Misconceptions About Christianity By HullBreach

@Siling-La
20 Jun 2019 09:03

I think you've made a misconception. You repeatedly adress Christianity as a religion above. Well Christianity is not a religion, It is unique and special (and true) You see, the word Religion everywhere its used, and every Religion has one thing in common: unworthy man trying to reach god, living in fear of this god/gods, and constantly trying to make themselves 'acceptable' to a god/gods. Now Christianity is way different from that. No Religion in the world allows a deep, personal relationship with thier god. But the message of Christianity is just the opposite! Jesus Christ reached down to us and made Himself unholy and wholy flesh. Because He loved us so much, He died a slow, agonizing, human death, so we would not pay that price and so that we could have that relationship with Him, just because He loves us. Our God is Love. Religion's gods install fear in the believer so they obey in constant fear of angering god. Our God is slow to anger and He loves us enough to forget our sins and see us as we are, how He made us, now broken masterpieces.

@FancyPants
02 Jul 2013 00:15

Okay, a few more questions.

1) What will the fate of Satan/Lucifer and the Demons be (I think I was told this once before, but I forgot)?

2) I was told that God keeps us here, and puts the bad things here (Such as a bee sting, a bully, a murderer, etc.) so that we can know what true happiness/pain is. The reason for that is that when we die, we will be able to have our own 'world', and that in order to have that, we must know what it feels like. Is this true?

3) You said below that hell is not all 'fire and lava', but just a place where there is no God, no compassion, no love. What is heaven like? I know it's not the typical 'clouds, sun, all floaty and happy'.

4) Does God Himself have a superior or a creator?

5) Is God a man, a woman, or is He just 'genderless'?

@HullBreach Premium64

02 Jul 2013 01:16
In reply to FancyPants

1. The fate is not perfectly clear. Revelation speaks of parts of it in metaphor during the apocalypse.
2. We are imperfect and frail beings, susceptible to phenomena in this existence. Life is a gift, but it is by no means perfect. Some of the bad things that happen to use are results of natural phenomena that we cannot predict; others are from acts of evil commutes by other beings, who have the same free will that we do. God does not stop our own choices, but prayer can help us be guided to handle situations in more productive ways.
3. Heaven is the loving presence of God.
4. God has always existed.
5. God has no specific gender but is assigned a fatherly gender, because the concept of gender less existence does not exist for us.

@FireEmblem123
01 Jul 2013 23:12

Hull, has God been proven as fact or fiction?

@HullBreach Premium64

01 Jul 2013 23:20
In reply to FireEmblem123

There is a great deal of evidence for the existence of God (historical, philosophical, scientific), but it ultimately comes down to faith until you have a personal experience to affirm the truth to you.

@FireEmblem123
01 Jul 2013 23:25
In reply to HullBreach

Do YOU believe in "God?"

@Mr.Gangsta
01 Jul 2013 02:14

Religion harms people, the homosexuals of America are denied freedom because of it. Religion has such a large influence on the USA, that's why were declining in power, look at the country's with all the power. he countries that have stopped wasting the majority of time on religion and have started focusing on progression.

@HullBreach Premium64

01 Jul 2013 04:13
In reply to Mr.Gangsta

The foundation of the United States actually stems from religious moral foundation, specifically Judaochristian. Many of those who settled in the colonies were refugees of religious persecution. Off the top of my head, I can't think of a single atheist Founding Father. They all wrote of God in their journals. The founders were mainly Christians, but there were also Jews, Muslims, and non-denominatal deists. Many were either preachers or were very active in their places of worship. For this reason, they made sure that religious freedom would be an integral part of the new nation. They realized that taking time to pray and collect ones thoughts would cause a more productive and fulfilling life. Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin, all had faith in Divine Providence. Washington even had his famous prayer on one knee before crossing the Deleware during the Revolutary War.

In the early days of the United States, most hospitals, schools, and other beneficial establishments, were founded and funded by religious institutions. Even today, you see much of that. Some of the most prestogious universities (Duke, Stanford, Notre Dame) and hospitals (Mayo Clinic, Sacred Heart), in the United States have affiliations with religion. Per capita, US citizens are the most charitable people in the world. Take a subset of that population, and you will see that those with faith are the most charitable. (Don't take this as saying others are no charitable - because they still are.)

If you only see the small amount of negatives in religion, then I pity you. There are countless instances in the lives of so many people where their faith has helped them through a tough time or to have the strength to achieve something great.

@Mr.Gangsta
06 Jul 2013 00:59
In reply to HullBreach

my hatred is towards freedom for everyone. More religious establishments are against gays than for, but just like history has shown, freedom for all will prevail as religion diminishes, which is why gay marriage is legal in many advanced countries. Our economic standpoint is a choice, it could be changed, but politics wont allow it. Not only because of religion, but because of bias use of power, illegals, and manipulation of the congressional system. I mean look, obesity's now a disease, so all those fat people that are too lazy to do anything get paid to be fat.

@HullBreach Premium64

06 Jul 2013 13:10
In reply to Mr.Gangsta

You are the first person I have ever seen who blames obesity on religion.

@Mr.Gangsta
07 Jul 2013 07:26
In reply to HullBreach

my bad, im coming across wrong, I definitely dot blame religion for obesity. That blame goes to every fat person out there, its their own fault, although I did read about a Connecticut man saying he was predestined to be fat because "god" creates everyone to be the way they are. Actually now that I think about it, religion can be to blame for obesity, I mean im sure they all just blame "god" for them being overweight, I mean why not. So, why exactly did "god" create me to despise the concept of a deity? I mean because the claim is that he created me. But which one was it, Buddha, Muhammad? who knows

@HullBreach Premium64

07 Jul 2013 12:10
In reply to Mr.Gangsta

Some people who are obese don't just eat a lot of food. They may have genetic disposition. That has to do with genetics, as Augustinian friar Gregor Mendel researched in the 1800s.

I'm still not seeing why you have so much hatred for an entity you claim does not exist. Science plays a very big part in the happens of the universe, so that would be a much more logical place to lay the blame. It's not healthy living a life of hatred toward anyone or anything, though. Hatred will eat you up from the inside and make you into an overall bitter person. Just let it go.

You may not believe in God, but its tough to deny that the central tenet of Jesus, forgiveness, helps to live a happier life. If someone wrongs you, just let that go. Your aunt has been wronged by ignorant and bigoted people. It may be hard to do, but "forgive them their trespasses". Keeping any angry burden on yourself has no benefit, especially when it is directed at billions of people because of a small group misdirected bigotry at your aunt.

@Mr.Gangsta
01 Jul 2013 02:26
In reply to Mr.Gangsta

So why don't you get yourself killed to go to heaven? I mean if its so great might as well, I know suicides wrong, but why not live dangerous and tell god it was an accident, oh wait he knows your thoughts huh? All that masturbating's bringing you to hell! You know, you cant cherry pick parts of Christianity.

@HullBreach Premium64

01 Jul 2013 04:21
In reply to Mr.Gangsta

Why do you hate God so much of you don't believe He exists?

Life is a gift. When I live my life, I try my hardest to follow the way Jesus lived his life. When I do that, I notice everything is so much greater than it would be with no guidance. Eventually the time will come for me to depart this world. When I do, I pray that I have been able to leave a positive impression on those around me.

@Mr.Gangsta
06 Jul 2013 00:50
In reply to HullBreach

I don't hate "god" because I don't believe in "him". I despise religion because of the enterprise of it. The fact that millions of people listen to something written thousands of years ago before believing something right in front of them. My aunts gay and she switched churches 3 times, because just like how the puritans that settled in this country were prosecuted, she's prosecuted. The only difference, she's not doing anything horrible like the puritans were. After her latest church she gave up on religion, its amazing how terrible followers can be.

@FancyPants
01 Jul 2013 03:58
In reply to Mr.Gangsta

Because, God wants us to experience this life first.

@FancyPants
01 Jul 2013 02:07

Okay, so. I need to know these.

1) Does God truely know everything that has happened, what is happening, and what will happen, or does He just predict it with a great amount of accuracy?

2) Are there any records or statements in the Bible suggesting a separate being, one that God did not create?

Sorry if either of these questions sounded stupid or anything.

@HullBreach Premium64

01 Jul 2013 03:52
In reply to FancyPants

1. Yes to both: knowing and being able to predict (because of knowing all)
2. No, there are none. God's actual name is YHWH, which in modern times is said as "Yahweh" or "Jevohah", depending on the language. His name literally means "I am", which refers to how God has always existed and will always exist.

@Mr.Gangsta
01 Jul 2013 02:17
In reply to FancyPants

Of course, god is making them happen!

No god made everything, including himself, you know, cuz matter can be created and destroyed

@Mr.Gangsta
01 Jul 2013 02:19
In reply to Mr.Gangsta

sorry that will be misinterpreted. its sarcasm

@FancyPants
01 Jul 2013 02:28
In reply to Mr.Gangsta

I was asking Hull. Why would you answer a religious question if you're an athiest?

@Mr.Gangsta
01 Jul 2013 01:25

no need to be harsh. I'm sorry, I made I hard to understand. I was saying parents tell their children that a stork brought babies in order to protect the children from the true information. It was a metaphor.

So was science being the new religion... I was saying that science IS literally the new religion. Science is something you have to believe in, only difference, it can be proven, its there, you can sense it, see it, feel it, smell it, touch it, hear it, its matter. Now, if god created everything, than what created god? The idea of all atoms being of one mass expanding and contracting is something that you have to believe in, but as gravity can prove, its plausible.

A few questions that amuse me, if god is so high and mighty, why does he allow so much suffering for bad people, why doesn't he get rid of the devil and hell and what not? If he made you than why aren't you perfect, why doesn't he help you? Why doesn't he just strike me down with some illness for not believing. Where is he exactly? Are other religions wrong? Other religions have "historical proof" too. Your religion didn't even exist thousands of years ago, your religions just another off brand excuse for a man to control the masses. Judaism has been around longer, the scam started in ancient Mesopotamia if not earlier. How is your religion correct, who are you to say that the Muslims, the Jews, the Hindu, the Buddhist or thee Mormons aren't right. With so many different forms of these stories, where exactly did your standpoint come from. Il answer that. Someone in your life sold it to you, its like how the military brainwashes soldiers, religions brainwash the fearful, the weak, and of course the incompetent.

@FancyPants
01 Jul 2013 02:00
In reply to Mr.Gangsta

You're hilarious. These statements, XD. You should be a comedian.

@Mr.Gangsta
30 Jun 2013 21:28

Science is the new god, history has been misinterpreted millions of times. Believing is trusting someone that has made statements hundreds of years ago. Phenomena is explainable now. We no longer need stories. We aren't children, were so advanced, the stork didn't bring a baby anymore, your parents did. God didn't create people, molecules, proteins, and coincidences did. http://www.alternet.org/story/154774/the_top_10_reasons_i_don%27t_believe_in_god?page=0%2C2

@HullBreach Premium64

01 Jul 2013 00:31
In reply to Mr.Gangsta

I checked out that link. It doesn't sound like the author has ever read a history book or any religious work. Be sure that any research you do (pro and con) is not based on an ignorant author. The author should be someone informed. Why does this person believe that there was no concept how illnesses spread 2000 years ago? (Remember that Luke was a physician and Hypocrates lived in ancient times.) Why does the author also believe that there was no concept of solar days (when calendars have existed for millennia)? Also, can one actually believe that no one even thought about phenotypes passed to children? (Genealogy was a very important part of the Bible, and in the 1800s Gregor Mendel, a Christian monk, conducted the preliminary scientific research into genetics that is still taught in school today.) in the Christian world, science (through Christian names like Newton and Kepler) evolved as a way to learn the wonders and power of God. Of course politics led to plenty of problems there (like Galilei), but that is true of all cultures and groups of people.

@HullBreach Premium64

01 Jul 2013 00:11
In reply to Mr.Gangsta

Please show me these misinterpretations of history and how people believed the stork brought children. It sounds like you are grossly misinformed and are being dishonest with yourself.

If you think about it, science is not the new "god", but has become very religious in nature. Sure, you can directly observe Newtonian physics, but when have you personally seen protons? Have you personally tested the various quantum theories? Have you traveled close enough to the speed of light to experience time dilation? Were you there for the Big Bang? Did you see dinosaurs evolve into birds? When was the last time you witnessed hyperspace or a tesseract? Have you measured the Higgs boson?

Science is the same as religion in that a small group of people are the respected experts, and the followers trust that those people are not lying to get followers. Science and religion take faith to believe, aside from the foundations of both. To got beyond that foundation and expand ones beliefs, a great deal of both research and trust must be combined. I personally read scientific articles and ancient historical articles all the time to expand my knowledge of both science and religion.

