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Old 03-05-2009, 12:20 PM   #21
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Why does the preacher reinforce faith with deception? I am satisfied beyond all doubt that two of my long-time pastors were very clever about deceiving me into thinking the gospels were eyewitness accounts, that they were harmonious, that there was a historical Jesus preaching a 4th century canon...when they knew none of that was true.
Why do politicians tell people what they want to hear? Why do advertisers show images of life that are more fantasy than reality?

It's a two-way street: there are people who want to be lied to, and others glad to provide the misinformation. Human nature hasn't changed in the last two millenia.
It is really a one-way street.

People use lies to sell their products and the buyers believe the sellers are honest.

But, with respect to religion, the so-called watch-dog, the government, gives full support and make laws that allow the sellers of religion to make known false claims about Gods without penalty.

International laws should be passed to penalised people who make known false claims about Gods.

Freedom of Religion should not mean freedom to propagate known false claims about Gods in public places.
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Old 03-05-2009, 12:31 PM   #22
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I doubt that his upcoming book on the historicity of Jesus will confirm his "mythicist" leaning.
Why the scare quotes? Or are you just quoting Carrier, who himself entitled this post of his, "Carrier Converts to Mythicist Position".


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At the same time, it probably won't confirm the historicist position either. It seems as though he has problems with the scholarship of both camps, and is trying to put out a book to acknowledge and reconcile this.
Yet, like I said, this will not, in all likelihood, lead him to repudiate his mythicist position.
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Old 03-05-2009, 12:32 PM   #23
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I am interested in the "Why we don't know about it" explanation of Ehrmann.

As I look back at my pastors in church, I just get angry. There are a couple in particular, one a doctor of divinity, that in retrospect were clearly misleading people intentionally.

For example, every Christmas they would offer the misleading statement "Now is the time we celebrate the birth of Christ"...

Why do they state it this way? Because on the one hand it is not an outright lie, but on the other hand it serves the agenda of the Church.
I'm a bit surprised by this.

I was brought up as a child in a rather conservative Christian tradition, but it was always made clear that a/ December 25th is the agreed date for celebrating the birth of Jesus but b/ Jesus probably wasn't actually born on that date.

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Old 03-05-2009, 02:18 PM   #24
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Why do politicians tell people what they want to hear? Why do advertisers show images of life that are more fantasy than reality?

It's a two-way street: there are people who want to be lied to, and others glad to provide the misinformation. Human nature hasn't changed in the last two millenia.
It is really a one-way street.

People use lies to sell their products and the buyers believe the sellers are honest.

But, with respect to religion, the so-called watch-dog, the government, gives full support and make laws that allow the sellers of religion to make known false claims about Gods without penalty.

International laws should be passed to penalised people who make known false claims about Gods.

Freedom of Religion should not mean freedom to propagate known false claims about Gods in public places.
Well, unless people are forced to convert isn't it a free speech/free assembly issue? Or would you liken it to a health threat like smoking, where regulators have a duty to warn the customer?
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Old 03-05-2009, 02:54 PM   #25
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I mean, here we have Carrier, a self-avowed mythicist, claiming to be conducting an objective study of the matter. Is it not plain that his conclusions will sustain his position?
Not when you take into account the fact that he only relatively recently changed his position to mythicism.

Your bias against mythicists is showing. It is generally considered poor form to engage in that which you decry in others.

I think they even have a word for it.

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So, I think it safe to bet that his conclusions will in fact validate his mythicism.
I think it is a safe bet that you've already decided what you are going to think about his efforts prior to putting any actual thought into it.

I think they have a word for that as well.
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Old 03-05-2009, 06:36 PM   #26
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I am interested in the "Why we don't know about it" explanation of Ehrmann.

As I look back at my pastors in church, I just get angry. There are a couple in particular, one a doctor of divinity, that in retrospect were clearly misleading people intentionally.

For example, every Christmas they would offer the misleading statement "Now is the time we celebrate the birth of Christ"...

Why do they state it this way? Because on the one hand it is not an outright lie, but on the other hand it serves the agenda of the Church.
I'm a bit surprised by this.

I was brought up as a child in a rather conservative Christian tradition, but it was always made clear that a/ December 25th is the agreed date for celebrating the birth of Jesus but b/ Jesus probably wasn't actually born on that date.

Andrew Criddle
Hi Andrew

Well then you were deceived too. Because there was no "agreement". Instead it was a dictate that was superimposed upon something that was actually useful: The celebration of winter solstice (It was on the 25th before the calendar changed).

It is far more useful to engage young minds with celestial movements than it is to divert attention from it for the purpose of brainwashing them with illogical myths of God sending himself to commit suicide so that we can be forgiven for him creating us all as sinners in the first place.

But again - the contradictions. Golly, in a couple of decades I do not recall a single one being pointed out.


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The point of church leadership is to save your soul.
I think that is a euphimism though, show.

And what it means can vary, but the extension of power and influence of the church is certainly one thing it means.
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Old 03-05-2009, 08:03 PM   #27
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Not when you take into account the fact that he only relatively recently changed his position to mythicism.
He has? Do tell.
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Old 03-05-2009, 08:22 PM   #28
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Please retract any hint of libel there.
Please retract any charge of libel here.
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Richard Carrier is not engaged in deception.
Perhaps not. But he is, imho, peddling bilge.
I too found your statement about deception hinting at libel on your part. You are welcome to your humble opinion that Carrier is "peddling bilge", but your claim of deception is of another order in that it is attacking the person's character rather than simply displaying your unsupported opinions.

But I take this "Perhaps not" as an attempt to downplay your previous faux pas without actually retracting it.

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He has made his own position quite clear, and will presumably endeavor to substantiate it.
What position is that?


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Old 03-06-2009, 01:34 AM   #29
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But, with respect to religion, the so-called watch-dog, the government, gives full support and make laws that allow the sellers of religion to make known false claims about Gods without penalty.

International laws should be passed to penalised people who make known false claims about Gods.

Freedom of Religion should not mean freedom to propagate known false claims about Gods in public places.
Yeah! Burn them all alive!

<disgust>

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Old 03-06-2009, 02:16 AM   #30
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Yeah! Burn them all alive!
Strangely, that was the christian approach.


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