Christianity does ONE THING

[Avoice]

Christianity would fail if man didn't have to face deaths. It survives because people are scared of death. People believe because they want to be saved. What else does it offer?

God is merciful. He has allowed those who reject him to die with a smile on their face. Christians don't worry about eating pork. They are going to heaven just by saying Jesus us their savior.

Where is the God who spoke at Sinai in Christianity? Do people really believe God will reward those who say his law has been replaced? God said they were forever. Why call him a liar by saying his law is done away with?

"Like a Partridge that sits on eggs and doesn't hatch them is he who gets riches and not by right will leave them in the midst if his days and in the end will be a fool"

[Paul of Tarsus]

Christianity would fail if man didn't have to face deaths. It survives because people are scared of death. People believe because they want to be saved. What else does it offer?

God is merciful. He has allowed those who reject him to die with a smile on their face. Christians don't worry about eating pork. They are going to heaven just by saying Jesus us their savior.

Where is the God who spoke at Sinai in Christianity? Do people really believe God will reward those who say his law has been replaced? God said they were forever. Why call him a liar by saying his law is done away with?

"Like a Partridge that sits on eggs and doesn't hatch them is he who gets riches and not by right will leave them in the midst if his days and in the end will be a fool"

As I see it, one of the main reasons for the Christian religion is to make up ridiculous myths, be rightly criticized for making up those myths, and then do everything possible to silence the critics. At least that's how it works out in practice.

[HarlanGeorge]

[Replying to Paul of Tarsus in post #2]


I believe religions, not unlike people, evolve. (although at a much faster rate.)I also believe the religious instinct or desire for a relationship with a higher power is evolutionary. That being said, you also have to be aware that within Christiaintiiy there are more than one thousand denominations from Catholicism to Mormonism and every flavor in-between. It is a religion that lends itself to differing interpretations and practices. One reason for this is the lack of clarity in the main text, the bible. This has created an entire culture of cherry-picking teachers that spin scripture to support most any theory. If you study religious history, as I do, you can see the evolution over the past two thousand plus years particularly tumultuous during the 14th to 17 centuries. The period of Reformation.

The god of the old testament bible has fallen out of favor and replaced by the relationship and all-loving deity fueled on by Jesus Christ and the new testament gospels. Most of the OT biblical stories are now seen as myths, rightly so, but still read for their lesson. Moses, atop Mount Sanai, had his theophany with Yahweh. He was given two tablets, one of which contained the ten commandments. Although Moses never did make it to god's promise land, he died out there in the desert, his legend lived on. Some modern churches still focus on these laws, ironically the first three are about a jealous god who has to constantly remind people that he is number one, but the other seven are referenced upon convenience. It might just be easier to admit that we are all sinners (wretched, terrible people with hearts of evil) and profess a belief in jesus. Born again to live whatever life you chose?

[1213]

Christianity would fail if man didn't have to face deaths. It survives because people are scared of death. People believe because they want to be saved. What else does it offer?

For me Christianity is the teachings of Jesus. I think they are good even without idea of eternal life.

... They are going to heaven just by saying Jesus us their savior.
...

It is sad, if people think so, because it is said:

Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Mat. 7:21

These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Mat. 25:46

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

Person must be righteous to get eternal life. But, it does not mean that by doing right works, one could earn the life. Righteousness is like state of mind that leads to good works. If person is righteous, he does righteous actions and actions are like fruits that tells is the tree good or bad.

Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. A good tree can't produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn't grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.
Matt. 7:17-20

let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever is born of God doesn't commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can't sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn't do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn't love his brother.
1 John 3:7-10

[Paul of Tarsus]

...you also have to be aware that within Christiaintiiy there are more than one thousand denominations from Catholicism to Mormonism and every flavor in-between.

I've heard that Christianity is comprised of thirty thousand competing sects, and they all have the truth.

It is a religion that lends itself to differing interpretations and practices. One reason for this is the lack of clarity in the main text, the bible. This has created an entire culture of cherry-picking teachers that spin scripture to support most any theory.

Many passages in the Bible are very ambiguous, but it seems like the worst parts are quite clear.

If you study religious history, as I do, you can see the evolution over the past two thousand plus years particularly tumultuous during the 14th to 17 centuries. The period of Reformation.

