Globalization and the Body of Christ
The value of any religion is how it stands the test of time. And it is Christianity which shows the greatest ability of any religion to conform to the 21st century. I have already written on the parallels of evolution and the doctrine of Creation. And again, as I see the effects of globalization all around us, I wonder why nobody notices the similarities it has with another certain Christian doctrine?
In what follows, we will examine the close relationship between globalization and the Body of Christ, so that Christians can better understand their faith, and so that non-Christians (for if they choose to not believe in something, they must know what it is they do not believe in) can better understand it too.
What is the doctrine of the Bodyof Christ? Quite simply, it is the process by which the human race becomes one body. As the human race populates, and humans live in greater communion with each other, Christ’s body grows and builds itself up. “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love,as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4: 15 – 16). The formation of Christ’s body is a massive under-taking that will require “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7: 9). Christ’s body covers the entire human race, from the deepest past to the farthest future, so that all things and all people are in someway incorporated into (or rejected from) the Body of Christ. “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ” (I Corinthians 12: 12).
Christ’s body extends to these parameters because he is “before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1: 16 – 17). Most people only think of Jesus as an individual Jew who lived in Israel some 2,000 years ago. Yet Jesus is, and always has been, a lot more than this. Like Voltron, who is formed when various robots unite together, Christ came to “unite all things in him” (Ephesians 1: 10). When he “has put everything under his feet” he will hand everything over to the Father “so that God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15: 26 – 28). So for a Christian, God will fully dwell with humanity when Christ’s body (the unity of the human race) is achieved. In short, the entire history of the universe is the formation of Christ’s body.
Of course, you can probably already see the parallels that those scriptural passages have with globalization. Globalization is quite literally the unification of the human race happening before our very eyes. Today, more than ever before, the nations and people of the earth are converging on each other in all domains of life: geographically, economically, culturally, religiously etc. Never before has humanity been so aware of itself ‘as a whole:’ we realize that we form one community on this earth. The United Nations, World Bank, and other global governing bodies have been formed because of this awareness. “Global” is the new buzzword. The Internet and social sites like Facebook further highlight the connectedness of the human race. On a daily basis, the human race is being driven towards greater unity and inter-connectedness with itself – a reality that reflects precisely the doctrine of the Body of Christ.
This drive towards greater unity is increasing humanity’s knowledge and awareness: which for a Christian is a spiritual awakening. God is truth. We stand on a tower of knowledge passed on by those before us, and which we are passing on to those after us. The founder of Wikipedia explains it like this: "Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing.” Human knowledge accumulates over the centuries and becomes more accurate and refined. We thought the earth was flat, now we know that it is round. We thought the earth was the center of the universe, now we know it actually circles the sun. We thought the universe was ready-made in 7 days, now we see that it evolved over millions of years.
The Scientific Revolution of the last 150 years was brought about by globalization (sharing of knowledge), and it is essentially a Spiritual Revolution, even though most of us do not think of it that way. But the fact remains that the Scientific Revolution has given birth to enormous amounts of knowledge and very spiritual technology. Cell-phones, the Internet, GPS technology, are all spiritual objects. They provide instant knowledge on just about any subject, and immediate communication with anybody, anywhere – all in the palm of our hands. Look at your phone, the energy and complexity of it; can you not feel spirit radiating from it? Many of us first find out what is happening on the island through our Blackberries, Facebook or CNS. Through this technology we can communicate with people who are not even near us – it used to be thought that only angels could do that. As globalization continues, we can only expect knowledge /spirit to grow exponentially, which is consistent with the doctrine of the Body of Christ.
However, great evil can be borne out of globalization (indeed it already has), but ironically this is yet another reason that proves its similarity to the Body of Christ. Christianity is clear that as Christ’s body forms, someone else’s body is also forming: the anti-Christ’s. The Christ cannot come without the anti-Christ. The anti-Christ is any nation, people, or person, who hates the unity of the human race, and works against it. Whereas Christ stands for human unity and life, the anti-Christ stands for human disunity and death. All the knowledge and technology we listed above can be used for anti-Christ-like evil purposes: war, the nuclear bomb, global warming, anti-social behavior, loss of privacy, to name just a few.
Never before has the concept of the anti-Christ been as popular as it is today: for every one of us can see the potential for some future dictator who will force everyone “to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark” (Revelations 13: 16 – 17). So much hate and so much evil, it seems that globalization is not destined to happen in peace and harmony, but only through sweat, blood and tears (and here, coincidentally, we glimpse the mystery of why Christ had to suffer and die.) As human beings, we decide whether to love and live in harmony with our neighbours, or to hate and wage war against them.
The Christ and the anti-Christ stand on our horizon. We can forecast weather and perhaps one-day control it as Christ did (Luke 8: 22 – 25), or we can destroy the earth’s ecological balance and deplete its natural resources (anti-Christ). We can cure diseases and mental ailments like Christ did (Matthew 17: 14 – 20), or we can create viruses and neuroses meant to destroy each other (anti-Christ). We can provide food and water to the whole earth as Christ fed the multitude (Mark 6: 35 – 44), or we can sit idle and allow our fellow human beings to starve (anti-Christ). Will the human race find unity, or will it destroy itself?
That question remains to be answered, but my intent here was only to show people that the Christian religion is more relevant than they realize. Far from dying a slow death, Christianity seems to be positioning itself to be the religion of the future. The reason Christianity is seen as a “bronze aged myth” is because it is still interpreted as if it is the Bronze Age. If Christianity is eternal as it claims to be, then it is must be relevant in every generation, and as I have pointed out, it is definitely relevant in our generation. In the 21st century, it is Christianity alone that offers an explanation of globalization, while the rest of the world is only watching the phenomenon unfold without the slightest idea of what it means. One must either accept that the Christian faith predicted the phenomenon of globalization 2,000 years ago, or have to dismiss the similarities as “coincidence.” I know that many will call it “coincidence,” yes, but Christians can boast and call it “prophesy” – a lot more satisfying, and encouraging to our faith. It is no longer hip, nor reasonable, to say that Christianity is a “bronze aged myth” when it has proven time and again to be the most legitimate belief (or lack of belief) system out there.
Category: Viewpoint
Do you have any proof for this, "The value of any religion is how it stands the test of time. And it is Christianity which shows the greatest ability of any religion to conform to the 21st century."?
I think we should take a critical look at the timeline here. We know he’s supposed to be coming back.. at least they said he was. Its been 2000 years and not a word. Now I’m not saying he’s not coming but, even after 50 years, you got to start thinking well this guy just isn’t interested in a relationship. Any number of things may have happened..construction site mishap or a fishing accident. We should maybe move on.
Globalization…. and Christianity… have helped the world?? That is really a stretch. Your thinking is clouded and you have obviously succumbed to the propaganda put forth by both Badir. What exactly can you point out, and where has it taken place, that either has done to bring people out of poverty and alleviate suffering? Granted Christians, in isolated circumstances have indeed helped people but that is not the mandate of the Church or the Vatican. Their mandate has been to perpetuate a myth that Christianity is the only true religion. Humbug. There are many other religions just as relevant to the people who follow them. It is the evil short sighted men who control those religions not the religions themselves which are the problem. Ayatollahs, Popes…there is no difference in their views. They crave power and do so through ritual and intimidation. Original sin?? Can that possibly be?? Or is it a means of control and who benefits from such a bizarre idea?
The only similarities between the two examples you have pointed out are centralized control and the accumulation of power and both are pyramid schemes. Also I’d like to point out Globalization is not a good thing. It has impoverished people throughout the world, taken their resources, made them subservient and made them slaves for the almighty buck and the profits to be generated. If you look closely, people cling to their various religions for personal reasons and to help them give meaning to their lives when all else has been taken away. The fact that they believe in a higher power and are non-violent has been used and abused both by the Christian hierarchy and Multi-nationals, and their doctrines of greed and control.
Globalization, and true Christianity should not be used in the same sentence. There is no comparison.
And that is only one example of where your argument falls flat. Study more. Ignore the dogma.
I believe that Harry Potter is the one true globalized prophet in the body of Dumbeldor.
I need not provide proof. All that is required is belief. Join me and give me money so I can spread the word.
anybody who wants an accurate and clear explanation of religion consider the documentary american zeitgeist. It explains everything as clearly as humanly possible.
the following transcripts are from the documentary
ENJOY and hopefully this shoudl erase all doubt about the existence of “God”
THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD]
This is the sun. As far back as 10 thousand B.C.E., historyis abundant with carvings and writings reflecting peoples respect and adoration for this object. And it is simple to understand why as every morning the sun would rise, bringing vision, warmth, and security, saving man from the cold, blind, predator-filled darkness of night. Without it, the cultures understood, the crops would not grow, and life on the planet would not survive. These realities made the sun the most adorned object of all time. Likewise, they were also very aware of the stars. The tracking of the stars allowed them to recognize and anticipate events which occurred over long periods of time, such as eclipses and full moons. They in turn catalogued celestial groups into what we know today as constellations.
This is the cross of the Zodiac, one of the oldest conceptual images in human history. It reflects the sun as it figuratively passes through the 12 major constellations over the course of a year. It also reflects the 12 months of the year, the 4 seasons, and the solstices and equinoxes. The term Zodiac relates to the fact that constellations were anthropomorphized, or personified, as figures, or animals.
In other words, the early civilizations did not just follow the sun and stars, they personified them with elaborate myths involving their movements and relationships.The sun, with its life-giving and -saving qualities was personified as a representative of the unseen creator or god. It was known as “God’s Sun,” the light of the world, the savior of human kind. Likewise, the 12 constellations represented places of travel for God’s Sun and were identified by names, usually representing elements of nature that happened during that period of time. For example, Aquarius, the water bearer, who brings the Spring rains.
This is Horus. He is the Sun God of Egypt of around 3000 BC. He is the sun, anthropomorphized, and his life is a series of allegorical myths involving the sun’s movement in the sky. From the ancient hieroglyphics in Egypt, we know much about this solar messiah. For instance, Horus, being the sun, or the light, had an enemy known as Set and Set was the personification of the darkness or night. And metaphorically speaking, every morning Horus would win the battle against Set- while in the evening, Set would conquer Horus and send him into the underworld
It is important to note that “dark vs. light” or “good vs. evil” is one of the most ubiquitous mythological dualities ever known and is still expressed on many levels to this day.
Broadly speaking, the story of Horus is as follows: Horus was born on December 25th of the virgin Isis-Meri. His birth was accompanied by a star in the east, which in turn, three kings followed to locate and adorn the new-born savior. At the age of 12, he was a prodigal child teacher, and at the age of 30 he was baptized by a figure known as Anup and thus began his ministry. Horus had 12 disciples he traveled about with, performing miracles such as healing the sick and walking on water. Horus was known by many gestural names such as The Truth, The Light, God’s Annointed Son, The Good Shepherd, The Lamb of God, and many others. After being betrayed by Typhon, Horus was crucified, buried for 3 days, and thus, resurrected.
These attributes of Horus, whether original or not, seem to permeate in many cultures of the world, for many other gods are found to have the same general mythological structure.
Attis, of Phyrigia, born of the virgin Nana on December 25th, crucified, placed in a tomb and after 3 days, was resurrected.
Krishna, of India, born of the virgin Devaki with a star in the east signaling his coming, performed miracles with his disciples, and upon his death was resurrected.
Dionysus of Greece, born of a virgin on December 25th, was a traveling teacher who performed miracles such as turning water into wine, he was referred to as the “King of Kings,” “God’s Only Begotten Son,” “The Alpha and Omega,” and many others, and upon his death, he was resurrected.
Mithra, of Persia, born of a virgin on December 25th, he had 12 disciples and performed miracles, and upon his death was buried for 3 days and thus resurrected, he was also referred to as “The Truth,” “The Light,” and many others. Interestingly, the sacred day of worship of Mithra was Sunday.
The fact of the matter is there are numerous saviors, from different periods, from all over the world, which subscribe to these general characteristics. The question remains: why these attributes, why the virgin birth on December 25th, why dead for three days and the inevitable resurrection, why 12 disciples or followers? To find out, let’s examine the most recent of the solar messiahs.
Jesus Christ was born of the virgin Mary on December 25th in Bethlehem, his birth was announced by a star in the east, which three kings or magi followed to locate and adorn the new savior. He was a child teacher at 12, at the age of 30 he was baptized by John the Baptist, and thus began his ministry. Jesus had 12 disciples which he traveled about with performing miracles such as healing the sick, walking on water, raising the dead, he was also known as the “King of Kings,” the “Son of God,” the “Light of the World,” the “Alpha and Omega,” the “Lamb of God,” and many others. After being betrayed by his disciple Judas and sold for 30 pieces of silver, he was crucified, placed in a tomb andafter 3 days was resurrected and ascended into Heaven.
[Born of a virgin
Born on Dec. 25
Star in the East]
First of all, the birth sequence is completely astrological. The star in the east is Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, which, on December 24, aligns with the 3 brightest stars in Orion’s Belt. These 3 bright stars are called today what they were called in ancient times: The Three Kings. The Three Kings and the brightest star, Sirius, all point to the place of the sunrise on December 25th. This is why the Three Kings “follow” the star in the east, in order to locate the sunrise — the birth of the sun.
The Virgin Mary is the constellation Virgo, also known as Virgo the Virgin. Virgo in Latin means virgin. The ancient glyph for Virgo is the altered “m”. This is why Mary along with other virgin mothers, such as Adonis’s mother Myrra, or Buddha’s mother Maya begin with an M. Virgo is also referred to as the House of Bread, and the representation of Virgo is a virgin holding a sheaf of wheat. This House of Bread and its symbol of wheat represents August and September, the time of harvest. In turn, Bethlehem, in fact, literally translates to “house of bread”. Bethlehem is thus a reference to the constellation Virgo, a place in the sky, not on Earth.
