RE: Rant against anti-atheist agnostics.
September 22, 2014 at 5:06 pm
(This post was last modified: September 22, 2014 at 5:09 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
(September 22, 2014 at 4:52 pm)Michael B Wrote: What is counter-factual was simply that the question was asking about something (the non-crucifixion of the Christ) that Christians don't believe happened, if you'll excuse the double negative. It's a bit like asking what would have happened if Germany had not invaded Poland. You just end up trying to say something about things that didn't actually happen and after a while you realise that such discussions, while not always uninteresting, never lead anywhere particularly useful. So Christians have always tried to make sense of what did happen (our God was crucified) rather than what didn't.Well, the moral influence POV can lead to such conclusions. If he's just an example, a martyr - is there any difference between christ and any other charismatic faith leader -including those that pagans might consider martyrs? Is there really any benefit to christianity exclusively? If he is an example...why didn't god follow this example, simply forgiving adam and eve (rather than cursing them)...thus no sin to transfer to their progeny (rendering redemption from original sin, for example, null as a concept). If we can raise ourselves up, then is the crucifixion really all that important...relative to attending a motivational seminar or somesuch?
These are the sorts of objections that led to this concept not being very "trendy" as you put it, in christian circles. It makes most of the principles of christianity an exercise in irrelevance. I would also wonder just how compatible victus and influence are, to be honest. I mean, it sounds nice, doesn;t it.....but is the moral influence bit doing any of the heavy lifting -even in your own views-, or is it just window dressing?
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