Part 38 of Post Your Tough Questions Regarding Christianity

Then show me your evidence for. 2 Jewisj archaeologists have been searching for evidence for years. Zilch.

Most of the stories are ADAPTED from earlier stories. Even as religions are adapted from earlier beliefs. The 10 commandments are simply another code by which to live. Hammurabi, earlier, and other codes were the same. Moses claimed his god gave them to him. Hammurabi - in his preamble to his code - claims that Marduk gave it to him. Codes were a contract between the ruler and his subjects. These are the rules for you. You do them and all will be well. Disobey and this will happen. The kings protects his people from harm in both ways. Of course, the codes vary dramatically according to the particular time, culture and area.

 

You really do not get it do you?
If you are making the claim that the Christian God exists then the burden of proof lies with you to prove it, an intellectually honest person accepts this, why don't you?

 

Please provide a link to the peer reviewed scientific papers that back up these assertions, you cannot because they do not exist.!

 

The story of historical views on Noah’s Flood shows how there is far more to the story of the relationship between science and religion than the simple portrayal of a long-running feud (Gillespie, 1951; Glacken, 1967; Davies, 1969; Rudwick, 2005; Montgomery, 2012). By the end of the nineteenth century, conservative Christians generally accepted that there was no geological support for reading Noah’s Flood as a globe-wrecking deluge and that natural revelations established by science should guide biblical interpretation. Even the original fundamentalists accepted geologic evidence that contradicted the view of a six-day creation followed by Noah’s Flood as all there was to earth history (Numbers, 1993). But the forerunners of modern creationists chose to defend their preferred literal reading of scripture no matter what the rocks revealed. Dismissing the findings of geologists, they rejected reason in the name of faith. In this sense, modern creationism evolved in response to geological discoveries. The following brief review traces aspects of this story to illustrate how geological debates evolved into theological schisms anchored by creationist views with no scientific currency https://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/archive/22/11/article/i1052-5173-22-11-4.htm It's interesting but I doubt you'll bother to read it.

 

16th Century Colonial America? Think Tank?

 

Indeed...

The Flood of Noah and the Flood of Gilgamesh
COMPARISON

GENESIS - GILGAMESH

Extent of flood: Global - Global
Cause: Man's wickedness - Man's sins
Intended for whom? All mankind - One city & all mankind
Sender: Yahweh - Assembly of "gods"
Name of hero: Noah - Utnapishtim
Hero's character: Righteous - Righteous
Means of announcement: Direct from - God In a dream
Ordered to build boat? Yes - Yes
Did hero complain? Yes - Yes
Height of boat: Several stories (3) - Several stories (6)
Compartments inside? Many - Many
Doors: One - One
Windows: At least one - At least one
Outside coating: Pitch - Pitch
Shape of boat: Rectangular - Square
Human passengers: Family members only - Family & few others
Other passengers: All species of animals - All species of animals
Means of flood: Ground water & heavy rain - Heavy rain
Duration of flood: Long (40 days & nights plus) - Short (6 days & nights)
Test to find land: Release of birds - Release of birds
Types of birds: Raven & three doves - Dove, swallow, raven
Ark landing spot: Mountain -- Mt. Ararat - Mountain -- Mt. Nisir
Sacrificed after flood? Yes, by Noah - Yes, by Utnapishtim
Blessed after flood? Yes - Yes

https://www.icr.org/article/noah-flood-gilgamesh/

 

16th Century Colonial America Think Tank = A couple of Spaniards chatting in a malarial outpost somewhere in Florida

Of course, some Native American tribes do have their own flood stories and you can find them on-line...

 

What do you mean by that statement of yours? If you mean the eternity outcome based on your free will choice of belief/disbelief in the Christian God then yes the outcome is already known as to where these people go to spend their eternity existence. People who are saved go to Heaven, people who are not saved go to hell.

We are all given the free will choice to believe in Almighty God or disbelieve in Him. If you truly believe with all your heart and mind there is absolutely no Almighty God at all in existence then of course your choice will be disbelief.

Or if you believe in gods other than the Christian God, then essentially you are not believing that Our Lord Savior Jesus Christ is your Savior so you are in the same category as an unbeliever of the Christian God.

We Read In Scripture:

Our Lord Savior Jesus Christ said,

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” John 3:16-21 NLT

48 "But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken." John 12:48 NLT

 

Mitt, I have proven that there was never a time, anywhere in the 4.5 billion year history of the earth, that everything was under water. Ever. This is an indisputable fact. The noah story did not happen. We know that it didn't happen.

 

You'll never get through to him. He doesn't take any notice of what you say but just evades the questions he finds difficult. If he could live through the last 100,000 years and nothing happened, he would still say it did - because the Bible says so.

 

Why do I keep hearing and seeing people who argue for Gods existing say "evidences" instead of "evidence"? Is it a theology thing? A philosophy thing?

 

New question, though not exclusively reserved to nor 'aimed' at Christianity:
After all these years of all these religions, how is it that there are still so many? Isn't it reasonable to think that if religion were really the answer and held the "truth", such would have long ago become overwhelmingly apparent?
Certainly, if 'the' supreme deity were actually in support of one of these, it would have convincingly manifested itself.
We can surmise that, the above proven supremacy not having taken place, all these religions are either wrong or at least have seriously incorrect concepts of the supreme deity.

 

Considering religion is a human construct and there are many humans, it would make sense that there are many religions.

