Zone1 What makes Christianity different from other religions?

[Paradoxical#1]

Consider God is. It's not your imagination that He is and He is speaking to you. What do you bet the first thought that pops into your mind is, "Why me? What do you want from me?" And the answer is, "I want the people to be free from slavery. I want you to gather your people and lead them to a land I promise to you. I want them to be a people set apart, to follow my ways/laws, and in doing so become a light to all the nations."

Now. Consider human nature, the hunger for power and wealth. You see Moses leading the people, and the people willing to go through hard times for him. What's his secret? They learn that the Moses saw and talked with God, and that God has a plan for them and that is why they are following Moses.

Perfect. What you need is a good counterfeit; the people won't be able to tell the difference! Gather your own tribe, tell them that God has spoken to you and has given you a plan for them to follow.

There are those who make a counterfeit for everything of value. You seem to see all kinds of counterfeit gods and even more counterfeits of what is the Word of God. No one throws away or ignores all their money, their gold, their jewels because all of it must be counterfeit, they become discerning so they keep what is valuable, ignoring the rest.

I get that you see the counterfeits, but try to consider--at least at times--there is also something truly valuable with reach that should not be mistaken for counterfeit.

When did your "God" ban slavery?

 

[Hawkins]

If the US government has a crucial message for all its citizens what should it do? It should broadcast it through a mass media which must be human-facing, such that the message may hopefully reach each and every citizen. This is already the most efficient way for a truth to convey among humans (in the US in this case). If the mass media has not yet been built, someone needs to build it. The US government also appoint a dedicated mass media serving as the governemnt's "tongue". The company is thus the chosen media, its staff are the chosen humans.

Ancient Israel is God's chosen media to exclusively deliver messages from God, manage the messages from generation to generation, till all the necessary messages (for the purpose of salvation) are gathered, then it should "broadcast" towards the whole world. Israel or Judaism as God's chosen mass media failed the job. It didn't gather the last but most important piece of message which is Jesus Christ's deeds. God abandoned it as the exclusive mass media, by allowing the authenticated Temple to be completely destructed. Since then, Christianity picks up where it left off. Christianity serves as the mass media of God, with the explict command that the gospel (God's message of salvation) must be preached (i.e., broadcast) to all nations (making it human-facing).

If the US government has a crucial message for all its citizens but only broadcast in Texas but not the other states, it's a irresponsible government. By the same token, all other gods are irresponsible gods except for the God of Christianity.

 

[Hawkins]

When did your "God" ban slavery?

Slavery is an establishment endorsed by humans considered to be the most moral ones on earth back to the point. Even early US presidents owned slaves. It's not God's priority to fight establishments from the most moral humans. The priority is to provide the salvation for all mankind as a whole.

Israel's "slavery system" is actually a labor system intended to help out the poor who otherwise will sell themselves to the gentiles.

Leviticus 25:42
Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves.

This labor system is contaminated by the secular slavery system (established by the most moral humans) and is abused. God call off the Jewish labor system through Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 34:8-9
The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves.
Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.

 

[BreezeWood]

Consider God is.

is - the same for all is monotheism that much is correct ...

the heavens do not chose tribes of humans or any life form as more important than any other - jesus taught all are equal - monotheism ...

christians keep confusing monotheism w/ monarchism - meriweather.

 

[norwegen]

People are "chosen". Funny how that works. You just claim "God" chose your tribe above all others, and viola...you are "chosen".

Kind of the way pagan kings and emperors assumed an air of divinity and so were the chosen ones of their deities. The Israelites were the same, their priests getting fat and happy in their divine councils. See Psalm 82.

I think these people did find the living God, however, way back in the Garden of Eden. They forsook Him there and were reconciled with Him centuries later with Christ, as their story goes. Most of them refused the reconciliation and were obliterated along with their temple cult.

Hence, Christianity makes sense as the steadfast kingdom of God. The "new Jerusalem," as some of the converted Jews called it. They did not worship idols.

And so I'm still a Christian. Always will be. Because the evidence is in plain sight in the cruciform shape that the world has transformed into. Not proof, mind you. Just evidence.

Christianity is different. It's a repudiation of Judaism.

 

[Paradoxical#1]

Slavery is an establishment endorsed by humans considered to be the most moral ones on earth back to the point. Even early US presidents owned slaves. It's not God's priority to fight establishments from the most moral humans. The priority is to provide the salvation for all mankind as a whole.

Israel's "slavery system" is actually a labor system intended to help out the poor who otherwise will sell themselves to the gentiles.

Leviticus 25:42
Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves.

This labor system is contaminated by the secular slavery system (established by the most moral humans) and is abused. God call off the Jewish labor system through Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 34:8-9
The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves.
Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.

Quite conveeeeenient that your imaginary "God' said his chosen people cannot be slaves, but other inferior humans could be. He was so loving he made a law that said if you beat the crap out of that slave, you'll get in trouble if he dies. But not if he hangs on with one eye out, a ruptured spleen, hundreds of whip marks on his back.

Such love. I'm touched.

 

[Paradoxical#1]

Kind of the way pagan kings and emperors assumed an air of divinity and so were the chosen ones of their deities. The Israelites were the same, their priests getting fat and happy in their divine councils. See Psalm 82.

