I Think So Brain But Do You Realy think The Marshmalow Chicks Can Live In Peace With The Gummy Worms

[badstar]

It really hurts me to think that people feel that they need to feel deep hurt because I've rejected Christianity.

In a way, it's like it hurts me that people can't understand that I've got something that's just as wonderful for me...and I'd like to say that it hurts me that they can't see it like I do and have it for themselves...

...but if I've got something this great, but they've got something else so great that fills the same spot ib their life...then how can it hurt me?

It's like...I've got Hagen-Daazs ice cream, would you like some? Oh, you've got Ben and Jerry's? Cool! Well, uh...here's a picnic table, wanna share?

Comments

[fervid-dryfire.livejournal.com]

...the Bible. Which is, itself, an arbitrary collection of works, written by humans, the composition of which is also decided by--you guessed it--humans.

The Bible is divinely inspired, not arbitrarily written, collected, or otherwise chosen by "mere" humans "acting alone" in their own interests; God was guiding their actions via the Holy Spirit, a real supernatural presence and part of the Holy Trinity, which lives inside each and every one of us. If you choose not to believe that, fine- but writing it off with your "practical, logical (and frankly cynical) outlook" on the subject does not at all move me or any of the others like me.

Until we can prove in some uncircular manner that a) a deity exists and b) that deity communicates with humans, any statement regarding "His will" is exactly the same as self-righteousness: claiming to know what we simply don't know.

This HAS been proven; Christ was crucified, died, was entombed, and was resurrected. Nothing and no one but God could accomplish this; it is not only proof that "a deity exists," it is proof that He exists! Everything prophesied from the Old Testament has happened too- which is more (albeit by this point, technically unnecessary) proof that He existed back then as well. From these truths- and pretty much these truths alone- everything else falls into place. It's well-documented and widely available to many peoples and laguages, and very much worth re-reading from time to time.


Sure, there's the friend who gets you to church under the pretense of social interaction, and the folks who slip Bibles in hotel rooms, and the relative who expresses sadness at the fact that you're not "going home" with them when you die, and lest we not forget, loaded or edged weapons worked remarkably well for the Romans, Spanish, French, and British.

STRAWMAN ALERT!!!! STRAWMAN ALERT!!! DEVIATE AND RE-ACQUIRE ORIGINAL COURSE OF DISCUSSION IMMEDIATELY!!!! MESSAGE ENDS


Plainly put, evangelization is the work of Paul, not Jesus--Jesus' message was directed solely at Jews, and historically, Judaism wasn't (and isn't) a proselytizing religion. It wasn't until Paul interpreted Jesus' words that the gentile market was opened.

Again...divinely inspired. Any other arguments of this nature will result in my smiling and shaking my head politely.

[fuego.livejournal.com]

So glad to see that my LJ remains an outlet for such debate and exchange of ideas

:-D

[resident-geek.livejournal.com]

The Bible is divinely inspired, not arbitrarily written, collected, or otherwise chosen by "mere" humans "acting alone" in their own interests; God was guiding their actions via the Holy Spirit, a real supernatural presence and part of the Holy Trinity, which lives inside each and every one of us.

Two words: prove it.

And, sorry, but statements like

This HAS been proven; Christ was crucified, died, was entombed, and was resurrected.

won't get you anywhere. You're just repeating your assertion.

If you choose not to believe that, fine- but writing it off with your "practical, logical (and frankly cynical) outlook" on the subject does not at all move me or any of the others like me.

I'm not sure my intent is to get you to disbelieve. I just want you to recognize that your position is based on circular reasoning: What makes the Bible true? God says so. What proves that God said so? The Bible.

And that's only if you choose to believe that there is one Bible, instead of the mass of translations, differing manuscrupts, excerpts, redactions, and editions that it actually represents. Related to my other post, how do you determine what's divinely inspired and what's not? Why is Thomas apocryphal, yet John (a fine example of anti-Jewish polemic if I've ever seen one) canon?

[fervid-dryfire.livejournal.com]

Two words: prove it.

Given the grounds of assumed disbelief you're forcing me to play on, I can't prove it any more than you can disprove it.


...your position is based on circular reasoning: What makes the Bible true? God says so. What proves that God said so? The Bible.

That's not my position at all! For one thing, places other than the Bible have recorded the same events depicted within it, Old Testament as well as New Testament; most importantly, there are many non-Biblical accounts that Jesus lived and was crucified, and that the body was never found (though the Bible does "fill in" that little mystery rather easily). Based on the "evidence" from both secular texts AND the Bible, the pieces are easy enough to put together from there.

...how do you determine what's divinely inspired and what's not? Why is Thomas apocryphal, yet John (a fine example of anti-Jewish polemic if I've ever seen one) canon?

Frankly, it varies from church to church and by denominations, etc. so I can't answer that. Good question, though.

[resident-geek.livejournal.com]

Given the grounds of assumed disbelief you're forcing me to play on, I can't prove it any more than you can disprove it.

I'm not forcing you to play on ground of assumed disbelief--I'm asking you to give actual evidence rather than repeating the traditional line. What's not fair is to assume your beliefs are true and then attempt to hold other people to them as well without being able to verify them. This is the hard one to swallow: faith is not a basis for truth, but only belief.

there are many non-Biblical accounts that Jesus lived and was crucified, and that the body was never found

Flavius Josephus does mention the existence of a man named Jesus, who people believed was resurrected. Please show me even a few more of the "many" non-Biblical accounts of Jesus' life, death, and resurrected which you claim exist.

Frankly, it varies from church to church and by denominations, etc. so I can't answer that. Good question, though.

Indeed, which is why it was asked. But as it's one of the central points in any argument of the truth of the resurrection, the burden rests on you to answer it. I hope you'll rise to meet the challenge.

[fervid-dryfire.livejournal.com]

...show me even a few more of the "many" non-Biblical accounts of Jesus' life, death, and resurrected which you claim exist.

Well, aside from that I never actually said there was an account of the resurrection itself...Yes, Flavius Josephus is one of the better-known sources, and there are more

For example, see:

The Archko Volume (haha, just kidding!)

Tacitus
Pliny the Younger
Eusebius of Caesarea
Justin Martyr
Philo of Alexandria
Tertullian


...as it's one of the central points in any argument of the truth of the resurrection, the burden rests on you to answer it.

Interestingly enough, the same could be said about any arguments against the truth of the resurrection; if you can't prove that it DIDN'T happen, why would I have cause to accept your claim over mine? =\