Zone1 The Great Difficulty Of Being Religious.....

[Donald H]

I looked at the evidence, but then again I'm not eight.

The first Christians who witnessed the supernatural acts performed by Jesus - which included controlling matter, controlling nature, healing physical deformities, healing diseases, raising the dead and resurrecting himself from death - worshiped Jesus as God because they witnessed those miracles. Non-Christian historians recorded that the first Christians worshiped Jesus as God because he performed supernatural feats. 24,000 written manuscripts documented the supernatural feats Jesus performed and the first Christians witnessed. The Babylonian Talmud confirms Jewish religious leaders put Jesus to death for sorcery and for leading Israel into apostasy. There are no opposing accounts that document that Jesus did not perform any supernatural acts. There are no opposing accounts that argue Jesus wasn't put to death for performing sorcery and inciting Israel to apostasy. There are no opposing accounts which document Jesus wasn't resurrected. There are no opposing accounts that the first Christians didn't witness Jesus performing supernatural acts. There are no opposing accounts that document the first Christians didn't worship Jesus as God.

All the opposing accounts concerning Jesus can be covered by reality's rebuttals. Nothing stands but faith in bibles that are not even claimed to be true anymore.

The jesus stories are about as true as Jonah's big fish that he lived in!

You have an escape clause from literal beliefs. you've used it many times in our discussions!

 

[Donald H]

The great difficulty in being religious is believing in a myth.

Yes but they have been set free from having to suffer. It's in accepting that the bibles aren't literally true but allegorical tales are.

And the Catholic church says so!

 

[Donald H]

Don't forget Peter Popoff.

the faith healers are the most successful messengers of the word of the god.

To foreigners, they're the face of Christianity in America.

 

[Donald H]

When I was working with children, the class was talking about the origins of our holidays and when teacher told them about Easter an 8 year old girl interrupted her:
- "What do you mean resurrected? Yes, but it's impossible, heeellooo? No, you can't die and then not be dead [puts out her arms to emphasize] that is impossible!"

That girl debunked 2000 years of bs in one breath and she was 8.

Just sayin'.

The Christians should have got to her about two years earlier and she would have been a better and more godly child.

 

[Trickster]

The Christians should have got to her about two years earlier and she would have been a better and more godly child.

Truuuuuue. Probably had snakes whispering in her ears. She was a she too, so. :O

 

[Donald H]

And I should have added: The 8 year old girl will burn for eternity in their lake of fire..

How do we know? The bible tells me so!

Anybody want to share the literally true bible with Woodnuts?

 

[PoliticalChic]

The great difficulty in being religious is believing in a myth.

Speaking of which, myths, which promises have the Democrats kept?


And see if this stikes a chord....

 

[otto105]

Speaking of which, myths, which promises have the Democrats kept?


And see if this stikes a chord....

Unless it’s me is in the cult of Shitler! politics and religion are two different things.

You have your myth now go.

 

[Ace Nova]

I enjoy reading these.....but:

Please articulate your point.



Would I be correct in guessing that you misunderstand the difference between charity based on free will, and imposed, forced, redistribution????

The Old Testament - The Books of the Law and Prophets - instructed Israelites on how they should Govern their nation as well as how they should treat each other personally. In those days - there was little to no difference between Jewish laws governing their nations and how a Jewish person was expected to behave on a personal level. They were indeed required to tith, make sacrifices, expected to help the less fortunate within their societies, respect one another and so forth.

Tithing and sacrifices are a form of "redistribution of wealth".

In the New Testament, Jesus taught a more personal, spiritual approach - and said that these things should be done regardless - whether or not required by Law. So Christians have a dual duty in a sense - they should be doing these things through both charity and in theory, should not object to government programs that are geared to help the less fortunate.

That said - the key word is "in theory". Christians also have the right (as do other citizens) to use history as a guide when dealing with politics and governments.

Jesus also taught that we should be using our "gifts" to the best of our abilities - and we should use them so that we become successful so that we are able to prosper - both physically and spiritually. Jesus was also very specific about only serving One God - You can't serve both money and God. Money, for Christians, should be respected, used to live their lives, enjoyed, but not "served" the way a Christian would "serve God".

