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Evidence for why we know the New Testament writers told the truth.

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The Holocaust would be one. Many people in Germany believed killing Jews was in the best interest of their country. If you, like I, believe the Holocaust was wrong why should your opinion matter more than then those Germans in power at the time.

And many people in Sparta thought that weak babies should be killed at birth.
And the Vikings had no problem burning town to the ground and killing everybody that got on their way.
A few decades ago, the older, less productive members of some inuit tribes were asked to leave and go die on their own.
Within the good book, many passages relish the death of innocent children, Egyptian first born or male Canaanite babies.

Your example defeat your own argument.
Obviously, people do not naturally believe killing is wrong, obviously, they will align themselves with what their society tell them. Obviously, morality is a social product and do not come from outside.



I meant it shows that almost everyone believes in absolute morality. So that means almost everyone believes something is right or wrong regardless of how many people believe so.

It just means that almost everyone believes their own moral should be absolute.
Almost everybody project their own values and judgement on other and believe they should follow it.



So, if you believe the Holocaust was evil no matter who won the war then you believe in absolute moral laws.
(...)
Then you believe that if Germany and Japan had taken over the world the Holocaust would not be considered evil throughout most of the world.

The two things are different, of course.
I believe that, if the axis had won the war, many more people would be ok with the Holocaust, many of them would see it as a 'necessary evil' a harsh but necessary undertaking to free mankind from 'the evil of the sub-human parasites', which is the way many Nazis seem to have felt about it.
Also, of course, winning the war is not enough to brain-washing people. Even after being conquered by the Nazis, the conquered world will still keep its own culture and values and it would take a long time for the Nazi propaganda effort to society

Now, the question 'would you think the Holocaust still to be evil' is an empty question.
Yes, I, the "current me", would still be horrified at the idea of the Holocaust. But the "current me" is a product of history and culture. It would not exist in a Nazi dominated world, another me, "Nazi me" would have been produced that would be radically different and, maybe, under the 'right' circumstances would not see the evil of Nazi Germany as evil. He would have like Sauerkraut more, at any rate.
"Nazi me" is a douche.



That is unless you believe non living material like swamp scum can make absolute moral laws.

Let's pretend that you have demonstrated the existence of 'absolute' moral laws, and you didn't, as illustrated previously in this post.
Let's skip over your use of the term "Swamp scum" that sounds a bit like retarded creationist propaganda. Let's skip over the fact that, at any rate, we have underwent a few billion years of evolution since 'pond scum'.

Your, very poorly phrased argument, based on the shaky premise on an 'absolute morality' is that it would have to come from outside.
The problem, of course, is that, human, being a social species, would have been naturally selected to express traits that allow a society to work better with others.
Cohesive tribes would have thrived, chaotic ones would have disappeared.

There are people studying the evolution of empathy and justice and other moral roots of behaviour, you know?
Morality would have been selected as a positive trait, just as the ability to digest meat or resist infection.


And since I have shown the increased likelihood that God exists, I have shown the increased likelihood the NT writers were telling the truth.
Of course, you didn't but, even if you had, you would just has proved the existence of a universal law giver.
One could imagine, literally, an infinite number of them. The likelihood for this Lawgiver to be the Christian God would therefore, in itself, be one in an infinity.
Even if you had risen its likelihood, of the Christian God to exist, which you did not your reasoning was faulty in several places, You'd have risen it by a mathematically infinitely close to zero margin.
 
First of all let me say the following information is relevant and important to this thread because if we can show an increased likelihood in the existence of God then that will certainly increase the likelihood the NT writers were telling the truth.

<snip>

And since I have shown the increased likelihood that God exists, I have shown the increased likelihood the NT writers were telling the truth.

No this does not follow, many religions have dieties that have strict codes of conduct and laws that thier followers are supposed to obey. If your argument was valid (not that I am conceding that point) that would only be the first step. The next step would to identify WHICH god(s) are the real ones. IF you were able to narrow the filed from the thousands out there to the god of Abraham then you would still have the islamic, jewish and christian branches. Then from there many of the different sect within those groups hold radically different view on what is really gods word or want from us (not to mention differing view on morality of certain things).
 
