Personal Development for Smart People^TM Forums

carenkh · 03-01-2007, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Narz

Mary was a cheating skank most likely.

Ouch. That's not the feeling I get when I talk to her... but, you know, it was a long time ago. Maybe it's part of her wild past.

Narz · 03-01-2007, 05:36 PM

You talk to her?

How's she doing?

Has she had sex yet?

Tell her to give a shoutout to my man Chris Young up there.

Michael Chui · 03-01-2007, 10:09 PM

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Originally Posted by Narz

Has she had sex yet?

Duh. Where did you think Jesus' brothers came from?

Antiventurecapital · 03-01-2007, 10:42 PM

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Originally Posted by Angela

maverickstruth, you will have many da vinci code fans crying in their coffee today. although it's sold in the fiction section, I'm amazed at the number of people who read it as historical.

Even more people read the bible as a historical record.

JMan · 03-02-2007, 01:04 AM

One can choose:

Seeing is Believing

or

Believing is Seeing

Antiventurecapital · 03-02-2007, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMan

One can choose:

Believing is Seeing

This is not the smart way to go through life. The list of conmen waiting to fleece you of your money is endless: Falwell, Robertson, Swaggart, Haggard, Hinn, Roberts, etc.

The wise man has a healthy dose of skepticism.

Liara Covert · 03-02-2007, 01:49 AM

Hi Antiventurecapital,

I'm curious, what kinds of things do you believe in that cause you to lower your skepticism thermometer?

zen · 03-02-2007, 04:22 AM

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.'

That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell.

You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.

But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, pp. 55-56

Antiventurecapital · 03-02-2007, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zen

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.'

That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell.

You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.

But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, pp. 55-56

C.L. Lewis isn't an objective source. You might as well quote the pope.

Here's a great read: Jesus Without the Magic.

Antiventurecapital · 03-02-2007, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zen

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.'

Here's the interesting question: did he ever really claim to be the Son of God in the literal sense or was he just saying it in the general sense that we are all sons and daughters of god? There's a big ongoing debate about how to interpret some of his statements.

I'm surprised that Lewis didn't know this.

Lallymac · 03-02-2007, 10:10 AM

Maybe Mary was starseeded! It wouldn't have been the first time.
Hmm that reminds me of a story....
Lallymac

Lallymac · 03-02-2007, 10:23 AM

Morals are judgements. I have no doubt that intelligence exists on these boards but take a look out your window. Take a look at nature and the world we live in. Try to imagine for a minute, the intelligence behind the amazing eco system we live within. Then look out to the universe and how little we actually know about what exists beyond this very small planet. Do you honestly think for a minute that that same mind would be preoccupied with who we shag or whether we went to church on Sunday or any of the other infinitely insane judgements that occur in the simplistic mind of man? Do you honestly think that the same mind capable of such creation, would make some of the judgements proclaimed in some of our religious scriptures? Or does it make more logical, reasonable sense that these irrational judgements were made by man. The truth lies all around us but we have step outside our own primitive minds to see it.
Lallymac

jacmac1 · 03-02-2007, 11:20 AM

I find an interesting phenomenon happens when people have religious debates.

Some people both quote the bible literally and also reinterpret the bible at the same time.

For example, some Christians' will proclaim Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior - they take the verses that tell them to do so literally and they're very serious about it.

But the verse about pre-marital sex, well -- they play fast and loose with it, or they do anything but the actual intercourse and not call it sex

Quote:

The truth lies all around us but we have step outside our own primitive minds to see it.

There is an eternal truth that transcends all debates about religious beliefs, that can be found in every religious faith w/o question.

It has nothing to do with whether Jesus was literally born to a sexually virgin Mary or a pure in heart virgin Mary or whatever else our "intelligent" minds can think of - and we can certainly think of alot.

There is so much we do not understand and know. Jesus very clearly told his disciples that no man is above is servant, that the servant is just as his master, that is why he washed his disciples feet, as an example.

Hevery clearly said why do you call me father, there is only one father, up in heaven yet the Catholic faith routinely calls their preists "Father".

He very cleary said that if we have the faith the size of a grain of mustard seeds we can move mountains.

Matthew 17:20 And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.

LoA. He was turning water into wine and multiplying bread into fish, but he said if we have the littlest of faith we can move mountains.

Who Is Greatest
Luke 22:24And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest.

25And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called 'Benefactors.'

26"But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant.

27"For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

He very cleary said we are all connected, all the same, all his brothers and sisters and children of God.

So why the distinction?

I think that is manmade, a creation of our fearful minds. We want to be different (sometimes better

) because our egos want that. To see the similarities in our thinking and our beliefs makes us feel as if we are losing ourselves; that's my opinion.

It is as someone else said here on the board yesterday, we identify our ideas with our very selves. We think we are them and when they are challenged we fight to the death.

I believe in Christ, I'm a follower of Christ, and when one says that, what do they mean?

When you "believe" in someone, you want to be like them!

Christ clearly said that is the ultimate goal, to be like Him.

Angela · 03-02-2007, 02:35 PM

Janlee, I understand you are passionate about your beliefs, but I gotta tell you, when someone posts quotes from the bible, especially in huge font, I tune right out -- you lose me. I don't think I'm alone in that. I very much appreciate your own thoughts, though.

Love,
Angela

Antiventurecapital · 03-02-2007, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angela

Janlee, I understand you are passionate about your beliefs, but I gotta tell you, when someone posts quotes from the bible, especially in huge font, I tune right out -- you lose me. I don't think I'm alone in that. I very much appreciate your own thoughts, though.

Love,
Angela

Got to agree.

It's like having someone try to persuade you that Lord of the Rings is about an actual place and people. When you tell them you don't believe it, they respond with quotes from LOTR which describe Middle Earth and Hobbits as being real.

It doesn't work.

Michael Chui · 03-03-2007, 07:18 PM

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