Indoctrination & Mental Gymnastics

[Lek]

Your thoughts are not scripture, you either believe the scripture or you don’t, you don’t get to change it because you don’t like it.

You're right that my thoughts are not scripture and neither are yours. How do my thoughts in post #80 conflict with Jesus being the only way to salvation? I was speaking of an individual who had never heard the name "Jesus" being saved through him.

Yes, it is the extension of tradition from long before Chrsitianity, it is a belief co-opted and woven into the dogma. Read the history for scapegoating, here are a few links to make it easy:

“Ancient Syria:
A concept superficially similar to the biblical scapegoat is attested in two ritual texts in archives at Ebla of the 24th century BC. They were connected with ritual purification on the occasion of the king's wedding. In them, a she-goat with a silver bracelet hung from her neck was driven forth into the wasteland of "Alini"; "we" in the report of the ritual involves the whole community. Such “elimination rites", in which an animal, without confession of sins, is the vehicle of evils (not sins) that are chased from the community are widely attested in the Ancient Near East.”

You are saying that because there was an example of scapegoating in ancient Syria, that Jesus' saving act was a myth based on this example? This may be your opinion or even the opinion of some scholars, but it's not even close to justifying your conclusion. I don't doubt that other cultures had beliefs involving the same concept. That's like saying that some society in the past had a certain custom and, because we have a similar custom today, that our custom is derived from that society.

Non sequitor

Okay. I take responsibility for my own actions.