hatsoff

That's horrible!

3. Make your primary study the Bible itself, not books about the Bible. - Psalm 119:97

Psalm 119:96-98:
96 I have seen the consummation of all perfection,
But Your commandment is exceedingly broad.
97 Oh, how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
98 You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies;
For they are ever with me.
...
The Bible was written...at a 4th or 5th grade level

Real nice!

Coleslaw

Some followers of this thread might be interested in the thread about Daniel at this link although I warn you the gold letters on black background are hard to read.

Decypher

I haven't read through everything, so perhaps this issue has already been addressed. But anyway, I think your interpretation here is false. (I should point out that the "Kingdom of God" is probably used in more than one way in the New Testament.) Matthew 16:27-28 and parallel verses (which includes Mark 9:1) have a strong correspondence with the Olivet Discourse material.

For example:

And this kingdom is supposed to come after the destruction of Jerusalem. (Obviously can't be Pentecost.) What about the power?

So you are trying to connect Mark 9:1 with Pentecost, but we have no reason to think that this is correct. Yes, they both mention power, but the Olivet Discourse material is a better match. Actually, Mark 9:1 etc. are much disputed by Christians. Pentecost and the Transfiguration are the most common interpretations used by Christians, but I have seen a number of others.

Sauron

Bumping this thread for mdd344. I wouldn't want him to overlook it.

Sven

Judging from his profile, he has fled from IIDB. Apparently he noticed that he won't find someone gullible enough here to convert him to his silly religion.

badger3k

And, since the story of Luke Skywalker was written "long ago, in a galaxy far, far away", that means it was! Wow - the Jedi in England will be thrilled.

The other ones I like:
Which of course shows that it was written long before 160 bce or so, because Jesus lived ... before 160 bce? Or that he never quoted anything written after 200 bce perhaps? 300? How is this even relevant?
Of course, since it was written down, it must be true....
Why is it that, like creationists, they have to go back hundreds, if not thousands, of years to find supporting documents. I think it has to do with the fact that they think the older something is, the more accurate it is (or something like that). I guess we haven't learned more, and refined our scholastic techniques, and have more resources, since the third century.
Josephus probably believed the sun rotated around the earth, and that illness was caused by something other than bacteria and viruses (which he probably never knew existed). Of course, none of that gives any support for the dating of the text. Perhaps Josephus, like many people, accepted the story and never questioned it (why would he even wonder about the dating)?

Edited some of the above to limit my post, and I need to read more than I have, but I wanted to comment on that since I hadn't seen it addressed yet (only on page 2), so I apologize if these have been brought up (although I see nothing wrong with jumping onto the pile). Don't spoil my suspense to see if he claims that Tyre has sunk into the sea...:Cheeky:

badger3k

I see others have replied, but I always find it interesting that the charges of "elitism" invariably come from those who "know" the "Truth", and no evidence can change their mind. If that isn't elitism, then I don't know what is.

Also, the charge of elitism always sounds like "You won't let me play with my toys! You poopie-heads!" mdd344 - if you break an arm, for example, do you go to your neighborhood grocery store, or do you call EMTs (EMS) or go to a hospital to see a doctor? Isn't that elitist? When your car is in an accident, do you go to the next-door neighbor's teenage son, or do you go to a mechanic (someone who has been trained)? Isn't that elitism?

Funny how "elitism" usually translates as "they disagree with my beliefs".

badger3k

So by continuation, then, nobody can be a Christian, because they cannot know (with 100% cetainty) that their version of god exists.

And even though I'm sure it has been answered, moral questions can be explained by evolution, starting with such things as altruism (which can be seen in animals, and has been verified through observation and testing) and empathy, and going on to the evolution of consciousness which leads to more nuanced development. Of course, you probably do not believe we are related to animals, so will toss out all that evidence. Why not read up on some evolutionary psychology (even if some of it is highly speculative), or Marc Hauser's book Moral Minds (I think that is it - it has been recommended by several people), or even just listen (and I mean really listen, not just pretend like you have been doing) to some of the discussions here in other forums.

Of course, since I am going to assume that you believe morality comes from your god rather than being something that is both intrinsic to life and a constuct of human beings, I'm sure we'll see a variation of the True Scotsman ("no true morality"?). Got to read on to see responses.

badger3k

Darn.:wave:

Maybe he'll be like a few others and come back after his (holy) spirit recharges.:devil: