If a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, how can Christianity be a "good tree"?

[Agit8r]

After it has taken part in such things as tyranny, genocide, slavery, inquisition, cutting little boys' balls off so they can sing better, etc, etc, etc, how can people still believe in Christianity?

 

[Pogo]

People will take the path of least resistance. And staying with the known status quo is in many senses easier than challenging oneself with realities.

 

[CynthiaZ]

After it has taken part in such things as tyranny, genocide, slavery, inquisition, cutting little boys' balls off so they can sing better, etc, etc, etc, how can people still believe in Christianity?

Do you really believe that Christianity is to blame for all those things?

 

[williepete]

After it has taken part in such things as tyranny, genocide, slavery, inquisition, cutting little boys' balls off so they can sing better, etc, etc, etc, how can people still believe in Christianity?

Pick up the New Testament, read the parts printed in read and tell us where Our Lord commanded these hideous things you cite.

Won't hold my breath.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."

 

[CynthiaZ]

After it has taken part in such things as tyranny, genocide, slavery, inquisition, cutting little boys' balls off so they can sing better, etc, etc, etc, how can people still believe in Christianity?

Pick up the New Testament, read the parts printed in read and tell us where Our Lord commanded these hideous things you cite.

Won't hold my breath.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."

The "Love your enemies" part should clue everyone in that anyone who practices any of these vile things is not exactly following the teachings of Jesus.

 

[September]

After it has taken part in such things as tyranny, genocide, slavery, inquisition, cutting little boys' balls off so they can sing better, etc, etc, etc, how can people still believe in Christianity?

Pick up the New Testament, read the parts printed in read and tell us where Our Lord commanded these hideous things you cite.

Won't hold my breath.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."

The New Testament? The majority of your Bible is composed of the Old Testament. Without that, there would be no "New Testament". And the Old Tesatament is bloody as Hell. Epic. Awesome. Yet twisted as fuck

​

 

[CynthiaZ]

And the Old Testament is bloody as Hell

Yeah because the the first five books and Joshua and Kings and the Chronicles are the most important part even though those books constitute just a quarter of the OT. Let's ignore the Prophets when they emphasize social justice which happens to be a major theme within the OT, lets ignore the poetry of the Psalms and of course let us ignore the existential struggle between faith and doubt in the more philosophical books such as Job and Ecclesiastes because even though those books constitute the majority of the OT they are minor in the shadow of just those few books at the beginning.

 

[September]

And the Old Testament is bloody as Hell

Yeah because the the first five books and Joshua and Kings and the Chronicles are the most important part even though those books constitute just a quarter of the OT. Let's ignore the Prophets when they emphasize social justice which happens to be a major theme within the OT, lets ignore the poetry of the Psalms and of course let us ignore the existential struggle between faith and doubt in the more philosophical books such as Job and Ecclesiastes because even though those books constitute the majority of the OT they are minor in the shadow of just those few books at the beginning.

If you say so. Personally I enjoyed the entire Old Testament. It felt like an epic mind trip into a time long past.

​

 

[CynthiaZ]

And the Old Testament is bloody as Hell

Yeah because the the first five books and Joshua and Kings and the Chronicles are the most important part even though those books constitute just a quarter of the OT. Let's ignore the Prophets when they emphasize social justice which happens to be a major theme within the OT, lets ignore the poetry of the Psalms and of course let us ignore the existential struggle between faith and doubt in the more philosophical books such as Job and Ecclesiastes because even though those books constitute the majority of the OT they are minor in the shadow of just those few books at the beginning.

If you say so. Personally I enjoyed the entire Old Testament. It felt like an epic mind trip into a time long past.

​

If you read the entire "Old Testament" you would have realized that most of it is not about some Bronze Age bloodbath but a lot of it involves principles such as the social justice emphasized by the Prophets even within books such as Samuel we see that there is an anti-monarchial principle in the writings when the Israelites are told that a monarchy would only lead to oppression and injustice and that it would be better for them to live under the Rule of Law rather than the Rule of Monarchy.

 

[September]

And the Old Testament is bloody as Hell

Yeah because the the first five books and Joshua and Kings and the Chronicles are the most important part even though those books constitute just a quarter of the OT. Let's ignore the Prophets when they emphasize social justice which happens to be a major theme within the OT, lets ignore the poetry of the Psalms and of course let us ignore the existential struggle between faith and doubt in the more philosophical books such as Job and Ecclesiastes because even though those books constitute the majority of the OT they are minor in the shadow of just those few books at the beginning.

If you say so. Personally I enjoyed the entire Old Testament. It felt like an epic mind trip into a time long past.