There is another very interesting phenomenon that occurs around December 25th, or the winter solstice. From the summer solstice to the winter solstice, the days become shorter and colder. From the perspective of the northern hemisphere, the sun appears to move south and get smaller and more scarce. The shortening of the days and the expiration of the crops when approaching the winter solstice symbolized the process of death to the ancients. It was the death of the Sun. By December 22nd, the Sun’s demise was fully realized, for the Sun, having moved south continually for 6 months, makes it to it’s lowest point in the sky. Here a curious thing occurs: the Sun stops moving south, at least perceivably, for 3 days. During this 3 day pause, the Sun resides in the vicinity of the Southern Cross, or Crux, constellation. And after this time on December 25th, the Sun moves 1 degree, this time north, foreshadowing longer days, warmth, and Spring. And thus it was said: the Sun died on the cross, was dead for 3 days, only to be resurrected or born again. This is why Jesus and numerous other Sun Gods share the crucifixion, 3-day death, and resurrection concept. It is the Sun’s transition period before it shifts its direction back into the Northern Hemisphere, bringing Spring, and thus salvation.
However, they did not celebrate the resurrection of the Sun until the spring equinox, or Easter. This is because at the spring equinox, the Sun officially overpowers the evildarkness, as daytime thereafter becomes longer in duration than night, and the revitalizing conditions of spring emerge.
Now, probably the most obvious of all the astrological symbolism around Jesus regards the 12 disciples. They are simply the 12 constellations of the Zodiac, which Jesus, being the Sun, travels about with.
[Jesus in Zodiac – 11th century a.d.]
In fact, the number 12 is replete throughout the Bible. This text has more to do with astrology than anything else.
Coming back to the cross of the Zodiac, the figurative life of the Sun, this was not just an artistic expression or tool to track the Sun’s movements. It was also a Pagan spiritual symbol, the shorthand of which looked like this. This is not a symbol of Christianity. It is a Pagan adaptation of the cross of the Zodiac. This is why Jesus in early occult art is always shown with his head on the cross, for Jesus is the Sun, the Sun of God, the Light of the World, the Risen Savior, who will “come again,” as it does every morning, the Glory of God who defends against the works of darkness, as he is “born again” every morning, and can be seen “coming in the clouds,” “up in Heaven,” with his “Crown of Thorns,” or, sun rays.
Now, of the many astrological-astronomical metaphors in the Bible, one of the most important has to do with the ages. Throughout the scripture there are numerous references to the “Age.” In order to understand this, we need to be familiar with the phenomenon known as the precession of the equinoxes. The ancient Egyptians along with cultures long before them recognized that approximately every 2150 years the sunrise on the morning of the spring equinox would occur at a different sign of the Zodiac. This has to do with a slow angular wobble that the Earth maintains as it rotates on it’s axis. It is called a precession because the constellations go backwards, rather than through the normal yearly cycle. The amount of time that it takes for the precession to go through all 12 signs is roughly 25,765 years. This is also called the “Great Year,” and ancient societies were very aware of this. They referred to each 2150 year period as an “age.” From 4300 b.c. to 2150 b.c., it was the Age of Taurus, the Bull. From 2150 b.c. to 1 a.d., it was the Age of Aries, the Ram, and from 1 a.d. to 2150 a.d. it is the Age of Pisces, the age we are still in to this day, and in and around 2150, we will enter the new age: the Age of Aquarius.
Now, the Bible reflects, broadly speaking, a symbolic movement through 3 ages, while foreshadowing a 4th. In the Old Testament when Moses comes down Mount Sinai with the 10 Commandments, he is very upset to see his people worshiping a golden bull calf. In fact, he shattered the stone tablets and instructed his people to kill each other in order to purify themselves. Most Biblical scholars would attribute this anger to the fact that the Israelites were worshiping a false idol, or something to that effect. The reality is that the golden bull is Taurus the Bull, and Moses represents the new Age of Aries the Ram. This is why Jews even today still blow the Ram’s horn. Moses represents the new Age of Aries, and upon the new age, everyone must shed the old age. Other deities mark these transitions as well, a pre-Christian god who kills the bull, in the same symbology.
Now Jesus is the figure who ushers in the age following Aries, the Age of Pisces the Two Fish. Fish symbolism is very abundant in the New Testament, as Jesus is known as the Great Fisherman, he feeds 5000 people with bread and “2 fish.” When he begins his ministry walking along Galilei, he befriends 2 fisherman, who follow him. The Pope’s Miter or hat is incontrovertibly a fish-head, representing Pisces. And I think we’ve all seen the Jesus-fish on the backs of people’s cars. Little do they know what it actually means. It is a Pagan astrological symbolism for the Sun’s Kingdom during the Age of Pisces. Also, Jesus’ assumed birth date is essentially the start of this age.
At Luke 22:10 when Jesus is asked by his disciples where the next passover will be after he is gone, Jesus replied: “Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you bearing a pitcher of water… follow him into the house where he entereth in.” This scripture is by far one of the most revealing of all the astrological references. The man bearing a pitcher of water is Aquarius, the water-bearer, who is always pictured as a man pouring out a pitcher of water. He represents the age after Pisces, and when the Sun (God’s Sun) leaves the Age of Pisces (Jesus), it will go into the House of Aquarius, as Aquarius follows Pisces in the precession of the equinoxes. Also Jesus is saying is that after the Age of Pisces will come the Age of Aquarius.
Now, we have all heard about the end times and the end of the world. Apart from the cartoonish depictions in the Book of Revelation, the main source of this idea comes from Matthew 28:20, where Jesus says “I will be with you even to the end of the world.” However, in King James Version, “world” is a mistranslation, among many mistranslations. The actual word being used is “aeon”, which means “age.” “I will be with you even to the end of the age.” Which is true, as Jesus’ Solar Piscean personification will end when the Sun enters the Age of Aquarius. The entire concept of end times and the end of the world is a misinterpreted astrological allegory. Let’s tell that to the approximately 100 million people in America who believe the end of the world is coming.
Furthermore, the character of Jesus, a literary and astrological hybrid, is most explicitly a plagiarization of the Egyptian Sun-god Horus. For example, inscribed about 3500 years, on the walls of the Temple of Luxor in Egypt are images of the enunciation, the immaculate conception, the birth, and the adoration of Horus. The images begin with Thaw announcing to the virgin Isis that she will conceive Horus, then Nef the holy ghost impregnating the virgin, and then the virgin birth and the adoration. This is exactly the story of Jesus’ miracle conception. In fact, the literary similarities between Horus and Jesus are staggering.
