A quite disturbing absurdity in Christianity

[Jenny A]

As far as the flood stories go, the Jewish and Christian story may or may not have written later that some, but the flood spoken of took place at a much earlier date than the date of composition. Even it there are other stories from widespread areas of the world, it doesn't show the bible writers copied, but more likely there was an actual worldwide flood.

I can give you some slack on the rest of it, though the dates aren't as hard to approximate as you think they are and the Genesis flood really isn't the first flood story, but not on a world wide flood. If there had been a world wide flood there would be sedimentary evidence for it everywhere on earth in the same time period and it's just not there--not even close. There are numerous other problems with the world wide flood story including all the other continuous civilizations that appear unaffected for whom we have a continuous archeological record. The diversity of animals today can't have begun from the animals that could have been packed on a boat 6000 years ago. The lack of a universal extinction of animals in the fossil record demonstrates there was not flood. The shear amount of water required. All the fish would have died when the oceans and and that rain mixed. Noah couldn't have breathed the air if enough water to cover the earth had fallen in 40 days because there would have had to have been no air just water. I could go on and on and on and on.

Like a literal interpretation of the Geneses creation story, you can't have a world wide flood and stay within the realm of the remotely possible.

[Dystopia]

To the Christian user, can you explain the following contradictions?:

First, is the christian god mercy and good to everyone or just some people?

Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Jeremiah 13:14 And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.

Is Christianity peaceful or warmonger?

Exodus 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

Romans 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.


Is Jesus equal to god or not?

John 10:30 I and my Father are one.

John 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

Who has seen god?

Genesis 32:30: And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

John 1:18: No man hath seen God at any time.

Numbers 14:14: Thou, Lord, art seen face to face.

John 6:46: Not that any man hath seen the Father


The contradictions by themselves are enough to dismiss the legitimacy of the bible has evidence that Christianity is right and that the christian god exists-

[Minimalist]

Actually, the Merneptah stele uses the word "Ysirir" in Egyptian. The word appears no where else in Egyptian literature and no one really knows what it means.

Flinders-Petrie who found the stele in 1896 said that "Ysirir" means "Israel" based on....... well they sounded similar. Not a very solid reason.

Further, the word appears at the very end of the stele. The entire beginning s a victory hymn to the Merneptah's prowess in battle over the Libyans and their Sea People allies. This, in itself, is humorous as Merneptah was probably in his 60's when he came to the throne and was more likely a doddering old man than the "strong arm of Ra."

In any case, xtians who are so quick to jump on the Ysirir bandwagon then ignore the rest of the line which indicates that they were obliterated.

I'd ask "why is that" but I already know the answer.

[ShaMan]

Ok... So I went to church with my wife today. I also attended the men's 'bible study' this morning (it was the first such group for me in years). I had forgotten how much posturing goes on in these meetings. A scripture was read, and the 'leader' asked the men to comment on the meaning of the verses. One by one the men said things like. "Well I believe..." followed by an interruption that went something like, "Yes, well did you consider..." and in another interruption, someone says, "Well, that may be so, but..." and on and on it went around the table, each 'brother' one-upping one another in turn. I was sickened.

I remained passive, silent, and calm throughout the exchange, being the new-comer that I was, and I observed everything. When I was invited to speak, I simply said... "It seems like we're trying to run under water here, like we're going nowhere. Each man is giving his considerations a voice as invited by the discussion, and yet, when each one speaks, each other man here seems so quick to pass over what has been shared, being eager to give voice to their own views. Did anyone even read the verses?"

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."

They might not ask me back

[Jenny A]

Ok... So I went to church with my wife today. I also attended the men's 'bible study' this morning (it was the first such group for me in years). I had forgotten how much posturing goes on in these meetings. A scripture was read, and the 'leader' asked the men to comment on the meaning of the verses. One by one the men said things like. "Well I believe..." followed by an interruption that went something like, "Yes, well did you consider..." and in another interruption, someone says, "Well, that may be so, but..." and on and on it went around the table, each 'brother' one-upping one another in turn. I was sickened.

I remained passive, silent, and calm throughout the exchange, being the new-comer that I was, and I observed everything. When I was invited to speak, I simply said... "It seems like we're trying to run under water here, like we're going nowhere. Each man is giving his considerations a voice as invited by the discussion, and yet, when each one speaks, each other man here seems so quick to pass over what has been shared, being eager to give voice to their own views. Did anyone even read the verses?"

