As a religion I think Christianity stands or falls on Jesus' historicity (as well as his resurrection); but as an ethical philosophy Christianity no more depends on Jesus than Platonism does on Socrates. Christian ethics sans the religious dogma, whether it be in the form of Christian Deism or Christian Atheism or 'Infinite Way' monism, is the only way I see Christianity surviving in an educated society; it's the only variety of Christianity that deserves to survive.
Rainbow_Troll
JoinedPosts by Rainbow_Troll
-
10
Whether Jesus was a historical figure or not matters not
by venus inwhen i suffered some loss what jesus said came to my mind: “if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.” (mathew 5:40) principle behind this statement made flash to me: ‘here shirt is only a symbol of material things/comfort.
if you suffer a loss, have the mind-set that i have no problem even if i suffer some greater loss,’ and my worry immediately disappeared.
whether jesus was a historical figure or not matters not if what he (supposedly) said happens to be of great practical help..
-
-
-
8
Ted talk
by zeb ini like to watch ted talks.. a recent one i watched was "why i left the westboro baptist church" x megan phelps-roper.
i have never heard of this church ever before after all i am in australia.
the talk and all the young woman stated as beliefs and dogma sounded just like the jw minus the noisy demos..
-
-
Rainbow_Troll
The Westbro Baptists not only read the Bible (unlike the vast majority of those who consider themselves Christians), but they have the integrity to follow the principle of sola scriptura to its logical conclusion. It's an ugly conclusion, I will concede you that, but for that very reason I favor it. These people have done more to discredit Christianity than Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Robert G. Ingersoll combined! Those men could always be accused of being prejudiced against the Bible - of deliberately twisting the scriptures to fit their anti-theist agenda - but you can't accuse Rev. Phelps of that. He's a Christian who 'gets it'. He sees the Christian God for the psychopathic monster that he is and embraces Him!
And what does "intellectually dishonest" mean?
An intellectually dishonest person is someone who consciously refuses to take responsibility for the contents of their mind and thus fails to arrive at an internally consistent worldview. Like insisting that blood transfusions are the same as drinking blood and thus unkosher, while scarfing down bacon and clam chowder.
-
-
-
Rainbow_Troll
My oldest sister had brain cancer, and radiation and chemotherapy helped save her life
What makes you so sure it was radiation and chemo that saved her? Plenty of people think Gerson therapy saved their lives. Others swear by prayer.
My dad did chemo and radiation. He's dead. He would have died anyways, of course, but the quacks he put his trust in ensured that his last months on this earth were as agonizing as possible. But hey, it worked out well for them financially.
My uncle took the same route in addition to a strict vegetarian diet, but he didn't even last as long as my dad.
My mom's friend also decided to trust her doctors. Guess what happened to her...
Given the success rate of chemo and radiation I would rather take my chances with the Gerson therapy. Juicing and dieting may not extend your life, but at least it doesn't make your hair fall out or force you to drink stuff that tastes like vomit to survive. But hey, it's your life.
-
-
-
Rainbow_Troll
Cofty: Bizarre that you put chemo in the same grouping as grape juice.
I know, it really isn't fair to all those hucksters who recommend prayer and grape juice to put them in the same drawer with conventional medicine. Chemo and radiation are the only 'cures' that actually make the patient sicker. Prayer, though useless as a treatment, can comfort the dying; and grape juice at least has the virtue of being harmless and yummy!
-
8
Ted talk
by zeb ini like to watch ted talks.. a recent one i watched was "why i left the westboro baptist church" x megan phelps-roper.
i have never heard of this church ever before after all i am in australia.
the talk and all the young woman stated as beliefs and dogma sounded just like the jw minus the noisy demos..
-
-
Rainbow_Troll
With my knowledge of the Bible I would have to be a Westbro Baptist if I ever returned to Christianity; anything less would be intellectually dishonest. They are one of the few Bible believing churches left in the world.
-
-
-
Rainbow_Troll
Cancer is usually a death sentence once it has advanced far enough. Anyone who says they can cure it via grape juice, prayer, chemo or any other means is the worst sort of montebank, since they are not only stealing the patient's money, but their very limited time.
-
22
Do You Have Any Indoctrinated Guilt Left Over?
by pale.emperor ini voted this morning for the first time.
at 32yo i wondered in a church of england parish hall with no idea what i was doing.
everyone else knew how to do it.
-
-
Rainbow_Troll
I found that the best way to silence the conscience is to immediately do whatever it happens to be upbraiding me for. So if, for example, you feel guilt over having masturbated, the proper thing to do is not pray for forgiveness, but repeat the dirty deed as soon as possible. There is no act, no matter how heinous you may regard it now, which cannot become a habit in time. Just keep ignoring your conscience, keep outraging every moral instinct you possess, and it will eventually atrophy.
-
16
Human origins pushed back further into the past
by fulltimestudent inscience is a self-correcting journey.
any error in thought will be corrected by later research or discoveries, so the common concept that we humans (homo sapiens) developed something like 200,000 years ago is undergoing a major correction.
the discovery of fossilised bones of at least five individuals have been recovered from an old mine in morocco.
-
-
Rainbow_Troll
Amazing! I remember when even most scientists didn't think that homo sapiens had been around more than 50,000 years.
-
23
What strange counsel did YOU GIVE to others?
by Funchback inalright.... so in another thread, most of us have been counseled for some lame stuff, and the responses range from funny to shocking.. now, let's focus on you giving counsel to others.
come on, don't be shy!.
i'll begin:.
-
-
Rainbow_Troll
I had several Bible studies in elementary school. I can't recall giving out any specific advice, but I often worry that, even though I didn't manage to convert anyone, I may have planted some seeds of faith in my studies. I did criticize the theory of evolution a lot but, thank Darwin, no one cared to listen to me.
-
29
why does no one ask questions ?
by midnight ini always felt bad for asking questions , did anyone else ?
what question did you ask or want to ask but feel it was wrong ?
mine was regarding the circuit assembly and the amount defecit anounced .. also 1975 i got a stern reply too when i was studying in the 90,s.
-
-
Rainbow_Troll
I was never punished for asking questioning, but the answers I recieved were never satisfying.
Q: Why did Jah create predators? A: He didn't. All animals were vegetarians until the flood.
Q: How could a few hours of suffering on a stake pay for the sins of every human being that has and will ever live? A: Because Jesus was perfect and didn't deserve to suffer.
Q: Why is masturbation wrong? A: It increases your libido and thus makes fornication more likely (have any of these people EVER masturbated?)
Q: How could a good God order people to do evil things like child murder? A: God is the origin of both good and evil. He forms the light and creates darkness(Isaiah 45:7) But evil is not the same as sin. God does evil, but he cannot sin against himself.