The Arrogance of Christianity

[Hexadecimal]

Originally Posted by Europa

I feel the following is relevant to this thread:

He who doesn't understand the Way laughs at it, and if he did not, it would not be the Way. (paraphrase, yeah, but spot on)

[PastorSehmish]

Many thanks for the additional explaination Hexadecimal. For the record, I agree wholly with your statement, I was merely trying to provide as simple an explaination as possible. While I myself do understand this, I would have had difficulty explaining it to others.

God bless,
Dr Pastor Emeritus Wayne Sehmish

[Yggdrasil]

Neither the Pastor, Europa, or Hexadecimal get the point of the damn thread. The New Testament is a SECONDHAND ACCOUNT written A CENTURY or MORE after the supposed events took place. Stop taking the events described in them as literal truths.

You silly geese wouldn't even be talking about Luke, John and the gang if Constantine and the First Council of Nicaea hadn't concluded that they were the 4 most compatible to be used to run an organized religion, as well as to discredit the Gnostic texts.

[countdown2chaos]

Originally Posted by Yggdrasil

Neither the Pastor, Europa, or Hexadecimal get the point of the damn thread. The New Testament is a SECONDHAND ACCOUNT written A CENTURY or MORE after the supposed events took place. Stop taking the events described in them as literal truths.

You silly geese wouldn't even be talking about Luke, John and the gang if Constantine and the First Council of Nicaea hadn't concluded that they were the 4 most compatible to be used to run an organized religion, as well as to discredit the Gnostic texts.

Agreed, yet, if they were going to use organized religion, I really wish they would of used the more "correct" of them, the Gnostic text and the Nag Hammadi library. But they really don't serve well together as organized, but shit, there'd be *less dogma and plain out stupidity, at least in gnosticism you have to THINK and DO, rather than sit on a pew and be told what to believe.

[Yggdrasil]

Originally Posted by countdown2chaos

Agreed, yet, if they were going to use organized religion, I really wish they would of used the more "correct" of them, the Gnostic text and the Nag Hammadi library. But they really don't serve well together as organized, but shit, there'd be *less dogma and plain out stupidity, at least in gnosticism you have to THINK and DO, rather than sit on a pew and be told what to believe.

Absolutely. In those times, however, it was easier for the central authority to keep the people in line by scaring them with tales of hellfire and demons and a God-incarnate named Jesus instead of giving them texts that instead of making vague and unfounded promises endowed the readers with wisdom and forethought. It's a shame Constantine was so short-sighted.

[Europa]

Originally Posted by Yggdrasil

Neither the Pastor, Europa, or Hexadecimal get the point of the damn thread. The New Testament is a SECONDHAND ACCOUNT written A CENTURY or MORE after the supposed events took place. Stop taking the events described in them as literal truths.

So? Whats wrong with it? It works, doesn't it? It teaches a lifestyle of compassion and peace, improved the lives of countless people. You can't seem to understand that its accuracy doesn't matter in the slightest as long as people believe and live by what it teaches to the best of their ability.

Why the fuck can't you understand this?

[Yggdrasil]

Originally Posted by Europa

So? Whats wrong with it? It works, doesn't it? It teaches a lifestyle of compassion and peace, improved the lives of countless people. You can't seem to understand that its accuracy doesn't matter in the slightest as long as people believe and live by what it teaches to the best of their ability.

Why the fuck can't you understand this?

Apparently you're the one that doesn't understand shit. Peace and compassion aside, Christianity is ruthlessly dogmatic. The pastor himself told me to follow Jesus' teachings and go to heaven.

How can he honestly promise anyone eternal paradise by interpreting a sketchy mélange of more or less contradictory texts.

When you talk about peace and compassion, you delve into the realm of ethics, and Zay's thread here has blown that argument out of the water. You then talk about people believing. Believing what, that a God-man turned water to wine and raised the dead 2000 years? And how can you say it's accuracy doesn't matter?

The whole premise of the fucking religion is the accuracy of it's teachings. By telling people to believe to get into heaven, you must then provide them with a guideline. And of course, most gobble up that misinterpreted guideline like the literal word of God.

But ultimately, you did not mention heaven in your post, so I take it you were giving Christianity props for its morality. Again, I invite you to go see Zay's thread on secular human ethics.

[Europa]

Your pastor can not promise anyone eternal paradise after death, but he can make you believe that afterlife exists if you let him and thats all that matters. The whole "premise of the fucking religion" is not the accuracy of it's teachings but willingness to belief its accuracy.


Whether the afterlife promised by your pastor exists or not doesn't matter in the slightest, all that matters is if you believe it or not. If you do, then this does several things:


1) Makes you comfortable death, assuming that you have lived a life that is in line with those beliefs. This means that you will live your life according to those beliefs to the best of your ability if you truly believe in heaven/hell.


2) Makes you comfortable with the death of loved ones, assuming YOU BELIEVE they have lived a life that is in line with those beliefs. This means that people will not only live by their code of ethics, but will try to get others to live by them as well (also ensuring the spread of the religion).


Examples for Christianity:
Matthew 7:12
Matthew 25:34-40
Matthew 6:14-15



Are you understanding any of this?

[countdown2chaos]

Originally Posted by Yggdrasil

Absolutely. In those times, however, it was easier for the central authority to keep the people in line by scaring them with tales of hellfire and demons and a God-incarnate named Jesus instead of giving them texts that instead of making vague and unfounded promises endowed the readers with wisdom and forethought. It's a shame Constantine was so short-sighted.

Well, you can't blame Constantine though, he did make a smart and intelligent move for himself, just not future humanity in general, besides the elitist.

[PastorSehmish]

Neither the Pastor, Europa, or Hexadecimal get the point of the damn thread. The New Testament is a SECONDHAND ACCOUNT written A CENTURY or MORE after the supposed events took place. Stop taking the events described in them as literal truths.

Indeed this may be the point of thread initially. Unlike monkeys however, threads do evolve, and it's in your best interest to keep up with it, lest some of the other posters think you are 'retreating' in a sense.

Don't worry brother, I'm not judging you.

God Bless,
Dr Pastor Emeritus Wayne Sehmish