Is it strange that I want there to be a God ?

[Joel]

I will look into getting it, but if you were to sum up a few arguments for the sake of this conversation; we could actually attempt to make progress.

[jstrodel]

It does not advance arguments, it is an impartial history of Christianity, a serious scholarly work. I would recommend that you get, perhaps if you based your criticisms on real things that the Christian church did that were bad and actually happened (unlike most atheists who use false information from unreliable sources), Christians could read what you write and actually learn from it and try not to make the same mistake.

It will do no good trying to learn from mistakes about Christian history that never actually happened (such as Christianity copying pagan ideas and being mostly derived from them).

[The Grand Nudger]

Do you know most atheists?

[Silver]

(unlike most atheists who use false information from unreliable sources),

Just because it contradicts what you believe, does not mean it is unreliable. The biggest unreliable source for evidence of god's existence has always been and always will be the bible, simply because there is absolutely no way to prove that anything written in the magical tome is true.

[The Grand Nudger]

Sure there would be, the problem is that even though they've tried - they cant. lol

[FallentoReason]

It will do no good trying to learn from mistakes about Christian history that never actually happened (such as Christianity copying pagan ideas and being mostly derived from them).

Well that's awkward, because your own side admits to copying the pagans. Justin Martyr wrote:

Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, said, "This do ye in remembrance of Me, this is My body;" and that, after the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said, "This is My blood;" and gave it to them alone. Which the wicked devils have imitated in the mysteries of Mithras, commanding the same thing to be done. For, that bread and a cup of water are placed with certain incantations in the mystic rites of one who is being initiated, you either know or can learn.

He believed that the devil set up these pre-Christian faiths before the first coming of Jesus in order to derail people and lead them astray. In other words, he explicitly admits to Christianity having copied rituals of pre-Christian faiths.

[jstrodel]

How does he admit to copying it? How does that equal copying? He said that he admits a similarity. How does that equal copying.

[The Grand Nudger]

Quite right, for once, strodel. Both cultures could have invented the same ridiculous shit independently. It happens. Christians are still late to the party.

[FallentoReason]

How does he admit to copying it? How does that equal copying? He said that he admits a similarity. How does that equal copying.

For having heard it proclaimed through the prophets that the Christ was to come, and that the ungodly among men were to be punished by fire, [wicked demons] put forward many to be called sons of Jupiter, under the impression that they would be able to produce in men the idea that the things which were said with regard to Christ were mere marvelous tales, like the things which were said by the poets.

The devils... said that Bacchus was the son of Jupiter, and gave out that he was the discoverer of the vine, and they number wine among his mysteries; and they taught that, having been torn in pieces, he ascended into heaven. (Referring to Jesus turning water to wine as Dionysus, or Bacchus, did 600 years earlier.)

[The devils] gave out that Bellerophon, a man born of man, himself ascended to heaven on his horse Pegasus. (Reference to Jesus riding into town on an ass.)

And when [the devils] heard it said by the other prophet Isaiah, that He should be born of a virgin, and by His own means ascend into heaven, they pretended that Perseus was spoken of. (Reference to Perseus being born of a virgin before Jesus.)

And when, again, [the devils] learned that it had been foretold that He should heal every sickness, and raise the dead, they produced Aesculapius. (Reference to virtually all of the miracles of Jesus being copies of Aesculapius.)

http://kingdavid8.com/_full_letter.php?i...ada73d3a6d

His words, not mine.

[CleanShavenJesus]

I have Creed on ignore. He never ceases to put forth adolescent, ignorant, foolishness, so I really could care less about his views on anything. Sorry to fail to answer the questions that you have.

Well, he posted a decent post this time.

Time is dated by Jesus Christ.

True.

The entire world follows the languages developed by the Christian nations.

This is a good argument for the importance of the Latin language, or the importance of the Roman Empire. But just because the Roman Kingdom happened to be Christian, doesn't mean that them being Christian is the reason that they have so much influence today.

Science developed in Christian countries.

Really? You understimate how much the Arabic world has had an impact on science. Two-thirds of the stars in the galaxy have Arabic names. Our numerals are referred to as Arabic numerals. Arabic nations and peoples have made tremendous leaps in mathematics...hell, "algebra" is a field pioneered by Arabics and the word itself is Arabic.

I could argue that the Arabic world has had just as much of an impact as Christianity, when talking of science.

Human rights increased in Christian nations.

Was that before or after the (Christian) Romans liked to feed people to lions for entertainment?

The modern world grew out of thinking that occurred in predominately Christian nations.

This is a very broad statement, can you clarify?

As for the Greeks, Plato and Aristotle both had theistic aspects to their beliefs, and many of their interpreters were either theistic or Christian.

That doesn't make the Greek Empire a Christian nation, that spread Christianity everywhere and ruled with Christianity and makes Christianity powerful in any way. It makes two philosophers living in Greek theists.