B1- BibleA

Graham L. Kendall
Last updated 2/3/2010
Email grahamkendall74135@yahoo.com
I am found on IRC EfnetUndernetDalnet as glk
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All are free to use any of this material without limit.
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=====
 The Oxford Companion to the Bible, edited by Metzger and Coogan:

The book of Daniel is one of the few books of the Bible that can be dated with
precision ... The lengthy apocalypse of Daniel 10-12 provides the best evidence
for date and authorship. This great review of the political maelstrom of
ancient Near Eastern politics swirling around the tiny Judean community
accurately portrays history from the rise of the Persian empire down to a time
somewhat after the desecration of the Jerusalem Temple and the erection there
of the "abomination that makes desolate" (Dan. 11.31) in the late autumn of
167 BCE by the Greco-Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanies ... The portrayal is
expressed as prophecy about the future course of events, given by a seer in
Babylonia captivity; however, the prevailing scholarly opinion is that this is
mostly prophecy after the fact. Only from 11.39 onward does the historical
survey cease accurately to reproduce the events known to have taken place in
the latter years of the reign of Antiochus IV. The most obvious explanation
for this shift is that the point of the writer's own lifetime had been
reached. Had the writer known, for example, about the success of the Jewish
freedom fighters led by Judas Maccabees in driving the garrison of the hated
Antiochus from the temple precincts (an event that occurred on 25 Kislev, 164
BCE, according to 1 Macc. 4.34-31), the fact would surely have been mentioned.
But evidently it had not yet happened ...
One of the best pieces of evidence available for the rapid acceptance of the
book of Daniel as scripture is the inclusion of Daniel and his three friends
in the list of the heroes of the Jewish faith in 1 Maccabees 2.59-60, thought
to have been written in Hebrew about 100 BCE. In contrast, in Ben Sira's
similar list (Sir. 44-49), written about 180 BCE, Daniel figures not at all
(Metzger and Coogan 1993, 151).
We have no evidence of these prophetic manuscripts prior to
167 BCE and (b) that the prophecies correspond in minute detail to events
leading up to 167 BCE but not afterward.
It is a result of
examining the text and identifying linguistic and historical anachronisms that
place its composition in the second rather than in the sixth century BCE

The practice of "quasi-prophesying" was common in the Near East during that
era; indeed, Goldingay's rationale for maintaining the integrity and
inspiration of the book of Daniel is that its readers would have understood
that it was written in the genre of "quasi prophecy" as a means of encouraging
its readers in the midst of their present trials and tribulations, and thus it
would not have been viewed as a deception. If "quasi-prophesying" was a common
practice at the time, on what grounds should we isolate the book of Daniel as
an exception? Is it merely because it happens to be found in the biblical
canon? Is there any concrete evidence that the book was in fact written before
the events it prophesies? No, there is nothing substantive on which to build
such a case.

In addition to the quasi prophecies of the book of Daniel, at least one other
precise biblical prophecy is worthy of singling out as an after-the-fact
prediction. The following passage from 1 Kings (which, along with its
companion 2 Kings, records the history of kings prior to and after Josiah, and
so must have been written after Josiah) ostensibly reveals some three centuries
beforehand the name of a king who will wreak havoc on the lineage of King
Jeroboam:

By the word of the LORD a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam
was standing by the altar to make an offering. He cried out against the altar
by the word of the LORD : "O altar, altar! This is what the LORD says: 'A son
named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the
priests of the high places who now make offerings here, and human bones will
be burned on you'" (1 Kings 13:1-2).

Biblical archeologists Finkelstein and Silberman are not convinced the
prophecy is genuine:

This is an unparalleled prophecy, because the "man of God" revealed the name
of a specific king of Judah who would, three centuries later, order the
destruction of that very shrine, killing its priests and defiling its alter
with their remains. It is something like reading a history of slavery written
in seventeenth century colonial America in which there is a passage predicting
the birth of Martin Luther King ... The precision of the earlier prophecy of
the "man of God" gives away the era when it was written. The Davidic king
Josiah, who conquered and destroyed the altar at Bethel, lived at the end of
the seventh century BCE. Why does a story that takes place in the late tenth
century BCE need to bring in a figure from such a distant future? What is the
reason for describing what a righteous king named Josiah will do? The answer
is much the same as we suggested in explaining why the stories of the
patriarchs, the Exodus, and the conquest of Canaan are overflowing with
seventh century allusions. The inescapable fact is that the books of Kings are
as much a passionate religious argument‹written in the seventh century BCE‹as
they are works of history (Finkelstein and Silberman 2001, 166-67).

None of the events of Jesus' life have any contemporary historical
corroboration outside the Gospels (external corroboration of Jesus' existence
and death, which I am not here disputing, appear many decades after Jesus'
death). So without an a priori acceptance of the gospel record, there can be
no historical certainty that every event in the Gospels happened as depicted.

 

Among the many gospel stories whose historicity critics question, none receive
more attention than the birth narratives of Jesus in Matthew and Luke. The two
stories share very little in common other than that the birth occurred in
Bethlehem of Judea   Matthew and Luke understood on the
basis of Micah 5 that the messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, but they also
understood he grew up in Galilee. Given these parameters, they were faced with
the problem of accounting for the difference in location between his birth in
Bethlehem and his later home in Galilee.

These authors apparently did not have a common source for the birth
narratives, since the earlier gospel Mark makes no mention of the
circumstances of Jesus' birth. It is also apparent that Matthew and Luke did
not consult each other. An independent reading of Matthew strongly suggests
that Mary and Joseph were living in Bethlehem of Judea at the time of Jesus'
birth. The challenge for Matthew, then, is to explain how the family ended up
in Galilee. This he pulls off by having them take a detour to Egypt to avoid
Herod's "slaughter of the innocents," then thwarting their return to Bethlehem
by means of a warning in a dream:

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel,
for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."
So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.
But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father
Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew
to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth
(Matthew 2:19-23a).

No mention is made of Nazareth or Galilee prior to this point in Matthew. The
most natural reading is that Mary and Joseph were living in Bethlehem of Judea
at the time of Jesus' birth and that they migrated to Nazareth only out of fear
of Herod's dynasty.

Luke, on the other hand, has Mary and Joseph living initially in Galilee, so
his challenge is to explain how the birth could have taken place in Bethlehem.
This he accomplishes through the famous story of the census. Much has been
written about the historical corroboration and plausibility of such an
unprecedented census requiring individuals to return to their place of
ancestral origin. I will not dwell on that here but will draw attention to the
discrepancy between Matthew and Luke's accounts with regard to the date of
Jesus' birth. Matthew places it in the time of Herod, who died in 4 BCE, while
Luke favors the reign of Quirinius beginning in 8 CE. Apologists have provided
many ingenious attempts to reconcile this discrepancy, but all fall short.
Those who have studied this issue and are convinced they have a solution to
the problem are encouraged to submit their solution to Richard Carrier, who
has written extensively on this subject in his document, "The Date of the
Nativity in Luke" (Carrier 2006).
==
Since fantastic stories abound in premodern cultures, no report of
miracles from any source should be accepted without evidence. It is difficult
to go back two or three millennia to verify whether a stick turned into a
snake, a child was born of a virgin, or water turned to wine. 
Another fulfilled event of suspicious historicity is Matthew's apparently
simultaneous placement of Jesus on a donkey and on a colt, inspired by the
following Old Testament passage:

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your
king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a
donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zechariah 9:9).

Matthew interprets the prophecy as follows:

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to the
Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'" The disciples went and did as Jesus had
instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on
them, and Jesus sat on them (Matthew 21:4-7).

Matthew is the only gospel writer to place Jesus on both the donkey and the
colt ("Jesus sat on them"); the others have him simply on the donkey, as would
be expected. Is it not plausible that Matthew, failing to recognize Hebrew
poetic parallelism (the common practice of repeating the same idea using
different terms) in the Zechariah passage, interpreted the prophecy literally
to mean that the king would sit on both a donkey and its foal, leading to the
awkward arrangement found in Matthew 21:6?

The primary objection I have heard to this analysis is that the Gospel of
Matthew is the most Jewish-oriented of the Gospels, and it would be
unthinkable that Matthew should have been unaware of Hebrew poetic
parallelism, so his dual-donkey fulfillment must have some other explanation.
Bear in mind, however, that the Gospel of Matthew was anonymous and was
written by a Greek speaker about whom we know very little.[56] Perhaps the
author was a member of the Jewish Diaspora and did not even know Hebrew. That
he drew from the Greek Septuagint when quoting the Old Testament is not
disputed. That the book of Matthew is known for its focus on Jewish concerns
does not guarantee that the author would have recognized poetic parallelism in
the particular passage at hand.
Because only relatively few of the prophecies that are now claimed to be
messianic were originally presented as such, it struck me as preposterous when
I heard nationally televised pastor D. James Kennedy claim in 2000 that 100
percent of the messianic prophecies were fulfilled. If one matches up after
the fact a few dozen events (let's say 100) in Jesus' life with some of the
thousands of events (let's say 10,000) in the Old Testament, calling all the
parallel events prophecies, then of course 100 percent of them were fulfilled.
But if we're going to call parallel Old Testament-New Testament historical
events fulfilled prophecies, then we need to consider all the other historical
Old Testament events as unfulfilled prophecies, in which case the rate of
fulfillment is much lower than 100 percent (let's say hypothetically
100/10,000 or 1 percent; others may be more generous than I, but in any case
it would be hard to arrive at 100 percent). Looking at it any other way is
like having your cake and eating it too. To find parallels between Old
Testament events and Jesus' life may be profitable as a spiritual exercise to
believers, but it's a mistake to go beyond that and claim that this is
objective proof of supernatural prophecy.


The following from Matthew's nativity story serves as an example of
cherry-picking ancient texts to establish a "fulfilled" prophecy:

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get
up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there
until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." So
he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,
where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord
had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son" (Matthew 2:13-15).

Even granting that Jesus' sojourn in Egypt was historical (although Matthew
provides the only account we have of the story; no corroborating evidence
exists for it), can it be claimed legitimately that the following "prophecy"
(which Matthew cites above) was fulfilled in any sense whatsoever?

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But
the more I called Israel, the further they went from me. They sacrificed to
the Baals and they burned incense to images (Hosea 11:1-2).

Note that the original Old Testament passage is not presented as a prophecy
and was referring to a nation, not to an individual. It occurs in the past
tense as a reference to the Exodus. But even more damning for the
establishment of any parallel between "my son" in Hosea and "my son" in
Matthew is the unflattering attributions to "my son" Israel in the original
passage. Did Jesus flee from God? Did he sacrifice to the Baals and burn
incense to images? Matthew was clearly grasping at straws. His credibility,
not to mention his status as a divinely inspired author, should be roundly
challenged. Let's call a spade a spade. Is it likely that anyone not having a
prior commitment to the divine inspiration of the Bible should be won over by
such hand waving? What reason do we have to give Matthew the benefit of the
doubt or to consider his narrative historical?
Perhaps the most famous of these passages, Isaiah 53, was not presented
primarily as a prophecy but as a series of past events. Isaiah 44:28-45:3
would sound messianic if the name had not been made explicit: Cyrus, emperor
of Persia. There are many references to "servant" in Isaiah, the most common
being to Jacob/Israel (a simple computer text search can be used to confirm
this), but also to Eliakim (22:20-25, which also has a messianic ring to it)
and others. The problem is that most of the prophecies Christians consider to
be messianic were not labeled as such when written. In order simply to
perceive the parallels, it took special explanations from Luke, who reported
them in a conversation between the risen Christ and two disciples on the road
to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). The right texts have to be selected and viewed from
the right angle, pulled from their context and divided up into thin slices and
applied to multiple events, each separated by hundreds or even thousands of
years (in the case of dual or multiple fulfillments) in order to see the
picture.

We are thus justified in questioning whether the Micah 5:2 prophecy predicting
that a "ruler" will be born in Bethlehem can be applied legitimately to Jesus,
even if we grant that Jesus was in fact born in Bethlehem. The entire context
of the Micah 5 prophecy has little to do with Bethlehem in the time of Jesus:
it discusses an Assyrian invasion; the role of the "ruler" in delivering the
Israelites from the Assyrians; and the destruction of horses, chariots, and
Asherah poles, none of which took place in Jesus' lifetime.

The "prophecy" of the
suffering servant in Isaiah 53 seems amazing for those who accept the
Christian assumptions about the purpose of Jesus' death, but most of what it
refers to is spiritual in nature, so it was possible to apply it to Jesus or
to any other righteous person who was unjustly executed. There are a few
physical references in the passage, most notably to the servant's being
pierced (which could mean on a cross or with a sword or spear; being pierced
has been a common enough method of execution throughout history) but also to
his being "crushed." It is not legitimate to focus literally on "pierced" as a
miraculous prophecy of Jesus' crucifixion while viewing "crushed" in a more
figurative sense. Those who wish to employ the literal meaning of the first to
posit a fulfilled prophecy must, in order to be consistent, accept the second
as a failed prophecy, since John 20:36 testifies that "not one of his bones
was broken."

 One prophecy that does not fit neatly into my six criteria above is the
"seventy sevens" or "seventy weeks" of years in Daniel 9. 
 
Ancient and modern interpreters have commonly taken vv 24-27 as designed to
convey firm chronological information, which as such can be tested by
chronological facts available to us. It may then be vindicated, for instance,
by noting that the period from Jeremiah's prophecy (605 B.C.) to that of
Cyrus's accession (556) was 49 years and the period from Jeremiah's prophecy
to the death of the high priest Onias III (171) was 434 years so that the sum
of these periods is 483 years, the final seven years taking events to the
rededication of the temple in 164. Or it may be vindicated by noting that
according to some computations the period from Nehemiah (445 or 444 B.C.) to
Jesus' death at Passover in A.D. 32 or 33 was exactly 483 years, the
seventieth seven being postponed. Both these understandings of the seventy
sevens may be faulted on the grounds of their arbitrariness. In the case of
the first, it is not obvious why two partly concurrent figures should be added
together. In the case of the second, it is not obvious why the word about
building a restored Jerusalem should be connected with Artaxerxes' commission
of Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem; nor why we should separate off
the seventieth seven, as the theory requires; nor why we should date
Nehemiah's commission in 444 B.C. or Jesus' crucifixion in A.D. 32‹the
computation requires one or the other, but the usually preferred dates are 445
and A.D. 30 or 33 ... Further, it is striking that the NT itself does not refer
to the seventy sevens in this connection; Luke 1-2 applies v 24 in a quite
different way 



==
 "More prison inmates say they're Baptist than any other religion."
 Associated Press (The Abilene Reporter-News)
     : Baptist     39,781   30.3%
     : Unknown*    28,890   22.0%
     : Catholic    23,637   18.0%
     : Other       39,009   29.7%
==
Paul and the Invention of Christianity.   Hyam MacCoby.

===
Matthew 24:37-42 - As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming
of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the
ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and
took them all away.
==
The entire religious right people would be hilarious if they weren't
so dangerous.
===
I am convinced that the desire
for eternal significance ranks near the top of most Christians' reasons for
believing. There is a strong element of anthropocentrism[53] in the commonly
held view that God created the universe primarily with us in mind. In this
universe of trillions of galaxies, stars, and planets in an expanse of over 20
billion light years in size, we on this little speck of dust called earth would
like to think we have some significance beyond the grind of mere survival. Thus
we become "the apple of God's eye" (Psalm 17:8). We, unlike most if not all the
animals, are to live for eternity. Everything we do on earth prepares us for
eternity with God: we can have a role as the creator's instrument in directing
the eternal fate of our fellow men, and our moral choices matter eternally. All
things, no matter how seemingly insignificant or difficult, work together for
our good (Romans 8:28). By our prayers we can influence the creator of the
cosmos.
This critique of the secular worldview holds enormous appeal to those who
equate hope (defined as a blissful hereafter in the service of our redeemer)
with truth.

 In light of our tendency toward self-deception, should we not be
on our guard against arguments that appeal to our interests, to our emotions,
and to our sense of how we think things ought to be? For those interested in
knowing the truth concerning matters such as the age of the earth, evolution,
and the hereafter, our personal feelings about the consequences of believing
one way or the other should be considered not only as unimportant, but indeed
as obstacles to the truth. Yet the key argument of this article, and many like
it, is an appeal to the audience's fear of meaningless and hopelessness. This
is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog. If we are to have any hope of
arriving at the truth, we cannot allow our personal misgivings to prevent us
from considering the evidence for conclusions we deplore.
They would be no more welcome, I submit, than the remarks of those who insist
that our temporal lives are meaningless if there is no hereafter, no Grand
Plan for the universe with us at its center. Most of us have enjoyed deep,
meaningful friendships that eventually petered out following a move to another
part of the country. Should the fear that our friendships might end in this way
prevent us from making friends and enjoying them while we have the chance?
Should we avoid taking household pets, knowing we are likely to outlive them
and will never join up with them again? Life in the here and now can be as
meaningful as we make it, and we need not depend on a sequel to savor our
challenges and triumphs here on earth. I appreciate the bumper sticker that
declares, "I believe in life before death." And I concur with Kai Nielsen: "A
man who says, 'If God is dead, nothing matters,' is a spoilt child who has
never looked at his fellow-man with compassion" (Nielsen 1973, 53).
But is it really that difficult to account for our desire for eternal
significance naturalistically? Surely one of the most fundamental of all
biological instincts is the will to survive. Without it, we would scarcely
have a chance of passing on our genes to the next generation. But we all
inevitably die. This pits our desire for survival against the reality of
death. Lewis and Boyd are right: we long for something that does not exist,
but is that surprising? Nature has not endowed us with a switch that tells us,
"After you've reproduced and ensured the success of your offspring, you must
lose your desire to survive." Instead, we are left with an open-ended survival
instinct and fear of death. Thus, the appeal of an eternal hereafter where we
can continue to reap the fruits of our labor and see our loved ones beyond the
grave requires no mystical explanation.
No, argument from desire does not
necessarily demonstrate anything about our desire's correspondence to reality.
==
Mel White, a pastor who ghostwrote books for Jerry Falwell, Pat Roberston and
Billy Graham, but who eventually divorced his wife
and came out as a homosexual. 
==
Christian theism holds that an omniscient god creates a
perfect human couple (knowing they will be tempted to sin by a talking
serpent), then wipes out nearly the whole of the human race in the time of
Noah (knowing in advance they would all turn evil), then, with his
foreknowledge, ultimately consigns the majority of the human race to an
endless torment in hell (while asking us to turn the other cheek against our
own enemies), requiring the murder of his own son to redeem the minority of
humanity that recognizes and accepts this Grand Plan.
===
I suppose in a technical sense the following verse is an example of regulating
rather than instituting slavery, but it provides precious little protection for
slaves (whom some apologists prefer to label "servants," as if it makes any
difference); they may be beaten to within an inch of their life with impunity.
Indeed, if they manage to hang on a couple of days before dying (or recovering,
depending on the translation), their owners are not liable, the loss of the
slave's economic contribution being the master's only penalty:

If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a
direct result, he must be punished, but he is not to be punished if the slave
gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property (Exodus 21:20).
(KJV: "Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished:
for he is his money.")
========
Contrary
to the standard assertion of apologists that the Bible does not endorse slavery
but merely regulates it or that biblical slavery is tame and harmless, the
following passage suggests it is acceptable to take foreign slaves and to
treat them ruthlessly:

Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must
not be sold as slaves. Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God.
Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them
you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living
among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will
become your property. You can will them to your children as inherited property
and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow
Israelites ruthlessly (Leviticus 25:42-46).
==
The fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall the
children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for
his own sin (Deuteronomy 24:16).

Yet some four hundred years after the Amalekites refused to issue the
Israelites safe passage through their territory, God commanded his people to
annihilate the Amalekites, not for anything the generation then living had
done, but for what their forefathers had done:

This is what the LORD Almighty says: "I will punish the Amalekites for what
they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go,
attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do
not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and
sheep, camels and donkeys" (1 Samuel 15:2-3).
==
It does not matter how morally repugnant certain passages may be
to us, since it has already been established that God is the author, and by
definition whatever God commands or performs is good. A deed is good by virtue
only of its divine sanction, not by virtue of how it makes us feel.
==
 To acknowledge that morality can be grounded outside religion is
to rob religion of one of its primary reasons for existence, an
acknowledgement that it can scarcely afford to make.
===
Jdgs19:29 When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine,
limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel.
(NIV)
==
Isaiah 13:13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, And the earth will
be shaken from its place At the fury of the LORD of hosts In the day of His
burning anger.

Haggai 2:6 "For thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Once more in a little while,
I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land.

7 Then the earth shook and quaked;  And the foundations of the mountains were
trembling  And were shaken, because He was angry.
==
deu 20:14  but the women and the little ones, the cattle, and everything
else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as booty for yourselves; and
you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given
you.
==
It's the strategy of presuppositional apologetics. When evidence cannot be
offered, pretend that the opponent must defend some absurd set of propositions.
==
Deu14:7 Yet of those that chew the cud or have the hoof cloven you shall
not eat these: the camel, the hare, and the rock badger, because they chew
the cud but do not part the hoof, are unclean for you. (RSV)
=-=
gen 3:14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this,
"Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will
crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
==
If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife
and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot
be my disciple.
Luke 14:26
==
Paul believed that Jesus would return within his lifetime.[10] ^
Ehrman, Bart. Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene: The Followers of
Jesus in History and Legend. Oxford University Press, USA. 2006.
ISBN 0-19-530013-0
==
There is a downside to any religious or nonreligious philosophy or political
system that demands unquestioned adherence to its principles. If one does not
need to consider primarily the practical consequences of one's actions on
sentient beings but can simply follow the inherited dictates of one's
philosophy, and if those dictates are flawed, there exists no internal
mechanism for self-correction. This can lead to needless witch hunts, the
persistence of slavery, a second-rate status for women, pogroms, genocide,
tyranny, neglect of the environment and other species in favor of short-term
human interests, or the prohibition of certain forms of biomedical research
that might benefit humanity.
==
If a Jew, not converted at heart, were to ask baptism at my hands, I would
take him to the bridge, tie a stone round his neck, and hurl him into the
river; for those wretches are wont to make a jest of our religion (Luther
1541
I wish and I ask that our rulers who have Jewish subjects exercise a sharp
mercy toward these wretched people, as suggested above, to see whether this
might not help (though it is doubtful). They must act like a good physician
who, when gangrene has set in, proceeds without mercy to cut, saw, and burn
flesh, veins, bone, and marrow. Such a procedure must also be followed in this
instance. Burn down their synagogues, forbid all that I enumerated earlier,
force them to work, and deal harshly with them, as Moses did in the
wilderness, slaying three thousand lest the whole people perish. They surely
do not know what they are doing; moreover, as people possessed, they do not
wish to know it, hear it, or learn it. There it would be wrong to be merciful
and confirm them in their conduct. If this does not help we must drive them
out like mad dogs, so that we do not become partakers of their abominable
blasphemy and all their other vices and thus merit God's wrath and be damned
with them. I have done my duty (Luther 1543
==
God called out "Adam, where are you?". Then he found Adam, and it was
then His turn to hide!
==
Num25:6 Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right
before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were
weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Num25:7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this,
he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand
Num25:8 and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through
both of them--through the Israelite and into the woman's body. Then the
plague against the Israelites was stopped; (NIV)
==
"Why I believed" by Ken Daniels
===
Many of the principles that underlie our values are linked by a common thread
that serves our interest in the long run.  From the perspective of our genes,
these tendencies do often
lead to reproductive success and thus remain strong inner urges. But, unlike
most if not all other species, we have the ability to reflect on the long-term
personal and social consequences of our behavior, and we can thus choose to
relinquish some of our gene-driven passions in favor of strategies that
promote our respect and well-being in society, ones that advance the
conditions of the society in which we all take part. In sum, there is a
conflict between our individual urge to survive, reproduce, and feel immediate
pleasure and the more recently developed consideration of how our actions
affect others' estimation of us. As for the adage that all we have is to "eat
drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die," it is almost never the case that
tomorrow we die, and in the meantime we have to live with the consequences of
our actions and with the people whom our actions affect. If naturalism were
indeed true and you could be convinced of it right now, would you run out and
solicit a prostitute? Would you go and rob a bank? Is religion your only
restraint? Or do you not also love your wife and fear the law?
We do have competing interests in that regard. On the one hand, our
survival often depends on our good standing in the group to which we belong,
so we flaunt the rules of society to our own peril and to the peril of our
genes. On the other hand, our impulse to survive and to get ahead as
individuals is also adaptive in the context of competition for scarce crucial
resources.
One good reason not to do so is that a reputation for
trustworthiness is hard-won. Sooner or later, habitual violations of the rules
will eventually lead to the discovery of one or more infractions. "Be sure your
sins will find you out," as the Bible says. And once you are seen to be a
cheat, even once, others' estimation of you will suffer a setback. If you
cannot be trusted, you may be excluded from the next partnering venture.

==
Atheist list
Richard Dawkins, Catherine Deveny, Phillip Adams, Taslima Nasrin,
Peter Singer, PZ Myers, Dan Barker, Stuart Bechman, Sue-Ann Post,
Kylie Sturgess, John Perkins, Tamas Pataki, Max Wallace, Russell Blackford,
Ian Robinson, AC Grayling, Robyn Williams, Simon Taylor, NonStampCollector
and Craig Reucassel and Julian Morrow (The Chaser).
===
S: If you don't believe in God, why be moral?

N: There are many millions of unbelievers who manage to live moral lives.
Where do you get the idea that unbelievers are more immoral than believers?

S: I didn't say there are no moral unbelievers; I simply asked what basis your
materialistic worldview provides for morality.

N: It's just a matter of thinking through rationally how I want to live my
life, and it happens that the moral course is the one that suits society best.
It's the rational choice.

S: That may be fine for you, but if there is no Lawgiver, how can you expect
everyone else to come to the same conclusion and live morally? It's just your
subjective opinion.

N: No, society functions best when we live morally, and we are all a part of
society. Together we come to a consensus on the broad lines of right and
wrong, encouraging the socially adaptive behaviors and discouraging the
maladaptive ones.

It is not difficult to imagine how most moral expectations could have arisen
in the interest of preserving harmony and cooperation in society, if for no
other reason initially than for survival. Again, social morality is a
balancing act between the interests of the individual and those of the society
on which the individual depends. Most of us are dependent enough on others (who
among us could really make it alone?) that our relationships serve to restrain
our otherwise selfish tendencies.
==
If we insist that God owes us a special written revelation of himself, then
how can we account for the absence of such a revelation among most peoples
throughout history‹for example, among the pre-Colombian Native Americans?
Perhaps it's acceptable for them to have been in the dark, but not us? Surely
this question deserves no response.

it comes from our evolutionary heritage, from the necessity of living
together cooperatively as social animals.
==
There is no obvious and universally-acknowledged standard by which one could
stand above all religious options and evaluate their relative worth.
A reigning assumption on the part of those who use the "no good alternative
worldview" argument is that only major religions and philosophies deserve to
be considered and eliminated before Christianity is declared the victor. The
standard list may include Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism or atheism. In my
conversations I have never heard believers mention Jainism, Sikhism or
Zoroastrianism, let alone any of the great number of local tribal religions or
minor cults that have come and gone (or stayed) over the millennia. I wonder
how many of those who subscribe to the "no good alternative" approach to
validating Christianity have objectively studied these and the thousands of
other religious sects to determine whether they are all in fact inferior to
the Christian faith. Could it be that such inquirers are unwitting subscribers
to the notion that a religion is to be evaluated not only by its objective
merits but also by the number of its adherents? It must not be forgotten that
Christianity itself was once a tiny sect in the crossroads of the Roman
Empire. For those who lived in the first century CE, Christianity would not
have even made it on the list of religious alternatives to consider when
judging the major religions of the day. The "no good alternative" argument
would have eliminated Christianity as a viable option from the outset.
One of the minor philosophies that typically fail to meet the cut for
inclusion in the list of possible alternative worldviews is deism. It was an
influential outlook during the Enlightenment in the seventeenth through
nineteenth centuries, claiming such luminaries as Voltaire, George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, and Abraham
Lincoln.[46] It rapidly lost ground to agnosticism and atheism after the time
of Darwin but has certainly not died out altogether.
The religious books of men, whose alleged divine inspiration can never be
authenticated but should be doubted on the basis of the many internal
contradictions and outrageous claims they contain.
===
The average man believes implicitly in the religion of his country, because he
knows nothing of any other and has no desire to know. It fits him because he
has been deformed to fit it, and he regards this fact of fit as an evidence of
its inspired truth (Ingersoll 1889,
===
Let us see how [the] Bible describes the power of God:
"And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the
mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they
had chariots of iron" (Judges 1:19).
As we told above, the Biblical God cannot fight with chariots of iron but
according with [sic] Christians God is powerful BUT when he confronts with
chariots of iron, he is helpless. How [sic] chariots of iron can stop God
Almighty to do what he wills?

===
the principle of Prophetic Dualism, spoken of
in numerous scholarly writings (in and out of the Mormon Church). This
principle reminds us that Scripture might be‹and often is‹fulfilled more than
only once. Of course, the general interpretation and overall meaning of a
scriptural passage are the same, always. But, the application can vary.
For example, in referring to Isaiah 6:9-10, Jesus said that this passage was
"fulfilled" in the multitude which stood hearing Him upon the sea shore
(Matthew 13:14-15). This multitude, naturally, was assembled at a sea side in
Palestine. And yet, years later, in Acts 28:25-27, the Apostle Paul applied
this exact same prophecy of Isaiah to: a.) the unbelievers at Rome (not
Palestine!), and b.) those among whom Isaiah ministered (Paul calls them "our
fathers").
==
Christian who would oppose stem cell research on unfeeling
embryos, even if such research might hold out the potential of alleviating
suffering for millions of sentient children and adults!
==
He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap to make
them sit with nobles, and inherit a seat of honor; for the pillars of the earth
are the LORD'S, and He set the world on them (1 Samuel 2:8, NASB).
==
Yahweh has caused the earth to quake with the victory given with
Jonathan against the Philistines (1Sam 14).

===
God was busy making sure that people didnt boil baby goats in the milk of
their mothers... he couldnt be expected to get round to minor issues like
"slavery is bad"
==
The practical track record of naturalistic science is available for all to
evaluate, while supernatural science comes up empty handed. Indeed, the
enterprise of science is to turn unknowns into knowns, while the business of
supernaturalism is to make pronouncements concerning what cannot be known and
which therefore requires magic. In other words, it is not unfair to accuse
supernaturalists of "bias against the natural."
==
The great physician Hippocrates (460-377 BCE) got it
right:

Men think [a disease] divine merely because they do not understand it. But if
they called everything divine which they do not understand, why, there would
be no end of divine things.
==
Protestant Reformer
Martin Luther further illustrates this outlook:

It was asked, can good Christians and God-fearing people also undergo
witchcraft? Luther replied, "Yes, for our bodies are always exposed to attacks
of Satan. The maladies I suffer are not natural, but devil's spells (Luther
1541, 252).
I maintain that Satan produces all the maladies which afflict mankind, for he
is the prince of death (Luther 1541, 256).
Many Demons are in the woods, the waters, in swamps and it deserts, in order
to hurt men. Others, in the dense clouds, cause tempests, thunder and hail and
infect the atmosphere. But philosophers and scientists ascribe these phenomena
to nature and I know not what causes (Luther ca. 1540, 158).

==
When even the brightest mind in our world has been trained up from
childhood in a superstition of any kind, it will never be possible for that
mind, in its maturity, to examine sincerely, dispassionately, and
conscientiously any evidence or any circumstance which shall seem to cast
a doubt upon the validity of that superstition. I doubt if I could do it
myself.
. - Mark Twain
==
Matthew 27:52-53. To quote -- KJV
52And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy
city, and appeared unto many.
Darby's Translation (he's the guy who invented the Rapture)
52and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints fallen asleep arose,
53and going out of the tombs after his arising, entered into the holy city and
appeared unto many.
or, the NIV
52The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were
raised to life. 53They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection
they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
And, finally Young's Literal Translation
52and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who have fallen
asleep, arose,
53and having come forth out of the tombs after his rising, they went into the
holy city, and appeared to many.
==
Patrick Glynn   "God: The Evidence."
==
Pat Robertson has gone on record as saying Haiti is paying the price for
a pact it made with the devil long ago where they agreed to serve Satan if he
would help them get out from under French rule
==
'Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at
the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect
out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw
them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing
of teeth' (Matthew 13:40-42).
===
"There are more differences in our [greek new testament] manuscripts than
there are words in the New Testament." - Biblical Scholar Bart Ehrman
==
The tendency to favor traditional or biblical understandings of the world over
those of the scientific establishment is not new. Christian historian Philip
Schaff relates the perspectives of the Protestant Reformers on Copernican
astronomy in his History of the Christian Church:

But in this matter Calvin was no more in advance of his age than any other
divine. He believed that "the whole heaven moves around the earth," and
declared it preposterous to set the conjecture of a man against the authority
of God, who in the first chapter of Genesis had pointed out the relation of
the sun and moon to the earth. Luther speaks with contempt of that upstart
astronomer who wishes to reverse the entire science of astronomy and the
sacred Scripture, which tells us that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still,
and not the earth. Melanchthon condemned the system in his treatise on the
"Elements of Physics," published six years after the death of Copernicus, and
cited against it the witness of the eyes, which inform us that the heavens
revolve in the space of twenty-four hours; and passages from the Psalms and
Ecclesiastes, which assert that the earth stands fast and that the sun moves
around it. He suggests severe measures to restrain such impious teaching as
that of Copernicus (Schaff 1892, sec. 135, 678-79).
==
Psychologist Frank J. Sulloway of the University of California at Berkeley and
I made a similar discovery of an attribution bias in a study we conducted on
why people say they believe in God and why they think other people do so. In
general, most individuals attribute their own faith to such intellectual
reasons as the good design and complexity of the world, whereas they attribute
others' belief in God to such emotional reasons as that it is comforting, that
it gives meaning and that it is how they were raised (Shermer
==
For many fundamentalists and evangelicals, nothing is more important in life
than their faith. Expressing doubt or criticism against any dearly held
religious belief can be considered impolite or offensive. It cuts to the core
of who the other person is and can be felt as a personal attack.
It should go without saying that the number of adherents to any belief in no
way guarantees its truth or reasonableness. It simply means the idea succeeded
in getting off the ground long ago and propagating itself over many
generations, growing ever more respectable with age.
As long as
there are enough individuals not sufficiently conscientious to verify the
stories before passing them on, such messages may be propagated and believed
by millions.
If only one or two individuals hold to a strange idea‹for example, that the
Virgin Mary never died but ascended directly to heaven, or that a wafer turns
into flesh, or that a donkey spoke to a man (Numbers 22)‹it is easy to
ridicule and dismiss their claims. But if thousands, millions, or billions
embrace such ideas, they are more readily considered worthy of respect, not
because the ideas are inherently more reasonable, but simply because many have
held them for so long.
==
The possession of intelligence or bravery does
not guarantee the possession of truth. To illustrate, after centuries of
scientific progress, the average schoolchild knows more today about the nature
of the cosmos than the majority of these luminaries, through no fault of their
own.
==
Why do we tend to be prisoners of what we have been
taught, rather than forming our beliefs independently? Richard Dawkins offers
a compelling explanation: A child's very survival depends on unquestioning
adherence to the dictates of those in authority. Don't touch‹it's hot! Don't
get near the edge of that cliff! Don't move; there's a snake! Believe as I
say, or hellfire will await you! The mind of a youngster is like a sponge,
soaking up cultural and linguistic norms that allow it to survive in an often
harsh world. It is not generally constituted in such a way that its survival
can be bettered by skepticism. The ability of the brain to learn from others
who have learned the hard way is an indispensable human asset, but it is this
same ability that contributes to our reluctance to question authority or to
cast doubt on the unsupported claims of our forebears (Dawkins 2006,

The majority of humankind adopts with all sincerity
and good will the beliefs‹whether true or false‹of family or culture.
==
Most children grow
up accepting the dominant worldview of their family or culture, quite apart
from any intellectual merits of their particular faith. In other words, the
chances are that if you are a Christian, it is because someone influential in
your life‹whether parents or peers‹introduced you to the gospel. The same goes
for most members of all religions.
==
Unitarian Michael Servetus was executed at the behest of Protestant reformer
John Calvin (Willis 1877, 281-86, 304-13, 498-508). Calvin's severe outlook
concerning heretics is representative of the repression that reigned before
the Enlightenment and Western liberalism paved the way for freedom of speech
and religion:
==
Many believers are consciously or subconsciously aware
that if they were to admit their faith is largely determined by the cultural
influences to which they are exposed, it would be tantamount to acknowledging
that their beliefs are based less on the inherent merits of Christianity than
on accidents of birth and culture.
==
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved‹you and your household (Acts
16:31).

Paul maintained that it is possible for an unbelieving husband to be
sanctified through the faith of his wife:

To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not
a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if
a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her,
she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified
through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her
believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is,
they are holy (1 Corinthians 7:12-14).
==
Jesus' tcl;aimed that the Holy Spirit "will guide you
[believers] into all truth" (John 16:12)

It looks for all the
world as though each believer or congregation or denomination is simply using
human reason to come to whatever conclusions they come to, the Holy Spirit
playing no role in the process.