@Mr.Gangsta
30 Jun 2013 20:25

Fair enough, who exactly is the author of the bible? Now, im pretty good a understanding things, but I don't believe in looking at things from one view.

The reason for the declination of Christianity in recent years is the advancement of ideas and conceptual thinking. I mean look at history, a one point we believed in witches, this will fade over in years to come. 33 years ago, 85+ percent of people were Christian, now less than 75 are. The only reason for believing is fear. http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/03/09/us.religion.less.christian/

@HullBreach Premium64

30 Jun 2013 21:01
In reply to Mr.Gangsta

There is enough proof of the historical events surrounding the Bible that you will never see it go away. Compare that with proof of Moloch, Ba'al, Zeus/Jupiter, Odin, or other ancient gods, which are limited to stories.

I think the main reason for the decline of Christianity is that numerous people are put off by hypocrisy of Church members. Trying to force feed someone ones beliefs is not the way to spread the Gospel, in my opinion. People also see corruption that has arisen in the Catholic Church over the centuries, from the Renaissance to today. Keep in mind that any large organization, religious or secular, will have corruption, as it is unfortunately human nature. If the claim or 4% of priests having abused boys is correct, it is a terrible amount but much lower than that of other groups, like teachers, for instance. I personally think some of the problem is the difficulty of lifelong celibacy, but that is how Catholic priests choose to live. (keep in mind that St. Peter, considered the first Pope, was married - as stated in the Book of Matthew - and had at least 1 child.)

@HullBreach Premium64

30 Jun 2013 20:51
In reply to Mr.Gangsta

The first 5 books of the Old Testament were written by Moses. King David weote a few more of the books. The remaining ones were written by the person titled or by a scribe of that person. Depending on the book, this happened somewhere between 2500 and 3500 years ago, with the oldest surviving manuscripts up to 2500 years old.

The New Testament was written by the Apostles or their scribes between the years 45 and 75, with the oldest surviving manuscripts from the early 100s. Gospels were written by the person titled. Mark was not one of the inner 12, so he is believed to be a scribe for one or part of Jesus' outer circle. Luke wrote Acts as a section section to the book that gained his name. Paul wrote most of the remainder of the New Testament, which consists of letters to ancient nations. Apostle John wrote Revelation, during banishment to the island of Patmos, before his release.

I haven't studied the history around the Old Testament as in-depth, but the New Testament is a series of historical recollections, attempting to persuaded new Christian Jews to live a holy life. Each author adds his perspective to the events told, so anyone claiming God "directly" wrote the books is very mistaken. The books are filled with statements like "I don't remember" and "I think", since they were letters to various nations with brutal honesty. Luke was a physician, so he especially focused on specific detail and obviously kept a daily journal during his travels to insure accuracy in what he wore later. Matthew was a tax collector and focused on specific numbers. Paul was a very gruff man who converted to be a follower of Jesus after killing several of the early Christians; you can see his matter-of-fact writing style in several places. Paul also speaks frequently of women leaders, which many people do not realize when they think of the Bible as being male-dominated.

@Mr.Gangsta
30 Jun 2013 06:39

HullBreach... No offense, but your statement is completely Ludacris "Any time someone sets out to disprove Christianity, that person becomes a Christian in the end. Generally, these are atheists who are vehemently anti-Christian. They research for years, traveling the world and reading ancient texts, to write a book. What they set out to disprove, they end up validating, instead. I've read about and heard about numerous cases of this, involving scientists, philosophers, journalists, et. al. They are sometimes challenged or dared to go on the quest; they sometimes undertake it on their own."

I have tried to believe in order to be closer to my family, I have sought to find a way to believe, but I just cant. My stepdad is a RPC in the Navy, his job revolves around religion. My dad isn't as close to me as id like. I started to notice when I was 10 that whenever he sneezed and I said bless you he wouldn't respond, but if other people (religious people) would say it he would say thank you. Now I use to want to be just like him since I was 11 to 14, no matter what anyone told me about religion I couldn't follow it. The concept just didn't come to me, putting the image of a man creating everything just isn't realistic to me. When I turned 14 I finally realized why I cant believe. I'm not a follower, its not like believing in something that has been changed for thousand of years is going to make any difference to me in my life. Religion in my view is just another fear campaign used to control the masses, and since so many people are on the side of religion, anyone that's not is on the lower hand.

@HullBreach Premium64

30 Jun 2013 11:43
In reply to Mr.Gangsta

It sounds like you have had a slight influence of Christianity, just because of who was around you, but you have never looked into it yourself (from the many misconceptions in your statements).

That statement I made about anti-Christians becoming Christians on these "quests" is accurate. I've never heard of someone not coming to the conclusion that the Holy Bible is historically accurate, after doing extensive research. Be sure to read all my comments to see some of the basis (which from your comment, you seem to have not done). In the end, if you still do not understand, I challenge you to be honest with yourself and take such a quest. If you just dismiss the Truth, you are being dishonest with what is right in front of you.

@Mr.Gangsta
30 Jun 2013 06:24

Religion is always debated in so many different ways due to the lack of stability and different ways everyone conceives things. The main problem is that everyone can label themselves as a religion, but not everyone is going to follow the same code, concepts or overall beliefs. How many different types of churches, bibles, and worshippers are there? Now I have no disrespect for religion ( I mean you should be you and do what makes you happy), but how do you know the person that follows the new testament isn't right? How do you know that your following the true path? you don't. But you tell yourself you are, and since you believe that your beliefs are correct, your following the correct path. Self-representation. Make people believe they're better in some way shape or form and they'll do backflips for you.

Now I myself am an atheist, we aren't so different... We to have people that are completely wrong, some atheist some how have the idea that since we are atheist we have to hate on religion, but that's just people. Everyone has a completely different view on everything, but beliefs are just beliefs. Its what actions you take for, or from them that matter.

@HullBreach Premium64

30 Jun 2013 11:54
In reply to Mr.Gangsta

Beliefs that are grounded in a strong foundation are much more important than blind faith, be that the blind faith of the higher power or the blind faith that there is not a hire power.

If you see many Christians behaving differently than the teachings of Jesus say, then they are not familiar enough with how they should live. Holier-than-though ignorant Christians cause a great deal of negative perception on Christianity as a while. I seriously doubt a highway billboard or a robed man screaming about the apocalypse on a busy street corner have brought anyone to the teachings of Jesus. Compassion, forgiveness, and support, for a fellow individual, on the other hand, has definitely bought many people to the path of Jesus.

Different denominations are just customs that relate to ways of carrying out what Jesus taught. The Bible has been static for centuries, but customs change with time. They are just little things, though. For instance, Presbyterians sing "amen" after hymns, and Methodists do not. Aside from that, there are very few differences between their actual church services. Baptists can sometimes have more interactive sermons than other denominations, and that's the only noticeable difference. Catholics belief that priests cannot marry, because Jesus stated that some people walk better with their faith when remaining celibate.

@Rlad116
28 Jun 2013 18:08

This is a very pointless question but I'm asking it anyway.
Okay so there's different types of christian Baptist and a few others that I forgot. Now since I go to a Baptist church 99/100 of the time whoever preaches takes an hour.
I was just wondering, why does it take an hour?

@HullBreach Premium64

29 Jun 2013 02:01
In reply to Rlad116

It's probably based on the attention span of the average person. If you think about it, school classes are about an hour; TV shows are an hour; and plenty of other listening sessions (for lack of a better term) are about an hour.

@thedutchgerman
27 Jun 2013 05:55

A True Christian Is Someone Who Believes In God And Believes That Jesus Christ Is God One And Only Begotten Son.... A Christian Excepts Jesus And Lord Our God In Their Heart... Lets Say If Someone Kills Someone And The Murderer Claims He/She Is Christian... That Might Not Be Fully True Because True Christians Do Not Murder... And Muslim People Do Not Murder. Some 'So Called Muslim' People Do Murder.. But They Wouldn't Be A Fully True Muslim. ( Not Hating )

@Village Idiot
26 Jun 2013 06:16

Also.

I think how amazing it is how Jesus healed blind men, raised people from the dead, let thelame walk, walked on water, and multiplied bread and fish,in us. And him in us means we can do all those things through Christ.

I think I got this writen right?

@Village Idiot
26 Jun 2013 05:58

I think "Christians" try to cram down the Bible in people's throut, which is wrong.

I think if you have a co-worker that doesn't have a faith in any religion you should just be their friend, help them through the bad stuff, be with them in the good times.

Christians give themselves bad names for these very reason.

Expample: A doc can give you medicine but you have to take it willingly to get better. Same thing I think applies here.

Sorry if I sound preachy, I'm just giving my thoughts on this.

Also sorry for my bad spelling tonight, tired as all get out.

@HullBreach Premium64

26 Jun 2013 11:03
In reply to Village Idiot

Living by example definitely does more than a roadside billboard or shouting at everyone that "the end is near". Jesus taught love, compassion, and forgiveness - all through example.

@Hairy Pickles
26 Jun 2013 04:57

Are we all really related at some point of time since, God created Adam and Eve and they had babies and then they had babies and so on?

@HullBreach Premium64

26 Jun 2013 11:06
In reply to Hairy Pickles

The Bible never says that Adam and Eve were the only people. They were just the focus of Genesis 2. Their children went off to start cities and have children. The latter part generally requires a spouse, except for micro organisms and some plants.

@Skittles
26 Jun 2013 05:08
In reply to Hairy Pickles

If we were, we'd all have visually hideous genetic defects. That among other things causes the story to not make sense.

@Siling-La
20 Jun 2019 09:21
In reply to Skittles

actually the gene pool was not polluted yet, and it was fine for brothers and sisters to marry and have children. When people started to disobey God and have male-male/female-female relations, which because God did not design us for that, brought in disease and filth. I don't know excactly when that started but If I search the Bible, I could probably find it.

@Haruspex
26 Jun 2013 03:29

So there is Misconceptions about Atheism and Christianity, where is the Misconceptions about The Force?

@Skittles
26 Jun 2013 04:08
In reply to Haruspex

What about Misconceptions about Misconceptions? ;D

@HullBreach Premium64

26 Jun 2013 03:41
In reply to Haruspex

That was a few months ago.

@Astra Moon
26 Jun 2013 02:10

My question:
If Christianity is the religion that's 'real' so-to-say, why are there other religions, such as my own (Panganism) older? Why are so many Christian holidays based on Pagan traditions, but twisted to fit Christian belief?

I'm just curious...what is it that validates Chritianity, that does NOT validate the older religion of our first ancestors?

@HullBreach Premium64

26 Jun 2013 02:50
In reply to Astra Moon

First, to address non-Christian traditions in Christian holidays: As Christianity grew throughout Europe, many people converted and brought with them various customs from Paganism, superstition, or regional festivals.

Christmas was originally a celebration of the birthday of St. Nicholas on December 23rd, who was famous for his donations to children's orphanages. In Germany, superstitions with fir trees blended with inspiration of the Star of Bethlehem twinkling through the branches and a monk saving a child from being sacrificed by Pagans under a fir tree. This all became the Christmas tree. Yule, Saturnalia, made up stories of a supernatural St. Nicholas, and other holidays merged over time. Christmas was never an important (or even sanctioned) Christian holiday until it became commercialized in the 1800s and 1900s, when publications, tree farmers, and Coca Cola, started seeing profit. The Church used it as an opportunity for Christian fellowship, but it is more or less a secular holiday.

Easter is the important Christian holiday. Aside from the Pagan fertility icons, like rabbits and birds, Easter is still a Christian holiday. The name comes from the symbolism that the sun rises in the east, birthing a new day, like how Jesus rose from the dead on the third morning. Unlike Christmas, Easter does actually fall on the correct day (albeit adjusted for the ancient lunar calendar).

I won't get into a religious war in these comments, but I would like to point out something about Christianity and invite you to write a Q/A blog about your beliefs:

Any time someone sets out to disprove Christianity, that person becomes a Christian in the end. Generally, these are atheists who are vehemently anti-Christian. They research for years, traveling the world and reading ancient texts, to write a book. What they set out to disprove, they end up validating, instead. I've read about and heard about numerous cases of this, involving scientists, philosophers, journalists, et. al. They are sometimes challenged or dared to go on the quest; they sometimes undertake it on their own.

