Have thousand of believers died as martyrs for a hoax??

by jam 9 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  jam

  First of all I,am agnostic, but this is puzzling to me.

  After appearing to Peter and then the twelve, he then

  appeared shortly after to more than five hundred at the

  same time.

  Within a few weeks after Jesus was crucified, a movement

  arose which by the later admission of it,s enemies, "upset

  the world". What happened to ignite this movement shortly

  after it,s leader had been executed?

  The disciples fled in fear, yet ten out of the twelve were martyed

  for their faith. What turned these cowards in to heroes?

  (1) Peter----crucified upside down

  (2)Andrew---crucified

  (3)James----beheaded

  (4)John----exiled died of old age

  (5)Matthew---speared to death

  (6)Bartholomew----beaten and then crucified

  (7)Philip-------crucified

  (8)Thomas----speared to death

  (9)Simon----crucified

  (10)James---stoned to death

  (11)Thaddaeus---stoned to death

  (12) Judas----Well we know what happen to him.
• 

  Satanus

  It didn't really get going until about 30 yrs after the sopposed jesus died. Paul kick started it. Check the dates of the writings. It's all 30 yrs after the fact. That means, nothing much happened in the intervening time. Most likely, a lot of the stuff was made up around some real facts. Stories that had been circulating around in the jewish mythos were put in there at appropriate places. That's what jews did, write stories.

  S
• 

  Satanus

  People are dying for hoaxes, as we speak. They died for them in vietnam, in the second war, the first, the crusades, etc etc.

  S
• 

  jam

  It would be great to exhume the bodies of the ten

  and examine the bodies to find the cause of death.

  We have the technology.
• 

  sir82

  Heck, the Romans crucified about every 5th person walking around back in the 1st century.

  It would be pretty easy to reconstruct / reinterpret the crucifixtions of anyone as "martyrdom" 20 or 30 years after the fact, when people who actually knew the victim are dead or have vague fuzzy memories.
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  leavingwt

  In recent years, we've seen dozens, if not hundreds of martyrs within Islam. What conlusions can we draw from this?
• 

  leavingwt

  Seven million+ Jehovah's Witnesses carry a suicide card in their wallets -- a legal document, designed to reject proven, effective, lifesaving medicine, should one of them suffer major blood loss.
• 

  elderelite

  Hmmmmm.... And if we examine the fact surrounding islam and its cheif prophet, what conclusions do we draw from the fsct its adherents are willing to die for their beliefs?
• 

  leavingwt

  Think of the many JWs who would rather die in this system of things, rather than face the final test at Armageddon.

  It would be preferrable to die a martryr, than to risk eternal torment in Hell. Being a martyr allows one to gain eternal salvation the quick way.

  "Remember, it's not a lie -- if you believe it."
• 

  jam

  Man, you folks are tough on the bible, LOL.

  Come on folks, thirty years is not along time to

  come with such outrageous stories. If someone

  told me DR King walked on water. I would think

  what mental insitution did you escape from.