Frequenting this and previous similar sites, I have thought this for years. I have used ammo from these sites for many of my sermons…mostly from quasi-Christians and their behavior and language.
Onward Christian soldiers
- Thread starter Cypress
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Frequenting this and previous similar sites, I have thought this for years. I have used ammo from these sites for many of my sermons…mostly from quasi-Christians and their behavior and language.
I seriously want to visit it if I am in the area.
There's obviously embellishments in the NT, and nobody can ever claim to have exact transcriptions of the words of Confucious, Jesus, Socrates, the Buddha written in real time. Their words and sayings were passed down posterity by their students and disciples.
The Gospel of Thomas has some sayings of Jesus that are similar to some found in the NT, and some scholars think Gospel of Thomas is thought to have originally been composed outside of and independent of the Synoptic Gospel tradition.
It seems pretty certain Jesus was a faith healer, of which there were many in first century Palestine. That probably explains the stories of him healing people, though embellishments obviously creep in.
The parables don't seem like they were written by a committee and seem to ring true to me. If not word for word, at least their essence.
The trial and execution of Jesus rings true.
Walking on water and the resurrection obviously defy science and reason.ff
Tradition holds that Mark was a disciple of Peter, though that can't be confirmed. If true, Mark represents the stories and teachings passed down from the disciple Peter
Paul knew Jesus' brother James and the disciple Peter, so it's not unreasonable to assume Pauline theology drew to some extent directly from two of Jesus' most important disciples
When it comes to ancient religions, sources don't get much better than that. The Analects of Confucius were written centuries after Confucious passed, and I think the Quran wasn't written down until over a century after Muhammed died. Nothing written in the Buddhist tradition was actually transcribed until centuries after Siddhartha Gautama's death.
I always thought you’d get a lot from us.
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Disagreed.
Which is why you feel superior enough to strap on that vest or drive that truck, Fredo?
How much do you hate your life and everyone in it? Seriously?
You're not a happy person, Fredo. Happy people don't hate...unless they are sadistic psychotics, then they like it a lot. Call the authorities! LOL
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Never saw that about Avatar, but do know there only so many basic plots to entertain people.To be a successful Standup comedian you create a routine... and retell it often, each time refining it slightly more, based on audience feedback until you get a winner. You copy yourself.
There is similar craft in other Story Telling, but they are often copying others. For instance are you familiar with this I will put in the spoilers?
Not only is there embellishment in most religious text studies, there is clear theft and refinement of other cultures parables and stories.
So while Jesus, Mary, Noah, etc were all people, their story were largely stolen from past cultures religious texts, as a work in progress in the same way a comedian builds his material.
Each successive religion who would steal much of the material would refine it as bit more ...get a bit more traction... and so on and so on. And eventually you have a hit that spawns a new major religion.
The only counter to these truths are to say it is all just some vast coincidence how closely these stories align, not just once, but over and over in different cultures.
Organized religion is BS for derps. It is a way to grift money and power. That does not mean every person or intention is bad but people need to understand it is a con FIRSt.
https://web.archive.org/web/20150821080004/http://www.ipl.org/div/farq/plotFARQ.html
Ridiculing religion only makes you look like an asshole, QP. As snooty and snotnosed as a fucking Bible Thumper. Jus' sayin'.
I've read the New Testament, The Analects, The Dhammapada, The Dao De Jing, the Bhagavad Gita, and I see little similarity and no copying.
It would be possible to walk back your assertion and geographically scale it way down to the Near Eastern literary traditions in Gilgamesh, Zoroastrianism, Judaism which share some of the same Near Eastern cultural fabric and folk tales.
It seemed to me there was very little embellishment in the Analects, the Daodejing, The Dhammapada, because they were mostly concerned with right conduct and right perspective, which in and of themselves cultivated the Dao, the way of heaven, Qi, Karma, etc.
The question is always whether Confucius,Laozi, or the Buddha actually said those words. But there is no embellishment like walking on water or curing lepers.
The question is always whether Confucius,Laozi, or the Buddha actually said those words. But there is no embellishment like walking on water or curing lepers.
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Every cop knows that if there are 12 witnesses to an accident, there are 12 different versions of what happened. Some of this is natural from different perspectives, but it also varies on the bias and quality of the witness.
That said, the timing is interesting since Peter is supposed to have died under Nero about the same time as Mark wrote his gospel. 65-70ADish.
QP!
Verified User
Never saw that about Avatar, but do know there only so many basic plots to entertain people.
https://web.archive.org/web/20150821080004/http://www.ipl.org/div/farq/plotFARQ.html
Ridiculing religion only makes you look like an asshole, QP. As snooty and snotnosed as a fucking Bible Thumper. Jus' sayin'.
Funny i put the wrong story in the spoiler and meant this one, ...
But the point is the same.
And re Organized religion, i grew up more religious than most. My issue is not with religious people or believers, just the BUSINESS of organized religion. It is so pious and yet so dishonest.
Bigdog
Harris - make America a 3rd world shithole
You are a racist.
You used it as a racial slur.
Even emphasized your own racial hatred with the word 'white'.
I called you out on it.
And now you're mad.
Protestant is not a religion. Are you claiming you were IGNORANT of the fact he is a Baptist?
There are thousands of Christian denominations because there are disagreements on meanings and priorities.
The Bible was written for the masses, the scholars, and everyone in between. Each will get what they need from it, or not.
Scholars may delve into the history and original Hebrew. For instance, Barabbas means "son of the father", and the "king of the Jews" at the time was Caesar. Or they can study the Apocryphal texts or the commonalities among other religions.
Christ teaches us to forgive. And the hardest thing to do is to forgive ourselves.
Bai Lan
Let It Rot
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Funny i put the wrong story in the spoiler and meant this one, ...
But the point is the same.
And re Organized religion, i grew up more religious than most. My issue is not with religious people or believers, just the BUSINESS of organized religion. It is so pious and yet so dishonest.
No doubt there's a lot of derivative material in Hollyweird.
Yet your attacks on religion seem very personal, QP. You believe anyone who is religious is a "derp" swallowing BS. Example:
"derps" meaning stupid, ignorant people of whom you feel superior.
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
No doubt you'll truly believe that when you push the button and murder dozens of kids, women and low level workers.
Of course you're right about memory and oral tradition.
Thewre's no way to prove it, but if Mark was a follower of Peter as tradition holds, his Gospel is based on an interpretation of what Jesus' most important disciple taught him. That in itself is great historical question
Mott the Hoople
Sweet Jane
You know that’s really the issue in a nutshell. Most of us Christians find Evangelicals so obnoxiously arrogant and also holding deeply held views that are contradictory to the teachings of Christ.
When ever Evangelicals refer to themselves collectively as “Us Christians” I tell them point blank “Who died and made you God that you get to define what it means to be a Christian?”. It is just mind boggling the scope of their arrogance and lack of humility.
Dutch Uncle
* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
^^^
Just made my TOP TEN list of "Most Likely to Shoot Up a Bowling Alley".
Congrats, Pup. You could be in the news!
Not that you'd see it after you eat your own gun. LOL
Mott the Hoople
Sweet Jane
Well if you make it to Cincinnati you’d better let me know. Cbus is only an hour and a half drive away. Shoot, just come to Cbus. I’ll take you there. LOL