I see Christianity as a square peg and reality a round hole. The square peg
doesn't fit in the round hole, so we start whittling and sandpapering the
corners, trying to make it fit. The tools we use for whittling and
sandpapering are collectively known as "Bible commentary." We find, for
example, that the earth is very ancient, not a few thousand years old, that
there are biological bases for illnesses like schizophrenia, not merely demon
possession, that the Bible had a lot of editing as it was put together and
doesn't appear error free. We incorporate these and other items into our
Christian worldview, slowly sandpapering the edges and modifying our
Christianity. When we finally get our Christianity smoothed down so that it
can fit into the round hole of reality, we are relieved‹until we realize that
what we are looking at is no longer a square peg but a round one, no different
from the round peg of Naturalism that fits into reality. Can what we have left
of the peg, now completely rounded, still be labeled Christianity? No, it is
Naturalism (or at best, Deism). Hence the loss of faith.

Biblical Christianity makes extraordinary claims: a talking
serpent, a talking donkey, rods that turn into serpents and swallow other
serpents-from-rods, resurrections, and blood sacrifices (of goats, bulls, and
man‹the man Jesus) for the forgiveness of sins.

Many of the ancients, when pondering the mystery of how the earth is held up,
were not content to let it remain a mystery, even though they lacked the tools
and evidence to crack the mystery. By analogy with everything on earth that
requires a support, the earth itself must have been held up by pillars or
elephants. In hindsight, we can appreciate that their haste to solve an
unknown by inventing an explanation out of thin air stood little chance of
arriving at the nature of reality. Today there remain many genuine unsolved
mysteries about the nature and origin of the universe and of life.
Christianity and other religions are eager to fill our thirst for a certain
answer to these questions. These religious systems exploit our desire to
explain what we do not know. In doing so, they illegitimately shift the burden
of proof to the skeptic to answer questions that religion pretends to address,
but whose answers are no more empirically grounded than the proposition that
pillars bear the weight of the earth.

The lesson to be learned is that the burden of proof rests on those who make
empirically unsupported claims. It is the partisans of such claims that are
obligated to make their case, not the skeptics of those claims. "I don't know"
is a proper response to questions we do not have the tools to answer.
==
It was easy during those years to see how other religions had adapted to new
realities in order to survive. The example I was most familiar with was the
repeal of polygamy by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Though
Joseph Smith advocated polygamy in section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants,
Mormon Church President Wilford Woodruff issued a manifesto in 1890 urging
Mormons no longer to practice it following its prohibition by the United
States government.
==
The great Protestant reformers Luther and Calvin
considered heresy to be a crime punishable by death. Theologian Jonathan
Edwards claimed the redeemed would look from heaven on the fate of the
damned‹even their own family members‹and give praise to God:

The sight of hell torments will exalt the happiness of the saints forever ...
It will really make their happiness the greater, as it will make them more
sensible of their own happiness (Edwards 1739, 276).
Can the believing husband in Heaven be happy with his unbelieving wife in
Hell? Can the believing father in Heaven be happy with his unbelieving
children in Hell? Can the loving wife in Heaven be happy with her unbelieving
husband in Hell? I tell you, yea! Such will be their sense of justice that it
will increase rather than diminish their bliss (Edwards 1738).
==
I tell people that if god is supposed to be so great, then he would preform
good actions without need for my praise.
===
Doxastic voluntarism is the view (widely held in theistic circles) that one's
beliefs are under one's conscious control, so that one can, by an act of will,
make oneself believe a proposition.  It's ridiculous when you think about it.
==
If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or
your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, "Let us go and worship other
gods" (gods that neither you nor your fathers have known, gods of the peoples
around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do
not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or
shield him. You must certainly put him to death. Your hand must be the first
in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone him to
death, because he tried to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought
you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Then all Israel will hear and be
afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again (Deuteronomy
13:6-11)

Paul
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the
one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already
said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than
what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned (Galatians 1:8-9)!
As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate
[that is, castrate] themselves! (Galatians 5:12)
==
Proverbs 18:17 summarizes perfectly the downside of insulation: "The first to
present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him."
==
Consider the perspective of Christian philosopher Alvin Plantinga, who
believes in an old earth but not in Darwinian evolution:

In this connection, consider the despised creationists, who believe that the
world is only ten thousand years old: they are ignorant, pitifully ignorant
about when God created the world. From the point of view of the model, this
ignorance pales into utter insignificance compared with that of many of their
cultured detractors, who foolishly believe that there is no God and thus
(naturally enough) are ignorant of the vastly more important fact that the
world was, indeed, created by God (Plantinga 2000, 217).
====
Christ on Trial by Rowan Williams
==
Both Catholic and Protestant leaders decried the arrogance of
Copernicus and Galileo in daring to overturn the long-held belief that the sun
orbits the earth.
=================
Standard Christian Claims and Suitable Answers.
==
An event xyz in the future will prove Christianity is all true.
A. Future proposed evidence is not present good evidence.
===
If you eliminate science facts from Christianity, it back to the 17th century.
==
ATHEIST, n. A person to be pitied in that he is unable to believe in things
for which there is no evidence, and who has thus deprived himself of a
convenient means of feeling superior to others (Bierce and Bufe 2004, 68).[22]
==
Science is based on faith and science is a religion
A. Science assumes the laws of nature are constant.
Science is based on observations and experiments.
Faith is belief without evidence. Science deals in evidence.
--
Science is full of holes.
A. All science has holes, eventually filled by more and better
science. As science makes discoveries, it exposes new holes and mysteries,
to be solved by future science. All science models are tentative and
approximate.
If you want ABSOLUTE TRUTH, look to philosophy and theology.
--
Evolution has many gaps.
A. Only a very small percent of all living things fossilize.
Go a mile in any direction, noting all living things.
How many of them will fossilize and be found by a scientist?
Try to find a fossil of any modern species. Lack of fossils does
not mean lack of life forms. The more fossils found, the more gaps created.
In 100 AD, it was 100% gap.
--
Science does not know everything. it has not discovered xxx yet.
It once taught yyy was true.
A. It knows more each year, correcting earlier science models.
All science models are approximate and tentative.
Christians keep trying to destroy science education,
then they complain science is making discoveries too slowly to satisfy them.
Think of all the hard problems past science has solved, all without including
miracles or acts of gods.
--
The Second law of Thermodynamics prevents evolution as it says everything
gets less organized with time.
A. The Science version (as opposed to the fundie version) states that
the Second Law describes conditions in a closed system(foam cooler). In such a
system, energy becomes less available with time(flashlight inside runs down and
air becomes warmer.). It says NOTHING preventing evolution.
The earth is not a closed system, with sunlight streaming in, supplying energy.
--
Science has fraud and error, like Piltdown and Nebraska Man.
A. Science has methods for detecting and correcting frauds and errors.
The long history of science making valid predictions validates its
assumptions and methods.
--
Science does not know the origin of the big bang.
A. Science observed results of the big bang in the expanding universe,
the 2.7 degree microwave radiation, and the ratio of light isotopes.
The origin of the big bang itself is still a science mystery.
The term before the big bang has no present science meaning as time was a
product of the big bang. Cause does not apply to the big bang itself
as cause assumes laws and time sequences.
Both were products of the big bang, 13.7 billion years ago.
The May 2004 Scientific American has a major article on potential bb origins.
--
Science does not know the origin of the first cells.
A. All science has mysteries. They usually eventually get solved by more
and better science. Chemists and biologists are working on this problem.
The original surface of the earth was greatly bombarded during the time of
chemical evolution. This destroyed biological trace evidence, leaving only
carbon.
The C13/C12 ratio of carbon tells if it was once part of a living system.
Plant cells have a preference for C12 over C13 in using carbon dioxide.
Read March, 1999 National Geographic for a major article on life origins.
The June 2004 Discover magazine has a long article on possible prelife
chemical steps.
--
Evolution is not valid science.
A. The science community and the U.S. Federal Courts decided evolution is valid
science and creation is religion. No professional science journal refutes the
fact of evolution. No physical evidence refutes the fact of evolution.
Genetic continuity is a law of biology. Common ancestry is a fact of biology.
Each geological period had different species, all derived from species of
earlier periods, since the first cells formed. Evolution is never proved.
It has been validated.
--
Science discovered the Ark on Ararat.
A. No Ark has been found anywhere.
No particular mountain of the Ararat range was mentioned.
--
Science discovered the Noah flood.
A. No science reference includes the Noah flood. No physical trace of this
flood is found anywhere. No science or history reference included a world
Noah flood. Local floods are known, some large. There is no water to flood the
earth.
--
It takes more faith to believe in evolution than to believe in God.
A. Evolution is descent with variation over time in a breeding population,
both observed. No gods are observed.
--
Many scientists, past and present, believed in God and had a religion.
A. The religious opinions of scientists have no particular authority.
The value of the opinion of a scientist is only as good as the evidence he can
offer. Claims by scientists without supporting data are personal
philosophy/religion, not science. Scientists can have religious delusions too.
--
Science agrees with Genesis.
A. The only parallel between science facts and Genesis is both have a
beginning. Genesis has plants on earth before the creation of sun, moon
and stars. Genesis has a walking, talking snake holding a conversation,
people and animals without parents, no rain until the time of man and a world
flood. It has birds as the first land animals. These are all refuted by
science observations. Many religions have origin stories.
--
God did it with a miracle.
A. Any story, no matter how wild, can be saved by a miracle of God.
--
You are calling God a liar when you deny the Bible.
A. Fallible people wrote, edited and selected Bible stories, not God.
The Bible has many errors, much fantasy, and some valid history.
--
Evolution and the big bang are just theories, never having been proved.
A. Science theories are validated explanations for patterns of observations.
All science models are tentative and approximate.
Science models are never proved, as proof is for math.
Tell us the creation science theory, with physical evidence.
--
Science can not give you eternal life in heaven or prevent eternal life
in hell.
A. Eternal life, heaven, and hell are not detected. Science can give longer,
healthier life on earth.
--
There is no evidence for evolution.
A. Each geological period had different species, starting with the Precambrian
prokaryote bacteria 3.5 billion years ago in the Apex Chert of Australia.
Genetic continuity is a law, which states animals and plants ALWAYS come from
parents/ancestors, after the first cells formed. Physical structure, genetic
and protein similarity of life forms shows common ancestry. The science
community accepts evolution as valid science. Genetic continuity is a law of
biology.
--
God made people.
A. Humans evolved over millions of years. They have fossils and tools of the
intermediate stages. People always come from two parents, male and female.
Adding God to science never improves science and only adds complexity.
--
God invented science.
A. Science is a process for solving mysteries. Supposedly God already knows
everything and would not have any use for science.
Curious people developed science over the centuries.
--
Everything can be explained by Intelligent Design.
Design is not observed in nature. Design stories assume a Designer.
Intelligent Design is just another way of saying God did it.
--
It is logical to believe in God. You can not disprove God exists.
A. Proof is for math. All gods are equally based on faith. All gods are silent
and invisible, unless you consider physical things like planets and volcanoes
as
gods.
The Bible and other Holy Books vary greatly on the nature and will of God(s).
People invent gods and they are as variable as the human imagination.
The logical process suffers from the fact of Garbage In Yields Garbage Out.
I meet many experts on God and the Bible. They differ.
Atheism, taken as lack of belief in gods, is rational, as no gods are observed.
Gods can not be disproved. They can be outgrown.
Any gods can be supported by faith, social popularity, and emotions.
--
The laws of probability refute life starting on its own, without God.
A. Since the chemical steps leading to life are unknown, mathematics can not be
applied in any scientifically useful fashion. The best scientists can state,
with any degree of science certainty is they do not know these processes yet.
--
Everything had to be caused, so the big bang was caused. It had to be God.
A. No known science is known to apply to the big bang itself.
It is beyond all known science laws so far.
The May 2004 Scientific American discussed possible origins of the bb.
What causes atomic decay and virtual particles?
Adding God to science models never improves the value of any science model
and only adds complexity. What caused God?
--
Pasteur disproved life coming from non-life.
A. Pasteur showed only that nutrient broth shielded from bacteria laden dust
remains sterile. This experiment does not apply to the origin of life on the
Precambrian earth over millions of years. See Pasteur in unsorted files.
--
They found fossils on mountain tops, proving Noah's flood occurred.
A. Mountains are old ocean beds, with marine fossils, pushed up by continental
plate collisions, like the Himalayas and Andes. Fossils are extinct life forms.
Modern floods do not deposit marine limestone with fossils of extinct species.
Mature sea life could not establish a colony in one year and get entombed in
thick layers of marine limestone.
--
The geological column exists nowhere on earth. it is fiction.
A. Each place on earth has a unique history, with different formations, with
different periods, depths and compositions. There are about 25 places where
members of all periods are found. This column/period system was developed long
before Darwin wrote.
--
Scientists once thought the earth was flat.
A. Aristotle and other ancient Greeks knew the earth was spherical, by noting
the shadow of the earth on the moon was always a circle. Eratosthenes measured
its actual size. Name any flat earth scientists.
--
Science claims everything occurred by chance.
A. Science explains things by action of natural laws. Chance is a measure
of human ignorance, not lack of laws in operation.
--
Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.
- A. Einstein
A. The religion of Einstein had no personal gods.
He did not mention any particular religion as required for valid science.
The religious opinions of scientists have no particular authority.
Scientists can have religious delusions too.

"I see only with deep regret that God punishes so many of His
children for their numerous stupidities, for which only He Himself
can be held responsible; in my opinion, only His nonexistence could
excuse Him. -A. Einstein (Letter to Edgar Meyer, Jan. 2, 1915)
========================
After promising themselves they would not make any more end time predictions,
the Jehovah's Witnesses fell off the wagon and proclaimed 1994 as the
conclusion of an 80 year generation - the year 1914 was the starting point.

The Watchtower has made many predictions about important events that failed
to come true. Will this zero percent accuracy rating continue?

The Watchtower Bible Tract Society, the organization for the Jehovah's
Witnesses, has made many prophecies. The accuracy rating for the predictions
of the Watchtower has been a solid zero percent.

The Biblical test for a false prophet only matters to Fundamentalist and
Evangelical Christians, but the bizarre prophecies that failed to come true
are interesting by themselves. These predictions announced the dates of
Armageddon, the Second Coming, and the Resurrection.

When Did Armageddon Happen?

The Watchtower issued a prophecy that the battle of Armageddon would be in 1914
and in 1915. Both dates passed without any major battle being fought on that
ancient site in the Middle East. The Watchtower failed in this prediction and
continues a zero percent accuaracy rating. Jehovah's Witnesses now believe
that Armageddon could happen at any minute, which is in line with the standard
Christian belief about the battle that will take place on the end of the world.

The Failed Watchtower Propehcies of the Second Coming

Many Christians eagerly await the return of Christ that will usher in a new
era of peace and prosperity. Most Christian denominations are careful not to
give dates and keep the expectations high. The Watchtower made confident
predictions to its followers about when Christ would return. These dates came
and the prophecies failed to come to pass.

The dates that Watchtower has given Jehovah's Witnesses for the Second Coming
are 1874 and 1914. The start of World War I may have been considered the last
great War at the time, but the war itself did not usher in 1,000 years of
peace and prosperity that should have accompanied the Millennium.

The Failed Watchtower Prophecies of the Resurrection of Ancient Prophets

The Watchtower continued its practice of making spectacular prophecies that
failed has told the Jehovah's Witnesses to expect the resurrection in 1874 and
again in 1926. Evidence of dead people returning to life, stories of
reincarnation notwithstanding, has not been found. This belief also had to
return to a less definitive statement about the possibility of it happening at
any time.

Do the Failed Prophecies of the Watchtower Matter?

The zero percent accuracy rating of the Watchtower Prophecies only matter for
people who are concerned about the state of the souls of the Jehovah's
Witnesses. Because no one can prove with absolute certainty that there is an
afterlife, the real test should be the actions of the religion itself and
whether or not the practice of the faith makes Jehovah's Witnesses better
people.

Failed Watchtower Prophecies are interesting for those who like the strange
and bizarre, but the predictions themselves will stop, or the Watchtower will
change to making predictions based on the directions of current events. The
latter move will result in the Watchtower at least making some accurate
predictions.

Sources:

Prophecy Blunders.
http://www.bible.ca/jw-prophecy-blunders.htm
http://64.226.233.122/discus/messages/5368/949.html?981326442
http://www.christianissues.com/blunders.html

Prophecies of the Watchtower Society of Jehovah's Witnesses

==
Such passages are stirring and have the glow of victory about them, but Jesus
can be confounding, and he forced the early believers to become masters of
theological improvisation. First the Kingdom failed to materialize at the time
of the Passion, forcing the disciples at least the male ones into hiding. Next
came the initially mystifying Resurrection. Then came ... nothing. A central
prophecy preached in Jesus' name, his Second Coming on clouds of glory,
failed to happen. Truly, I say to you, Jesus tells his disciples in Mark,
there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the
kingdom of God come with power.
==
Josephus, Flavius, (translated by William Whiston, A.M.)
The Complete Works of Josephus, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI, p. 27,
1981.
==
Later, there are differing Gospel accounts of the discovery of the empty tomb
and the appearances of the risen Jesus. Sometimes he appears as flesh and
blood; at others, he can walk through walls. Sometimes he is instantly
recognized; at others, even close followers fail to understand whom they are
speaking with until Jesus identifies himself. Most likely the post-Resurrection
stories represent different traditions within the nascent faith. The
contrasting details do not help the Christian case on logical grounds.
==
If you know whether it was 28 or 43 generations between David and Jesus, and
why the two lists have only 5 names in common (two of them being
Jesus and David)
==
To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim
that Jesus was not born of a virgin.
Cardinal Bellarmine, during the trial of Galileo, 1615
==
Dimitrakos: Lexicon of all the Greek language, p. 2,688 (In Greek)
==
There has been numerous revisions of the KJV since 1611.
The first was in 1615 which contained hundreds of corrections.
In 1629 the Apocrypha was omitted.
Another revision was made in 1638.
In 1701 the chronology of Bishop Ussher (which dates the creation in 4004
B.C. was added.
There was another edition in 1762 with 383 marginal note and other changes.
And then a 1769 another edition came out with 76 changes and corrections
dealing with weight, measurements, and money.
It is the 1769 version which has become the standard version of the King James
Bible and is the version which is commonly used by people who believe that they
are reading the 1611 version.
==
Things cannot be other than they are... Everything is made for the best
purpose. Our noses were made to carry spectacles, so we have spectacles.
- Dr. Pangloss, from Candide by Voltaire
==
The End Of Faith Sam Harris
==
Jesus, according to Christian theology, was born of a union between a Human
woman and God, rather than two HUMAN parents, as was Hercules, and Dionysis, as
well as many other pagan gods.
==
Deu23:1 He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off,
shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD. (KJV)
==
Latter-day bibliolatry stems from the rebellion against sacerdotal authority
that was mounted by Luther and Calvin. In order to supplant apostolic
authority, they came up with the long-rejected notion of sola scriptura, the
doctrine that all valid doctrine must be based on scripture. Moreover, they
redacted the canon so that all references to Jews praying for their dead were
removed from it (which is why Protestant Bibles usually only have 66 books
compared to 74 in RCC Bibles and 76 in Orthodox Bibles. Moreover, by making
the BIBLE the highest authority, they are establishing as doctrine, the
principle of sola scriptura, which fails its own test of authenticity. All of
this was discussed by the Church in the 4th century.
But since the end of the 18th century, there have been sects springing up,
mostly on American soil, whose ideas about the bible take sola scriptura to an
even greater level of absurdity, not only treating the text as the sole source
of doctrine but claiming that it is an infallible oracle (of course it must be
read correctly by them, but they have utter confidence in their
interpretation). To the traditional Church, this kind of book-worship is
actually a form of idolatry. It's interesting that Protestants see idolatry in
the RCC's veneration of statues of saints, etc. but fail to see it in their own
outright worship of their own interpretations of scripture.
Of course not all protestant denominations are into it as deep as the more
flagrant cases. I call the full-blown heresy by the latin name sola scriptura
ad litteram, since the main insistence is not only that all doctrine must be
founded in scripture (the 66-book canon) but that it must be takes as literally
as possible. This results in some rather strange propositions, such as the
claim that the tree of knowledge of good and evil is an actual tree with
wooden branches and fruits, instead of the metaphor it was intended to be.
==
Leading Scientists Still Reject God. Nature, 1998; 394, 313.
==
Here is just a few gods of revelation to choose from:

Allah, Aphrodite, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Aton, Babaluaye, Bacchus,
Baldur, Bast, Bellona, Brahma, Brigid, Ceres, Cupid, Cerridwen,
Demeter, Diana, Dione, Dionysus, Eris, Eos, Eleggua, , El Shaddai,
Elohim, Eshu, Ereshkigal, Frigga, Frey, Freya, Gaea, Lord Genesa,
Hades, Hebe, Hera, Helios, Hel,Hephaestus,Hermes, Hestia, Horus,
Ibeji, Ifa, Inanna, Indra, Ishana, Ishtar,Isis, Janus, Juno, Jehovah,
Jove, Jupiter, Kali. Krishna Kronos, Korravai,Loki, Lugh, Lord Indra,
Manitou, Mars, Mercury, Minerva, Mercurius,Morrigan,Nahuiquiahuitl,
Nanahuatzin, Nephthys, Neptune, Obatala, Odin, Ogun,Oshosi, Oshun,
Osiris, Oya, Orunmila, Olokun, Olodumare, Pluto,Persephone, Poseidon,
Proserpina, Quetzalcoatl, Ra, Lord Rama, Rhea,Saturn, Set,Selene,
Shango, Lord Siva, Tammuz, Thor, Tir, Tiw, Uranus, Venus, Vesta,
Vishnu,Vesta, Vulcan, Wotan, Yahweh, Yemaya, Zeus .
==
But which of you having a slave ploughing or
feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from
the field, Go and sit down to meat.? And will not rather say unto
him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and
serve me, til I have eaten, and drunken, and afterwards thou
shalt eat and drink.? Luke 17:7-8<p>

Colossians 3:22
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched
and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.
==
Laws requiring the Ten Commandments, the Lords Prayer, and daily Bible study
in public schools are still the law in Kentucky. There's still a state law
against working on Sunday.
==
In 1961, the court decided that Maryland couldn¹t require public officials
to declare a belief in God, even if Maryland¹s constitution says they must.

In 1962, the court decided that New York couldn¹t require public school
students to recite an official prayer, even if students who object are excused.

In 1963, the court decided that a local school board could not require
students to read the Bible or recite the Lords Prayer, even if no one
- not one student or parent or teacher - objects to the requirement.
==
Mark9:44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Rev14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and
they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and
whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. (KJV)
==
The Midianites
Numbers 31:13
And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the
congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp.
14 And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains
over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.
15 And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?
16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of
Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and
there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.
17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every
woman that hath known man by lying with him.
18 But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him,
keep alive for yourselves.
==
Though there is some doubt about Stalin's atheism as relatives claim that
he prayed throughout the war.
==
Job 7:9 and Is. 26:14 say that nobody ever comes back to life,
1 Cor. 15:52 says that everyone comes back to life.
==
The basic element of Zoroaster's belief system is the duality between good
and evil. This separation is the result of a choice initiated by Ahura
Mazda, the world's creator. According to Zoroastrian cosmogony, one of the
twin spirits engendered by Ahura Mazda, named Spenta Mainyu (Beneficent
Spirit) chose good and life, while the other, Angra Mainyu (Destroying
Spirit, or Ahriman, as he is known in the later documents) chose evil and
death. As a result, humans must make the same choice, and will be judged
accordingly upon their death, the just rewarded with entrance into paradise,
or the House of Song, the wicked condemned to the House of Evil. In an
ancient hymn, Zoroaster declares,
Truly, there are two primal Spirits, twins renowned to be in conflict. In
thought and word, in act they are two: the better and the bad. And
those who act well have chosen rightly between these two, not so the
evildoers. (Yasna 30:3).
Zoroaster was not a strict monotheist. He posited a Divine Heptad consisting
of Ahura Mazda and six lesser deities whom he created to help him, called
the Amesha Spentas (Holy Immortals). These subordinate divinities
Zoroaster associated with the idealization of Right Law, Good Thought or
Purpose, Noble Power or Government, Health, Devotion, and Immortality, all
of which he saw as embodiments of aspects of God's nature.
The Zoroastrian duality between good and evil should not be confused with
the opposition of matter and spirit that drives Christian theology and plays
as that of Manichaeism, a Gnostic-influenced religion initiated in the 3rd
century CE by the Persian prophet and ecstatic Mani, who saw spirit as good
and matter as evil. Fasting and celibacy, for instance, are forbidden in
Zoroastrianism, except during the rituals of purification that all young
members must go through, and are actually condemned as evil.
Of the various Zoroastrian systems that developed since the founder's death,
including Zurvanism, the only coherent one is called Mazdaism. According to
its teachings, history, which consists of the ongoing struggle between good
and evil in which overmatched evil will lose, is divided into four
3,000-year periods. The first was a period of creation; during the second
and third, Mazda and Ahriman ruled in succession. In the final period, which
began with Zarathustra's ministry and in which we still find ourselves, good
and evil do battle. With the help of the Messiah, or Saoshyant (He who will
save the world), the God of Light will be victorious. According to this
plan, history will end in 2401 CE, and Ahura Mazda will reign in bliss
forever on a perfected earth.
RE: http://www.myss.com/worldreligions/Zoroastrianism.asp
==
And the Lord commanded Moses; and they slew all the
males...and the children of Israel took all the women of Midian
captive, and their little ones... And Moses said unto them, Have
ye saved all the women alive?... Now therefore kill every male
among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man
by lying with him. But all the women children that hath not known
man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

Numbers 31:1-18

Deut 20:10-18 When you march up to attack a city, make its
people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the
people in it shall be subject to *** forced labor*** and shall work for you.
v:12 If they refuse ...lay siege to that city...put to the sword all
the men in it... the women, the children, the livestock and
everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves

When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed
at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not please the
man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again. But he
is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who
broke the contract with her. And if the slave girl's owner arranges
for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave girl,
but he must treat her as his daughter. If he himself marries her and
then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing or
fail to sleep with her as his wife. If he fails in any of these
three ways, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment.
> (Exodus 21:7-11 NLT)
--
Leviticus 25:44-46: Your male and female slaves are to come
from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves.
You may also buy some of the temporary residents living
among you and members of their clans born in your country,
and they will become your property. You can will them to your
children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life,
but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly. (NIV)
==
We are told that Mark was written some time after the year 70, Luke about 110,
Matthew about 130, and John not earlier than 140 A.D. Let me impress upon you
that these dates are conjectural, and that they are made as early as possible.
The first historical mention of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, was made
by the Christian Father, St. Irenaeus, about the year 190 A.D. The only earlier
mention of any of the Gospels was made by Theopholis of Antioch, who mentioned
the Gospel of John in 180 A.D.
==
Michael Shermer, Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition,
and Other Confusions of Our Time, Owl Books; 2nd Rev edition (September 1,
2002)
Robert T. Carroll, The Skeptic's Dictionary, Wiley; 1st edition (August 15,
2003)

Carroll. Robert Todd, Robert T. Carroll, Kas Salazar, Becoming a Critical
Thinker
- A Guide for the New Millennium, Prentice Hall; 1 edition (January 1, 2000)

Natalie Angier, My God Problem, Free Inquiry magazine, 24(5), 2004.

Ali Sina, James Randi, Brent Meeker & Aparthib, Debate on Rationalism,
Mukto-Mona Yuktibaadi, An Indian Skeptic's explanation of miracles
Mukto-Mona
==
The four gospels were written by persons unknown. The names that you
know them by were attributed hundreds of years after they were
written. The earliest of the gospels, Mark, was written by someone
unfamiliar with the geography of Palestine, Galilee, Jerusalem, in
fact the entire region known as the holy land. He was probably
Greek. Matthew, the second gospel, was written by someone who
plagiarized half of Mark's text in order to make a story, so he
couldn't possibly have been an eye witness. Luke copied from Mark and
from a fifth gospel known to scholars as the 'Q' document which was
either lost or destroyed. John just cobbled together bits and pieces
from here there and everywhere. The last bit, the bit about Jesus
forgiving the woman caught in the act of adultery, wasn't interpolated
until the end of the fourth century.
==
Matthew 18:25: But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord
commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all
that he had, and payment to be made.
--
Colossians 4:1: Masters, give unto your servants that which
is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
===
If you look at Exodus 20, you may notice that there are not actually
ten distinct commandments there. There are about 17 distinct commands
comprising 9 separate topics, and you have to arbitrarily divide them
up in order to make them come out to ten.
==
If you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for only six years.
Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his
freedom. If he was single when he became your slave and then married
afterward, only he will go free in the seventh year. But if he was
married before he became a slave, then his wife will be freed with
him. If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they
had sons or daughters, then the man will be free in the seventh year,
but his wife and children will still belong to his master. But the
slave may plainly declare, 'I love my master, my wife, and my
children. I would rather not go free.' If he does this, his master
must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the
door and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave
will belong to his master forever. > (Exodus 21:2-6 NLT)
==
I will incite the wild beasts of the field against you, and they will bereave
you, utterly destroy your livestock and diminish you, and your roads will
become desolate
===
Within days of being sworn in as President in January, 2000, George W.
Bush signed a series of Executive Orders to create wide sweeping
reforms that allow the government to fund religion-based social
services. George Bush has bypassed Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court in
directing over a billion dollars into the coffers of religious groups.
==
2Pet. 1:20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of
Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation.
2Pet. 1:21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but
men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
==
In sin did my mother conceive me (Psalm 51:5)
==
It has long been recognized that there were a few problems with the
traditional view of Moses as author. The text reports the death of
Moses--how could Moses have written of his own death? It also
describes Moses as the most humble man who ever lived--how could
Moses write that about himself? But these are minor issues. Some say
Moses' successor Joshua wrote the few lines that describe the death
of Moses; others say that Moses himself was commanded to write that
text before it happened. None of this represents a serious challenge
to Mosaic authorship.
As time went on, however, scholars became increasingly skeptical of
the idea of Moses as single author. Among their objections:
Several stories are repeated, with different characters or different
emphasis (called doublets). For instance, there are two creation
stories (Gen 1 and Gen 2). There are three stories of a patriarch
traveling among pagans and pretending his wife is his sister. There
are two stories of Moses striking a rock to produce water. There are
two versions of the Ten Commandments (one in Exodus, one that Moses
recaps in Deuteronomy) with slightly different wording. There are, in
fact, a lot of these doublets.
There are internal inconsistencies. The number of days of the Flood
story don't add up right. At one point, Noah takes two of each
animal; at another point, he takes two of some, seven of others.
Joseph is sold into slavery to Ishmaelites in one verse, to
Midianites a few verses later. The Mountain of Revelation is
sometimes called Sinai and sometimes Horeb. Moses' father-in-law is
sometimes called Yitro and sometimes Ruel, and so on.
===
Malachi 2:3 -- Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon
your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you
away with it.
==
On Nov. 1, 1755, a great earthquake struck offshore of Lisbon. In that city
alone, some 60,000 perished, first from the tremors, then from the massive
tsunami that arrived half an hour later. Fires consumed much of what remained
of the city. The tidal waves spread death along the coasts of Iberia and North
Africa.
===
Other pagan cultures contributed to the syncretist result. From Egypt
came the ideas of a divine trinity, the Last Judgment, and a personal
immortality of reward and punishment; from Egypt the adoration of the
Mother and Child, and the mystic theosophy that made Neoplatonism and
Gnosticism, and obscured the Christian creed; there, too, Christian
monasticism would find its exemplars and its source. From Phrygia came
the worship of the Great Mother; from Syria the resurrection drama of
Adonis; from Thrace, perhaps the cult of Dionysus, the dying and saving
god. From Persia came millenarianism, the ages of the world, the
final conflagration, the dualism of Satan and God, of Darkness and
Light; already in the Forth Gospel Christ is the Light shining in the
darkness, and the darkness has never put it out. The Mithraic ritual so
closely resembled the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass that Christian
fathers charged the Devil with inventing these similarities to mislead
frail minds. Christianity was the last great creation of the ancient
pagan world. [Will and Ariel Durant, _The Story of Civilization_]
==
Deuteronomy 21:18-21 states: If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son,
which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother....
all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die. Tough love
==
The Council of Trent (1545-1564) placed the Bible on its list of prohibited
books, and forbade any person to read the Bible without a license from a
Roman Catholic bishop or inquisitor.
The Council added these words: That if any one shall dare to read or keep in
his possession that book, without such a license, he shall not receive
absolution till he has given it up to his ordinary.

Pope Leo XII called the Protestant Bible the Gospel of the Devil in an
encyclical letter of 1824. Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846) railed against the
publication, distribution, reading, and possession of books of the holy
Scriptures translated into the vulgar tongue. Pope Leo XII, in January 1850,
condemned the Bible Societies and admitted the fact that the distribution of
Scripture has long been condemned by the holy chair.
==
The Lost Religion of Jesus by Keith Akers
==
The Testimonium Flavianum is not to be found in early copies of the works
of Josephus and was not quoted by any Christian until the 4th century,
even though it was written around 93CE. Origen, an early Church Father,
quotes freely from Josephus yet never mentions it.
The first person to mention the passage was Bishop Eusibus, who said it
was permissible for Christians to lie to further Christianity, in the 4th
century.
==
According to the 2004 Newsweek Poll, 93% of Americans think Jesus Christ
was an historical personality, and 82% claimed he was God or the son
of God. Fifty-two percent believed in the Second Coming (only 21%
disbelieving), and 15% saying that Jesus would return in their lifetime.
==
The National Government will regard it as its first and foremost duty to
revive in the nation the spirit of unity and cooperation. It will preserve
and defend those basic principles on which our nation has been built. It
regards Christianity as the foundation of our national morality, and the
family as the basis of national life. Adolph Hitler, My New World Order,
Proclamation to the German Nation at Berlin, February 1, 1933

The national government will maintain and defend the foundations on
which the power of our nation rests. It will offer strong protection
to Christianity as the very basis of our collective morality. Today
Christians stand at the head of our country. We want to fill our
culture again with the Christian spirit. We want to burn out all the
recent immoral developments in literature, in the theatre, and in
the press-- in short, we want to burn out the poison of immorality
which has entered into our whole life and culture as a result of
LIBERAL excess during the past years. A. Hitler

The folkish-minded man, in particular, has the sacred duty, each in
his own denomination, of making people stop just talking superficially
of God's will, and actually fulfill God's will, and not let God's word
be desecrated.
For God's will gave men their form, their essence, and their
abilities. Anyone who destroys His work is declaring war on the Lord's
creation, the divine will. Therefore, let every man be active, each in
his own denomination if you please, and let every man take it as his
first and most sacred duty to oppose anyone who in his activity by
word or deed steps outside the confines of his religious community and
tries to butt into the other.
... Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will
of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am
fighting for the work of the Lord.\
- Adolf Hitler, \Mein Kampf\
I am now as before a Catholic and will always remain so...
- Adolf Hitler
My feeling as a Christian points me to my Lord and Savior as a
fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness, surrounded
only by a few followers, recognized these Jews for what they were and
summoned men to fight against them and who, God's truth! was greatest
not as a sufferer but as a fighter.
In boundless love as a Christian and as a man I read through the
passage which tells us how the Lord at last rose in His might and
seized the scourge to drive out of the Temple the brood of vipers and
adders. How terrific was his fight against the Jewish poison.
Today, after two thousand years, with deepest emotion I recognize more
profoundly than ever before the fact that it was for this that He had
to shed his blood upon the Cross.
As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I
have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice...\
And if there is anything which could demonstrate that we are acting
rightly, it is the distress that daily grows. For as a Christian I
have also a duty to my own people. And when I look on my people I see
them work and work and toil and labor, and at the end of the week they
have only for their wages wretchedness and misery.
When I go out in the morning and see these men standing in their
queues and look into their pinched faces, then I believe I would be no
Christian, but a very devil, if I felt no pity for them, if I did not,
as did our Lord two thousand years ago, turn against those by whom
today this poor people are plundered and exploited.
- Adolf Hitler, My New Order
==
The laws of uncleanness are also instructive. In Leviticus 12, the
period of ritual uncleanness for bearing a girl was twice that for
bearing a boy. Having marital sex automatically conferred uncleanness on
both man and woman, and the menstrual period made the woman unclean on a
regular basis every month. She was considered so unclean, in fact, that
if a man should sit on something she had sat on, he became unclean! Read
Leviticus 15.

If a man raped an unpromised girl, she was forced to become his wife. And he
couldn't divorce her, either. Deuteronomy 22:28-29.

The story is told about a man who traveled with his concubine. He went into a
house to have a restful night, and left his concubine outside to entertain the
men of the town and ensure his safety. When she died as a result, he chopped
her up into twelve parts and sent them throughout Israel and started the
Benjamite war.

Christ taught that if a man divorced
his wife for any reason other than unfaithfulness, she could not remarry
without committing adultery. Even if she was the faithful one, and he
unfaithful, divorce and remarriage for her was a sin thrust upon her
(Matthew 5). Yet in Matthew 19 we find that a man could remarry if he
divorced an unfaithful wife without sin being acquired. Get the double
standard? Note that the wife couldn't divorce her husband for any reason.