I have been doing extensive historical research lately so that my faith would be more strongly grounded in history and science. As I have done this research, I have not come away disappointed. Let me list a few items I have found:

1. The oldest surviving fragments of the Old Testament are over 2500 years old. The oldest surviving fragments of the New Testament are 1900 years old.
2. The oldest surviving complete works of the Old Testament are 2000 years old; the oldest surviving complete works of the New Testament are 1700 years old.
3. Roughly 45,000 existing manuscripts exist of either the Bible or historical documents that reference the Bible from before the invention of the printing press. Additional ancient manuscripts are discovered every year through archaeological excavations.
4. Comparisons between ancient manuscripts and modern translations that were written before the discovery of those manuscripts (for instance the Codex Sinaiticus vs. the King James Bible) show that only minor grammatical changes have taken place through centuries of transcriptions.
5. Paul and Luke wrote their biblical books with very strong historicity (names, places, customs, titles, etc.) that research can trace their travels precisely - even down to the months at times.
6. Paul was a very matter-of-fact man who held nothing back with his beliefs. One example I've brought up a couple times in these comments is that he said the resurrected Jesus was seen by an entire village of 500 people. He wrote the Epistles about 20 years after the resurrection was to have occurred, so when he stated this, he was basically saying "If you don't believe me, just ask all these people."
7. Year-after-year, archaeological expeditions uncover more and more places mentioned in the Bible that critics have said never existed. Here are just a few examples: at least 4 of the apostles' tombs have been found over the past 60 years; the fountain where Jesus baptized many people was discovered a few years ago; the house where Peter lived when not fishing was discovered in the ruins of an ancient synagogue with carved quotes of Jesus partially preserved in the plaster walls.
8. Prophesies from the Old Testament of a coming Savior were all fulfilled 500 years later with Jesus.

If you want more examples, I can continue to provide them.

@Skittles
26 Jun 2013 05:20
In reply to HullBreach

Some of that was irrelevant or false. Especially when you learn that about 74% of philosophers in the world are declared atheists. And no one has looked into the God topic in more detail than philosophers. David Hume and Immanuel Kant did massive damage to religion and the Christian-Islamic god concept in their works a couple of centuries back, with crushing and ingenious arguments.

And between 60-70% of scientists in America are atheists (and the number elsewhere is even larger), and 85% of the National Academy of Science (our top scientists) are atheists as well.

And the Bible is a far from infallible collection of writings.
For example, the number of manuscripts obviously goes down the closer you get to Jesus' approximated birth years (4 A.D.). And many of these manuscripts reveal a breathtaking amount of theological disputes and differences amount early Christians, from the Ebionite Christians, to the Gnostic Christians, to the future orthodox Christians as well as the Marcionite Christians, each having large theological differences, ranging from the divinity of Jesus, to the legitimacy of his sacrifice or even the existence of 2 Gods.

That's not to mention the known interpolations, errors and contradictions in the Bible, something no reputable historian or Biblical scholar denies exist. Some of these include the fact that the last 12 verses of Mark do not appear in our earliest and BEST manuscripts of Mark. And 1st Timothy is a "pseudonymous", i.e not actually written or dictated by Paul, it's a fabrication basically.

There's a heckava lot more than Hull seems to be letting on.

@HullBreach Premium64

26 Jun 2013 11:28
In reply to Skittles

Since everyone enjoys Wikipedia so much, here are some quick grabs:

Manuscript counts by century here

Variations between surviving manuscripts here

Those references provide links to many other sources. You'll get bored trying to find more than a few margin notes on ancient manuscripts that accidentally worked their way into later transcriptions, since there are 1000s of less critical variations (I.e. spelling changes, word transpositions, doubled letters, etc.). The Codex Sinaiticus itself is interesting in that is contains more editing marks than any other document in history. It is believed to have been transcribed by 3-4 individuals and edited in the margins by around 5 more individuals.

When modern translations were produced for biblical text, they do a comparative analysis of as many ancient manuscripts as possible and cross-reference them with extra-biblical historical documents to determine spelling and grammar nuances. The end result is the most accurately possible translation. Such translations also include footnotes to variations between manuscripts. If there is any doubt whether or not a specific sentence (none of which are significant for meaning) was originally written into the Bible or not, it will be included with a footnote.

The differences that are more than superficial were due to the original authors (mainly Paul and Luke) releasing different drafts on their decades of traveling. They would refine these drafts over the years, until they were satisfied with the message and form. During this time, earlier drafts were already be transcribed in different regions. A example of this would be the books of Luke and Acts. Luke, a physician, was very meticulous with his writing and included so much detail and research about customs and locations to the point of near OCD. Originally, his works were a single book. He later split them into 2 books for the final manuscript.

You seem to have some vitriol for Christianity, so I challenge you to go on a quest to disprove it, as many have tried. If you do so, be honest with yourself, and make it a valid search. You can't just read a few anti-Christian websites and be done with it. You will need to delve into historical documents, manuscripts, and artifacts. It will involve traveling to many places, as well. If you want to be honest with yourself, nothing can be skipped in your attempt to prove that Jesus did not save mankind.

@Skittles
26 Jun 2013 22:32
In reply to HullBreach

Er no. There's no vitriol here, the problem is you make an overly simplistic claim that is really a bald assertion and quite frankly is false. Many people who have "set out to disprove" Christianity came away thinking they had succeeded. That was the entire point I made.

Again, you missed the point. As I stated in the very first sentence of my 2nd paragraph, the entire point was to show that what you seem to be doing is something of a white-wash with regards to the Bible's fallibility, and the complex and varied beliefs among early Christians on their writings and theological stances.

I have in fact gone on such a journey, which led me to philosophy. At heart, the God/god(s) question is completely philosophical in nature. The arguments against the concept (with regards to Yahweh) have been much more persuasive and logically sound than those for it. It's entirely the reason I became an atheists after having been a "born-again" Southern Baptist.

@Astra Moon
26 Jun 2013 02:57
In reply to HullBreach

I wasn't trying to disprove anything, or argue any certain view-point. I was honrstly just curious about it.

While I have my seperate belief, I also hold the belief, that since every religion is, in some way related or similar to one other, all religions have some basis to truth. All religions, in some way can be proven in some way or another.

@HullBreach Premium64

26 Jun 2013 03:08
In reply to Astra Moon

What about Scientology?

@Raisons du Coeur
26 Jun 2013 04:40
In reply to HullBreach

People existed! That much is true in Scientology!

@Astra Moon
26 Jun 2013 03:32
In reply to HullBreach

I honestly don't know ANYTHING about that one, lol.

I meant Christianity, Paganism, Islam, etc.

@MomoisHere
25 Jun 2013 23:28

I saw somewhere that The Old Testament approved of rape, slavery, and misogyny. Is this true?

@HullBreach Premium64

25 Jun 2013 23:54
In reply to MomoisHere

Rape and misogyny: no

Slavery was common at that time period and was much different than is was in the past few centuries. Slave owners were expected to treat their slaves well, as members of their families. The Bible didn't speak favorably on the institution of slavery at all (similarly to polygamy or war). It was just a fact of life told for historical reasons.

@Epifex
25 Jun 2013 23:24

How can God, in good conscience, create beings he claims to love, and claim to give them free will, but punish them for all eternity if they go against his will?

No matter how much you chalk it up to 'free will,' the fact of the matter is that unless you're willing to accept that there are gaps in his knowledge, God has always known exactly who would go to hell, and created them anyway.

How can anyone worship a being who brings a person into existence for the express purpose of torturing them for eternity?

@Raisons du Coeur
25 Jun 2013 23:52
In reply to Epifex

Easily, it seems.

@HullBreach Premium64

25 Jun 2013 23:50
In reply to Epifex

Ah, the paradox of free will and predestination! This one has been debated since ancient times. I doubt it will be resolved in a series of simple blog comments, but lets discuss it, anyways.

The basic premise is that God is all good and can't stand to look upon evil. He chose to give free will to all Creation, rather than create non-thinking automatons. There was a rebellion of angels, led by one given the title "Satan", who jealously thought they could do things better than God. This set up the struggle of good vs. evil.

Mankind, being mortal beings with immortal souls, have both a righteous (good) pull from the God-nature of the soul and a sinful (evil) pull from the flesh-nature of the body. In ancient times, mankind was instructed to be obedient to avoid sin. The entirety of the Old Testament focused on the constant failures of the Israelites in their obedience because mankind is not perfect.

The concept of the Messiah was that only an individual born without the inheritance of sin could live an entire life free of sin. If this person was to die at the hands of sin, it would break the bonds of Satan over mankind. When this happened with Jesus, mankind was no longer sentenced to damnation.

Now, this is where the debate comes in: Since God is eternal, is salvation retroactive? Is everyone saved - even non-Christians? How can free will and predestination both exist?

Despite the debate, there is historical proof that Jesus was born and lived in Galilee, spend 2-3 years preaching in that region, and was crucified at the hands of Roman soldiers. There is strong evidence, both Biblical and extra-Biblical, through roughly 20,000 surviving contemporary works and another 25,000 works over the next few centuries, that he did rise from the dead. (For instance, one of Paul's epistles written 20 years after the Resurrection spoke of a village of 500 who witnessed Jesus arisen from the dead. He said this so that anyone who did not believe him could just ask any of the numerous people still living.)

Now, what does this mean for the whole debate of predestined salvation or damnation? Perhaps this Christ, who was prophesied for centuries, WAS the predestination of mankind!

@Epifex
26 Jun 2013 00:01
In reply to HullBreach

This doesn't really seem to address the initial question- the problem of evil. Why did God create Satan, knowing that he would rebel? Since nothing is outside of his control, everything is his fault. You cannot say that it wasn't caused by him, because according to your beliefs, everything was caused by him.

Also, don't you find it slightly disgusting that before 'sin' came along, God's only intentions were for us to live as obedient, unquestioning sheep? How can any religion which punishes curiosity be endorsed? Curiosity is human nature. God created the first humans with not only the capacity to commit the original sin, but also the knowledge that they WOULD commit the original sin.

There is no way you can blame humans without blaming God, or accepting that he is either limited in power or limited in knowledge.

@HullBreach Premium64

26 Jun 2013 01:11
In reply to Epifex

God knew from the beginning that free will would lead to paths contrary to what He would want his creation to take. John states that Jesus was planned from the beginning: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." (1:1-2). This refers to how everything in existence came from God, including Jesus (called "the Word"

. So, salvation was also planned from the start as redemption for the eventual sins.

@Epifex
26 Jun 2013 07:32
In reply to HullBreach

Yet people are still being sent to Hell for going against him. Last I checked, the general consensus is that Jesus only forgives Christians who repent. There are still people of various other beliefs who are not under his protection.

@HullBreach Premium64

26 Jun 2013 11:36
In reply to Epifex

Correct

Belief in what happens to those not saved various across Christian denominations. Catholics believe in Purgatory as a sort of holding place before Heaven. Mormons believe that there is another chance to repent after death. Many denominations believe there is another chance to repent when Jesus returns.

@Epifex
26 Jun 2013 12:48
In reply to HullBreach

But would it not have made more sense for God to just create humans who already knew he existed and worhipped him? What's the point in punishing someone if you're directly to blame for their sins? Even if there is a purgatory, that's still a punishment, even if only a temporary one. You can't deny that God is entirely to blame for every person's sins, since he created them, whether or not he gave them this 'free will', with the knowledge that they would sin. He doesn't make mistakes, so this was deliberate. How can people endorse a god who punishes people for something that's his own fault?

@HullBreach Premium64

26 Jun 2013 12:56
In reply to Epifex

Like I already said, Jesus was sent because God knew rebellion would happen, due to free will. There are so many philosophies about what happens after death to those who do not follow the path of Jesus, but the Bible makes it clear for those who do follow the Way of Jesus. The reason for these differing philosophies is that the Bible was written for the living, not the dead, so it does not focus on matters of the dead in detail.

@Epifex
26 Jun 2013 13:31
In reply to HullBreach

Why create humans with the capacity to rebel in the first place? It isn't to preserve free will, because as you agreed, he already knew whether or not we would rebel anyway. Why go to all the trouble of creating a race which could rebel and then punish them for it, and then kill your own son?

That's a point. Why did he even need to kill Jesus? Why couldn't he just forgive people without having his son executed? It's not like sin is something that can only be soaked out of humans into something else, and Jesus was the sponge. God could have easily just forgiven people for the sin he knew full well they would commit without having to go through all that.

@HullBreach Premium64

26 Jun 2013 14:02
In reply to Epifex

That is covered in Genesis and the Gospels. The references are too long to paste.

@Epifex
26 Jun 2013 14:12
In reply to HullBreach

He can do anything. There is nothing that limits him. If it's conceivable, he could have chosen to do it. It's conceivable for him to have forgiven people without killing his son. Why did he, then?

All his choices are his own. No amount of reasons can stop him from doing something. The laws of physics don't limit him, so there can really be no reason except "Because he felt like it."

He chose a path which involved killing his son, when it would have been possible to choose one without killing his son. Therefore, he wanted his son to die, even though it was avoidable and there would have been no drawbacks.

He allowed Jesus to be executed for the hell of it.

@HullBreach Premium64

26 Jun 2013 14:20
In reply to Epifex

You got that from reading Genesis and the Gospels?