And the plagiarism is continuous. The story of Noah and Noah’s Ark is taken directly from tradition. The concept of a Great Flood is ubiquitous throughout the ancient world, with over 200 different cited claims in different periods and times. However, one need look no further for a pre-Christian source than the Epic of Gilgamesh, written in 2600 b.c. This story talks of a Great Flood commanded by God, an Ark with saved animals upon it, and even the release and return of a dove, all held in common with the biblical story, among many other similarities.
And then there is the plagiarized story of Moses. Upon Moses’ birth, it is said that he was placed in a reed basket and set adrift in a river in order to avoid infanticide. He was later rescued by a daughter of royalty and raised by her as a Prince. This baby in a basket story was lifted directly from the myth of Sargon of Akkad of around 2250 b.c. Sargon was born, placed in a reed basket in order to avoid infanticide, and set adrift in a river. He was in turn rescued and raised by Akki, a royal mid-wife.
Furthermore, Moses is known as the Law Giver, the giver of the Ten Commandments, the Mosaic Law. However, the idea of a Law being passed from God to a prophet on a mountain is also a very old motif. Moses is just a law giver in a long line of law givers in mythological history. In India, Manou was the great law giver. In Crete, Minos ascended Mount Dicta, where Zeus gave him the sacred laws. While in Egypt there was Mises, who carried stone tablets and upon them the laws of god were written.
And as far as the Ten Commandments, they are taken outright from Spell 125 of the Egyptian Book of the Dead. What the Book of the Dead phrased “I have not stolen” became “Thou shall not steal,” “I have not killed” became “Thou shall not kill,” “I have not told lies” became “Thou shall not bare false witness” and so forth. In fact, the Egyptian religion is likely the primary foundational basis for the Judeo-Christian theology. Baptism, afterlife, final judgment, virgin birth and resurrection, crucifixion, the ark of the covenant, circumcision, saviors, holy communion, the great flood, Easter, Christmas, Passover, and many many more, are all attributes of Egyptian ideas, long created in Christianity and Judaism.
Justin Martyr, one of the first Christian historians and defenders, wrote: “When we say that he, Jesus Christ, our teacher, was produced without sexual union, was crucified and died, and rose again, and ascended into Heaven, we propound nothing different from what you believe regarding those who you esteem Sons of Jupiter.” In a different writing, Justin Martyr said “He was born of a virgin, accept this in common with what you believe of Perseus.” It’s obvious that Justin and other early Christians knew how similar Christianity was to the Pagan religions. However, Justin had a solution. As far as he was concerned, the Devil did it. The Devil had the foresight to come before Christ, and create these characteristics in the Pagan world.
Fundamentalist Christianity, fascinating. These people actually believe the World is 12,000 years old. I actually asked one of these guys: “Ok, dinosaur fossils?” He says: “Dinosaur fossils? God put those there to test our faith!” …”I think God put you here to test my faith dude!”
[Which way to the Ark?]
The Bible is nothing more than an astro-theological literary fold hybrid, just like nearly all religious myths before it. In fact, the aspect of transference, of one character’s attributes to a new character, can be found within the book itself. In the Old Testament there’s the story of Joseph. Joseph was a prototype for Jesus. Joseph was born of a miracle birth, Jesus was born of a miracle birth. Joseph was of 12 brothers, Jesus had 12 disciples. Joseph was sold for 20 pieces of silver, Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of silver. Brother “Judah” suggests the sale of Joseph, disciple “Judas” suggests the sale of Jesus. Joseph began his work at the age of 30, Jesus began his work at the age of 30. The parallels go on and on.
Furthermore, is there any non-Biblical historical evidence of any person, living with the name Jesus, the Son of Mary, who traveled about with 12 followers, healing people and the like? There are numerous historians who lived in and around the Mediterranean either during or soon after the assumed life of Jesus. How many of these historians document this figure? Not one. However, to be fair, that doesn’t mean defenders of the Historical Jesus haven’t claimed the contrary. Four historians are typically referenced to justify Jesus’s existence. Pliny the younger, Suetonius, Tacitus and the first three. Each one of their entries consists of only a few sentences at best and only refer to the Christus or the Christ, which in fact is not name but a title. It means the “Anointed one” The fourth source is Josephus and this source has been proven to be a forgery for hundreds of years. Sadly, it is still sited as truth.
You would think that a guy who rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven for all eyes to see and performed the wealth of miracles acclaimed to him would have made it into the historical record. It didn’t because once the evidence is weighed, there are very high odds that the figure known as Jesus, did not even exist.
[“The Christian religion is a parody on the worship of the sun, in which they put a man called Christ in the place of the sun, and pay him the adoration originally paid to the sun.”]
We don’t want to be unkind, but we want to be factual. We don’t want to cause hurt feelings, but we want to be academically correct, in what we understand and know to be true. Christianity just is not based on the truth. We find that Christianity was in fact nothing more than a Roman story, developed politically.
The reality is, Jesus was the Solar Deity of the Gnostic Christian sect, and like all other Pagan gods, he was a mythical figure. It was the political establishment that sought to historize the Jesus figurefor social control. By 325 a.d. in Rome, emperor Constantine convened the Council of Nicea. It was during this meeting that the politically motivated Christian Doctrines were established and thus began a long history of Christian bloodshed and spiritual fraud. And for the next 1600 years, the Vatican maintained a political stranglehold on all of Europe, leading to such joyous periods as the Dark Ages, along with enlightening events such as the Crusades, and the Inquisition.
Christianity, along with all other theistic belief systems, is the fraud of the age. It served to detach the species from the natural world, and likewise, each other. It supports blind submission to authority.
[“Religion can never reform mankind because religion is slavery.”]
It reduces human responsibility to the effect that “God” controls everything, and in turn awful crimes can be justified in the name of Divine Pursuit. And most importantly, it empowers those who know the truth but use the myth to manipulate and control societies. The religious myth is the most powerful device ever created, and serves as the psychological soil upon which other myths can flourish.
A myth is an idea that, while widely believed, is false. In a deeper sense, in the religious sense, a myth serves as an orienting and mobilizing story for people. The focus is not on the story’s relation to reality, but on it’s function. A story cannot function unless it is believed to be true in the community or the nation. It is not a matter of debate that some people have the bad taste to raise the question of the truth of the sacred story. The keepers of the faith won’t enter into debate with them. They ignore them or denounce them as blasphemers.
Badir,
It looks like you have a playmate! You two should facebook each other.
Alan
Geezzz, how did you get the Dutchi before I got it, I asked for it first, you all skipped me! Please pass the Dutchi back to the right hand side….
Utter gibberish!
For an opener, explain this 25 December voodoo again taking into account the shift from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar.
To the above author, “anybody who….”, THANKS for stating the FACTS. Much appreciated. A very insightful look into standard Christian beliefs. Many would rather blindlessly follow what others insist they must believe (faith), instead of investigating the truth about religion(s). Anyone else wonder what “Secrets of the Church” the new Popes must vow to keep when elected? Should ANY religion keep ANY secrets from their followers? If so, WHY? Hiding fallacies are we? Also remember, your individual beliefs have more to do with where on this earth you were born than anything else. You most likely adopted the religion of your region. Mind control (now that’s obvious!), money and power = religion. Learned the truth…Thumbs up. Blindly follow…Thumbs down.