In a way - this opens up the idea of "separation of Church and state". Historically, Communist nations have failed because almost every one led to corruption and absolute power - dictatorships, authoritarian regimes, closed states, etc

That said, some modern day socialist leaning states have flourished - and socialism should not be conflated with communism - at least the way communism has been implemented throughout history - where the individual person has little personal property and almost everything is owned or controlled by the state.

The Nordic Model is a modern day success story when viewing what a heavy leaning socialist state can look like when socialism is implemented properly.

• Private ownership of land
• Market based mixed economy
• Regulated capitalism through social corporatism and collective bargaining
• Heavy social safety nets and well fare programs
• Focus on culture and quality of life

So in the end - The Bible teaches that regardless of laws, people should be doing these things and living this way but if there are laws that guide people to live lives helping one another - that's ok too. The Old Testament Laws that governed Jewish people were written with that intent and later taught by Jesus to be used in everyday life - both physically and spiritually.

 

[Trickster]

Speaking of which, myths, which promises have the Democrats kept?


And see if this stikes a chord....

Wrong thread.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Unless it’s me is in the cult of Shitler! politics and religion are two different things.

You have your myth now go.

Use appropriate language, language as an adult, not a Democrat.

Try.

 

[ding]

The beginning of man can't be defined. Remember when we agreed that bible stories were allegorical lessons and not to be read as literal truth?

My 'kind' as defined by science has been around as long as our ancestors, the great apes. Can you pin it down more accurately?

Your kind is militant atheists who condemn respect for people of faith. I think it's important for you to own what you are.

"...The combating of religion cannot be confined to abstract ideological preaching, and it must not be reduced to such preaching. It must be linked up with the concrete practice of the class movement, which aims at eliminating the social roots of religion..." Vladimir Lenin

 

[ding]

All the opposing accounts concerning Jesus can be covered by reality's rebuttals. Nothing stands but faith in bibles that are not even claimed to be true anymore.

The jesus stories are about as true as Jonah's big fish that he lived in!

You have an escape clause from literal beliefs. you've used it many times in our discussions!

You have no evidence. I do. See?

The first Christians who witnessed the supernatural acts performed by Jesus - which included controlling matter, controlling nature, healing physical deformities, healing diseases, raising the dead and resurrecting himself from death - worshiped Jesus as God because they witnessed those miracles. Non-Christian historians recorded that the first Christians worshiped Jesus as God because he performed supernatural feats. 24,000 written manuscripts documented the supernatural feats Jesus performed and the first Christians witnessed. The Babylonian Talmud confirms Jewish religious leaders put Jesus to death for sorcery and for leading Israel into apostasy. There are no opposing accounts that document that Jesus did not perform any supernatural acts. There are no opposing accounts that argue Jesus wasn't put to death for performing sorcery and inciting Israel to apostasy. There are no opposing accounts which document Jesus wasn't resurrected. There are no opposing accounts that the first Christians didn't witness Jesus performing supernatural acts. There are no opposing accounts that document the first Christians didn't worship Jesus as God.

 

[ding]

Bad things happen, but the world is not evil and life is not suffering. Unless you live in North Korea or Subsaharan Africa, maybe. Overall, life is truly awesome.

So now you are agreeing with me that life is unfair? Hasn't that always been your argument against God? That life is unfair so God can't exist.

I'm spinning you like a top.

 

[ding]

And I should have added: The 8 year old girl will burn for eternity in their lake of fire.. How do we know? The bible tells me so!

Chapter and verse please.

 

[ding]

Truuuuuue. Probably had snakes whispering in her ears. She was a she too, so. :O

"Communism is naturalized humanism." Karl Marx

 

[PoliticalChic]

The Old Testament - The Books of the Law and Prophets - instructed Israelites on how they should Govern their nation as well as how they should treat each other personally. In those days - there was little to no difference between Jewish laws governing their nations and how a Jewish person was expected to behave on a personal level. They were indeed required to tith, make sacrifices, expected to help the less fortunate within their societies, respect one another and so forth.

Tithing and sacrifices are a form of "redistribution of wealth".

In the New Testament, Jesus taught a more personal, spiritual approach - and said that these things should be done regardless - whether or not required by Law. So Christians have a dual duty in a sense - they should be doing these things through both charity and in theory, should not object to government programs that are geared to help the less fortunate.