​

If you read the entire "Old Testament" you would have realized that most of it is not about some Bronze Age bloodbath but a lot of it involves principles such as the social justice emphasized by the Prophets even within books such as Samuel we see that there is an anti-monarchial principle in the writings when the Israelites are told that a monarchy would only lead to oppression and injustice and that it would be better for them to live under the Rule of Law rather than the Rule of Monarchy.

I said the Old Testament is bloody as Hell. I did not say that every sentence in every paragraph throughout the entire OT was bloody as Hell.​

 

[Treeshepherd]

After it has taken part in such things as tyranny, genocide, slavery, inquisition, cutting little boys' balls off so they can sing better, etc, etc, etc, how can people still believe in Christianity?

China's policy is that party members are forbidden to belong to a religion. China is officially an atheist country, and also an oppressive country. Therefore, atheism leads to oppression. Now, that's a stupid argument, but it's basically the same logic that you're using.

 

[Agit8r]

After it has taken part in such things as tyranny, genocide, slavery, inquisition, cutting little boys' balls off so they can sing better, etc, etc, etc, how can people still believe in Christianity?

Do you really believe that Christianity is to blame for all those things?

If other cultures had the same practices, that only suggests that they and Christianity are essentially equivalent.

 

[Agit8r]

And the Old Testament is bloody as Hell

Yeah because the the first five books and Joshua and Kings and the Chronicles are the most important part even though those books constitute just a quarter of the OT. Let's ignore the Prophets when they emphasize social justice which happens to be a major theme within the OT, lets ignore the poetry of the Psalms and of course let us ignore the existential struggle between faith and doubt in the more philosophical books such as Job and Ecclesiastes because even though those books constitute the majority of the OT they are minor in the shadow of just those few books at the beginning.

If you say so. Personally I enjoyed the entire Old Testament. It felt like an epic mind trip into a time long past.

​

If you read the entire "Old Testament" you would have realized that most of it is not about some Bronze Age bloodbath but a lot of it involves principles such as the social justice emphasized by the Prophets even within books such as Samuel we see that there is an anti-monarchial principle in the writings when the Israelites are told that a monarchy would only lead to oppression and injustice and that it would be better for them to live under the Rule of Law rather than the Rule of Monarchy.

The Rule of Law? Not in any Bible I've read. The legend tells that before they had monarchy, everyone did what they saw fit before the lord. That's just anarchy. Men offering their daughters as burnt offerings and whatnot.

 

[Agit8r]

After it has taken part in such things as tyranny, genocide, slavery, inquisition, cutting little boys' balls off so they can sing better, etc, etc, etc, how can people still believe in Christianity?

China's policy is that party members are forbidden to belong to a religion. China is officially an atheist country, and also an oppressive country. Therefore, atheism leads to oppression. Now, that's a stupid argument, but it's basically the same logic that you're using.

I deferred to the logic attributed to Jesus, actually.

 

[Agit8r]

After it has taken part in such things as tyranny, genocide, slavery, inquisition, cutting little boys' balls off so they can sing better, etc, etc, etc, how can people still believe in Christianity?

Pick up the New Testament, read the parts printed in read and tell us where Our Lord commanded these hideous things you cite.

Won't hold my breath.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."

And yet, Christianity didn't prevent these things either. If it cannot teach it's followers to be moral, what utility does it have for society?

 

[CynthiaZ]

After it has taken part in such things as tyranny, genocide, slavery, inquisition, cutting little boys' balls off so they can sing better, etc, etc, etc, how can people still believe in Christianity?

Do you really believe that Christianity is to blame for all those things?

If other cultures had the same practices, that only suggests that they and Christianity are essentially equivalent.

All cultures have those same practices because of something we call "human nature", human beings are just as subject to instinct as any other animal. We are driven to violence and war because we are driven by instinct to dominate and control our environment. So it is not religion that drives us towards these things but nature that drives us. so you cannot blame a single religion for why we are violent but you have to accept the facts that humans are instinctual and it is human nature alone that drives us towards dominance and violence.

 

[CynthiaZ]

And the Old Testament is bloody as Hell

Yeah because the the first five books and Joshua and Kings and the Chronicles are the most important part even though those books constitute just a quarter of the OT. Let's ignore the Prophets when they emphasize social justice which happens to be a major theme within the OT, lets ignore the poetry of the Psalms and of course let us ignore the existential struggle between faith and doubt in the more philosophical books such as Job and Ecclesiastes because even though those books constitute the majority of the OT they are minor in the shadow of just those few books at the beginning.

If you say so. Personally I enjoyed the entire Old Testament. It felt like an epic mind trip into a time long past.

​

If you read the entire "Old Testament" you would have realized that most of it is not about some Bronze Age bloodbath but a lot of it involves principles such as the social justice emphasized by the Prophets even within books such as Samuel we see that there is an anti-monarchial principle in the writings when the Israelites are told that a monarchy would only lead to oppression and injustice and that it would be better for them to live under the Rule of Law rather than the Rule of Monarchy.