Miller! For the love of Mithras! Please, next time, break down your monolithic slab of words into bite-sized paragraphs. They were invented for a very good reason. Nice article though.
LOL, apologies; it was the official transcripts taken from the documentary. I didnt want to edit the document and water it down. it was a bit lengthy though
Also Miller, there are many inaccuracies in the account you quoted. Just one example, you state that the reference to Jesus to be found in the writings of Josephus, was proved to be false centuries ago, and that there are no contemporaneous references elswhere.
Well, this is not exactly true. Yes, some historians do believe the the entire paragraph in Josephus’s Jewish history was added by Christian revisionists, because of the way it doesn’t seem quite to fit in to the text that precedes it. Others believe that the original refence was simply added to, specifically the part where Josephus writes, when referring to Christ, ‘…if indeed he was a man.’ It is sensibly thought that Josephus, himself a Jew, would never have used those words, even had he considered Jesus to be a holy man. The idea that Jesus was the divine Son of God was not officially endorsed until the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, when all of Christendom’s bishops were convened by Constantine and ordered to come up with a unified view of their faith. The minutiae of the arguments make fascinating reading! Those who cooperated and voted for the final document were invited to stay on for a really good party, whereas those who refused to sign were sent home with their tails between their legs.
This council was partly in response to various provocative ‘heresies’ that were threatening mainstream Christianity at the time, and was therefore a purely political act. It would have surprised those bishops to learn that their agreed doctrines would survive intact to the present day.This was ensured, of course,when Constantine adopted Christianity as the official Roman sate religion, though he did keep his own god, Sol Invictus, as a backup, just in case. He also had his mother boiled alive in her bath, so much for brotherly love. Another interesting consideration is that Roman Emperors were quite comfortable with the idea they would be elevated to become minor gods after death, so for Constantine to regard Jesus as just another god, was quite natural to him, really
Tacitus, as far as I know, doesn’t refer to Jesus himself, but he does refer to a ‘sect of Christians living in Rome’. The article you quote is far too simplistic and dogmatic in its statements, but it certainly contains a very interesting view of the Christian religion.
There is one point I have always found interesting, which derives from Jesus’s Jewishness. The Church found this realization rather shocking when Geza Vermes, the Jewish biblical scholar, made a thing of it in the 70’s, and yet the fact is obvious and indisputable. As a Jew, Jesus, by his own words, came,"… not to change one jot of the Law," meaning the Jewish Law of course. As a Jew, it would have been impossible for him to have regarded himself as divine. Had he suggested that he was really God, he would have been written off as mad. He saw himself as the appointed ambassador of God, of his Father in heaven, and the Father of the Jewish people, the God of the Old Testament. Every part of the New Testament suggests that Jesus’s most urgent mission was to gather everyone he could to prepare them for the incipient coming of the new Kingdom of God on earth. That is why he urges people to drop what they are doing and to follow him. There was no time to lose.
There is nothing in the New Testament to suggest that Jesus intended to found a religion with himself at the godhead, with retinues of cardinals, bishops and priests on earth, headed up by a pope, to conduct his affairs on earth forever, or at least until his return. Were Jesus able to see Christianity now, he wouldn’t recognize it as having much to with his original mission. Anyhow, the fact is he hasn’t yet returned, and I for one am not holding my breath.
Oh, and another thing Mr Miller, most of your facts from Zeitgeist are not facts at all. Try a little cross-referencing. Here’s a start from Wiki:
Thus, the comparison with other gods who die and are resurrected may be used to establish the status of a "mythic universal", but it is hardly sufficient to establish mutual influence.
Self-taught amateur Egyptologist Gerald Massey argued that the deity of Horus and Jesus shared identical mythological origins in his 1907 book Ancient Egypt, the light of the world. His views have been repeated by theologian and Toronto Star columnist Tom Harpur, author Acharya S, and political comedian Bill Maher. Theologian W. Ward Gasque composed an e-mail to twenty leading Egyptologists, including Professor Emeritus of Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, Kenneth Kitchen, and Professor of Egyptology at the University of Toronto, Ron Leprohan. The e-mail detailed the comparisons alleged by Massey which had been repeated by Harpur. The scholars wereunanimous in dismissing any similarities suggested by Massey, and one Egyptologist criticized the comparison as "fringe nonsense."
Among the comparanda, observation of mere mythic universals or "archetypes" needs to be distinguished from claims of historical influence, or common historical origin. Only when features can be shown to be parallel in highly specific detail can a common origin be assumed. Otherwise, there is a danger of ‘parallelomania’, as Samuel Sandmel (1962) calls it, the excessive and superficial identification of what are really archetypes.
Thus, the comparison with other gods who die and are resurrected may be used to establish the status of a "mythic universal", but it is hardly sufficient to establish mutual influence.
Another piece of demonstrable nonsense the film contained was the notion that the death of Jesus on the cross was a reference to the ‘death’ of the sun at the midwinter, when at its most southerly position on the horizon it dies on the five stars of the Southern Cross. A schoolboy’s knowledge of astronomy shows that the tilt of the Earth of 23.5% on its axis produces, at European latitudes, a swing to the south of about 30% at Winter Solstice. This is about 60 degrees away from the Southern Cross, which is due south. ‘Zeitgeist’ admixes just enough fact with the unadulterated tripe to pass by the uncritical viewer. Sorry, but I couildn’t let you get away passing this of as "The Facts". "Ffactoids", perhaps .
“A schoolboy’s knowledge of astronomy shows that the tilt of the Earth of 23.5% on its axis produces, at European latitudes, a swing to the south of about 30% at Winter Solstice. This is about 60 degrees away from the Southern Cross, which is due south”
A schoolboys knowledge of astronomy would know this? I’m glad I went to school when all we needed to know where the names of the planets.
I’ve just saved this posting on Word, spellchecked it, and broken it into paragraphs based on length of passage! That makes it readable – and it really is worth making the effort to read it. It’s important to know the falsity that lives in all formal religions. Priests always make their gods in their own image – or at least the image they feel most comfortable with. Manipulation is the name of the game.
Mr Miller – do us all a favour please (and yourself) and break your postings into paras. Why wouldn’t you do that? All you need to do is hit the Enter key once in a while!
