Merged (edited) General thoughts about Christianity and the bible

[JayUtah]

You seem uninformed about the assembly of the canon.

Be careful. Someone might infer from this that you think they're stupid.

 

[JayUtah]

I do believe in elohim. (plural for gods)
Elohim (capital E) being the supreme God.

Show me the difference in Hebrew between capital letters and minuscules.

 

[JayUtah]

Have you read the new testament?

Many times in many languages including the Latin Vulgate. My Greek is a little rusty, but I can usually get by. I've also read a lot of the books that were considered but not included.

It's an impressive book.

Meh.

But we have the mind of Christ.

And logic be damned, or however you put it.

 

[Mojo]

I wouldn't frame it that way, of course.
Have you read the new testament?
It's an impressive book.

Have you read Catch-22?

 

[Rusty Tyler]

Because if the book was written by a god, it would be perfect without contradictions. Instead it was written by men and men make stories up.

I agree partially.
Written by men? Yes.
Men who made up stories? No.
You don't apply that questioning to your ancient texts.

 

[catsmate]

How did you arrive at that conclusion?

Comparing the campfire stories and fairy tales to real history.
Creation myths, camels, Noah's ark, the supposed flood, David’s Scribe, the life of Paul, the day Jesus was executed, the death of Judas, the supposed Roman census, the Exodus wandering, the size of kingdom of Judah, and many, many, many, more.

 

[Mojo]

But we have the mind of Christ.

No you don't, you've just got some stories people have told about a character called Christ.

 

[catsmate]

I just gave it to you. Why would you discount the Bible as evidence for what the Apostle Paul did?

Because it's a collection of contradictory fairy stories

 

[JayUtah]

What was written in the Gospels was based on the oral tradition of eye-witness accounts.

So hearsay.

Let me give you a little help about what constitutes eyewitness testimony. Did you see it with your own eyes? If yes, then eyewitness testimony. If not, then hearsay. That's one of the easiest lines to draw where evidence is concerned.

 

[Rusty Tyler]

I know there's no God, with 100% certainty,

Based on what?

 

[catsmate]

But true.

Oh, and sickle cell anaemia. Look it up: interesting.

I'm rather fond of the example of CCR5-∆32, as a carrier. We know when and why it proliferated.

Recent human evolution - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Rusty Tyler]

Show me the difference in Hebrew between capital letters and minuscules.

There are no miniscules as I understand it.

 

[Rusty Tyler]

Comparing the campfire stories and fairy tales to real history.
Creation myths, camels, Noah's ark, the supposed flood, David’s Scribe, the life of Paul, the day Jesus was executed, the death of Judas, the supposed Roman census, the Exodus wandering, the size of kingdom of Judah, and many, many, many, more.

I agree that there are problems with the text.
Is that enough to discard the whole thing?

 

[Helen]

How did you arrive at that conclusion?

History requires many independent sources. Fiction requires none.

 

[JayUtah]

Paul (Saul) had a personal relationship with Christ which began on the road to Damascus.

...according to Paul. The fun thing about claiming communications with a dead guy is that the dead guy isn't around to dispute you.

2 Corinthians 12:1 1 NIV
I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.

Claiming to have been sent visions ≠ personal relationship,

1 Corinthians 11:23 NIV
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,

Recounting a well-known fact about someone ≠ persona relationship with that person.

Ephesians 3:3-4 NIV
that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.
4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,

Claiming telepathy from a dead person ≠ personal relationship.

Romans 16:25 NIV
Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message
I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past,

Here he's not even claiming to be the one who received the revelation.

I just gave it to you. Why would you discount the Bible as evidence for what the Apostle Paul did?

At best it's hearsay about what Paul claimed to have done.

When you complain that people ignore your evidence (or at best, aren't convinced by it), it's because you don't seem to understand what actually constitutes evidence. You're constantly trying to equate a claim with evidence that the claim is true. At times you're not even grasping the plain meaning of what you're reading. Questions like, "Why would you dismiss the biblical account?" presupposes the historical authority of the Bible. The Bible is a reasonably reliable (although incomplete) source for what Christians believe. It is not proof that what Christians believe is true.

 

[Jack by the hedge]

That doesn't seem to be a good reason to dismiss supernatural events that occurred in the first century.
Just because you don't believe they could happen today.

That sounds a bit like claiming flying saucers used to be more common but now everyone has a camera in their pocket they conveniently disappeared.

Supernatural events don't happen. If you want to persuade anyone that they used to happen, back in the era when, quite coincidentally, we knew a great deal less about how the world works, then you're likely to need a very compelling argument.

 

[JayUtah]

There are no miniscules as I understand it.

Correct. So when reading scripture in Hebrew, how would you tell big-E Elohim from lilttle-e elohim?

 

[Foster Zygote]

More like Kiteo, his eyes closed.

Kayshon, when he became a puppet.

 

[Darat]

How would I do that?
Why would you discount the biblical account?

Which one?

 

[Darat]

Why should Cat or anyone address your questions?

You're great at asking questions and ignoring the answers. You don't even consider them.

Give him a break - google searches take effort!