@Epifex
26 Jun 2013 14:28
In reply to HullBreach

I got that from logic. If it is conceivable, God CAN do it, since he is omnipotent. In fact, if it's not conceivable, he can probably do it anyway.

It's conceivable that he could have forgiven people without killing his son, therefore he could have. Nothing could have been stopping or limiting him in such a way that he was forced to do it that way, since nothing can limit God.

Therefore, the only logical conclusion is that he had Jesus executed because he felt like it.

@HullBreach Premium64

27 Jun 2013 01:07
In reply to Epifex

So you have no familiarity on the topic against which you are arguing? I would suggest reading the suggest materials before discounting their veracity.

@Epifex
27 Jun 2013 14:34
In reply to HullBreach

Are you an expert on bakery? I doubt it. But if I told you that I had created a cake which was simultaneously spherical and a cube, would you need to be an expert on cakes in order to dismiss it as rubbish? No, because logic forbids it. If something is logically impossible, it doesn't matter how much context there is, it's still logically impossible.

I do not have to have read any of the context in order to form solid, deductive logical conclusions. My logic is totally infallible in this case, assuming the premises (which are themselves proposed by Christians) are true. If it really pisses you off so much that I have not read it, then I could do so. I am certain that I would come to exactly the same conclusions, unless a couple of passages in an ancient book can somehow fundamentally change the laws of logic.

@MomoisHere
25 Jun 2013 23:32
In reply to Epifex

Albert Einstein has a quote like that. "I cannot imagine a god who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation and is but a reflection of human frality."

@Waffle King
25 Jun 2013 22:37

The new reply button should make debating much easier.

Now, here's my religious question. If I wear a shirt from Hot Topic that has Jesus on it saying "Come at me bro" do you think God finds this shirt to be in good taste, or what? Because I've seen the shirt before and considered getting it. But I thought "What would Jesus do?" and I'm really not sure if Jesus would wear said shirt. Is there some biblical writings that could clear this up?

This is a serious question by the way.

@HullBreach Premium64

25 Jun 2013 22:52
In reply to Waffle King

We wouldn't have a sense of humor if God didn't have one.

If you look at the Gospels, there are actually several examples of humor, relating to the apostles in the presence of Jesus. I can just imagine him facepalming or rolling his eyes at the apostles all the time. In one case, some of the apostles just walked off from Jesus and started debating who was the best disciple. What they didn't realize was they they weren't far enough away that Jesus couldn't hear them.

@rdfcguy
09 May 2012 03:36

That's why I said that God's rules and miracles play a large part. Evolution can explain much of what happens with adaptation and survival, but there are many inexplicable creature, too. Just check out the documentary series "Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution" to see what I mean. In this series, a biology professor shares what he has learned over the years and what brought him from originally only believing evolution to believing that there is more to the picture. What he sees as contradictions, I just see as God's rules that are beyond what evolution (also his rules) explain.

I've watched that documentary! I really like his series and the message he offers.

@HullBreach Premium64

09 May 2012 03:31

Quoth rdfcguy:

Quoth HullBreachquote]Quoth SirQuinn:Would you support that intelligent design is not what made us? One theory states God controls all that occurs, including evolution.

The major counter is that evolution is erratic and occurs when needed.

Would you agree that God is the Science factor of life?

I have found no contradictions between evolution and Creation (intelligent design). To me, they can coexist with no issues. I see God has having put the laws of the universe into motion and pointing actions in the right direction when needed (known as miracles).

I disagree. The book of Genesis says (in the NIV version of the Bible): "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him..." The Bible states that He created man, not lesser creatures evolved into man over a long period of time. The theories contradict eachother, therefore they cannot both be true. However, this is not to say that micro-evolution, or adaptation, does not exist. Every creature, including humans, will adapt to their environment themselves or members of their species with disadvantageous traits may die and not pass their harmful traits to their offspring, until the species no longer has such traits. Macro-evolution, though, the evolution of species into different species, cannot exist because traits can only naturally be subtracted from the species' genome, and any mutations to occur in life forms observed in science are not drastic enough to completely change the genetic makeup of the species. It also cannot be currently proved because large gaps occur in the so-called "evolutionary timeline" scientists have tried to piece together.[/quote]

That's why I said that God's rules and miracles play a large part. Evolution can explain much of what happens with adaptation and survival, but there are many inexplicable creature, too. Just check out the documentary series "Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution" to see what I mean. In this series, a biology professor shares what he has learned over the years and what brought him from originally only believing evolution to believing that there is more to the picture. What he sees as contradictions, I just see as God's rules that are beyond what evolution (also his rules) explain.

@rdfcguy
09 May 2012 03:28

Quoth Lakhlan01:

Although i'm never really open-minded about anything, I've got one.

Quite a while after Jesus's death, there was a meeting called the Council of Nicaea. I this meeting, the books of the old testament was arranged, and the newly written gospels and letters were assembled to be the new testament.
But during the process, many books and gospels were supposedly discarded. Were they removed because of error, or because they didn't want certain things or truths to be found.

Also, how can we be certain that the bible is a reliable source if the bible was actually written many years after the autual books were written?

The books removed from the canon during the Council of Nicaea were removed because they were false gospels that opposed the teachings of Christ. Many such false gospels were produced after the death, ressurrection, and ascent into Heaven of Jesus Christ, and Jesus had once warned his disciples to beware of false prophets and their teachings as they stray from the Word of God.

To answer your second question, the Hebrew people have followed the teachings of the Old Testament ever since God gave them the Ten Commandments that He personally inscribed in stone and instructed Moses to write the first five books of the Bible, the Torah (Pentateuch in Greek). The Old Testament, when made into copies, was written on scrolls in a very time-consuming but 100% accurate way. It was copied down word for word and character for character so that a scribe could not copy a single letter from memory to omit human error. The Old Testament we know today has been so accurately preserved that it completely matches the texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the ancient Hebrew texts of the Old Testament dating thousands of years old. The New Testament, unlike many other texts in its day, was written and compiled in roughly 30 years, an very short time in the day, which meant that the gospel didn't have to be memorized verbally before being copied.

@rdfcguy
09 May 2012 03:07

Quoth HullBreach:

Quoth SirQuinn:Would you support that intelligent design is not what made us? One theory states God controls all that occurs, including evolution.

The major counter is that evolution is erratic and occurs when needed.

Would you agree that God is the Science factor of life?

I have found no contradictions between evolution and Creation (intelligent design). To me, they can coexist with no issues. I see God has having put the laws of the universe into motion and pointing actions in the right direction when needed (known as miracles).

I disagree. The book of Genesis says (in the NIV version of the Bible): "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him..." The Bible states that He created man, not lesser creatures evolved into man over a long period of time. The theories contradict eachother, therefore they cannot both be true. However, this is not to say that micro-evolution, or adaptation, does not exist. Every creature, including humans, will adapt to their environment themselves or members of their species with disadvantageous traits may die and not pass their harmful traits to their offspring, until the species no longer has such traits. Macro-evolution, though, the evolution of species into different species, cannot exist because traits can only naturally be subtracted from the species' genome, and any mutations to occur in life forms observed in science are not drastic enough to completely change the genetic makeup of the species. It also cannot be currently proved because large gaps occur in the so-called "evolutionary timeline" scientists have tried to piece together.

@jazman18
11 Apr 2012 17:02

this is 100% true.oh and 1 ather thing i whould like my user name chaned or shaned to jazmine18 cause people think i'm a boy so yeah.oh and i love this blog it's 100% true

@s-blade123
24 Mar 2012 04:34

One thing sort of biblical that I think is cool is that an Egyptian Pharroe (spelling probably not right) wanted to unlock the secret to living for ever, and as he searched a man told him to ask the oldest man on earth. So he went to find him. When he did he asked how has he lived so long and the man said, "I am around 600 years old. I have forgotten my exact age. But, there is no secret." And the man told him how the man's God told him to build a gigantic boat and that he would send every animal to him. And the man and his family got on the boat and it started to rain. Water arose from the ground too. And people were beating on the boat wanting to get in. And after many days, the water went down and they ended up on a mountain. The man looked out and saw nothing, not even bodies.

Now I belive that man was Noah, but it varies through religeons. I just thought that was cool. I learned that in History.

@HullBreach Premium64

24 Mar 2012 01:06

Quoth Koby is back:

Don't call me dumb, but I did some research, and found out the upside down cross was not invented by Satan, but by St.Peter. St. Peter was to be crucified, but didn't believe he was worthy to be killed like Jesus, so he asked for his cross to be upside down.

The upside down Circled Star was aso invented by the Roman Catholics.

Correct.

Yet, during the Medieval period, it was forbidden for knights to hold a sword skyward because it looked like an inverted cross. Tradition and superstition grow from all religions.

@HullBreach Premium64

23 Mar 2012 02:32

Quoth SirQuinn:

Why thank-you very much. Are you a man of Science, Religion, or both? Just curious.

I`ve read that a conflict of interest occurs because one expects physical proof of spiritual presence, and religion expects one to follow an other presence.

Do you leave thing as is, or do you like to discover things for what they really are? If you do like to find "truths", do you think God wanted the discovery to be known, and be taken into account as his own doing?

I see out truths in both religion and science. Since truth is absolute, I have found no conflicts. I believe that God wants us to discover all there is to scientifically know about His universe.

@SirQuinn
23 Mar 2012 00:18

Why thank-you very much. Are you a man of Science, Religion, or both? Just curious.

I`ve read that a conflict of interest occurs because one expects physical proof of spiritual presence, and religion expects one to follow an other presence.

Do you leave thing as is, or do you like to discover things for what they really are? If you do like to find "truths", do you think God wanted the discovery to be known, and be taken into account as his own doing?

@HullBreach Premium64

22 Mar 2012 02:04

Quoth SirQuinn:

Would you support that intelligent design is not what made us? One theory states God controls all that occurs, including evolution.

The major counter is that evolution is erratic and occurs when needed.

Would you agree that God is the Science factor of life?

I have found no contradictions between evolution and Creation (intelligent design). To me, they can coexist with no issues. I see God has having put the laws of the universe into motion and pointing actions in the right direction when needed (known as miracles).

@HullBreach Premium64

22 Mar 2012 02:00

Quoth SirQuinn:

Can a Christian be denied admittance to heaven if they convert? Also, if one is Christian but has never ben baptized, are there penalizations?

Oh, and is Beelzebub(Not sure if correct letters) a proper replacement word for Satan or similar?

"Judge not, that ye be not judged." Matthew 7:1

"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:" Luke 6:37

We do not have the right or authority to determine where anyone will go at death.

Baptism is a tradition that I explained in an earlier post. The reasons for it differ by denomination.

@SirQuinn
22 Mar 2012 01:15

Would you support that intelligent design is not what made us? One theory states God controls all that occurs, including evolution.

The major counter is that evolution is erratic and occurs when needed.

Would you agree that God is the Science factor of life?

@SirQuinn
22 Mar 2012 01:12

Can a Christian be denied admittance to heaven if they convert? Also, if one is Christian but has never ben baptized, are there penalizations?

Oh, and is Beelzebub(Not sure if correct letters) a proper replacement word for Satan or similar?

@Dragonfire114
20 Mar 2012 05:26

Yes, it bugs me too. Good idea also.

@HullBreach Premium64

16 Mar 2012 11:55

Quoth Robowarrior:

In the Bible, it says "In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God." - John 1:1
 Yet, in the Jehovah's Witness Bible, it states "and the Word was a God."
 
 I'm told this was a translation error, but if that were true, how hasn't it been fixed yet?

The key to the New World Translation, used by the Jehovah's Witnesses, is not just the "a" but "a god" (lowercase). This was not based on the Greek used in the other major translations but more of a modern interpretation by just that denomination. They do not believe in divinity of Jesus or in the existence Holy Trinity.

@HullBreach Premium64

16 Mar 2012 11:12

Quoth Stormguard:

Okay, kiddies. Now, I would like to know how Charles Darwin's theory of evolution (Which I firmly belive in) Fits into the bible. I've heard it somehow did, but laziness took over and I never got around to research.

The Theory of Evolution has itself evolved considerably since the days of Charles Darwin. His focus was on survival of the fittest, causing adaptation. He never spoke of spontaneous generation, extreme instances speciation, and intuition. Also, Creation doesn't go into detail about how everything happen, just that it did happen. Thus, there is nothing conflicting between the two viewpoints. Darwin tried to explain the "HOW" through his extensive research, and the Holy Bible tries to explain the "WHAT" and the "WHY" through its collection of books (mainly Genesis). As you start to get into extreme interpretations of both, that is where the clashes start to arise.

@HullBreach Premium64

16 Mar 2012 11:08

Quoth DeFiNeDFaTe:

Question: Say you dont beleive in hell. But u beleive in the paradise, god, ect. Wht happens to you if you dont go 2 heaven/the paradise? :l

It doesn't matter what one believes, but we all hope we believe the truth.

