Christians are commanded to believe in their God, and Jesus Christ, the 'Son of God', from whom the name 'Christian' is coined. They are told in the Bible to believe by faith alone since, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)
In other words, it doesn't matter there's no proof, 'just believe because we say it is so'.
They are told that the all the proof needed is in the Christian Bible, which is composed of two parts - the 'Old' and the 'New' Testaments - as interpreted by their all-too-human Christian leaders:
Jesus, the 'Son of God' referred to the Old Testament as the "Word of God" which "cannot be broken" (John 10:35).
He said, "until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished" (Matt. 5:18).
Paul added, "All Scripture is God-breathed" (2 Tim. 3:16).
It came "out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4).
Although human authors recorded the messages, "prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21).
He said, "until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished" (Matt. 5:18).
Paul added, "All Scripture is God-breathed" (2 Tim. 3:16).
It came "out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4).
Although human authors recorded the messages, "prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21).
Christians are commanded to believe in the Bible without question, because everything contained therein is the 'True Word of God' under this so-called logic:
God cannot err.
The Bible is the Word of God.
Therefore, the Bible cannot err.
God Cannot Err!
The Bible is the Word of God.
Therefore, the Bible cannot err.
God Cannot Err!
And, when questioned about possible inconsistencies or errors in the Bible - no matter how many or how ridiculous - Christians invariably reply the Burden of Proof (of the error) is on the critic - not the Bible! It's sort of the 'Mother of all Catch-22's'!
This is mirrored in a Christian (I suppose) bumper sticker I once saw:
God Said It; I Believe It; That Settles It!
Is there any wonder the current Christian leader of our country George W. Bush appreciates and uses this approach?
Evangelical Christians - and ALL Christians are commanded by Jesus in the Bible to be evangelical, though not all are in fact - relentlessly seek to * export their 'faith' to others around the world. They spend billions of dollars to 'convert the wicked and Godless', with their de facto definition of 'Godless' being 'non-Christian'. They piously claim to be fulfilling the 'Spiritual Needs of native peoples' by bringing them the 'Word of God' and 'salvation'. In the process they destroyed the lives and cultures of millions of people around the world over the centuries, while robbing them of treasure and sustenance. They have have been responsible for millions of deaths through their forcible 'conversion' and 'perfection' of non-Christians. Like some Islamics, they seem none too concerned if millions of innocent 'heretics' and non-believers must die in the process.
Over a period of about 300 years from 1484 to 1782, Christian churches put to death over 300,000 women accused of witchcraft in Europe and America. Incredibly, Christians later insisted with straight faces, the witch hunts were a 'result of theological misapplication and the people involved were penitent'.
You see, if you are a Christian, you can be forgiven for anything - except disbelief!
We have all heard of the 'Inquisitions' (of which there are four recognized), where heretics and apostates were punished and put to death - often by burning at the stake - for 'heresy' and 'apostasy' , which were defined as questioning, or opposition to the doctrine of the Roman Catholic or Orthodox Christian Churches. Many non-Catholic Christians ('protestants') were victims. Any protestant falling into the hands of authorities in Catholic countries - through shipwreck or otherwise for example, was subject to be tried and punished for heresy or apostasy.
Galileo Galilei - the great astronomer, mathematician and philosopher of the 16th and 17th centuries was tried and convicted of heresy by the Roman Catholic church. His sin was proving the Earth orbited the sun. This ran contrary to church doctrine, which placed Earth at the center of the universe. Galileo's inconvenient fact is also inconsistent with the literal meaning of scripture - and incidentally unreconciled even today, with the excuse that it's all in how scripture is interpreted! Galileo was forced to 'recant' and spent the last years of his life under house arrest.
Incredibly, there are still some Catholics today who muleheadedly insist the church was right and Galileo was wrong, even though they admit the heliocentric ('Copernician Theory') was correct as far as it went. They maintain Galilieo brought all his troubles on himself by being so public with his opinions and proof. In other words they want things both ways in the Christian tradition of never admitting error in the smallest degree. Ever. I assume that must be what a 'perfected' Christian is all about, a la Ann Coulter.
And then there were 'The Crusades' - seven in all, which took hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives. Pope 'Innocent III' (what an ironic name!) avowed salvation could be bought simply by going on a Crusade - to 'convert' apostates at the point of a sword! There was even a (disputed) 'Children's Crusade' of up to 30,000 children and/or poor people who marched towards Jerusalem to 'peaceably convert' the Muslims there. When the Mediterranean Sea did not part as planned, many were sold into slavery or otherwise died. According to contemporary accounts, none returned home.