Women in that culture were not allowed to teach,
to pray in the Synagogues, or to study the Torah. Most were uneducated.
Attendance at the Rabbinical schools was exclusively for the men.
As such, the women did not have the theological background to teach, and
Paul commanded them to be silent in the church. If they wished to learn
anything they should ask their husbands at home (1 Corinthians
14:26-40). They were to cover their hair as a sign of submission to
their husband (1 Corinthians 11:2-16), and Paul plainly declares,
Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
Peter declares that the woman is the weaker vessel (1 Peter 3:1-7) and
commands that women be in subjection. Paul expressly gave government of
the church to the men (1 Timothy 3:1-16 and Titus 1-2). Since the women
were uneducated, how could they teach? And in the one church we have
record of a woman leading (Thyatira, Revelation 2:18-29) she stands
accused of false doctrine and sexual immorality. Her children were to be
sentenced to death for her misdeeds (so much for Ezekiel 18:19-20)!
Now it is true that the New Testament says that there is neither Jew
nor Gentile, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor
female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). But such
niceties did not undo the distinctions between any class. Slaves were
not freed, and women were not given the privilege of teaching. 1 Timothy
2:11-15 makes this plain: Let the woman learn in silence with all
subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority
over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the
transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if
they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
So then why do our women today enjoy the freedoms and status they
possess? It was not because of preachers in the pulpit! Sermons by the
hundreds decried giving women the vote. Every advance that woman have
made in society have been opposed by the pulpit, preachers decrying that
women have left their place. Yet with each advance, time has brought a
measure of acceptance, and a corresponding change in theology and a
difference in how women are portrayed from the pulpit. Culture does have
a lot to do with one's theology! It is notable that the cults which
reject the popular culture generally relegate women back to the status
of servitude and unobjecting submission to male authorities.
The commandments concerning women in the Bible may well have been to
provide a measure of protection against the much harsher realities in
the world around them. Yet women were lightly regarded, generally, and
such disrespect for women has been justified by preaching from the Bible
for generations. Women actually had a lot higher status in many heathen
nations, such as Rome, than were found in Israel or in the churches.

And a man will choose...any wickedness, but the wickedness of a
Ecclesiasticus, 25:18, 19 & 33. 1
for the active power of the male seed tends to the production of a
perfect likeness in the masculine sex; while the production of a woman
comes from defect in the active power.... Thomas Aquinas, Summa
Theologica,Q92, art. 1, Reply Obj. 1
And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares
and nets, and her hands as bands: whose pleaseth God shall escape from
her; but the sinner shall be taken by her. Ecclesiastes 7:26, from
the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament)
http://www.religioustolerance.org/fem_bibl.htm
http://www.religioustolerance.org/ofe_bibl.htm

==
2 Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that
they should believe a lie: (KJV)
==
Americans are three times as likely to believe in the
Virgin Birth of Jesus (83 percent) as in evolution (28 percent).
==
The bible says to put disobedient children to death, Exodus 21:15,17
==
Among Christians, doubters are treated as traitors, and inconvenient facts are
the work of the Devil  because facts can lead to questioning, and questioning
undermines faith. And that would be blasphemy, which leads to eternal hell
fire.
==
Top ten signs that you are a Fundamentalist...
10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other
religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.

9 - You feel insulted and dehumanized when scientists say that people evolved
from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we
were created from dirt.

8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune
God.

7 - Your face turns purple when you hear of the atrocities attributed to
Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered
all the babies of Egypt in Exodus and ordered the elimination of entire
ethnic groups in Joshua -- including women, children, and trees!

6 - You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods
sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit
impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to
life and then ascended into the sky.

5 - You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the
scientifically established age of Earth (4.55 billion years), but you find
nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in
their tents and guessing that Earth is a couple of generations old.

4 - You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of
those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects -
will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your
religion the most tolerant and loving.

3 - While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to
convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in
tongues may be all the evidence you need to prove Christianity.

2 - You define 0.01% as a high success rate when it comes to answered
prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that
the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.

1 - You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the
Bible, Christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a Christian.
==
There might be a genetic basis for spirituality. There's an interesting book
out called, The God Gene by Dean Hamer. Basically he posits our brains evolved
in such a way that the capacity for spiritually
or God, had a positive evolutionary benefit. Our ancestors who lacked
this ability to think spiritual thoughts were at a disadvantage and were
killed off/bred out of the population. This is why 98% of humanity believes
in something that doesn't exist--it made sense way back when. Especially
because things like earthquakes, floods, lightning, death, reproduction and
famine certainly didn't.
==
Thomas Frank's What's The Matter With Kansas? In one of the later chapters,
Frank talks about how religious nut jobs--who are apparently real common in
Kansas--are not only taking over the state's political apparatus, but are
doing so without economic compensation.. These folks' insane love of Jesus
(and all-consuming hatred of evolution) is causing them to work very hard to
redistrict the political landscape, And the kicker is, THEY DON'T CARE. The
deeply religious don't want any money for their efforts because there is no use
for money in heaven! Insanity, pure and simple insanity, and it is brought
about, fostered and trumpeted by religion.
==
Cruel and Unusual, by Mark Crispin Miller

Freethinkers, by Susan Jacoby
==
There was no OFFICIAL canon of any kind, either in Judaism or Christianity,
until 94 AD. And that one was Pharisaic. The first OFFICIAL Christian canons
are from the 4th Century.
==
Creation is fine in a comparative religion class, fine, but not a science
class. We do not simply toss any old superstitious garbage into a science
class. Science class material must first be published, peer reviewed, and
become established consensus science before it may be summarized and printed in
a public school science textbook.
==
the Lemon Test, is derived from a 1971 Supreme Court decision
(Lemon v. Kurtzman): first, a statute [or public policy] must have a
secular legislative purpose; second, its principal or primary effect
must be one that neither advances nor inhibits religion; finally, the
statute [or policy] must not foster `excessive government entanglement with
religion.'
==
When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the Lord
thy God hath delivered them into thine hands and thoust has taken
them captive, and seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and
have a desire unto her, that though would have her to be thy wife,
then though shalt bring her home to thine house . . . and after that
you may go into her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife.
But if though have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go.
Deuteronomy 21:10-14
==
Similarly while creationists want their kooky religious nonsense
taught in the science classroom they don't want other kooky ideas
taught as science. Ask YECers if numerology, astrology, alien
abduction, psychism or alchemy should be taught as valid science.
==
The letter that Paul wrote to the slave owner was appealing to the
owner's will to release the slave, not because it was right, but
because the slave was a fellow Christian. I interpret this as not
necessarily an appeal to release all slaves, but releasing all
Christian slaves. See the difference? The slaves who refuse
Christianity are out of  luck.
==
Some creationists would say that you are doing the same thing - that is if
you also believe that the Earth is a sphere or if you do not believe in
geocentrism.
As one of many examples that I could give you, you might like to visit the
web site site http://www.truechristian.com/03.html. At that site you will
read these words written by someone named Pastor Jim Nicholls who runs The
True Christian Church of Christ in Blytheville, Arkansas:
The Earth IS flat! If you disregard the dome, the essential flatness of
the earth's surface is required by verses like Daniel 4:10-11.
He goes on to mention a half-dozen other Biblical verses that require a
flat earth unless someone means to reinterpret Scripture to fit with
popular scientific views.
==
Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins

God, the Devil, and Darwin: A Critique of Intelligent Design Theory
Niall Shanks, Richard Dawkins
==
Mark 9:43
And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to
enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into
the fire that never shall be quenched:
--
Ex. 21:5 But if the slave declares, 'I love my master and my wife and
children and do not want to go free,'
Ex. 21:6 then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to
the door or the door post and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he
will serve his master for life.
==
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth... (Isaiah 40:22,
NIV). (By the way, the Hebrew language at that time did not have a
word for sphere, only for circle.)

He spreads out the northern [skies] over empty space; he suspends
the earth over nothing (Job 26:7, NIV).
===
Yet even highly respected CHRISTIAN Biblical Scholars like Bruce
Metzger teach that the Gospels are NOT independent accounts; that they
were not written until at least a generation after the supposed death
of Christ; and that their contents evolved to meet the needs of the
early church.
See: http://ptet.dubar.com/misc-facts.html#NT
===
Sir Leslie Stephen, Essays on Freethinking and Plainspeaking (1905)

Aroup Chatterjee, an atheist lawyer and author originally from India,
his book The Final Verdict, about Mother Teresa
==
As Antonin Scalia, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court explained,
the Bible teaches and Christians believe that
government derives its moral authority from God. Government is the
minister of God with powers to revenge to execute wrath,
including even wrath by the sword.
==
Leviticus 20:9:
For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely
put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood
shall be upon him.
==
Any human has the capacity to lie, no one here has
ever denied this. But physical evidence does NOT lie (though it may
be misinterpreted). This is precisely why science does NOT depend
upon the assertions of humans, but upon the independent examination
and analysis of the actual physical evidence. The entire edifice of
Christianity, by contrast, relies SOLELY on the assertions of these
fallible humans. Furthermore, the creationist subset among these
Christians not only blindly accepts the assertions of these ancient
humans but they actively reject the objective physical evidence before their
very eyes- which, ironically, they insist was made by their God!
==
The Rapture (or a pre-tribulation Rapture) was invented in 1830
by an Irvingite seeress named Margaret McDonald, and was publicized
by Rev. Darby, of the Plymouth Brethren. It was never taught before 1830
==
The Godless Constitution: The Case Against Religious Correctness by
Isaac Kramnick and R. Laurence Moore.
==
Evolution vs. Creationism : An Introduction by Eugenie C. Scott
Creationism's Trojan Horse by Barbara Carroll Forrest, Paul R. Gross
--
The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls, James VanderKam and Peter
Flint. Harper (San Francisco) 2002.
The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Jewish Origins of Christianity,
Carsten Peter Thiede, Palgrave (for St. Martin's Press), 2001.
The Ancient Near East, Volume I, An Anthology of Texts and
Pictures, Ed. James B. Pritchard, Princeton University Press
(Princeton) 1958. (Abridged version.)
==
Anyone who is captured will be run through with a sword. Their
little children will be dashed to death right before their eyes.
Their homes will be sacked and their wives raped by the attacking
hordes. For I will stir up the Medes against Babylon, and no amount
of silver or gold will buy them off. The attacking armies will shoot
down the young people with arrows. They will have no mercy on
helpless babies and will show no compassion for the children.
(Isaiah 13:15-18 NLT)
==
1 Kings 22:21 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said,
'I will entice him.'
1 Kings 22:22 'By what means?' the LORD asked. 'I will go out and be a
lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said. 'You will succeed
in enticing him,' said the LORD. 'Go and do it.'

Lord did not know and had to ask.
Did the Lord encourage lying?
==
John Wenham, Redating Matthew, Mark & Luke: A Fresh Assault on the
Synoptic Problem (Downers Grove, Ill.:

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
==
Quotations of Papias' work show how destructive this 'preference for oral
tradition' was, since Papias apparently recorded the most outlandish claims
as if they were true, such as the fact that Judas' head bloated to greater
than the width of a wagon trail and his eyes were lost in the flesh, and that
the place where he died maintained a stench so bad that no one, even to his
own day, would go near it
The situation evident in Papias is that there is little regard for any written
Gospels, in contrast with nearly complete faith in oral tradition, with little
critical thought being applied. More importantly, the context seems to be one
where there were perhaps no set written Gospels in his day, but an array of
variously-worked texts.
==
Religious experiences are like those induced by drugs, alcohol,
mental illness, and sleep deprivation: They tell no uniform or
coherent story, and there is no plausible theory to account for
discrepancies among them. --[Michael Martin, Atheism: A Philosophical
Justification, (Philadelphia:Temple University Press, 1990), p. 159.]
==
Kersey Graves  'Sixteen Crucified Saviours'
==
Deu28:27 The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors,
festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. (NIV)
==
Candide
by Voltaire. Published in 1759, Candide was banned by the Catholic Church.
Bishop Etienne Antoine wrote: We prohibit, under canonical law, the printing
or sale of these books...
==
In a talk with someone who runs the local Sunday school I said that if
someone could provide irrefutable proof that God existed, then I would
hold my hands up and say 'Well then, I am wrong there is a God'.
I then asked them if there were irrefutable proof that God DID NOT
exist, would they accept it.
They said NO they would not accept that there was no God.
What hope is there for reality and rationality ?
==
NATURE SURVEY -- LESS AND LESS BELIEF
The follow-up study reported in Nature reveals that the rate
of belief is lower than eight decades ago. The latest survey
involved 517 members of the National Academy of Sciences; half
replied. When queried about belief in personal god, only 7%
responded in the affirmative, while 72.2% expressed personal
disbelief, and 20.8% expressed doubt or agnosticism. Belief
in the concept of human immortality, i.e. life after death declined
from the 35.2% measured in 1914 to just 7.9%. 76.7% reject the
human immortality tenet, compared with 25.4% in 1914, and 23.2%
claimed doubt or agnosticism on the question, compared with
43.7% in Leuba's original measurement [Dr. James Leuba,
Psychology Professor at Bryn Mawr University conducted the
original study]. Again, though, the highest rate of belief in
a god was found among mathematicians (14.3%, while the lowest
was found among those in the life sciences fields -- only 5.5%.
==
Charles Kimball's insightful book When Religion Becomes Evil
==
So how exactly are nonbelievers supposed to become believers?
As far as I can tell you are saying:
1:We need the Holy Spirit to tell us to believe.
2:The Holy Sprit only talks to people who believe in it in the first place.
Catch 22!
==
Deu28:28 The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of
mind. (NIV)
==
The then-current requirement to enter Oxford or Cambridge was you had to
profess to be a believing adherent to the Church of England. Being a Catholic,
Methodist, Jew, Muslim was not acceptable. There was a big fuss made when a
new university was founded that needed no religious test at all to enter. And
it was a requirement in the 19th C. that to be a member of Parliament you
had to be a Christian (which was, I believe, the main reason Disraeli
converted).
==
The eight elements of the Buddhist Eightfold Path are right intention, right
views, right speech, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration,
right livelihood, and right action.
==
Things I have never heard from a preacher.
Slavery is an evil system.
It is evil to invade lands of another people and kill/enslave the owners.
It is evil to smash a baby against a rock.
Teachers have civil rights, particularly science teachers.
==
Inquisition and the witch hunters. The pain and fire didn't purify them. Only
sincere repentance and disavowal of their heresy, and the administration of
the sacraments of the Church, through which flowed God's grace, was
able to accomplish this (according to Medieval Church doctrine).
My understanding is that, once they had been tortured, once they had
confessed, once they had repented, once they were brought back into
communion with the Church, then they were usually let loose to live
their lives. If they *again* fell into heresy, then the process was
repeated all over again, except that instead of being let loose to
live their lives, they were put to death. This was (according to
Medieval Church doctrine) for their own good, and for the good of the
community.
If you want to learn about the theological rationale they used to
justify this policy, Look up the relevant text
from Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica.
==
We (the Popes) hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.
Pope Leo XIII, THE GREAT ENCYCLICAL LETERS OF POPE LEO XIII,
page 304
The Pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a
mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God. 'The Pope is
as it were God on earth. - Lucius Ferrais,Papa, article 2
in his PROMPTA BIBLIOTECA (Handy Library), Volume 6, pages 26-29.
==
The reason why majority vote rules is not because a majority is more likely
to reach a correct decision than a minority, or because a majority is more
likely ot possess better and more varied information upon which to
base its decision or anything like that --- it is based on the simple
fact that a majority has the strength to enforce its collective
==
Literalists are willing to spend their life looking for little
loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth
(4.55 billion years), but you find nothing wrong with
believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting
in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few thousand years old.
==
Deu28:27 The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors,
festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. (NIV)
==
Does pretending that everyone who ever disagreed with you is in Eternal
Torment make Christians feel good about themselves?
==
In the late 1800's and early 1900's in Australia, you could be arrested and
tried for not attending church on a Sunday)
==
: Gopher wood is a misreading and scribal error. Kopher wood is correct
and means wood (any wood) that is covered with Kopher. Kopher is bitumen. In
the Genesis text (6:14), the context is clear. The GPR wood used, (a scribal
error) is to be covered in KPR. G and K in Hebrew are so similar that
inexperienced Hebrew scholars, such as those translating the King
James Version of the Bible, could have been prone to such errors
==
THE FLOATING AX HEAD 2 KINGS 6:1-7
==
We are all capable of believing things which we know to be untrue, and
then, when we are finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the facts so
as to show that we were right. Intellectually, it is possible to carry
on this process for an indefinite time: the only check on it is that
sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality, usually
on a battlefield. --George Orwell, 1946, Under Your Nose
==
Let me get this straight, you say that the contention that you have
got to believe in it before you can see the 'proof' of it, is
false... and claim that the real issue is trust. Can you explain to
me how this trust is not based on belief? In other words, if you did
not firmly believe in God in the first place, how could you trust him?
And what exactly is this direct experience of which you speak? Is it
a *real* experience (like meeting or speaking to someone) or just a
state of mind?
==
Let me ask you something... if an avowed atheist was given a drug that
altered his mind permanently to believe in, and lovingly worship God,
exactly as you do... would he be saved? Is salvation just a state of
mind, or is it a matter of how well you have lived your life through
interaction with others?
==
: Genesis, Chapter No. 4, Verse No. 12, it says 'God told Cain: you will
never be able to settle you will be a wanderer.' Few Verses later on Genesis,
Chapter No.4, Verse No.17, says 'Cain built up a city' - unfulfilled prophecy.

Jeremiah, Chapter No.36, Verse No.30, it says that 'Jehoiachin the father of
Jehoiachin no one will be able to sit on his throne - The throne of David, no
one will be able to sit after Jehoiachin.' If you read later on, II Kings,
Chapter No 24, Verse No 6, it says that 'Jehoiachin after he died, later on
Jehoiachin sat on the throne' - Unfulfilled prophecy.

Ezekiel chapter 26, it says that 'Nebuchader, he will destroy Tyre.' We come
to know that Alexander the great was the person who destroyed Tyre ...
Another UNFULFILLED PROPHECY in the bible
==
*All* extra-biblical societies (which is, the majority of all
societies in human history) have concepts of right and wrong. Those
concepts arise out of a simple fact: if you don't follow them, you die.
Not in the sense that others will kill you, but in the very simple sense
that if you do wrong in or to the community, your very environment is
sufficient to kill you off.
People who don't protect their children usually don't get to
pass on their genes. Even if you don't believe in evolution (after all,
I don't believe in evolution; I simply conclude that it is best explanation
for all the facts available), you have to accept that ultimately any
population will settle down into a majority capable of understanding and
accepting the list of behaviors that suffice to make the community
viable; that list is what we call morals.
The Chinese had morals before Christianity; so did the
Egyptians. Morals are what works for their particular society.

The difference between theist morality and atheist morality is that
the theist relies upon God to tell him what is immoral, while the
atheist understands why something is immoral. Atheists understand
that it is wrong to force something upon someone, child or adult. We
would not like to have this done to us, so we shouldn't do it to
others. Atheists also understand that interactions between
individuals should be consensual. Children are not mature enough to
make adult decisions. That's the short version anyway.
--
Kohlberg's theory on the stages of moral development suggests that
there are six stages.
http://allpsych.com/psychology101/moral_development.html
Christians who rely upon God to tell them what is good and moral,
seldom develop past the third or fourth stage. Atheists, however,
cannot rely upon an authority figure, such as God, to justify their
moral beliefs. Atheists must understand why some things are moral or
immoral; good or bad. Thus, atheists reach the fifth stage of moral
development far more often than Christians do. Few people reach the
sixth stage.

Morals are the collection of behaviors that suffice to make a
community of individuals into a functional and viable community.
Natural selection has resulted in human beings capable of
understanding and mostly gratified by the acceptance of the community
and, by extension, its morals.
==
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2004/04/28/rasputin.shtml
Russian evil holy man
=====
I want as much knowledge as I can pack into
my brain in a single lifetime. I don't think my curiosity is going to lead
me to evil, but it may just lead me to a greater understanding of the world
around me, and the people that populate it. Since I'm not bundled with
baggage from some archaic Bronze Age worldview, or with a distinctly
anti-intellectual streak, I see no problem. I think if people put the
pursuit of knowledge a little more highly on their scales, the world might
be a better place, and our species are wiser, more capable one.
==
The argument you were trying to make was that if I cannot prove that
God does not exist, then I must believe that God does exist. But
there are many things that may exist in the Universe that I cannot
prove do not exist. Are you suggesting that I should believe in all
of them? How many things aren't there in the Universe that you cannot
prove do not exist? Do you believe in all of them?
==
The method used in writing the historical works of the Bible does not
correlate to our modern historical method. In fact, it doesn't even
correlate to the methodology of the Greek or Roman history writers. It
is a book of faith, and holds value there. It is a book on the
relationship of man to God, and holds value there as well. But given
our understanding of the historical method today, the Bible is not an
adequate source for historical education.
==
I'm not sure why you think lying is appropriate to children. The Bible
is neither accurate nor comprehensive in its treatment of history. To
suggest otherwise is just absurd.
==
(Interlinear Bible) Joshua 10:12-13:
Then Joshua spoke to Jehovah in the day when Jehovah gave the
Amorites up before the sons of Israel: and he said, Sun, stand still
before the eyes of Israel in Gibeon! And, Moon, stand still in the valley
of Aijalon! And the sun stood still, and the moon stood still, until the
nation was avenged on its foes. Is it not written in the Book of the
Upright? Yea, the sun stood still in the middle of the heavens,
and did not hasten to go down for a full day.
==
Inside Scientology by Robert Kaufman
==
The founders certainly were from a background in which religion was important.
Eighteenth-century America was largely Christian and overwhelmingly Protestant,
and the dominant Protestant denominations (Congregationalism in New England,
the Anglican Church in the South) even enjoyed state subsidies.
In other words, young America may have been a
Christian nation, but it wasn't a very tolerant one.
But the founders were also children of the great intellectual ferment known as
the Enlightenment. In the debate over the place of God in public America, few
framers are cited more often than Ben Franklin. In the summer of 1787, with the
Constitutional Convention haggling over the nation's fate, Franklin proposed
opening the day's meetings with a prayer, a proposal often cited by
public-prayer advocates. But these advocates leave out the rest of the story.
After Franklin's motion, Alexander Hamilton argued that if people knew that the
delegates were resorting to prayer, it would be seen as an act of desperation.
Then Hugh Williamson of North Carolina pointed out that the convention lacked
the money to pay for a chaplain, and there the proposition died. Franklin later
noted, The convention, except three or four persons, thought prayers
unnecessary.
Alongside Franklin's doomed proposal, George Washington's religious fervor is
often cited. The father of our country was a regular churchgoer, but what's
left out of the story is that he usually left services before Communion. He was
a deist who called on Providence, an amorphous power he referred to as it.
Nominally Episcopalian, Washington was also a Freemason, along with many other
founders. A semisecret society, Organized Freemasonry was formed in London in
1717 by a group of anticlerical free thinkers dedicated to the ideals of
charity, equality, morality and service to the Great Architect of the Universe.
Then there is Jefferson, who inveighed against every form of tyranny over the
mind of man, by which he meant organized religion. In 1786, his Statute for
Religious Freedom was approved by the Virginia Legislature through the efforts
of James Madison, a chief architect of the Constitution and later an opponent
of the practice of paying a Congressional chaplain. This statute guaranteed
every Virginian the freedom to worship in the church of his choice and ended
state support of the Anglican Church.
But more important than the founder¹s private faith was the concept that they
all embraced passionately: the freedom to practice religion, as well as not to.
They had risked their lives to free America from a country with an official
religion and a king who claimed a divine right. They believed that government's
purpose was to protect people's earthly rights, not their heavenly fates. As
for Jefferson, he wrote that it made no difference to him whether his neighbor
affirmed one God or 20, since, he added, It neither picks my pocket nor breaks
my leg.
It was this concept  that the government should neither enforce, encourage or
otherwise intrude on religion  that found its way into the godless
Constitution in the form of the First Amendment. Even the presidential oath of
office, which is laid out in the Constitution, does not mention the deity.
George Washington ad libbed the So help me God at his inaugural ceremony.
Every president since has added this personal oath. They choose to say it; the
Constitution does not compel it.
==
Isis was walking about in the evening and Thoth appeared before her and told
her that she would bear a child that she would call Horus. But my husband is
dead this long time, she answered. Nevertheless this shall come to pass said
Thoth the god of magic and writing and medicine.
==
Into this fold of Jesus Christ no man may enter unless he be led by the
Sovereign Pontiff, and only if they be united to him can men be saved. Pope
John XXIII
==
Lu 22:36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take
it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his
garment, and buy one.

Mt 26:52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place
for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
==
2Deu 20:17 But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the
Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites;
as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:
==
Paul knew nothing about any appearance to women---he states that Jesus first
appeared to Peter....he clearly did not know the gospel accounts at all.
==
God Against the Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism
and Polytheism, by Jonathan Kirsch, 2004, 336 pp. New York: Penguin.
==
When things are known, that is to say, we conceive them as natural, on
Man's level; when they are unknown, we call them divine -- as if our
ignorance of a thing were the stamp of its divinity.
Henry Drummond The Ascent of Man
==
http://www-user.uni-bremen.de/~wie/Secret/letter-engl.html
Clement writes... And after six days Jesus told him what to do and in the
evening the youth comes to him, wearing a linen cloth over his naked body. And
he remained with him that night, for Jesus taught him the mystery of the
kingdom of God.
==
Huitzilopochtli, like many other gods, had no human father; his
mother was a virtuous widow; he was born of an apparently innocent flirtation
that she carried out with the sun. When he frowned, his father, the
sun, stood still. When he roared with rage, earthquakes engulfed
whole cities. When he thirsted he was watered with 10,000 gallons of
human blood. But today Huitzilopochtli is as magnificently forgotten
Speaking of Huitzilopochtli recalls his brother Tezcatilpoca.
Tezcatilpoca was almost as powerful; he consumed 25,000 virgins a year.
==
Religious Zealots aren't allowed to believe
in evolution because you're entire FAITH is based on a perfect Bible
and you having the perfect interpretation of it. You cannot change
your mind about your stances because, if you do, you're entire faith
would come crumbling down. One little mistake in your Dogma means
it's no longer perfect, which is what it's ALL based on... perfection.
==
Hyper-religion and Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
V. S. Ramachandran, in Phantoms in the Brain : Probing the Mysteries of
the Human Mind
describes a personality type associates with temporal lobe epilepsy. The
seizures themselves are interpreted by the patient as deeply and
profoundly religious, perhaps because of the proximity to the emotional
limbic system. But there also are often permanent effects on
personality. Victims attribute deep significance to everything, tend to
be pedantic, argumentative, egocentric, and garrulous. Also obsessed
with abstract thoughts, and writing, especially detailed diaries. I
once asked a certain GS whether he might have temporal lobe epilepsy,
but received no response. He seems obsessed with himself.
==
The underlying assumption of creationists seems to be that if one thing is
wrong, everything must be wrong. I find this particular brittleness of
truth notion to be characteristic of certain sorts of conservative
faiths; it is foreign to science and observation. (It's found, for
example, in the fundamentalist claim that if a single contradiction is
found in the Bible, or a single biblical story can be found to be
false, then faith must crumble; hence the vehement and absurd
insistence that every single thing in the bible must be literally true
-- hence YECism.) If new data shows that a given model of a given
phenomenon is wrong, we replace that one model with something that
fits the new data. Phenomena that aren't related to that data don't
have to be revised.

Fundamentalists try to practice science the same way they practice their
sectarian conflicts. This by uncritical reliance on quotes as final authority,
without considering they could be taken out of context or be based on obsolete
data. The do not separate the philosophical comments of scientists from those
based on peer reviewed hard data.
==
Why was Margaret Sanger jailed in 1917?
Margaret Sanger was jailed for a month in a workhouse for founding
a clinic that dispensed contraceptives.
==
I believe I have located the source of the phrase God of the gaps
which previously we have assigned to Bonhoeffer.
In 1894, Henry Drummond published _The Ascent of Man_, on page 426 of
There are reverent minds who ceaselessly scan the fields of Nature and
the books of science in search of gaps---gaps which they will fill up
with God. As if God lived in gaps.
Drummond had previously published _Natural Law in the spiritual world_
in which he had argued in just this way. He had come a long way, and
called himself a foolish man for arguing that God existed only in the gaps.
This can be found on pages 182f of James Y Simpson's _Landmarks in the
struggle between science and religion_, London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1925.
God was invented to explain mystery. God is always invented to explain
those things that you do not understand. Now, when you finally discover
how something works, you get some laws which you're taking away from
God; you don't need him anymore.- R. Feynman
The interesting thing is that people are always *demanding* that
you fill these gaps. They're extremely uncomfortable with I don't
know. So they feel compelled to make up just-so stories and gods to
fill in the gaps in our knowledge and expect you to do the same. That
seems to be the situation here. Both evolution and creationism are ways
of filling gaps in our knowledge. When you say I don't know you're
accused of avoiding the issue. There seems to be no way to honestly deal
with gaps in our knowledge that will satisfy everyone.
In my opinion, this is a basic characteristic of human intelligence
and human consciousness. Our brains do this all the time, as pointed out
by many studies. Our minds take what information it has and then fills
in the blanks so as to create a rational image. There's no reason why
human minds should not deal with gaps in knowledge in the same way.
==
Joel 3:9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty
men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:4 (King James Version)
==
Gallup polls in the 1990s found that 53 percent of American adults said
they had had a moment of sudden religious awakening or insight.
==
It's because they are sold a solution to an intrinsically concocted and
manufactured problem. Like most sales techniques, it frequently requires
the Salesman to create a need in the consumer. How many people end up
buying things they would not have dreamed of; or unsold items they don't
need, by a good salesman?
Religious hucksters manufacture a problem, all men are sinners, and thus
guilty and going to Hell; then the religious-salesman offers his mesmerized
audience a solution, forensic freedom from guilt via a substitute for sin
and eventually heaven as a final reward.
==
When you get sick, do you advise your doctors to reject their
materialistic naturalistic atheistic secularist biases, and to look
for non-materialist non-naturalistic non-secularist causes for your
illness, such as, say, evil spirits or demon possession or witchcraft
or curses or The Evil Eye? Or do you ask your materialist secularist
naturalist doctors to use materialistic naturalistic secularist
antibiotics to treat your materialistic naturalistic secularist
diseases by killing your materialistic naturalistic secularist germs.
Are you just a secularist materialistic naturalistic atheist at heart,
==
Lot's wife
Gen 19:26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a
pillar of salt.
===
Job 9:6 Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof
tremble.

Job 26:11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.

Psa 75:3 The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved:
I bear up the pillars of it. Selah.
==
Christopher Caudwell: Illusion and Reality; Lawrence
& Wishart Ltd., London and International Publishers, New York;
1973/1977; SBN 85315 263 2].

Bruno Bauer, BRUNO BAUER AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY
==
So far, the inquiry into biological life has failed to show that the limits
to naturalistic explanations have been reached, despite the
clamoring noise of those who cannot read their Bibles in any other
fashion but the most literal possible. Their book says that God
commanded the sea and the land to bring forth life in various and
abundant forms, yet when science tries to describe HOW these commands
were obeyed, the literalists start a campaign of vilification, lies,
misquotes, and innuendoes in direct, defiant, flagrant violation of God's
express commandments. And they do this in God's name, taking it in vain.
Apparently they believe these sins will make their deity happy.
Personally, I can think of only one deity who would be made happy by such
behavior in a Christian and that is the false deity sometimes spoken of
as the father of lies.
==
What was life expectancy like in the early days of America?
People did not generally live long. In George Washington's day, average life
expectancy for men was just 34 years and only 36 years for women. A hundred
years and modern medicine can make a lot of difference!
I wonder if prayer would have helped them live longer.
==
Pro 8:27 When he prepared the heavens, I [was] there: when he set a
compass upon the face of the depth: Flat earth?
====
A Poll taken in 2003 found that 52 percent of Americans would be reluctant to
vote for a candidate without religion, and 41 percent would not vote for an
atheist.
==
Origen quoted the Gospel of Peter, as did Tertullian.
==
It is miraculous that Jesus could SHOUT in a loud voice from the cross.
The cross kills by making it nearly impossible to EXHALE !!!
==
There's a tale from cuneiform tablets from the 1st millennium BC which
attributes a similar tale to Sargon, King of Agade in Southern
Mesopotamia (2371-2316 BC):
My mother conceived me and bore me in secret.
She put me in a reed basket made watertight with pitch.
She left me to the river from which I could not escape.
==
Genesis 30:37-39 ~ Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane,
and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the rods. He set the
rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks at the watering troughs where
the flocks came to breed. Because they bred in front of the rods, the flocks
brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted offspring. Mendel was wrong.
==
_Lost Christianities, the battles for scriptures and the faiths we
never knew_ by Bart Ehrman
==
Why did God demand a bloody, nasty death in order to forgive mankind's sins?
Is he bound by some higher authority that requires such bloodshed?
===
The oldest complete manuscript that contains all of our present New Testament
also contains two additional writings---the Epistle of Barnabas and the
Didache---Codex Vaticanus.
==
Bishop John S. Spong (Episcopal Bishop of Newark)
Paul's words are not the Words of God. They are the words of Paul-
a vast difference. (Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, p. 104,
Harper San Francisco, 1991)
==
In Protestant thinking, the Bible tends to
be considered supreme. In order to maintain its supremacy, it must
be considered inerrant, so anything that might detract from that
inerrancy must be removed. Catholic rites, on the other hand, vest
supremacy in the sacrament of Holy Orders, the Roman rite in their
Pope, others in their bishops or, in the case of conciliarists
in the decisions of ecumenical councils.
==
A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion.
Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom
they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less
easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side.
- Aristotle (ca. 384-322 B.C.E.) Greek philosopher
2000 Years of Disbelief, James A. Haught, ed.

We have abundant reason to rejoice that in this Land the light of
truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and
superstition ... In this enlightened Age and in this Land of equal
liberty it is our boast, that a man's religious tenets will not
forfeit the protection of the Laws, nor deprive him of the right of
attaining and holding the highest Offices that are known in the
United States.
- George Washington (1732-1799) The first President of the United States
(1789-1797)

The day that this country ceases to be free for irreligion it will
cease to be free for religion -- except for the sect that can win
political power.
- Robert H. Jackson (1892-1954) Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court
(1941-1954)
dissenting opinion, Zorach v. Clauson, (April 28, 1952)

The mixing of government and religion can be a threat to free
government, even if no one is forced to participate.... When the
government puts its imprimatur on a particular religion, it conveys a
message of exclusion to all those who do not adhere to the favored
beliefs. A government cannot be premised on the belief that all
persons are created equal when it asserts that God prefers some.
- Harry Andrew Blackmun (1908-1999) Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
(1970-1994)
Majority Opinion, Lee v. Weisman, 1992

The lessons of the First Amendment are as urgent in the modern world
as the 18th Century when it was written. One timeless lesson is that
if citizens are subjected to state-sponsored religious exercises, the
State disavows its own duty to guard and respect that sphere of
inviolable conscience and belief which is the mark of a free people.
- Anthony M. Kennedy (b. 1936) Supreme Court Justice, appointed by Reagan,
confirmed 97-0 for the majority, Lee v. Weisman (1992)
==
It appears that the Mesopotamian origins of Israel are reflected in
such narratives as the Creation, the Flood, and the Tower of
Babel, and are transformed or repudiated in the biblical versions.
What in the older culture appears arbitrary and chaotic has
been changed in the Bible into stories that stress morality and
order. Further, human beings in Genesis Chapters I-II, despite
their failure to live up to God's expectations, are nevertheless
considered capable of doing so, in contrast to the Mesopotamian
view that humankind was created merely to be slaves to the gods.
This nicely illustrates the Bible as having evolved (descent with
modification) from pre-existing ideas.
==
_Lost Christianities, the battle for scriptures and the faiths we never
knew_ by Bart Ehrman
==
Here is a snippet from J.S. Mill:
It is not too much to say that every indication of Design in the
Kosmos is so much evidence against the Omnipotence of the Designer. For
what is meant by Design? Contrivance: the adaptation of means to an end.
But the necessity for contrivance -- the need of employing means -- is a
consequence of the limitation of power. Who would have recourse to means
if to attain his end his mere word was sufficient? The very idea of means
implies that the means have an efficacy which the direct action of the
being who employs them has not. Otherwise they are not means, but an
encumbrance.
==
Although the far territory of the extreme can exert an intoxicating pull on
susceptible individuals of all bents, extremism seems to be especially
prevalent
among those inclined by temperament or upbringing toward religious pursuits.
Faith is the very antithesis of reason, injudiciousness a crucial component of
spiritual devotion. And when religious fanaticism supplants ratiocination,
all bets are suddenly off. Anything can happen. Absolutely anything. Common
sense is no match for the voice of God...
Jon Krakaurer Under the Banner of Heaven
==
Cursed be he who does the Lords work remissly, cursed he who holds back his
sword from blood. (Jeremiah 48:10 NAB)
==
Gregory XIII (1572-85) said it was not homicide to kill an embryo of
less than 40 days since it wasn't yet human.
Gregory XIII's successor, Pope Sixtus V disagreed. His Bull of 1588 made all
abortions for any reason homicide and cause for excommunication.
==
Smallpox is estimated to have killed 200 million people.
==
Mark.5 Verses 2 to 5
[2] And when he had come out of the boat, there met him out of the tombs a man
with an unclean spirit,
[3] who lived among the tombs; and no one could bind him any more, even with a
chain;
[4] for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but the chains he
wrenched apart, and the fetters he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength
to subdue him.
[5] Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying
out, and bruising himself with stones.
==
It strikes me that religion has never been able to deal effectively with
two things: the idea of a fallibilist epistemology, and the unreasonable
success that science, using that fallibilism, has been able to achieve
where they could not.
Religion relies on infallibility of some kind, and so defines knowledge
as certainty. One has to be certain in order to know. Science does not
require this, but religionist critics of science have this sneaking
suspicion that it really is infallibilist, underneath the hood
somewhere. This is pure projection, of course - their own tradition has
suffered badly from science, and it is inconceivable that an
infallibilist tradition of certainty could be undermined by a
fallibilist tradition of pragmatic virtue.
==
Matthew Fontaine Maury is on record as having said that the scriptures
clearly indicate that the six days of the Genesis creation were not
literal days. He was a pioneer on studying ocean currents.
==
The theory of ID (every unsolved problem in biology is the result of an
Unknown Cause acting in an unknown manner for unknown reasons -- but we're
really, really sure that that Cause is intelligent, and purposeful, although of
course what that purpose might be is beyond our purview, wink, wink) taught in
public schools, it will be due to political, not scientific or philosophical
causes.
==
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
American Journal of Sociology
--
Margaret Wertheim is the author of Pythagoras' Trousers, a history of the
relationship between physics and religion
==
The Virgin Mary is an interesting prism through which to examine
America's emphasis on faith because most Biblical scholars regard the
evidence for the Virgin Birth, and for Mary's assumption into Heaven
(which was proclaimed as Catholic dogma only in 1950), as so shaky that
it pretty much has to be a leap of faith. As the Catholic theologian
Hans Kung puts it in On Being a Christian, the Virgin Birth is a
collection of largely uncertain, mutually contradictory, strongly
legendary narratives, an echo of virgin birth myths that were
widespread in many parts of the ancient world.
Jaroslav Pelikan, the great Yale historian and theologian, says in his
book Mary Through the Centuries that the earliest references to Mary
(like Mark's gospel, the first to be written, or Paul's letter to the
Galatians) don't mention anything unusual about the conception of Jesus.
The Gospels of Matthew and Luke do say Mary was a virgin, but internal
evidence suggests that that part of Luke, in particular, may have been
added later by someone else (it is written, for example, in a different
kind of Greek than the rest of that gospel).
Yet despite the lack of scientific or historical evidence, and despite
the doubts of Biblical scholars, America is so pious that not only do 91
percent of Christians say they believe in the Virgin Birth, but so do an
astonishing 47 percent of U.S. non-Christians.
--
Americans believe, 58 percent to 40 percent, that it is necessary to
believe in God to be moral. In contrast, other developed countries
overwhelmingly believe that it is not necessary. In France, only 13
percent agree with the U.S. view.
The faith in the Virgin Birth reflects the way American Christianity is
becoming less intellectual and more mystical over time. The percentage
of Americans who believe in the Virgin Birth actually rose five points
in the latest poll.
==
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims
may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons
than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may
sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who
torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with
the approval of their own conscience. C. S. Lewis
==
Christianity has many traditions and practices, and has since its
very inception. Those who garner political power and become able
to force their views on others become orthodox.
==
If we were to accept Genesis as a model of accuracy....
a number of other religious books come up to the mark, some even surpass it.
==
...Roberto Franesco Romolo Bellarmine, Italian Cardinal and
Theologian (1542-1621). He entered the Society of Jesus in 1560. He
studied theology in the school of St. Thomas Aquinas. Became an
ordained priest in 1570 and began lecturing on theology. He rejected
the Augustinian doctrines of grace and free will and was chosen by
Gregory XIII to lecture his interpretation of theology in 1576,
resulting in the acceptance of an uncompromising, Anti-Protestant
Catholic doctrine by 1592.
scientific evidence would be objectively considered by the ruling
Catholic clergy which proved to be false.
According to the French theologian Bossuet, Bellarmine was an
ultra-Papalist who asserted in his 1610 publication De potestate
summi pontificis in rebus temporalibus that the Pope had a direct
responsibility to depose unworthy (not following Papal dictates)
rulers. Bellarmine's doctrines served to validate the Catholic
inquisitions into the 19th century.
Bellarmine was beautified on May 13, 1923 and his feast is kept on May
13 by Jesuit churches. He was canonized in 1930...
In as much as Bellarmine encapsulates official religious bias of the
Catholic church in favor of the absolute authority of the Pope,
==

Advantages of being an atheist.

