What do we do with the man named Jesus??

al2 and -06...you both hit the nail on the head...it is a shame that people have hardened their hearts to the ability to see the unseen and to hear the unspoken...it will truly be their loss...but there will always be hope for those who desire truth...

 

You need to take reading comprehension classes. What I am actually saying is "If you are a nazi and I completly dislike hitler and refuse to believe otherwise then there is nothing you can say that will convince me he was a good person"

 

Ah yes, exactly.

Why troll a religious post when you can just open your own thread bashing whatever you want.

It amazing me the correlations some atheist come up with from the Bible. It shows the magnitude of their lack of understanding.

You completely miss the point.

 

This is my last post on the subject, to which I think most, if not all of those reading this thread will rejoice. I perceive (mayhaps falsely) a rising hostility factor and I'm not here to fight.

I was born an atheist, same as all of you. And all of you are an atheist ALMOST like me except I believe in one less god. I grew up Presbyterian, but I never really believed. When I joined the Southeast Asian Wargames, I left it all behind. It wasn't until I was in my 40's that I decided to actively research why I didn't believe what everyone else around me did. Fifteen plus years later....

Suffice it to say that the
internal conflicts,
contradictions,
faulty and/or questionable ethics,
questionable precepts and guidelines,
atrocities,
inconsistencies,
absurdities,
and fatal flaws within the Bible (as a whole) and specifically within the various 'books', cannot be reconciled by any means except through wishful thinking, self deception and delusion. This is not my way of thinking.

The (ironic) apologetics that fail to explain away all the inerrancy in a perceived inerrant Bible except to those that already believe or sweep under the rug,
The willingness of all believers (of all religious cults) to throw away critical thinking skills and reasoning to remain within a supernatural and ultimately superstitious, wishfully thinking worldview and the willingness to be separated from reality by believing in ancient goat herder mythology,
The unwillingness of the vast majority of believers to question their religion,
A religion based on faith and fear,
The happiness that some Christians can't wait for the so-called rapture and the ecstatic jubilation that unbelievers will be tortured for all eternity (see the website Raptureready),
The divisions within the religion itself,
The belief in a Messiah that couldn't have been a Messiah and the unwillingness to research it (why do you think the Jews rejected him?),
The dozens of Christian or Christian backed hate groups that cherry pick the Bible to suit their needs,
The surge of right wing American politics in the form of reconstructionism, triumphalism, Dominion theology/theocracy [I can see the founding fathers turning over in their graves] from the likes of Conrad Burns (R-MT), George Allen (R-VA), Rick Santorum (R-PA), James Talent (R-MO), and Mike DeWine (R-OH) to name a few AND, the unwillingness of liberal Christians to say something about it,
And the rampant hypocrisy that abounds, is not a worldview that I hold noble, honorable, desirable or worth the money of the ink and the pages it's printed on.

Now, many of you will undoubtedly think I have insulted you. On the contrary, I have done no such thing. And I haven't insulted Christianity itself. All I have done is critically research Christianity, its manual and peripheries to come up with a conclusion that is not in agreement with any type of Christian theist. Critically examining and reporting findings not in agreement with believers is not an insult of the believers. On the other hand, a few here have insulted me (implied or inferred). What happened to turning the other cheek? No need to answer, it was a rhetorical question.

So, as I said above, this is my last post in this thread and in the religion section of this discussion board. Do what you will with the mythology of the man named Jesus; compartmentalize to your heart's content, communally reinforce with as much confirmation bias as you deem necessary to make yourselves feel happy.

I, however, am free of the chains of religious dogma and doctrine...and happy for it.

Barbosa

 

As a Christian I am supposed to try to reach out lovingly to any and all that do not believe in God in order that they may understand the importance of establishing a personal relationship with Him. I have tried all I intend to on this thread and like Bar. am washing my hands of it. Believe or not. That is your decision and you will have to live with it, in it, and die with it. There are many who do care and are serious about learning enough to try. You do not care and that is your privilege. I will not waste my time or yours attempting to redirect your intentions. I will however completely devote what ever time it takes to countering any false teachings, misleading statements, or out right fabrications anyone makes about the Bible or any religious principle. If you do not or cannot back it up then do not say it because I will be on it like a "chicken on a june bug", and I do not say that in jest. Best to you and yours.

 

What I find funny about this whole thread was I posted several different answers or attempts at discussion and at no time did he respond to a single one of them. Not one. I attempted to "discuss" in 3 different posts with responses to some of his questions. All he did by the end was re-post the same old tired list every Atheist has avoided response to any deep, well meaning discussion. Close minded, likely. I wish I did not say "trolling" the religious forum. I wish I had said "roaming to trouble" or something softer, but the point stands. I apologize for that. One can say "I didn't insult", but that depends on how you are taken.

A short description of Christians by Barbosa:

And then finish up with:

Yeah, we don't feel insulted at all. Just saying "I haven't insulted" makes it all go away.

Despite the 3 pages in this thread, you failed to respond to any single reply to your OP. You failed to discuss anything other than throwing out the same old atheist rejections that abound with ZERO reference or explanation. When those rejections/assertions were answered, there wasn't so much as an acknowledgement... just silence.

Back to -06's original question and answer- you have to decide for yourself if you believe or reject Jesus. Clearly you did prior to the OP. The real question of this thread then- "what's the point of this thread if you have already decided?"

 

Just my 2¢, but your mission is a massive fail friend. You decided to "actively research why (you) didn't believe what everyone else around (you) did" by "critically research(ing) Christianity" (your own words). You deceive yourself. You started with a presumption and set out to prove it and that is obvious, otherwise you would have turned inward to find why you, "didn't believe what everyone else around (you) did". Researching Christianity which you had already rejected is like searching for a key in a dark room.

The key to why you reject what others believe, isn't in the Bible, Christianity or Jesus' teachings because you rejected them from the start, therefore there's no light where you searched and even if you held the key in your hand, you couldn't see it. Why you don't believe can't be found where you looked, so it's understandable that you didn't find it.

Hopefully there is some light in your mind - I won't say soul, since a true atheist rejects the concept (it's a Christian thing you wouldn't understand). Only by looking within can you search for the key you have been, by your own admission searching for (which is: why you don't believe).

I can assure you that once you are honest with yourself and find the key to your denial (which lies within you and outside of any religion), you can then begin your research (the Bible) and the light will flow in. Given your conditioned responses, your mileage may vary, but, I'm sure others who grasp what I've said, wish you the best and sincere blessings on your quest, but for now, you've been tilting at windmills with strings of what you see as clever words and logic. You eventually stumbled onto the truth of why you found nothing, but you have a long way to go in accepting it and starting over.

BTW, I'll see your 15 years and raise it by 45. Call, bluff or fold - it's up to you.