But, to advance this moral absolute argument (and not explain why you are blatantly wrong about servant/slave),...
.

You have the right to you're opinion about Jesus and servants in the NT. I'm not going to repeat my many arguments in your long gone thread.


...let's pretend it is a employed servant, one who could leave the job at any time. Jesus condones the beating of employees. Do you find this an acceptable practice? Would it be acceptable for A McDonald's manager to beat the fry cook if he spilled fries on the floor? How many lashes would be acceptable?...

Joobz you can be something else sometimes. You're comparing a fry cook spilling some fries to a biblical servant who beat several men and beat several woman.


And if we use your analogy the fry cook would lose his job, probably be arrested, and find it very difficult to find another job. Personally I'd rather receive some lashes; and keep my job, room, and board, like it was implied happened to the servant who beat several people.
 
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You're comparing a fry cook spilling some fries to a biblical servant who beat several men and beat several woman.
False.
Reread the parable.
" 42The Lord answered, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

It's clear that the servant who "did not know he did wrong" ISN'T the same as the servant who beat people.


And if we use your analogy the fry cook would lose his job, probably be arrested, and find it very difficult to find another job. Personally I'd rather receive some lashes and keep my job, room, and board, like it was implied happened to the servant in biblical times.
So you want to go on the record as saying that companies should be allowed to beat employees?


ETA:
Even if you were right about the analogy, the proper course of action would be to fire the eployee and report him to the police. Not beat him.
But then again, that's just me. I'm an amoral atheist.
 
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Joobz you can be something else sometimes. You're comparing a fry cook spilling some fries to a biblical servant who beat several men and beat several woman.

Indeed he is. Your problem with that is? Were people somehow different in biblical times?
 
I'm not going to repeat my many arguments in your long gone thread.
Cool!

Does that mean you're finally going to get around to making a start on furnishing some 'evidence for why we know the New Testament writers told the truth'?
 
And many people in Sparta thought that weak babies should be killed at birth.
And the Vikings had no problem burning town to the ground and killing everybody that got on their way.
A few decades ago, the older, less productive members of some inuit tribes were asked to leave and go die on their own.
Within the good book, many passages relish the death of innocent children, Egyptian first born or male Canaanite babies.

Your example defeat your own argument.
Obviously, people do not naturally believe killing is wrong, obviously, they will align themselves with what their society tell them. Obviously, morality is a social product and do not come from outside.

I disagree, deep down every sane person knows it is wrong to kill innocent people and children. But just because they know it is wrong doesn't mean they will restrict their actions. They might find some rationalization for their actions but they know it is wrong to kill innocent people and children.

Criminals know it is wrong to rob a bank, but banks are robbed every few minutes.
 
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Criminals know it is wrong to rob a bank, but banks are robbed every few minutes.
You know that Rule 11 of the MA states that 'Posts must be on topic to the thread subject.' yet you persist in posting off-topic nonsense
 
I'm not going to repeat my many arguments in your long gone thread.
You do understand how the internet works, right?

The thread isn't "gone".
When people search this site for slavery and the Bible and they will learn how Jesus condoned not just slavery but the beating of slaves. That to jesus, this is a perfect metaphor for our relationship with god.
 
I disagree, deep down every sane person knows it is wrong to kill innocent people and children. But just because they know it is wrong doesn't mean they will restrict their actions. They might find some rationalization for their actions but they know it is wrong to kill innocent people and children.
Maybe you should tell god that!

2 Samuel 12:14-18
Exodus 11
2 Kings 2:23-24
psalm 137:9

ETA:
Isaiah 14:21
Hosea 9:11-16
Ezekiel 9:5-7
Jeremiah 51:20-26
Leviticus 26:21-22
Isaiah 13:15-18

But I guess those aren't "Bad killings" because god wishes it...

What's it called again when something is unacceptable unless the conditions surrounding the action mean it's acceptable?

It's not absolute....it's rela.......
 
