As far as the Bible goes, no-one would believe these fantastical stories if they hadn't been born into a world full of people who already believed the same thing.
If a Jew, Christian or Muslim woke up tomorrow and found himself in a world where there were no other believers, how soon would it be before they became too embarrassed to admit…
As far as the Bible goes, no-one would believe these fantastical stories if they hadn't been born into a world full of people who already believed the same thing.
If a Jew, Christian or Muslim woke up tomorrow and found himself in a world where there were no other believers, how soon would it be before they became too embarrassed to admit to believing in such things as flying horses and talking snakes?
They'd rightly be thought insane.
The Bible was written from multiple sources.
But a political dynasty oversaw the compiling and editing of those sources at the Council of Nicaea.
That there was power and wealth to be derived from consolidating the fables into a single book calls it into question. Motivation was huge to mislead and deceive.
Also, the Romans at the time of Jesus, were meticulous record keepers. Historians and archaeologists have unearthed huge amounts of text written at that time. There is not one mention of anybody resembling Jesus, his healing magic, his supposed talents and powers, or his trial and crucifixion in any official Roman record.
The Bible is at best a compilation of previous Pagan mythology.
Why does it bother you so for some to profess a belief and then to be an absolute ass about it?
Let them believe smile nod and go along with what little in your life is purpose.
There belief does not affect your life one bit.
Its not like they are trying to ram carbon and vat taxes down your throat and destroy your way of life.
Or does them professing their belief make you realize how hollow your own life really is or is it some personal pass time that others would say is engaging in immoral behavior?
Well, there was Tacitus. And Josephus. And some other guy.
Sure, Tacitus wrote about Jesus and his trial and conviction via Pilate about 80-100 years afterward, so of course he would have never met Jesus in person. But then, he wouldn't have met Tiberius or Pilate in person either, and he wrote about them with the same surety.
As for the rest of your comment(s) on the subject, hard to argue. I'd just mention that no one (not one, ever) actually knows what the hell took place in lifetimes lived before us. But it doesn't mean accounts that are passed down are all untrue.
e.g. We had lizards roaming the earth at one time. Hey - the bones keep turning up. But no matter the science put into proving this or that about them, no one actually knows anything about them, how they lived, or when. Carbon dating is as flawed as the Council of Nicaea. And no one today professes to believe in dragons (that's all myth!), but we clearly had ginormous freaking lizards walking and flying at some point. So...in many ways, almost all archeology and history is a guessing game and a puzzle to be sorted by how each of us sees the world and trusts historical accounts, and the tools we have available to us when looking at it.
Letters from Pilate have been discovered, written to Tiberias, discussing his unease with the Jesus phenomenon in Judea. Lucanus, a Greek physician was a biographer of Jesus, along with John Mark. Both never knew or met Jesus, yet wrote biographies of his ministry that closely paralleled Matthew and John. Josephus followed closely behind.
Non-believers refuse to believe in anything bigger than themselves.
As far as the Bible goes, no-one would believe these fantastical stories if they hadn't been born into a world full of people who already believed the same thing.
If a Jew, Christian or Muslim woke up tomorrow and found himself in a world where there were no other believers, how soon would it be before they became too embarrassed to admit to believing in such things as flying horses and talking snakes?
They'd rightly be thought insane.
The Bible was written from multiple sources.
But a political dynasty oversaw the compiling and editing of those sources at the Council of Nicaea.
That there was power and wealth to be derived from consolidating the fables into a single book calls it into question. Motivation was huge to mislead and deceive.
Also, the Romans at the time of Jesus, were meticulous record keepers. Historians and archaeologists have unearthed huge amounts of text written at that time. There is not one mention of anybody resembling Jesus, his healing magic, his supposed talents and powers, or his trial and crucifixion in any official Roman record.
The Bible is at best a compilation of previous Pagan mythology.
Why does it bother you so for some to profess a belief and then to be an absolute ass about it?
Let them believe smile nod and go along with what little in your life is purpose.
There belief does not affect your life one bit.
Its not like they are trying to ram carbon and vat taxes down your throat and destroy your way of life.
Or does them professing their belief make you realize how hollow your own life really is or is it some personal pass time that others would say is engaging in immoral behavior?
+1 @Ben_r, well said.
Enough of the ad hominen attacks my friend.
There truly is no hate quite like Christians Love!
Religious folk prove every day that arrogance and ignorance go hand in hand.
BTW, God hasn’t spent a moment with me. We haven’t done a single activity together.
I’ve never heard a God’s voice or shaken a God’s hand.
Never had a “God” come and help me mow the lawn or fix dinner after a hard day.
Or comfort me when my wife was very ill.
Or bring me jumper cables when my car would not start.
My fellow humans have made infinitely more effort to be a part of my life and give it meaning than any “God” has.
How foolish would it be for me to say that this absentee “God” is what gives my life meaning?
But if you want to bask in self-imposed victimhood over something happening between your ears, no one can stop you.
Ad homs no that was the simple truth.
As well as some advice that might help what little passes as sanity in the progressive cult.
Well, there was Tacitus. And Josephus. And some other guy.
Sure, Tacitus wrote about Jesus and his trial and conviction via Pilate about 80-100 years afterward, so of course he would have never met Jesus in person. But then, he wouldn't have met Tiberius or Pilate in person either, and he wrote about them with the same surety.
As for the rest of your comment(s) on the subject, hard to argue. I'd just mention that no one (not one, ever) actually knows what the hell took place in lifetimes lived before us. But it doesn't mean accounts that are passed down are all untrue.
e.g. We had lizards roaming the earth at one time. Hey - the bones keep turning up. But no matter the science put into proving this or that about them, no one actually knows anything about them, how they lived, or when. Carbon dating is as flawed as the Council of Nicaea. And no one today professes to believe in dragons (that's all myth!), but we clearly had ginormous freaking lizards walking and flying at some point. So...in many ways, almost all archeology and history is a guessing game and a puzzle to be sorted by how each of us sees the world and trusts historical accounts, and the tools we have available to us when looking at it.
Letters from Pilate have been discovered, written to Tiberias, discussing his unease with the Jesus phenomenon in Judea. Lucanus, a Greek physician was a biographer of Jesus, along with John Mark. Both never knew or met Jesus, yet wrote biographies of his ministry that closely paralleled Matthew and John. Josephus followed closely behind.
Non-believers refuse to believe in anything bigger than themselves.