A. Free of superstitions. Free to make own decisions about origins,
purpose, historical issues, scientific theories that are explained
in the bible.

B. Free of rules imposed by religion or God. Free to choose among many
sets of possible rules for behavior.

C. Free of imposed morality from religion or God. Free to examine, consider,
and ultimately choose a moral code. Not only liberating, but more authentic.

D. Free of limited worldview. Free to evaluate many different ideas of
meaning, ways of educating, civilizing, punishing, etc. Free to say I
don't know.

E. Free of limited scientific view. Free to choose scientific theories
or facts that differ from Bible or other religious works. Don't take the
easy answer God did it.
==
The idea of respect for people of other religions has no basis in the
Scriptures.
==
http://guam.org.gu/hemplo/
IN THE BEGINNING there was a god named Puntan. He had lived long, long
before the sky and the earth were made. Puntan had a sister who lived
long after he died. Before Puntan died, he gave his sister all his
powers. The sister decided to make something of her brother:

WITH HIS BODY, SHE MADE THE EARTH;
WITH HIS BREAST, SHE MADE THE SKY;
WITH THE RIGHT EYE, SHE MADE THE SUN;
WITH THE LEFT EYE, SHE MADE THE STARS and the MOON;
AND WITH HIS EYEBROWS, SHE MADE THE RAINBOWS.
This works for the Guam natives.
==
Maybe you would prefer the Egyptian version of the Big Bang,
in which the God Atun creates the universe by whacking off.
==
What is a scapegoat?
The term is now used to refer to a person who is inappropriately
blamed for the sins or behavior of a group of people. In the
Bible, in Leviticus 16, it refers specifically to the practice of
presenting two goats at the alter of the tabernacle. The casting
of lots determined which goat was sacrificed to the Lord and
which was set aside for an evil spirit. The high priest would
transfer the sins of the people onto this unfortunate goat and
send it into the wilderness.
==
there are 25 modern English words that translate from the
ancient Hebrew word, day.
==
Read Job again. What God told Satan to do was cruel, the equivalent of
killing innocent people over a bet. A test of Job, the outcome of which
an omniscient God would already know.
==
_Higher Superstition_ by Gross and Levitt.
==
The earliest writing in south Asia is the (undeciphered)
Indus Valley writing (Harappa and Mohendjo-Daro). That's about
2500 BCE. Although there have been some recent claims about very
ancient Chinese writing, the conventional date for the earliest
Chinese is about 1200 BCE.
==
Many religious people ask how Atheists can be happy without God. For me and
for many Atheists I know, the realization of our Atheism has been extremely
freeing and has opened us to our own happiness.
a.. Atheism gives us the ability to see the universe as it actually is,
without the mental filters of dogmatism and superstition preventing us from
directly experiencing it.
a.. Atheism allows us to experience our selves, without the debasing idea
that we are innately sinful.
a.. Atheism gives us the freedom to think for ourselves, to construct our
own meanings.
a.. Atheism allows us to experience true interpersonal love, without any
supernatural intervention.
a.. Atheism lets us see that we have to make choices about our future. No
big daddy god is going to protect us from bad decisions.
a.. Atheism teaches us to treasure this moment, this life, and this world -
because we realize that its all we have.
==
A New Kind of Christian by Brian Mclaren

Darwin's Cathedral: Evolution, Religion, and the Nature of Society
by David Sloan Wilson
==
The 1631 KJV contained a typo that read Thou shalt commit adultery
==
Kids are naturally stupid and ignorant. Developmental psychologists have found
that they start off failing to distinguish between themselves and the rest of
reality. They slowly come, via learning and through mind-brain development,
to realize that the rest of the world is NOT simply an extension of their
minds and feelings. They leave behind their initial TOTAL EGOCENTRISM.
Humans generally, in their non-scientific thinking, are still much given to
perceiving and understanding the world in similar ANTHROPOCENTIC and
ANTHROPOMORPHIC terms. The fact is that just because the world displays an
order AS IF it were designed, it does not follow that it was the product of
a human-like designer. Blind natural processes CAN produce orderly results!
Rain fall from the sky in a natural orderly manner. One does not HAVE to
invoke a Rain Maker God to explain that order.
==
Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in the midst of you and
sons shall eat their fathers...I will send famine and wild beasts
against you and they shall rob you of your children; pestilence and
blood shall pass through you; and I will bring a sword upon you. I,
the Lord, have spoken. Ezekiel 5:10, 5:17
==
We have allowed rampant secularism We have insulted God at the
highest levels of government. Pat Robertson
==
The Midianites?
Numbers 31:
13 And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the
congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp.
14 And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains
over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.
15 And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?
16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of
Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and
there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.
17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every
woman that hath known man by lying with him.
18 But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him,
keep alive for yourselves.
==
I do not admit that my doctrine can be judged by anyone, even the angels.
He who does not receive my doctrine cannot be saved
-- Martin Luther
==
Part of the problem with religion is that the emotional stakes keep getting
higher the longer you've been at it. Asserting something once and then having
to admit you were wrong hurts a little bit. Once you've been asserting
something for years in an ever-escalating cascade of nonsense, then
there's more and more you'd have to take back if you ever change your mind.
==
The Gospel and the Greeks by Ronald T. Nash

Author of THE ORIGINS OF THE MITHRAIC MYSTERIES by David Ulansey
(Oxford University Press, 1991)

I suggest you read When Prophecy Fails, by Lawrence Festinger (who,
by the way, was the founder of the concept of 'cognitive dissonance').
doesn't come to pass, the faith of the cult is not damaged, in fact it
is increased. In general these groups just select another date and
wait for that new rapturous moment. He entered a UFO cult to study
these matters directly.
==
The reason why atheists put more faith in science is because science is a
process open to verification by anybody. As opposed to religion which puts
its faith in a select few of so-called adepts or priests or clerics or
whomever. Even though they may claim that their faith is based on a book,
this claim comes not from the book itself but from the hierarchy of potentates
surrounding the text. These rulers usually are in a position of material
wealth, power and prestige in their community who use their power to enforce
belief in something greater than individual reason. In fact, individual reason
would require rebellion against such nonsense. They manipulate the community
against its free will by using their power to castigate anybody who opposes
their self-righteous hegemony. Atheism is basically a belief that truth is not
mysterious or mystical but instead can be explained rationally. If an
assertion can not be verified by independent means then it is bogus. This is
simply being honest.
==
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 14th ed., 5:168) states: Every five years the
Romans enumerated citizens and their property to determine their liabilities.
This practice was extended to include the entire Roman Empire in 5 B.C.
==
I will pray for you.
Christians think there is no finer thing they can do for a person about whom
they are genuinely concerned. Atheists take it as ultimately insulting
and patronizing, and meant to imply the superiority of the theistic POV.
As an atheist, when I hear a Christian is telling me this, I hear, you
are badly broken, I will set about trying to fix you with magical incantations
to my deity.
==
Science adds complexity when that adds accuracy.
Religion never adds accuracy with added complexity.
==
A preacher is the blind leading the blind.
It fascinates me that somewhere deep in the bones of religious
fundamentalists is the urge to ban. Over the centuries that has not been
bred out: it's hard-wired.
==
If your religion requires you to deny reality, then you can hardly be all hurt
and surprised when you have limited success in reality.
==
http://www.visi.com/~markg/atheists.html
Anaxagoras, Greek philosopher (500?-428? BCE).
. . . probably the first freethinker we know of to be condemned for
his beliefs. He regarded the conventional gods as mythic
abstractions endowed with anthropomorphic attributes. His writings
led him to a dungeon, charged with impiety, probably about the year
450 B.C.E. Only the intervention of the great statesman and orator
Pericles saved Anaxagoras from a death sentence. He had to pay a
fine and, according to some accounts, was banished. He lived his
final years in exile.

Diagoras the Atheist of Melos, Greek poet, (5th cent. BCE).
Threw a wooden image of a god into a fire, remarking that the deity
should perform another miracle and save itself. The uproar this
caused in Athens prompted Diagoras to flee for his life. Athens
outlawed him and offered a reward for his capture dead or alive. He
lived out his life in Spartan territory.

Protagoras, Greek philosopher (481?-411 BCE).
As to the gods, I am unable to say whether they exist or do not
exist

Democritus, Greek philosopher (460?-357 BCE).
The father of Materialism. Argued that mechanical relationships or
arrangements of the atoms account for various characteristics of
nature, the intimation here being that the natural order of the
world resulted from chance. Even morality, the soul, and all mental
life are reducible to mechanistic terms with physical imperceptible
atoms as their basic structure. Spiritual reality does not exist;
what appears to be spiritual is attributed simply to subperceptible
atomic structure or else to mere superstition. Hence, the Democritan
philosophy of mechanistic Materialism is complete, self-sufficient,
and self-contained. [History of Philosophy] [Visit The Philosophy
Garden]

Epicurus, Greek philosopher (341-270 BCE).
As a Materialist, Epicurus accepted the idea that the soul consists
of atomic material which disintegrates at death, at which time all
sensation ceases. Consequently, he said, death need not be a matter
of anxious concern, inasmuch as it is merely the state in which all
sensation ceases. [History of Philosophy] [Visit The Philosophy
Garden]

Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman statesman, orator, and philosopher
(106-43 BCE).

Lucretius, Roman philosopher and poet (96?-55 BCE).
Chief proponent of atomism. In On the Nature of Things he
wrote human life lay foul before men's eyes, crushed to the dust
beneath religion's weight. Leah Kronenberg tells me that Lucretius
was a dedicated Epicurean, and thus gods do exist, but have no
interest in human affairs. His writings are full of invective
against religion. [Visit The Philosophy Garden]

Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger, Roman stoic philosopher,
writer, and politician (4-65).
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as
false, and by rulers as useful.
==
The Emperor Constantine, who made his famous civil edict in A.D. 321
that men refrain from working on the first day of the week, Sunday is the
venerable day of the Sun, declared at the Council of Nicaea:
Let us, then, have nothing in common with the Jews,
who are our adversaries.... A.D. 325
==
Here are some quotes from our founding fathers:

Religion I found to be without any tendency to inspire, promote, or confirm
morality, serves principally to divide us and make us unfriendly to one
another. -Benjamin Franklin

The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason. -Benjamin Franklin

Lighthouses are more helpful than churches. -Benjamin Franklin

I am for freedom of religion and against all maneuvers to bring about a
legal ascendancy of one sect over another. -Thomas Jefferson

I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and
do not find in our particular superstition [Christianity] one redeeming
feature. They are all alike, founded on fables and mythology.
-Thomas Jefferson

All persons shall have full and free liberty of religious opinion; nor shall
any be compelled to frequent or maintain any religious institution.
-Thomas Jefferson

During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity
been on trial. What has been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride
and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; in both,
superstition, bigotry and persecution.- James Madison

And I have no doubt that every new example will succeed, as every past one
has done, in showing that religion and Government will both exist in greater
purity, the less they are mixed together.-James Madison

Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous
debaucheries, the cruel and tortuous executions, the unrelenting
vindictiveness with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more
consistent that we call it the word of a demon than the word of God.
It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize
mankind.- Thomas Paine

All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or
Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and
enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.-Thomas Paine

The age of ignorance commenced with the Christian system.
-Thomas Paine

I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatalexample of
the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved--the
Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced!--John Adams
==
Jainism is not Atheism
Jainism, one of the oriental philosophies is considered atheism by
many people. But Jainism is not atheism because they believe in God.
According to Jainism God is not creator of the Universe. There are
many Gods and anyone can become a God by destroying his karmas.
A detailed description is available at:
http://www.dd-b.net/~raphael/jain-list/msg01226.html
Also visit http://rightfaith.tripod.com
==
The simple believeth every word. - Proverbs 14:15
There was a time when religion ruled the world.
It is known as the dark ages. - Ruth Hurmence Green
==
The Christian church did not invent the idea of moral laws and
have not yet perfected it.
==
Of eighty popes in a line from the thirteenth century
on, not one of them disapproved of the theology and apparatus of
Inquisition. On the contrary, one after another added his own cruel touches
to the workings of the deadly machine.
(cf Peter de Rosa, Vicars of Christ, Corgi Books, 1989, p. 244)
==
It is irrelevant what Christians believe. We're in the real world
outside their religion. The fact that there is zero evidence, So it remains
merely part of your religion UNTIL YOU DEMONSTRATE OTHERWISE.
==
30% of American Nobel prize winners in science and 25% of all
American Nobel winners are Jewish.
==
The United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian
Religion- Treaty of Tripoli, 1797, ratified by Congress
==
I am an atheist because I know that no god ever described to
me exists. I know this is the case, not because I have been everywhere
to check, but because all gods, as described are either (1) not powerful
enough for me to accept giving them the designation god, or (2)
logically inconsistent, and therefore their existence is impossible, or
(3) meaningless (literally, without meaning or unknowable.
A man of integrity recognizes that truth is not always what you would like it
to be, and he accepts Truth whether he likes it or not.
It was useless to talk about things that didn't and couldn't happen
Atheist simply means no belief in god or gods. There is a myriad of ways
to describe such. My view is that the world has a ton of religions, most of
which are mutually exclusive, yet none of them have anything to offer that
others don't in terms of believability. Unless one pops up that has a decent
shred of evidence to its name, I'll remain on the sidelines and very skeptical,
and I'm quite content with where I am now, so I'm in no hurry to adopt a
religion. I agree that the Christian god's success is the comfort that such
a notation gives, at least to those that only hear the warm lovey-dovey
parts of the Bible at church.
Ideas about fairness, justice etc. come from people. People then invent
religions, and incorporate their ideas into their religions. Hence the ideas
would still exist, regardless of whether religion existed or not.
==
He who will not eat of my body and drink of my blood, so that he will be
made on with me and I with him, the same shall not know salvation.
- NO this isn't John 6:53-54. Its actually an inscription to Mithras.
==
2 1Ki 8:12 .. The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
=
Anything can be investigated by science if it has testable consequences.
The problem with many things called supernatural is that they have no
testable consequences because they are not well enough characterized to
make any inferences possible. But this is not an insuperable problem. We
can't ask Does god exist? because god is not well defined. But we can
ask a form of Did god create the universe 6000 years ago?, or if you
prefer Did the universe come into existence 6000 years ago?, which is
close enough.
==
Bart Ehrman's Lost Christianities and companion volume Lost Scriptures.
==
Zion definition follows:
above it was built a temple and later the name extended to the whole
hill; finally it became a synonym for the city of Jerusalem;
the inhabitants of Jerusalem are personified as `the daughter of Zion'
==
(Gen 38:8-10)
038:008 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and
marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
038:009 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to
pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled
it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his
brother.
038:010 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he
slew him also.
==
RUSSELL D. GRAY AND QUENTIN D. ATKINSON
Department of Psychology, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland
1020, New Zealand
Languages, like genes, provide vital clues about human history. The origin of
the Indo-European language family is the most intensively studied, yet still
most recalcitrant, problem of historical linguistics. Numerous genetic studies
of Indo-European origins have also produced inconclusive results. Here we
analyze linguistic data using computational methods derived from evolutionary
biology. We test two theories of Indo-European origin: the 'Kurgan expansion'
and the 'Anatolian farming' hypotheses. The Kurgan theory centers on possible
archaeological evidence for an expansion into Europe and the Near East by
Kurgan horsemen beginning in the sixth millennium BP. In contrast, the
Anatolian theory claims that Indo-European languages expanded with the spread
of agriculture from Anatolia around 8,0009,500 years BP. In striking agreement
with the Anatolian hypothesis, our analysis of a matrix of 87 languages with
2,449 lexical items produced an estimated age range for the initial
Indo-European divergence of between 7,800 and 9,800 years BP. These results
were robust to changes in coding procedures, calibration points, rooting of the
trees and priors in the bayesian analysis.
Note- No Babel story was involved.
==
The mentalities that denounce cloning and playing God have
consistently opposed technological progress, especially in medicine. They
objected to anesthesia, smallpox inoculations, contraception, heart
transplants, in vitro fertilization-on the grounds that these innovations
were unnatural and contrary to God's will. To let them cripple
biotechnological progress by banning cloning would be a moral abomination.
==
A.O. Schnabel Has God Spoken.
==
http://members.aol.com/Heraklit1/spinoza.htm
Spinoza was born in Amsterdam in 1632, into a family of Jewish emigrants
fleeing persecution in Portugal. He was trained in Talmudic scholarship, but
his views soon took unconventional directions which the Jewish community -
fearing renewed persecution on charges of atheism - tried to discourage.
Spinoza was offered 1000 florins to keep quiet about his views, but refused.
At the age of 24, he was summoned before a rabbinical court, and solemnly
excommunicated.
==
A document that accurately, and consistently reflects history.
This document must be internally consistent.
It must be externally consistent.
It must stand up to rigorous scrutiny.
It must be consistent with a reasonable extrapolation backwards from
the present.
It must NOT contain obvious errors.
It must not be open to multiple interpretations.
This does not describe the Bible.
==
Some folks live whom we expected to die, some folks die whom we expected to
live. The difference is that when someone unexpectedly dies, we are not
usually treated to religious folks running around claiming it was a miracle.
==
So much blood has been shed by the Church because of an omission from the
Gospel: Ye shall be indifferent as to what your neighbor's religion is.
Not merely tolerant of it, but indifferent to it. Divinity is claimed for many
religions; but no religion is great enough or divine enough to add that new law
to its code.- Mark Twain, a Biography
==
When religion encounters a mystery, whether it is equipped to address that
mystery or not, it does one (or many, or all) of the following: dismisses it
as God's sovereign choice, guards it against all who would solve it,
worships it, proclaims ownership of it, seeks to honor it by refusing to
solve it, encourages the faithful to walk in the tension of paradoxical
teachings, ostracizes any who cannot simply let a mystery pass without
trying to solve it.
==
More Than A Carpenter by Josh McDowell

The Creation Hypothesis, Meyer

The Bible Unearthed by Israel Finkelstein
and Neil Silberman. Dr. Finkelstein is the director of archeology at Tel
Aviv University. Archeology confirms the historicity of some of the Bible
but shows that a lot of it isn't historical.
==
Job 22:14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he
walketh in the circuit of heaven.
and he walketh in the circuit of heaven; within which he keeps himself,
and never looks down upon the earth, or takes any notice of what is done
there;
==
Mat27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to
the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
Mat27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept
arose,
Mat27:53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the
holy city, and appeared unto many. (KJV)
==
The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and his messenger and
strive after corruption in the land will be to be killed or crucified, or have
their hands and feet and genitals cut off, or to be expelled out of the land.
Such will be their humiliation in the world, and in the next world they will
face an awful horror. (Koran, 5:33-34)
==
There is not one, solid Christian dogma or faith. According to the Catholic
Encyclopedia there is close on 34,000 separate denominations, each insisting
that their interpretation is the right one and having discussed religion with
many theists most of them cannot answer the most simple inconsistencies in
their belief systems. Most of them make great sacrifice for their belief
systems and therefore undergo dissonance when confronted with ideological
impasses. This leads to a inclination to not think about the inconsistencies,
it's better to bury the dissonance and use avoidance behavior rather than
confront the dissonance and move your belief system accordingly, which may
cause much extra dissonance. However, ardent followers of one religion or sect
have no difficulties in seeing and pointing out the absurdities of other
religions while remaining totally oblivious to the absurdities of
their own. If the could apply the same reasoning and logic to their own beliefs
there would be a lot more atheists.
Church teachings are sexist, judgmental, arrogant, inconsistent, homophobic,
filled with authoritative commands rather than rational explanations and are
therefore not conducive to learning or a good life philosophy.
The Bible has literally thousands of ambiguities, inconsistencies, falsehoods,
and ascription to God of horrific, puerile behavior. Anyone who does not
acknowledge that this is true really is not reading the Bible seriously or has
a major mental block in the way of them seeing it. Besides that there are
multiple versions of this book. It is constantly being updated to suit the
leaders of the church responsible for the particular version that produce it.
Most of the times various Churches change the contents of the Bible
by false and/or inaccurate translations, but sometimes it's done
outright, such as the Nicaea Ecumenical Council circa 300 CE.
==
The God of the Old Testament looks a great deal like the people who invented
Him. He has a face, hands, feet, nostrils, bowels, likes the smell of burnt
offerings. He has the same human desires and emotions: He hates, loves, feels
anger and compassion, has a chosen people and plays favorites. He's often
angry, gets enraged easily, swears, pouts, destroys thing, shouts, deceives
and often rests. He had the same world outlook and the same beliefs about
nature as the people who made Him.
==
Isaiah 14:21 NAB:
Make ready to slaughter his sons for the guilt of their fathers; Lest
they rise and posses the earth, and fill the breadth of the world
with tyrants.

Hosea 9:11-16 NLT:
The glory of Israel will fly away like a bird, for your children will
die at birth or perish in the womb or never even be conceived. Even
if your children do survive to grow up, I will take them from you.
It will be a terrible day when I turn away and leave you alone. I
have watched Israel become as beautiful and pleasant as Tyre. But
now Israel will bring out her children to be slaughtered. O LORD,
what should I request for your people? I will ask for wombs that
don't give birth and breasts that give no milk. The LORD says, All
their wickedness began at Gilgal; there I began to hate them. I will
drive them from my land because of their evil actions. I will love
them no more because all their leaders are rebels. The people of
Israel are stricken. Their roots are dried up; they will bear no
more fruit. And if they give birth, I will slaughter their beloved
children.

Ezekiel 9:5-7 NLT:
Then I heard the LORD say to the other men, Follow him through the
city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy;
have no pity! Kill them all  old and young, girls and women and
little children. But do not touch anyone with the mark. Begin your
task right here at the Temple. So they began by killing the seventy
leaders. Defile the Temple! the LORD commanded. Fill its
courtyards with the bodies of those you kill! Go! So they went
throughout the city and did as they were told.

Exodus 12:29-30 NLT:
And at midnight the LORD killed all the firstborn sons in the land of
Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to
the firstborn son of the captive in the dungeon. Even the firstborn
of their livestock were killed. Pharaoh and his officials and all
the people of Egypt woke up during the night, and loud wailing was
heard throughout the land of Egypt. There was not a single house
where someone had not died.

Jeremiah 51:20-26:
You are my battle-ax and sword, says the LORD. With you I will
shatter nations and destroy many kingdoms. With you I will shatter
armies, destroying the horse and rider, the chariot and charioteer.
With you I will shatter men and women, old people and children, young
men and maidens. With you I will shatter shepherds and flocks,
farmers and oxen, captains and rulers. As you watch, I will repay
Babylon and the people of Babylonia for all the wrong they have done
to my people in Jerusalem, says the LORD. Look, O mighty mountain,
destroyer of the earth! I am your enemy, says the LORD. I will
raise my fist against you, to roll you down from the heights. When I
am finished, you will be nothing but a heap of rubble. You will be
desolate forever. Even your stones will never again be used for
building. You will be completely wiped out, says the LORD.
(Note that after God promises the Israelites a victory against
Babylon, the Israelites actually get their butts kicked by them in
the next chapter. So much for an all-knowing and all-powerful God.)

Leviticus 26:21-22 NLT:
If even then you remain hostile toward me and refuse to obey, I will
inflict you with seven more disasters for your sins. I will release
wild animals that will kill your children and destroy your cattle, so
your numbers will dwindle and your roads will be deserted.

Isaiah 13:15-18 NLT:
Anyone who is captured will be run through with a sword. Their
little children will be dashed to death right before their eyes.
Their homes will be sacked and their wives raped by the attacking
hordes. For I will stir up the Medes against Babylon, and no amount
of silver or gold will buy them off. The attacking armies will shoot
down the young people with arrows. They will have no mercy on
helpless babies and will show no compassion for the children.

Romans 1:18
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the
godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their
wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them,
because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of
the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine
nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been
made, so that men are without excuse.
==
Thomas Aquinas
As regards the individual nature, woman is defective and misbegotten, for the
active force in the male seed tends to the production of a perfect likeness in
the masculine sex; while the production of woman comes from a defect in the
active force or from some material indisposition, or even from some external
influence.
==
Genesis 2:19
Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of
the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to
see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living
creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the
livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.
Make a list of all species. It will be millions of species long.
==
All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have
another, birds another, and fish another. 1 Cor. 15:39
People are animals.
==
Paul didn't find it important that Jesus was born of a virgin,
or that the Pentecostal event in Acts 2 happened......
==
When Science Meets Religion: Enemies, Strangers or Partners by Ian Barbour

William Graham Scroggie's A Guide to the Gospels
==
Ps.93
[1] The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength.
Yea, the world is established; it shall never be moved;

Ps 104:5 Thou didst set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never
be shaken.

Proof of geocentric astronomy.
==
there are no references to the gospels prior to 186 CE.
The consensus date for those documents is usually 195 or later.
==
A national poll of 1,000 adults conducted by Barna Research Group found
76 percent of Americans believe heaven exists and 64 percent believe they're
headed for the Pearly Gates, reports the Los Angeles Times. 2003
==
Judas Iscariot
There is no such word in any language.known to man as Escargot, it is a
garbling, in trying to transliterate into Greek, of the Hebrew word
aish Kerioth, a man of Kerioth. And Kerioth is a little village in the
southwesterly portion of the old territory of the kingdom of Judah, well within
the area taken over by these Edomite Jews.
==
The persons of demoniac nature say, the entire cosmic manifestation is
unreal, without a creator, without a supreme controller, without cause,
originating from mutual cohabitation due only to lust, no more than this.
--Lord Krsna,
The Divine and the Demoniac Natures Defined Bahagavad-Gita 16:8
==
I've asked many Christians why they rely on the book if Jesus is alive and
accessible. I¹ve heard no answer yet. if he were alive he would clear up all
the arguments
==
During the early stages of diseases such as schizophrenia,
which are often accompanied by feelings of deep insight, mystical knowledge
and religious experience, chemical changes take place in which latent
inhibition disappears.
==
Isa13:18 Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall
have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children.

2Ki8:12 And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know
the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt
thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt
dash their children, and rip up their women with child. (KJV)

Jer13:14 I will smash them one against the other, fathers and sons alike,
declares the LORD. I will allow no pity or mercy or compassion to keep me from
destroying them.' (NIV)

God is love?
==
There have been hundreds of child deaths across the country in the past 20
years among the dozens of religious sects that don't believe in medical
intervention.
There were preventable deaths among First Born 14 children in three years.
No one was prosecuted.
In 1982, 14-year-old Travis Drake of Grand Junction died of a ruptured appendix
after his First Born parents refused to seek medical treatment. The parents
were not prosecuted.
In 1987, newborn Lucas Long died in Delta County after his parents refused to
seek medical help. The case was publicized because someone outside the church
had called authorities, saying a newborn was dying.
Rebecca Sweet, 7, died in 1990 at her Olathe home weeks after her appendix
ruptured. By the time she died of massive infection, she was skeletal, except
for her abdomen which was swollen from infection.
In 1997, 10-month-old Kyra Wright of Cortez died of viral pneumonia, which
doctors said could have been treated. Her parents were not
prosecuted.
Keenan Littlefield of Cortez died in 1998 at the age of 10 days from a bowel
obstruction physicians said could have been treated with surgery. His parents
also were not prosecuted.
Swan has chronicled more than 200 child deaths, and she has reams of what she
calls horror stories from the many little-known sects that don't believe in
doctors or medicine.
Jessica Lybarger, the 5-week-old daughter of founders Jon and Judy Lybarger,
died of untreated pneumonia.
Ramirez, a member of the Disciple Fellowship Church, whose members believe
medicine is demonic, is charged with child abuse for withholding treatment from
her 8-year-old son, Daniel. He died of diabetes without his insulin treatments.
Dr. Rob Kurtzman, the Mesa County coroner who examined Glory's infection-ridden
body, has ruled the manner of death a homicide, but he admits it could be hard
to prove in court that Glory's 22- and 23-year-old parents knew he was dying.
==
The Jesus Mysteries : Was the 'Original Jesus'
a Pagan God? by Timothy Freke, Peter Gandy

Asimov's Guide to the Bible: The Old and New
Testaments/Two Volumes in One, by Isaac Asimov

The X-Rated Bible : An Irreverent Survey of Sex
in the Scriptures, by Ben Edward Akerley

The Born Again Skeptic's Guide To the
Bible, by Ruth Hurmence Green

Who Wrote the Bible?,
by Richard Elliott Friedman

===
Lemon v. Kurtzman has tripartite test of maintaining a separation between
religion and government is a Supreme Court case.
==
Nowhere in the scriptures will you find any encouragement to
study, to learn, to enquire. Nowhere will you find any praise for
intelligence. And nowhere will you find any doctrine that promotes
respect for those of other religions.--J. Smith-Slattery
==
In the 1980 STONE v. GRAHAM case , the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a
Kentucky statute permitting the display of Commandments posters in
public school classrooms, noting that the Decalogue was a
pre-eminent religious statement.
==
JOHN ADAMS: This would be the best of all possible worlds,
if there were no religions in it
JOHN ADAMS: Letters to F.A. Van Der Kamp 1809-1816. How has it
happened that millions of myths, fables, legends and tales have been
blended with Jewish and Christian fables and myths and have made them
the most bloody religion that has ever existed? Filled with the sordid
and detestable purposes of superstition and fraud?
THOMAS JEFFERSON: Notes on Religion, passed in the Assembly of
Virginia, in the Year, 1786. Millions of innocent men, women and
children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt,
tortured, fined, and imprisoned. What has been the effect of this
coercion? To make one-half the world fools and the other half
hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth.
THOMAS JEFFERSON: Letter to Thomas Whittemore, June 5, 1822:
Christian creeds and doctrines, the clergy's own fatal inventions,
through all the ages has made of Christendom a slaughterhouse,
and divided it into sects of inextinguishable hatred for one another.
JAMES MADISON: The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep
forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil
of Europe with blood for centuries.
GEORGE WASHINGTON--Treaty of Tripoli 1796: The government of the United
States not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.
==
The doctrine that the earth is neither the center of the universe nor
immovable, but moves even with a daily rotation, is absurd, and both
philosophically and theologically false, and at the least an error of faith.
- Catholic Church's decision against Galileo Galilei
==
Frederick Clarkson, author of the highly acclaimed book
Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy And Democracy
(Common Courage Press, 1997).
==
Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in the midst of you and
sons shall eat their fathers...I will send famine and wild beasts
against you and they shall rob you of your children; pestilence and
blood shall pass through you; and I will bring a sword upon you. I,
the Lord, have spoken. Ezekiel 5:10, 5:17
==
The Skeptic's Annotated Bible (SAB)
http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/
Nearly 4,000 clarifications of the scriptures! - http://sab.jcsm.org
The Inerrancy Discussion Board - http://www.inerrancy.com
Online annotated version of King James Bible,
loaded with eye-opening criticisms.
==
We all know that the popes of old used to have young boys castrated so that
they would continue to sing sweetly in the Vatican chapel. How many young males
so emasculated there is no way of knowing. What we do know is that as late as
1890 Vatican choir boys were still being castrated to conserve their soprano
voices.
==
What is a scapegoat?
The term is now used to refer to a person who is inappropriately blamed for the
sins or behavior of a group of people. In the Bible, in Leviticus 16, it refers
specifically to the practice of presenting two goats at the alter of the
tabernacle. The casting of lots determined which goat was sacrificed to the
Lord and which was set aside for an evil spirit. The high priest would transfer
the sins of the people onto this unfortunate goat and send it into the
wilderness.
====
Here is the apologetics of astrology. Adherents have claimed for
centuries that the influences of the planets are *real* and are simply
beyond our (then) current state of knowledge. They, too, offer a
mathematical argument, statistical analyses *proving* said influences.
In fact, they posit quite a bit about *how* such influences must work (no
effect before birth; directional from certain celestial bodies; influences
from different bodies being qualitatively different from one another; such
influences combine to amplify, modify, cancel one another depending on
positions relative to each other and to the background star field). Nothing
even remotely as specific as these vague attributes has been postulated for
any possible mechanisms by which ID might have been applied.
Hard to be taken seriously as a scientific endeavor when it displays less
actual science than astrology.
==
Advanced Buddhist monks, the Dalai Lama and his colleagues explained, are
trained to remember complex images as a way to clear their minds and achieve
new levels of awareness. An experienced monk can visualize the details of as
many as 700 deities used in meditation, they said.
==
VIRGINIA BEACH - Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson today prayed on
his Christian Broadcasting Network, based here, that Hurricane Isabel
would turn from the coast. He asked God to put a ``wall of
protection'' around Virginia Beach and the East Coast.
``In the name of Jesus, we reach out our hand in faith and we command
that storm to cease its forward motion to the north and to turn and
to go out into the sea,'' Robertson prayed on ``The 700 Club''
program.
Hurricane Isabel, 2003, ignored Robertson.
==
Psa 137:9Happy [shall he be], that taketh and dasheth thy little ones
against the stones.
==
Far from being eyewitness accounts, as is traditionally
held, the Gospels are actually Jewish adaptations of
ancient Pagan myths of the dying and resurrecting
godman Osiris-Dionysus. The supernatural story of
Jesus is not the history of a miraculous Messiah, but
a carefully crafted spiritual allegory designed to guide
initiates on a journey of mystical discovery.
A little more than a century ago most people believed
that the strange story of Adam and Eve was history;
today it is understood to be a myth. Within a few
decades, Freke and Gandy argue, we will likewise
be amazed that the fabulous story of God incarnate
-- who was born of a virgin, who turned water into
wine, and who rose from the dead -- could have
been interpreted as anything but a profound parable.
==
Biblical Religion: The Great Lie
by Michael Kalopoulos
ISBN: 1-4010-9954-8 (Trade Paperback)
ISBN: 1-4010-9955-6 (Hardback)

Deconstructing Jesus, by Robert M. Price

_Who Wrote the Bible?_ by Richard Friedman
==
Snakes are deaf. The snake in Eden carried on a conversation with Eve.
==
The 30,000 Children who embarked on the Children¹s Crusade were easily
killed and the rest were captured.
==
According to Skeptic magazine Vol. 7 No. 2 their is no factual basis for the
claim that Voltaire died in torment.
Supposedly when asked Do you recognize the divinity of Jesus Christ?
Voltaire replied In the name of God let me die in peace.
==
It's really funny; creationists trash science out of one side of
their mouth and simultaneously invoke it out of the other side to prove
their own beliefs. I suspect this is a symptom of the extraordinary
status that science has in industrial societies. There simply isn't any
other widely accepted currency for debates about reality.
==
Buddhism is the only religion that is compatible with science and
mathematics. It is a way of thinking which originated in India in the
6th century BC.
==
The Egyptians said that the first god, Tefnut, ejaculated the world
into existence. Big Bang?
==
Blair Scott writes about the Council of Nicea:
http://blasphemy.home.att.net/articles/200309.htm

The Council of Nicea established the rules and guidelines for
additional Councils to be held in the future (there have been a lot
since the first one in 325 CE). The Council of Nicea did not vote on
any of the canons, per se. They did state a preference for some of
the canon, but they did not canonize them. Because of the ordained
by God statements of Constantine, the preferential treatment of
some of the canon was practically a canonization. Later councils
would go over the lists and it would change very little. There were
27 gospels chosen by the Council that would late become the actual
canon of the New Testament.

