niteowl said:

fivepointer said:

If Jesus didn't literally exist then all the apostles who wrote the scriptures are chronic liars, since they openly testify that He did in fact exist, healed many, brought many back to physical life, and He died, and rose again.  They also declare Him to be fully man and God in many places.  The Holy Spirit wrote the scripture not mere men.

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I never claimed that Jesus never existed, just that these so called "miracles" he did were nothing but embellishment on the part of the story tellers......who were men not spirits ....and men do lie to try and prove a point.


Just like the legend of Dracula.........once a mere man, now he is immortal, through many tellings of his story.
Is Dracula a real person.....no
Was Vlad the Impaler a real person.....yes


The same thing has happened with Jesus. He did many things to disturb the "way of things" back in the day.........pissed off some people and got executed for his efforts.

The real Jesus cant be known because of all the myth and legend behind his story.

People have embellished the Jesus story for THOUSANDS of years......the true story of Jesus has been lost through the egos of men, trying to make him out to be more than he was.


Kinda like Dracula.

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Quote:

myth can be deeper than mere fact & more true than mere history...

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Realizing it to be a myth, IMO, is key to understanding the true meaning of the myth.

Kinematics said:

Contemporary Christianity in America as we know it today is a lie. The teachings of Jesus however, are worthy of reading and learning from.


"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
-Mahatma Gandhi

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I really like this quote from Gandhi,

It has also been said: "God created Man in His own image, and Man returned the favor".

Presume for a moment there is God. Is He the Christian God, the Hindi God, The Tao God? etc

Since no one really knows God, no one is around that can claim to have seen Him and as a result can properly describe Him, how do any of us know who or what He is?
It is not out of the realm of possibility (if you subscribe human attributes to God) that he is the architect of all the various aspects (faiths) that people use to know and worship Him.

It is also possible He is (wherever He lives) sitting there laughing and enjoying Himself immensely at our debating over who has the correct idea of who He is.

Life is dynamic, not static.
The mind is dynamic, not static.
The environment is dynamic, not static.
Therefore, religion is dynamic, not static.

Quote:

"i try & tell folks that my christianity is _a way_ & not _the (only) way_"

How do you reconcile the very clear statements in scripture that there is only one way and one faith and all other ways are false?

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fivepointer said:

If it is not an actual solid fact, then the authors are liars and you should give no credence to any of it. Why would you even listen to a metaphor if the information is based on deception?

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Your inability to distinguish between lie and myth is a sure sign that you are not among God's elect, and will sure perish in the Lake of Fire.

Thanks for playing! 

Silversoul said:

fivepointer said:

If it is not an actual solid fact, then the authors are liars and you should give no credence to any of it. Why would you even listen to a metaphor if the information is based on deception?

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Your inability to distinguish between lie and myth is a sure sign that you are not among God's elect, and will sure perish in the Lake of Fire.

Thanks for playing! 

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Quote:

niteowl:
"The bible has much wisdom if read as a metaphor to prove a point, and not rock solid fact."

If it is not an actual solid fact, then the authors are liars and you should give no credence to any of it. Why would you even listen to a metaphor if the information is based on deception?

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My allegiance lies in nature, for nature got us here. My genetics and ancestors got me here today and to succumb to an organized religion that teaches me to go against my ancestors is, in my opinon, blasphemy.

I'm not saying religion is bad, but christians seemed to be the only ones all about TRYING to convert everyone they know who doesn't adhere verbatim to the bible.(exageration) The basis of Christianity, I like, but when you tell me I'm going to hell because I don't believe in every one of your damn beliefs, then that's your problem.

I'm spiritually inclined and believe in the spiritual christian, but as for that 'book'... It's just a book.

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Jesus repeatedly quotes from the OT and clearly considers it the Word of God, not just a book. If you deny scripture as the Word of God then what authoriy do you rely on to arrive at your doctrines?

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Authority?
You sound like Eric Cartman which is scary.

What about common sense (as in finding your true self) fivepointer?
What about personal spiritual growth? On whatever practices it might be based upon, it should be personal.

niteowl said:

Quote:

niteowl:
"The bible has much wisdom if read as a metaphor to prove a point, and not rock solid fact."

If it is not an actual solid fact, then the authors are liars and you should give no credence to any of it. Why would you even listen to a metaphor if the information is based on deception?

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When I'm talking to my friend about my cigarette habit, I referred to it as a "monkey on my back".........I didn't literally mean that there was a monkey on my back.......it was a metaphor.

Metaphors can be based on truth and not be a lie nor the whole truth.

And the bible is FULL of metaphors......especially about Jesus, Genesis and the Apocalypse.

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MushroomTrip said:

Quote:

Jesus repeatedly quotes from the OT and clearly considers it the Word of God, not just a book. If you deny scripture as the Word of God then what authoriy do you rely on to arrive at your doctrines?

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Authority?
You sound like Eric Cartman which is scary.

What about common sense (as in finding your true self) fivepointer?
What about personal spiritual growth? On whatever practices it might be based upon, it should be personal.

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