I did it in a haste, but thanks for the suggestion
it’s irresponsible to dismiss Badir out of hand for his strong belief in his particular faith, but its equally irresponsible of people to accept the teachings of a grossly-erroneous ancient book as fact.
and then to ignore the very obvious fact that so many other religions exist, many of which are extremely different to eachother, which kind of negates the possibility that any of them are correct
its all completely crazy.
granted, its really scary that the evidence weighs hugely in favor of this entire world being simply a total fluke of science and physics…thats terrifying for sure…..but its far more believable than the very unlikely possibility that there is a supernatural force controlling the whole thing……i mean, imagine if the story of jesus was never invented, and today i announced to the world that i’m setting up a new club where i’m going to worship a man who is his own father and spirit, and then i’m going to kill him, and then he’ll raise again….and i’ll eat bread in symbolic gestures of his body and we’re all going to follow him because he’s told me that i’m here to suffer and beg for forgiveness from his dad (who’s also him) to be accepted into another world in spiritual form…and oh, dont think about anything naughty or bad because his dad (who’s also him) can hear me…along with you, at all times….and he’s such a nice man that he’s going to give loads of us cancer and create huge earthquakes and other awful stuff….er, you’d lock me up (and i have not even mentioned the 72 virgins that his mate is offering to the guys out East)….
utter nonsense
its also truly bizarre that in this day and age we live in a world where religion is so influential over the state….its wrong and should be very separate….religion should be personal, and if you find other persons with similar beliefs, hang out with them, but dont force it upon the rest…like here in cayman…shops close on sundays, bars close midnight on saturdays…..we all shut down on Ash Wednesday…..why? just let those who practise their faith on those days, take it off to worship……stop interfering and peddling what is basically fear…….if you want to believe, then believe, thats awesome….but dont dismiss those that dont believe, and dont force it upon others
truly, the burden of proof is on religious followers to show evidence of existence….not the other way around…..to simply say “its in the book, He is all powerful and the creator and He was in the beginning”….er, have you really read what you follow? Not even JohnGrisham could come up with it
"imagine if the story of jesus was never invented, and today i announced to the world that i’m setting up a new club where i’m going to worship a man who is his own father and spirit, and then i’m going to kill him, and then he’ll raise again…."
you would fail to capture anyone’s attention, and your story would die with you.
but for some strange reason the Jesus phenomenon has stuck around, and that fact alone (apart from all faith) is historically amazing, and phenomenal.
Not really. Buddhism, Judaism and Taoism, to name but 3, are all older than the Jesus story.
Well (‘Mr. It’s irresponsible to dismiss),’ L. Ron Hubbard, the failed science fiction writer, stated that he would found a belief system based on evil spirits hanging out around a volcano, spirits that were looking find new homes by infecting us humans. He then created a belief system to eradicate these evil spirit-critters from our brains, a system that he designed to extract vast amounts on money from its adherents. Now this truly is wacko, and yet Scientologists thrive, with great intellects like Tom Cruise in the vanguard. If humans are capable of believing in Scientology, then the argument by Badir that the success of a religion can be measured by its survival, is clearly meaningless.
I agree that Scientology thrives and is wacko, but c’mon….
If Tom Cruise qualifies as a "great intellectual" in your mind, you need to get out more. And maybe read more. Just sayin’.
Why is it in these blogs that so many don’t seem to understand irony? Are irony and sarcasm exclusively English literary tools? Obviously, when I say," great intellectuals like Tom Cruise", I mean brain-dead suckers like Tom Cruise.
I think readers of these forum comments have simply become immune to irony, having assumed its presence in so many preposterous posts, only to find that the writer was, in fact, in deadly earnest!
It is not the Christian religion which is so out of touch Badir, it is the church hierarchy. A bumbling old man wearing a funny hat dictating morals to his followers? While numbers of his disciples molest young children? I have nothing against the Christian religion, although the book itself contains many questionable rituals and rather twisted outdated views. Christians, true Christians have my support because I firmly believe in Jesus and his teachings. But the book, and it’s interpretations was not of him. It was a fairy tale added to when convenient designed to perpetuate a patriarchal society of riches, greed, power, and lust. Therefore, do not take it literally, but instead follow your own godliness. The godliness contained in all of us. That is what the Buddha taught and Mohammed taught and Jah that is what Jesus was teaching.
I am frustrated at people stating that cool breeze, the rays of the sun and the birth of a childetc, are all “God’s” doing. These things have been taking place before man created “God”. how can we now attribute something that has been taking place for millions of years to a fictional character? This makes no sense at all. How can it be that whenever we experience an unexplainable spiritual feeling we automatically attribute it to God. The birth of a child is an amazing feeling that is second to none, but how does that factor in to a religious debate about the existence of God? How does that boost the argument in favor of a God? Someone please explain this to me. I’m assuming a response from Christians would be something to the tune of “then who else could have created something so precious”. or “how could it not have been God”. My fellow Caymanians please understand that the fundamental religions that contributed to the colonialism of Caymanians are severely flawed and inhumanely destructive. No longer can you rely on a personal unexplained feeling as proof of the existence of God. That is a kindergarten argument in a debate amongst ivy league minds. The debate has progressed past personal feelings; and when pressed for logical and rational answers, religion resorts back to unexplained feelings that are falsely attributed to God. The religious debate can only go so far due to religion running out of valid points. The debate quickly turns into a lecture as one cannot debate amongst himself
Everybody knows about Hans and Gretel, but that does not mean they exist.
There are many different religions in the world, that on itself proofs that they are all wrong.
Ordinary people need religion to give life a meaning.
Politicians need religion to start wars and enrich themselves.
First make a compelling case that your god even exists. Then we’ll talk about all this other stuff, Badir.
"God exists!"
"He does not!"
"Does too!"
"Does not!"
"Does too!"
"Prove it!"
"You prove it!"
"You prove it first!"
"NO! You first!"
There, there, children! Trynot to get so worked up over something which neither of you can prove. Now go play together like nice girls and boys.
Whew! Thank God, peace at last!
"Waaaahh! He still did not prove it!"
Oh, no! Not again!
But, but, but, its easier to prove something exists, if in fact it does. You can’t prove the non-existence of something that doesn’t exist….thats a logical fallacy, or so I’m told.
Since things are known to man only by man’s senses, if there is no sensory data to be had then there is no thing to be know by the man. It follows that the complete absense of evidence for the existence of god stands as a complete proof that, so far as may be known to man, god does not exist.
An example: if you take away every bit of the sensory data telling you about an apple on your table, there is no apple on your table. To suggest that there is an apple there, notwithstanding the complete absence of any evidence of an apple, is not actually a logical fallacy. It is in fact a delusional belief.
If "The value of any religion is how it stands the test of time" then Christianity does not seem to be fairing very well these days. Christianity’s growth rate has lagged that of the world’s population. (Meaning that Christianity is a dwindling religion.) Islam of late has been outpacing world population growth. Many impartial secular analysts predict that Islam will exceed Christianity in actual numbers within the next decade or two. So what does this say of the relative value of either? You be the judge Awe. Fundamentalists will say this is part of the "falling away". (So it was not a "falling away" when the Church was maiming, burning, murdering and torturing in the name of God?)
