(June 12, 2014 at 8:38 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Market share.

That explained. . everything.

(June 12, 2014 at 4:07 pm)muslimatheism Wrote: I was wondering why there are three separate religions when the Jews, Christians, and Muslims claimed to receive the revelations from the same source ?

The same reason that a crap-ton of Christians can each belong to a completely distinct denomination. They use the exact same texts and come to different conclusions.

Their beliefs are vague and non-falsifiable, and people cherry pick what they want from them.

(June 12, 2014 at 4:07 pm)muslimatheism Wrote: They share the same source, same Prophets, same history and story etc, but then it is three separate religions?

This is not true. They all share the Pentateuch (first five books), and there is some other overlap, but they don't share the same prophets, history, and story. They share some of those things. Jews don't accept Jesus as their lord or a prophet and they don't accept Mohamed. Christians also don't accept Mohamed. Muslims accept Jesus as a prophet, but not as their Lord.

There is a lot of information in their holy books that the other religions don't share, and even with the Christians keeping the entire Old Testament, they use the New Testament to change the meaning of the old texts.

(June 12, 2014 at 4:07 pm)muslimatheism Wrote: I was wondering why there are three separate religions when the Jews, Christians, and Muslims claimed to receive the revelations from the same source ? They share the same source, same Prophets, same history and story etc, but then it is three separate religions? If we look at the Jews and the Christians, we can say that they read the same Book but then it is two separate religions? Why ?

I believe there is no religion in Judaism, Christianity and Islam because these facts don't make sense to me.

Because it's all bullshit?

(June 12, 2014 at 6:56 pm)Lek Wrote:

(June 12, 2014 at 6:50 pm)ShaMan Wrote: Many, if not most of the early, First Century Christians came from 'Gentile' people who had divergent beliefs and often worshiped various gods. They had no interest in Jewish customs, which is why Christianity appealed to them.

True. But the first Christians, including Jesus and apostles were ethnic and religious Jews. They had been raised up in the Jewish faith and culture and had been anticipating the messiah.

Jesus wasn't a Christian.

(June 13, 2014 at 10:47 pm)Wyrd of Gawd Wrote: Jesus wasn't a Christian.

That's true. And neither was his brother James , who ran the Jerusalem church after he died. The Judeao-Christians gradually died out and Christianity became a blend of Greek ideas (the Trinity) with stuff borrowed from all over. Stuff from the Essenes. Virgin birth etc. Paul had to make Jesus Divine so they added the Resurrection. They failed to sell it to the Jews.

(June 12, 2014 at 8:38 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Market share.

A good explanation. I prefer to consider a more fundamental level, that markets (businesses, governments) and religions can be considered as self-replicating/perpetuating organisms in a not always friendly environment. They experience variation and selection pressures which result in their evolving to better fit the environs in which they find themselves. These somewhat regular though primarily chaotic environments lead different isolated populations of the replicators to evolve in different directions. Some sects go extinct, others flourish and spread. It's all (inorganic) biology(sic).

(June 14, 2014 at 11:56 am)JuliaL Wrote: A good explanation. I prefer to consider a more fundamental level, that markets (businesses, governments) and religions can be considered as self-replicating/perpetuating organisms in a not always friendly environment. They experience variation and selection pressures which result in their evolving to better fit the environs in which they find themselves. These somewhat regular though primarily chaotic environments lead different isolated populations of the replicators to evolve in different directions. Some sects go extinct, others flourish and spread. It's all (inorganic) biology(sic).

Never thought of religion in that wider top down view. That makes a lot of sense. Good one Thanks.

(June 14, 2014 at 11:56 am)JuliaL Wrote:

(June 12, 2014 at 8:38 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Market share.

A good explanation. I prefer to consider a more fundamental level, that markets (businesses, governments) and religions can be considered as self-replicating/perpetuating organisms in a not always friendly environment. They experience variation and selection pressures which result in their evolving to better fit the environs in which they find themselves. These somewhat regular though primarily chaotic environments lead different isolated populations of the replicators to evolve in different directions. Some sects go extinct, others flourish and spread. It's all (inorganic) biology(sic).

As usual, H. L. Mencken said it best:

Quote:Of learned men, the clergy show the lowest development of professional ethics. Any pastor is free to cadge customers from the divines of rival sects, and to denounce the divines themselves as theological quacks.

(June 14, 2014 at 10:12 am)vodkafan Wrote:

(June 13, 2014 at 10:47 pm)Wyrd of Gawd Wrote: Jesus wasn't a Christian.

That's true. And neither was his brother James , who ran the Jerusalem church after he died. The Judeao-Christians gradually died out and Christianity became a blend of Greek ideas (the Trinity) with stuff borrowed from all over. Stuff from the Essenes. Virgin birth etc. Paul had to make Jesus Divine so they added the Resurrection. They failed to sell it to the Jews.

Paul created the Jesus character as a way to subvert The Way cult. Paul laid out the basis for the Christian doctrine, which was the resurrection of Jesus. Years later his disciples who the back story which explained why Jesus was worthy of being worshiped.

An alternate theory is that a Roman wrote the story to mess with the Jews.

But based on the Bible narrative a strong case can be made that Paul made the whole thing up.

(June 14, 2014 at 10:12 am)vodkafan Wrote:

(June 13, 2014 at 10:47 pm)Wyrd of Gawd Wrote: Jesus wasn't a Christian.

That's true. And neither was his brother James , who ran the Jerusalem church after he died. The Judeao-Christians gradually died out and Christianity became a blend of Greek ideas (the Trinity) with stuff borrowed from all over. Stuff from the Essenes. Virgin birth etc. Paul had to make Jesus Divine so they added the Resurrection. They failed to sell it to the Jews.

Let me get this straight Jesus, who declared himself to be the awaited messiah, and on whom the christian church is founded was not a christian. And James, the leader of the christian church in Jerusalem, was also not a christian.

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(June 14, 2014 at 9:06 pm)Wyrd of Gawd Wrote: Paul created the Jesus character as a way to subvert The Way cult. Paul laid out the basis for the Christian doctrine, which was the resurrection of Jesus. Years later his disciples who the back story which explained why Jesus was worthy of being worshiped.

An alternate theory is that a Roman wrote the story to mess with the Jews.

But based on the Bible narrative a strong case can be made that Paul made the whole thing up.

I'm glad I finally came across a true bible scholar who could straighten me out on the meaning of Paul's writings. Have you been in direct communication with Paul? Why do you think he did that?