How blind is faith?

[unknown soldier]

When they run out of good reasons to believe what their religion tells them, many Christians typically resort to faith even when they know painfully well that there are darned good reasons to doubt. In other words, they are turning a blind eye to truths they cannot accept.

Is this behavior based in blind faith--a refusal to see evidence that one will not accept? Isn't faith by definition blind?

[unknown soldier]

Christianity, like all other religions, appears to be a very human construction.

There's nothing significant that Christians can offer for their beliefs that are not true for many other faiths. If people invented other gods like Christians believe, then there's little reason to think think that Christians have not invented their own God. I can easily invent a god and make the same claims for that god that Christians make for Christ. If I actually do so, then Christians are quick to accuse me of lying. They cannot see the same deception in their own faith. Such faith is blind!

[EarthScienceguy]

[Replying to unknown soldier in post #31]

Yes, Christianity has a risen savior. There is no other religion that has that. In all of antiquity, it had never been claimed before that there God came to earth to pay the penalty for man's sin. He allowed Himself to be killed as payment for man's sin. That was the new thought that Christianity brought into the world.

All men being created equal is a Christian belief. Because all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. We are all equal we are all sinners.

[Clownboat]

[Replying to unknown soldier in post #31]

Yes, Christianity has a risen savior. There is no other religion that has that. In all of antiquity, it had never been claimed before that there God came to earth to pay the penalty for man's sin. He allowed Himself to be killed as payment for man's sin. That was the new thought that Christianity brought into the world.

All men being created equal is a Christian belief. Because all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. We are all equal we are all sinners.

Yes, Kobe beef chili-filled donuts have Kobe beef.
There is no other donut that has that!
Does this make them as special as your preferred religion? There are likely more flavors of donuts then there are flavors of religions, therefore Kobe beef chili-filled donuts are even more different then all the other donuts! Kobe beef chili-filled donuts are the One True Donut that we all should eat.

Impressed by my reasoning? If not...

Did you know that caramelised onions, apples, and goats cheese pizza have caramelised onions, apples, and goats cheese in it? No other pizzas have...

[Tcg]

[Replying to unknown soldier in post #31]

There is no other religion that has that.

Every religion has some aspects that are unique to that religion. If this weren't true we wouldn't have distinct religions. Nothing earth shattering about this fact. It's simply an artifact of humans striving to modify current religions into one they can control and control people with.

Give it five thousand years and we'll very likely have a few new religions that have unique qualities of some sort that some select groups of humans will be trying to push to the top of the heap. This of course assumes that humans haven't gone extinct by then.


Tcg

[unknown soldier]

[Replying to unknown soldier in post #31]

Yes, Christianity has a risen savior.

The Goddess Clarymda is my risen savior.

There is no other religion that has that. In all of antiquity, it had never been claimed before that there God came to earth to pay the penalty for man's sin.

Clarymda has come to earth to let us all know she's been providing for us from the beginning.

He allowed Himself to be killed as payment for man's sin. That was the new thought that Christianity brought into the world.

Your Celestial Mother is immortal and cannot be killed, but if she chose she could take on human form and allow that body to be killed. We her followers have known of this fact long before Christianity was invented. She doesn't waste her time with such nonsense, though. She requires no bloodshed or death for any transgression.

All men being created equal is a Christian belief. Because all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. We are all equal we are all sinners.

Clarymda could have made us that same way, but instead she chose to allow us to earn and gain righteousness by acting righteously. She gives us all credit for the good that we do. What matters to her isn't so much that we worship her, love her, or place our faith in her but that we are good people. That way people are more likely to be genuinely good knowing that they need to be good. By contrast, Christianity provides no incentive for people to strive to be righteous. Why try to be righteous if you are seen as no better than a rapist or a murderer? We should then not be surprised that there are so many bad people among Christians.

So there you go, ESG; I met you point by point making the same or better claims for a Goddess you don't believe in. If Clarymda is unreal and Christ real, then how can you explain why you can offer nothing more for him than I can offer for a deity you believe is imaginary? If you don't believe my claims for Clarymda, then why should I believe your claims for Christ?

[unknown soldier]

Yes, Kobe beef chili-filled donuts have Kobe beef.
There is no other donut that has that!
Does this make them as special as your preferred religion? There are likely more flavors of donuts then there are flavors of religions, therefore Kobe beef chili-filled donuts are even more different then all the other donuts! Kobe beef chili-filled donuts are the One True Donut that we all should eat.

Yes, and it would be foolish to believe that a flavor of donut needed a God to make it when we can make donuts as good or better than that donut. Who needs a God to make a donut when we puny, weak little people can make donuts easily enough?

The same reasoning applies to religion. It would be foolish to believe that a religion needed a God to make it when we can make religions as good or better than that religion. Who needs a God to make a religion when we puny, weak little people can make religions easily enough?

Finally why believe any God is real when the evidence for that God is no better than the evidence for gods we can make up?

[unknown soldier]

Give it five thousand years and we'll very likely have a few new religions that have unique qualities of some sort that some select groups of humans will be trying to push to the top of the heap.

I've already gotten some inquiries about Clarymda. If Paul, Joseph Smith, and L Ron Hubbard did it, then why can't I?

Uh--with Clarymda's blessing, of course.

[Tcg]

Give it five thousand years and we'll very likely have a few new religions that have unique qualities of some sort that some select groups of humans will be trying to push to the top of the heap.

I've already gotten some inquiries about Clarymda. If Paul, Joseph Smith, and L Ron Hubbard did it, then why can't I?

Uh--with Clarymda's blessing, of course.

You certainly can. If folks have already shown interest you're off to a good start. Clarymda willing of course.


Tcg

[unknown soldier]

Give it five thousand years and we'll very likely have a few new religions that have unique qualities of some sort that some select groups of humans will be trying to push to the top of the heap.

I've already gotten some inquiries about Clarymda. If Paul, Joseph Smith, and L Ron Hubbard did it, then why can't I?

Uh--with Clarymda's blessing, of course.

You certainly can. If folks have already shown interest you're off to a good start. Clarymda willing of course.

Wouldn't it be interesting if some nobody-schmuck like I am started a new religion just to prove he can? It would keep the apologists busy trying to convince people to believe the Bible writers and disbelieve me. They'd call it the "Clarymda cult" and smear me as a two-bit con man, and as they do so they'd be hoping that people don't realize the same can be said for early Christianity.

[Tcg]

Wouldn't it be interesting if some nobody-schmuck like I am started a new religion just to prove he can? It would keep the apologists busy trying to convince people to believe the Bible writers and disbelieve me. They'd call it the "Clarymda cult" and smear me as a two-bit con man, and as they do so they'd be hoping that people don't realize the same can be said for early Christianity.

It would be and I think it may be inevitable in the long run. Of course a highly charismatic leader has always helped and these days lots of cash would certainly be a great boon as well.

It gives one pause to wonder if Christianity would be so popular if it weren't for the wealth of Rome. We can also wonder if it was Jesus or Paul who provided the charisma. Maybe a bit from each.


Tcg