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I disagree, deep down every sane person knows it is wrong to kill innocent people and children. But just because they know it is wrong doesn't mean they will restrict their actions. They might find some rationalization for their actions but they know it is wrong to kill innocent people and children.

Criminals know it is wrong to rob a bank, but banks are robbed every few minutes.


So... The Spartan knew that what they were doing was wrong. Even if they kept the practices for centuries, didn't let any record of people dissenting about the tradition and even bragged about it in some of their text?

"Sure, all evidences point out that they thought it normal and good, but, thank to my amazing trans-temporal mind reading abilities, I know that, deep down, they agonized about it".
 
I am sticking to the topic. If it can be shown through the "Moral Argument" that a God is more likely, then that would mean it is more likely that the NT writers were telling the truth.

That is not correct. It's another common fallacy of yours, called a "non sequitur."

So if you could prove with absolute certainty that there is no God, would that hurt, help, or have no effect, on the argument that the NT writers were telling the truth.
 
I disagree, deep down every sane person knows it is wrong to kill innocent people and children. But just because they know it is wrong doesn't mean they will restrict their actions. They might find some rationalization for their actions but they know it is wrong to kill innocent people and children.

Criminals know it is wrong to rob a bank, but banks are robbed every few minutes.


Since you're obviously no longer interested in the topic here, would it be too much trouble to ask you to start a thread of your own somewhere else to discuss whatever it is you're on about?

Heidelberg is nice.
 
Nom'd For the Pith

But thank you my good sir, I am flattered, indeed I am.
Although I am unfamiliar with the term "pith" outside of its botanical meaning; I gathered it refers to humour, but I am not sure what sort of humour.

(Also, out of topic for the discussion but on topic for the season, I wrote a D&D adventure for Halloween last year, where the players were to interact with an undead camel called 'Bob'. You name, 'Bob the donkey' reminds me of 'Bob the zombie-camel').
 
So if you could prove with absolute certainty that there is no God, would that hurt, help, or have no effect, on the argument that the NT writers were telling the truth.
Prove to me the absolute reason that a so-called god is needed. Looking how the body is thrown together, it looks anything but what a so-called god would make. It looks just like how one that came about by evolution would be. And one does not have to blame it all on sin, which explains NOTHING.

Paul

:) :) :)
 
So if you could prove with absolute certainty that there is no God, would that hurt, help, or have no effect, on the argument that the NT writers were telling the truth.

Considering you cannot prove with absolute certainty whether God exists or not, the question is moot; but more than that, it's irrelevant to the question.

If you could prove that God does exist, it wouldn't mean that the New Testament is correct. Islam could be correct, Judaism could be correct, or some other religious viewpoint might be correct.

Something is only evidence for a particular conclusion if it cannot simultaneously be evidence for a contradictory conclusion.

IOW...Even if God exists, the NT could still be a work of fiction, any more than God's existence would be evidence of the veracity of the Book of Mormon.
 
So if you could prove with absolute certainty that there is no God, would that hurt, help, or have no effect, on the argument that the NT writers were telling the truth.


On YOUR argument that the NT writers were telling the truth?

Nothing could affect that any more. If God showed up with his original drafts of the Bible and posted them here, it wouldn''t save your arguments.
 
So if you could prove with absolute certainty that there is no God, would that hurt, help, or have no effect, on the argument that the NT writers were telling the truth.


The NT telling the truth is dependant of God existing, so, God not existing would, automatically mean they were not telling the truth.
But, God could exist and they could still be telling a lie, or be mistaken so, God existing only rise the likelihood of them telling the truth by a infinitely small amount.
I explained that in the post you quoted.



Let me try again:

Most adventures of Superman happen in the city of Metropolis.
The fact that Metropolis does not exist, in itself, implies that Superman is fictitious.

Most adventures of Spider-man happen in the city of New-York.
The fact that New York does actually exist (and the adventures of Spider-Man got so many details of the city geography right that one could truly call Stan Lee one of the greatest historians) does not, in any substantial level, rise the level of likelihood of spider-man being real.
 
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