What is surprising is the number of books that never made it into
the preferred list of the first Council and were finally officially
defeated in 397 AD at the Council of Trent:
The Wisdom of Jesus Christ
The Gospel of Thomas
The Second Apocalypse of James
The Gospel of the Nazoreans
The Gospel of the Egyptians
The Gospel of Phillip
The Gospel of Barnabas
The Apocryphon (secret book) of John
The Gospel of Truth
The Secret Book of James
The Apocalypse of Paul
The Letter of Peter to Phillip
The Apocalypse of Peter
The Testimony of Truth
The Gospel of Mary (Magdalene)
The Dialogue of the Savior
Treatise on Resurrection
The Habakkuk Commentary
The War Scroll
The Damascus Document
The Temple Scroll
The Book of Thomas the Contender
On the Origin of the World
Epistle of Barnabas
The Shepherd of Hermas
The Didache
The Gospel According to the Hebrews
Revelation of Peter
The Travels and Teachings of the Apostles

In discussing the vote in 397 to officially canonize the books given
preference by the Council of Nicea, Christian apologist Richard
Sisson states,

In fact, after the death of Jesus a whole flood of books that
claimed to be inspired appeared... [...] Disputes over which ones
were true were so intense that the debate continued for centuries.
Finally in the fourth century a group of church leaders called a
council and took a vote. The 66 books that comprised our cherished
Bible were declared to be Scripture by a vote of 568 to 563.

Looking back at the Council of Nicea it is clear that a group of men
chose the fate of Christianity. A group of men led by a still-practicing Pagan
that was paying political lip-service to the
Christians helped guide Christianity into becoming a hybrid religion
a religion composed of its own beliefs, beliefs of Judaism, beliefs
of Paganism and beliefs of political power from a Roman Emperor that
saw religion as one of the greatest political tools there is.
==
Luke 19:27But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over
them, bring hither, and slay [them] before me.
==
Psa 137:9     Happy [shall he be], that taketh and dasheth thy little ones
against the stones.
==
Standard Christian claim
Man was born in sin due to the fall of Adam.
We are all born sinners in rebellion to God.
God sent forth a sacrifice for our sins.
In Jesus Christ, for all who believe, we have the forgiveness of sins.
On the Cross Christ took our sin and was punished for it so we wouldn't
have to be punished.
And in exchange for that, by faith we receive his perfect righteousness.
By faith alone in Christ, and not by the works of the law.
We have the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
==
A serial killer can accept Jesus in his last moment befor death and he will be
forgiven, going to heaven.
An atheist who lives a decent life, helping many, harming no others, will burn
in hell forever.
Wow. Such logic. Such wisdom. Such justice. Such divine love.
==
Look up Richard Dawkins Viruses of the Mind article which fleshes out the
idea in a compelling way. The parallels between religions and parasitic
organism are striking. They disguise themselves as benign,
mutate, reproduce, and spread from host to host, doing great damage.
==
There is something feeble and a little contemptible about a man who
cannot face the perils of life without the help of comfortable myths.
Almost inevitably, some part of him is aware that they are myths, and
that he believes them only because they are comforting. But he dares
not face this thought! Moreover, since he is aware, however dimly,
that his opinions are not rational, he becomes furious when they are
disputed. --Bertrand Russell
==
Despite being a well-behaved, straight-A student, India Tracy was often sent to
the principal's office at Horace Maynard Middle School in Union, Tennessee. She
was sent there when her mother refused permission for the school to send India
to a tent revival during school hours, and when India declined to portray Mary
in a Christmas play.
India and her parents, Greg and Sarajane Tracy, say other students taunted
India, and beat and ridiculed her since 1999, when she first refused to go to
the religious retreat. India, 14, says the principal asked my religion. I told
him I didn't want to talk about it and for him to call my parents. Her mother
also refused to discuss religion with him, she says, because she didn't think
it was a proper subject for a public school. (The family is Pagan. Paganism
embraces kinship with nature, positive morality and acknowledges both the
female and male side of Deity, according to the Pagan Federation.)
After she started talking about suicide, India's parents removed her from
school, and are home-schooling her. They have also filed a lawsuit asking for
$300,000 in damages to pay India's tuition to a private school, legal fees and
the cost of psychological counseling. The suit also seeks a court
prohibition against the school system's continued religious indoctrination
of children. The suit alleges:
* The Union County school system violated India's civil rights by promoting
and endorsing religious activities; denied her right to exercise her own
religion, and failed to protect her from harassment and physical and verbal
abuse.
* India was repeatedly called Satan worshipper, witch and other names.
She was accused of eating babies and of being a lesbian because she wasn't a
Christian.
* India was forced to attend regular Bible study classes during the school
day, and urged to lead the school and her class in prayer.
* Derogatory names were written on her locker in permanent ink, but the
school refused to remove the graffiti or move her locker.
* India was repeatedly attacked as she knelt in front of her bottom-row
locker. Her head was bashed at least 10 times, cutting her lip, forehead and
nose.
* A teacher told India to keep quiet because you'll get in trouble after
she wrote a paper about religious freedom.
* A bus driver regularly asked India in front of other students if she had
gone to church yet and if she'd like to come to church.
Maybe it will be a harsh enough lesson so the next child in Union County who's
different can continue through school and graduate and feel safe, Sarajane
says about the lawsuit.
Source: Union Schools Hit With Religion-Related Lawsuit -- Action Claims
Student Was Beaten, Harassed For Being Different
By Jennifer Lawson, Knoxville News Sentinel, February 14, 2003
==
http://www.nobeliefs.com/images/priests-salute.jpg
Priests give Nazi salute at a Catholic youth rally in the
Berlin-Neukolln stadium in August 1933.
=
Signatures of God by one Grant R. Jeffrey

Orthodox Dogmatic theology - by Fr Michael Pomazansky
==
Adherents.com is a growing collection of over 41,000 adherent statistics
and religious geography citations -- references to published
membership/adherent statistics and congregation statistics for over
4,200 religions, churches, denominations, religious bodies, faith
groups, tribes, cultures, movements, ultimate concerns.
==
Jaroslav Pelikan, the great Yale historian and theologian, says in his book
Mary Through the Centuries that the earliest references to Mary (like Mark's
gospel, the first to be written, or Paul's letter to the Galatians) don't
mention anything unusual about the conception of Jesus. The Gospels of Matthew
and Luke do say Mary was a virgin, but internal evidence suggests that that
part of Luke, in particular, may have been added later by someone else (it is
written, for example, in a different kind of Greek than the rest of that
gospel).
The Virgin Mary is an interesting prism through which to examine America's
emphasis on faith because most Biblical scholars regard the evidence for the
Virgin Birth, and for Mary's assumption into Heaven (which was proclaimed as
Catholic dogma only in 1950), as so shaky that it pretty much has to be a leap
of faith
As the Catholic theologian Hans Kung puts it in On Being a Christian, the
Virgin Birth is a collection of largely uncertain, mutually contradictory,
strongly legendary narratives, an echo of virgin birth myths that were
widespread in many parts of the ancient world.
===
Where in Genesis is there any evidence of a religious tradition
before Noah? That makes it odd that God would go and kill them all since
they didn't have a Ten Commandments to disobey.
==
Bible Bibliography
Blenkinsopp, Joseph
1992 The Pentateuch: An Introduction to the First Five Books of the
Bible The Anchor Bible Reference Library New York: ABRL/Doubleday
Boadt, Lawrence
1984 Reading the Old Testament: an Introduction Mahwah N.J.: The
Paulist Press
Dalley, Stephanie
2000 Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and
Others. Revised
Oxford: Oxford University Press
Dever, William
2001 What Did the Biblical Writers Know & When Did They Know IT?: What
Archaeology can tell us about the reality of ancient Israel Grand
Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Finkelstein, Israel, Neil Silberman
2001 The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel
and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts New York: The Free Press
Friedman, Richarrd Elliott
1987 Who Wrote the Bible New York:Harper and Row (Paperback Edition)
Jacobsen, Thorkild
New Haven:
Yale University Press
Mazar, Amihai
1992 Archaeology of the Land of the Bible: 10,000-586 B.C.E. The
Anchor Bible Reference Library New York: ABRL/Doubleday
Numbers, Ronald L.
1993 The Creationists: The Evolution of Scientific Creationism
Berkeley: University of California Press
Pardee, Dennis
2002 Writings from the Ancient World Vol. 10: Ritual and Cult at
Ugarit Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature
Parker, Simon B. (Editor)
1997 Ugarit Narrative Poetry Translated by Mark S. Smith, Simon B.
Parker, Edward L Greenstein, Theodore J. Lewis, David Marcus, Vol. 9
Writings from the Ancient World. Atlanta: Society of Biblical
Literature
Stern, Ephraim
2001 Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, Vol. II: The Asserian,
Babylonian and
Persian Periods (732-332 B.C.E.) The Anchor Bible Reference Library
New York:
ABRL/Doubleday

Backgrounds of Early Christianity, by Everett Ferguso

==
Henry M. Morris _The Genesis Record_
==
We find nothing in the Bible itself which makes the claim of
Biblical inerrancy. Indeed, we find nothing in the Bible which tells
us *what* the Bible is. On the one hand, the Bible does not make
cross-references to all of the books of the Bible (one famous glaring
omission is the Book of Esther, in either the Hebrew or the longer
Greek form). On the other hand, the Bible does cite, as authority,
some non-Biblical works.(Enoch) To cite something as an authority seems to
say that there is something of at least comparable authority.
The Bible does tell us that some of the Bible is possibly in
error. Paul of Tarsus tells us in some of his letters that we he is
writing might be mistaken (1 Corinthians 1: 14-16), and that what he
is writing is merely his own opinion (and not from the Lord) (1
Corinthians 7 passim).
There are some standard Roman Catholic arguments which say that
the Bible did not exist for the first Christians, and that the Bible
is a creation of the Church.
==
Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it. The Greek
mind dying, came to a transmigrated life in the theology and liturgy of
the Church; the Greek language, having reigned for centuries over
philosophy, became the vehicle of Christian literature and ritual; the
Greek mysteries passed down into the impressive mystery of the Mass.
Other pagan cultures contributed to the syncretist result. From Egypt
came the ideas of a divine trinity, the Last Judgment, and a personal
immortality of reward and punishment; from Egypt the adoration of the
Mother and Child, and the mystic theosophy that made Neoplatonism and
Gnosticism, and obscured the Christian creed; there, too, Christian
monasticism would find its exemplars and its source. From Phrygia came
the worship of the Great Mother; from Syria the resurrection drama of
Adonis; from Thrace, perhaps the cult of Dionysus, the dying and saving
god. From Persia came millenarianism, the ages of the world, the
final conflagration, the dualism of Satan and God, of Darkness and
Light; already in the Forth Gospel Christ is the Light shining in the
darkness, and the darkness has never put it out. The Mithraic ritual so
closely resembled the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass that Christian
fathers charged the Devil with inventing these similarities to mislead
frail minds. Christianity was the last great creation of the ancient
pagan world. [Will and Ariel Durant, _The Story of Civilization_]
==
No quantity of evidence could penetrate a mind clouded by emotion.
==
Dennis Ronald McDonald's essay From Faith to Faith
Joe Barnhart's Fundamentalism as Stage One.
Ernest Heramia, The Thorn-Crowned Lord/The Antler-Crowned Lord
David Montoya's The Political Disease Known as Fundamentalism,
Marlene Oaks's Old Time Religion is a Cult,
Kevin Henke's A Little Horse Sense is Worth a Thousand Inerrant
Doctrines Frank Zindler's innocuously titled Biography
==
Isn't it ironic that a man who is supposed to be God come in the flesh,
the Saviour of the world, without whom there is no hope of salvation,
can't even leave reliable evidence that he existed.
==
http://www.jcsm.org/BibleLessons/Extra-BiblicalProof.htm
==
You made the claim that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and
John were eyewitness accounts of the events.
The beginning of Luke's Gospel says something
else. Moreover, if you read just the
first few chapters of the Gospel of Luke, it is obvious beyond all
conceivable doubt that Luke was not an eyewitness to many of the
events reported there. For example, the conversation between
Zachariah and the angel when Z. was alone in the temple. Luke was
not an eyewitness to this conversation.
==
Index of Forbidden Books which is properly Index Librorum Prohibitorum
(literally list of prohibited books), did not exist until 1559.
The first such list was promulgated under Pope Pius IV in 1559.
==
The Roman Catholic Church did not produce a Bible in English until 1582, fully
two centuries after
Wycliffe made the first English Bible, and more than a half century after
Tyndale made his masterpiece for the English-speaking world. Rome had done
everything in its power to destroy the Wycliffe and Tyndale English
Scriptures. Wycliffe's bones were exhumed and burned by Catholic
authorities, and Tyndale was burned at the stake. Even after Rome finally
did produce an English Bible (the Rheims-Douai), it was not widely
published
==
http://www.ewtn.comlibraryCOUNCILSLATERAN5.HTM]
==
The land shall become burning pitch Thorns shall grow over its strongholds It
shall be the haunt of jackals yea there shall the night hag alight and find for
herself a resting place. Isaiah 34. 8-14
==
There are six states that currently discriminate by excluding atheists
from holding public office.
In the Texas state constitution, no jury duty for atheists.
==
Perry Miller's The New England Mind: The Seventeenth Century

Adam Nicolson
God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible
HarperCollins, 2003

Joseph Campbell _The Hero's Journey_
==
Psalms translated into Anglo-Saxon by Aldhelm, Abbot of
Malmesbury, AD 700.
Gospel of John translated by Bede, AD 735.
Four gospels translated into Anglo-Saxon, ca. AD 1000.
First seven books of the Old Testament translated by
Aelfric, ca. 1005.
The epistles of Paul, 1-2 Peter, James, 1-3 John all
translated by the end of the fourteenth century.
Thomas More, Thomas Cranmer, and John Foxe all mention
the existence of English Bibles before Wycliffe.
vol. 6, pp. 817-818.]
The Douai-Rheims New Testament was published in 1582,
reprinted in 1600, again in 1621, again in 1633, and
again in 1728.
==
Jews were banished from Spain in 1492. If they chose to
convert to Catholicism, they were allowed to stay, but would then
be subject to the Inquisition. Many who converted were then
killed by said Inquisition. Can't think why they didn't expect that.
==
Myths to Live By   by Joseph Campbell

*The Dark Side of Christian History* by Hellen Ellerbe
==
Our memories are, to some degree, like a final-cut videotape: Research
confirms that each of us continually edits and splices recollections,
replacing one picture with another, sometimes with a little outside
assistance. Memory is a creative event, born anew every day,
Not that prompting is even necessary. According to memory-reconstruction
expert, we tend to alter a few details
of memory with every early replay. Moreover, the retouch job of a vivid
imagination can come across as far more compelling than the washed-out
first take of our physical senses.
Eventually, people seem to get their personal story together and stick by
it, says Weaver. But in essence, they've created a memory after the
fact. Studies also show that people tend to become more confident
each time they repeat their story. Hence, lawyers prep eyewitnesses:
Rehearsal leads to testimony uttered with useful confidence. Throw in a few
leading questions, and you have a polished, custom-edited eyewitness account.
==
Crossan, A Long Way from Tipperary He makes the point that the
fundamentalist Christians and the rabid atheists are both dangerous and
extreme views, but the fundamentalist Christians are more dangerous because
if they ever do recapture the armed force of the state, they will use that
power to compel their brand of Christianity much like Calvin outlines in
Book IV, Chapter XX of the Institutes.
==
Ideas Christians use to explain events.
God, angels, souls, heaven, hell, Satan, demons, miracles, curses, blessings,
salvation, sin, creation, the Fall, Adam, prayer, Jesus, grace, justification
and prophesy.

Ideas rational people use to explain events.
The strong and weak atomic forces, electromagnetism, gravity, chemical bonds,
relativity, evolution, continental drift, germs, genetics, thermodynamics,
genetics and orbital mechanics.
==
2Tm:3:16: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
What exactly was considered scripture when this was written?
What authority did Paul have to make this claim?
What body of literature constituted Scripture at that time?
Where can we find that list?
==
The King James does have some amazing, glaring mistakes. I suspect that
the translators may have known exactly what they were doing. For example,
Psalm 22:16, the famous crucifixion verse that supposedly prophecies Jesus'
execution, is translated as Dogs have compassed me; the assembly of the wicked
have enclosed me; they pierced my hands and my feet.
Well, it's fine except for the pierced part. The word kaari is translated
as pierced. Actually, its meaning is
like a lion, consonant with the rest of the psalm's comparison of the
speaker's enemies to dogs and lions. If the writer had meant pierced, he
would have used ratza, or perhaps dakar, both of which are common words
used throughout the Tanakh. The translators kaari right every other time it
appears, so it seems odd that they should accidentally screw up here.
Another example is the Sixth Commandment, translated as Thou shalt not
kill. Well, this certainly puts it in line with Jesus' pacifist goals,
but it's not what it says. Hebrew has a word for kill -- harok, and
the word used here is ratzakh, (or literally lo tirtzakh -- same word,
different form), which means murder.
Similarly, in strategic places it translates almah as virgin, despite
the use of the word in some places where the woman is clearly not a virgin,
at which it translates it, accurately, as young woman. Hebrew has a
separate word for virgin -- betulah. But Isaiah didn't use that word
where the translators needed him to, so they fixed his mistake. And
so on.
==
The oldest known surviving part of a gospel dates from about 125 CE. It
consists of a few passages from an unknown gospel. Another ancient
manuscript, a portion of the Gospel of John, is also dated to about
125 CE. Remaining manuscripts date to the third century CE or later.
http://www.truthbeknown.comhistoricaljc.htm
==
Pompey conquered Jerusalem, and entered the Temple's Holy of Holies. He didn't
destroy the Temple!
That happened in 69-70 AD, and was done by Vespasian as victorious general
in that battle of Jerusalem. The entire city, not just the Temple, was
destroyed by fire and all the buildings and city walls knocked down. Then
the Romans forbade anyone to live in Jerusalem for fifty years. Then a
Roman city was built on top of the ancient city, with Jews still banned from
the region. Eventually the Romans allowed some Jews to live in Jerusalem
==
The Christian sense of Evil apparently concludes that
a) God is not Evil
b) God's creation was perfect but that
c) Man is Evil.
These three things seem to be mutually self contradictory,
and therefore don't make much sense.
Isaiah 45:7 God created evil. KJV
==
The earliest gospels we have are late second century. The earliest mention
we have for any of the gospels are Eusebius (writing in the 4th century) about
reading Papias mention the books of Matthew and Mark, and are collections
of Jesus' saying, with no chronology. Papias dates from between 125-130
BCE and not enough of his writings survived to be sure that what Eusebius says
was accurate, so it's hearsay. There are no first century first hand documents
about Jesus.
==
The standard of morality is not God's word. It is simply our perception of what
is beneficial to the group. It changes as we learn more about our environment
and ourselves. Morality or social behavior is inherent to our species and
necessary for our survival as a whole.

==
Deu ,28:28 The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and
confusion of mind. (NIV)
==
Matthew 12:42
The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this
generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost
parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a
greater than Solomon is here.
Explain this
==
Nahum 1:3 ... and the clouds are the dust of his(Gods's) feet.
==
Four million Americans believe they have been abducted by aliens - with some
suffering psychological trauma usually seen in combat veterans.
==
From _The Catholic Encyclopedia_:
The word Jesus is the Latin form of the Greek Iesous, which in turn is the
transliteration of the Hebrew Jeshua, or Joshua, or again Jehoshua, meaning
Jehovah is salvation.
==
In one interview, for example, I learned that the ISKCON --
the Hare Krishnas -- believe the sun is closer to us than the
moon is. When asked about contradictory data, the person being
interviewed mumbled something about imprecision in all measurements
==
Remember, back then, didn't have today's media; people were mostly illiterate;
they were waiting for a Messiah; if some people claimed to have met the
Messiah...
Then again, you can never be sure (absence of evidence isn't
evidence of absence).
==
Religion is conservative, unmoving and focuses on the past. Governments need
to be progressive and ready to adapt to new ideas, or they will
ultimately collapse. The founding Fathers of this country (USA)
understood this, so they separated Church from State and created a
Constitution that allowed for amendments.
==
Understanding the Old Testament, by Bernhard W. Anderson, Prentice-Hall, 1986
==
Matthew 4:1-9 (KJV): (commentary below)
___________________________________________
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was
afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of
God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of
God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him
on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down:
for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee:
and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash
thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the
Lord thy God.
8. Again, the devil took him to an
exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the
world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou
wilt fall down and worship me.

Where is this mountain?
Does this story sound like real events or pius fiction?
Who observed and recorded this event?
==
US General Population

79% of Americans identify as Christian.
14% of Americans identify as Atheists or nonbelievers.
7% of Americans identify as Other faiths.
==
For many years, none of God's prophets taught His
people about the Trinity? At the least, would Jesus not use his
ability as the Great Teacher to make the Trinity clear to his
followers? Would God inspire hundreds of pages of Scripture and yet
not use any of this instruction to teach the Trinity if it were the
central doctrine of faith?
==
Saint Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order (the Society of
Jesus) said:
We should always be disposed to believe that that which appears
to us to be white is really black, if the hierarchy of the church so decides.
==
The Josephus account of Jesus had been called into question by many historians
becuase the language of Chapter 3 Section 3(?) is inconsistant with the
rest of the writings. Also, there exists copies of Josephus without that
passage. Could some Christians have added the Jesus passages?
==
Many beliefs exist because most holders of those beliefs have never
stopped to think about them and therefore have not realized that they
are either absolutely absurd, or purely based on prejudices, or full of
conceptual holes,or a combination of the three.
==
Ezekiel ch 26 has Yahweh claiming that he will destroy the unconquered
island city of Tyre and do this by sending King Nebs against it. He
said that Nebs will leave the city uninhabited and at that time,
YHWH would send the deep to come and cover up the island city and
carry it away where it would never be seen again.
King Nebs laid siege to Tyre for 13 years and failed to conquer it.
The prophecy didn't come true. Alexander the Great did this much later.
==
The council of Nicaea occurred in 325 and the 2nd council of
Constantinople in 527
==
Re 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers,
and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have
their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is
the second death. Where is this place? Brimstone is sulfur.
==
The Dominicans were formed to help stop Albigensianism.
The Jesuits were formed to help stop the Protestant Reformation.
==
Unlikely Bible stories
--
Six day creation
Walking talking snake
A man made of dust
A woman made from a rib
Earth before sun stars and light
Plants on earth before sun, moon and stars
No rain until the time of man
Birds as the first land animals.
World Noah flood
Huge wooden Ark
Millions of species living on the Ark for about a year,
and afterwards on a flood ruined world.
Tower of Babel and origin of language
Lot's wife turning to salt.
Spotted branches making sheep spotted
Iron ax head floating
Virgin birth
Resurrections
Sun and moon standing still in the sky a day for Joshua
Sun backing up for Isaiah
==
The earliest of the extant manuscripts do not date back beyond
the middle of the fourth century,
In other words, though they *think* they know (in some cases, in
others they rely entirely upon hearsay evidence) or, they don't know
for sure. Now, if the Catholic Church, the first church, with all
it's resources, can't be sure, why should anyone believe that a
fundamentalist Protestant 2000 years later knows?
==
Theism in a nutshell. They can't even agree among themselves as to what the
truth is, yet they presume to tell everyone else.
Christianity seems to have at least a dozen major branches and more
minor branches with their own interpretation of the Bible.
The Bible itself has many different versions with variations in the texts.
Which Word of God are you referring to and whose interpretation?
==
The Athenian assembly which condemned Socrates identified atheism as not
believing that the sun and moon were gods, but rather mere natural phenomena.
==
People who abandon reason and rationality have no right to expect
polite acceptance of their irrationality, nor to have it politely ignored.
Intellectual dishonesty like this is not admirable, not acceptable.
==
The Christians have solid, irrefutable proof of God's existence. But it's a
secret. Sorry. They can't show it to anyone. All they can do is to talk
about it. God says that's the way it has to be.
==
The NT at total odds with Luke's accounting that has Jesus' parents going to
the Temple at a time Matthew has them going to Egypt.
Matthew and Luke talk about a earthquake and darkness no one feels or
sees (Mark, John, Josephus, Pliny the elder, Philo, and so on)
Matthew talks about a guard at the tomb that none of the Gospels even
acknowledge as supposedly being there.
Luke has people of different times coexisting together (Lysanias the
tetrarch of Abilene was killed by Mark Antony 36 BCE) or jointly holding
positions (Annas and Caiaphas) that as far as is known historically they
didn't.
Luke's statement regarding a census by Quirinius governor of Syria
during the time of Herod the Great is mistaken in that: a) the first recorded
census of Quirinius was in about 6 CE, some 10 years after Herod's death,
b) Judea was not added to the province of Syria until after the reign of
Archelaus
and c) there is nothing to suggest a previous reign or census by Quirinius.
==
The Moses story is similar to the stories about Hammurabi going up on a
mountain to receive laws from Shamash the sun god, considered the giver of
laws and a god of justice.
==
In 1950 Pope Pius XII concerning the encyclical letter Humani Generis
contained caution, that, 'evolution' played into the hands of
materialists and atheists who sought to remove the hand of God from
the act of creation.

In 1996 Pope John Paul II, fresh knowledge leads to recognition of
the theory of evolution as more than just a hypothesis ...if the human
body has its origin in living material which pre-exists it, the
spiritual soul is immediately created by God...remarkable
progressively taken root in the minds of researchers, following a
series of discoveries made in diverse spheres of knowledge.
==
Geology facts.
In general, material is laid down over time, by erosion of higher formations.
Sometimes the material that has been laid down gets eroded away. In geologic
terms and time the material on the bottom is older than that on top.
In mountain areas, this sequence can be altered, tilted, inverted or pushed
horizontally.
If there has been no net erosion or mechanical displacement, the vertical
layers of material represent a time sequence of when they were deposited. This
is the concept of the geologic column. Each place has a different geological
history so each layer, or even whole periods might not be present.
About 25 places on earth have members of all periods present.
Old ocean beds get pushed up to make mountains, with sea life fossils.
==
The first mention we have of one of the gospels is Eusebius mentioning reading
of Matthew and Mark in Papias, but unfortunately, not enough of Papias survived
to authenticate that, and Eusebius, like Paul, gave permission to lie for
God. I know that the earliest known artifacts we have of the gospels
date from the end of the second century and I know that the books of
the bible are clearly mythological and not historical as they cannot
be matched up with historical events of the time to validate them. In
fact, Matthew mentions a slaughter of the innocents which clearly is
not recorded anywhere in history but seems to have been stolen in
whole cloth from the book of Exodus.
The gospels cannot be shown to be written by first century writers. At the
very earliest mention, and a somewhat specious one at that, Eusebius mentions
reading a mention of Matthew and Mark in Papias, which dates around 130 AD.
==
Where is the flood layer over Jericho? This is the oldest human-inhabited town
on earth and it goes back to around 8500 BC. The flood is alleged to have
occurred well after that time(2300 BC).

Genesis 7:21-22:
And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of
cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon
the earth, and every man. All in whose nostrils was the breath of
life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
==
We have the following reasons for worshiping Jesus and Allah:
JESUS ALLAH
----- -----
1. Avoid Hell Avoid Hell
2. Eternal Life Eternal Life
in Heaven in Heaven (with virgins as a bonus)

So far, Allah offers the better deal with his offer of virgins in paradise.
Jesus is only offering eternal life(harps optional).

Mt 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the
soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell

==
GE 34:13-29 The Israelites kill Hamor, his son, and all the men of their
village, taking as plunder their wealth, cattle, wives and children.

EX 32:27 Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate
to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man
his companion, and every man his neighbor.

EX 32:27-29 With the Lord's approval, the Israelites slay 3000 men.

LE 26:7-8 The Lord promises the Israelites that, if they are obedient, their
enemies will fall before your sword.

LE 26:22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of
your children.

LE 26:29, DT 28:53, JE 19:9, EZ 5:8-10 As a punishment, the Lord will cause
people to eat the flesh of their own sons and daughters and fathers and
friends.

LE 27:29 Human sacrifice is condoned. (Note: An example is given in JG
11:30-39)

NU 11:33 The Lord smites the people with a great plague.

NU 12:1-10 God makes Miriam a leper for seven days because she and Aaron
had spoken against Moses.

NU 15:32-36 A Sabbath breaker (who had gathered sticks for a fire) is
stoned to death at the Lord's command.(What law did he break?)

NU 16:27-33 The Lord causes the earth to open and swallow up the men and
their households (including wives and children) because the men had been
rebellious.

NUM 16:35 A fire from the Lord consumes 250 men.

NUM 16:49 A plague from the Lord kills 14,700 people.
==
The problem with fundamentalists is not what they believe, but what they
reject. They reject the idea that they could possibly be wrong in
interpreting their religious text. They reject all evidence outside the
religious text that would show that they misunderstand their religious
text. The New Testament is the holy book of a completely different
religion from the Old Testament. It claims, but cannot show, that it is
derived from that older religion. The Old Testament is a wonderful
collection of information about the evolution of Judaism, but it is
clear that the perception of God changes mightily during this evolution.
==
You can't deny the fact that people believe all manner of fantasies
in order to help themselves to deal better with their own emotional
feelings about certain things. You, a religious person, have no
qualms about arguing that the religious beliefs of, say, a Hindu are
nothing more than sheer fantasy. Yet the fact is that their religious
beliefs serve for them the same purposes that your religious beliefs
serve for you. These beliefs were never developed for the purpose of
or as the result of scientific examination of the real world. They
were developed to help people deal with their feelings, and then also
became entwined with social interactions on top of this.
Read Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan for a discussion of this.
==
This theological world view can be summarized (albeit somewhat
simplistically) as follows:
* God created humanity in a state of spiritual perfection and direct
communion with him. Humans were a unique creation and the only one
in God's image.
* The first humans, Adam and Eve, committed an act of disobedience
by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
In so doing, they committed the Original Sin.
* Because of this act, these two humans (and all other humans born
from them) were no longer in a state of perfection. More importantly
(from the point of view of humanity), this sinful act condemned both
Adam and Eve to spiritual death. Worse, this death penalty was
automatically passed down to every one of their offspring.
* The bottom line to this is that every human that has ever existed,
or that ever will, is born under this penalty of sin and thus
condemned to eternal punishment in Hell (indeed, we even deserve it!).
* Only someone born *without* sin was not condemned to die because
of it. However, no such individual exists or ever can.(Catholics exempt
Mary)
* God therefore assumed human form and was born of a woman, fully
God and fully human and - very importantly - without the stain of
sin on his soul. This of course was Jesus.
* Because Jesus was without sin, he did not have to die. That not
withstanding, he nonetheless made the conscious chose to die on the
behalf of all other humans.
* Being fully human, his death satisfied the blood debt of sin and
thus redeemed all of humanity.
* Being fully God, he was raised from the dead into eternal life.
His redemptive act and his subsequent resurrection give all humans
the hope of salvation.
If evolution is true (or, more to the point, if the Genesis narratives
aren't literal history), this entire theological house of cards crashes
to the earth as so much dust and ruin:
* If humans weren't created, there was no historical Adam and Eve
* With out a historical Adam and Eve, there is no Original Sin
* Without original sin, there is no penalty of spiritual death
awaiting every human born
* Without the penalty of death, there was nothing for Jesus to
redeem us from by his death
* Without the necessity of his death, there is no hope for salvation.
==
It is a fact that the universe is 13.7 billion years old.
It is a fact that the earth is 4.55 billion years old.
It is a fact that life arose on earth more than 3.5 billion years ago.
It is a fact that humans are great apes, closely related to the other ones.
It is a fact that humans and other great apes share a fairly recent
common ancestor, about 7 million years ago.
It is a fact that Young Earth Creationism is inconsistent with all the
physical evidence collected by scientists over the past few centuries.
It is a fact that all of the evidence is inconsistent with a Noachian Flood.
It is a fact that humans did not all live in the Fertile Crescent at the
time of the story of the Tower of Babel.
==
If faith were actually reasonable, the term would not be needed.
==
Job's family was murdered as collateral damage. God allowed them to be
killed on a bet with Satan, who was somehow admitted to heaven for a betting
session after being cast out earlier.
==
http://mama.indstate.eduusersnizraeljesusrefutation.html
==
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. The more fantastic you
make God, the more proof you need that He exists
==
The Earth is degenerating today. Bribery and corruption abound. Children no
longer obey their parents, every man wants to write a book, and it is
evident that the end of the world is fast approaching.
Assyrian tablet, c. 2800 BC
===
Christians say they are for prayer diversity knowing full well that most
groups won't exercise it and those that do will be opposed by evangelicals.
It's a foot in the door thing. Once they get prayer in schools they will take
care of all the undesirables wanting to have their own prayers heard.
Never trust a fundy when they say they want religious diversity, freedom, or
acceptance.
==
I thank God I was raised Catholic, so sex will always be dirty.
-John Waters
==
http://ebible.orgbible - Lots of links
http://ebible.orgbibleweb - World English Bible
http://www.bf.org - lots of links
http://www.cdrom.compubbible - lots of downloads
http://netbible.org - NET Bible
http://www.gospelcom.netbible - Read and search several Bibles
==
God does claim to be merciful. See Exodus 34:6, Jeremiah 3:12, 16:5,
31:20, 33:26, 42:12, Ezekiel 39:25, 2 Esdras 2:30-31, and Hebrews 8:12
The mercy of God is found in the Bible, not in the real world.
==
At the moment a soul enters Heaven, God inflames the soul with the infallible
certainty that it will eternally enjoy it, the soul experiences such a flood
of joy that all other delights of paradise can be counted as nothing by
comparison ... in Hell just the opposite happens. As the happiness of a soul
in paradise is beyond all measure so the grief of a soul in Hell is
boundless. - St Anthony
==
Jer 45:5 And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not;
for, behold, I am bringing evil upon all flesh, says the LORD; but
I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go.

Jer 32 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too hard
for me?

[42] For thus says the LORD: Just as I have brought all this great evil
upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them.

Isa.66 [2] All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things are mine, says the LORD.

Isa.45 [7] I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe,
I am the LORD, who do all these things.

I am the LORD, who made all things,
who stretched out the heavens alone,
who spread out the earth -- Who was with me? --

Ps 97 [9] For thou, O LORD, art most high over all the earth;
thou art exalted far above all gods.
Elsewhere, the Bible says Satan is god of this world.

Ps.83 [18] Let them know that thou alone,
whose name is the LORD,
art the Most High over all the earth.
This sounds like God runs things here.
==
The Magi were not kings, but fortune-tellers and priests of a pagan
religion. They came in line with their knowledge of the stars to which they
were devoted.
==
Christians are trusting in the infallibility of a long string of unknown
people with unknown motives telling each other extraordinary stories
over the span of many generations. -And then you completely accept
the final version when it ends up being written down, and translated
into English.
==
1 Kg.22:23
Now, therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth
of these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee.