That said - the key word is "in theory". Christians also have the right (as do other citizens) to use history as a guide when dealing with politics and governments.

Jesus also taught that we should be using our "gifts" to the best of our abilities - and we should use them so that we become successful so that we are able to prosper - both physically and spiritually. Jesus was also very specific about only serving One God - You can't serve both money and God. Money, for Christians, should be respected, used to live their lives, enjoyed, but not "served" the way a Christian would "serve God".

In a way - this opens up the idea of "separation of Church and state". Historically, Communist nations have failed because almost every one led to corruption and absolute power - dictatorships, authoritarian regimes, closed states, etc

That said, some modern day socialist leaning states have flourished - and socialism should not be conflated with communism - at least the way communism has been implemented throughout history - where the individual person has little personal property and almost everything is owned or controlled by the state.

The Nordic Model is a modern day success story when viewing what a heavy leaning socialist state can look like when socialism is implemented properly.

• Private ownership of land
• Market based mixed economy
• Regulated capitalism through social corporatism and collective bargaining
• Heavy social safety nets and well fare programs
• Focus on culture and quality of life

So in the end - The Bible teaches that regardless of laws, people should be doing these things and living this way but if there are laws that guide people to live lives helping one another - that's ok too. The Old Testament Laws that governed Jewish people were written with that intent and later taught by Jesus to be used in everyday life - both physically and spiritually.

"Tithing and sacrifices are a form of "redistribution of wealth".


So that is what you favor?

AI Overview
Learn more

In the Old Testament, tithing, meaning giving a tenth, was a requirement of the Law where Israelites were expected to give 10% of their crops and livestock to support the tabernacle/temple and the Levites, who served as priests.



Here comes your education on the subject.

1. Federal taxes should be enough to cover the enumerated powers listed in Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution.

Any collected not used for said purposes should be returned in a tax cuts.




2. As far as the Left is concerned, taxes are punishments for the successful, those who made their own success, without recourse to government.

1. The Left has been far more interested in fighting material inequality than tyranny, which is why Lenin, Mao, Pol Pot, Ho Chi Minh, Castro, etc., tend to have the support of Leftists around the world.
2. The Left is less interested in creating wealth than in distributing it.

3. Who is to decide what is fair, and what is too much? Some religions suggest tithing, and government demands taxes.

1. Joseph gathered very much grain: It seems it was customary for Pharaoh to take 10% of the grain in Egypt as a tax. Essentially, Joseph doubled the taxes over the next seven years (Genesis 41:34 mentions one-fifth, that is, 20%).
2. That 20% figure appears again in the relationship of colonists to North America, and the English crown "....colonists were free to retain all the profits and fruits of their labor save for the crown's 20 percent share of any gold and silver discovered." "Freedom Just Around the Corner: A New American History: 1585-1828," by Walter A. McDougall, p.33

4. Succinctly put, socialism in the form of taxation, is theft.



5. There is no perennial group in America known as "the rich." The mobility of our system has a great amount of economic mobility.

"One way to quantify income mobility is to examine how many people remain in the same tax bracket over time. We compared the returns of tax filers in the lowest tax rate bracket (zero) in 1987 with their returns in 1996. Only one third of the tax filers were still in the zero tax bracket, but 25% were now in the 10% bracket, 32% had moved up to the 15% bracket and 9% were in the 25%, 28%, 33% or 35% brackets. And that was following them for a decade, not a generation.

. For example, the new Census data find that only 3% of Americans are "chronically" poor, which the Census Bureau defines as being in poverty for three years or more. Many of the people in the bottom quintile of income earners in any one year are new entrants to the labor force or those who are leaving the labor force.

The data also show downward mobility among the highest income earners. The top 1% in 1996 saw an average decline in their real, after-tax incomes by 52% in the next 10 years.

America is still an opportunity society where talent and hard work can (almost always) overcome one's position at birth or at any point in time. Perhaps the best piece of news in this regard is the reduction in gaps between earnings of men and women, and between blacks and whites over the last 25 years."
http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB122143692536934297.html




What if you find that based on Federal taxes, state taxes, local taxes, sales tax, parking fees, license fees, speed cameras, hidden taxes of all sorts......
....and the insidious tax, inflation.....