@HullBreach Premium64

16 Mar 2012 00:01

Quoth Robowarrior:

What's your view on predestination?

We have free will, but I think the bigger picture is beyond our understanding since God would know our actions in advance. Paradoxes can explode the brain.

@Dillybar65
10 Mar 2012 08:28

Quoth Asparagus:

Dude Guy, a Christian shouldn't be obligated to do anything for God, even just going to church or read the Bible. They should just want to.

d(^.^)b

@RaptorofDoom
10 Mar 2012 05:27

Hey HB, you should reply to these other comments when you can.

@DefinedFate
09 Mar 2012 05:48

Question: Say you dont beleive in hell. But u beleive in the paradise, god, ect. Wht happens to you if you dont go 2 heaven/the paradise? :l

@SBP tonex
07 Mar 2012 03:33

Quoth nooblord8:

Quoth SBP tonexquote]Quoth nooblord8:<blockquote>In prophetic writings beasts usually represent a kingdom, while horns represent division of, or symbols of power.
 Also, the book of Daniel and Revelations pretty much go hand in hand, and the fall of the Roman empire was already prophesied by Daniel, along with Babylon, Media-Pzersia, Greece, the Divided Empire and papel supremacy which spans from 605 B.C to A.D. 1798. Why would Revelations focus be only on Rome when the prophecy of Daniel went beyond the fall of Rome?

It's not only on rome, continue to read the book and I promise you'll find your answer.</blockquote>
 
 Sorry, that was a reply to Tycoon Master. I do believe Revelations is much deeper than the current events of that time.[/quote]

@Colyosis
07 Mar 2012 00:40

Thought* lolololol typos

@Colyosis
07 Mar 2012 00:39

....On the cross so you may live with God.

@Colyosis
07 Mar 2012 00:34

Isn't it amazing that someone through of YOU

@Dude Guy
06 Mar 2012 18:20

Quoth Asparagus:

Dude Guy, a Christian shouldn't be obligated to do anything for God, even just going to church or read the Bible. They should just want to.

I know. But according to the Catholic religion you are obliged, and those who do not are not sinning because they do not know it is wrong, but generally aren't a great example in daily life or for catechism questions.

@Dude Guy
06 Mar 2012 06:57

Quoth TEMPTRA:

well i beleave in some things of the bible but the rest i really think its a lie cuz c`mon first they say that there are no such thing is a demi-god but there we go having Jesus Christ all over the bible but no offence

I'd say go do research, but I guess you've decided to let us do it for you. If you asked a christian who went to Mass or worship or whatever regularly as a christian is obligated, you would find out about the holy trinity, or Jesus is not the father, the father is not the Holy Ghost, and The Holy ghost is not Jesus, yet they all are God. One god. Jesus is man, but he is also 100% God.

@SBP tonex
06 Mar 2012 04:03

Quoth shineycat:

Quoth Tycoon Masterquote]The one other thing I've determined to appease both Science and Religion:
 
 God caused the Big Bang. There you go. <img src="/chatrooms/smilies/alien1.gif" alt="">
 
 But when you think about that, do you realize how amazing that is? That means that from a bunch of freaking gas, someone was able to create the Universe.
 
 Now I don't care if you're another Religion. I think it's all Denominations from a single origin. When I say that, I'm referring to true Religions, and not things like the Westboro (or however you spell it) Baptist Church who exsist only to an tagonize and tear down.
 
 I also believe everyone has a right to be whatever they want. I'm straight, but I'm so tired of seeing people lambasting those who choose to enjoy relations with their same, or both genders. There's several documentaries I've come across while writing a paper on this that talk about how the bible doesn't condemn you if you like the same gender or both. I find it horrible offensive when people who are just like you and me, are treated as subhuman or bullied because they like their same or both genders.
 
 No one has a right to choose anything for you. Free Will is the greatest, and most troubling aspect we have. You can choose to act rude, obnoxious, sleep around, get all the girls, but what does that fulfill? In the longer run, nothing.
 
 Our minds have a conscience. It's a built in right/wrong detector that it seems most of this generation has chose to turn off sadly. We'd rather watch trash like Jersey Shore (and every other reality television series) and get ideas that we shouldn't...that's garbage, not entertainment. Doing something spontaneous, creative and original will always trump any media...
 
 Sorry I posted a mini blog in this blog, I just wanted to get that out there.

How do you know that God created the big bang?[/quote]

He didn't. He simply said "Let there be...." and it came to pass.

The Bible also in fact does mention, that liking/loving the same gender is an abomination and will not be acceptable to the Lord.

The world has a way of making up different ways to live life under christianity and the world couldn't be more wrong.

@SBP tonex
06 Mar 2012 03:57

Quoth nooblord8:

In prophetic writings beasts usually represent a kingdom, while horns represent division of, or symbols of power.
Also, the book of Daniel and Revelations pretty much go hand in hand, and the fall of the Roman empire was already prophesied by Daniel, along with Babylon, Media-Pzersia, Greece, the Divided Empire and papel supremacy which spans from 605 B.C to A.D. 1798. Why would Revelations focus be only on Rome when the prophecy of Daniel went beyond the fall of Rome?

It's not only on rome, continue to read the book and I promise you'll find your answer.

@DeafDood
06 Mar 2012 02:24

Quoth HullBreach:

Quoth DethDudequote]I like to keep my religious to myself. If I share the word, I'll just start crap online. Such as, "u beleev n dat stuff? i kill u!". Don't get me wrong, I am a Christian. And I was at church a few hours ago. I got one question though, what did the bible say about putting tattoos on your body?

Old Testament laws forbid tattoos to the Israelites, but the new covenant superceded the laws directed at just this nation. Still, we are meant to live clean lives with bodies as "temples" to the Holy Spirit. A tattoo can have many meanings; if it is a symbol of sin, like lust, revenge, etc., or if it encourages sin in others, like tattoos meant to "turn on" someone else, then that can be a problem. Tattoos are permanent and are generally not applied for virtuous reasons, so I personally do not like them in nearly all cases, but the issue is not so black and white to everyone.[/quote]

Thanks, back when I was a kid, I like to draw on my hand. My grandma freak-out and said, "THE BIBLE SAYS WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR BODIES CLEAN!".

@shineycat
05 Mar 2012 18:46

Quoth Tycoon Master:

The one other thing I've determined to appease both Science and Religion:
 
 God caused the Big Bang. There you go. <img src="/chatrooms/smilies/alien1.gif" alt="">
 
 But when you think about that, do you realize how amazing that is? That means that from a bunch of freaking gas, someone was able to create the Universe.
 
 Now I don't care if you're another Religion. I think it's all Denominations from a single origin. When I say that, I'm referring to true Religions, and not things like the Westboro (or however you spell it) Baptist Church who exsist only to an tagonize and tear down.
 
 I also believe everyone has a right to be whatever they want. I'm straight, but I'm so tired of seeing people lambasting those who choose to enjoy relations with their same, or both genders. There's several documentaries I've come across while writing a paper on this that talk about how the bible doesn't condemn you if you like the same gender or both. I find it horrible offensive when people who are just like you and me, are treated as subhuman or bullied because they like their same or both genders.
 
 No one has a right to choose anything for you. Free Will is the greatest, and most troubling aspect we have. You can choose to act rude, obnoxious, sleep around, get all the girls, but what does that fulfill? In the longer run, nothing.
 
 Our minds have a conscience. It's a built in right/wrong detector that it seems most of this generation has chose to turn off sadly. We'd rather watch trash like Jersey Shore (and every other reality television series) and get ideas that we shouldn't...that's garbage, not entertainment. Doing something spontaneous, creative and original will always trump any media...
 
 Sorry I posted a mini blog in this blog, I just wanted to get that out there.

How do you know that God created the big bang?

@Tycoon Master
05 Mar 2012 18:34

Quoth nooblord8:

Then what exactly do all the beasts and angel's messages represent in Revelations if it's a "forthtelling"?

I'm not a total expert on the subject, but pretty much everything described in Revelations can be related to something from the first century.

@Tycoon Master
05 Mar 2012 18:33

Quoth nooblord8:

Then what exactly do all the beasts and angel's messages represent in Revelations if it's a "forthtelling"?

Well the beast is normally described as being the number 666 (Nero's Number) and having a specific number of horns. Those horns are the hills of Rome. The "disgraceful person" depicted with the beast is Rome's continued downward spiral into constant lust and entertainment.

The battle scene depicted takes place at a crossroad city for trade that linked three major empires. As a result, this city was constantly being taken over and was always in conflict.

@a.smith
05 Mar 2012 18:09

Quoth Tycoon Master:

The one other thing I've determined to appease both Science and Religion:
 
 God caused the Big Bang. There you go. <img src="/chatrooms/smilies/alien1.gif" alt="">
 
 But when you think about that, do you realize how amazing that is? That means that from a bunch of freaking gas, someone was able to create the Universe.
 
 Now I don't care if you're another Religion. I think it's all Denominations from a single origin. When I say that, I'm referring to true Religions, and not things like the Westboro (or however you spell it) Baptist Church who exsist only to an tagonize and tear down.
 
 I also believe everyone has a right to be whatever they want. I'm straight, but I'm so tired of seeing people lambasting those who choose to enjoy relations with their same, or both genders. There's several documentaries I've come across while writing a paper on this that talk about how the bible doesn't condemn you if you like the same gender or both. I find it horrible offensive when people who are just like you and me, are treated as subhuman or bullied because they like their same or both genders.
 
 No one has a right to choose anything for you. Free Will is the greatest, and most troubling aspect we have. You can choose to act rude, obnoxious, sleep around, get all the girls, but what does that fulfill? In the longer run, nothing.
 
 Our minds have a conscience. It's a built in right/wrong detector that it seems most of this generation has chose to turn off sadly. We'd rather watch trash like Jersey Shore (and every other reality television series) and get ideas that we shouldn't...that's garbage, not entertainment. Doing something spontaneous, creative and original will always trump any media...
 
 Sorry I posted a mini blog in this blog, I just wanted to get that out there.

i totally agree with what your saying ^_^ i think it is an amazing thing how the universe can be created by just one thing.

@a.smith
05 Mar 2012 18:07

Quoth Asparagus:

I have had thoughts about God creating the Big Bang itself.
 Now, I am a Christian, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was something similar to the Big Bang. I don't believe in evolutionism, but I do believe that things can adapt in major ways. Look at the canine species. It seems to have evolved, but I think it just adapted to how it needed to be.
 
 Do I make any sense?

yeah you make sense ^-^ though thats what evolution is. If you move to a cold place, the hairy people are more likely to survive x]

@Tycoon Master
05 Mar 2012 17:36

The one other thing I've determined to appease both Science and Religion:

God caused the Big Bang. There you go.

But when you think about that, do you realize how amazing that is? That means that from a bunch of freaking gas, someone was able to create the Universe.

Now I don't care if you're another Religion. I think it's all Denominations from a single origin. When I say that, I'm referring to true Religions, and not things like the Westboro (or however you spell it) Baptist Church who exsist only to an tagonize and tear down.

I also believe everyone has a right to be whatever they want. I'm straight, but I'm so tired of seeing people lambasting those who choose to enjoy relations with their same, or both genders. There's several documentaries I've come across while writing a paper on this that talk about how the bible doesn't condemn you if you like the same gender or both. I find it horrible offensive when people who are just like you and me, are treated as subhuman or bullied because they like their same or both genders.

No one has a right to choose anything for you. Free Will is the greatest, and most troubling aspect we have. You can choose to act rude, obnoxious, sleep around, get all the girls, but what does that fulfill? In the longer run, nothing.

Our minds have a conscience. It's a built in right/wrong detector that it seems most of this generation has chose to turn off sadly. We'd rather watch trash like Jersey Shore (and every other reality television series) and get ideas that we shouldn't...that's garbage, not entertainment. Doing something spontaneous, creative and original will always trump any media...

Sorry I posted a mini blog in this blog, I just wanted to get that out there.

@Tycoon Master
05 Mar 2012 17:19

I'm a relatively devout Catholic Christian who attends a Catholic High School.

What I've found is that even though there is a supposed "rule set" that the church sets forth, you need to make your own decisions about faith. No one should be telling you anything. The church has a rule set yes, but it's designed to be questioned a debated. The church is there to guide you with a moral code.

A majority of the studies we have done this year are focused on the study of the Bible.

A misconception that I continue to see is with the number 666.

Revelations is an apocalyptic writing, but it is not the only one in the Bible. If you read both accounts, you'll find numerous simlarities. The writer of Revelations was in Prision on the Medeteranian equivalent of Alcatraz.

It's a FORTHtelling, not a FOREtelling.

What that means is that Revelations is basically telling a history of the first century and everything that happened, but depicted very symbolically.

