(May 29, 2011 at 1:24 pm)Doubting Thomas Wrote: This is old news since it came out a month or two ago, but it confirms what I believe about most Christians not knowing what's in the bible or some of the basic tenets of their faith.

This is unfortunately true. I wrote a book which talks about (among other irritating things) how ignorant Christians are, and how their "faith" contradicts the NT in a hundred places. It won a gold medal in its category, in a medium-sized book contest, but few Christians are much interested in reading it.

The greatest revival leaders, like Whitefield, Nee, and Seymour, were invariably labeled heretics, and kicked out of their churches, just for pointing out what Christians were doing that not one apostle ever did or said to do.

I do wish both atheists and Christians could grasp one piece of infallible logic: if God exists, then we are all boneheads by definition. Presuming to make contact with him via doctrine or "thinking" is stupid by definition.

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(May 29, 2011 at 6:30 pm)Welsh cake Wrote: And even if God's real and actually does love me, what do I care? This doesn't change the fact that when I'm dead, I'm dead. He's never even sent me a fucking postcard to show he even gives a damn about me (no pun intended).

Aw, you didn't get your own personal postcard. I sorry. You just got a NT Jesus, and a hundred other misguided and unquestionably brave souls died to get in your hands.

Quote:G-C, I don't care. I don't think the Biblical God is real. Why should I entertain the notion of understanding what these products of fantasies' schemes for me are? They haven't met their burden of proof.

Likewise were I to meet two people on the street today, one professing " The one true God, the giant frog in the sun, is going to burn you [me] to the bone someday", and then the guy next to him retorts "No, he's a liar, the one true God, the giant platypus in the sun, loves you [me] very much and would never do such a thing", I consider these claims and ask for proof only to get none, I disbelieve them both and care nothing for what they advocate.

I thought you guys insisted on informing yourselves and making your own choices BTW.

Were I to meet an atheist on the street talking as you do, I would want to know how "goatherders" managed to write such profound insights as Jesus made, which by the way NONE of the founders rejected as profound except Paine. Him the other founders labeled with such endearing terms of the day like "blackgard" for writing "Age of Reason." Jefferson called Jesus' teaching "the most sublime." Althoough he rejected Jesus' divinity, he made up his own designer Bible hoping to spread his words.
It was more the age of NT revelation, since 98% all the leaders of the social Enlightenment were Protestant Christians I'm afraid. Nobody had read the damn thing for 1400 years really. No one knew that Jesus' mission statement in Luke 4 reads like the first socialist manifesto. It's all about liberty and setting people free, ironically.

(May 29, 2011 at 1:24 pm)Doubting Thomas Wrote: This is old news since it came out a month or two ago, but it confirms what I believe about most Christians not knowing what's in the bible or some of the basic tenets of their faith.

My theory is that we are atheists BECAUSE we know so much about religion, and most of the believers are believers because they dont know much about their belief.. meaning that they make shit up in their head and equate it with their religion.

I feel that if the religious were educated on their REAL religion, then many of them would lose interest in it and eventually leave it, like many atheists have already done.

Quote:But Min does not reciprocate that love, because God refuses to demonstrate his existence, there is no communication or interaction; it's not a true relationship G-C, therefore God's love has failed utterly here.

Oh. Is THAT the reason. I thought I was playing "Kick-the-Moron-in-the-Butt" but now I see that I have an actual reason.

Posted this vid in another thread for different reasons. But just to show how old news this sort of thing is, watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTIBKZH3kzg

Still as relevant now as when these sort of surveys were done though

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Posted: 28 Sep 2010

(May 30, 2011 at 12:00 pm)RAD Wrote: Were I to meet an atheist on the street talking as you do, I would want to know how "goatherders" managed to write such profound insights as Jesus made, which by the way NONE of the founders rejected as profound except Paine. Him the other founders labeled with such endearing terms of the day like "blackgard" for writing "Age of Reason." Jefferson called Jesus' teaching "the most sublime." Althoough he rejected Jesus' divinity, he made up his own designer Bible hoping to spread his words.
It was more the age of NT revelation, since 98% all the leaders of the social Enlightenment were Protestant Christians I'm afraid. Nobody had read the damn thing for 1400 years really. No one knew that Jesus' mission statement in Luke 4 reads like the first socialist manifesto. It's all about liberty and setting people free, ironically.

I've never understood why Christians claim Jesus' teachings to be so 'profound.' All he was really doing, if he even existed, was spreading Buddhist philosophy to the west. In fact some people theorize that during the chunks of his life that were missing from the bible, Jesus spent time in Buddhist monestaries. Telling everybody to be nice to each other wasn't as profound or earth shattering as Christians make it out to seem.

