Jesus promised to be with us till the end of the world. Many claim they speak to him and he offers guidance. But the lessons they learn seem to be no more substantial than the footnotes in some good advice book and less penetrating than a university course in moral philosophy. No more miracles; no more public displays. It's as if he really did die with no resurrection.
Would we expect a real Jesus to offer clear evidence of himself today?
Even if there is no Jesus around, is it still a good, comforting thing for some to believe he is?
Are there any dangers in believing Christ is around today?
Why does Jesus not make himself obvious today?
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Re: Why does Jesus not make himself obvious today?
Post #3INDEX: More bible based ANSWERS
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#p826681
"For if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah" - Romans 14:8
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#p826681
"For if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah" - Romans 14:8
Post #4
The reply would be: Our ways are not God's ways. Apparently he went "to prepare a place" and it's taken him two thousand years so far. Some place! Perhaps heaven has problems with builders too.JJ50 wrote: One would have thought if the guy had actually resurrected he would have stayed down here on Earth so people had no doubt he was still alive.
But on the serious side, a sizeable section of humanity believe Jesus IS. One cannot dispute invisible existence detected only by the sensitive radar of piety. That suggests Jesus is not interested in conversions, just in comforting his own flock, who know his voice. Can one argue against this?
Re: Why does Jesus not make himself obvious today?
Post #5Ah, for divine certainty! It is wonderful how extrapolation and guesswork can change into conviction - becoming the stuff of faith. Do we have any instances of Jesus ever presenting himself in modern times apart from attendance at RC masses?JehovahsWitness wrote: [Replying to post 1 by marco]
He will. But you might not like it when he does.
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Re: Why does Jesus not make himself obvious today?
Post #6Ah, don't you just love passive aggressive threats of violence from an omnipotent but divinely hidden god against defenseless human beings for the crime of applying intellectual honesty, logic, and critical thinking to the only reality they are able to reasonably investigate. Nope, there is nothing psychologically damaging about that message at all. I can't imagine why anyone would think your god is anything other than merciful.JehovahsWitness wrote:
He will. But you might not like it when he does.
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Re: Why does Jesus not make himself obvious today?
Post #7bluegreenearth wrote:Ah, don't you just love passive aggressive threats of violence from an omnipotent but divinely hidden god against defenseless human beings for the crime of applying intellectual honesty, logic, and critical thinking to the only reality they are able to reasonably investigate. Nope, there is nothing psychologically damaging about that message at all. I can't imagine why anyone would think your god is anything other than merciful.JehovahsWitness wrote:
He will. But you might not like it when he does.
The empty, but clearly damaging scare tactics, do get old. It is truly a shame when people are driven by such unfounded fears.
My hope that the bold presentation of them, as we have seen here, will help some realize the emptiness of the claims they are intended to frighten people into accepting.
Hopefully, their unsupportable nature will come clearly into focus and they will be discarded.
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I must assume that knowing is better than not knowing, venturing than not venturing; and that magic and illusion, however rich, however alluring, ultimately weaken the human spirit.
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Re: Why does Jesus not make himself obvious today?
Post #8It is said:marco wrote: …Would we expect a real Jesus to offer clear evidence of himself today?
"He said to him, 'If they don't listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.'"
Luke 16:31
I believe the same is today, Bible and its message is enough. People who don’t receive the message now, don’t receive it in any case.
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Re: Why does Jesus not make himself obvious today?
Post #9.
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Re: Why does Jesus not make himself obvious today?
Post #101213 wrote:It is said:marco wrote: …Would we expect a real Jesus to offer clear evidence of himself today?
"He said to him, 'If they don't listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.'"
Luke 16:31
I believe the same is today, Bible and its message is enough. People who don’t receive the message now, don’t receive it in any case.
That's all fine and dandy if the unfalsifiable claims in the Bible are true, but what will it mean if those unfalsifiable claims turn out to be false? Would it mean people who don't receive the message are wise to be skeptical? Would it mean people who are persuaded by the Biblical message are gullible? This possibility must be considered along with the possibility you are currently biased towards.