The first century was extremely rough, and if you were living in that time, you probably would have thought the end of the world was upon you.

You see Revelations was written during the Rule of the Roman emperor who succeeded the infamous Nero. In those days, letters are associated with numbers. And the number for Nero's name is 666.

Nero only persecuted the Christains because of the fire in Rome. Nero wanted to tear down that area and build a massive monument/leisure compound. It has now been proven Nero himself had no hand in the city catching flame. It is suspected that Nero's enemies sought to de-throne him, and seeing as he had reason to burn down the city, they spread rumors.

Nero himself panicked, and decided to pin th fire on a Scapegoat: Christains. In those days they were still quite early in their faith, with many mis-interpreted concepts spread through rumor mills. They made an easy scape goat, thus the reason Nero persecuted them, and thus why in Revelation, he is depicted as the monster with the number 666.

A little history for you.

@BanMan
05 Mar 2012 15:34

Some non-Christians say God being omniscient and people having free will are contradictory. This point can be used in debates.

Think about it. You made the decision to read this comment, so you have free will. God knew you would read it before you did. It's simple.

@shineycat
05 Mar 2012 14:17

Quoth HullBreach:

Quoth Spyfox72quote]I don't believe in religions overall, but why am I told that I would go to hell if I didn't believe in god?
 If I don't believe, then I don't believe there is a hell or heaven.
 
 
 Also, is it ever mentioned that God creates the universe? Cause if it is, I am happy to see what other lifeforms would say... if the planet holds long enough to find any.

Look up Pascal's Wager. <img src="/chatrooms/smilies/alien1.gif" alt="">[/quote]

Sorry about the comments on the other blog. I admit it was a stretch to mention sirach.

But I have some problems with Pascal's Wager. Even if someone believes that there is a benevolent god, they would have so many religions to choose from that it would be almost impossible to know which god is the right one.
And if someone thinks that Pascal's Wager is a logical reason to believe, they'll have no choice but to believe everything on the same grounds. They wouldn't know if they had to buy pizza everyday to get into heaven. You never know. Or mabey they would have to own a rock collection. Mabey god likes republicans. Then they'd have to be a republican to get into heaven. The possibilities are endless.
The last reason I don't accept the wager is that in the case that god does not exist, the payoff to not believing is not zero. If someone went through life as a believer, and it turned out that there is no god, they would have gone through life believing a lie, which is a disadvantage for them.
If they were a very serious believer, then they might donate much of there time and money to their religion. If it turned out that their god did not exist, then they would have wasted much of their life. So again, in the case of god not existing, the nonbeliever would have the advantage.

@HullBreach Premium64

05 Mar 2012 13:34

Quoth Spyfox72:

I don't believe in religions overall, but why am I told that I would go to hell if I didn't believe in god?
If I don't believe, then I don't believe there is a hell or heaven.

Also, is it ever mentioned that God creates the universe? Cause if it is, I am happy to see what other lifeforms would say... if the planet holds long enough to find any.

Look up Pascal's Wager.

@Spyfox72
05 Mar 2012 13:00

Quoth SirQuinn:

Is it a sin or wrong for a Christian to convert? And is it bad if one is Christian, but has never been baptized?

I was baptized and raised Christian, in a family with two priests, yet I am not following Christianity.

And it wouldnt be sin because you wouldn't believe in that sinful stuff if you were converting.

@Spyfox72
05 Mar 2012 12:56

Quoth Moulder:

Quoth colmanic14quote]Quoth AshlynLovesYou:
I just think God did something or who knows, maybe the big bang created God.

I have always wondered....
If he was real, how did he get here?

@Spyfox72
05 Mar 2012 12:53

I don't believe in religions overall, but why am I told that I would go to hell if I didn't believe in god?
If I don't believe, then I don't believe there is a hell or heaven.

Also, is it ever mentioned that God creates the universe? Cause if it is, I am happy to see what other lifeforms would say... if the planet holds long enough to find any.

@colmanic14
05 Mar 2012 05:25

Quoth AshlynLovesYou:

I've been raised Christian, but I still rely on science/history more. Basically, I'm Christian, but still believe in the Big Bang, the theory of evolution, etc.

im on similar beliefs, there's no question god exists for me though.
my question is this however, Why are there so many versions of the bible? I believe that this is how twisting of the bible starts. Agreed?

@Kingpin
05 Mar 2012 04:49

To be honest I think Christianity has fallen apart. Please don't take this to offense it's just my opinion. After all the changes and different branches I wonder where the truth is.

@AshlynLovesYou
05 Mar 2012 03:44

I've been raised Christian, but I still rely on science/history more. Basically, I'm Christian, but still believe in the Big Bang, the theory of evolution, etc.

@Lakhlan01
05 Mar 2012 02:55

Quoth HullBreach:

Quoth Shadow562quote]What exactly does the Number 666 supposed to me?

It's considered the Mark of the Beast in the Book of Revelation. That book was a foreshadowing dream by John that predicted the End of Times. Like all dreams, this was very cryptic and very symbolic. Many superstitions have arisen around this specific number (or its variant 696), but it is tough to say what exactly this Mark of the Beast means in reality. There have been interpretations of branding on the forehead or arm with tattoos, barcodes, subcutaneous microchips, etc. I see it as just a number, but many people do not.[/quote]

"Woe to you oh earth and sea, for the devil sends the beast with wrath, because he knows the time is short. Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number. It's number is six-hundred and sixty six
-Iron Maidens interpretation of a revelation chapter."

@PORKStheMEATofKINGS
05 Mar 2012 02:12

I know its impossible to tell which religion is the "correct" one, and if one was right that would mean everyone else's is wrong so.... Let's just agree that everyone is bonkers- No exceptions.

@HullBreach Premium64

05 Mar 2012 01:12

Quoth Dude Guy:

Quoth NillocSkywalkerquote]Remember, kids, once saved ALWAYS saved. You can NEVER lose your salvation. It says so in the Bible. No offense, Catholics, but your religion is mostly tradition, NOT what the Bible says. But don't look down on someone because of what they believe in. I'm a Baptist, but I don't look down on Methodists (Idk how to spell it ).

Agree to disagree.

[/quote]

That's not so black and white. If you fully allow Jesus into your "heart" and live as He lived to the best of your ability, you are saved. If, afterwards, you refute the existence of God and deny His Holy Spirit, that is a sin, which some will consider unforgivable. Yet, I posit to you, how did St. Peter go on to be one of the most well-known and respected saints after denying Jesus thrice before the Crucifixion?

There are many traditions in Catholicism due to it being about 1500 years older than most other denominations. Yet, the core of salvation is still the same.

@HullBreach Premium64

05 Mar 2012 01:06

Quoth DeFiNeDFaTe:

I hv a Q`s for Hull. Ummm, what religon r u exactly. Im luthran.....but are veiws r....different. arnt they?

I don't consider myself a specific denomination. I generally attend a Methodist church when visiting relatives on weekends. We're still trying to find a home church for the weekends when we stay in town and have visited one of the Methodist churches that's down the street from us. I was fairly active in a young adult ministry at a Baptist church years ago. I've also gone to non-denominational gatherings and visited Lutheran churches, Church of God, and others, when friends invite me. Aside from individual traditions of each church, the messages is still the same: Salvation through Jesus.

@Dude Guy
05 Mar 2012 01:05

Quoth Divine Crusader:

As the bible wasn't "sent from the heaven" and was actually compiled by man through a span of several years, who's to say that no revelation as scripted in the bible weren't distorted in any way given the nature of the human mind?

We as christians believe it is not distorted because the books were inspired by God, who guided it's forming.

@HullBreach Premium64

05 Mar 2012 01:02

Quoth NillocSkywalker:

Quoth fabianquote]did god REALLY have to send his son down to earth to be killed just to forgive us for our sins? could'nt he of just said “i forgive you!” and why does god send you to hell if you are not a christian dont you think thats a little over the top?

We don't make the rules. God does.[/quote]

Correct. Before Jesus died on the cross, sins were forgiven by elaborate ceremonies of animal sacrifice. Remember that these animals did not go to waste; they were eaten as part of the ceremonies. The sacrifices were undertaken as signs of obedience to God.

@HullBreach Premium64

05 Mar 2012 01:00

Quoth Waffle King:

What do you think of religious holidays, like Christmas or Easter? I know very strict Christians that refuse to celebrate them because "they're on the wrong day" and are pagan worship days or some other unholy thing. But I believe that being exact with days is just nonsense, and that it's more about what the holiday means and represents.

Christmas and Easter became what they are today through a conglomeration of traditions around the world that had nothing to do with biblical accounts. Thus, it is understandable that many Christians object to the way those holidays are celebrated. On the other side of the argument, many non-Christians celebrate the holidays because of the multi-encompassing traditions involved.

I personally enjoy celebrating some of the traditions, knowing full well that they are just that: traditions. There are also some aspects of the holidays I tend to avoid because, to me, they are too outside the meanings of the Bible. I went into more detail on Christmas origins in a blog series last December and will start a series on Easter soon.

@Dude Guy
04 Mar 2012 23:25

Quoth Kingpin:

Isn't it strange that God is aware that we are born into a religion, and our parents (at least most of them) teach us about it and so on, making us much more likely to stay that religion even if it's not the right decision?
As much as I hate to admit it, if I was born of another religion I probably wouldn't convert.

I was gonna say that's how likberals do it, but then I remembered it's the schools.

@Dude Guy
04 Mar 2012 23:23

Quoth NillocSkywalker:

Remember, kids, once saved ALWAYS saved. You can NEVER lose your salvation. It says so in the Bible. No offense, Catholics, but your religion is mostly tradition, NOT what the Bible says. But don't look down on someone because of what they believe in. I'm a Baptist, but I don't look down on Methodists (Idk how to spell it ).

I changed my mind. I'm not going to agree to disagree. First of all, yes, we believe we are the true form of christianity, and the others have incorrects bits and pieces, not unlike you. We don't look down on other religions
Also, quote the bible where it says that once you're saved, you're always saved. Because I have a counter quote from Jesus. I'll comment back when I find it.

@DefinedFate
04 Mar 2012 22:59

I hv a Q`s for Hull. Ummm, what religon r u exactly. Im luthran.....but are veiws r....different. arnt they?

@Kingpin
04 Mar 2012 22:41

Isn't it strange that God is aware that we are born into a religion, and our parents (at least most of them) teach us about it and so on, making us much more likely to stay that religion even if it's not the right decision?
As much as I hate to admit it, if I was born of another religion I probably wouldn't convert.

@Kingpin
04 Mar 2012 22:19

Quoth HullBreach:

Quoth Kingpinquote] An unreliable resource told me that god killed himself and stabbed himself back to life in the Bible. My question is if he could be exaggerating another event from the Bible.

I've never heard of anything like that. Could this have been another religion?[/quote]
No, I thought it was a miscomprehended part of the Bible, but I guess it's just crazy talk.

@Dude Guy
04 Mar 2012 22:03

Quoth NillocSkywalker:

Remember, kids, once saved ALWAYS saved. You can NEVER lose your salvation. It says so in the Bible. No offense, Catholics, but your religion is mostly tradition, NOT what the Bible says. But don't look down on someone because of what they believe in. I'm a Baptist, but I don't look down on Methodists (Idk how to spell it ).

Agree to disagree.

@Hylianzombie234
04 Mar 2012 19:53

Quoth fabian:

did god REALLY have to send his son down to earth to be killed just to forgive us for our sins? could'nt he of just said “i forgive you!” and why does god send you to hell if you are not a christian dont you think thats a little over the top?

You don't go to hell for not being chrisrtian, you go to hell for sinning. Atheists can get into heaven as long as they don't do seriously bad things.

@NillocSkywalker
04 Mar 2012 19:48

Quoth fabian:

did god REALLY have to send his son down to earth to be killed just to forgive us for our sins? could'nt he of just said “i forgive you!” and why does god send you to hell if you are not a christian dont you think thats a little over the top?

We don't make the rules. God does.

@NillocSkywalker
04 Mar 2012 19:47

Remember, kids, once saved ALWAYS saved. You can NEVER lose your salvation. It says so in the Bible. No offense, Catholics, but your religion is mostly tradition, NOT what the Bible says. But don't look down on someone because of what they believe in. I'm a Baptist, but I don't look down on Methodists (Idk how to spell it

).

@fabian
04 Mar 2012 18:53

did god REALLY have to send his son down to earth to be killed just to forgive us for our sins? could'nt he of just said “i forgive you!” and why does god send you to hell if you are not a christian dont you think thats a little over the top?

