Sure Godschild, I'll give you the cliffnotes, and if you take issue with any specific thing feel free to thread it up.
A person or group that self identifies as christian is in fact christian. I cannot provide a definitive argument about what people believe about their beliefs that would allow me to say "you, sir, are not a christian." I could potentially say that they weren't a very good christian (by whatever standard they chose or is generally accepted upon) but that does not of course prove that they are incorrect about their belief...about their beliefs.
The statement that the bible is not an accurate representation of history is pretty well documented, and anyone who cares to know how we know that things like Exodus or the Census in Beth are mythical can freely find this information. Google is a great place to start. The volume of historical claims made in the bible (new and old testament) is staggering. I'm not even going to attempt to address each one point by point.
Courts in developed countries do not cross reference their decisions with Leviticus. Wrenching a moral authority from the bible (that doesn't read like a demons resume) is exhausting and requires more cherry picking than it does to actually pick cherries. Is god pro genocide, infanticide, rape, slavery or against? (just the ones that immediately come to mind)
The account of creation in genesis is not an explanation of anything. It does not conform to the areas of our origins where we actually have mountains of actual, physical evidence, case in point it directly contradicts it in many places (re firmaments, the order of appearance of species, characteristics or classifications of comparable species)....and does not offer us anything to help us understand the parts we're still working on. If it did, we wouldn't have to continue looking would we.
Revelation again offers no insight, famously due to a lack of dates and heavily mythical imagery. Some people, when predicting the future, have the the courtesy to be more specific.
In all of this above you could find a passage in the bible that contradicts my argument, and I could find one that supports it. That is textbook inconsistency.
Denominations quarrel over the status of jesus divinity, his final words on the cross, the doctrine of faith or works, again, inconsistencies that have spawned, apparently, 33800 different denominations of christianity
The narrative style of the old testament is a prophetic cycle, whereby common themes and events are described which help to form the sense that a pattern is repeating itself, allowing the people who believe in scriptures to make predictions based upon the events of the past. The events and beings described form the basis of what we know about ancient hebrew belief systems and worldview. The new testament is different (not surprising given the difference in time between them). It's part of what cultural anthropologists call the monomyth and epic hero. Jesus is an everyman called to something greater who reaches beyond the accepted limits of his origin and suffers the consequences.
Are these the statements you wanted me to give proof for? Should I have included a sources page, do I get an A?
A person or group that self identifies as christian is in fact christian. I cannot provide a definitive argument about what people believe about their beliefs that would allow me to say "you, sir, are not a christian." I could potentially say that they weren't a very good christian (by whatever standard they chose or is generally accepted upon) but that does not of course prove that they are incorrect about their belief...about their beliefs.
The statement that the bible is not an accurate representation of history is pretty well documented, and anyone who cares to know how we know that things like Exodus or the Census in Beth are mythical can freely find this information. Google is a great place to start. The volume of historical claims made in the bible (new and old testament) is staggering. I'm not even going to attempt to address each one point by point.
Courts in developed countries do not cross reference their decisions with Leviticus. Wrenching a moral authority from the bible (that doesn't read like a demons resume) is exhausting and requires more cherry picking than it does to actually pick cherries. Is god pro genocide, infanticide, rape, slavery or against? (just the ones that immediately come to mind)
The account of creation in genesis is not an explanation of anything. It does not conform to the areas of our origins where we actually have mountains of actual, physical evidence, case in point it directly contradicts it in many places (re firmaments, the order of appearance of species, characteristics or classifications of comparable species)....and does not offer us anything to help us understand the parts we're still working on. If it did, we wouldn't have to continue looking would we.
Revelation again offers no insight, famously due to a lack of dates and heavily mythical imagery. Some people, when predicting the future, have the the courtesy to be more specific.
In all of this above you could find a passage in the bible that contradicts my argument, and I could find one that supports it. That is textbook inconsistency.
Denominations quarrel over the status of jesus divinity, his final words on the cross, the doctrine of faith or works, again, inconsistencies that have spawned, apparently, 33800 different denominations of christianity
The narrative style of the old testament is a prophetic cycle, whereby common themes and events are described which help to form the sense that a pattern is repeating itself, allowing the people who believe in scriptures to make predictions based upon the events of the past. The events and beings described form the basis of what we know about ancient hebrew belief systems and worldview. The new testament is different (not surprising given the difference in time between them). It's part of what cultural anthropologists call the monomyth and epic hero. Jesus is an everyman called to something greater who reaches beyond the accepted limits of his origin and suffers the consequences.
Are these the statements you wanted me to give proof for? Should I have included a sources page, do I get an A?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
