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  1. Vishvavajra

    Did Jesus actually exist as a historical figure?

    You're being sarcastic, but a lot of them do seem to think that way. The irony is that they're disrespecting Jesus and his legacy by insisting that it's all worthless unless we can somehow demonstrate that it's all factually accurate (which will never happen). They obviously don't think his...
  2. Vishvavajra

    Are there any contradictions in the Bible?

    That is not an answer. If anything, Paul is talking about the inadequacy of exoteric knowledge and hinting at a greater revelation that comes after. Apocalyptic literature by definition cannot be understood in literal terms. Excessive literal-mindedness will obscure the meaning, not illuminate...
  3. Vishvavajra

    Will Atheists & Polyheists burn in Hell according to Bible?

    That's not how Greek works. Anselmian rubbish. This theory was invented in the 12th century. What do you suppose Christians believed before that? Moreover, a god who behaved in that way would be neither holy nor just. It's sadistic, and belief in this sort of thing does not speak well of...
  4. Vishvavajra

    Will Atheists & Polyheists burn in Hell according to Bible?

    So it's a protection racket, then.
  5. Vishvavajra

    Are there any contradictions in the Bible?

    First of all, that passage in 1 Corinthians you cite has nothing to do with what you're talking about here. Secondly, there's nothing about a thousand years in the future in the Bible. That belief comes from not knowing how to read apocalyptic literature and thinking that Revelation is a set of...
  6. Vishvavajra

    Atheists and information

    Everybody should do their homework to understand basic scientific theories. The bemusement you're seeing in others is coming from the fact that atheists don't regard the theory of evolution as if it were an atheist doctrine. Everybody believes in the theory of evolution, religious and...
  7. Vishvavajra

    Are there any contradictions in the Bible?

    Christianity is older than the Christian scriptures. If it weren't, then they would never have been written in the first place. To say that there can't be Christians until after there are Christian writings for them to believe in is to posit a time paradox that even Doctor Who couldn't make...
  8. Vishvavajra

    Did Jesus actually exist as a historical figure?

    Here it's nothing more than responses to the question posed by the OP. Also, from a historical/prosopographical perspective, whether individual people existed or not is interesting in itself. The desire to piece together the evidence and reconstruct the past doesn't need any special...
  9. Vishvavajra

    Are there any contradictions in the Bible?

    Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are mythic figures, not historical ones. Our only account of them is by Hebrews who are actively constructing their own cultural identity by projecting their present sense of self backwards in time. If they were literally real and well known over a wide geographic area...
  10. Vishvavajra

    Are there any contradictions in the Bible?

    Sojourner has addressed the problem from one angle, so here's another: all metaphors aside, God is not a human being. Trying to psychologize God in human terms, complete with human emotions and human vices like personal pride and selfish anger, can't lead anywhere good. At best you'll just end...
  11. Vishvavajra

    Are there any contradictions in the Bible?

    Actually, the doctrine that the Bible was literally authored by God is a modern one. There's no evidence Jesus would have held that idea. It was sacred literature in his time, but that's not the same thing as thinking that God literally said those things. That's probably a large part of why he...
  12. Vishvavajra

    Are there any contradictions in the Bible?

    Nobody needs a Biblical directive to justify a cultural tradition. The idea is alien to Judaism, which has always made extensive use of Midrash, Mishnah, and Rabbinic commentary and exegesis, from the very earliest period for which we have any evidence. Even Jesus and the early Christians are...
  13. Vishvavajra

    Are there any contradictions in the Bible?

    Well, the thing about El is that it's one of those names of gods that amounts to making a proper name out of a common word meaning god (cf. Zeus). So while it is a proper name, it's also based on a common noun. But yeah, Yahweh appears to have been syncretized with El early on. Probably came...
  14. Vishvavajra

    Did Jesus actually exist as a historical figure?

    The mention of James' execution in Josephus, yes. The consensus is that it's probably genuine and probably refers to James, the brother of that Jesus. That provides supporting evidence for the existence of Jesus and the fact that he had a brother named James. And if that James was a real person...
  15. Vishvavajra

    Being Both Muslim and Christian

    Well, God is typically described as anthropomorphic in some sense by the religions in question, or at least a personal being. But I agree that God does not have to be understood that way. And probably shouldn't be. But some people get upset if you depersonalize God as a way of describing the...
  16. Vishvavajra

    Are there any contradictions in the Bible?

    Yes, God had better be beyond such things, or else God is nothing more than a mask for the human ego. Emotions are things we animals have evolved for specific reasons. They rely on our brain structure, hormones, etc. I can't fathom how a nonphysical being without those organs would feel emotions...
  17. Vishvavajra

    Are there any contradictions in the Bible?

    It would be entirely reasonable to assume that other cultures do things consciously, for reasons that they more or less understand and that make sense to them in their context. Unfortunately, the standard JW view is that all non-JW people do what they do out of ignorance, corruption, and the...
  18. Vishvavajra

    Are there any contradictions in the Bible?

    It's a Sanskrit word meaning "double thunderbolt," which is a reference to my avatar, a cross made of two thunderbolts, as imagined in the classical Indian style. I don't know of a Hindu use of this particular image; it is Buddhist in origin. As for its purpose, it's actually to remind me of...
  19. Vishvavajra

    Hide the Eggs From Jesus Day...

    As I mentioned, the word "Bible" isn't in the text of any Bible, so clearly that's a pagan addition too, I guess. Your rubric is absurd. As for its being the name of a goddess, there is exactly one source for that, and it's highly controversial. Nor is there a shred of evidence that rabbits and...
  20. Vishvavajra

    Where did the word Judaism come from?

    It's obviously an exonym, in the sense that it's not something the group would have called themselves, but may have been used by other Jews. Something like "those Jews who follow that Nazarene fellow," tone-wise.
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