@a.smith
04 Mar 2012 18:25

Quoth GRACiEgoRAWR:

This is off-topic, I know... but I'd like to see other religion blogs about DIFFERENT religions, not just Atheism and Christianity... like Buddism, Satanism, other stuff. I'd write them myself, but seeing as I don't follow a specific religion, I'd probably screw everything up. .-.

i actually agree :o

@Waffle King
04 Mar 2012 18:01

What do you think of religious holidays, like Christmas or Easter? I know very strict Christians that refuse to celebrate them because "they're on the wrong day" and are pagan worship days or some other unholy thing. But I believe that being exact with days is just nonsense, and that it's more about what the holiday means and represents.

@GRACiEgoRAWR
04 Mar 2012 17:35

This is off-topic, I know... but I'd like to see other religion blogs about DIFFERENT religions, not just Atheism and Christianity... like Buddism, Satanism, other stuff. I'd write them myself, but seeing as I don't follow a specific religion, I'd probably screw everything up. .-.

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 16:06

Quoth Weeeee (via SDKMail):

All these miracles, like making water come out of stones, were they meant as metaphors? As you said in that blog before, matter can't pop out of nothing. So I can't really believe that.

There are many different beliefs for miracles. I tend to believe that miracles are generally performed when people are inspired to take actions they would not have taken without faith. For instance, the water may have been there the whole time, but someone was lead to create something or dig somewhere that had the water.

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 16:03

Quoth Weeeee (via SDKMail):

The bible is very old, it has huge gaps when the stories were told by word of mouth, it has been translated many times.

Is it possible that people meant something different as they said 'God'?
For example, they meant the nature, plants, trees, animals. They were thankful to these things as they provided food and survival.

Stories were told by word-of-mouth between villages, but those written in final form in the Bible were from journals and interviews of the first-hand sources. Many outside documents from supporters and adversaries have backed up claims, as well.

There have been many translations, but most have been from the original text, which comes in Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, depending on the individual book. The translations have been repeatedly verified over the centuries, and as new manuscripts (like the Dead Sea Scrolls) are discovered, there may be corrections to grammar in the wording of translations (as better context is provided), but they have stayed almost entirely static since AD 70-120.

The Bible is very clear that God created everything in nature, so it discounts a pantheistic philosophy, but that does not mean mankind should not be thankful for everything that exists. In fact, the Bible encourages giving thanks for all we have.

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 15:55

Quoth Shadow562:

What exactly does the Number 666 supposed to me?

It's considered the Mark of the Beast in the Book of Revelation. That book was a foreshadowing dream by John that predicted the End of Times. Like all dreams, this was very cryptic and very symbolic. Many superstitions have arisen around this specific number (or its variant 696), but it is tough to say what exactly this Mark of the Beast means in reality. There have been interpretations of branding on the forehead or arm with tattoos, barcodes, subcutaneous microchips, etc. I see it as just a number, but many people do not.

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 15:29

Quoth nooblord8:

Regarding the "God gene", the Oct. 25, 2004 issue of Time has an article on that. You should check it out.

It sounds like an interesting read!

@Chanishyy
04 Mar 2012 15:26

I'm a Christian but when l do something bad l pray or think or speak to god that l apologise; l want to go heaven.

The Bible is the TRUTH!

Even , you're not Christian or anything God/Jesus known as Jehovah he will still like you.

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 14:50

Quoth SirQuinn:

Is it a sin or wrong for a Christian to convert? And is it bad if one is Christian, but has never been baptized?

To what are you converting in the example? Is this conversion between denominations or to a completely different religion? If it is to a different religion, then that is denying God. That would be considered a sin.

Baptism is not a requirement; otherwise, what would happen to babies who die near birth? The meaning of baptism is different between denominations but was inspired by St. John's baptism of Jesus. Some believe that it is a way to welcome new members into the "family of God", as a tradition. Others believe it is a symbolic washing away of sins. Using water is not even universal. For instance, populations where water is scarce may sprinkle sand on the head.

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 14:43

Quoth Rainbow-Dash:

The "cosmic argument" is an ill-conceived attempt at "proving" the existence of god (whatever the definition) by suggesting that the universe must have come from "somewhere", or that something must have existed "before".
 It is obvious however that this argument is based on a Newtonian model of the universe which we now know to be false. Causality is clearly time related, but time does not exist independently of the universe. Rather, spacetime is the universe. So asking what was before the beginning of the universe is asking what was before time, which makes no sense. As Hawking famously put it, it's like asking what's north of the North Pole. It's an ill-posed question.

The argument for a pre-universe God is not based on time being independent of the universe. Any claims to that came from someone who misunderstood the argument. The belief is that time "flashed" into existence at the instant of the Big Bang and accelerated with the spacial dimensions and hyperspacial dimensions to become our expanding universe of today. If all the dimensions (10 or 11, depending on your flavor of the most modern scientific theories) are expanding, then there must have been a point (in time, in space, and in hyperspace) when they came into existence, because the flow of time came from nothing, not an asymptotical flow inversely approaching a halt. Without time existing in our universe before the singularity erupted, how could everything have appeared in the void? It excludes the possibility of a Big Crush or a repeated Big Bang, meaning our universe is once-existing. One could argue that our universe came from a singularity of another universe - perhaps the exit of a black hole. Then, what caused that universe to come into existence? How about the universe before that... and before that?

The idea of an eternal omniscient and omnipotent being creating the universe also stems from calculations by astrophysicists that the probability of the universe even forming at all is so "astronomically" remote (in the realm of 10 to the 40,000 power by today's estimates), that it would not have happened by chance. There are at least 120 variables known (with more discovered as science advances) that would have caused everything to fizzle out if they were just slightly out of balance. For instance: if strong nuclear forces were different, atomic nuclei would either collapse or explode. Also, if weak nuclear forces were different, electrons would either fall into the nuclei or fly off to never return. Other variables include; the balance of matter/anti-matter, the balance of normal/dark, the strength of graviation, etc.

One can argue that we exist because we happen to be in the universe with variables all balanced. Let's take a more likely (yet still improbable) example into account that I've read in the past, which will conclude this comment:

You are visiting a foreign country where a corrupt official frames you for a crime punishable by death. You are quickly sentenced and placed before a firing squad of 12 marksmen at close range. You are blindfolded and tied to a pole to not escape. The marksmen all fire their single bullets (with one potentially having a blank), and every one of them misses. The guns were in perfect working order, and the marksmen have never missed such a shot. Obviously, this happened by chance... right?

@SirQuinn
04 Mar 2012 14:37

Is it a sin or wrong for a Christian to convert? And is it bad if one is Christian, but has never been baptized?

@Rainbow-Dash
04 Mar 2012 14:08

The "cosmic argument" is an ill-conceived attempt at "proving" the existence of god (whatever the definition) by suggesting that the universe must have come from "somewhere", or that something must have existed "before".
It is obvious however that this argument is based on a Newtonian model of the universe which we now know to be false. Causality is clearly time related, but time does not exist independently of the universe. Rather, spacetime is the universe. So asking what was before the beginning of the universe is asking what was before time, which makes no sense. As Hawking famously put it, it's like asking what's north of the North Pole. It's an ill-posed question.

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 14:07

Quoth Rainbow-Dash:

Religion flies things into buildings.
Science flies stuff into space.

That can just as easily be flipped:

The science of avation allows flying things into buildings.
The thirst for knowledge in the beauty of Creation pushes us to explore space.

Let's keep this discussion civil and mature.

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 14:03

Quoth Hylianzombie234:

I haven't been to confession in awhile, if I never go to confession, is it still possible to go to heaven?

Confession is only a formal act in Catholicism (and maybe East Orthodox). The act of confession is meant to be a way to unload your dark secrets in an irretractable way. That way they permanently get into the open so that someone can discuss them with you.

Salvation does not require confession. It may just make the path to righteous living easier.

@Rainbow-Dash
04 Mar 2012 14:00

Religion flies things into buildings.
Science flies stuff into space.

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 13:59

Quoth EpicArtifex:

Nevertheless, God in his omniscience would still be able to tell who will go to Hell and who will go to Heaven. Surely, regardless of why a person were to go to Hell, he would still be creating them with the knowledge that they would be going to Hell?

That is a paradox which has been debated for centuries by scholars with no definitive answer. It's difficult for us to comprehend something of that nature: how can we have both free will and be predestined at the same time. Do remember that Jesus was sent to save all of mankind for all time. The righteous don't need saving; the sinners do. If everyone lived a life without sin, there would have been no need for salvation.

What does this all mean about Hell, then? There are different beliefs of Hell by different denominations. Catholics believe in Purgatory as a sort-to time of clensing required after death before admittance to Heaven. Some believe Hell is temporary until the End of Time. Some even believe Hell ceased to be relevant after Jesus died on the cross.

The beliefs differ in Hell, but the path to Heaven is made undoubtedly clear.

@Hylianzombie234
04 Mar 2012 13:49

I haven't been to confession in awhile, if I never go to confession, is it still possible to go to heaven?

@Epifex
04 Mar 2012 13:48

Nevertheless, God in his omniscience would still be able to tell who will go to Hell and who will go to Heaven. Surely, regardless of why a person were to go to Hell, he would still be creating them with the knowledge that they would be going to Hell?

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 13:45

Quoth EpicArtifex:

Quoth HullBreachquote]Quoth Panzer123:

What about this then?
We know that, through genetics, people are predisposed to like and dislike different things, and their personalities are partly determined by their genes as a result.

So, since God is supposed to have designed every human and care for them equally, is it not his 'fault' that these people have these different inherent tendencies?

And what if one of these tendencies were the predisposition to not believe in God? True, there is no single gene which determines 'belief in God,' that would be ridiculous. However, different people are more inclined to act certain ways and believe certain things more easily than others.

Is God creating these people who won't believe in him deliberately? They could not be accidental, since God does not make mistakes. So he is creating people who he knows beforehand will go to Hell.

Isn't that incredibly cruel? To create something that you already know is going to spend the vast majority of its existence in unbelievable torment? Wouldn't it be kinder to just not make them in the first place?

God created us all to have free will. Our actions are our own. Now, here is where the scientific debate comes into play: How much does the environment effect our choices and actions? We cannot know the answer to that, but God would undoubtedly take more into account than we can ever imagine, and He has enough grace to send His Son to die for our sins. With forgiveness of transgression like that, there can't be anyone created with the predestination of damnation.

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 13:38

Quoth SythaX:

Im curious about satanic beliefs.
Christians say The Lord is the God, and Satanics Say Satan is the God, and The Lord and Satan are both real.....i think.
:o

I am unfamiliar with specifics on all the amgels, so some of my terminology may be wrong. Bear with me, though...

Satan was one of the archangels, along with Gabriel, Michael, Uriel, and Azriel. Since all other angel names end in "-el", the Hebrew suffix for "God", I am unsure of Satan's original name. Like humans, the angels (which means "messengers"

have free will. Satan chose that he no longer wanted to worship God and stand as His figurative feet all the time, so he convinced many angels to rebel. Since God cannot stand sin, He cast them from Heaven.

Once Satan fell, he was given the title "al-Satan", meaning "the deceiver". He had much more influence on the Earth before Jesus died on the cross. Once our sins were all washed away, Satan lost direct control over us. This means that we can't blame Satan for our own action, which some Christian non-traditional sects believe they can.

As other religious followers converted to Christianity over the centuries, words and influences of their past beliefs blended into the views of Satan. Names like Lucifer, Bezelbub, and the Devil, appeared. Satan also took upon the conceptual appearance of Pan and a red man with a tail. The Bible describes Satan as being the most beautiful of angels; he had such beauty that it was as ig music was playing from his direction. (This could have been the inspiration for angels with harps in pop culture). In reality, for something to be more deceptive, doesn't it need to be attractive? Who would better deceive you, someone who is attractive or someone who looks like a two-legged goat?

@Epifex
04 Mar 2012 13:35

Quoth HullBreach:

Quoth Panzer123quote]My question is, how would a person who has never heard of Christ, and hypothetically lived in a remote detached area. Would that person go to hell for not supporting the views of the church? If so, how can the person be blamed?

Good question! The Christian view of God is that He has immense grace. The New Testament can be summed up into a single word: love. Since God is omniscient, He knows if you have been exposed to Him or not. If you have not been exposed to Him, then you have not denied His will. Jesus died to save all of mankind - not just certain people who fit specific criteria. If we were all perfect and all followed teaching put forth in the Bible, of which not everyone is exposed, then there would have been no need for Jesus at all.[/quote]

What about this then?
We know that, through genetics, people are predisposed to like and dislike different things, and their personalities are partly determined by their genes as a result.

So, since God is supposed to have designed every human and care for them equally, is it not his 'fault' that these people have these different inherent tendencies?

And what if one of these tendencies were the predisposition to not believe in God? True, there is no single gene which determines 'belief in God,' that would be ridiculous. However, different people are more inclined to act certain ways and believe certain things more easily than others.

