Jesus Christ

Quoted from DB

I thought I had answered these but could have hit the post button hard enough.

The approximate dates of the death of Jesus are true and presumably the birth of Josephus. Given that it would be impossible for Josephus to have met Jesus.

No worries. I’m finding it all really enlightening to be honest. So much I don’t know, so it’s proving a bit of an education. Everyday is a school day as they say.

I did a bit of mentoring for a local project out of the Calvary church. Run by a lovely couple who I got to know through work at the time. I did it on the basis they left me out of the religious side of things as I wasn’t interested then, which is something I regret just from the knowledge side of things. But I was younger then.

Quoted from kafunanapar140909

This is one of the things I really don't quite understand. There are so many awful stories in the bible, particularly the Old Testament. There's that very famous quote from Dawkins:

"The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully."

What I don't understand is how you can filter out the stories which are supposed to be fictitious from those which are taken to be truth. I get that there are different interpretations of the reading of the bible, but how do you take any good from a story where God asks Abraham to kill his own son, just to prove his devotion? Or the gang raping of Lot's daughters in (I think) Judges? The New Testament is significantly better, morally, but does that excuse the Old?

The old testament was written for the Jews etc. and should not be confused with the New Testament. The basic thing about the Old Testament was the prophecy of the forth coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. The New Testament is not an apology for the events in the Old Testament but a description of the life of Jesus Christ and the evangelism of him.

Quoted from Sandford1981

No worries. I’m finding it all really enlightening to be honest. So much I don’t know, so it’s proving a bit of an education. Everyday is a school day as they say.

I did a bit of mentoring for a local project out of the Calvary church. Run by a lovely couple who I got to know through work at the time. I did it on the basis they left me out of the religious side of things as I wasn’t interested then, which is something I regret just from the knowledge side of things. But I was younger then.

I don't know if this helps but I have found that their is a big difference between various people who say they are Christians. The way I look at it is see what people do, look at their actions and then make your decisions about them and their organisation. Scratch the surface and look underneath .You will then, with experience, come to see who are Christians and who use Christianity for their own ends.

Quoted from DB

I don't know if this helps but I have found that their is a big difference between various people who say they are Christians. The way I look at it is see what people do, look at their actions and then make your decisions about them and their organisation. Scratch the surface and look underneath .You will then, with experience, come to see who are Christians and who use Christianity for their own ends.

I think that can be generalised as an approach to people in everyday life to be fair.
I’m assuming you meant that as an overarching philosophy rather than about the couple I mentioned.
The couple involved were very committed Christians and I held them in the highest regard. They opened my eyes to the benefit of charity work and also the sense of community that arose because of their faith. Salt of the earth.

Quoted from Sandford1981

I think that can be generalised as an approach to people in everyday life to be fair.
I’m assuming you meant that as an overarching philosophy rather than about the couple I mentioned.
The couple involved were very committed Christians and I held them in the highest regard. They opened my eyes to the benefit of charity work and also the sense of community that arose because of their faith. Salt of the earth.

You mentioned no names so I did not criticise them. What I posted is something thing that has gradually come to me over the years.

I think I mentioned this on another post C of E members collected from various means £250,000 to maintain the tower of Waithe church for a once a year service.. Would that money donated to the food kitchen in town be a better use of the money. Like wise I know of a person that offered to help people if they have mental health problems. One of these I would consider to be a Christian by their actions and one I wouldn't.

Quoted from DB

I think I mentioned this on another post C of E members collected from various means £250,000 to maintain the tower of Waithe church for a once a year service.. Would that money donated to the food kitchen in town be a better use of the money. Like wise I know of a person that offered to help people if they have mental health problems. One of these I would consider to be a Christian by their actions and one I wouldn't.

There is a pervading attitude that the religious - particularly Christians - have some sort of higher moral standing in society. Of course, generally being a nice person, treating others with the respect you'd want shown to yourself, showing empathy, generosity, a kindness of spirit, etc., are not "Christian values", they are just values that normal, decent human being lives by, regardless of faith.

Yet it is so embedded in societies worldwide. There is nothing stopping, for example, an atheist American president from being sworn into office by placing their hand on a copy of The God Delusion by Dawkins and making their oath (it's written in the constitution that any old book can be used). However there has *never* been an openly atheist president of the US, because they to come out as an atheist would destroy them long before they became party leader.

Many people seem to simply trust the religious, even though there's ample evidence to suggest they are not some kind of higher moral being.

Quoted from kafunanapar140909

There is a pervading attitude that the religious - particularly Christians - have some sort of higher moral standing in society. Of course, generally being a nice person, treating others with the respect you'd want shown to yourself, showing empathy, generosity, a kindness of spirit, etc., are not "Christian values", they are just values that normal, decent human being lives by, regardless of faith.

Yet it is so embedded in societies worldwide. There is nothing stopping, for example, an atheist American president from being sworn into office by placing their hand on a copy of The God Delusion by Dawkins and making their oath (it's written in the constitution that any old book can be used). However there has *never* been an openly atheist president of the US, because they to come out as an atheist would destroy them long before they became party leader.

Many people seem to simply trust the religious, even though there's ample evidence to suggest they are not some kind of higher moral being.

These are excellent Christian and none Christian values. I believe that I have already answered comments on religious people on other posts

Have a happy Easter in the knowledge that this day is in recognition of Jesus Christs' death on the cross, dying for both believers and non-believers.

What a fantastic day Easter Sunday is. The resurrection of Jesus Christ all those years ago from death. Proof of life after death, all we have to do is believe.

Quoted from DB

What a fantastic day Easter Sunday is. The resurrection of Jesus Christ all those years ago from death. Proof of life after death, all we have to do is believe.

Hearsay.