Godless Wonder

Most of the first few books, and most of the new testament. Enough to know that it's not real.

Quote:

You can't read one part of the Bible for 5 mins, and say well that wasn't good. The Bible takes a lifetime of studying to understand the complexity and depth behind it. Doctors of theology, who have the bible memorized still haven't understood all the depth and meaning to the Bible. The Bible is not something you can just read once, and understand completely. That is one thing that makes it so special and unique, its complexity and depth is unlike any other. Especially considering the harmony in which dozens of authors, over a 2-3000 year time span present.

Let's suppose you were God for a moment, and you, for some godly reason only you can understand, decide that the only interaction you will have with mankind is as follows:

1) those people who believe in your existence, you reward with eternal bliss in heaven.
2) those people who do not believe, no matter the reason, burn eternally in hell.
3) For awhile, you interact directly with some of the people, but then you tire of this, so you leave them pretty much alone for, oh close to 2000 years. Except that you cause a book to be printed which tells all about you. That should suffice, a book.

Now, being that you are an omnibenevolent god (never mind number 2 above) and being all-powerful, what kind of book should you cause to be produced?

Well, it had better be one helluva convincing book, right?

The bible is the exact opposite of a convincing book. It is packed with about as many errors and contradictions as a book of its size may be made to contain. (to paraphrase a slight exaggeration of Thomas Paine's, I think.) Now, what kind of god would make such a Bible, and leave this as the sole means of convincing rational people that he exists? No kind of god, that's what kind. The bible is only an ordinary book, and not even a very good one. It is plainly obvious to any who care to read it without already having decided to believe whatever it says.

Oh, but then there's the part where it says:

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

Might as well say in a footnote:

Yes, we know all this is rather unbelievable. It's unbelievable on purpose so that only the worthy, who are in on the secret, who believe anyway, are permitted to enter heaven. Wink, wink.

Well, sorry, but that just doesn't fly with me.

B. H. Manners

You are probably right there. I think the bible was just written and redacted by conmen who changed it to fit their needs and decieve the fools who fell for it.


The devil, if he really existed, could probably have done a much better job forging the Bible than the con men who actually wrote it.

CX

Xian's will say it is the indwelling holy spirit that helps them with discernment.

B. H. Manners

Yes, but can they explain that it is indeed a Holy Spirit telling them what they are hearing and not a devil? The Bible says that God gives his HS to believers, but since the Bible has been redacted over time, how can I believe a conman didn't put that in their too to brainwash the Christians into believing a HS was indeed discerning for them?


The conman told them what they wanted to hear and appealed to their own passions, and threw that bit in there about the Holy Ghost confirming the word to further encourage them to follow the con. There was no HS and the conman liar knew it. The HS is nothing more than the individual Christian's own desires telling him what he wants to hear. The conman was aware that people can self deceive themselves and took full advantage of this fact.

Secular Pinoy

Ah, the good ol' Holy Spirit Epistemology thing.

B. H. Manners

I work with a man who is elder at one of those stupid "Christian Fellowship" independent churches. His church had to hire a new pastor a year ago and he commented to me that he had three different people come to him saying that the HS moved them to tell him to hire a certain man and each man named was different from the other!

SLD

Hunnhh? We've debated this point many times on this Message Board Magus and I have yet to see any extra biblical accounts of Jesus's crucifixion. Such a statement is bizarre even coming from you. Don't just say it, prove it. Show us the extra biblical account of the crucifixion.

SLD

Doctor X

LA!LA!LA!LA!LA!IMNOTLISTENING!LA!LA!LA!LA!

Or something like that.

--J.D.

B. H. Manners

Christians,


Consider your false doctrine and lies refuted and sit at the atheist's feet to attend him.

Doctor X

Indeed, make my martini shaken, not stirred.

--J.D.