Tough Questions about Christianity

[kurto]

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As to SitnHit, I explained that Mormonism was a slam dunk long before he showed up here. You would make a great Little Richard (Dawkins).

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Cute that he adds this after the fact.

I'm not sure what you're referring to about Mormonism. The simple matter is he is a theist and he's the only one who I'm aware of who ran screaming because his beliefs were being challenged. If you can refer to any atheists who have acted the same way please link to them.

Regarding your Dawkins comment... I take it based on your earlier comments on him, that you were just doing your usual arrogant snide insults rathar then address anything of substance. That's cool. I think we've come to expect it from you. That being said... though I haven't personally read any of his books, I have seen some short excerpts of interviews from him. I can see why you are so threatened by him.

[kurto]

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Why does god hate amputees?

He cures cancer and other diseases through prayer but he never answers the prayers of amputees. Why is that?

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Ummm.... we've been down this road before. You won't find any good responses to the arguments on that website.

I believe the best they had to offer was "you can't test God." So... he purposely doesn't answer prayers if they're being measured or something fun like that. [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

[NotReady]

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I'm not sure what you're referring to about Mormonism.


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As stated, almost nothing right.

[David Sklansky]

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Can you give some examples of things that would be sufficient to convince you that there is no God?


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Find the tomb of Jesus with His bones.

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Wait a second. Given the arguments you often make for the likelihood of a God in general, why wouldn't such a find merely make you seriously consider switching to Judaism?

[NotReady]

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Given the arguments you often make for the likelihood of a God in general, why wouldn't such a find merely make you seriously consider switching to Judaism?


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Good point. You win one.

[Magic_Man]

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Yes, DNA and all other evidence type have no relevance.


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OK, I'll bite. How would DNA do anything to prove a bone came from Christ? Show me factually, logically and oh so scientifically.

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I was agreeing with you. Can't possibly be of any relevence.

chez

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Just for the record, dna could be used here in less-than-ironclad ways. The most obvious is to simply check whether the people in the tomb are related as claimed, so that if later evidence lets us discover one of their true identities, we will know the others. Also, DNA samples would at least help in the identification of relics. For example, if the DNA from the bones doesn't match the "blood" from the Shroud of Turin, then either the tombs don't contain Jesus & has family, or the Shroud of Turin was not worn by JC. If we ever find other Christ relics, then similar tests could be applied. If we were to find a relic that DID match with the bones, then that would be remarkable, right? It would have to be an amazing coincidence in that case if the bones were not those of JC&Family.

[David Sklansky]

I didn't expect that answer. And it makes me happy. Because I had always thought that your well framed arguments about ultimate chance, might makes right, meaninglessness, etc. were just prerequisites in your mind to justify your specific beliefs. In other words I thought you thought they couldn't stand alone. Put another way, if a Moslem, Jew, or Mormon was to use your arguments I thought you would have found them silly or insulting (like I would if someone used words from TOP to justify roulette systems.)

I had these ideas about you because of my belief that most fundamentalists (and all the ones I know personally) are attracted to their belief, because all sins are lumped together so they don't have to feel worse or more afraid than those who have sinned less than them. By saying that Judaism, which looks at sins differently, would be a reaonable religion if somehow the Jesus story was a fraud, you show that you are not in that category.

[NotReady]

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Because I had always thought that your well framed arguments about ultimate chance, might makes right, meaninglessness, etc.


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These arguments are just repetitions of arguments I obtained from theologians you would classify as fundies.

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By saying that Judaism, which looks at sins differently, would be a reaonable religion if somehow the Jesus story was a fraud, you show that you are not in that category.


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I'm happy too - that you found this aspect of my thought. I've never considered the arguments I make apart from Christ and so I would have to consider Judaism. At this time I'm not at all sure what my conclusions might be. Since I try to make all my thinking Christ oriented to put that aside and try to consider everything without Him or the New Testament will be very difficult. Christ permeates all my thinking and to try for the purpose of intellectual enquiry to extract those elements dependent on Him won't be easy. This is a project I plan to pursue off and on down the road.

[pokerbobo]

I remember seeing a documentary on the shroud of turin....testing found that the shroud was a few hundred years old, about 500 if I remember correctly. Since Jesus died a dozen centuries prior to that I would say its safe to say he didnt come in contact with the shroud.

[Mickey Brausch]

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Both paths, the righteous and the evil, are open to us -- are in us, to be exact.


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It seems to me that if justice is what we make of it, so are good and evil.

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Yes, sir. Absolutely.