Also, when defending your religion, you shouldn't quote someone like Jefferson. He may have liked Jesus' teachings, but he despised your religion as a whole.

Quote:I concur with you strictly in your opinion of the comparative merits of atheism and demonism, and really see nothing but the latter in the being worshipped by many who think themselves Christians.

-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Richard Price, Jan. 8, 1789 (Richard Price had written to TJ on Oct. 26. about the harm done by religion and wrote "Would not Society be better without Such religions? Is Atheism less pernicious than Demonism?")

Jesus in india a BBC documentary.

http://krishnatube.com/video/293/Jesus-i...ocumentary

Quote:If you have a question about god, ask an atheist

DUHHH! Of course I would ask another atheist...Christians dont know shit about Christianity.

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(May 30, 2011 at 12:00 pm)RAD Wrote: I do wish both atheists and Christians could grasp one piece of infallible logic: if God exists, then we are all boneheads by definition. Presuming to make contact with him via doctrine or "thinking" is stupid by definition.

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Dont include me in your stupidity festival

(May 30, 2011 at 2:35 pm)FaithNoMore Wrote: I've never understood why Christians claim Jesus' teachings to be so 'profound.' All he was really doing, if he even existed, was spreading Buddhist philosophy to the west. In fact some people theorize that during the chunks of his life that were missing from the bible, Jesus spent time in Buddhist monestaries. Telling everybody to be nice to each other wasn't as profound or earth shattering as Christians make it out to seem.

He didn't tell everybody to be nice to each other as other atheists point out when it's convenient, being as they are often double minded and incoherent. Most can contradict themselves in the same thread. Today Jesus is telling his disciples to kill everybody, and tomorrow he's telling them to be nice. Our God is intolerant today, and tomorrow he saves all kinds of evil people. This is called "logic" and "critical thinking." Not

Quote:Also, when defending your religion, you shouldn't quote someone like Jefferson. He may have liked Jesus' teachings, but he despised your religion as a whole.

I don't need him to defend anything. I merely pointed out he separated the Baby from the bathwater as I do and atheists, with rare exceptions, don't. Atheists don't think about Jesus vs Christianity as Jefferson did, or the other founders did.

Quote:-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Richard Price, Jan. 8, 1789 (Richard Price had written to TJ on Oct. 26. about the harm done by religion and wrote "Would not Society be better without Such religions? Is Atheism less pernicious than Demonism?")

Jesus had the same regard for religion as Jefferson, and myself, and might call some Christians a brood of vipers for all I know. Religion is evil. You also fail to note Jefferson's ability to separate the Baby from the bathwater. He did not just "like" jesus' teachings. That's a straw man. He called them "the most sublime." That means profound. But you have to actually think to grasp the paradox, as the founders did, and Lewis, and Peck, and Gandhi BTW. He called Jesus' sacrifice "the perfect act."

This totally absurd. Each person is different and can not be grouped into a large "Ignorant" tie. To say that because you have a person in Saudi Arabia that doesn't know as much should not be connected to a respected person of this nation. It's just another article for atheists to pat their self's on the back off.

(June 1, 2011 at 1:23 am)RAD Wrote: He didn't tell everybody to be nice to each other as other atheists point out when it's convenient, being as they are often double minded and incoherent. Most can contradict themselves in the same thread. Today Jesus is telling his disciples to kill everybody, and tomorrow he's telling them to be nice. Our God is intolerant today, and tomorrow he saves all kinds of evil people. This is called "logic" and "critical thinking." Not

Please quote me where I ever claimed Jesus told his disciples to kill people. You are generalizing all atheist veiws as one. Would you like me to play that game by assuming you and Fred Phelps hold the same ideas?

Quote:I don't need him to defend anything. I merely pointed out he separated the Baby from the bathwater as I do and atheists, with rare exceptions, don't. Atheists don't think about Jesus vs Christianity as Jefferson did, or the other founders did.

Hmm...more generalizations. You are showing your ignorance.

Quote:Jesus had the same regard for religion as Jefferson, and myself, and might call some Christians a brood of vipers for all I know. Religion is evil. You also fail to note Jefferson's ability to separate the Baby from the bathwater. He did not just "like" jesus' teachings. That's a straw man. He called them "the most sublime." That means profound. But you have to actually think to grasp the paradox, as the founders did, and Lewis, and Peck, and Gandhi BTW. He called Jesus' sacrifice "the perfect act."

You seem to think that believing Jesus' message was good, somehow relates to Christianity. Just because someone believes Jesus did the right thing, is not a validation of his divinity, which is the foundation of Christianity. To quote people praising Jesus' acts in a clear manner to defend your beliefs is the true straw man.