I am a believer, too, but I am also a pragmatist and a lover of truth. I will take a pass on revisionist religious history spewed by some rabid, money-begging, disgustingly dogmatic, denominational Bible-thumper, who ends each sentence in a breathless "ah". Just give me the truth. (You know, the whole-ah truth-ah, Hal-lah-lu-yah!)
Ahem… If we take an impartial glance at history it is clear that the growth of Christianity was no miracle. If given the choice between being dismembered, disemboweled, and burned – or professing belief while they tear off my thumbs – the choice is a no-brainer. A great deal of the Church’sgrowth had much more to do with violent coercion, and the potential proselyte’s desire not to have any important body parts charred off, than love.
Is the historical age of the religion an indicator? If so, Christianity is a mere infant compared to Hinduism and several other major belief systems that have been around far longer. (And whose numbers remain stable)
Ok Badir, you say "…it is Christianity which shows the greatest ability of any religion to conform to the 21st century" – but you give no substantiation. I find it telling that in your rather progressive sounding expressions of faith I see more in common with certain precepts of the Unification Church (aka “Moonies") and Hinduism’s all-embracing inclusive-ness than the archaic and oppressive brands of Christianity adhered to by the majority of Cayman’s churches. Shazaam! This may be the key to what you are trying to get across! In "revising" grandma’s dusty old-fashioned Christianity and re-branding it to fit today’s world, you might have very cleverly substantiated Christianity’s ability to be adapted to fit a modern person’s needs for a faith that fits. Very interesting indeed!
I will not pretend for a second that I completely understand the Christian Religion; I do not. I am willing though, to have an open mind and explore all possibilities and listen to all positions on religion, but I must admit that this article was quite the stretch for me. Since their existence Christianity has applied various tactics to convert people to their particular religion. Christians can no longer use the promise of death to force a person to convert to their religion; instead they have employed the very useful and practical tools of persuasion as a means to convert the “non-believers”. Unsubstantiated and groundless promises of a rewarding afterlife, accepted doctrine in the school systems, emphasis and focus on human emotions have all been proven to be useful tools in converting people to religion. Christianity does an amazing job of creating the worldwide acceptance of God. Very few people actually have the ability to choose whether or not they believe in God. I am assuming that a large percentage of our population have been baptized at a very early age, raised by parents who believes in God, educated in school systems that accepts this belief, peered with others who subconsciously or consciously accepts his existence. The acceptance of a belief on a developing mind will enable people to accept that belief; and find it hard to break away from those beliefs even in the presence of logical more factual arguments. In a way Christianity and the system that they have created has planted an idea in our brains. In more dramatic terms I refer to the movie inception. Where I our free will that Christians like to boast about. Where is the ability to think for myself? Human beings are being persuaded and influenced by a variety of entities not just the religious entity.
As the bible grows old and more and more people start to become aware of the myriad of flaws in the texts, Christianity is now in a struggle to prove its relevance to an ever-changing world. The acceptance of “God” as a premise for an argument no longer carries the same amount of weight and many Christians are stretching to stay true to their fundamental beliefs. As I read this article I see a person who was bred, raised and educated on the Christian principles. I also see a person who is struggling to promote his religion by creating relevance. If Christianity continues to struggle and they continue to reach for these sorts of explanations, they run the risk of becoming more delusional than they already appear to be. I see Christianity much the same way as I see people who are faced with the reality that causes them a severe amount of stress. As reality might be too painful to accept, the body’s defense mechanisms take over and the body employs a lot of tactics to keep it from perceived harmful effects. One of these main forms of defense when faced with a truth that is possibly too painful to accept is denial. The more we employ denial as a defense mechanism the more we run the risk of appearing delusional. But denial serves its purpose; denial enables us to cope with the stressful situation and allows us to buy time so we could formulate another defense mechanism, LIES. Christianity boast an enviable track record when it comes to lies and false promises (sarcasm). No longer can the church continue to exist under the current set of circumstances; like everything else, it too will die. The clock is ticking on the God delusion tick tock tick tock
Globalization is actually counterprocductive to Christianity as more and more people have access to factual based and more accurate information. No longer can angels and visions be accepted based on one persons claim. We do not have to accept the visions of Pope Leo 13th as truth; we have the ability to question, examine, assess and ask for proof. Let us not forget that it was the Christians who stated that the world was flat, it was the Christians whose egocentric self-centered way of being tried to deny the truth that the earth was not the center of the universe and it was the Christians who held unto the belief that God made the world in 7 days as long as they possibly could. What does it say about the Christian faith when the rock solid beliefs of Christianity is ever-changing to suit the times? Christianity is better off refraining from engaging in scientific explanations, they are better off leaving rational, logic based arguments to people who are more qualified than they are. Christianity is better off focusing on how to live as oppose to offering up answers for things in which they know nothing about. If Christianity really want to stay relevant in these times, they are better off speaking about what they actually know about.
Sooo my cellphone has a spirit? In that case I call for an exorcism! Or at least a discount with LIME.
There is no ‘guide’ that I have eevr read that is so full of hate and cruelty as the bible. Christians love to quote their favorite passages but completely ignore the parts that condone rape, slavery, the persecution of women etc. etc
(Deuteronomy 22:28-29 NLT) If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.
So according to the bible a rapist must marry the woman he rapes. What a disgusting lesson that is. This is just one of many, many odious, foul things that the "Good Book" instructs us on. The Koran is just as bad.
freedom of religion is fine but freedom FROM religion is something any rational, sane person strives for.
Anon 15:32 it is amazing how you can look in the Bible and see only hate when the Bible is also full of love. You are indeed a very close minded individual.
As for the writer of this article,your writing seems to be new age thoughts rather than what pure Christians tend to preach. There are many individuals that will look in the bible and settle their mind on one or two words and come up with an entirely new idea. My problem with that is that the Bible we see is an interpreted variety meaning that the thoughts of the writer is more than likely not fully captured.
You are right there is plenty about love too. Why don’t christians get together and remove all of the hate-filled passages?
Full of love you say.
“For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.” Exodus 31:15
-Soif I take the garbage out on Sunday, you have to KILL ME.
“Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword. And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the streetthereof, and shalt burn with fire the city…” Deuteronomy 13:13-16
-So you have to go and find all the towns of people who don’t believe in your god, and KILL THEM… and burn their stuff.
This is the loving god you are on about?
“All who curse their father or mother must be put to death.” – Leviticus 20:9
-Sorry junior that bad word you said means I’m going to have to KILL YOU….
And I hope you are nopt a woman… because:
“Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent.” – 1 Tim 2
And you better hope that I don’t buy you as a slave, because the bible supports that kind of thing you know…
“Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can will them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life.” – Leviticus 25:44
All that and you christians have to round up and KILL ALL the adulterers and gay folks around you (think of that next time you are boinking the neighbour)…
“If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife – with the wife of his neighbor – both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.” – Leviticus 20:10
“If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death.” – Leviticus 20:13
Does this include coveting a neighbours ox?
Is it still deemed wrong if the ox enjoyed it?