....amounted to more than half your income at least?

“House Democrats unveiled proposals on Monday to pay for a $3.5 trillion spending plan, with tax increases that could mean the wealthiest New Yorkers and Californians face rates of about 60 percent.Sep 13, 2021

under House Democrats' bill to fund $3.5trillion spending plans
https://www.dailymail.co.uk › ushome › article-9985809

 

[Woodznutz]

Meriweather and Ding made the cut on being amenable to logical truths being possible reform of their beliefs.

You don't make the cut. You own the literally true bibles for this board.

I'm good with that.

 

[Woodznutz]

So are crucifixes and Bibles. Resurrections and God are more abnormal than homosexuality. At least homosexuality is real.

You should take up astronomy. You'll quickly learn how abnormal earth and everything in, on, and around it is.

 

[Woodznutz]

"Tithing and sacrifices are a form of "redistribution of wealth".


So that is what you favor?

AI Overview
Learn more

In the Old Testament, tithing, meaning giving a tenth, was a requirement of the Law where Israelites were expected to give 10% of their crops and livestock to support the tabernacle/temple and the Levites, who served as priests.



Here comes your education on the subject.

1. Federal taxes should be enough to cover the enumerated powers listed in Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution.

Any collected not used for said purposes should be returned in a tax cuts.




2. As far as the Left is concerned, taxes are punishments for the successful, those who made their own success, without recourse to government.

1. The Left has been far more interested in fighting material inequality than tyranny, which is why Lenin, Mao, Pol Pot, Ho Chi Minh, Castro, etc., tend to have the support of Leftists around the world.
2. The Left is less interested in creating wealth than in distributing it.

3. Who is to decide what is fair, and what is too much? Some religions suggest tithing, and government demands taxes.

1. Joseph gathered very much grain: It seems it was customary for Pharaoh to take 10% of the grain in Egypt as a tax. Essentially, Joseph doubled the taxes over the next seven years (Genesis 41:34 mentions one-fifth, that is, 20%).
2. That 20% figure appears again in the relationship of colonists to North America, and the English crown "....colonists were free to retain all the profits and fruits of their labor save for the crown's 20 percent share of any gold and silver discovered." "Freedom Just Around the Corner: A New American History: 1585-1828," by Walter A. McDougall, p.33

4. Succinctly put, socialism in the form of taxation, is theft.



5. There is no perennial group in America known as "the rich." The mobility of our system has a great amount of economic mobility.

"One way to quantify income mobility is to examine how many people remain in the same tax bracket over time. We compared the returns of tax filers in the lowest tax rate bracket (zero) in 1987 with their returns in 1996. Only one third of the tax filers were still in the zero tax bracket, but 25% were now in the 10% bracket, 32% had moved up to the 15% bracket and 9% were in the 25%, 28%, 33% or 35% brackets. And that was following them for a decade, not a generation.

. For example, the new Census data find that only 3% of Americans are "chronically" poor, which the Census Bureau defines as being in poverty for three years or more. Many of the people in the bottom quintile of income earners in any one year are new entrants to the labor force or those who are leaving the labor force.

The data also show downward mobility among the highest income earners. The top 1% in 1996 saw an average decline in their real, after-tax incomes by 52% in the next 10 years.

America is still an opportunity society where talent and hard work can (almost always) overcome one's position at birth or at any point in time. Perhaps the best piece of news in this regard is the reduction in gaps between earnings of men and women, and between blacks and whites over the last 25 years."
http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB122143692536934297.html




What if you find that based on Federal taxes, state taxes, local taxes, sales tax, parking fees, license fees, speed cameras, hidden taxes of all sorts......
....and the insidious tax, inflation.....

....amounted to more than half your income at least?

“House Democrats unveiled proposals on Monday to pay for a $3.5 trillion spending plan, with tax increases that could mean the wealthiest New Yorkers and Californians face rates of about 60 percent.Sep 13, 2021

under House Democrats' bill to fund $3.5trillion spending plans
https://www.dailymail.co.uk › ushome › article-9985809

Also, seniors hold the greatest wealth of any group, but upon retirement begin to spend that wealth back into the working economy. In most cases the richest they will ever be is the day they retire. It's all downhill from there.