I think these people did find the living God, however, way back in the Garden of Eden. They forsook Him there and were reconciled with Him centuries later with Christ, as their story goes. Most of them refused the reconciliation and were obliterated along with their temple cult.

Hence, Christianity makes sense as the steadfast kingdom of God. The "new Jerusalem," as some of the converted Jews called it. They did not worship idols.

And so I'm still a Christian. Always will be. Because the evidence is in plain sight in the cruciform shape that the world has transformed into. Not proof, mind you. Just evidence.

Christianity is different. It's a repudiation of Judaism.

Christianity was developed to control humans and get money from them out of guilt, so the churches could rake in the coin and get power and adulation. That's it. A Jewish rabbi most likely did exist and tried to soften the OT laws, but he did NOT ever ban the laws., That was Paul who claimed that, and there is some question as to whether or not Paul was real.

It was not decided that Jesus was God until the Council of Nicea. Before that, for 300 years, many believed he was a lesser "God", the son, as Jesus himself said, he was. But he also said we are all God's sons.

 

[BreezeWood]

Christianity is different. It's a repudiation of Judaism.

amen - false commandments hereditary idolatry religion of apartheid et al ...

how is christianity not a religion of apartheid as well islam as the choice of monotheism for all living beings.

Then they said, “Let us make life in our image, in our likeness, the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky the livestock and all the wild animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground.”

as taught by jesus ... remember the sabbath, their creation, life ... and keep that holy.

 

[norwegen]

Christianity was developed to control humans and get money from them out of guilt, so the churches could rake in the coin and get power and adulation. That's it. A Jewish rabbi most likely did exist and tried to soften the OT laws, but he did NOT ever ban the laws., That was Paul who claimed that, and there is some question as to whether or not Paul was real.

It was not decided that Jesus was God until the Council of Nicea. Before that, for 300 years, many believed he was a lesser "God", the son, as Jesus himself said, he was. But he also said we are all God's sons.

You're not referring to Christianity; you're referring to the institutional church. Read the Bible and the first-century history surrounding it if you want to understand it.

Otherwise you prattle like the other parrots in Conspiracy Land.

 

[Meriweather]

When did your "God" ban slavery?

God created us all to be a free people. When did people ban slavery?

Interesting fact about slavery, is that it appears only twenty-five percent of the population (including the South leading up to the Civil War) owned slaves. Seventy-five percent did not.

If you were a property owner of valuable possessions, no one was going to prohibit you from smashing or destroying objects. However, if you were a person who came to have another person in your possession and you start knocking him/her around, we (the community) are going to punish you.

 

[Meriweather]

Quite conveeeeenient that your imaginary "God' said his chosen people cannot be slaves, but other inferior humans could be. He was so loving he made a law that said if you beat the crap out of that slave, you'll get in trouble if he dies. But not if he hangs on with one eye out, a ruptured spleen, hundreds of whip marks on his back.

Bible verse that describes these specific incidents, please.

 

[Meriweather]

Christianity was developed to control humans and get money from them out of guilt

No, it wasn't. You know better.

 

[Paradoxical#1]

You're not referring to Christianity; you're referring to the institutional church. Read the Bible and the first-century history surrounding it if you want to understand it.

Otherwise you prattle like the other parrots in Conspiracy Land.

Do you made up a different religion than Christianity then is all.

 

[Paradoxical#1]

God created us all to be a free people. When did people ban slavery?

Interesting fact about slavery, is that it appears only twenty-five percent of the population (including the South leading up to the Civil War) owned slaves. Seventy-five percent did not.

If you were a property owner of valuable possessions, no one was going to prohibit you from smashing or destroying objects. However, if you were a person who came to have another person in your possession and you start knocking him/her around, we (the community) are going to punish you.

Meaning we are more moral than god.

 

[Paradoxical#1]

Bible verse that describes these specific incidents, please.

Was quoting the poster.

 

[Paradoxical#1]

No, it wasn't. You know better.

I do and that is what Catholicism is and does.

 

[Woodznutz]

I always thought it was extremely similar to others. Almost as if it was copied off many other religions. Same for judaism.

Other religions were close...but no cigar.

 

[Meriweather]

Meaning we are more moral than god.

Meaning God already made it clear we are a free people. But it's human nature, isn't it, to decide we know better. We are also very good at trying to find the exceptions (loopholes) to every rule. When this happens, sometimes it is the burnt hand that teaches best.

 

[Meriweather]

I do and that is what Catholicism is and does.

Provide us with an example. Perhaps you can start by quoting people working with Catholic charities?

 

[norwegen]

Do you made up a different religion than Christianity then is all.

No, I believe the Bible and have a rudimentary understanding of first-century history.

You, on the other hand, question Paul's existence, flying in the face of your competing camp that says Paul started Christianity, which is completely illogical. But y'all can argue amongst yourselves, I don't care.

And you say Jesus never banned the Law. Not true. He said it was still in effect until he would come in a cloud. Do you know how the Israelites historically believed God came? Hint: in a cloud.

They believed he came in a cloud when Judaism collapsed. The Law was finished. Or do you think Levites still perform their priestly ministrations and sacrifice animals and uphold their slavery and usury laws?

I'm guessing you get all your "information" from your contemporaries.