As a young child, I always thought it was "thou shalt not cow itch thy neighbour’s ass".
It all made sense back then.
Classic! Frickin’ hilarious!
…and if your son drinks your beer after you said not to, get your pals to STONE HIM TO DEATH:
“If someone has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father and mother, who does not heed them when they discipline him, then his father and his mother shall … say to the elders of his town, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of the town shall stone him to death.” – Deut 21
It may "also be full of love." But why also? Why is the hate there at all??
I didn’t read the article, though I’m sure if I believed in metaphysial beings and anti-science I would have loved it. I once read one of Badir’s articles, and I’m still waiting for those 2 brain cells to grow back. I’m not risking that kind of injury again.
Godisimaginary .com
Enough said.
Badir,
You write such detailed Viewpoints. But they tend to be premised on the existence of "God". I am not being facetious, please believe me here, but the one thing Christians tend to avoid is trying to make any case out for the existence of God. The jump straight in with how great God is without setting out any basis for proof other than "the Bible says so" which does not really work as method of proof.
Since I don’t yet have any concept of God this is a problem.
So for your next viewpoint, could you have a go at making out the case for the existence of God?
sign me up as well for a review of his ‘existence of god’ story….he can’t prove it, so he’ll ignore it and as you say, jump straight to the acceptance of the ‘good book’ as the be all and end all of any question as to gods existence….ask him this – if god created everything, who created god?
For a bunch of arguments look at http://www.godisimaginary (dot com). I’d like to see Badir deal with these arguments in a meaningful way.
Anon: 8:00 God has no creator because he is all powerful and in the beginning, he was also there. It is hard for human beings to accept this, because there is isn’t any ‘humanly’ proof that God exists. But, the next time you step outsite and feel the cool breeze against your face and you see the sun shining in the sky, ask your self, could man have made that? If you are a Father or Mother and have been able to experience the birth and development of your child in the womb and how miraculous the whole process is, remind yourself that God, created that whole process. It takes a lot of faith to believe in a being you can’t see, but wouldn’t you rather believe in something that has done so much good, than believe in nothing at all?
I’d rather believe in things for which there is evidence, rather than make up fake invisible people to be the answer to things I don’t yet have a full explanation for.
…and nobody said man created the earth, science describes well the process of the earth’s formation long, which was before man evolved on earth. But you’d rather use an invisible sky fairy instead of cosmology and evolution, right?
I’d rather believe nothing at all than fake a belief in what I know to be complete and utter hogwash.
http://godisimaginary .com/video2.htm. I dare you to watch it and come back with an explanation for all that.
No christian I know would even look at godisimaginary.com it is laid out so well that any rational person will see it as perfectly sensible. But any irrational, closed-minded person will not be comfortable with that – hence they won’t even look at it.
Hang on a minute. Firstly, what good are we talking about? Secondly, is there no other possible explanation for any of this good than an invisible man in the sky? Do you have some proof that allows you to attach all this good to your unprovable god?
And if you claim the good for God, are you not bound also to include the evil? (Yes, the devil is a convenient scapegoat, as is free will, but ultimately, isn’t God responsible for those too? Isn’t he meant to be more powerful than both in any case?) On which side of the scale would you put today’s catastrophic earthquake and tsumani? Punishment for evil doings? The devil’s work?
I doubt very much that every man, woman, child and animal who died in the wee hours of this morning deserved to die. Don’t you? Where was your god?
I’m with you. It all makes perfect sense once one tosses away all that childhood baggage foisted upon us by the old people and the church, and we grow to embrace reason and science, and come to understand that god is imaginary and that the bible is a repulsive bit of human fiction.
Science can explain these things you list. The bottom line of your argument is that it feels better to believe in god and god’s existence cannot be proved.
Well it feels better to belief in the tooth fairy than accept the rational explanation that one’s parents left the money. Should I still believe in the tooth fairy?
I suppose there is just as much evidence to support the existence of god as the tooth fairy.
I’m a God-fearing Caymanian Christian and this essay made no sense to me at all.
If there were a god, why would you be afraid of it? Is it dangerous or something?
God loves you to death sometimes by earthquakes.
Dear Badir…Please pass the Dutchi to the left hand side.
Badir, while there is a kernel of truth in your article in that Christianity teaches us to as far as possible be on good terms with all people as well as have a relationship with the Godhead, and that unity within the Body of Christ (i.e. believers) is one of our highest goals, nowhere does it teach that we must seek unity amongst all of humanity. In John 17 Jesus made it clear that the unity he was praying for was for those whom the Father had given him i.e. believers (whom the world hates), NOT for the world. We are warned that following Christ may bring divisions even in your own family (Matt. 10:32-37), that friendship with the world system is enmity with God (James 4:4), and that we should not be “yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial ? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” 17 “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 18 “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:14-18).
The Body of Christ is not at all what you suggest. It is the body of believers. We are specifically enjoined NOT to “conform” (your word) to the world (Romans 12:2), but to be salt and light to it even as our own minds are renewed. The unity you speak of is unattainable in this life and in any event undesirable from the perspective of a Christian.
Christianity is one of the most divisive religions I know! I can find love, unity, and tenets of globalization in all other faiths other than Christianity.
Christ came to save humanity full-stop.
"For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
and
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
If he came to save us, why does he want us to kill a majority of the population of the earth? (Meaning those that are not christian, and which the bible thus tells you christians that you have to murder.)
I don’t want to do a full stop after you spew your one-line sales pitch for religion – I want you to tell me why the bible orders you to kill people, and why you are not doing it if the “word of god” is contained in the bible and is “perfect”. Why, exactly, are younot killing the non-christians? Why are you not killing your cousin Jim-Bob Ebanks for having sex with his married neighbour?
It’s because you don’t really believe that klap-trap at all. That’s why
“That question remains to be answered, but my intent here was only to show people that the Christian religion is more relevant than they realize.” And I guess that sums up your 12 paragraph commentary. Wow… you must seriously be struggling to defend that “relevant” Christianity! lol…all that work to convert a no one! I almost fell asleep!
Paul, writing to the church in Ephesus, had the honor of revealing a mystery that had been kept secret by God for thousands of years. “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 3:6). The Chruch (that is the Body of believers who put their faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ) is here for a single purpose according to the Word of God. “His (God’s) intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eph 3:10-11
The Church is not here to make the world a better place, to end homelessness and save the environment. Rather believers are to unify in order to proclaim the gospel so that all men might believe and be saved from a promised eternity in hell. Unity is what the the Father wants but it is not to make earth our home. The Book of Revelation is clear that those who “dwell upon the earth,” will spend eternity in a place God has reserved for Lucifer and his demons. It is our assignment to tell the earth dwellers how to avoid that fate.
Blessings!
John
Why are white evangelical Christians the group least likely to support politicians or policies that reflect the actual teachings of Jesus?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phil-zuckerman/why-evangelicals-hate-jes_b_830237.html?view=print