Questioning the Basis of Christianity

[John Cuthber]

22 hours ago, Casio said:

From what I understand God put the serpent into the garden to watch over Adam and Eve.

Looks like He screwed up.

[Casio]

1 hour ago, John Cuthber said:

Looks like He screwed up.

Given the Almighty is supposed to be the Alpha and Omega and know or understand everything, his wisdom has clearly proven that it is only as good as his weakest link.

[Airbrush]

"...According to Catholic doctrine, Jesus' death satisfied the wrath of God, aroused by the offense to God's honor caused by human's [Adam & Eve's] sinfulness."

"...In Protestant theology, Jesus' death is regarded as a substitutionary penalty carried by Jesus, for the debt that has to be paid by humankind when it broke God's moral law."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity

This sounds like man created god according to man's own image and likeness, including wrath and offense to God's "honor."

[Alex Caledin]

Ha! You guys seem at peace with the evil demonic power and you are trying to discuss Christianity which is the Resistance, essentially. When you fight spiritually you can see how it works.

[Polykephalous]

Jesus was born a Jew, his father was a Jew, his mother was also a Jew, Mary is not a Jewish name, how can you get something as important as that wrong?

[Bufofrog]

19 minutes ago, Polykephalous said:

his father was a Jew

God is Jewish?

[Dord]

Mazel tov!

[Strange]

9 hours ago, Polykephalous said:

Mary is not a Jewish name

It is a translation of (ultimately) Maryam:

Quote

Mary is a feminine given name, the English form of the name Maria, which was in turn a Latin form of the Greek name Μαρία (María), found in the New Testament. Both variants reflect Syro-AramaicMaryam, itself a variant of the Hebrew name מִרְיָם or Miryam.^[1]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_(name)

[Polykephalous]

6 hours ago, Strange said:

It is a translation of (ultimately) Maryam:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_(name)

So someone decided that one of the most important characters in Christianity should no longer be known as "Maryam" because that makes her a foreigner, so her name was changed to Mary or Maria to pacify any objections to her origins and Jesus. 

[zapatos]

14 minutes ago, Polykephalous said:

So someone decided that one of the most important characters in Christianity should no longer be known as "Maryam" because that makes her a foreigner, so her name was changed to Mary or Maria to pacify any objections to her origins and Jesus. 

How do you know that?

[Strange]

1 hour ago, Polykephalous said:

So someone decided that one of the most important characters in Christianity should no longer be known as "Maryam" because that makes her a foreigner, so her name was changed to Mary or Maria to pacify any objections to her origins and Jesus. 

What? No. The book was translated multiple times into different languages. At each translation, words (including names) were translated into the new language.

I can see that might be a bit hard to understand, but I'm sure it will make sense if you think about it for a bit.

But you can always read it in the original Aramaic or Greek, if you prefer.

[joigus]

Trying to use reason to understand the internal arguments of religion is as hopeless as trying to thread a needle through a loop.

Edited July 26, 2020 by joigus

[Polykephalous]

On 7/26/2020 at 6:16 PM, Strange said:

What? No. The book was translated multiple times into different languages. At each translation, words (including names) were translated into the new language.

I can see that might be a bit hard to understand, but I'm sure it will make sense if you think about it for a bit.

But you can always read it in the original Aramaic or Greek, if you prefer.

So the translator had no respect for facts or reverence for Maryam and made the decision to change her name to something more comfortable and acceptable to the English. Wow, does this mean that other  things in the bible have been translated incorrectly for the comfort of the English? How come they didn't also translate Jesus to something like John or Colin? 

[Strange]

6 hours ago, Polykephalous said:

So the translator had no respect for facts or reverence for Maryam and made the decision to change her name to something more comfortable and acceptable to the English.

It is called "translation" for a reason.

6 hours ago, Polykephalous said:

Wow, does this mean that other  things in the bible have been translated incorrectly for the comfort of the English?

Lots of things have been mistranslated. Either because it wasn't known what the original word means, or because it describes something unfamiliar to a European audience.

6 hours ago, Polykephalous said:

How come they didn't also translate Jesus to something like John or Colin? 

Jesus is the English translation of Yeshua (via Greek).

 

(I assume you are just mucking about, here, "or the craic")

[Polykephalous]

On 7/29/2020 at 8:59 AM, Strange said:

It is called "translation" for a reason.

Lots of things have been mistranslated. Either because it wasn't known what the original word means, or because it describes something unfamiliar to a European audience.

Jesus is the English translation of Yeshua (via Greek).

 

(I assume you are just mucking about, here, "or the craic")

 

On 7/29/2020 at 8:59 AM, Strange said:

It is called "translation" for a reason.

Lots of things have been mistranslated. Either because it wasn't known what the original word means, or because it describes something unfamiliar to a European audience.

Jesus is the English translation of Yeshua (via Greek).

 

(I assume you are just mucking about, here, "or the craic")

Mucking about infers humour, as in "One for the crack", I have just had someone tell me that Mary is not the correct name because the real name "Maryam" couldn't be used in the English language so the translator improvised. Oh and in Greek her name is "Agia Maria".

[Strange]

1 hour ago, Polykephalous said:

Mucking about infers humour, as in "One for the crack",

"craic" not crack.

1 hour ago, Polykephalous said:

I have just had someone tell me that Mary is not the correct name because the real name "Maryam" couldn't be used in the English language so the translator improvised.

