Posts by knowsnothing1

26

Jesus Christ: Invented by the Romans to subvert the Messianic impulse in Judaism into Pacifism?

by TerryWalstrom in

of course, there are many crackpot theories about all sorts of things.

we hear about them,look into them and laugh.however, once in a great while, somebody presents a cogent and feasible thesis backed up by scholarship and history.watch this video presentation and present your rebuttal (or agreement) for discussion.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uqg8w7ezuq&t=268s.

knowsnothing1

The only reason they were willing to go to their deaths was because they held firm loyalty to Jesus. They would rather die than worship the emperor, for that would mean disloyalty to Jesus. It wasn't just a dead Jesus they held belief in, but a risen one.

26

Jesus Christ: Invented by the Romans to subvert the Messianic impulse in Judaism into Pacifism?

by TerryWalstrom in

of course, there are many crackpot theories about all sorts of things.

we hear about them,look into them and laugh.however, once in a great while, somebody presents a cogent and feasible thesis backed up by scholarship and history.watch this video presentation and present your rebuttal (or agreement) for discussion.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uqg8w7ezuq&t=268s.

knowsnothing1

@john.prestor

Any other references to the martyrdom of apostles or disciples comes from late 2nd and early 3rd century "Acts of (John, Thomas, Peter, Matthew, etc.)" literature, which contain little more than pious legend. Have you read any of them, knowsnothing1?

I haven't read them, but let's say those accounts are exaggerated and that the only accurate martyrdoms are James and Peter.

How do you deal with Pliny? Was there Christian persecution? More importantly, why were they persecuted?

26

Jesus Christ: Invented by the Romans to subvert the Messianic impulse in Judaism into Pacifism?

by TerryWalstrom in

of course, there are many crackpot theories about all sorts of things.

we hear about them,look into them and laugh.however, once in a great while, somebody presents a cogent and feasible thesis backed up by scholarship and history.watch this video presentation and present your rebuttal (or agreement) for discussion.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uqg8w7ezuq&t=268s.

knowsnothing1

Bart Ehrman disagrees. Jesus was a real, 1st century Jew that was known as a Rabbi, miracle worker, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate.

His disciples went to their deaths because they held firm to the resurrection of Jesus, having seen them with their own eyes. The movement was first persecuted by the Jews, later by the Romans.

If it was a Roman invention, it was a poor one. It outcompeted and was rival to the state sponsored emperor/local pagan worship of the time.

You also have Pliny on the "Christian Problem" to Emperor Trajan.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Younger_on_Christians

43

Animals

by unsure in

if humans have to suffer to have free will and to disprove satan's challenge to god as mentioned in the bible...then why the f*ck do animals have to suffer as well?

.

satan's challenge involved humans and not poor animals.. i'm looking for an honest explanation from believers.. at this point, the older i get, the less i believe in a god who is "love"..

knowsnothing1

Romans 8:18-25

Creation has been subjected to futility. What we see now isn't what always was and what was always meant to be. There will be freedom for all creation from death and suffering.

I used to be bothered by predation and parasitism too. All creation groans because we know that while these things happen and exist, we innately know and feel that they shouldn't. The beautiful thing is that this is only temporary. The glory that awaits those who believe is incomparable to our present sufferings.

If you're earnestly seeking God, he will reveal himself to you through the Holy Spirit. Call on the name of the Lord Jesus from your heart, and ask him to show you if he's real. He answered me, and I have suffered no disappointment in him.

72

Did you know Banks create money out of thin air?

by TerryWalstrom in

jw
friends

banks create money “out of thin air.”empirical studies have been undertaken to prove this thesis and this is the conclusion:.

in the 5,000 year history of banking, banks have been thought of as “deposit taking institutions which lend money”.. 1. what is the legal reality?

banks don’t take deposits and don’t lend money.the public is under this false impression on purpose because the language of banks is not legal language.. so--what is a “deposit”?a deposit is not actually a deposit.

knowsnothing1

If charging interest created money out of thin air, then so do credit card companies, car dealers, etc.

I'd say we have to look deeper to truly understand what is going on. First of all, what is money? A medium of exchange for goods and services. Paper money, also called fiat money, used to be backed up by gold and silver, things that are valuable in and of themselves. (Why they are considered valuable in and of themselves is another philosophical question)

Fiat money is no longer backed by gold and silver, but by the full faith and credit of the US government.

