Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Johnny Skeptic · 05-12-2010, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhutchin

Paul said that he had been taught by Christ.

Why should anyone believe that Paul was taught by Christ?

Solo · 05-13-2010, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Skeptic

Consider the following claims:

1. The God of the Bible created the heavens and the earth.

2. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

3. Jesus was born of a virgin.

4. Jesus never sinned.

5. Jesus physically rose from the dead.

6. Jesus' shed blood and death atoned for the sins of mankind.

I assume that those claims are among the ten most important claims in the Bible. There is little or no need to have discussions about interpreting those claims. The claims are either true, or they are false.

All of those claims except for item 5 must be accepted entirely by faith or rejected.

It would be useful, Johnny, if you gave some thought to what you are proposing. I don't know that I must either accept or reject any of the propositions; at any rate I would like to understand what these propositions say in a little more intelligent way than a bigot, for whom everything is simple, perfectly clear, and beyond discussion.

Consider these sayings my mother told me:

1) One of the wisest things God did was to create bigots even among the atheists,

2) Tolerance is the deadliest of sins to a bigot.

Jiri

Johnny Skeptic · 05-13-2010, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Skeptic

Consider the following claims:

1. The God of the Bible created the heavens and the earth.

2. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

3. Jesus was born of a virgin.

4. Jesus never sinned.

5. Jesus physically rose from the dead.

6. Jesus' shed blood and death atoned for the sins of mankind.

I assume that those claims are among the ten most important claims in the Bible. There is little or no need to have discussions about interpreting those claims. The claims are either true, or they are false.

All of those claims except for item 5 must be accepted entirely by faith or rejected.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solo

It would be useful, Johnny, if you gave some thought to what you are proposing. I don't know that I "must" either accept or reject any of the propositions.......

Actually, you are right. A man can be agnostic regarding those issues. However, if a man chooses to accept claims 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6, he must accept them entirely by faith.

rhutchin · 05-14-2010, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Skeptic

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhutchin

Paul said that he had been taught by Christ.

Why should anyone believe that Paul was taught by Christ?

Paul claimed that he had been taught by Christ.

Belief or rejection of that which Paul wrote is subject to risk.

Johnny Skeptic · 05-14-2010, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Skeptic

Why should anyone believe that Paul was taught by Christ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhutchin

Paul claimed that he had been taught by Christ.

But what evidence is there that Paul was taught by Christ?

What evidence is there that a global flood occured?

What evidence is there that the Ten Plagues occured in Egypt?

What evidence is there that God gave Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar as a compensation for his failure to defeat Tyre?

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