Is God creating these people who won't believe in him deliberately? They could not be accidental, since God does not make mistakes. So he is creating people who he knows beforehand will go to Hell.

Isn't that incredibly cruel? To create something that you already know is going to spend the vast majority of its existence in unbelievable torment? Wouldn't it be kinder to just not make them in the first place?

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 13:21

Quoth Lakhlan01:

Although i'm never really open-minded about anything, I've got one.

Quite a while after Jesus's death, there was a meeting called the Council of Nicaea. I this meeting, the books of the old testament was arranged, and the newly written gospels and letters were assembled to be the new testament.
But during the process, many books and gospels were supposedly discarded. Were they removed because of error, or because they didn't want certain things or truths to be found.

Also, how can we be certain that the bible is a reliable source if the bible was actually written many years after the autual books were written?

The Council of Nicaea took many factors into account when deciding on which books to include. Since I was obviously not there, I will take some guesses as to their criteria:

The contents of the New Testament are considered to be divinely inspired, meaning they were written by man through influence in teachings of God's Word. The books had to fulfill certain criteria that and contain accurate historicity of the teaching of Jesus brought forth in the New Covenant. To determine this, one has to determime how close to Jesus each source was and how verifiable that source was.

The gospels were written by apostles and their scribes while they travelled with Jesus. They obviously took journals or logs during their lives to capture such detail. These were firsthand sources and can be considered most accurate. To add to the factuality, one can look for adversarial positive accounts, which many have been found. For perspective on this, imagine that Alex (Hamilton) and Aaron (Burr) are enemies. In Aaron's journal, he writes "I really can't stand that Alex; he's corrupt and untrustworthy - but I admit that he is a very clever individual." What you can definitively pull from Aaron's journal is that Alex is clever. Nothing negative can be pulled from the journal, though, since the two were adversaries.

Roughly 30-40 years after the Resurrection, Paul met with the surviving apostles for a long period to discuss Jesus with them. He left with the inspiration to write letters to many nations around AD 70-80. In some of these letters, he said things that effectively said "The Resurrection of Jesus was witnessed by over 500 people in this city. If you don't believe me, ask them yourselves, since many are still alive." He is considered a secondhand source, which is reliable, especially since he used to persecute Christians and has become what he despised.

Any sources further distanced lose credibility, as their words become more heresay and gossip.

The Council would have also taken into account outside documents to verify claims. There are roughly 2500 documents outside the Bible from that time period, which line up with claims and stories. That means the Bible actually has more contemporary documents in existence than those verifying the existence of Julius Caesar!

The Council obviously rejected many books as being dubious or unverifiable. I do not have a list handy, but I believe it includes works like Sirach, Apocryphia, St. Thomas, etc. Some Christian denominations later accepted some of the books due to their own evidence and reasons, but there has been debate to these additions over the centuries.

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 12:52

Quoth Moulder:

My dad is an atheist and he's the best dad a kid could have! He's given my cell phones, a laptop. He loves me. I'd also like to bring up that this nation's law was built upon the morals of The Holy Bible. Even if, according to atheists, the Bible is just a book, it's a book of good morals.

Just because someone is an atheist, it does not mean that person lacks morals - as you said. In the same way, just because someone professes to be a Christian does not mean that person is virtuous. There are good and bad people of all groups.

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 12:50

Quoth Moulder:

Well, I do find it kinda disrespectful when an atheist mocks my religion. Example, "I can't believe you believe that Satan stuff" or being just downright, "HAHA 666" just because they know what that horrid number means to us.

I also find it disrespectful when some random Christian comes up to an atheist and literally says, "You're going to Hell". I'm a good listener when it comes to religions although I'm a Christian myself. I've admit that I do like the idea of there being no Hell because even though we're all sinners and deserve to go there, once you're there, you're there for good. There is no back door, no vacation, you're there and you'll burn forever.

The idea of Hell being a place of "burning" comes from incorporation of Roman mythology into Christianity when Rome converted. The Bible actually describes Hell (Hades in Greek) as an eternal place without God. As a Christian, it is horrid imagining a place where God does not exist. Then I think of Heaven, where there is nothing but love. It's a big difference!

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 12:45

Quoth NightHawk:

To answer your question Carson, God's love is eternal. Meaning that if you accept Jesus for who he is, then admit you have sinned against God, you are a saved person. However, if you are already saved then it is best to grow your relationship with him by putting your best foot forward to NOT sin. Long story short, if your already saved and you sin it WILL hurt God but you can take comfort in the fact that through Jesus, all sins are washed away. Amazing, isn't it?

Very well said! Jesus can kind of be compared to an airbag or safety belt in a car. You may still get into a wreck, whether or not you have the safety features. It's just nice knowing that if you do get in a wreck, there's something to save you.

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 12:41

Quoth PosessedCarson:

I'm fairly educated in Christianity but I've always wondered that if you've confessed and all of that, then you went on with your life but completely screwed it up (meaning drugs, rape, murder, etc.), do you still go to heaven?

Confession to a priest is a Catholic belief with that premise that you have gotten your secrets in the open with another person to help you cope with them. Other denominations may recommend a confidant for the same reason, but there is nothing so formal.

We all sin on a daily basis, whether through actions or through thoughts that lead us down destructive paths. We cannot prevent it, since we are imperfect beings. If we earnestly try our hardest to live as Jesus (but still stumble), that is one thing; if we reject God and the way Jesus lived and continue to knowingly sin in spite, then that is where the problem arises.

@Lakhlan01
04 Mar 2012 11:43

Although i'm never really open-minded about anything, I've got one.

Quite a while after Jesus's death, there was a meeting called the Council of Nicaea. I this meeting, the books of the old testament was arranged, and the newly written gospels and letters were assembled to be the new testament.
But during the process, many books and gospels were supposedly discarded. Were they removed because of error, or because they didn't want certain things or truths to be found.

Also, how can we be certain that the bible is a reliable source if the bible was actually written many years after the autual books were written?

@AaronCool
04 Mar 2012 09:53

I'm going to church right now,lol

But I don't know much about Christianity so i'm gonna keep my mouth shut on this one,kk?

@NightHawk
04 Mar 2012 06:55

Writing that post made me feel strangely happy. lol.

@NightHawk
04 Mar 2012 06:53

To answer your question Carson, God's love is eternal. Meaning that if you accept Jesus for who he is, then admit you have sinned against God, you are a saved person. However, if you are already saved then it is best to grow your relationship with him by putting your best foot forward to NOT sin. Long story short, if your already saved and you sin it WILL hurt God but you can take comfort in the fact that through Jesus, all sins are washed away. Amazing, isn't it?

@PosessedCarson
04 Mar 2012 06:42

I'm fairly educated in Christianity but I've always wondered that if you've confessed and all of that, then you went on with your life but completely screwed it up (meaning drugs, rape, murder, etc.), do you still go to heaven?

@Colyosis
04 Mar 2012 06:39

Rapper*

@Colyosis
04 Mar 2012 06:34

Danny-I agree with you 100%

(this is just my church's point of view that) christianty isn't a religion, it's the truth.

I was listening to this one rap song and the lyrics really got to me,
he was saying that you need to make war against lust, pride, yourself.

And I youtubed it and he the raper said that he made the song about a surmin(I on't know if I spelled that right) about it and the preacher was saying "Make war against lust pride satan isn't the one making him get to hell it's me be VIOLENT AGAINST YOUR VIOLANCE! MAKE WAR!" and stuff.

If you wanna listen to it just youtube "Make War by John Piper"

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 06:27

Quoth Kingpin:

An unreliable resource told me that god killed himself and stabbed himself back to life in the Bible. My question is if he could be exaggerating another event from the Bible.

I've never heard of anything like that. Could this have been another religion?

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 06:25

Quoth GleeoK:

I got another lol.

I choose to not follow any religion, for a number of reasons. In the Christian view point, am i neglecting Jesus and God, if i believe in them, my way? And your personal view point about that? And what about what the Bible says (old and new testament)?

I've never fully read it...

Another:

I know a few about the differences, but what is exactly the New and old testament? Does the Church "edits" the Bible or something o.O ?!

The Old Testament is the Hebrew Bible, used by Jews. It starts at Creation and leads through the prophesies. It is believed to have been put into final form centuries before the birth of Jesus. The New Testament starts at the birth of Jesus, continues through His resurrection, and contains several letters written by Paul and the apostles. Some of the books of the New Testament were put into final form 30-40 years after the resurrection, with others being assembled a generation or so afterwards - most within the lifespan of Paul.

You do not need to attend church or follow Christian traditions to be a believer. You know in your "heart" what you believe, and I will not judge you on that.

@GleeoK
04 Mar 2012 06:22

@ HB

Got it. Thank you for clearing that up for me! I've heard so many nonsense about that, i ended up giving up lol. But now you answered me : P

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 06:17

Quoth GleeoK:

The old testament condemns sodomy, i mean, it says EXACTLY that sodomy is a sin? What about the new testament ?

I've heard so many different versions about that. I just wanted to hear whats up with that part of the bible from someone that studied the bible, some safer source, and if the bible does say that or if its just something the Church said.

Sodomy was forbidden in Old Testament books like Leviticus. There was even an example of two cities (Sodom and Gomorrah) destroyed for their rampant sexuality, where residents even offered sex to angels! In the New Testament, there are several specific sins listed, among them was adultery of the heart, or lust. This was a specific example of sin discussed by Jesus. Having lustful thoughts can be unhealthy because they can lead down paths to infidelity in marriage or numerous unintended consequences. There is no specific reference to sodomy in this sense, but fornication, homosexuality, and adultery, are all lumped into a list of sins centered around lust. Since it was stated that all sins are equal in the eyes of God, then acts like sodomy are no different than lusting over a picture in a magazine: They are impure thoughts. Such lustful sins are difficult to avoid since sexuality is in our nature, so keeping our thoughts righteous is a lifelong struggle.

@Kingpin
04 Mar 2012 06:12

An kid from school unreliable resource told me that god killed himself and stabbed himself back to life in the Bible. My question is if he could be exaggerating another event from the Bible.

@GleeoK
04 Mar 2012 06:04

I got another lol.

I choose to not follow any religion, for a number of reasons. In the Christian view point, am i neglecting Jesus and God, if i believe in them, my way? And your personal view point about that? And what about what the Bible says (old and new testament)?

I've never fully read it...

Another:

I know a few about the differences, but what is exactly the New and old testament? Does the Church "edits" the Bible or something o.O ?!

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 06:03

Quoth DethDude:

I like to keep my religious to myself. If I share the word, I'll just start crap online. Such as, "u beleev n dat stuff? i kill u!". Don't get me wrong, I am a Christian. And I was at church a few hours ago. I got one question though, what did the bible say about putting tattoos on your body?

Old Testament laws forbid tattoos to the Israelites, but the new covenant superceded the laws directed at just this nation. Still, we are meant to live clean lives with bodies as "temples" to the Holy Spirit. A tattoo can have many meanings; if it is a symbol of sin, like lust, revenge, etc., or if it encourages sin in others, like tattoos meant to "turn on" someone else, then that can be a problem. Tattoos are permanent and are generally not applied for virtuous reasons, so I personally do not like them in nearly all cases, but the issue is not so black and white to everyone.

@GleeoK
04 Mar 2012 05:58

The old testament condemns sodomy, i mean, it says EXACTLY that sodomy is a sin? What about the new testament ?

I've heard so many different versions about that. I just wanted to hear whats up with that part of the bible from someone that studied the bible, some safer source, and if the bible does say that or if its just something the Church said.

@DeafDood
04 Mar 2012 05:51

I like to keep my religious to myself. If I share the word, I'll just start crap online. Such as, "u beleev n dat stuff? i kill u!". Don't get me wrong, I am a Christian. And I was at church a few hours ago. I got one question though, what did the bible say about putting tattoos on your body?

@HullBreach Premium64

04 Mar 2012 05:48

Quoth Panzer123:

My question is, how would a person who has never heard of Christ, and hypothetically lived in a remote detached area. Would that person go to hell for not supporting the views of the church? If so, how can the person be blamed?

Good question! The Christian view of God is that He has immense grace. The New Testament can be summed up into a single word: love. Since God is omniscient, He knows if you have been exposed to Him or not. If you have not been exposed to Him, then you have not denied His will. Jesus died to save all of mankind - not just certain people who fit specific criteria. If we were all perfect and all followed teaching put forth in the Bible, of which not everyone is exposed, then there would have been no need for Jesus at all.

@Panzer123
04 Mar 2012 05:29

My question is, how would a person who has never heard of Christ, and hypothetically lived in a remote detached area. Would that person go to hell for not supporting the views of the church? If so, how can the person be blamed?

@Vermillion
04 Mar 2012 05:18

-claps- If only the world leaders had this idea and everyone would cooperate. What the world would be like!

Misconceptions About Christianity

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