Really? Why told you that? No one on this forum.

1 hour ago, Polykephalous said:

Oh and in Greek her name is "Agia Maria".

Yes, the English name "Mary" came from the Greek. (See my earlier post, where I said exactly this.)

 

[Polykephalous]

Dictionary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

craic

/krak/

 

noun

IRISH

1. variant spelling of crack

    

Origin

 

[dimreepr]

3 minutes ago, Polykephalous said:

Dictionary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

craic

/krak/

 

noun

IRISH

1. variant spelling of crack

    

Origin

 

Irony intended? 😊

[Polykephalous]

Just trying to educate and myself be educated by a "Varient Christian". (To my American "brothers", that's sarcsm!).

[086h]

On 6/23/2020 at 3:09 AM, Airbrush said:

Since I was raised by devout Christian parents and attended Christian grammar and high school, I feel I can be critical of my own religious experience.  I have an observation about the basis of Christianity, and maybe a look at religion in general.  I took my religion seriously throughout grammar school, but by high school I was becoming skeptical.  Why did God or Jesus never talk to me in my dreams?  I had many extraordinary, even surreal dreams but never, never, not once did Jesus telling me to go to mass, or God tell me what the true religion is.  

I think this is the basic story, the basis of Christianity.  Correct me where I go wrong:

Adam and Eve committed a grave offense against God the father by eating an apple that He told them NOT to eat.  Sounds like something kids will do if you tell them not to.  What person is NOT going to eat something delicious that they are told NOT to eat?  That is like saying "please eat this!"

This disobedience was so terrible to God that he decided to not let ANY people into heaven for the next 2,000 years or so, until Christ was born to die for Adam & Eve’s sin.  Also, women will have pain giving birth to children ever after.

God was totally pissed-off at people for 2,000 years.  He decided sometime during those 2,000 years what to do about his sinful people, who he really loved.  In fact he loved us so much that he would torture and kill for us.  They always say “God so loved the world that He sent His only son to die for our sins.”  But they don't tell you He did that to please Himself!

God decided to impregnate Mary by means of the Holy Spirit to give birth to His one and only son.  The plan was his son will be tortured to death for the Original Sin of Adam and Eve, and thus please himself enough so he would open the gates of heaven for all people who will follow the example of Christ.

This means God was a very irritable guy who couldn’t stand people not obeying him.  He was a tyrant, a dictator.

The Original Sin of disobedience was so terrible, in God’s mind, that no people should be allowed into heaven.  That is not until somebody is tortured to death for Adam & Eve’s disobedience.  But that somebody has to be special, he must be a God who became man.  This Father could only be satisfied by the torture and death of HIS OWN SON.  This is ghastly on the face of it.

Where did I go wrong?  Or did the Father go wrong?

Don't get me wrong.  There is nothing wrong with being Christlike, which is rather pleasant to most people.  Who doesn't like a peacemaker, someone who is loving, humble, virtuous, and cares a great deal about the least of his brethren?  Earth needs more and more love, as Alton Ellis said:

You have not really given an argument against Christianity, instead just denouncing it because you think it is wrong. Although other people seemed to have given evidence further up in the chat. On what joigus said on Israelites and canaanites being the same people-this correlates very well with the idea of Israel abandonning their previous practices and embracing the Canaanites in the bible. 

[Prof Reza Sanaye]

Quote from Airbrush : 

" Since I was raised by devout Christian parents and attended Christian grammar and high school, I feel I can be critical of my own religious experience.  I have an observation about the basis of Christianity, and maybe a look at religion in general.  I took my religion seriously throughout grammar school, but by high school I was becoming skeptical.  Why did God or Jesus never talk to me in my  ...   ..  ...    And so on and so forth  . . .  ." 

________________________________________________________________________ 

 

Whether you return back to religion or not , the very fact of doubting it is a positive sign of your character's growth. This means that you are not simply accepting whatever is told you for the mere reason that it was told you. You challenge Authority , AND EVEN IF THEN YOU DECIDE ( OR ARE FORCED ) TO CLING BACK TO CONVENTION & AUTHORITY , AGAIN YOU HAVE NOW ATTAINED A HIGHER level of self- and Authority-understanding . .  .. 

[dimreepr]

On 3/8/2021 at 4:39 PM, Prof Reza Sanaye said:

Quote from Airbrush : 

" Since I was raised by devout Christian parents and attended Christian grammar and high school, I feel I can be critical of my own religious experience.  I have an observation about the basis of Christianity, and maybe a look at religion in general.  I took my religion seriously throughout grammar school, but by high school I was becoming skeptical.  Why did God or Jesus never talk to me in my  ...   ..  ...    And so on and so forth  . . .  ." 

________________________________________________________________________ 

 

Whether you return back to religion or not , the very fact of doubting it is a positive sign of your character's growth.  .. 

That's a double edged sword, unless you understand it first; then comes growth... 😉

[Goude]

I love this thread. I was raised in a fundamental Christian church and have gone through all the questions I could think of which got me in trouble at church. Now I try to remember the Bible was not one book, but 66 books by 40 different authors. It was written over a period of 1500 years. One author didn't know what another was doing. I think you can prove anything from the Bible. The bright spot to me is the teachings of Jesus. They say it all.