Is Christianity the religion of idolatry?

[paarsurrey]

If Jesus was not a man, then what are the gospels talking about when they describe his trial, death and ascension?

Four Gospels were neither authored/narrated/dictated by G-d, nor authored/narrated/dictated by Jesus/Yeshua- the truthful Israelite Messiah, right?
They were not even narrated/written by any of the Twelve, right? These were anonymous narratives adopted and then "doctored" by Hellenist-Paulines, right?

Regards

 

[Estro Felino]

If Jesus was not a man, then what are the gospels talking about when they describe his trial, death and ascension?

He was a man. But also God.

 

[LuisDantas]

He was a man. But also God.

Or so claims current mainstream Christian doctrine, anyway.

Which is fair enough, but brings the need to create specific exceptions that others may accept or instead refuse to - basically just because.

In this case, the claim that worship of Jesus isn't idolatry.

 

[Estro Felino]

Or so claims current mainstream Christian doctrine, anyway.

Which is fair enough, but brings the need to create specific exceptions that others may accept or instead refuse to - basically just because.

In this case, the claim that worship of Jesus isn't idolatry.

To us it isn't idolatry.
To us worshiping money and the banking system is idolatry, especially if certain people are disposed to destroy lives in order to preserve it.

 

[loverofhumanity]

If Jesus was not a man, then what are the gospels talking about when they describe his trial, death and ascension?

The hard cold fact is that Jesus had a physical body and when He died that physical body decomposed like any other physical body. That it hasn’t been located doesn’t mean it ascended. . His Cause rose from the dead and spread all over the world but His body still lies somewhere decomposed.

 

[Little Dragon]

He was a man. But also God.

Like Trump?

 

[loverofhumanity]

Who wrote the above poem, please?

Regards

There is only one God and He has no mother or father. I was once a Catholic and they so indoctrinated me that I used to believe in those things but which I now understand are but myths and superstitions.

 

[Little Dragon]

To us worshiping money and the banking system is idolatry, especially if certain people are disposed to destroy lives in order to preserve it.

"Idolatry is the worship of a cult image or "idol" as though it were a deity. In Abrahamic religions idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the Abrahamic God as if it were God." Wiki

So really, you Christians consider Jesus as God, and by doing so, you are not committing idolatry in your own eyes, only in the eyes of other Christians whom do not worship Jesus as a God and in eyes of adherents of other Abrahamic religions, like Islam and Judaism.

 

[metis]

The idea of Jesus actually being God is really a misunderstanding as the Council at Nicaea used the Aristotle approach of "essence". IOW, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are of the essence of God.

 

[Estro Felino]

The idea of Jesus actually being God is really a misunderstanding as the Council at Nicaea used the Aristotle approach of "essence". IOW, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are of the essence of God.

We cannot deny that the Nicene-Costantinopolitan Creed is an act of faith for many Christians.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds. Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;

1) Jesus existed before all eons.
2) He is the only begotten Son of God
3) He was begotten, (gennao in Greek) not made (poieo in Greek).
4) He is of the same essence, substance, form as the Father (Homousia in Greek).

So, to conclude, Jesus is God. Period.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

The idea of Jesus actually being God is really a misunderstanding as the Council at Nicaea used the Aristotle approach of "essence". IOW, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are of the essence of God.

Nonsense. The doctrine clearly teaches that Jesus is God. Otherwise you are claiming that the Church has been wrong about its most basic doctrines for centuries and you know better. You have been repeating for years that Jesus isn't God in some convoluted way, with nothing to explain what you mean. So this seems to come down to your personal disagreement with the Trinity. You just don't believe in it, and seem to be a sort of pantheist. But that would mean you're at least a heretic so I doubt you'll ever admit it.

 

[metis]

Why did Jesus pray to God if he's God? Why did Jesus say he didn't know what the end of times would be but that only God knew if he was God?

Again, "essence" was used at Nicaea as they would have been familiar with the use of "essence".

An excellent book that covers this is Hitchcock's "History of the Catholic Church", whereas he devotes almost a full chapter on the council.

 

[Little Dragon]

3) He was begotten, (gennao in Greek) not made (poieo in Greek).

What does that mean?

I mean Jesus was (allegedly) born of Mary, so....?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Why did Jesus pray to God if he's God? Why did Jesus say he didn't know what the end of times would be but that only God knew if he was God?

Again, "essence" was used at Nicaea as they would have been familiar with the use of "essence".

An excellent book that covers this is Hitchcock's "History of the Catholic Church", whereas he devotes almost a full chapter on the council.

Haven't you been a Catholic for much of your life and taught classes on it at your church, and you don't even know the basics about the Trinity?

You need to read this:

Jesus Is God

Quasi-Christian sects like the Jehovah's Witnesses deny the divinity of Christ. Here's how to defend the central Catholc teaching that Jesus is God.

www.catholic.com

 

[Little Dragon]

1) Jesus existed before all eons

So how is that possible when he was born in 1 AD?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

So how is that possible when he was born in 1 AD?

Trinitarians believe that Christ has existed for all eternity until he "came down" from heaven and took on a human body (the Incarnation).

 

[Little Dragon]

Trinitarians believe that Christ has existed for all eternity until he "came down" from heaven and took on a human body (the Incarnation).

Oh...ok.

Interesting theory!

 

[LuisDantas]

What does that mean?

I mean Jesus was (allegedly) born of Mary, so....?

That is basic Catholic doctrine, even a part of its Credo.

In the Nicene Creed, the wording is that he is "begotten, not made" and "consubstantial with the Father".

In the Apostles' Creed that belief takes the form of a statement that Jesus was conceived "of the Holy Spirit", meaning that there was no human sperm involved in his conception. It is not obvious to me whether a human egg was involved.

All of that amounts to fancy wording to claim that Jesus' existence is literally a miracle given human form, and that he somehow is both the same as god itself and manifest as a human being.

It does not make any logical sense, but that is arguably the point.

Nicene Creed - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Apostles' Creed - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Little Dragon]

It does not make any logical sense, but that is arguably the point.

No that's fine, I wasn't going to question the explanation, just wondered what it was!

 

[Estro Felino]

Why did Jesus pray to God if he's God? Why did Jesus say he didn't know what the end of times would be but that only God knew if he was God?

Again, "essence" was used at Nicaea as they would have been familiar with the use of "essence".

An excellent book that covers this is Hitchcock's "History of the Catholic Church", whereas he devotes almost a full chapter on the council.

Believing Jesus was created by God, as a lesser deity is Arianism.
Heresy.