Goodnight, And good luck digesting that. I had a hard time just trying to focus enough to write it. (seeing as it's 5:36 AM here, and I haven't sleapt yet.)

[Ashu]

1: Its The Bible
2: Its not meant to be read as a normal book as you would not read Kant to figure out what to wear in the morning.

[thaltek]

1: Its The Bible
2: Its not meant to be read as a normal book as you would not read Kant to figure out what to wear in the morning.

holy freaking crap!!!!!!
i got that reference and its ROTFLOLWVFTH (rolling on the floor laughing out loud while vomiting from the hysteria)


and i agree the main point of the bible is not to convey stories to be taken literally, but to tell stories (some based on real events and places) to instill moralities into the followers......

i mean come on if some guy on the street told you he had wandered into the mountains and talked to god.... you would whip out your cell phone and get this guy some professional help......

but back then these people where called "prophets", "shaw-men", medicine men, oracles........

[Brythalious]

I would agree with you except for the fact that when it was written it was meant to be taken literally.

I agree though that it shouldn't be taken literally and that it should be seen as a nice set of stories there to help guide you to being a nice person or a nicer person.

[thaltek]

I would agree with you except for the fact that when it was written it was meant to be taken literally.

I agree though that it shouldn't be taken literally and that it should be seen as a nice set of stories there to help guide you to being a nice person or a nicer person.

indeed.... some of the stories are actually taken from older stories like Noah's ark was taken from the Sumerian's epic of Gilgamesh.....

[lone dragon]

Well I believe no-matter what you believe in or what book you devote yourself to it all comes down to one thing the free will to choose and search in what you believe in. Unfortunately religion and religious books and artifacts do appear to provoke intense argument and almost belligerent dogma in that you must believe this or else it negates the main rule you must be free to choose your own way.
Lone dragon

[Brythalious]

I saw a clip from Angels and demons and a line I thought summed it up nicely was Ewans priest asking.... Tom if he believed and said, I am not asking what man says about god but what you believe. I think more people should take that on board. For their sake.