i am a member on new testament scholar bart ehrman's blog, and the professor is currently outlining a new book he is writing about false memory and the life of jesus.. an interesting post occurred today in which he gives an example of a very famous scripture,.

example of a false memory of jesus teaching i turn to a famous passage in the gospel of john, jesus dialogue with nicodemus (john 3:1-15).

nicodemus is said to be a jewish leader who comes up to jesus and affirms that jesus must come from god because of the great things that he said to have done.

Coded Logic

I have to agree with Ding on this one. I came across this argument by Ehrman about a year ago and when I looked up the John 3 in the NWT it seemed perfectly reasonable that Nicodemus could be confused by being "born from above" rendered in both places.

Now it could well be meant as word play in the Gospel of John under the mistaken belief that they were speaking Greek. But there's no way to establish from these two scriptures that Jesus and Nicodemus weren't speaking in Aramaic.

Whether the Greek word is rendered as "born again" or as "from above" . . . or even if it's rendered as both "born again" and "from above" in different places - the statement is still confusing. And Nicodemus line of questioning is completely reasonable.

I've learned to be very cautious with Ehrman's claims and lines of reasoning - you really have to do your research. He does a lot of sloppy work. Carrier has pointed this out numerous times: http://freethoughtblogs.com/carrier/archives/1026

9

Bloodlust

by berrygerry in

i'm about half-way through the novel "watch how we walk," written in 2013 by a born-in, jennifer lovegrove.. absolutely worthwhile read.. does this paragraph sum up jw-land?.

"i was paranoid again, like i had been back home, as though someone was scrutinizing and judging me.

although i was alone, it reminded me of being at the kingdom hall.

Coded Logic

Only one DF in a year? There were a lot more in my hall growing up. Plus you always heard about the surrounding halls too through the grapevine.

75

Having Faith in the Bible

by william draper in

i know many on here have lost faith in the bible , is it possible that is because ones do not have the right perspective regarding it .

we have usually been taught by bad teachers , or ignorant .

i believe if we take an honest look at the bible , we will see that it gives us the best answers to crucial matters , it gives us some amount of bearings ( understanding ) , which without having such knowledge we would all be more like walking zombies in amanner of speaking , we would be lacking hope in something better , for surely something better is to come , how can we be sure , .

Coded Logic

William,

Why do you believe the Bible is the word of God? Have you ever read the Bible? What sort of metrics do you use to discriminate between divinely inspired works and not divinely inspired works? How do you know what parts of the Bible God wanted included and what parts God didn't want included?

Why would anyone believe that God inspired it? And how could anyone know that?

1

Why Wikipedia Works

by Brokeback Watchtower in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxrmq-_juzm

Coded Logic

It is quite counter intuitive the stunning success and accuracy Wikipedia has had.

14

God evolved from chimpanzee diety

by freemindfade in

researchers say todays lord almighty shares many traits in common with the chimp deity, including color vision and omniscience.. .

berkeley, cachallenging long-held views on the origins of divinity, biologists at the university of california, berkeley, presented findings thursday that confirm god, the almighty creator of the universe, evolved from an ancient chimpanzee deity.. the recently discovered sacred ancestor, a divine chimp species scientists have named pan sanctorum, reportedly gave rise over millions of years to the lord our god, maker of heaven and earth.. although perhaps not obvious at first glance, there are actually overwhelming similarities between the supreme being of today and this early primate deity who preceded him, said dr. richard kamen, a leading biologist who also heads berkeleys paleotheology department.

the holy chimp moved around on all fours, but its descendants eventually began walking upright to expend less energy while foraging across the infinite reaches of the universe.

Coded Logic

This is awesome!!!

7

Mother and Unborn Baby Die from blood transfusion refusal

by Coded Logic in

it's a very sad story.

their deaths were completely avoidable if she hadn't refused the blood transfusion:.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/04/07/why-doctors-let-a-jehovahs-witness-and-her-unborn-baby-die/.

Coded Logic

It's a very sad story. Their deaths were completely avoidable if she hadn't refused the blood transfusion:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/04/07/why-doctors-let-a-jehovahs-witness-and-her-unborn-baby-die/

9

Question on Genesis 6:5

by Ricardopf in

since genesis 6:5 is true, does that not clearly state genesis 6:8 is evil?

finding favor in his eyes is equivalent to fear of being unfavorable in his eyes.

jehovah accepted that forced respect from noah for it came from his own will to follow in jehovah's path to avoid what would happen if he became unfavorable.

Coded Logic

Andrea Pia Kennedy Yates (born July 2, 1964) is a former resident of Houston, Texas, who confessed to drowning her five children in their bathtub on June 20, 2001.

If you think she's a monster, let me ask you this: How many children did God drown in the flood? What kind of father is he?

1

Theist say the darndest things

by Coded Logic in

if i had a dollar for everytime i heard a religious person make one of these claims i'd be a wealthy man.. theist: who are you to question god?.

me: i'm not questioning god, i'm questioning you.

please learn the difference.

Coded Logic

If I had a dollar for everytime I heard a religious person make one of these claims I'd be a wealthy man.

Theist: Who are you to question God?

Me: I'm not questioning God, I'm questioning you. Please learn the difference. God isn't the one claiming he exists. You are. I'm not having a conversation with God. I'm having a conversation with you.

Theist: Why do you hate God?

Me: I don't hate God, I just think you're claiming to know things you can't possibly know and have abilities that you don't actually have. We have a word for such behavior - it's called Arrogance.

Theist: You reject God because you're afraid / want to sin / etc.

Me: I'm not afraid of there being a God. Because if there is a God, I will continue treating people as best I can - as I already do. I value the well-being of sentient creatures regardless of the existence or nonexistence of deities. No God(s) necessary.

However, I do believe that you're the one who's afraid that their may be no God - as then you - and you alone- will be accountable for your actions. No grace - no pardoning - no blood sacrifices for eternal forgiveness. You will have to go to bed each night knowing that your actions, good or bad, will echo into the future. That you can no longer beg off responsibility to your fellow man by appealing to a human sacrifice.

People are only as good as how they treat others. And if a God would choose to value unjustified belief over positive actions then that's not a God worth worshiping. It's a God worth pitying.

Coded Logic

Posts by Coded Logic

This is awesome!!!