The Atheism Thread - Part 7

[KevanG]

The Gospels that made it into the Bible pretty much skip from the birth of Jesus Christ to his adulthood, but there are other documents that chronicle the adventures of Jesus Christ: Boy Wonder. They're part of something called the New Testament Apocrypha, a series of books deemed unfit for inclusion due to concerns over the message they'd send or, in some cases, the number of faces they'd melt with their sheer awesomeness. Most of the stories are pretty normal fare -- healing lepers and raising the dead -- but some are so insane that we learn that the answer to, What would Jesus do? is Whatever the hell he wants.

Doesn't that sound like a great intro to the Kid Jesus Saga?

 

[Picard Sisko]

Very interesting...and dubious. I just can't fathom taking something like this as fact and living by it. My mind just won't go there.

Same. I need to know that something is positively a fact before I can believe in it.

 

[Marvolo]

Very interesting...and dubious. I just can't fathom taking something like this as fact and living by it. My mind just won't go there.

Well, the Holy Spirit is supposed to be directing the RC Church so its decisions are God's decisions. Jesus tells Peter, "What you bind on earth is bound in heaven. What you loose on erth is loosed in heaven." So in effect Peter could make decisions for both heaven and earth. And he gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom so if you believe Peter was the leader of the RCC and all his successors are picked and guided by the Holy Spirit then it isnt much further a leap to believe the current Bible is exactly as God wants it to be. The difference between RC's and fundamentalists is that Catholics dont take it all literally and they hold tradition as high as the bible and tend to prefer and follow tradition over the bible. Fundamentalists are sola scriptura (Scripture Only and above all else) which can lead to some observable problems.

 

[DarkSovereignty]

Doesn't that sound like a great intro to the Kid Jesus Saga?

Kid Jesus the Miracle Boy and his trusty sidekick, Gabriel, now with AWESOME KARATE CHOP ACTION

 

[KevanG]

With his army of dragons at his command.

 

[MrsKent26]

Same. I need to know that something is positively a fact before I can believe in it.

Yes, or at least as close to a fact as science can provide at a given time.

Well, the Holy Spirit is supposed to be directing the RC Church so its decisions are God's decisions. Jesus tells Peter, "What you bind on earth is bound in heaven. What you loose on erth is loosed in heaven. And he gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom so if you believe Peter was the leader of the RCC and all his successors are picked and guided by the Holy Spirit then it isnt much further a leap to believe the current Bible is exactly as God wants it to be. The difference between RC's and fundamentalists is that Catholics dont take it all literally and they hold tradition as high as the bible and tend to prefer and follow tradition over the bible. Fundamentalists are sola scriptura. (Scripture Only and above all else).

Then the whole thing is really based on the idea that this "Holy Spirit" which no one can prove exists, is guiding the church. This church communicates the words of God, but we have no way at all to test this claim; therefore, they can do what they want.

 

[SV Fan]

Very interesting...and dubious. I just can't fathom taking something like this as fact and living by it. My mind just won't go there.

One thing they don't teach in Sunday School is how disorganized and all over the place Christianity was until the Roman Empire basically adopted it as it's religion in the 4th century and created a one size fits all version of Christianity for everybody to worship. In order to appeal to other pagan cults they threw in a few things in the RC version of christianity that might appeal to pagans(I think the easiest to identify would be they basically turned Mary mother of God into a Isis ripoff).

 

[KevanG]

Stop suggesting it's all a scam MrsK or you get the papal ninjas after you.

 

[DarkSovereignty]

They have crucifix shruikins and everything.

 

[KevanG]

I can just imagine PW and Percys heads exploding at all of this.

 

[MrsKent26]

One thing they don't teach in Sunday School is how disorganized and all over the place Christianity was until the Roman Empire basically adopted it as it's religion in the 4th century and created a one size fits all version of Christianity for everybody to worship. In order to appeal to other pagan cults they threw in a few things in the RC version of christianity that might appeal to pagans(I think the easiest to identify would be they basically turned Mary mother of God into a Isis ripoff).

Good grief!

I just...I can't...

I can't believe that people have gone to war over this stuff! To war! Wouldn't people want hard facts before dying for something?! Wouldn't they?! This cobbled together belief system has inspired people to give their lives!