In the immortal words of Pontius Pilate, "What is truth?".

 

As they exist, there is some mechanism at work. The question tried to open up a broader field than specific questions about Christianity (while they also seem resistant to resolution).

 

Could you explain the methodology of how you decided your god was the correct god?

 

Because the bible told him so, and he knew the bible is right because it is the word of God. He knows it is the word of God because the bible says so. He knows the bible is right because it is the word of God. He knows it is the word of God because the bible says so. He knows the bible is right because it is the word of God.

You gotta have faith.

 

Marx said 'Religion is the opium of the people'. Reading the whole of the text I think he is saying in simple terms that it takes us out of the reality of the hard and often terrible conditions that surround us, and helps us to cope. The real problem is that if we take religion away we have nothing to replace it with. That doesn't make religion any more real but it does pass the responsibility of many things on to a supernatural being, instead of facing things for ourselves. 'It it's god's will, it will happen. If it isn't his will, it won't.'

 

I do think there is a natural drive or need in many people for religion, meaning a belief in some sort of higher power or ideal and an organized set of beliefs to hold to and to impose on others.

In the falling of God based religions, I do agree with those here saying that other quasi-religions, such as the "woke" religion have been forming, complete with dogma we are told not to question etc. And with it, those who would exploit it for political and personal gain just as preachers of God religions have for centuries.

It seems to always come from a place of good and a cry for fairness and justice over what came before, and then get twisted and corrupted. And I wonder if the organized God religions began the same way.

Starting with actual virtue, then moving into virtue signalling for pride and status and control, then into demonizing outsiders, etc. I think I see some patterns.

 

As I read though these posts, I am periodically shaking my head. Assuming we do have a creator, I don’t think man puts much thought into his own limitations about such creator. We live in a physical world. We cannot comprehend any matter that doesn’t have a physical component to it. So we desperately try to connect to the creator with these physical components.


Our Creator “loves” us.

Our Creator will answer your prayers and even cure you of your illness if you pray hard enough


Our Creator has a “son” and has “sacrificed” his son for us. He will l “punish” you forever if you don’t accept this.


I can go on forever with what seems to be religious bs cluttered with physical world jargon that is designed to capture our attention and scare us into submission. Frankly, I MUST say that it is a bit embarrassing to say that I was once a part of this.

What disgusts me is how we treat each other and Im not talking about the obvious wicked people in this world. Im referring to people who are suppose to know better, Our self righteousness and the obsession with the divine slice of the pie has us treating each other in a way that even we would have to admit seems to contradict what our own fundamental beliefs say on how we must treat each other. I mean WTF!

I remember hearing a funny line that speak volumes on how so many are just too close to the forrest

Treat Others like you want to be treated. The rest is all bs.

 

Perhaps, you were actually asking two questions, and I only responded to the first.

Now, I'll respond to the second:

Perhaps, we can surmise such. On the other hand, one could argue that it's not certain that the supreme deity, or God, would express His/Her/Its support of one or any of the religions and their ideas about God, Man and Nature. Perhaps, this is part of the Free Will that God has given us - the freedom to figure these things out on our own (or not) - or perhaps God doesn't care or has more important things to worry about. Finally, perhaps God is not the anthropomorphic entity that people are inclined to make God out to be - a God we created in our own image - and it is left entirely up to us to figure out the mysteries of life, being, the universe, etc..

 

Or circular "logic"....

 

Most particularly death.

The ironic thing about Marx is that his response was to offer a religion or faith of his own…

 

Sorry rahl but the only thing you have proven on my thread is that you have been consistently intellectually dishonest with your claim.

For nobody knows with 100% certainty the true/actual age of the earth, nor does anyone know with 100% certainty whether or not the Great Flood of Noah occurred.
So who knows with 100% certainty the true/actual age of the earth?...who knows with 100% certainty whether or not the Great Flood of Noah occurred?...the answer....only Almighty God The Creator knows, after all He created the heavens and the earth and furthermore it was He who told us about this mountain swallowing flood in His Best Selling Book Of All-Time, the Holy Bible and by golly I believe Him.

We Read in Scripture:

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2 NLT

17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. 20 Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. 21 And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.” 22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him. Genesis 6:17-24 NLT

17 For forty days the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth. 18 As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface. 19 Finally, the water covered even the highest mountains on the earth, 20 rising more than twenty-two feet above the highest peaks. 21 All the living things on earth died—birds, domestic animals, wild animals, small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people. 22 Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died. 23 God wiped out every living thing on the earth—people, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat. 24 And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days. Genesis 7:17-24 NLT

 

That's still circular. The bible says there is a god of a specific kind. It says that god created Earth (etc.). And, people believe that because it is stated in the bible.

That's not even evidence.

The Noah story, both creation stories and the Eden story all show no differences from what they would be if they were allegory. Being acutal events wouldn't even change the message.

 

Not according to Matthew in Matthew 25 verses 30 on.

In speaking to his followers, Jesus points out those of HIS OWN FOLLOWER who fail to search out and provide help for those in hospitals, in prison, in poor houses will suffer damnation. There is a crystal clear requirement to "walk the walk" - not just "believe".

This is not the only place where Jesus pointed out requirements that go beyond the first requirement of "belief in"/"acceptance of" Jesus/god.

Works won't get you to heaven.

Lack of works WILL get you to hell.

... at least according to Jesus.

I wonder how many Christians today think their passive belief is "good enough" as fire insurance according to their own religious beliefs.