Jer20:7 O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger
than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.
==
The people of the Chinese Shang dynasty used tortoise shells to try to contact
dead ancestors. Diviners would write questions on the hard casings and cast
them into a fire. The cracked shells would then be interpreted as characters,
affording the Shang a link to heaven.
==
A recent poll of scientists elected to the American National
Academy of Sciences (equivalent to fellows of the Royal Society)
revealed that 93% are atheists. That figure drops to 60% if you
include scientists not elected to the National Academy.
==
Dear God;
I need some advice.
1. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates
a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev.1:9). The problem is my neighbors.
They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in
Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price
for her?
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her
period of menstrual uncleanness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I
tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
4. Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male
and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations.
A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians.
Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath.
Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally
obligated to kill him myself?
6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an
abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality.
I don't agree. Can you settle this?
7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have
a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does
my vision have to be 2020, or is there some room for negotiation here?
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair
around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27.
How should they die?
9.I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me
unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different
crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of
two different kinds of thread (cotton-polyester blend). He also tends to
curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the
trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them?
(Lev.24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family
affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident
for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.
Your devoted disciple and adoring fan
==
Let us remember, that if we suffer tamely a lawless attack upon our liberty,
we encourage it, and involve others in our doom. It is a very serious
consideration, which should deeply impress our minds, that millions yet unborn
may be the miserable sharers in the event. Samuel Adams
==
Research reported in Scientific American a few months ago shows that
memories implanted during hypnosis were as real to the subject
(activating the same areas of the brain in PET scans) as memories of
actual events; imagined events operated different brain areas.
Some people are able to quickly convince themselves of the truth of
stories they just made up. In some cases, this takes only seconds; for
many of us, the effect happens after many emotional retellings of the
story. Much of the UFO business is based upon this phenomenon. And I
wonder to what extent some religious experiences were personalized the
same way. Does this explain the origin of any Bible stories?
==
What is the Apocrypha?
______________________
The Apocrypha is a set of books or parts of books that are found
in some Bibles, but not others. Part of these are considered to
be part of the Catholic Bible, and some aren't. The set of books
that are in the Apocrypha/Dueterocanonical books are not
universally agreed on, but the Roman Catholic definition is the
one most widely held. These books contain some additions to
Esther and Daniel, as well as some interesting history books. I
put additions in quotes, because they are found in the
Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, but
not in any existing Hebrew manuscripts.
The Apocrypha may be arranged in the traditional Catholic order,
interspersed through the Old Testament, or in a separate section
between the Old and New Testaments (like Martin Luther first did
in his Bible translation into German). The Luther order is the
more popular one for ecumenical works, now, because it is more
acceptable to more people.
The Apocrypha contains helpful additional history that helps you
to understand the Old and New Testaments, even for those who
don't regard the Apocrypha to be of the same level of
inspiration as the 66 books of the Bible that all Christians
consider to be inspired by God. There are also some wisdom books
that contain some practical advice that is at least as good as
what you may find in the works of contemporary Christian and
Jewish authors. Churches vary in their position on the
Apocrypha. Some say it is good to read, but not to build
doctrine on. Some build doctrine on it. Some avoid it. Most seem
to avoid the issue.

The Church rejected the Apocrypha as divine is very obvious by the
seven reasons which they gave for not incorporating it into the text.
They are as follows:
1. Not one of them is in the Hebrew language, which was alone used
by the inspired historians and poets of the Old Testament.
2. Not one of the writers lays any claim to inspiration.
3. These books were never acknowledged as sacred Scriptures by the
Jewish Church, and therefore were never sanctioned by Jesus.
4. They were not allowed a place among the sacred books, during the
first four centuries of the Christian Church.
5. They contain fabulous statements, and statements which
contradict not only the canonical Scriptures, but themselves; as when,
in the two Books of Maccabees, Antiochus Epiphanes is made to die three
different deaths in as many different places.
6. It inculcates doctrines at variance with the Bible, such as
prayers for the dead and sinless perfection.
7. It teaches immoral practices, such as lying, suicide,
assassination and magical incantation.
---
The Roman Catholic Apocrypha
Tobit
Judith
Wisdom
Ecclesiasticus
Baruch
First and Second Maccabees
Additions to Esther and Daniel
Apocryphal Books rejected by the Catholic Religion:
First and Second Esdras
Prayer of Manasses
Susanna*
Susanna is in the Roman Catholic canon. It is Daniel 13.
==
almah means ANY youthful woman, married or not,
but in THAT verse it refers to a MARRIED woman, most likely
the wife of Isaiah himself, whose sons were given names that
presented them as SIGNS (Isaiah 8:18).
The author of MATTHEW, groping for textual support,
stumbled upon the GREEK translation of ALMAH, i.e. PARTHENOS,
which ORIGINALLY had the same meaning as the Hebrew ALMAH,
and, interpreting it according to his Koine dialect, concluded
that it referred to an UNTOUCHED (virgin) female.
==
The interpretation of the Christ experience grew from Paul (48-62 C.E.) through
the elaborate theological explanations found in the writings of The Fourth
Gospel (95-100 C.E.).
==
The very purpose of a Bill of Rights was to withdraw
certain subjects from the vicissitudes of political
controversy, to place them beyond the reach of majorities
and officials and to establish them as legal
principles to be applied by the courts.
One's right to life, liberty, and property, to free
speech, a free press, freedom of worship and assembly,
and other fundamental rights may not be submitted to
vote; they depend on the outcome of no elections. -- Robert Jackson,
Associate Justice of the United States,
West Virginia Board of Education v Barnette, 319 US 624, 1943
==
1 Kings 7:23
1 ell = 450 mm
1 sacred ell = 525 mm
==
It will be forever acknowledged that these governments were contrived
merely by the use of reason and the senses . ...John Adams
==
Theology has never provided a satisfactory explanation for anything.
Despite the terrorism, threats, executions employed to enforce
ignorance, the scientific truth has inevitably shown the absurdity of
religious claims. Who still believes evil spirits cause illness,
despite such being the word of the all-knowing God?
==
The god of the Christian bible is described as experiencing various
emotions (anger, sadness, disappointment, etc.) in response to the
actions of human beings.
==
'Fall of Man'
The whole human race, including generations still unborn,
are condemned to pain, suffering, disease, and death, because several
thousand years ago, two people stole a piece of fruit. And if that
weren't bad enough, they were tricked into it by a walking, talking snake!
In addition, God knew ahead of time all of it would occur.
This act occurred before they had the capacity to make moral decisions.
==
Because it belongs to Christ, as our judge, to punish, but to Mary, as our
advocate, to pity. By this he would give us to understand that we sooner find
salvation by recurring to the mother than the Son. Glories of Mary 149-150,
Liguori

...if the sacred books are permitted everywhere...in the vernacular, there will
by reason of the boldness of men arise therefrom more harm than good. Council
of Trent, recorded in Decrees of the Council of Trent, Schroeder, 273-278.
http://www.fordham.eduhalsallmodtrent-booksrules.html, concerning what
the Council of Trent did have to say about the bible?
==
The Catholic Church has a ponderous structure, but when we move, we'll smash
anyone beneath us. Bishop Sinesio Bohn -- Charisma, May, 1994.
==
Temporal lobe epilepsy sometimes is associated with intense
religious/philosophical ideation and hypergraphia (writing very much).
Maybe this applies to Paul's thorn in the flesh..
==
Saint Polycarp. This would not be surprising in reference to the Apostle
John. Polycarp was one of the early church leaders immediately after the
Apostles. It is claimed he was a disciple of the Apostle John. It is thought
There is no mention of a gospel of John in any first
century documents or from a first century writer.

The synoptics have Jesus saying nothing (which took Pilate by
surprise so that he marveled) or simply Thou sayest. John,
however, has Jesus giving a long impassioned speech where he tells
Pilate who he is.
==
Pius VII, in 1816,
condemned the Bible society in Poland and claimed that the distribution of
Scripture was undermining the very foundations of religion and was
eminently dangerous to souls. He said, The Holy Scriptures, when
circulated in the vulgar tongue, have, through the temerity of men,
produced
more harm than benefit. Leo XII, in 1824, said that if the sacred
Scriptures be everywhere indiscriminately published, more evil than
advantage will arise. In 1825 Leo mandated that the decrees of the
Council
of Trent be enforced against distribution of Scriptures. Pius VIII, in
1829,
condemned the Bible societies and the free distribution of Scripture.
Gregory XVI, in 1836, and again in 1844, affirmed the decrees of his
predecessors. In another bull of 1845, this pope repeated his condemnation
of Bible society Scriptures and denied that the Scriptures should be freely
distributed to all people. Pius IX, in 1850, issued an encyclical letter
which condemned the Bible societies. In 1864 this pope issued a Syllabus of
Errors, in which he again condemned Bible societies, lumping them together
with Communism, secret societies, and other evils, labeling them pests of
this kind. Leo XIII, in 1897, prohibited all versions of the
vernacular,
even by Catholics, unless approved by the Holy See, or published under the
vigilant care of bishops.
==
Why is the NT apparently not true historically? For example, Matthew mentions
a slaughter of the innocents that there is no historical trace of, but
looks suspiciously like it was lifted from the Exodus story.
==
http://www.geocities.comAthensAgora4229mark.html
In scholarly circles, Mark 16:9-20 is known as the Marcan Appendix,
because there are sound reasons for believing that the author of Mark
did not write this passage. Textual evidence indicates that as far as
original materials are concerned Mark should end at verse 8 with the
statement about the women being too afraid to tell others what they
had seen. Verses 9-20 were redacted by a later scribe.
at the beginning of verse 9: The two oldest Greek manuscripts, and
some other authorities, omit from ver. 9 to the end. Some other
authorities have a different ending to the Gospel. The NIV edition has
a bracketed statement between verses 8 and 9: The most reliable early
manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16: 9-20. Of
the 17 versions of the New Testament in my personal library, 15 of
them have reference notes to tell readers that this ending to Mark was
not in the oldest and most reliable manuscripts.
One of the early manuscripts that did not include the Marcan Appendix
was Codex Sinaiticus (4th-century A.D.), which ended Mark's gospel at
16:8. In Secrets of Mt. Sinai, James Bentley made this observation
about the omission of the Marcan Appendix in Codex Sinaiticus:
The scribe who brought Mark's Gospel to an end in Codex Sinaiticus had
no doubt that it finished at chapter 16, verse 8. He underlined the
to Mark. Immediately following begins the Gospel of Luke (p. 139).

Only Irenaeus c185 has good provenance (Bishops Papias (c145) is totally
mistaken in this regard and Bishop Theophilus (c180) only confirms the
existence of a John Gospel) and some of the quotes from his four Gospels
do NOT appear in any of our own. Worse yet, he state that the Gospels
prove that Jesus preached for 10
years; problem here is Luke gives the closest thing to a actual year for
Jesus' baptism: the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar's rule (14-37 CE).
The problem is that Pontius Pilate ruled only from (26-36 CE) so a 10-year
ministry would put Jesus
getting crucified 38 CE at the earliest a full two years AFTER the reign
of Pontius Pilate.
==
Science has never proved the non-existence of God, because that is a nonsense
statement for a number of reasons. First, science does not deal in proof.
Second, there is no coherent definition or theoretical description of God for
science to work with. Third, you cannot prove the general non-existence of a
generic object. Prove no unicorns exist.
==
Throughout most of the 20th century, the difference between civilized people
like Heinlein's free men and savages was that civilized people were both
able and willing to decide for themselves, while savages believed
what their chiefs and shamans told them was good and true.
==
Seth took Horus's eye out, Then Thoth repaired the eye and as a tribute to
Osirus. Horus gave him the eye to give him rebirth in the underworld.
==
Reason must be deluded, blinded, and destroyed. Faith must trample underfoot
all reason, sense, and understanding, and whatever it sees must be put out of
sight and ... know nothing but the word of God. -- Martin Luther
==
Psa 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou
trust: his truth [shall be thy] shield and buckler. God has feathers?
==
Imagine that you're a psychiatrist. A new patient comes to see you and says
that he regularly talks to an invisible being who never responds, that he reads
excerpts from one ancient book and that he believes wholeheartedly that its
contents must be accepted implicitly, if not taken literally. The patient goes
on to say that that the world is only 6,000 years old and that dinosaurs never
existed. He brazenly rejects modern science's observations and conclusions, and
subscribes to the notion that after death he will live in eternal bliss in some
alternate dimension. And throughout your meeting, he keeps handing you his book
and urging you to join him, lest you end up after death in a far less desirable
alternate dimension than him.
Is this a mentally healthy person? If you were a responsible psychiatrist,
how could you answer yes? These symptoms border on delusional
==
Faith based laws!
The Texas record shows that:
Loosening regulations over faith-based providers has not served the faith
community at large, but has instead provided a refuge for facilities with a
history of regulatory violations, a theological objection to state oversight
and a higher rate of abuse and neglect.
Loosening regulations over faith-based providers has endangered people in
need and lowered standards of client health, safety and quality of care in
Texas. Faith-based deregulation has allowed physical diseases to go medically
untreated. Regulatory changes have resulted in preferential treatment of
faith-based providers in government contracting opportunities.
Taxpayer funds have been co-mingled with church funds and spent on overtly
religious activities. Clients have been ordered by the courts to attend
unlicensed faith-based providers.
==
There are 613 commandments for Jews, but they were only compiled in
the 4th century AD - they aren't part of the Mizvot that Jesus spoke of.
==
Religious extremists don't like peace, prosperity and good times. It
undermines their weak claim of ownership of the world. They pounce on
people under duress, such as those in prison or in foxholes, because
all they want are converts to lord over. The question of the reality
of their God is beside the point. They're not interested in the nature
of the world. They are hungry for power.-Mark Martin
==
If Christ HAS conquered all, what is there left that he WILL conquer? This is
typical of the illogic that is called 'mysterious' by religious types.
==
Religion is supported by generations believing what their parents told
them since birth.
==
Deu23:1 He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off,
shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD. (KJV)
The Lord wants only well equipped studs to serve Him.
==
This school prayer matter is really an argument between two kinds of
prayer-vertical and horizontal. I don't have the slightest problem with
vertical prayer. It is horizontal prayer that frightens me. Vertical prayer is
private, directed upward toward heaven. It need not be spoken aloud, because
God is a spirit and has no ears. Horizontal prayer must always be audible,
because its purpose is not to be heard by God, but to be heard by fellow men
standing within earshot, willing or not.
==
Check out the rooster crowing in the Four Gospels.
In Mark... the rooster crows two times.
In Matthew, Luke and John... the rooster crows once.
==
Melito produced the first Christian attempt at the OT in 170 AD.
==

==
Science beats religious faith in many minds for the simple fact: When
negative evidence is found, the belief is altered. When a religious notion
is proven false, people blame Lucifer, or say its a test. Scientists are
slightly more capable of admitting themselves wrong (For instance, the
community realized that they had the wrong skull on a body, and
'brontosaurus' was replaced with 'apatasaurus'. Scientists, good ones at
least, are aware that they will make mistakes. It's actually the whole
point of science. Theism, however, cannot be tested, and its often
considered heresy to attempt it.)
Christianity has no more valid basis than any other belief system.
No religion is more provable than the other, despite what many claim.
Miracles happen in all religions that contradict all other religions.
The statistics are true, actually. Notably, more mathematicians are theists
than any other group, and fewest exist amidst physicists and I think it was
biologists. Math has no necessary connection with the real physicsl world.
==
Religion will exist until the end, and may very well be the -cause- of the end,
with some nut trying to cause Armageddon and doing very well at it.
Spirituality has always been a strong influence on the species, in all its
forms, both rational and otherwise. Religion, however, is government that
cannot be questioned, and history shows that dictators are the bane of us all.
Religion is still around, but it is being removed whenever changes
occur, as it was so institutionalized, it is a long process to
remove it, but where it remains (technically) it is frequently ignored
Gradually, over the years, the products of a rationalist and scientific
mindset work more and more automatically in places like Europe and the
United States. It is no longer necessary to have even a rudimentary
appreciation of rationalism and science in order to enjoy all the benefits.
Almost never does anything having to do with science come to the attention
of people, and when it does, it generally comes out in only a few categories.
So, in short, rationalism and science are on the decline because they did
their jobs so well that most people don't have to think about them any more.
Science and rationalism are for those lower classes, and everyone wants to be
an aristocrat. Religion and spirituality are for the upper classes.
Occasionally one of us tries to empower people with science and rationalism,
we'll die and there won't be enough to keep civilization from drowning in its
own superstitions. In the mean time, perhaps we should revel in the fact that
science and technology makes us rich enough to support such masses of
anti-rationalism.
One of the unique selling propositions of an atheist position is freedom from
fear. No need to fear the wrath of the gods in this life or any nasty business
involving an afterlife. If fear is the problem, then atheism (no putative gods,
no supernatural intervention, no afterlife) is a winner.
==
We do know beyond reasonable doubt that the Pentateuch was written about
700 BC, and not by Moses.
==
KJV2 2 Thessalonians 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them
strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
Is this the God you want to serve?
==
Exodus 22:18 KJV You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
Christians are estimated to have 50,000 witches killed.
Demon-Haunted World, Carl Sagan
==
Our moral instincts didn't evolve to get us to believe philosophical
abstractions; they evolved to help us make life-or-death decisions.
==
Islam
Some books on Islam.
1) Qu'ran commentary by Muhammad Asad
2) The Life of Muhammad by M. Haykal
3) The Complete Idiot's Guide to Islam.by Yahiya Emerick
4)Islam Between East and West by Alija Ali Izetbegovic
5) Islam (2nd ed.) by Fazlur Rahman

HAB 3:11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of
thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.
--
'Fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer
them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war.' - Sura 9:5.
--
'Believers, take neither Jews nor Christians to be your friends: they are
friends with one another. Whoever of you seeks their friendship shall
become one of their number, and God does not guide wrong-doers.' Sura 5:51
--
'Let not the unbelievers think they will ever get away. They have not the
power to do so. Muster against them all the men and cavalry at your command,
so that you may strike terror into the enemy of God and your enemy.' Sura 8:59
==
Joshua 10:40 So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south,
and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none
remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of
Israel commanded.
==
Catholic Encyclopedia gives over twenty attributes of God:

almighty, divine, eternal, holy, immortal, immense, immutable,
incomprehensible, ineffable, infinite, invisible, just, loving, merciful,
most high, most wise, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, patient,
perfect, provident, simple, supreme, true.

It's odd how they list incomprehensible and ineffable then have pages
about how He can be understood and described.
==
The only belief science has to offer to people is the belief that one
should look at the replicable evidence and try to account for it,
rather than run to shamans, priests and medicine-men for mystical
answers to natural phenomena and the meaning of everything.
==
parable

Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin parabola, from
Greek parabolE comparison, from paraballein to compare, from para- + ballein to
throw -- more at DEVIL
Date: 14th century
EXAMPLE; specifically : a usually short fictitious story that illustrates
a moral attitude or a religious principle
==
Lev 20:15     And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death:
and ye shall slay the beast. (Sinful beast)
Lev 20:16     And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto,
thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death;
their blood [shall be] upon them.
==
Native American creation story
In the creation story, the earth began to grow after the muskrat brought
mud from the bottom of the sea and placed it on the back of the turtle.
Life was created from the earth. The earth is a representation of what
we refer to as the world and the turtle has the earth on its back. The
turtle has all the responsibility of the shifting of the earth and the
cycles of the moon. The Turtle Clan responsibility is looking after our
environment.
The A'nowalu story is IMPORTANT, and explains much about the world in
which we live!
==
The historian S. H. Hooke tells in detail of the ancient Sumerian trinity: Anu
was the primary god of heaven, the Father, and the King of the Gods; Enlil,
the wind-god was the god of the earth, and a creator god; and Enki was the
god of waters and the lord of wisdom (15-18). The historian, H. W. F. Saggs,
explains that the Babylonian triad consisted of three gods of roughly equal
rank. Additionally, a hymn to Amun written in the 14th century BC defines the
Egyptian trinity: All Gods are three: Amun, Re, Ptah; they have no equal. His
name is hidden as Amun, he is Re... before [men], and his body is Ptah
(Hornung 219).
==
Lisa Liel, The Exodus and Ancient Egyptian Records, Jewish Action, Spring 1995}
A.H. Gardiner, Admonitions of an Egyptian Sage from a hieratic
papyrus in Leiden (1909). Historians are almost unanimous in dating this
papyrus to the very beginning of the Middle Kingdom. The events it
describes, consequently, deal with the end of the Old Kingdom.
Rameses III overran Canaan and conquered it between 1280 and 1260 B.C.
The Egyptian records give a list of all the tribes inhabiting it. The
children of Israel-- the Hebrews-- were not there. In the 5th century B.C.,
when Herodotus, the father of History, was collecting materials for his
immortal work, he traversed nearly every portion of Western Asia. He
describes all its principal peoples and places; but the Jews and Jerusalem
are of too little consequence to merit a line from his pen. Not until 332
B.C. do the Jews appear upon the stage of history, and then only as the
submissive vassals of a Grecian king.John E. Remsburg, The Bible (1901)

It was not only Egypt which felt the birth pangs of the Jewish People.
The end of the Old Kingdom in Egypt preceded only slightly the end of
the Early Bronze age in the Land of Israel. The end of this period,
dated by archeologists to c.2200 BCE (in order to conform to the
Egyptian chronology), has long puzzled archeologists. The people living
in the Land of Israel during Early Bronze were the first urban dwellers
there. They were, by all available evidence, primitive, illiterate and
brutal. They built large but crude fortress cities and were constantly
at war. At the end of the Early Bronze Age, they were obliterated.
Who destroyed Early Bronze Age Canaan? Some early archeologists, before
the vast amount of information we have today had been more than hinted
at, suggested that they were Amorites. The time, they thought, was more
or less right for Abraham. So why not postulate a great disaster in
Mesopotamia, which resulted in people migrated from there to Canaan?
Abraham would have been thus one in a great crowd of immigrants
(scholars of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries often
felt compelled to debunk the idea of divine commands).
Today, the picture is different. The invaders of the Early BronzeMiddle
Bronze Interchange seem to have appeared out of nowhere in the Sinai and
the Negev. Initially, they moved up into the Transjordan, and then
crossed over north of the Dead Sea, conquering Canaan and wiping out the
inhabitants. Of course, since we are dealing with cultural remnants and
not written records, we don't know that the previous inhabitants were
all killed. Some of them may have remained, but if so, they adopted
enough of the newcomers' culture to disappear from the archeological
record. {Lisa Liel, The Exodus and Ancient Egyptian Records, Jewish
Action, Spring 1995}
==
As late as 500 CE Theodore of Cyrrhus counted some 200 gospels circulating
in his own diocese alone.
==
Lev 20:2 Say to the people of Israel, Any man of the people of Israel, or
of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, who gives any of his children to
Molech shall be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with
stones.
==
Religion is based on faith. Scientists may or may not have faith in one or
many things as individual humans. But as scientists, conclusions are based
on accumulated data. Faith requires no data in contradistinction to science.
In religion, the basic precept which we call faith is that there is a
creator. The problem is that the world's major religions then violated the
precepts of information and drew the improbable conclusions that the bible
and Koran etc must be true. Since this is not testable but rather an
extension of the basic faith, ignorance and prejudice follows since
application of this extended faith to explain existence has no basis except
in the original faith. If we had just kept religion to basic untestable
creator concept, we would not have the misery that formal religion has
brought to society.
==
Ever read the KKK's website? Do you ever wonder who this Creator is they
keep talking about?
How about Mein Kampf? Did you ever notice that Darwin and evolution do
not get mentioned but God is?
==
Religion is outside of the realm of science because it is not testable, and
not falsifiable. There is no way to either prove or disprove the existence
of gods or goddesses as they are experiential and subjective. They are not
objective phenomena, at least they have not deigned to physically show
themselves to us, if they indeed exist.
An argument from design is not tenable as a scientific explanation because
it can't be tested for.
==
Religious belief is not a precondition either of ethical conduct or of
happiness. --Dalai Lama, Ethics for the New Millennium
==
1 - If there was a first cause, there is no reason to
suppose that the first cause is still around.
2 - If there was a first cause, there is no reason to
suppose that the first cause was anything conscious.
3 - If there was first cause, and the first cause was
conscious, there is no reason to believe that it has
any of the personal attributes assigned to any
proposed deity.
==
USSC 1961 Torcaso v. Watkins
Recognized Secular Humanism as a religion, even though it denies there is a
God. This justifies the atheistic Humanist Manifesto I (1933) and II (1976)
which have maintained that Humanism is a religion. Manifesto I, page 9, says
that Nothing human is alien to the religious. This decision completely
reversed Commonwealth v. Abner Kneeland, 1838, Supreme court ruling that
said that the First Amendment religious protection extends only to believers
in God, not atheists
==
It wasn't until 1992 that Pope John Paul II officially apologized and set
the record straight. In his statement he used Gailieo's defense saying
that the scriptures were not wrong, they were just mistakenly
interpreted by the theologians. The Earth was not stationary after all.
==
Luke 2:1-2 states: And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out
from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census
first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
According to Matthew, Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the
Great (Matthew 2:1). According to Luke, Jesus was born during the
first census in Israel, while Quirinius was governor of Syria
(Luke 2:2). This is impossible because Herod died in March of 4 BC
and the census took place in 6 and 7 AD, about 10 years after Herod's death.
Some Christians try to manipulate the text to mean this was the first
census while Quirinius was governor and that the first census of Israel
recorded by historians took place later. However, the literal meaning is
this was the first census taken, while Quirinius was governor ... In
any event, Quirinius did not become governor of Syria until well after
Herod's death.
History records that Quirinius was not appointed governor of
Syria until 6 A.D. The Roman historian Tertullian also recorded that Sentius
Saturninus was governor of Syria from 9 to 6 B.C. during the first census,
not Quirinius.
But recently, confirmation that Quirinius was in Syria during the first
Roman census taken between 8 B.C. and 5 B.C. has been found. First of all,
lets look at a few early census accounts taken from history and see how they
match up with the bible. The following is a record of a census taken in the
year 104 A.D. which contains similar wording to that found in the gospel:
come for the house to house census, it is mandatory that all men who are
living outside of their districts return to their own homelands, that the
census may be carried out . . .
Another census was uncovered from 48 A.D. which also records a return of the
people to their native land for the census. It reads as follows:
I Thermoutharion along with Apollonius, my guardian, pledge an oath to
Tiberius Claudius Caesar that the preceding document gives an accurate
account of those returning, who live in my household, and that there is no
one else living with me, neither a foreigner, nor an Alexandrian, nor a
freedman, nor a Roman citizen, nor an Egyptian. If I am telling the truth,
may it be well with me, but if falsely, the reverse. In the ninth year of
the reign of Tiberius Claudius Augustus Germanicus Emperor.
It is interesting to note that these two census accounts required a person
to return to their homeland to be registered.
And as for Quirinius being the governor of Syria during this census, it is
worth noting that the Bible never calls him the governor, at least the New
know that Quirinius was indeed governing in some capacity in this region at
this time.
Records also indicate that Quirinius was no minor figure in Roman politics.
His name is mentioned in Res Gestae - The Deeds of Augustus by Augustus
placing him as consul as early as 12 B.C. The Roman historian Tacitus also
mentions that Quirinius was appointed by Augustus to be an advisor to his
young son Caius Caesar in Armenia well
before the census of 6 A.D. - Caius was sent to administer Syria in 1 A.D.
and was wounded in nearby Armenia in 3 A.D. Evidently, Augustus wanted
someone who was experienced in previously administering the region to advise
his son. Who better then Quirinius?
The first century historian Josephus also mentions that Quirinius became
gone through other magistracies, and had passed through them all until he
had become consul, was appointed governor of Syria by Caesar and was given
the task of assessing property there and in Judea. So who was in charge as the
assessor of property in Judea during the first census?
Archaeologists have discovered a coin with the inscription of Quirinius, that
now lets us know that either Quirinius was in office twice, or there was
two named Quirinius. It was not an uncommon name.
--
Writings that refer to Jesus were written by the Roman historian Tacitus,
who lived from 56-120 A.D.
==
Some believe all manner of hearsay evidence; others twist truth
into fiction; and both sorts of error are magnified by time.
[Cornelius Tacitus, _The Annals of Imperial Rome_ c.100CE]
==
The eunuch Eusebius, the grand chamberlain of
the Byzantine palace under Constantine and then under his son
Constantius, was considered to wield virtually imperial power due to
his ability to control access to the emperor,
especially during the son's reign. Eusebius was an active proponent of the
Arian doctrine, which held that the Almighty God was not the Father of
Jesus in a procreative sense (notwithstanding the virgin birth),
but rather that God adopted Jesus as His Son through grace. In his
History of the Arians, St. Athanasius, a virulent advocate for Catholic
doctrine, recounted Eusebius's mission to Rome allegedly to bribe
and threaten the pope Liberius into accepting communion with Arian 0Christians.
==
1. There were giants before the Flood. Gen.6:4.
All, except Noah and his family, were destroyed in the Flood. Gen.7:21-23; 2
Pet.2:5.
There were giants after the Flood. Num.13:33.

2. The circumcision covenant was forever. Gen.17:10-13.
The circumcision covenant was of no importance. Gal.6:15.

3. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Gen.16:15; Gen.21:1,3,9;
Gal.4:22.
Abraham had several other sons. Gen.25:1,2.
Abraham had only one son. Heb.11:17.

4. Jacob was buried in a cave at Machpelah bought from Ephron the Hittite.
Gen.50:13.
Jacob was buried in a sepulchre at Sychem bought from the sons of Hamor. Acts
7:15,16.

5. Some castrates will receive special rewards. Is.56:4,5.
Men are encouraged to consider making themselves castrates. Mt.19:12.
A castrate can not enter the assembly of God. Deut.23:1.

6. A man can divorce his wife for any reason and both can remarry.
Deut.24:1,2.
Divorce is wrong and remarriage is adultery. Mk.10:11,12.

7. Adam sinned, therefore all men are condemned to death. Rom.5:12,19; 1
Cor.15:22.
Children are not to suffer for their parent's sins. Deut.24:16; 2 Ki.14:6; 2
Chr.25:4; Ezek.18:20.

8. Elijah went up to heaven. 2 Ki.2:11.
A man, known to Paul, went up to heaven. 2 Cor.12:2-4.
Enoch went to heaven. Gen.5:24; Heb.11:5.
Only Jesus ever went up to heaven. Jn.3:13.

9. God does not change his mind. Numb.23:19; Is.40:8; Jms.1:17.
God does change his mind. Gen.6:6,7; Ex.32:14; Num.14:20; 1 Sam.15:35; 2
Sam.24:16.

10. Abraham saw God. Gen.12:7; Gen.17:1; Gen.26:2.
Isaac saw God. Ge. 26:1-3.
Jacob saw God. Gen.32:30.
Moses saw God. Ex.3:16; Ex.33:11.
Job saw God. Job 42:5.
Amos saw God. Amos 7: 7.
Many saw God. Ex.24:9-11.
No man can see God and live. Ex.33:20; Jn.1:18; 1 Jn.4:12.
==
There are people who confuse knowledge with belief. There are people
who willfully infuse mysticism into personal experience, and attribute hidden
meanings and significance to things that simply happen by chance.
People are predispositioned to believe in God because of
the cultural influences they have as children, and because we are generally
hardwired on a social-biological level to conform to the will of the
group. Look at the most primal instincts of man, especially with regard to
fear of the unknown, and there you will find the roots of religion and the
source from where early religions developed and gained power.
The fact of people dying for their beliefs indicates the conviction of their
belief, not necessarily the truth of the belief. Where people often speak of
the hand of God, looking behind the curtain will reveal the hand of man.
==
There was no OFFICIAL canon of scripture in either Judaism or
Christianity. There was an unofficial canon in the form of the books
collected in the Septuagint which was the common Bible of the Eastern
Mediterranean Jewish community at the time of Jesus. Then there was a
truncated canon of the Pharisaic Synod at Jamnia in 94 AD which
eliminated from scripture all works not written originally in Hebrew
or in Palestine after the return from exile. The Church continued to
use the Septuagint canon, however, and made it official, along with the
current New Testament in the 4th century in council.
Indeed, they have and often in surprising ways, considering the fact
that they have been out of official favour for centuries.
Endurance does not imply historical accuracy.
==
One important traditional Catholic doctrine was Extra ecclesiam nulla
salus - Outside the Church there is no Salvation.
There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no
one at all is saved. -Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council,1215.
We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely
necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to
the Roman Pontiff. (Pope Boniface VIII, the Bull Unam Sanctam, 1302.
==
I go with what many theists' definitions seem to share: God is a
conscious being who has infinite power and knowledge, who has created
everything (other than himself) that exists, who takes a deep personal
interest in me and my sex life, who will torment me forever unless I
sing His praises on a daily basis.
Religion can cause otherwise-harmless people
to commit murders and other acts of violence against their fellows who
do not share their beliefs. It is a tragic thing when men kill real
people just to satisfy imaginary gods, especially with the killers are
people who--unlike unbelieving murderers--would not have killed if
they did not feel commanded to do so by some mythical being. Was not
Jesus himself killed by religious people who wanted him dead because
his beliefs were different?
Let's make it even more precise. There is no real-world evidence for
the existence of any divine being outside the subjective imagination,
speculation, and superstition of the human mind, nor is there anything
known or believed about any such being that does not trace its origins
back to human fantasy, intuition, superstition, andor hearsay.
Everything you know or think you know about God was invented by man.
You have an opinion about what the Bible teaches,
and so do any number of other people, many of whom also insist that
their beliefs are not just personal opinion, but are revealed to them
by the Lord through Scripture. Your faith is not in the Lord, it is
in yourself and your ability to discern the true meaning of Scripture
by studying it.
Those who claim to have God's Eternal
Truth just because they have an interpretation of the Bible that seems
right in their own eyes, and who insist that their beliefs are the
Truth despite (or even because of!) a complete lack of real-world
evidence that their God is real, I do lack faith in, since they
contradict each other so much that I must necessarily doubt most of
them even if I were to choose to believe some.
==
My objections come when, in the basis of their dim and flickering
lights, Christians decide that they MUST regulate the lives of their
neighbors - by harangue, by ill considered law or, failing that, by
the sword, the rack and genocidal crusades of one or another degree of folly.
==
Consider religious predictions. What we have is a written
account in a document, the Bible for example, which is known to be a
collection of Old World myths and legends, and which has been revised
for centuries. The Bible is also known _not_ to be a historically
accurate document, for the most part. That is not to say that the
Bible is full of lies, but rather, it is a fact that the Bible does
not correlate well with historical accounts as proven by
archeologists. There are _some_ verified correlations, such as the
mention of specific cities and times, which physical proof has been
able to confirm as being accurate, but for the most part, and I mean
the vast majority of its contents, one cannot take the Bible as an
accurate historical document. But again, is _wasn't_ meant to be
(though *some*, quite incorrectly, insist it is).
Getting back to your claim, if we look into this document, the Bible,
we have texts that claim that certain prophecies were made by certain
people, and then later, they came to pass. But what we _don't_ have is
actual proof that this transpired. Subscribers of faith-bases systems
make the error of thinking that when a passage in the Bible *does*
correlate with independent records or with physical evidence, then the
whole lot must be true. For example, the Bible may speak of (1) a
prophecy, then (2) after the passing of time, the prophesized event
occurring. If the event itself can be validated through physical proof
(archeology), then Believers conclude that the prophecy was also
legitimate. This legitimacy is still unproven because all we have is
one account, of questionable accuracy and chronology, that _alleges_
that a prophecy was made before the actual event. And like we know
from the works of Nostradamus, prophecies can typically be
interpreted at will and applied as one sees fit.
Similarly with religion. Religion has not predicted any event that
could not be reasonably foreseen at the time of the writing.
To a Believer, they have all the proof they need in the text of the
Bible. Science does not see these things as proof. Science sees a
compilation of written text, which is known to have been revised over
the past two millennia (almost), and which has only occasional and
partial correlation with proven events and times. That's why Believers
see prophecy, while science sees statements that have not been validated.
==
Many consider the founder of the pseudo-Christian cult of Gnosticism
to be Valentinus, who was born in Egypt and educated in Alexandria.
Valentinus then went to Rome about AD 136, professing Christianity but
cultivating his own Gnostic followers, until he left in AD 165,
returning to Alexandria via Cyprus. He founded two Schools of
Gnosticism, one in Rome and the other in Alexandria. He also
fabricated his own corrupt version of the Gospel, known as the Gospel
of Truth.
Valentinus taught that a long succession of divine spirits emanated
out of an original divine being. The divine spirit Sophia (Greek,
wisdom) produced an evil divine spirit, or demiurge (Yahweh), who
created the essentially evil material universe in which human souls
from the spiritual realm are imprisoned. The divine spirit Christ
possessed the man Jesus at his baptism to bring redeeming knowledge
(gnosis) of the divine realm to humanity. Only the most spiritual
human beings, the Gnostics themselves, are fully able to receive this
revelation and thereby return after death to the spiritual realm.
Naturally, they needed holy scripture to back this teaching.
Contemporaries of Valentinus, in Rome, were Marcion and Tatian. The
Gnostic Marcion was expelled from the church in Rome in AD 144. One
followers have betaken themselves to mutilating the Scriptures, not
acknowledging some books at all, and curtailing the gospel according
to Luke and the Epistles of Paul, they assert that these alone are
authentic which they themselves have shortened. (Ante-Nicene Fathers;
Vol. I; pp 434-435)
Tatian is notorious for fabricating his Diatessaron in which he
introduced corrupt readings to a harmonization of the four Gospels in
the Gospels contained several textual alterations which lent support
to ascetic or encratite views. (The Text of the New Testament; Bruce
M Metzger; Oxford University Press; 1964; p 201)
Clement of Alexandria (AD 150-215) attempted to fuse Gnosticism with
Christianity in a more skilful way than Basilides and Valentinus.
Clement was a follower of Tatian and succeeded Pantaenus as Principal
at the theological School of Alexandria in AD 190.
Clement freely quoted from, and promulgated, the corrupted Gnostic
Scriptures of Marcion and Tatian in Alexandria.
Clement of Alexandria's influence in the adulteration of Christianity
by Gnosticism was immense. His most famous pupil was Origen the
Gnostic who succeeded Clement as Principal at the School of Alexandria
in AD 202. Origen of Alexandria is likewise documented as taking
liberty with the Scriptures to suit his purpose. (See: Kilpatrick,
Atticism and the Text of the Greek New Testament, 1963, pp 129-130;
and Origenes Werke; Berlin; Vol. 10; pp 385-388)
There is abundant historical evidence that Gnostics produced corrupt
manuscripts in Alexandria. In 194546 no less than thirteen Gnostic
bound volumes were discovered at Nag Hammadi, near Chenoboskion, in
Egypt, which contained more than fifty Gnostic sacred writings and
scriptures including, the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Thomas, the
Gospel of Philip, the Gospel according to the Hebrews, the Gospel
according to the Egyptians, the Apocalypse of Peter, etc. Both
Clement and Origen refer to, and quote from, these apocryphal and
corrupt Gnostic scriptures in their own writings.
To quote but one example, the book The Beginnings of Christianity
(Floris Books, 1991, ISBN 0-86315-209-0), by Andrew Welburn,
highlights a letter written by Clement of Alexandria which refers to
the secret Gnostic Gospel of Mark which, it is claimed, was the
original Gnostic edition of the Gospel written by Mark in Alexandria
(they claimed Mark was a Gnostic). To quote from the letter: Mark
came over to Alexandria ... he composed a more spiritual Gospel for
the use of those who were being initiated ... when he died, he left
his composition to the church in Alexandria, where it is even yet most
carefully guarded, being read only to those who are being initiated
into the great Mysteries. (p 98)
---
There were several campaigns by the
Roman authorities to persecute Christians, which involved the
requisitioning and destruction of their manuscripts. These reached
their height in the reign of Emperor Diocletian (AD 284-305) whose
first edict ordered that the churches should be levelled with the
ground and the scriptures destroyed with fire. Between AD 296 and
311 Diocletian and Galerius issued four edicts against Christians with
escalating penalties of loss of property, slavery, imprisonment,
torture, and death. It was hoped that, if there were no churches and
no copies of the Scriptures, Christianity would die out. (A History
of the Early Church to AD 500; J W C Wand; Methuen & Co; 1937; ISBN
0-416-18110-4; p 125)--
==
Clement of Alexandria,
http://www.ccel.orgfathers2
==
Byzantine churches and treasures were
plundered and destroyed by the Roman Catholic Church during the fourth
crusade (AD 1202-1204), and yet again by moslem Turks in AD 1453,

==
Latin Vulgate (AD 384-404) written by Sophronius Eusebius Hieronymus (known
as Jerome).
==
In a Bible created by the Roman Catholics in the 4th century. We know
that in the 2nd and 3rd centuries there were a multitude of Gospels (each with
its own variants) about. Wheless notes 50 such Gospels, 20 of which we have any
knowledge of content <
http://www.infidels.orglibraryhistoricaljoseph_whelessforgery_in_christi
anitychapter_3.html
For this period We have a fragment of an unknown Gospel as old as the
John fragment (c125) and Luke 1:1-4
==
Court rulings involving prayer at official
graduation ceremonies. In LEE v. WIESMAN (1992), the high court
declared unconstitutional a school district tradition of having clergy
lead an audience in sectarian prayer. That narrowly-focused decision
has resulted in considerable legal legerdemain, such as having a
nondenominational and nonproselytizing prayer, to permitting
students to deliver a message which might consist exclusively of
religious exhortation.
==
Free and Vos. Archaeology and the Bible

The Gospel and the Greeks, by Ronald H. Nash

B.M.Metzger, The canon of the NT

(_Archaeology: Discovering Our Past_ by Robert Sharer)

Men, Women, and Gods, by Helen H. Gardner.