My brain can't handle it sometimes! It's going to explode like Jesus's snake!

 

[Marvolo]

Yes, or at least as close to a fact as science can provide at a given time.



Then the whole thing is really based on the idea that this "Holy Spirit" which no one can prove exists, is guiding the church. This church communicates the words of God, but we have no way at all to test this claim; therefore, they can do what they want.

"Thats why we call it faith instead of logic."

 

[KevanG]

Think about how people act over Supermans underwear and imagine if they had guns and were in the same room. That's how that works.

 

[DarkSovereignty]

I can just imagine PW and Percys heads exploding at all of this.

I am and I'm loving it

 

[Marvolo]

Good grief!

I just...I can't...

I can't believe that people have gone to war over this stuff! To war! Wouldn't people want hard facts before dying for something?! Wouldn't they?! This cobbled together belief system has inspired people to give their lives!

My brain can't handle it sometimes! It's going to explode like Jesus's snake!

You have to remember these people didnt have books and internet. They had their neighbors and their local parish priest. They also had disease and death which the church came to believe was god's punishment after the Black Death happened. Its really not the commoner's fault. The crusades were political maneuvering by popes and emperors and the populace just ate up their BS cause they didnt know any better or were also looking to get rich.

 

[MrsKent26]

You have to remember these people didnt have books and internet. They had their neighbors and their local parish priest. They also had disease and death which the church came to believe was god's punishment after the Black Death happened. Its really not the commoners falt. The crusades were political maneuvering by popes and emperors and the populace just ate up their BS cause they didnt know any better or were also looking to get rich.

I can understand it in those times. But it just seems like an ill-fit thing for today.

Think about how people act over Supermans underwear and imagine if they had guns and were in the same room. That's how that works.

Lol, frightening...

 

[SV Fan]

You have to remember these people didnt have books and internet. They had their neighbors and their local parish priest. They also had disease and death which the church came to believe was god's punishment after the Black Death happened. Its really not the commoner's fault. The crusades were political maneuvering by popes and emperors and the populace just ate up their BS cause they didnt know any better or were also looking to get rich.

Yeah distance definitely made it easy for different forms of christianity to prosper(ie what might have been big in Rome, might not be the big thing in Egypt, etc etc)

 

[KevanG]

Considering all the BS that goes on world wide due to religion and fear controlling people it's not a big surprise so many terrorist attacks, murders and destruction happens because of that.

 

[Marvolo]

I can understand it in those times. But it just seems like an ill-fit thing for today.

It is but successful indoctrination at a young age can overcome those issues.

Take this for example, i went to school with a number of fundamentalist kids. Their parents censored their books and media intake. Everything they read or watched had to be check by their parents even until they moved out of their parents house which was after 18 in most cases. They werent allowed to look into other religions or anything that might weaken their faith. It was a total bubble around their life. So then these kids grow up and do the same thing to their kids. The modern world just doesnt get inside the bubble because the world is evil and cant be trusted.

 

[KevanG]

I've known one guy who was sheltered by his parents so much that he went nuts when he finally lived on his own. He drank and partied all the time and it was terrible for him since he had no way to control himself from it.

 

[DarkSovereignty]

Ugh, the child brainwashing these people do is chilling.

 

[Picard Sisko]

Ugh, the child brainwashing these people do is chilling.

Here is a perfect example of brainwashing, courtesy of Jehovah's Witnesses:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfq4ZFY6WG4

 

[AnneFan]

I am an atheist who lives for today, not longing for an afterlife. It's down to us, it always has been.

People ask what I believe in. I reply with myself and common human decency.

 

[Feenix]

I am an atheist who lives for today, not longing for an afterlife. It's down to us, it always has been.

People ask what I believe in. I reply with myself and common human decency.

Werd.

This is the only life we have to live, mine as well make it a good one.

 

[KevanG]

So I watch that and when it gets to the point where the mother asks what Jehova does to people he doesn't like I burst out laughing because the first thing that pops in my head is the Kid saying "He'll kill me, you and the whole town?" Then she gets emphatic about not making Jehova sad either and it just cemented that in my head.