Why are you a Theist?

[Joel]

You have a degree in theology? From where? Who did you study under? I don't believe it.

Evidence suddenly matters to you?

[Silver]

You have a degree in theology? From where? Who did you study under? I don't believe it.

Not me. When you did not use the pronoun you, I figured you were speaking in general of those who are experts in their fields. Those who have degrees in theology mention what I reiterated.

[jstrodel]

So you are quoting a book from someone who has a degree in theology. Well that settles it. By the way, how long was the book? Was it several hundred pages? Who wrote it. Was it a popular level introduction?


I bet if you opened up a serious book on theology or biblical studies, you wouldn't understand a single word of it. You would gaze at a confusion mess of things you don't understand.

There are scholars who can refute every single argument that you make about Christianity, but you don't know enough to actually be able to read their work.

And you will mock Christians who trust what their pastor says, but you don't have the skills to actually evaluate what people are saying.

That is what you call critical thinking, you read a popular level introduction to atheist apologetics, and since you are copying an atheist argument, that means you are a critical thinker. The Christians who have put their whole lives into studying the original languages and to debates surrounding theology and have multiple graduate degrees surrounding this, they are the ones who are brainwashed. Christians are all brainwashed fools, if you want to see someone who isn't brainwashed, look to the guy who read a 300 page paperback about atheism. That is a real critical thinker right there.

[Silver]

So you are quoting a book from someone who has a degree in theology. Well that settles it. By the way, how long was the book? Was it several hundred pages? Who wrote it. Was it a popular level introduction?

If you had studied theology, you would already know the answers to those questions. How are you going to learn if you do not do at least some of your own homework? I am sure you will find plenty of books in the reference section where there are plenty of religious texts.

Just to name a couple of authors: Joseph Campbell and Elinor W. Gadon.

[jstrodel]

I would know the answer to how long the book you read was?

You are advancing a bunch of controversial theories about Christian history without having had read a single book from the opposing camp.

[Joel]

I prefer to formulate my own arguments against religions, than copy others'.
I'm not anti-christian, Strodel, I'm a non-believer with regards to all religions. There seems to be no compelling reason to believe any of them.

[Silver]

I would know the answer to how long the book you read was?

Quality is not dependent upon quantity.

[jstrodel]

Joseph Campell doesn't even have a PhD. Elinor Gadon is a directed of a women's spiritual course, nothing wrong with women's spirituality, but not exactly a hotbed of serious, rigorous criticisms of scripture.


I bet you don't even have a cursory knowledge of trends in modern study of the Bible. Who would you say are the top 5 most influential thinkers in theology, religious studies and biblical studies? I bet you couldn't even name two who would be accepted as the historical authorities on the subject.

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Mr Infidel thinks coffee table books about religion equal real scholarship.

[Silver]

Who would you say are the top 5 most influential thinkers in theology, religious studies and biblical studies?

C.S. Lewis is probably one of them, but in all honesty it does not concern me. Why would I read something from the perspective of someone who is going to believe whatever he biblically interprets according to his biased belief system and put it down into a book for other believers to worship him based on his pseudo intelligence?

[jstrodel]

Of course you wouldn't read people that disagree with you, because you are a free thinker. That is what it means to be a free thinker, when you are a free thinker, you don't read books by people who you are pretty sure you know more than them.


CS Lewis was an apologist, not a thinker in theology, biblical studies or religious studies. CS Lewis is a good writer, but the fact that you mentioned him shows that you have no connection to the world of Greek scholarship and academic theology, whether secular or Christian.

There are thousands of scholars who are Christian that could answer every single amaturish jab against Christianity, such as those made by the guy you mentioned who doesn't even have a PhD.

Goto a seminary library and you will find there are millions and millions of books that will refute every single false idea you have linking Christianity to mystery religiouns or whatever other 200 page paperback mass market Da Vinci code fantasy the book market will bear.

It is up to you if you want to take religious scholarship seriously, there is plenty written on it to refute the kind of ignorant nonsense you see on these forums that says that Jesus is not a historical person.