Secret Origins of the Bible by Callahan

Randal Helms's _Gospel
Fictions_ and _Who Wrote The Gospels_.

The King James Only Controversy: Can You Trust the
Modern Translations? by James R White.

The Beginnings of Christianity (Floris Books, 1991, ISBN
0-86315-209-0), by Andrew Welburn,

The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings
Bart Ehrman

An Introduction to the New Testament
Raymond Brown

THE BIBLE UNEARTHED by archaeologists Finkelstein and Silberman

Can We Be Good Without God? by Robert Buckman
==
A conference in Oct 1999 at Northwestern University, The Origins of
the Jewish People and Contemporary Biblical Scholarship. Now some of the people
that was there were, Peter Machinist of Harvard University, he holds the third
oldest academic chair in the US. Baruch Levine, of New York University, who
distinguished commentaries on Leviticus and Numbers, Marc Brettler who wrote
The Creation of History in Ancient Israel.
The Conference was structured to address a crisis in the study of history as
described in the Bible; crisis was the word used in the title of the
principal address delivered by Machinist: The Crisis of History in the Study
of Jewish Origins.... Not a single speaker at the conference defended the
historicity of the patriarchal stories in Genesis.
The April 2000 issue is devoted to the search for history in the Bible. Let me
quote from the editor:
Adam and Eve and Noah's Ark may have been beyond the reach of historical
inquiry, but everything else in the bible was thought by scholars to accord
well
with what was known about the ancient Near East, in general if not in detail.
That view no longer holds, and debate now rages over whether the tenth-century
kings David and Solomon-never mind Abraham and Moses-were real or merely
glorious mythic figures.
The Search for History in the Bible Hershel Shanks, Biblical
Archaeology Review April 2000.
The book of Leviticus were borrowed from Canaanite texts, particularly from
Ras Shamra(be emphasized that there are many important parallels between
Canaanite and Israelite temple-service and sacrificial ritual.
(Biblical Archaeology 1957 p 115) of Babylonia) says that the similarities
between the ten commandments and the Code of Hammurabi, Cannot be explained
away...there is a clear connection here.
==
Jericho was destroyed a long time before Joshua and when the Jews came
Biblical Archaeology Review, a pro-bible magazine, carries some of the
information.
The conquest: One of the formative events of the people of Israel in
biblical historiography is the story of how the land was conquered
from the Canaanites. Yet extremely serious difficulties have cropped
up precisely in the attempts to locate the archaeological evidence for
this story. Repeated excavations by various expeditions at Jericho and
Ai, the two cities whose conquest is described in the greatest detail
in the Book of Joshua, have proved very disappointing. Despite the
excavators' efforts, it emerged that in the late part of the 13th
century BCE, at the end of the Late Bronze Age, which is the agreed
period for the conquest, there were no cities in either tell, and of
course no walls that could have been toppled. Naturally, explanations
were offered for these anomalies. Some claimed that the walls around
Jericho were washed away by rain, while others suggested that earlier
walls had been used; and, as for Ai, it was claimed that the original
story actually referred to the conquest of nearby Beit El and was
transferred to Ai by later redactors.
==
Artifacts from as far back as the late Stone Age have turned up in the
Sinai, it is perplexing that no evidence of the Israelites' passage
has been found. William Dever, a University of Arizona archaeologist,
flatly calls Moses a mythical figure. Some scholars even insist the
story was a political fabrication, invented to unite the disparate
tribes living in Canaan through a falsified heroic past.
==
The tales of the patriarchs -- Abraham, Isaac and Joseph among others --
were the first to go when biblical scholars found those passages rife with
anachronisms and other inconsistencies. The story of Exodus, one of the most
powerful epics of enslavement, courage and liberation in human history, also
slipped from history to legend when archaeologists could no longer ignore
the lack of corroborating contemporary Egyptian accounts and the absence of
evidence of large encampments in the Sinai Peninsula (the wilderness where
Moses brought the Israelites after leading them through the parted Red Sea).
==
Antioch in Syria (modern day Antakya in Turkey), on the navigable
Orontes River twenty miles from the Mediterranean Sea, was founded in
301 BC by Seleucus I, one of the generals and successors of Alexander
the Great. In New Testament times it was the eastern capital of the
Roman Empire, famous for its magnificent architecture rivalled only by
Rome and Alexandria.
==
Look at history: here's just a very small sample of religious wars :
Roman EmpirePapal Holy Wars (1081-1250)
Albigensian Papal Crusades (1208-1229)
War of the Eight Saints (1375-1378)
Bohemian-Palatine War (1618-23)
==
As an interesting side-note, when Alcestis sacrificed herself to be
crucified to atone for the sins of those she loved in that play by Euripedes
some 400 years earlier, she was brought back from Hades and resurrected
after three days too.
==
In Alexandria in the year 415, the great female scientist and head of the
Alexandria Library, Hypatia, was beaten to death by Catholic monks who
considered her scientific work heretical. They then burnt down the library ~
the greatest depository of books, literature and the acculated wisdom of
centuries and helped to bring in the 'Dark Ages'
In the Third Crusade, after Richard the Lion-Hearted captured Acre in 1191, he
ordered 3,000 captives -- many of them women and children -- taken outside the
city and slaughtered. Some were disemboweled in a search for swallowed gems.
Bishops intoned blessings. Infidel lives were of no consequence. Saint
Bernard of Clairvaux aided in launching the Second Crusade:
In 1208 Pope Innocent III decreed that a Catholic sect known as the Albigenses
should be destroyed, all murdered, because they held heretical views such as
the idea that Jesus was only an angel. The Crusading soldiers swept through
southern France searching for these heretics. When they got to the city of
Beziers, that was known to host many of the Albigenses, they asked a papal
representative how they could distinguish the heretics from the truly faithful.
The answer: Kill them all. God will know His own.
In the 14th century tens of thousands of Jews were killed by Christians for
causing the Black Death (bubonic plague). Reason? Because so many Jews
survived the plague. Reason? Probably the Jewish rituals that include weekly
cleansing of the body and changing into clean clothes.
In the 1500s when the Spanish invaded the Americas they brought the Inquisition
with them. Demanding instant conversion to Catholicism from all the native
inhabitants, backsliders were naturally common. And they were then killed by
the Inquisition.
Thousands of Protestants fled France to avoid persecution and some of them
ended up in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. In 1565 Catholic Spaniards
discovered one such colony and killed almost every single person there. They
then erected a sign that said the people had been executed not as Frenchmen
but as Lutherans.
On August 24, 1572, in France, the Catholics murdered thousands of Protestants
in a single bloody day. It came to be known as the St. Bartholomew Day
massacre.
In the 17th century the Church of England tried to eliminate the Puritans,
using torture and sometimes hanging to achieve their ends. Then Oliver
Cromwell, a Puritan, rose to power and led the Puritans into a backlash,
resulting in civil war. When Cromwell died there was a backlash against
Puritans again and Cromwell's body was exhumed, hanged and then decapitated.
Death toll uncertain.
Oliver Cromwell was deemed a moderate because he massacred only Catholics and
Anglicans, not other Protestants. This Puritan general commanded Bible-carrying
soldiers, whom he roused to religious fervor. After decimating an Anglican
army, Cromwell said, God made them as stubble to our swords. He demanded the
beheading of the defeated King Charles I, and made himself the holy dictator of
England during the 1650s. When his army crushed the hated Irish Catholics, he
ordered the execution of the surrendered defenders of Drogheda and their
priests, calling it a righteous judgment of God upon these barbarous
wretches.
Ukrainian Bogdan Chmielnicki wore the banner of Eastern Orthodoxy in a holy
war against Jews and Polish Catholics. More than 100,000 were killed in this
17th-century bloodbath, and the Ukraine was split away from Poland to become
part of the Orthodox Russian empire.
The Thirty Years' War produced the largest religious death toll of all time. It
began in 1618 when Protestant leaders threw two Catholic emissaries out of a
Prague window into a dung heap. War flared between Catholic and Protestant
princedoms, drawing in supportive religious armies from Germany, Spain,
England, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, France and Italy. Sweden's Protestant
soldiers sang Martin Luther's Ein 'Feste Burg in battle. Three decades of
combat turned central Europe into a wasteland of misery. One estimate states
that Germany's population dropped from 18 million to 4 million. In the end
nothing was settled, and too few people remained to rebuild cities, plant
fields, or conduct education.
Up until 1965 the Roman Catholic Church's liturgy contained the words, and
protect us from the perfidious Jews. In the Church's history scores of
thousands of Jews were killed for
(1) Murdering Christian children and drinking their blood; and
(2) Host-Nailing meaning that they stole the communion wafers that
represented the body of Jesus and drove nails through them, thereby crucifying
Jesus a second time.
==
In Australia
Hundreds of believers flocked to the Coogee Beach headland yesterday to
witness what they say is an apparition of the Virgin Mary.
Scores more hiked up the cliff path to touch, kiss and pray to the post which
over the past few days has been transformed into something of a shrine, with
pictures of the virgin, rosary beads and flowers piled around the
white-washed fence.
Some wept, others sang, most prayed. As the sunlight reflected off a crook in
the fence throughout the afternoon, hundreds claimed they could discern the
shape of a veiled figure, and most agreed it was Our Lady.
==
trong's: rhak-ah' Of Chaldee origin (come [H7386]); O empty one,
that is, thou worthless (as a term of utter vilification): - Raca.
==
How can the God of light live in darkness?
Then spake Solomon, the Lord said that he would dwell in the thick
darkness. (I Kings 8:12. Repeated in II Chronicles 6:1) And he
made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick
clouds of the skies. (II Samuel 22:12) He made darkness his secret
place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick
clouds of the skies. (Psalm 18:11) The Lord reigneth; let the
earth rejoice . . . clouds and darkness are round about him. (Psalm 97:1-2)
==
Mark 16 had verses 9 through 20 added after it was written and believed
by most serious Christians to be invalid.
==
Excerpts from two books of import regarding Eusebius and
the origins of the Christianity practiced today ...
- - -
1. Who Wrote the New Testament? The Making
of the Christian Myth, by Burton L. Mack
- - - begin excerpts (page 287) - - -
... The event that triggered the creation of the Christian
Bible was the conversion of Constantine and the sudden
reversal of imperial status experienced by the Christian
churches. Constantine's conversion is often dated as
313 C.E. He became the sole emperor of the Roman
Empire in 324 C.E. and called the first council of Chris-
tian bishops to meet in Nicaea in 325 C.E.
One might think that the Christian churches would hardly
be ready for such a momentous change in circumstance.
But within a few short years under Constantine's prod-
ding, baptisteries and basilicas dotted the landscape, the
site of the empty tomb had been discovered and the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre built upon it, Christian
iconography announced to the world its themes, bishops
gathered in councils to agree upon Christian doctrine,
ritual was regularized, the calendar of festival events
was established, piety took the form of pilgrimage,
salvation took the form of eternal life in the heavenly
world, and Christendom was launched.
Is it any wonder that the Jewish scriptures and the
apostolic writings were also transformed at this time
into the Christian Bible?
The main events along the way included a little assign-
meant that Constantine gave to Eusebius, bishop at
Caesarea, sometime around 325-330 C.E.
... Constantine asked Eusebius to have fifty copies
of the sacred scriptures prepared by professional
transcribers for the new churches he planned to build.
... The pressure was on because Constantine thought
of Christianity as a monolithic religion and wanted the
bishops to agree. Eusebius was called on as a power-
ful bishop, scholar, and historian from a powerful and
prestigious center of Christian activity to help Constan-
tine understand what we would call the basic Christian
myth and ritual.
... At every turn in the formal transformation of the
church into a religion of empire, having the Bible in
place was more than fortunate. It was absolutely neces-
sary.
... The Bible was created when Christianity became the
religion of the Roman Empire. ...
- - - end excerpts (page 293) - - -
- - -
2. Christianizing the Roman Empire, by Ramsey
MacMullen
- - - begin excerpts (page 6) - - -
... The church's duty to perfect its converts was carried
out in quite remarkable fashion by schools of instruc-
tion, weekly lectures offered authoritatively from pulpits,
and other pastoral devices familiar to everyone.
They included a close control over publication and dis-
semination of facts and opinions that dealt with church
matters.
Secular literature from the pagan past, Christian readers
avoided, or they struggled in their conscience to justify
it or not to read it too much. A long story there, and
often told.
The non-Christian setting of the church, except as it
bore directly on church affairs, was ignored in Chris-
tian historical accounts ancient and, for that matter,
modern. [14]
[14] The abundant historiography post-312 is
overwhelmingly ecclesiastical for centuries, so
long as it is Christians that are writing it (cor-
respondingly wider, nonsectarian interests are
to be found overwhelmingly in the hands of non-
Christians: Ammianus, Eunapius, Zosimus, and
others).
When the first account of the growth of Chris-
tianity was attempted in modern times, by Har-
nack, in this venerable tradition, he drew over-
whelmingly on Christian sources, ignoring the
non-Christians, as I have pointed out before, in
MacMullen (1981) 206.
Hostile writings and discarded views were not recopied
or passed on, or they were actively suppressed; and, by
the overwhelming authority of Eusebius, the father of
church historiography, matters discreditable to the faith
were to be consigned to silence. [15]
[15] The fate of pagan works by Porphyry,
Celsus, Hierocles, and others is well known;
also, that of evidently a very great body of
religious literature judged unorthodox -- even
acts of church councils such as Arles, Beziers,
and Rimini. See Hefele (1907 - 52) 1, 2, p. 945,
and Gaudermet (1977) 81 and 85 (these were
Arian, in the 350s). For book-burning, see
below, chap. X n. 49.
His intent appears nowhere more clearly than in the sol-
emn introduction to his eighth Book, where he must show
how his coreligionists responded to the Great Persecution.
Some had fallen.
But it is not for us to describe their miserable
vicissitudes, as things turned out, just as it is
not a part of our task to leave on record their
faction-fights and their unnatural conduct
towards each other, prior to the persecution.
That is why we have decided to say no more
about them than suffices for us to justify God's
judgment. . . . We shall rather set forth in our
whole narrative only what may be of profit,
first, to our own times, and then to later times.
Various consequences follow. We may for instance, be
misled about the proportions of piety and indifference
within the empire's population.
... Very much the same distortions can be found in even
the best of modern attempts to describe how the church
grew.
- - - end excerpts (page 6) - - -
Other information of interest pertaining to Eusebius (sum-
mary of pertinent information from Merriam-Webster's
Encyclopedia of World Religions) ...
o Baptized and ordained at Caesarea
o Bishop, exegete, polemicist, historian
o Taught by presbyter Pamphilus - Pamphilus was exe-
cuted by the Romans in 310; Eusebius may have been
imprisoned in Caesarea
o Provisionally excommunicated for Arian views at
the anti-Arian synod at Antioch (Arianism taught that
Jesus was not divine, that he was not a god but was,
instead, a created being) early in 325
o Exonerated by emperor Constantine after the
Council of Nicea met late in 325 to create the type
of Christianity we're accustomed to, with Arianism
pushed aside by the creed that states the Son is
homoousion to Patri (of one substance with the
father)
o However, creedal controversies continued;
Arianism was proscribed in 381 and a statement
of faith which came to be known as the Nicene
Creed was approved
==
The NAZARENE
The fifth reference to the prophets occurs in the same chapter.
And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a
Nazarene. (Matt. 2: 23 )
This is a bit of fancy falsehood. There is not a word in the Old
Testament of this prophecy or anything like it, or of such a place
as Nazareth, which did not exist in Old Testament times, or of
Nazarenes. The marginal references to this verse are two: Judges 13:
5, and I Samuel 1: 11. These verses, and their context, refer to
matters so far removed from Matthew's alleged prophecy that it is
idle to quote them. But here they are. In the first instance, an angel
of Yahveh appeared to the childless wife of Manoah and said:
Lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on
his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite [Heb., Nazir] unto God
from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of
the Philistines. (Judges 13: 5 )
The product of this angelic visitation was the giant-killer Samson,
and he was to fight the Philistines; Jesus never did.
The second reference has to do with a like angelic aid to Hannah, who
made a vow never to let a razor come upon the head of her prospective
son Samuel. Those unkempt offsprings of angelic intercourse were
called Nazarites. This is the closest that the Old Testament gets to
Nazareth, and its inhabitants, Nazarenes. Matthew's invocation of the
Prophets is far afield both in form and substance.
==
Virgin
In the Hebrew texts the word almah is used seven times, always simply
in the sense of a young female, and is rendered damsel once, maid
twice, and virgin four times. The word bethulah occurs fifty times,
rendered maid seven times, maiden eight times, and virgin
thirty-five times. All fifty times it has the technical sense of
virginity. For example, Rebekah was a bethulah, neither had any man
known her (Gen. 24: 16 ). He shall take a wife in her virginity
[bethulah]. A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or a harlot,
these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin [bethulah] (Lev.
21: 13, 14 ). If a damsel [naarah] that is a virgin [bethulah] be
betrothed, etc. (Deut. 22:, 23 ). If a husband find his new wife not
a maid [bethulah], then on his complaint her parents must bring
forth the tokens of the virginity [bethulah] of the maid [naarah]
(Deut. 22: 14, 15 ). Jephthah's daughter, doomed to be a living
sacrifice to Yahveh, asked time to bewail my virginity [bethulah]
(Judges 11: 37, 38 ). These instances suffice to make clear the
correctness of the definitions: Bethulah conveys the idea of
virginity, of a young unmarried woman; almah is used simply of a young
woman of marriageable age (New Standard Bible Dictionary, p. 939 );
and they show the befuddled folly of all the labored fictions invented
by Matthew, Luke, and the dogma-forgers to make out the wife of Joseph
the carpenter a perpetual virgin-mother of Jesus and half a dozen
other offspring. Isaiah's ha-almah need not have been, and the term
did not signify that she was, strictly a virgin. Again the false pen
of the scribes hath wrought falsely. The gospels are all priestly
forgeries over a century after their pretended dates.
==
Religion resists change because its strength lies in providing a
sense of certainty to the believers. Change and questions disturbs
the `peace' that comes from that provided certainty, and disrupts
the powerful influence religion has over its `flock'. This is why
proclaimed heretics were once burned by the Christian officials,
even if that knowledge did not specifically disagree with the
churches opinion. The very existence of another source of knowledge
was perceived as a threat.
==
And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee:
for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish,
and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
5:30
And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee:
for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish,
and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
==
Joshua and Samuel both make reference to the Book of Jasher, referring the
reader to this work for further exposition of the particular and current topic,
yet while these authors have ALWAYS been included in the Jewish Canon, the Book
of Jasher not only isn't included, it wasn't even preserved! The author of
1 Kings makes reference to the Book of the Acts of Solomon...again a canonical
author referencing a non-canonical, no longer extant book. The author's of
1 & 2 Chronicles make references to, in order, the books of Nathan, Gad,
Shemaiah, and Jehu in similar context to the above.
==
The social conditions that caused the rise of religious
believe in God and gods are still there. Given that people
still raise their children in those beliefs helps prolong
such beliefs. Just wonder why the fundamentalist Christians
have so many religious schools and colleges. They are
terribly afraid that if their children are exposed to
contrary 'evidence' and thought those children will be
'lost'. In short, they are aware that their religious
beliefs can remain only in the absence of 'educated'
scientific thought.
==
Many stories of the Bible come in two incompatible versions, such as how Jesus
is said to have been born in Bethlehem, but was the Nazarene. Matthew says
Jesus' family moved from Bethlehem to Nazareth years after his birth. Luke has
his family temporarily staying away from Nazareth around the time of his birth
The fathers of the Catholic Church do not even see in the disagreements
between Matthew and Luke, that the story about Bethlehem was made up so that
a known Galilean could be made into someone born in Bethlehem to fulfill an
Old Testament prophesy.
while Luke has Mary and Joseph live in Nazareth to begin with, as the
annunciation takes place there (Luke 1:26), and make a journey to Bethlehem,
where the birth takes place, in response to a taxation decree to register in
ancestors' towns, a taxation decree that is not recorded in history, according
to a registration scheme that would never work (what would a person of mixed
ancestry do?):
Luke 2:3 All went to their own towns to be registered.
Luke 2:4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to
the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house
and family of David.
It is to be recalled that in the earliest Gospel, Mark, no mention is made of
Bethlehem, and Jesus is merely of Nazareth.
The Romans couldn't possibly have conducted so queer a census as that. Why
should they want every person present in the town of his ancestors rather
than in the town in which he actually dwelt? Why should they want individuals
traveling up and down the length of the land, clogging the roads and
interfering with the life of the province? It would even have been a
military danger, for the Parthians could find no better time to attack than
when Roman troops would find it hard to concentrate because of the thick
crisscrossing of civilians on their way to register.
Even if the ancestral town were somehow a piece of essential information,
would it not be simpler for each person merely to state what that ancestral
town was? And even if, for some reason, a person had to travel to that
ancestral town, would it not be sufficient for the head of the household
or some agent of his to make the trip? Would a wife have to come along?
Particularly one that was in the last month of pregnancy?
While we are in the canonical infancy narratives, note that both
Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38 list genealogies for Jesus, disagreeing with
each other even to the point of Joseph's father being listed as being named
Jacob or Heli, respectively. To counter this, as well as the absurdity of
tracing Jesus's lineage back to David through Joseph, who was not really
Jesus's father, some apologists say that Luke's genealogy is that of Mary
(although it says Heli was Joseph's father), because in those days women
did not count for anything. McKinsey points out the corner this ploy paints
the apologist into: Mary's cousin Elisabeth (Luke 1:36) was a daughter of
Aaron (Luke 1:5), from the house of Levi. The genealogy given relates
David's lineage, not Aaron's. McKinsey also points out that according
to 1 Chron. 22:9-10 the messiah had to be a descendant of Solomon. However,
Luke's genealogy, which is alleged to be that of Mary [but this applies
even if Luke's genealogy of Jesus is through Joseph], is traced through
Solomon's brother, Nathan.
==
The Gospel of Thomas was found at Nag Hammadi in Egypt among a cache
of other Gnostic documents. It plainly rejects the world, the flesh
and woman. It probably originated in Syria in the second century AD,
and may have been used by the Manicheans. The Gospel of Thomas tells
us that the world and the body are corpses. The real kingdom is of
light, present inside dark matter.
==
Allah has set a seal upon their hearts . . . and there is a great
punishment for them (Koran 2:6-7). Surely those who disbelieve and
die while they are disbelievers, these it is on whom is the curse of
Allah and the angels and men all (Koran 2:161).

[W]hen the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty
and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be
punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord
. . . (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). [H]e that believeth not the Son shall
not see life; but the wrath of God
abideth on him(John 3:36).

If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter,
or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul,
entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods . . .
thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put
him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people . . . If thou
shalt hear . . . Certain men . . . have withdrawn the inhabitants of
their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods . . . Thou shalt
surely smite the inhabitants ofthat city with the edge of the sword,
destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof,
with the edge of the sword (Deuteronomy13:6-15).

Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor
do they prohibit what Allah and His Apostle have prohibited, nor follow
the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until
they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a
state of subjection (Koran 9:29).

So when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the
necks until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners,
and afterwards either set them free as a favor or let them ransom
(themselves) until the war terminates (Koran 47:4).

And when the Lord thy God hath delivered [a city] into thine hands,
thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: But
the women, and the little ones . . . shalt thou take unto thyself . . .
But of the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God doth give
thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth
(Deuteronomy 20:13-16).

And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through
the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
Slay utterly old and young, both males, and little children, and
women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin
at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men who were before
the house. And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the
courts with the slain: go you forth. And they went forth, and
slew in the city (Ezekiel 9:5-7).

Allah does not forbid you respecting those who have not made war
against you on account of (your) religion, and have not driven you
forth from your homes, that you show them kindness and deal with
them justly; surely Allah loves the doers of justice (Koran 60:8).
And if they incline to peace, then incline to it and trust in
Allah; surely He is the Hearing, the Knowing (Koran 8:61).

(As for) the fornicatress and the fornicator, flog each of them,
in the matter of obedience to Allah, if you believe in Allah and
the last day, and let a party of believers witness their
chastisement (Koran 24:2).

And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that
the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his
face . . . Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed
(Deuteronomy 25:2-3).

What! will you not fight a people who broke their oaths and aimed
at the expulsion of the Apostle, and they attacked you first;
do you fear them? But Allah is most deserving that you should fear
Him, if you are believers (Koran 9:13).

But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after
he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear
him (Luke 12:5). And fear not them which kill the body, but are not
able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy
both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28).

Allah enjoins you concerning your children: The male shall have the
equal of the portion of two females; then if they are more than two
females, shall have two-thirds of what the deceased has left, and if
there is one, she shall they have the half (Koran 4:11).

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of
Israel, and sayunto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the
persons shall be for the Lord by thy estimation. And thy estimation
shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old,
even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the sheke
thirty shekels. And if it be from a month old even unto five years
old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver,
and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver.
And if it be from sixty years old and above, if it be a male, then
thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female, ten
shekels (Leviticus27:1-7).

Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer
not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to
be in silence ; (1 Timothy 2:11-12). Let your women keep silence
in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they
are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if
they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for
it is a shame for women to speak in the church
(1Corinthians 14:34-35).

Allah has heard and accepted the statement of the woman who pleads
with you (the Prophet) concerning her husband and carries her complaint
to Allah, and Allah hears the arguments between both of you for Allah
hears and sees all things(Koran 58:1).

Surely Allah is not ashamed to set forth any parable-- (that of) a
gnat or any thing above that; then as for those who believe, they know
that it is the truth from their Lord, and as for those who disbelieve,
they say: What is it that Allah means by this parable: He causes many
to err by it and many He leads aright by it! but He does not cause to
err by it (any) except the transgressors (Koran2:26).

And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they
should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not
the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness (2Thessalonians 2:11-12).
==
Do you know how many saviors there have been throughout ancient history?
Sixteen of them have attributes that are quite similar to Jesus, and
some of those even share the following:
Born on or around the Winter Solstice (late December).
Died on or around the Vernal Equinox.
Arose three days later and was resurrected.
Immaculate conception and virgin birth.
Twelve disciples.
Delivered a Sermon on the Mount.
The Way, the Truth, and the Light.
Performed miracles, exorcised demons.
Walked on water.
Came to fulfill the law.
Martyred by crucifixion, usually between two thieves.
The Egyptian savior, Horus, is almost a carbon copy of Jesus. Only
problem with that is Horus *predated* Jesus by 1500 years, which, makes
Jesus a carbon copy
http://www.geocities.cominquisitive79godmen.html#horus
==
The phrase comes directly from Heraclitus of Ephesus in
the 5'th century B.C. He used Logos (the word) to describe the
rational principle behind the creation of the world.
==
Day
The Hebrew term has several meanings, including a 24 hour day (especially
when used with an ordinal such as first, second, etc.). The evening and
morning phrases in the Genesis 1 narrative reinforce this understanding.
Strong's 3117: yowm
from an unused root meaning _to be hot_; a _day_ (as the _warm_ hours),
whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or
figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term) ...
Publishers:
Yom; day, a number of days, some time, year, life (when in the pl); today;
in the daytime, on the same day; at present, now. A point in time and a
sphere of time are both expressed by _yom_. It is the period of light which
is not darkness. It can be a period of 24 hours, time in general, a
specific point int time, or a year. ...
==
This is the sin of Sodom, said the prophet, Ezekiel. She and her suburbs
had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not help or encourage
the poor and needy. They were arrogant and this was abominable in God's eyes.
(Ez.16: 48-49)
==
Dake's Annotated Reference Bible reveals 1,050 places where Law is referred
to in the New Testament.

The Gospel and the Greeks by Ronald Nash?
==
Those religions believed in a god who was born of a woman, very often
a virgin. According to the historian Toynbee, there were 87 gods born
of a woman, killed, and then resurrected.
==
If The Bible was evidence for God then Krishna is the Supreme Lord that
manifests as the immortal soul within each and every living entity, because the
Bhagavad-Gita tells me so.
==
When the Gospels and epistles quote the OT, it is the LXX they quote.
==
There are 6 different words for kill in the Hebrew. The
Bible clearly distinguishes between premeditated murder
(which is what the 6th Commandment forbids: You shall do no
murder), accidental manslaughter, killing an enemy in the
heat of battle, the killing of animals, execution of
criminals for capital offenses and self defense.
==
Proverbs 26
4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be
like unto him.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his
own conceit.
==
No, I don't know that atheists should be considered
as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots.
This is one nation under God President George Bush--UP I 4889
==
Did Adam know it was wrong to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil?
If yes then he already had knowledge of good and evil so the story is
self contradictory.
If no then Adam was unjustly punished since he couldn't have known
that what he was doing was wrong.
==
So, let me get this straight. You're suggesting that the ultimate
proof of the truth of the bible is... the bible?
And further, you are suggesting that the bible must be true... because
it contradicts itself so badly?
==
The cemeteries are filled with people who prayed to live.
==
Religion is a socio-political institution for the control of
people's thoughts, lives, and actions; based on
ancient myths and superstitions perpetrated through
generations of subtle yet pervasive brainwashing.
==
Why is it so hard to believe in dragons? Why is it so hard to
believe in unicorns? If you think I can simply decide to *poof* believe
in something, I suggest you close your eyes and try really hard to
believe that your childhood imaginary friend is *real*. I mean,
actually standing there, talking to you. Can you just decide to do
that? No? Why not? Now who's asking for evidence? Just as you see no
evidence that there's an invisible kid sitting in your living room
asking you to play with him, I see none that your imaginary father
figure in the sky is really there. It's not a man looking down from the
sky, reading my mind and judging me, it's a figment of your imagination
that you walk around claiming is really, really, really there. Well, in
my world, you're a small child telling me that Puff The Magic Dragon
really, really, really lives outside your bedroom window. That's one
reason there's so much hostility from our side; you cabecomes Maybe he needs
therapy to get rid of the voices.
------------
10) Why is it so hard to believe in dragons? Why is it so hard to
believe in unicorns? If you think I can simply decide to *poof* believe
in something, I suggest you close your eyes and try really hard to
believe that your childhood imaginary friend is *real*. I mean,
actually standing there, talking to you. Can you just decide to do
that? No? Why not? Now who's asking for evidence? Just as you see no
evidence that there's an invisible kid sitting in your living room
asking you to play with him, I see none that your imaginary father
figure in the sky is really there. It's not a man looking down from the
sky, reading my mind and judging me, it's a figment of your imagination
that you walk around claiming is really, really, really there. Well, in
my world, you're a small child telling me that Puff The Magic Dragon
really, really, really lives outside your bedroom window. That's one
reason there's so much hostility from our side. Maybe he needs therapy
to get rid of the voices.
===
After Cestius Gallus had retreated with his troops, Nero
ordered Vespasian to take over. He, in turn, ordered his
son, Titus, to go to Alexandra and bring the fifth and tenth
legions from Egypt to subdue Judea. But a crisis in Rome
caused Vespasian to return there. (where he was hailed as
the new Emperor in 70 A.D.) Meanwhile the job of capturing
Jerusalem was left in the hands of Titus who brought about
its destruction. (Josephus, Book 3, 1:1-3; 4, 9-11)
The trouble in Jerusalem began over differences between the
Jews and the Romans. There were also differences between
Jews, some favored a revolt against Roman rule, others hoped
for a peaceful agreement. Those who favored revolt became
very violent and began to kill those who disagreed with
them. Troops were sent in to control the mob. War was on!
Not only at Jerusalem, but throughout the land there was
unrest.
Every city was divided into two armies, Josephus says, and
the preservation of the one part was in the destruction of
the other; so the daytime was spent in shedding blood, and
the night in fear; which was of the two the more
terrible...It was then common to see cities filled with dead
bodies, still lying unburied: those of old men mixed with
infants, all dead and scattered about together; women also
lay amongst them, without any covering for their nakedness:
You might then see the whole province full of inexpressible
calamities while the dread of still more barbarous practices
which were threatened, was everywhere greater than what had
been already perpetrated. (Flavius Josephus, Wars of the
Jews, (Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1957
edition), 2, 18:2)
The Jews in Alexandria that revolted against the Romans
Awere destroyed unmercifully; and this, their destruction,
was complete...houses were first plundered of what was in
them, and then set on fire by the Romans; wherein no mercy
was shown to the infants, and no regard had to the aged; but
they went on in the slaughter of persons of every age, till
all the place was overflowed with blood, and fifty thousands
of them lay dead upon heaps. (Flavius Josephus, Wars of the
Jews, (Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1957
edition), 2, 18:2)
In one hour, over 20,000 were killed in Caesarea and the
battle continued until all Caesarea was emptied of its
Jewish inhabitants...Galilee was all over filled with fire
and blood, nor was it exempted from any kind of misery or
calamity. (Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews,
(Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1957 edition),
3, 4:1)
In Jerusalem, those of the revolting party were known as
Zealots. They fell upon the people (who disagreed with them)
as upon a flock of profane animals, and cut their throats.
In this way, 12,000 of the more eminent inhabitants
perished.
The terror that was upon all the people was so great, that
no one had courage enough either to weep openly for the dead
man that was related to him, or bury him...those that
mourned for others soon underwent the same death with those
whom they mourned for. (Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews,
(Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1957 edition),
2, 18:3)
Slaughter continued until the outer temple was all of it
overflowed with blood, and that day they saw 8,500 dead
bodies there. Included in this number were those that a
little before had worn the sacred garments and presided over
the public worship, which were cast out naked to be the food
of dogs and wild beasts. Even those who came with sacrifices
were slain, Aand sprinkled that altar...with their own
blood; till the dead bodies of strangers were mingled
together with those of their own country, and those of
profane persons with those of priests, and the blood of all
sorts of dead carcasses stood in lakes in the holy courts
themselves. (Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews,
(Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1957 edition),
4, 5:3)
The noise also of those that were fighting was incessant,
both by day and by night; but the lamentations of those that
mourned exceeded the other...their calamities came
perpetually, one upon another...But for the seditious
themselves, they fought against each other, while they trod
upon the dead bodies as they lay heaped one upon another,
and taking up a mad rage from those dead bodies that were
under the feet, because the fiercer thereupon... and when
they had resolved upon anything they executed it without
mercy, and omitted no method of torment or of barbarity.
(Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews, (Philadelphia: The John
C. Winston Company, 1957 edition), 5, 1:3)
Many Jews were killed by Jews, not by the enemy
outside the walls. Josephus says the Jews never suffered
from the Romans anything worse than they made each other
suffer.
Food became scarce within the walls of the city. Many of
the Jews, venturing out by night to search for food, were
caught, tormented with all sorts of torture, and then
crucified in the sight of those on the walls. About 500
every day were thus killed until the number finally became
so great that there was not room enough for the crosses, nor
enough crosses for the victims. Often several Jews were
nailed to the same torture stake. Imagine the torment of
those who would see or hear of their loved ones being thus
tortured a short distance from the walls. Many had their
hands cut off. (Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews,
(Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1957 edition),
5, 1:5)
69
Then did the famine widen its progress, and devoured the
people by whole houses and families; the upper rooms were
full of women and children dying by famine; and the lanes of
the city were full of the dead bodies of the aged; a kind of
deadly night, had seized upon the city...Thus did the
miseries of Jerusalem grow worse and worse every day...the
multitude of carcasses that lay in heaps one upon another
was a horrible sight, and produced a pestilential stench.
(Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews, (Philadelphia: The John
C. Winston Company, 1957 edition), 5, 11:1-2)
The number of those that perished by famine in the city was
prodigious, and their miseries were unspeakable. For if so
much as the shadow of any kind of food did anywhere appear,
a war was commenced presently, and the dearest friends fell
fighting one another about it...Children pulled the very
morsel that their fathers were eating, out of their very
mouths, and what was still more to be pitied, so did the
mothers do to their infants; and when those that were almost
dead were perishing under their hands, they were not ashamed
to take from them the very last drops that might preserve
their lives...
The seditious...also invented terrible methods of torment
to discover where any food was, and they were these: to stop
up the passage of the privy parts of the miserable wretches,
and to drive sharp stakes up their fundaments, and a man was
forced to bear what it is terrible even to hear. (Flavius
Josephus, Wars of the Jews, (Philadelphia: The John C.
Winston Company, 1957 edition), 5, 12:3; 6, 1:1)
One woman of permanence killed and roasted her infant son.
When she had eaten half, she hid the other half. When
certain seditious Jews smelled the scent of roasted flesh,
they threatened to cut her throat if she did not show them
where it was. She then uncovered the remaining half of the
little body, saying: Come, eat of this food; for I have
eaten of it myself. Do you pretend to be either more tender
than a woman, or more compassionate than a mother. But even
those hardened men, horrified at the sight, left the house
trembling. (Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews,
(Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1957 edition),
6, 3:4)
Some, attempting to escape from the city, swallowed pieces
of gold in order to take them unnoticed. Once this was known,
soldiers cut them open searching for gold. Nor does it seem
to me that any misery befell the Jews that was more terrible
than this, since in one night 2,000 of these deserters were
thus dissected. (Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews,
(Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1957 edition),
5, 13:4)
Burning of The Temple
Finally the Roman armies broke through the wall and an
enraged soldier caught the temple on fire. While the holy
house was on fire, everything was plundered that came to
hand, and ten thousand of those that were caught were slain;
nor was there a commiseration of any age, or any reverence
of gravity; but children, and old men, and profane persons,
and priests, were all slain in the same manner...nor can one
imagine anything either greater or more terrible than this
noise...one would have thought that the hill itself, on
which the temple stood, was seething-hot, as full of fire on
every part of it. (Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews,
(Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1957 edition),
6, 5:1)
As the temple burned, the Jews knew all hope for
deliverance was gone. The aqueducts and city sewers were
crowded as the last place of refuge for the hopeless. When
these were searched, two thousand people were found dead
there, and those still alive were dragged out and killed.
Highly significant is the fact that the very date on which
the temple was burned by the armies of Titus, was the same
date that Nebuchadnezzar had burned it centuries before.
But, as for that house, God had for certain long ago doomed
it to the fire, and now that fatal day was come, according
to the revolution of the ages: it was the tenth day of the
month Ab, upon which it was formerly burnt by the king of
Babylon? (Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews, (Philadelphia:
The John C. Winston Company, 1957 edition), 6, 4:5)
The scriptures had warned: And the Lord shall bring you
into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto
thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there you shall
be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no
man shall buy you. (Deuteronomy 28:68) Josephus tells how
those that survived were led away captives, some being taken
into Egypt! As for the rest of the multitude that were above
17 years old, he put them into bonds, and sent them to the
Egyptian mines...and sold the rest of the multitude with
their wives and children, and every one of them at a low
price, and that because such were sold were very many, and
the buyers few. (Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews,
(Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1957 edition),
6, 8, 9)
There were 97,000 that were sold, as slaves and 1,100,000
people that perished during the tribulation of those days,
the greater part of whom were indeed of the same nation, but
not belonging to the city itself; for they were come up from
all the country to the feast of unleavened bread, and were
suddenly shut up by an army...The multitude of those that
therein perished exceeded all the destruction that either
manor God ever brought upon the world. (Flavius Josephus,
Wars of the Jews, (Philadelphia: The John C. Winston
Company, 1957 edition), 6, 9:3-4)
once briefly: that neither did any other city suffer such
miseries, or in any age ever breed a generation more
fruitful in wickedness than this was (Jewish), from the
beginning of the world. (Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews,
(Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1957 edition),
5, 10:5)
The calamities which befell the Jews were the greatest of
all those, not only that have been in our times, but, in a
manner, of those that ever were heard of; both of those
wherein cities have fought against cities, or nations
against nations...it appears to me that the misfortunes of
all men, from the beginning of the world, if they be
compared to these of the Jews, are not so considerable as
they were.
(Flavius
Josephus, Wars of the Jews, (Philadelphia: The John C.
Winston Company, 1957 edition), Preface)
==
Solomon's Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.
==
QUESTION: What's the difference between a Christian and a paranoid
schizophrenic?

