If the Bible made sense

[Zzyzx]

.
If the Bible made sense there would be no need for:

Fifty different versions (in English alone)
Forty thousand different Christian denominations (all claiming to know the right way)
Internecine competition within Christendom (arguing about what the Bible means)

Apologists attempting to 'explain what it really means'
Defense of far-fetched tales
Fancy footwork to excuse errors and contradictions
Plethora of 'interpretations'

Emotional appeals to convince people to believe
Indoctrination and reinforcement sessions / efforts

[OnceConvinced]

This is one of the biggest reasons I can no longer believe that Christianity is anything more than just another religion. Even those who claim to have the special holy spirit decoder still come to different conclusions than those other Christians who claim to have the special holy spirit decoder.

[gordsd]

[Replying to post 1 by Zzyzx]

I think there was a very oppressive Jewish Temple cult. There was some guy named Jesus--a popular name at the time--who stood up to the narrow minded religious leaders of his time. The religious leaders got him killed because they hated him. Then there was a guy named Paul who realized just how oppressive the religion was and had a great idea: "I'm going to say that this really good but unfortunate Jesus was the sacrifice for sin in order to take away all this religious bullshit!!! He made up a bunch of stories and added a bunch of miracles and stuff to make the stories exciting in order to convince the people that the Temple Cult was bullshit, and it worked. The people stopped going to the Temple and felt free. However, as time went on, new leaders added to the teachings and convinced the people that if they did not give them money, they would burn in hell forever. So the tales which once freed people from religion grew into a new cult which oppressed them even more!

[Monta]

[Replying to post 1 by Zzyzx]

I think there was a very oppressive Jewish Temple cult. There was some guy named Jesus--a popular name at the time--who stood up to the narrow minded religious leaders of his time. The religious leaders got him killed because they hated him. Then there was a guy named Paul who realized just how oppressive the religion was and had a great idea: "I'm going to say that this really good but unfortunate Jesus was the sacrifice for sin in order to take away all this religious bullshit!!! He made up a bunch of stories and added a bunch of miracles and stuff to make the stories exciting in order to convince the people that the Temple Cult was bullshit, and it worked. The people stopped going to the Temple and felt free. However, as time went on, new leaders added to the teachings and convinced the people that if they did not give them money, they would burn in hell forever. So the tales which once freed people from religion grew into a new cult which oppressed them even more!

Pure fantasy, boring, lack any intelligent input; made up story.

[benchwarmer]

[Replying to post 1 by Zzyzx]

I think there was a very oppressive Jewish Temple cult. There was some guy named Jesus--a popular name at the time--who stood up to the narrow minded religious leaders of his time. The religious leaders got him killed because they hated him. Then there was a guy named Paul who realized just how oppressive the religion was and had a great idea: "I'm going to say that this really good but unfortunate Jesus was the sacrifice for sin in order to take away all this religious bullshit!!! He made up a bunch of stories and added a bunch of miracles and stuff to make the stories exciting in order to convince the people that the Temple Cult was bullshit, and it worked. The people stopped going to the Temple and felt free. However, as time went on, new leaders added to the teachings and convinced the people that if they did not give them money, they would burn in hell forever. So the tales which once freed people from religion grew into a new cult which oppressed them even more!

Pure fantasy, boring, lack any intelligent input; made up story.

So you agree with us Monta? You describe much of the Bible so well.

[ttruscott]

.
If the Bible made sense there would be no need for;;;

anyone to search out the Holy Spirit to find out what He meant by what was written as part of HIS method of separating those who can be / are willing to be saved from those who cannot be, will never accept being saved...a distinction that those who find the Holy Spirit come to appreciate as they are brought along to holiness by Him.

[Zzyzx]

.

If the Bible made sense there would be no need for;;;

anyone to search out the Holy Spirit to find out what He meant by what was written as part of HIS method of separating those who can be / are willing to be saved from those who cannot be, will never accept being saved...a distinction that those who find the Holy Spirit come to appreciate as they are brought along to holiness by Him.

That is quite an imaginative tale.

Kindly tell readers how they can verify if any, part of it is true.

[gordsd]

[Replying to post 6 by ttruscott]

anyone to search out the Holy Spirit to find out what He meant by what was written as part of HIS method of separating those who can be / are willing to be saved from those who cannot be, will never accept being saved...a distinction that those who find the Holy Spirit come to appreciate as they are brought along to holiness by Him.

The last contradiction I will mention is the way the “spirit� of God is taught. Jesus talked about the “spirit� of the law and those who blaspheme against the holy “spirit� as though every common person could understand what the will of the spirit is. However, in the book of John and the book of Acts the Holy Spirit is something which people receive later as a special dispensation or gift, and then there are gifts of the spirit too. To me, the latter is nonsense—maybe because I do not believe in miracles in the first place. Paul deals with this contradiction. Paul mentions those gentiles who have the law of God written on their hearts (Romans 2:14-16). Paul says circumcision is of the heart by the spirit of God (Romans 2:29). The contradiction comes about because the seemingly unconvertible hard hearts Paul talks about he explains in a theology of predestination. So if some understand the life of the spirit and others do not, Paul reckons such a life as a gift of God. Paul has a great insight but he does not have modern psychological language to describe what is going on. In modern psychological language, the ego gets in the way of love. Once a proud mind is made up, it is hard to change it. Jesus and the Pharisees is an example. So, if there is a judgment day as the Bible says, how could God judge those God did not give the Spirit to? Only those who know the right thing to do can be judged! So do some have the spirit and others do not? God gives the spirit to some but not to others? Yet people will be judged for not recognizing what the spirit wants? Is God just? All of this makes no sense at all!

[Monta]

[Replying to post 8 by gordsd]

"Only those who know the right thing to do can be judged! So do some have the spirit and others do not? God gives the spirit to some but not to others? Yet people will be judged for not recognizing what the spirit wants? Is God just? All of this makes no sense at all!"

Don't we all know what is the right thing to do?

The Spirit that God gives is the Spirit of Truth as Jesus explained.
I is given to all genuine seekers of truth.

[OnceConvinced]

[Replying to post 1 by Zzyzx]

I think there was a very oppressive Jewish Temple cult. There was some guy named Jesus--a popular name at the time--who stood up to the narrow minded religious leaders of his time. The religious leaders got him killed because they hated him. Then there was a guy named Paul who realized just how oppressive the religion was and had a great idea: "I'm going to say that this really good but unfortunate Jesus was the sacrifice for sin in order to take away all this religious bullshit!!! He made up a bunch of stories and added a bunch of miracles and stuff to make the stories exciting in order to convince the people that the Temple Cult was bullshit, and it worked. The people stopped going to the Temple and felt free. However, as time went on, new leaders added to the teachings and convinced the people that if they did not give them money, they would burn in hell forever. So the tales which once freed people from religion grew into a new cult which oppressed them even more!

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