There is evidence for religion going back thirty thousand years. However, as far as I know religious violence didn't become prevalent until the rise of civilization when gods of war became useful to rally the troops to fight for land and other vital and limited resources. You are correct, though, that the Protestant Reformation resulted in a lot of violence within Christendom.

The god of the old testament bible has fallen out of favor and replaced by the relationship and all-loving deity fueled on by Jesus Christ and the new testament gospels.

I must disagree. The Christian God is actually far worse than Yahweh because Christ and his followers invented a God of eternal damnation. Christ's god just waits longer to mete out punishment.

Most of the OT biblical stories are now seen as myths, rightly so, but still read for their lesson. Moses, atop Mount Sanai, had his theophany with Yahweh. He was given two tablets, one of which contained the ten commandments. Although Moses never did make it to god's promise land, he died out there in the desert, his legend lived on. Some modern churches still focus on these laws, ironically the first three are about a jealous god who has to constantly remind people that he is number one, but the other seven are referenced upon convenience. It might just be easier to admit that we are all sinners (wretched, terrible people with hearts of evil) and profess a belief in jesus. Born again to live whatever life you chose?

I understand that Moses never got the job done with his laws, and Christ needed to come along to finish up. But as you say some of Moses' laws are still popular because if nothing else they let us know what sin is. You may wish to think of The Ten Commandments as "The Ten Clarifications." As Moses descended Mount Sinai and discovered the Hebrews drinking, fornicating, and sculpting statues of cattle, he raised the stone tablets and loudly shouted to them: "FYI!"

[Tcg]

As Moses descended Mount Sinai and discovered the Hebrews drinking, fornicating, and sculpting statues of cattle, he raised the stone tablets and loudly shouted to them: "FYI!"

Fornicating? Where did you get that from? And there was only one idol mentioned, the golden calf singular.


Tcg

[Paul of Tarsus]

As Moses descended Mount Sinai and discovered the Hebrews drinking, fornicating, and sculpting statues of cattle, he raised the stone tablets and loudly shouted to them: "FYI!"

Fornicating? Where did you get that from?

When it comes to Biblical sin and rebellion, there's nothing God hates more than people enjoying sex. If the Bible doesn't let us know about it, then Cecil B. DeMille will.

And there was only one idol mentioned, the golden calf singular.

If there was one golden calf, then there probably were more. You know, milk cows, stud bulls, the whole herd. It's like seeing a cockroach on your kitchen floor--you know there's more than the one you saw.

[bluegreenearth]

...They are going to heaven just by saying Jesus us their savior.
...

It is sad, if people think so, because it is said:

Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Mat. 7:21

These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Mat. 25:46

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

Person must be righteous to get eternal life. But, it does not mean that by doing right works, one could earn the life. Righteousness is like state of mind that leads to good works. If person is righteous, he does righteous actions and actions are like fruits that tells is the tree good or bad.

Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. A good tree can't produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn't grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.
Matt. 7:17-20

let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever is born of God doesn't commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can't sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn't do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn't love his brother.
1 John 3:7-10

Given the above reasoning, what outcome should the God facilitate for those people whose minds were intrinsically righteous and consistently produced "good fruit" through actions grounded in love and intellectual honesty yet were equally compelled by that same intrinsic righteousness to maintain a lack of belief in the existence of the God until their last breath because it would have been explicitly unrighteous for them to profess belief in a claim they weren't sufficiently convinced of?

[Tcg]

As Moses descended Mount Sinai and discovered the Hebrews drinking, fornicating, and sculpting statues of cattle, he raised the stone tablets and loudly shouted to them: "FYI!"

Fornicating? Where did you get that from?

When it comes to Biblical sin and rebellion, there's nothing God hates more than people enjoying sex. If the Bible doesn't let us know about it, then Cecil B. DeMille will.

You rely on Cecil B. DeMille to inform your understanding of scripture?

And there was only one idol mentioned, the golden calf singular.

If there was one golden calf, then there probably were more. You know, milk cows, stud bulls, the whole herd. It's like seeing a cockroach on your kitchen floor--you know there's more than the one you saw.

Probably? That is the extent of your support for this claim?


Tcg

[JoeyKnothead]

Christianity does at least two things...

It provides the disease - sin.

And the cure - salvation.

Don't it beat all, the only way to prevent God's wrath is to worship him for being so 'loving'.