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Why Christianity?
#1
Why Christianity?
A question I always ask Christians is, "What arguments do you have to support your beliefs that a Hindu, Jewish, or Muslim does not? In other words, if I accept your notion that the universe must have had a creator, why couldn't it have been Thor or Ba'al? Even if I accept that prayer works, why must it be Yahweh answering them and not Allah or The Flying Spaghetti Monster?"

Every time I ask any version of these questions I get either radio silence or a quick, sudden change of the topic. Because of my many failed attempts at asking these questions in real life, I decided to ask these questions here.
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#2
RE: Why Christianity?
I got two answers to this question from the same person -_-

1) (when i was specifically discussing hinduism), "I don't lose anything for not believing in hinduism even if it is right, but the risk is just too much (in christianity)".
2) The bible proves itself through it's prophecies which the other religions do not. (radio silence came after I asked how much she actually knew about prophecies in other religions)
Quote:To know yet to think that one does not know is best; Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty.
- Lau Tzu

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#3
RE: Why Christianity?
It's tradition. Most people don't really know anything about their favorite ethnocentric religious fairy tales. They just go with their herd.
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#4
RE: Why Christianity?
The difference between whether you'd be a Catholic or a Hindu depends on whether you're born in Mexico City or Mumbai.

People go with the religion their parents and/or society gives them, and they are products of their enviroment like I said in another thread yesterday. The only reason I was raised Catholic instead of Muslim is because my family are Maltese instead of Malaysian. I didn't choose it, it was given to me, and I identified with it for 19 years of my life because I was a product of the upbringing I had (and still am in some ways) and didn't know anything else.
"Adulthood is like looking both ways before you cross the road, and then getting hit by an airplane"  - sarcasm_only

"Ironically like the nativist far-Right, which despises multiculturalism, but benefits from its ideas of difference to scapegoat the other and to promote its own white identity politics; these postmodernists, leftists, feminists and liberals also use multiculturalism, to side with the oppressor, by demanding respect and tolerance for oppression characterised as 'difference', no matter how intolerable."
- Maryam Namazie

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#5
RE: Why Christianity?
(July 31, 2015 at 3:17 am)Wyrd of Gawd Wrote: It's tradition.  Most people don't really know anything about their favorite ethnocentric religious fairy tales.  They just go with their herd.

(July 31, 2015 at 3:24 am)Yeauxleaux Wrote: The difference between whether you'd be a Catholic or a Hindu depends on whether you're born in Mexico City or Mumbai.

People take the religion their parents and/or society gives them, and they are products of their enviroment like I said in another thread yesterday. The only reason I was raised Catholic instead of Muslim is because my family are Maltese instead of Malaysian. I didn't choose it, it was given to me, and I identified with it for 19 years of my life because I was a product of the upbringing I had (and still am in some ways).

You are both totally right, and that is exactly why I posted this thread. I posted it in hopes that a theist would see this and realize what you just stated. I didn't want to say that in my first post, because I didn't want religious people to get instantly defensive. I posted in a way to make the illusion that they came up with that obvious fact by themselves.
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#6
RE: Why Christianity?
One thing I find unique in my religion is how Quran coupled with it's divinely appointed interpreters (the family of Mohammad) explained the name/face of God.  This divine knowledge and emphasis seems to be missing in all religions. I can make a thread about this. Another thing is how the holy book emphasizes on that God is "The Living", while philosophy just caught up with this aspect of God's unique status and proof of unique divinity, as well, as the nature of creation with respect to the Creator. Another thing is the sequence of Suratal Ikhlaas is mind boggling how philosophically it flows. 

Through God's Name/face we come to know he is the ultimate being worthy of worship, as such his attributes and names must be pointing and describing one, because God's name in reality is light with all light, and point's to a united glory/essence that unites all perfections, and he must be One as to be the ultimate God it must be perfect absolutely such that it unites all perfections without deficient attributes, so all this attributes are referring back to one essence. And as he is One, he must hollow/sheer existence, such that he contains within himself nothing else but himself without compound or parts. And as he is One and Sheer existence without parts, he cannot repeated so he doesn't beget nor is begotten or he wouldn't be sheer existence/hollow or one, because the ultimate existence would be formed of parts. And such nothing is his equal.
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#7
RE: Why Christianity?
(July 31, 2015 at 2:59 am)Aoi Magi Wrote: 1) (when i was specifically discussing hinduism), "I don't lose anything for not believing in hinduism even if it is right, but the risk is just too much (in christianity)".

Hey, there's that famous calculating christian spirit! Jesus 'love me or burn forever' Christ approves!
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#8
RE: Why Christianity?
Here are what I think the reasons are, in descending order from most likely to least likely:

1. It's popular
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#9
RE: Why Christianity?
(July 31, 2015 at 2:59 am)Aoi Magi Wrote: 1) (when i was specifically discussing hinduism), "I don't lose anything for not believing in hinduism even if it is right, but the risk is just too much (in christianity)".

I am sensing a Pascal Wager argument in that... and I am not happy!

Aoi Magi Wrote:2) The bible proves itself through it's prophecies which the other religions do not. (radio silence came after I asked how much she actually knew about prophecies in other religions)
You already stole what I was going to say in your parentheses! The Argument from Prophecies is one of the weakest ones in a theist's arsenal of bronze-aged apologetics. This is because the handful of alleged prophecies are just pitiful. Some include: there will be wars, there will be unbelievers, their will be mockers, the Jews will have their own holy land, lose it, and then get it again! The last one is the only one that deserves a mention, but you don't need a God to predict vague future historic events.

(July 31, 2015 at 3:38 am)MysticKnight Wrote: One thing I find unique in my religion is how Quran coupled with it's divinely appointed interpreters (the family of Mohammad) explained the name/face of God.  This divine knowledge and emphasis seems to be missing in all religions. I can make a thread about this. Another thing is how the holy book emphasizes on that God is "The Living", while philosophy just caught up with this aspect of God's unique status and proof of unique divinity, as well, as the nature of creation with respect to the Creator. Another thing is the sequence of Suratal Ikhlaas is mind boggling how philosophically it flows. 

So let me get this straight. The reasons your religion is unique is because your book and some people described someone inside of the book, some philosophy gibberish inside of the book, and some pages inside the book.  Clap

In all seriousness, however, your factual basis on which you hold most of your beliefs can not be the book in which you hold most of your beliefs. For example, if I say I believe in the Three Little Pigs, I can not point to the title of the book and say, "Proof!" It's dishonest and silly to do so in that context and in the context of your post.

Your post could be evidence that your religion is more unique, but that says nothing about its superior validity when it is confronted by other religions.
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#10
RE: Why Christianity?
Personally, I've never gotten an answer outside of the "I just feel it's true" IRL, but usually get the apologetic side of things on the internet. (e.g. prophecies, biblical infallibility, that sort of bullshit)
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(September 17, 2015 at 4:04 pm)Parkers Tan Wrote: I make change in the coin tendered. If you want courteous treatment, behave courteously. Preaching at me and calling me immoral is not courteous behavior.
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