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."

They might not ask me back

You are a werry bad wabbit.

[ShaMan]

They might not ask me back

You are a werry bad wabbit.

If being honest and cutting to the core is not important to 'the church' then the church is not important to humanity.

And yes, I'm more than a little provocative in such meetings. Hence, why I'm no longer welcome at a few 'churches' in my corner of the town where I live.

[Lek]

To the Christian user, can you explain the following contradictions?:

First, is the christian god mercy and good to everyone or just some people?

Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Jeremiah 13:14 And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.

Is Christianity peaceful or warmonger?

Exodus 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

Romans 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.


Is Jesus equal to god or not?

John 10:30 I and my Father are one.

John 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

Who has seen god?

Genesis 32:30: And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

John 1:18: No man hath seen God at any time.

Numbers 14:14: Thou, Lord, art seen face to face.

John 6:46: Not that any man hath seen the Father


The contradictions by themselves are enough to dismiss the legitimacy of the bible has evidence that Christianity is right and that the christian god exists-

God is loving and merciful to all people, but he's also just. Jesus died for all, not just for some. Eternal salvation is available to every person and he wants all people to come to him.

Jesus is equal to the Father in nature, but is below him in position. You are equal to your boss, but below him or her in position.

Christianity is peaceful. We're to love our enemies. Any unjust war is sinful. And yes, people who identified themselves as christians have started unjust wars.

Jacob wrestled with a being who was probably the God the Son in human form and he realized that it was God. When a person experiences a direct experience with God he may refer it as "face to face". It's a type of written expression often used in the old testament. Jesus was in the form of a human being. John was saying that no one has has seen the "unveiled" face of God. When Moses communicated with God he wore a veil over face.

[Wyrd of Gawd]

To the Christian user, can you explain the following contradictions?:

First, is the christian god mercy and good to everyone or just some people?

Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Jeremiah 13:14 And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.

---

Is Christianity peaceful or warmonger?

Exodus 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

Romans 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.


Is Jesus equal to god or not?

John 10:30 I and my Father are one.

John 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

Who has seen god?

Genesis 32:30: And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

John 1:18: No man hath seen God at any time.

Numbers 14:14: Thou, Lord, art seen face to face.

John 6:46: Not that any man hath seen the Father


The contradictions by themselves are enough to dismiss the legitimacy of the bible has evidence that Christianity is right and that the christian god exists-

---

[Mr Greene]

No, evidence that the scriptures are genuine, aka historical evidence.

The following article talks about an inscription on a stone tablet in which an Aramean king boasts of his military victory over the "king of Israel " and the "house of David".

http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily...bible-stor

Tel Dan is suspected of forgery. The oldest accepted archaeological artifact directly confirming any aspect of the biblical text is the Mesha Stele Link which mentions king Omri, beyond that the archaelogical record directly contradicts the biblical text.

[The Grand Nudger]

Like a literal interpretation of the Geneses creation story, you can't have a world wide flood and stay within the realm of the remotely possible.

Even a regional flood as described is beyond the realm of what is remotely possible. It's just a "big bad storm of '05" story, the kind old men have been telling for eons, and continue to tell. I've always wondered whether there might be a correlation between geographic location and a persons willingness to believe in the deluge. I'm trying to think of a single buddy of mine, growing up in florida, that assumed the deluge was factual - and I'm drawing a blank. My suspicion is that it had something to do with all the storm stories we'd hear from our parents and grandparents, Key West, 1919 sort of stuff-combined with actual experience re big bad storms. Take a look at Francis, 2004. The entire state was covered tip to tip...and it kept on raining, and the levees did break......but the land stubbornly remained. Jeanne, 2004, 4 hurricanes in 6 weeks. There's forty days and forty nights of rain for you. Again, the land stubbornly refused to disappear. I don't think that anyone with any experience of severe storms can believe that shit. Conversely, it's easy for me to see how people who might not be used to severe storms could imagine such a thing. When the sky is jet black, and there are dozen tornadoes in any direction you look - illuminated by constant lightning, the wind is steady over 100mph, and rain isn't so much falling as it is travelling laterally - it does seem like the whole world is being consumed in a storm.