So the question is, does the system we currently have work? Yes, so far it's working ok. Could be better, but it's the best we have for now. We got rid of having to carry around gold and silver for our transactions, and now we've even moved on to digital exchanges. Money is now more a ledger of assets, purchasing power, and debt than anything else.

The problem with interest is a question of resources. The economy dramatically increased with the industrial revolution and the rapid increase in manufacturing goods. Population grew rapidly following advances in many other areas of life, such as science, engineering, medicine, and so on. Quality of life increased for many.

Then came the most important economic discovery of them all, oil. This is what really skyrocketed society to where it's at now. Transportation, agriculture, plastics, and anything else oil touches directly or indirectly is why we live in the modern world we do today. Oil is such a bountiful, easy to extract source of energy, that our global economy at it's heart is based on oil. It's not infinite, however.

The problem is oil is a finite resource, and as easy reserves get used up, it becomes more difficult and costly to drill for it. So we still have plenty, but our economic system of perpetual growth through the charging of interest is fundamentally flawed, as there will be a day when there will be and can no longer be a continual growth in the production of goods and services. Both because of oil's increasingly difficult to access nature, and the depletion of natural resources.

Many other factors are involved, such as global warming and a rising population, which further accelerate the depletion of natural resources available. We can't study economics without considering the underlying foundation for it, and it matters that we live in a planet with finite resources, yet expect unimpeded, perpetual growth. This is reflected in the charging of interest on loans, in a business as usual way of operating things.

16

Jehovah's Witnesses, is there Life after Death?

by JW Answers in

the jehovah's witnesses claim that at death you cease to exist... however, what if they have been taught wrong?

what if the bible explains that there is life immediately after death?

what if more than 8 people in scripture from old testament to new experienced, acknowledged or taught that there was life straight after death?

knowsnothing1

Hi Vander. I think you have valid objections for some, but I will try answering others.

5) Stephen was ready to go to Heaven at death

He is probably referring to Acts 7:59.

6) Paul knew at death, he would be immediately with the Lord,

Philippians 1:23

Why would Paul almost wish for death, saying being with Christ is far better.

43

Animals

by unsure in

if humans have to suffer to have free will and to disprove satan's challenge to god as mentioned in the bible...then why the f*ck do animals have to suffer as well?

.

satan's challenge involved humans and not poor animals.. i'm looking for an honest explanation from believers.. at this point, the older i get, the less i believe in a god who is "love"..

knowsnothing1

smiddy3, yes, atonement of sins requires a sacrifice. Besides, most of the meat was eaten anyways.

Adam and Eve chose to sin. Do perfect beings have free will?

68

The paranormal.

by Lost in the fog in

i know that a lot of the people on here have turned their backs on the idea of a deity deciding that god does not exist.

but what about the unseen spirit world generally such as poltergeists, jinns, voodoo, etc.

if you have become agnostic, atheist, or just don't care since leaving, do you think that there are spirits out there or have you decided that is also hokum?

knowsnothing1

Nathan, I'm not talking about illusionists here. I'm talking about a few legitimate experiences I had that, alas, are irreproducible.

No sleight of hand, no mental disease.

I was a staunch atheist before. Seeing and experiencing convinced me otherwise. It wasn't a laboratory experiment, but then it didn't need to be.

43

Animals

by unsure in

if humans have to suffer to have free will and to disprove satan's challenge to god as mentioned in the bible...then why the f*ck do animals have to suffer as well?

.

satan's challenge involved humans and not poor animals.. i'm looking for an honest explanation from believers.. at this point, the older i get, the less i believe in a god who is "love"..

knowsnothing1

God cursed the Earth because of sin. We and all creation get to see a world without God's good and full stewardship.

68

The paranormal.

by Lost in the fog in

i know that a lot of the people on here have turned their backs on the idea of a deity deciding that god does not exist.

but what about the unseen spirit world generally such as poltergeists, jinns, voodoo, etc.

if you have become agnostic, atheist, or just don't care since leaving, do you think that there are spirits out there or have you decided that is also hokum?

knowsnothing1

It's very real. Seeing was believing for me. I would be lying if I said otherwise.