One overriding theme is evident throughout 'Christianity' to this day, and that is the wealth of the church and its leaders, at the expense of their followers. This is the biggest scam of all time, and still in full flower, with millions of 'victims' willing and eager to contribute, up to everything they own.
Take Pat Robertson for one well-known example. There are thousands of others, with perhaps the greatest offender of all being the Holy Roman Catholic Church.
* "(19) Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, (20) and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world." Matthew 28:19-20
ISIAIh 41 BRING forth your IDOLS did they PREACH to you see they can’t speak they can’t DO ANYTHING all they do is cause confusion. spalms 115 and spalms 135 thier IDOLS are FALSE cant speak can't hear cant smell and those that make them shall become like them. Jeremiah 10 they nail their IDOL down like a scarecrow it can’t move can'...t speak can’t move must be carried these are nothing but the WORK of CON men.john 10 jesus christ sais his sheep hear his voice and another voice thy will not follow and if another person tries to preach to them they WILL FLEE from him. jeremiah 5 the priests bear rule on their own authority what will you do when your judged my word is not inside them. Now here is the kicker john 5 son of man voice goes back in time mathew 16 jesus christ claims to be the son of man.1 cor2 mind of CHRIST preached internally and john 16 sais the spirit of truth comes in the future. Ezekiel 13 lying prophets of ISRAEL my word is not inside them saying god sais god sais god sais wrote hoping mankind would CONFIRM their WORDS. all of this is EASILY verifiable
ReplyDeleteI had a little trouble with your comment, but making allowances for your level of intellect since you are obviously a Christian, I broke your words down into sections, and answered each one as best as I could, as follows:
ReplyDeleteISIAIh 41 BRING forth your IDOLS did they PREACH to you see they can’t speak they can’t DO ANYTHING all they do is cause confusion.
Trying to figure out what my IDOLS could be. Nearest I can figure is I idolize TRUTH, which I know causes a lot of confusion for religious folk who love and idolize their MYTHS;
spalms 115 and spalms 135 thier IDOLS are FALSE cant speak can't hear cant smell and those that make them shall become like them.
I hope I shall always recognize reality and remain truthful. And truths speak to us every day. All we have to do is recognize them.
Jeremiah 10 they nail their IDOL down like a scarecrow it can’t move can'...t speak can’t move must be carried these are nothing but the WORK of CON men.
Know TRUTH and it shall set you free! Truth doesn’t need to be nailed down as it is always a constant. Halleleluja!
john 10 jesus christ sais his sheep hear his voice and another voice thy will not follow and if another person tries to preach to them they WILL FLEE from him.
Yes, I understand followers of Christ ‘hear’ his voice which seems to cause them to flee from reality and truth. More’s the pity;
jeremiah 5 the priests bear rule on their own authority what will you do when your judged my word is not inside them.
Got me here I guess. Indeed, religious ‘priests’ rule on their own ‘authority’, presumably provided by ‘the book’. Are you saying they don’t care what anyone else has to say if it goes against the Christian myths? That is obvious and a clear denial of reality.
Now here is the kicker john 5 son of man voice goes back in time
And, this makes sense to who?
mathew 16 jesus christ claims to be the son of man.
Agreed. Sure, Jesus was the son of a man, presumably Joseph if he was the one who knocked up Mary. But, what I have always been confused about is why a Jew, born in the Middle East have a Spanish name?
1 cor2 mind of CHRIST preached internally and
And this makes sense to who?
john 16 sais the spirit of truth comes in the future.
Well there you go! Finally! Yes, TRUTH should always triumph over myths passed down from Middle Eastern goat herders from several thousand years ago.
Ezekiel 13 lying prophets of ISRAEL my word is not inside them saying god sais god sais god sais wrote hoping mankind would CONFIRM their WORDS. all of this is EASILY verifiable
Well, there you go again! Making my point for me! Christians have always hoped (and demanded) mankind confirm the words of their myths. But, alas for Christians, this can never be since one can never confirm myths and fairy tales over reality.
And since the ‘bible’ uses its own words to verify itself, it presents somewhat of a conflict of interest problem, doesn’t it? Except that is, for religionists like you who ‘believe’ and demand everyone else should too - and use words of the bible to validate their arguments.
So, good luck to you. I hope all this mental effort hasn't dented up your tin hat too much!