The Rule of Law? Not in any Bible I've read. The legend tells that before they had monarchy, everyone did what they saw fit before the lord. That's just anarchy. Men offering their daughters as burnt offerings and whatnot.

Then you have not read the OT because one of the most poignant stories within the book tells us how the Israelites wanted to be ruled under a king because the other nations around them were ruled by kings and they were the exception being a confederacy of tribes ruled by the law as administered by judges. Anyone who actually read the OT would know this.

 

[Agit8r]

And the Old Testament is bloody as Hell

Yeah because the the first five books and Joshua and Kings and the Chronicles are the most important part even though those books constitute just a quarter of the OT. Let's ignore the Prophets when they emphasize social justice which happens to be a major theme within the OT, lets ignore the poetry of the Psalms and of course let us ignore the existential struggle between faith and doubt in the more philosophical books such as Job and Ecclesiastes because even though those books constitute the majority of the OT they are minor in the shadow of just those few books at the beginning.

If you say so. Personally I enjoyed the entire Old Testament. It felt like an epic mind trip into a time long past.

​

If you read the entire "Old Testament" you would have realized that most of it is not about some Bronze Age bloodbath but a lot of it involves principles such as the social justice emphasized by the Prophets even within books such as Samuel we see that there is an anti-monarchial principle in the writings when the Israelites are told that a monarchy would only lead to oppression and injustice and that it would be better for them to live under the Rule of Law rather than the Rule of Monarchy.

The Rule of Law? Not in any Bible I've read. The legend tells that before they had monarchy, everyone did what they saw fit before the lord. That's just anarchy. Men offering their daughters as burnt offerings and whatnot.

Then you have not read the OT because one of the most poignant stories within the book tells us how the Israelites wanted to be ruled under a king because the other nations around them were ruled by kings and they were the exception being a confederacy of tribes ruled by the law as administered by judges. Anyone who actually read the OT would know this.

That is incorrect.

"In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes."
-- Judges 17:6


"In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes."
-- Judges 21:25

thus, as we can see; anarchy. There were no inalienable rights there (or anywhere else in the bible, for that matter)

 

[Agit8r]

After it has taken part in such things as tyranny, genocide, slavery, inquisition, cutting little boys' balls off so they can sing better, etc, etc, etc, how can people still believe in Christianity?

Do you really believe that Christianity is to blame for all those things?

If other cultures had the same practices, that only suggests that they and Christianity are essentially equivalent.

All cultures have those same practices because of something we call "human nature", human beings are just as subject to instinct as any other animal. We are driven to violence and war because we are driven by instinct to dominate and control our environment. So it is not religion that drives us towards these things but nature that drives us. so you cannot blame a single religion for why we are violent but you have to accept the facts that humans are instinctual and it is human nature alone that drives us towards dominance and violence.

So, nothing special about Christianity? Just the same as the other religions?

 

[CynthiaZ]

Yeah because the the first five books and Joshua and Kings and the Chronicles are the most important part even though those books constitute just a quarter of the OT. Let's ignore the Prophets when they emphasize social justice which happens to be a major theme within the OT, lets ignore the poetry of the Psalms and of course let us ignore the existential struggle between faith and doubt in the more philosophical books such as Job and Ecclesiastes because even though those books constitute the majority of the OT they are minor in the shadow of just those few books at the beginning.

If you say so. Personally I enjoyed the entire Old Testament. It felt like an epic mind trip into a time long past.

​

If you read the entire "Old Testament" you would have realized that most of it is not about some Bronze Age bloodbath but a lot of it involves principles such as the social justice emphasized by the Prophets even within books such as Samuel we see that there is an anti-monarchial principle in the writings when the Israelites are told that a monarchy would only lead to oppression and injustice and that it would be better for them to live under the Rule of Law rather than the Rule of Monarchy.

The Rule of Law? Not in any Bible I've read. The legend tells that before they had monarchy, everyone did what they saw fit before the lord. That's just anarchy. Men offering their daughters as burnt offerings and whatnot.

Then you have not read the OT because one of the most poignant stories within the book tells us how the Israelites wanted to be ruled under a king because the other nations around them were ruled by kings and they were the exception being a confederacy of tribes ruled by the law as administered by judges. Anyone who actually read the OT would know this.

That is incorrect.

"In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes."
-- Judges 17:6


"In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes."
-- Judges 21:25

thus, as we can see; anarchy. There were no inalienable rights there (or anywhere else in the bible, for that matter)

You forgot the part were judges were set before them hence the title of the book...The Book of Judges. And just because a people have no centralized form of government but rather a covenant that they all agree to does not mean they have no rights but it means they are given individual rights to govern themselves under the rules of that covenant. Anarchy does not equal no law but rather no rulers.