ANSWER: One person hears voices, is convinced his thoughts and actions are
known to some outside power, thinks the world was designed and created for him
and that he is central to everything that goes on, is sure he's part of a
special divine mission, believes that ordinary everyday events have some
special transcendent meaning visible only to him, sometimes speaks in
incoherent babbling voices, and believes supernatural forces are at work to
influence his actions. And the other one, of course, is a paranoid
schizophrenic.
==
Some kings mentioned in the Bible have been confirmed by means of bullae -
lumps of clay into which seals were pressed. These seal impressions carry
little more than the name of a king, but do serve as useful confirmation
that the Israelite kings were not post-exilic fictions.
==
A son-in-law could be called a son if there was not a real son.
1 Chronicles 2:21-23, 7:14-15 -- Jair was a distant son-in-law of
Manasseh.
Numbers 32:41, Deuteronomy 3:14, 1 Kings 4:13 -- Jair is called
the son of Manasseh.

Attai the father of Nathan,
Nathan the father of Zabad,
Zabad the father of Ephlal,
Ephlal the father of Obed,
Obed the father of Jehu,
Jehu the father of Azariah,
Azariah the father of Helez,
Helez the father of Eleasah,
Eleasah the father of Sismai,
Sismai the father of Shallum,
Shallum the father of Jekamiah,
and Jekamiah the father of Elishama.
Are all listed in the tribe of Judah but the father of Attai
was an Egyptian servant named Jarha. The tribe
relationship was carried through the mother of Attai,
who was the daughter of Sheshan who had no sons.
=
History tells us that the second huge Roman persecution of Christians
(The lst was NERO'S PERSECUTION OF AD 64-68) occurred in the last year of
the reign of Domitian Caesar which would have been from September AD 95 to
September AD 96. During the last year of his rule Domitian Caesar decreed
that everyone in the Roman Empire must worship idols of former Roman
Caesar's or else they would be killed or put in prison.

Nero's 4-year Roman persecution began when he blamed the Christians
for the burning of Rome in May AD 64; and ended when Nero was fatally
wounded by a sword on June 9th AD 68.
==
According to OT Law (See Numbers 3:5-10) all Jewish Priests must prove that
they are direct descendants of Levi and these
Levitical genealogies were completely destroyed when the Last Jewish Temple
was burned in AD 70. Therefore, no Scriptural OT animal sacrifices could
possibly occur before then; since no Jew can now prove that he is Levite!!
==
The bible says there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female
If that was true - then P1aul would have let women teach men.
==
Lev20:27 A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard,
shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood
shall be upon them. (KJV)
==
Luk 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and
hedges, and compel [them] to come in, that my house may be filled.
==
When you study the OT Ancient Hebrew
language (Which is also the language of Israel today!) is that the 22
letters of the Hebrew alphabet ALSO represent 22 numbers! When you read
Psalm 119 you will note that the 176 sentences are divided in to 22
sections; each section with 8 sentences or verses praising the Word of God.
These 22 sections are each headed by one of the letters in the Hebrew
alphabet in the exact same order as shown below. The ancient Hebrew
language (Which is exactly the same as the modern Hebrew language)
frequently used the letters of their alphabet to designate NUMBERS IN THE OT
as follows:
ALEPH = 1. BETH = 2. GIMEL = 3. DALET = 4. HE = 5. VAV = 6.
ZAYIN =7. CHETH = 8. TETH = 9. YODH = 10. KAPH = 20. LAMED = 30.
MEM = 40. NUN = 50. SAMEKH = 60. AYIN = 70. PE = 80. TSADHE = 90.
KOPH = 100. RESH = 200. SHIN = 300. TAV = 400.
NOTE: Most vowel sounds except O (VAV) are not used as letters in
Hebrew. These vowel sounds are designated by dots and dashes under their
*PRECEDING* consonants. In Hebrew N is added on the end of all foreign
names ending in O.
==
I contend that we are both atheists. I
just believe in one fewer god than you
do. When you understand why you
dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss
yours. Stephen Roberts
==
It has been noted on more than one occasion that the Biblical Yahweh is crazier
than a loon and more than one person has attempted to set forth formal
psychiatric diagnoses (depression, schizophrenia, delusional disorders, manic
disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, gender identity disorder, manic
episodes, and numerous phobias among many many other problems) of his numerous
mental disorders. As to why ancient peoples tell tales of psychiatrically
disordered deities, I do not know, but can speculate that they are attributing
to their deities personal attributes they had observed in some of their own
leaders, many of whom probably were drunk, figuratively and literally, with
power and other substances.
==
1 Samuel 16:15 And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit
from God troubleth thee.
16 Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a
man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the
evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou
shalt be well.
==
http://leda.lycaeum.orgDocuments
The_Ketamine_Model_of_the_Near_Death_Experience.9264.shtml
Near-death experiences (NDE's) can be reproduced by ketamine
Irrespective of religious beliefs, NDE's are not evidence for life after
death on simple logical grounds: death is defined as the final,
irreversible end. Anyone who 'returned' did not, by definition, die -
although their mind, brain and body may have been in a very unusual
state.
There is overwhelming evidence that 'mind' results from neuronal
activity. The dramatic effects on the mind of adding hallucinogenic drugs
to the brain, and the religious experiences which sometimes result,
provide further evidence for this. One of the many contradictions which
'after-lifers' can not resolve is that the spirit rises out of the body
leaving the brain behind, but somehow still incorporating neuronal
functions such as sight, hearing, and proprioception.
All features of a classic NDE can be reproduced by the intravenous
administration of 50 - 100 mg of ketamine. There is increasing evidence
which suggests that the reproduction of NDE's by ketamine is unlikely to
be a coincidence.
A psychologist with experience of LSD described ketamine as 'experiments
in voluntary death'. Sputz noted: 'one infrequent ketamine user reported
a classic near-death experience...I was convinced I was dead. I was
floating above my body. I reviewed all of the events of my life and saw a
lot of areas where I could have done better. The psychiatrist Stanislav
Grof stated: If you have a full-blown experience of ketamine, you can
never believe there is death or that death can possibly influence who you
are. 'Ketamine allows some patients to reason that ...the strange,
unexpected intensity and unfamiliar dimension of their experience means
they must have died..'.
Attempts to explain NDE's as hallucinations are sometimes rejected by
spiritualists because many persons insist upon the reality of their
experiences. However, 30% of normal subjects given ketamine were certain
that they had not been dreaming or hallucinating, but that the events had
really happened. What is a hallucination? a hallucination has the
immediate sense of reality of a true perception .....transient
hallucinatory experiences are common in individuals without mental
disorder. The apparently clear sensorium of some persons who have had
NDE's has also been used to argue that the NDE is 'real' and not a
hallucination. It is thus important to note that hallucinations in
schizophrenia typically occur in clear consciousness and are believed to
be real. A personal conviction of the 'reality' of an NDE does not
invalidate scientific explanations. Some users of LSD have claimed that
their minds are clearer than usual, and that the LSD world is real while
the 'normal' world is a veil of illusion. Cardiac arrest survivors have
been reported as describing their resuscitation in detail. Ketamine can
permit sufficient sensory input to allow accounts of procedures during
which the patient appeared wholly unconscious.
Claims that NDE's must have a single explanation, or that a scientific
theory must explain all of the experiences ever given the name of NDE are
difficult to justify. It is well established that mental phenomena have
multiple causes and variable expressions. The NDE is more likely to be
the final common expression of several different causes. Even then, the
final 'common' expression contains sufficient variability to suggest
different types of NDE, for example in Ring's study, only 10% 'enter the
light'.
Spiritualists have sometimes seen scientific explanations of NDE's as
dull and reductionist. However, the exploration of the mind-brain
interface is one of the most exciting adventures which humans have ever
undertaken. The real reductionism lies in attempts to draw a mystical
shroud over the NDE, and to belittle the substantial evidence in favor
of a scientific explanation.
=
Ezekiel, {6:10} They shall know that I am Yahweh: I have not said in vain that
I would do this evil to them.
==
The actual accuracy of the Hebrew text is probably pretty good but not 100%
perfect. We do find, when we compare with the Dead Sea scrolls that they
sometimes agree with the Masoretic texts.

==
Nothing in any of the gospels fixes the date of Jesus' birth. The early
church simply did what it was very good at, stealing and neutralizing
the traditions of other religions and cults. Christians celebrate the
birth of Jesus as either December 25th, the birthdate and festival of
the resurrecting Indo-Iranian God-man Mithras (originally Mithra, the
name changes to Mithras for numerological reasons, just as Yesua is
Joshua in the old testament and Jesus in the new, so the Greek name has
numerological significance), or January 6th, the birthdate and festival
of the resurrecting Egyptian God-man Osiris-Aion, born of the virgin
Isis (the Black Madonna of so many Christian statues).
There were festivals and celebrations at the time of the winter solstice
long before there was a Christian church, for a couple of centuries at
least before Jesus may have lived. The early Roman Church simply
commandeered all shrines and festivals to itself. Places where pagan
goddesses gave oracles became shrines of the blessed virgin Mary.
Temples to Mithra or Apollo became churches, worship and festivals
continued as before only the names and a little of the theology changed.
What happened in the Greek and Latin worlds also happened in the Celtic,
Germanic and Nordic lands. Old gods had their myths and festivals stolen
and dressed up as Christian festivals. Celtic heroes became rewritten as
Christian Saints. For the most part the people as a whole didn't seem to
mind too much. There were still bonfires, feasts, gift-giving and
excuses to get drunk. The change from pagan to Christian simply meant
business as usual, slightly fewer orgies but just as much tax and as
many idle priests as ever. Many old traditions and superstitions lived
on and were Christianized. The people were still as irrational and
superstitious as ever.
The Christmas that we celebrate today is a mix of old pagan traditions
such as evergreen decorations and feasting coupled with an often
neglected Christian gloss and overlaid with more modern secular humanist
and consumerist traditions.
==
The Scriptures that the Christians wanted to appeal to say the messiah
would be born of David's line, so Matthew and Luke faked the evidence to
show that this was the case. Matthew 1:1-16, and Luke 3:23-38 show
totally different genealogies, Luke's shows 41 generations from David's
son Nathan to Joseph while Matthew lists twenty six generations from
David's son Solomon.
==
God is love.
God is jealous.
Love is not jealous.
==
Odd isn't it how much could have been recorded at the time of Jesus by the
witnesses
present and wasn't. Odder is the information that was written down that did
not have any witnesses. Yet neither are questioned.
==
A delusion is defined as a false belief that is based upon incorrect
interpretation of external reality and that is firmly held regardless of any
evidence that the belief is false. (Pebbles in the Pond: Living with Chronic
Neurobiologi
==
President Bush prohibited the federal funding of stem-cell research earlier
2002 and banned all forms of stem-cell cloning.
==
The trouble is, as we see eloquently demonstrated in the thousands of
Protestant sects, people tend to believe that their friends will
always agree with them, and so in this context they tend to become a
little confused between the opinions of Christod, and their own opinions.
But when each man is his own Pope, what do you expect?
==
The story in the NT mentions of a star that shone in the East. Since it is
believed that the Magi were from Persia, or someplace nearby, then
Palestine would be to the West of them. If they were following a star
shining in the East, they would be heading in the wrong direction!
==
Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here,
which shall not taste of death, till they see the
Son of man coming in his kingdom. - Mt.16:28
Which of these long lived people are still waiting for Jesus?
==
hypocrisy
// noun (plural -sies) 1. the act of pretending to have a
character or beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not possess. 2.
pretence of virtue or piety; false goodness.
==
In 451 CE the council of Chalcedon was held and the churches officially
finalized the doctrine on the trinity, and the trinity was added to the
Bibles after that
==
Another set of minor deities in the OT are the Cherubim, monstrous guardian
beasts. They possessed the body of a bull, wings like an eagle, and the heads
of men. It is odd that they are preserved in their specifically guardian
capacity in the OT -- what does God need protection from? Consult
Psalms 99:1, and have a look
at their roles in the OT:
In the late Neo-Assyrian period they manifest as bull colossi flanking
the entrance to palace gates, and are called 'Lammasu' in Akkadian.
They manifested as sphinxes in Egypt and many of the cultures in
ancient Palestine (particularly prominent in the area of modern Syria
and the Northern Kingdom of Israel). It is uncertain whether they
originated in Egypt or Assyro-Babylonia, but I believe the
archaeological evidence we currently have from Egypt is earlier.
These creatures crept into the OT as Cherubum, winged guardians of
YWHW.
http://www.biblegateway.comcgi-binbible?
==
The brain weaves a map of the world. The map is not the territory
==
A man is born of a virgin, the birth is unique in the annals of history, and
yet no one mentions it for more than 70 years. Furthermore, the letters of Paul
make no mention of it, and the first gospel (Mark) makes no mention of it.
The two accounts that do mention it contain contradictory accounts of what
happened after he was born, one creating a laughable fable of a Roman census to
return Jesus to Bethlehem to fulfill Michah 5:2, and one contains outright
copying of the Moses tale in its account of the endangered baby.
==
The delusional person takes his world view and then warps all inputs
about the real-world to fit the worldview no matter how bizarre.
==
the worst example I've ever seen of Benny Hinn's medical recklessness was on
one of his shows that featured clips from a healing service in Worcester,
Massachusetts. The parents of a girl about 10 years of age with diabetes went
through the usual rigmarole on stage and then tearfully declared
that the kid was healed of the diabetes.
==
How many letters are there in the Torah? 304,805
letters (or approximately 79,000 words).
==
Why does the Pope ride around in his bullet proof Pope mobile? Is he
afraid to die and go to heaven?
==
Christians that does not celebrate Christmas?
Jehovah's Witnesses do not. They don't celebrate any holiday that is not
mentioned specifically in the Bible. The Puritans were not fond of Christmas
either. They even made it a crime to sing Christmas carols, hold Christmas
church services, bake mince pies, or have a Christmas tree. In fact, Christians
did not celebrate Christmas for at least 200 years after the blessed event. The
Church at one time said that celebrating the birth of Christ as if he were a
pharaoh was sinful.
==
Many diseases are directly caused by demons while the rest can
be traced back to sin in the Garden of Eden. Christian version of medicine.
==
There are no gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, really.
There are stories written by anonymous authors which were attributed
decades later for political reasons. And there are more stories than
these.
==
The Apocrypha is a set of books or parts of books that are found
in some Bibles, but not others. Part of these are considered to
be part of the Catholic Bible, and some aren't. The set of books
that are in the Apocrypha/Dueterocanonical books are not
universally agreed on, but the Roman Catholic definition is the
one most widely held. These books contain some additions to
Esther and Daniel, as well as some interesting history books.
They are found in the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Old
Testament, but not in any existing Hebrew manuscripts.
The Apocrypha may be arranged in the traditional Catholic order,
interspersed through the Old Testament, or in a separate section
between the Old and New Testaments (like Martin Luther first did
in his Bible translation into German). The Luther order is the
more popular one for ecumenical works, now, because it is more
acceptable to more people.
The Apocrypha contains helpful additional history that helps you
to understand the Old and New Testaments, even for those who
don't regard the Apocrypha to be of the same level of
inspiration as the 66 books of the Bible that all Christians
consider to be inspired by God. There are also some wisdom books
that contain some practical advice that is at least as good as
what you may find in the works of contemporary Christian and
Jewish authors. Churches vary in their position on the
Apocrypha. Some say it is good to read, but not to build
doctrine on. Some build doctrine on it. Some avoid it. Most seem
to avoid the issue.
==
Greek Lexicon.
http://www.biblestudytools.netLexiconsGreek

Thayer and Smith. Greek Lexicon entry for Apollumi. The New Testament
Greek Lexicon.
http://www.searchgodsword.orglexgrk
==

Joanne H. Meehl's The Recovering Catholic,

James Pritchard's Near Eastern Texts Related to the Bible

History of the Christian Church, Williston Walker

'Neuropsychological Bases of God
Beliefs, Michael A. Persinger, Ph.D. Praeger Publishers, NY, NY, 1987'.
==
1600 years ago, when Augustine of Hippo was systematizing his theology, he
broached the idea of sola scripture with other leaders of the Church. They
quietly pointed out to him that the collection is too easy to interpret in
self-contradictory fashion to give it that kind of prominence over the bishops
in council.
==
http://ebible.orgbible - Lots of links
http://ebible.orgbibleweb - World English Bible
http://www.bf.org - lots of links
http://www.cdrom.compubbible - lots of downloads
http://netbible.org - NET Bible
http://www.gospelcom.netbible - Read and search several Bibles
==
Christianity has sided with all that is weak and base, with all
failures; it has made an ideal of what contradicts the instinct of the
strong life to preserve itself; it has corrupted the reason even of
those strongest in spirit...it has in fear of them bred the opposite
type - the domestic animal, the herd animal, the sick human animal -
the Christian. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - Beyond Good and Evil
(Great Books in Philosophy) - 1966
==
I've got a little list--I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground,
And who never would be missed.
Gilbert and Sullivan : The Mikado
and Jerry Falwell
==
I would not for my life destroy one star of human hope, but I want it
so that when a poor woman rocks the cradle and sings a lullaby to the
dimpled darling, she will not be compelled to believe that ninety-nine
chances in a hundred she is raising kindling wood for hell.
Robert Green Ingersoll, How To Be Saved (1880)
==
U.S. Supreme Court decision in STONE v. GRAHAM (1980) struck down
a Kentucky statute ordering the posting of the Commandments in the state's
public school classrooms.
==
Exodus 21:23-24
If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth
for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound,
stripe for stripe.
==
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that Christ was
born on April 6. The recorded revelation can be found in Doctrine and
Covenants.
==
'the Christ' (Gk Christos == Hb Mashia == anointed,
the royal pretender to the throne of Israel) which is practically
identical with that of the 4th century Arius, who was declared a
'heretic' at the ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325 CE). They reject
the non-scriptural doctrine of the Trinity, formulated at Nicaea
for the creation of the Constantine Universal Church and consider the
Christ to have been a created being.
The JWs are insistent that their beliefs are entirely different from
those of the various Catholic and Protestant Churches, which they 'refer'
to as 'Christendom' and which they view as a conspiracy to defraud men
and to sell out the Christian hope in favor of worldly expectations.
Enc.Brit.)
==
1 Tim 2:11-15 - Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. I permit
no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent.
For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the
woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through
childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and holiness, with
modesty.
1 Tim 3:8-13 - Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not
indulging in much wine, not greedy for money; they must hold fast to the
mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
==
In 525 Pope John I commissioned the
scholar Dionysius Exiguus to establish a feast calendar for the Church..
Dionysius also estimated the year of Christ's birth based upon the
founding of the city of Rome. Unfortunately because of insufficient
historical data he arrived at a date at least a few years later than the
actual event.
The Gospels record Jesus' birth as occurring during the reign of Herod the
Great. Herod's death is recorded by Jewish historian Flavius Josephus
(Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus, Book 17, Chpt. 8) and occurred in the
spring of 4 B.C. (New Testament History, F.F. Bruce, Anchor Books, p.23).
Therefore, Christ's birth had to take place at least four years before the
traditional date! Not until the year 336 do we find the first
mention of a celebration of His birth.
The Roman
Catholic writer Mario Righetti candidly admits that, to facilitate the
acceptance of the faith by the pagan masses, the Church of Rome found it
convenient to institute the 25th of December as the feast of the birth of
Christ to divert them from the pagan feast, celebrated on the same day in
honor of the 'Invincible Sun' Mithras, the conqueror of darkness (Manual
of Liturgical History, 1955, Vol. 2, p. 67).
==
A study of 150 Greek [manuscripts] of the Gospel of Luke has revealed more
than 30,000 different readings... It is safe to say that there is not any
sentence in the New Testament in which the [manuscript] is wholly uniform.
Other scholars report there are some 200,000 variants in the existing
manuscripts of the New Testament, representing about 400 variant readings
which cause doubt about textual meaning; 50 of these are of great significance.
==
My Encyclopedia of Gods lists 2500 gods. On every single page except page 12,
a Muslim and I would be in perfect agreement that none of these deities exist.
We would probably agree that they are the inventions of the societies that
worship them. but on page 12, we'd disagree and he'd insist that this one is
for real. were I debating a Christian, I'd have to wait until page 341 to
hear such a claim being made.
==
As for the Alexandrian Texts, they are not many, but only two texts.
The Vaticanus: Found in the Vatican Library, in 1481, Omits Genesis 1:1 through
Genesis 46:28; Psalms 106 through 138; Matthew 16:2-3; the Pauline Pastoral
Epistles, Hebrews 9:14 through 13:35 and the whole book of Revelation.
The Vaticanus does contain the
Apocrypha. The Sinaiticus: Now to the Sinaiticus. This manuscript from which
the NIV, NASB, PHILLIPS, and every other modern version you can think of
besides the King James and New King James Bible, was found in St. Catherine's
Monastery near Mt. Sinai in 1844 by Tischendorf. It was in a trash pile and
was being used to light the fireplace. It contained nearly all the New
Testament plus the Shepherd of Hermes and the Epistle of... Wescott and
Hort promoted these texts
==
2 Kings 2:11 As they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and
horses of fire parted the two of them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into
heaven. First UFO?
==
And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose
for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether
the gods which your fathers served that were on the
other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites,
in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord. - Joshua 24:15
It sounds like many gods exist.
==
The U.S. Supreme Court has carefully reviewed the history behind the
First Amendment and repeatedly affirmed that the Establishment Clause
prohibits more than an establishment of a state religion. As the court
stated in Abington School District v. Schempp (1962), this Court has
rejected unequivocally the contention that the Establishment Clause
forbids only governmental preference of one religion over another.
The court pointed out in Everson v. Board of Education (1947) that, after
the Fourteenth Amendment made the First Amendment applicable to the
states, the Establishment Clause means that neither the federal government
nor a state can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or
prefer one religion over another. And in Board of Education of Kiryas
Joel Village School District v. Grumet (1994), the court said that
governments may not show a preference for religion to irreligious.
West Virginia v. Barnette was the 1943 case brought by Jehovah's Witnesses
against a school district which expelled their children for declining to
recite the Pledge of Allegiance, which is interpreted by the JW religion as
idolatry and hence prohibited. They established a constitutional right to
decline reciting the Pledge on command. They won on their constitutional
injury claim, despite no monetary award.
==
Deuteronomy 20:17 But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites,
and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the
Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. Tough love?
==
Mat24:37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of
man be.
Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into
the ark,
Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall
also the coming of the Son of man be. Jesus believed the Flood occurred.
==
1 Sa 15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee [to be]
king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of
the words of the LORD.
1 Sa 15:2Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember [that] which Amalek did to
Israel, how he laid [wait] for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
1 Sa 15:3Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have,
and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and
sheep, camel and ass. Kill Kill Kill


: DT 20:16 In the cities of the nations the Lord is giving you as an
inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes.

Ezekiel 9:6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids and little children.

Hos13:16 Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God:
they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and
their women with child shall be ripped up.

==
Psalm 51:5 says:
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived
me. NIV Sinful babies?

Behold, he was leprous in his forehead ...
because the LORD had smitten him. - 2 Chr.26:20
==
Is Lot Abraham's brother, or his nephew? Our English language makes strict
demarcations between the words brother and nephew. But in 14:12 the
translation nephew in our English Bibles is arrived at by noting that
Lot is called son-of-brother, the word for son ( ben ) being in the
construct state. In verses 14 and 16, however, Lot is referred to as ach ,
(spelled aleph-cheyth with the vowel under aleph being qamets,
==
Strong's number 430
'elohiym
gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus,
by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:--angels,
exceeding, God (gods)(-dess, -ly), (very) great, judges, mighty.
1. (plural)
a.) rulers, judges
b) divine ones
c) angels
d) gods
2. (plural intensive - singular meaning)
a) god, goddess
b) godlike one
c) works or special possessions of God
d) the (true) God
e) God
Strong's number 2316
theos
of uncertain affinity; *a* deity, especially (with 3588) the supreme
Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very:--exceeding, God,

Please note the following scriptures, all from the American Standard
For Jehovah your God, he is God of gods Deut 10:17
Oh give thanks unto the God of gods Psalms 136:2
And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself,
and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things
against the God of gods Daniel 11:36
==
Isaiah, starting at chapter 49
{49:1} Listen, islands, to me; and listen, you peoples, from far:
Yahweh has called me from the womb; from the bowels of my
mother has he made mention of my name:
==
Exd 7:10And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD
had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his
servants, and it became a serpent.
Exd 7:11Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the
magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
Exd 7:12For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but
Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
==
The oldest example of the New Testament is a fragment of John 18, dated around
125 A.D.
==
Jer 10:12-13 He has made the earth by His power, he has established the
world by His wisdom, and has stretched out the heavens at His discretion.
When He utters His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens:
And He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes
lightning for the rain, he brings the wind out of His treasuries.
God makes storms!!
==
In his book Churches That Abuse, Dr. Ronald Enroth carefully examines
several of these churches throughout the United States. He reveals the
cultic methods these groups use and points out several distinguishing
marks of abusive churches. At this point I will briefly introduce each of
these characteristics and some of my own. Later, Ill discuss all these
characteristics in detail. First, abusive churches have a control-oriented
style of leadership. Second, the leaders of such churches often use
manipulation to gain complete submission numerous requirements and minute
details for daily life. Fourth, these churches tend to change their names
often, especially once they are exposed by the media. Fifth, denouncing
other churches is common because they see themselves as superior to all
other churches. Sixth, these churches have a persecution complex and view
themselves as being persecuted by the world, the media, and other Christian
churches. Seventh, abusive churches specifically target young adults between
churches is the great difficulty members have in getting out of or leaving
these churches, a procegovernorss often
marked by social, psychological, or emotional pain. A central feature of an
abusive church is control-oriented leadership. The leader in an abusive
church is dogmatic, self- confident, arrogant, and the spiritual focal
point in the lives of his followers. The leader assumes he is more
spiritually in tune with God than anyone else. He claims insight into
Scripture that no one else has. Or, he may state that he receives personal
revelations from God. Because of such claims, the leaders position and
beliefs cannot be questioned; his statements are final. To members of this
type of church or group, questioning the leader is the equivalent of
questioning God. Although the leader may not come out and state this fact,
this attitude is clearly seen by the treatment of those who dare to
question or challenge the leader. The leader of the movement often makes
personal decisions for his followers. Individual thinking is prohibited;
thus the followers become dependent on the leader. In the hierarchy of such
a church, the leader is, or tends to be, accountable to no one. Even if
there is an elder board, it is usually made up of men who are loyal to,
and will never disagree with, the leader. This style of leadership is not
one endorsed in the Bible. According to Scripture all believers have equal
access to God and are equal before Him because we are made in His image,
and we are all under the authority of
the Word of God. In 1 Thessalonians 5:21 believers are directed to measure
all teachings against the Word of God. Acts 17:11 states that even the
Apostle Paul was under the authority of the Bible, and the Bereans were
commended because they tested Pauls teachings with the Scriptures. Leaders
and laity alike are to live according to Scripture.
==
Leviathan
Job 41:19Out of his mouth go burning lamps, [and] sparks of fire leap out.
Job 41:20Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as [out] of a seething pot or
caldron.
Job 41:21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.
==
Apart from other earlier variant text, there are two different texts of
the Qur'an currently in print, named after their respective 2nd-century
transmitters Hafs (from Kufa) and Warsh (from Medina).
==
Christian morality (so called) has all the characters of a reaction;...
Its ideal is negative rather than positive; passive rather than active;
Innocence rather than Nobleness; Abstinence from Evil, rather than
energetic Pursuit of Good...It holds out the hope of heaven and the
threat of hell, as the appointed and appropriate motives to a virtuous
life: in this falling far below the best of the ancients, and doing what
lies in it to give to human morality an essentially selfish character...
It essentially the doctrine of passive obedience; it inculcates submission
to all authorities found established.
[John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, 1859]
==
kjv cockatrice : ISA 11:8, ISA 14:29, ISA 59:5, JER 8:17
==
2 Ch 15:13 That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be
put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
==
Trying to say what THE teachings of Jesus were is thus impossible, all you
have are four differing versions that cannot easily be reconciled. And you
have the differing and contradictory claims of Paul to boot. That is why
there are so many sects, Christian denominations and cults.
==
The [First] Amendment's purpose was not to strike merely at the official
establishment of a single sect, creed, or religion, outlawing only a formal
relation such as had prevailed in England and some of the colonies.
Necessarily, it was to uproot all such relationships. But the object was
broader than separating church and state in this narrow sense.
It was to create a complete and permanent separation of the
spheres of religious activity and civil authority by comprehensively
forbidding every from of public support for religion.
Justice Wiley Rutledge in dissent in Everson v. Board of Education
of Ewing TP., 330 U.S. 1 (1947) at 31,32
The 'establishment of religion' clause of the First Amendment
means at least this: Neither a state nor the Federal Government
can set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one
religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over
another. Neither can force nor influence a person to go to or
to remain away from church against his will or force him to
profess a belief or disbelief in any religion. No person can be
punished for entertaining or professing religious beliefs or
disbeliefs, for church attendance or non-attendance. No tax in
any amount, large or small, can be levied to support any
religious activities or institutions, whatever they may be
called, or whatever form they may adopt to teach or practice
religion. Neither a state nor the Federal Government can,
openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious
organizations or groups and vice versa. In the words of
Jefferson, the clause against establishment of religion by law
was intended to erect 'a wall of separation between Church and
State' Reynolds v. United States (98 U.S. 145).
-- Justice Hugo Black
Opinion for the Court in Everson v. Board
==
When a Religion is good, I conceive it
will support itself; and when it does
not support itself, and God does not
take care to support it so that its
Professors are obliged to call for help
of the Civil Power, it is a sign, I
apprehend, of its being a bad one.
-- Benjamin Franklin, in a letter
to Richard Price, 9 October 1780.
==
Deu 25:11 If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue
her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his
private parts, 4(NIV)
Deu25:12 you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (NIV)
==
Thomas Aquinas
believed that boys got their soul only 40 days after conception
(90 days for girls) : http://www.linacre.orgatheol.html
==
Psalms 111
5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his
wrath.
6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places
with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
==
Hundreds of years before, the Canaanites of Ugarit already named that deity
YHWHYAHU as one of the sons of the chief father god EL!
==
Archaeological evidence indicates that the ancient city of Jericho collapsed
over long period of time, not due to one raid as told in the Bible. (Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of Israel)
==
In a survey of the National Academy of Sciences (the brightest of the
bright so to speak) a full 95% of the members are atheist.
==
WHY WAS IT SO OFTEN BURNED?: Why is the Talmud kept so
unknown to non-Jews? Why was there no usable English
translation of the Talmud until the Soncino Edition,
1934-48? Why, in European history, when the laws of the
Talmud became commonly known, was it burned over and over by
order of the Popes, excoriated by Martin Luther, denounced
everywhere, and its followers exiled form one country after
another down through the centuries?
THE TALMUD'S BASIC LAW IS THAT ONLY THE PHARISEE JEW RANKS
AS A MAN, OR HUMAN BEING. ALL OTHERS RANK AS ANIMALS, 'the
people who are like an ass - slaves who are considered the
property of the master.' The attitude resulting from such
teachings has been resented by non-Jews in all countries and
centuries. Such resentment, however, is always portrayed by
Jews a 'persecution of the Jews.
==
John 13:34-35 has Jesus
commanding his disciples to love one another. It is also unclear whether we
are saved through works (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:20-28 and Galatians 2:16)
or not (James 2:24 and Matthew 19:16-21) and whether the testimony of Jesus
(or any man) is reliable:
In John 5:31 he says If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true but
in 8:41 he says Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true.
Note that the word witness and record were the same in the original Greek.
In Job 2:3 through 2:7, God allows Satan to strike Job with painful boils from
head to toe, and Exodus 4:11 has God admit he is the cause of various
illnesses, yet in Lamentations 3:33, God appears to not cause grief or
affliction, and Proverbs 12:21 tells us how no evil can happen to the
righteous. Genesis 6:6 tells us God does repent. Numbers 23:19 tells us he does
not. 1 Samuel 15:11 and 15:35 tell us he does.
==
The whole religious complexion of the modern world is due to the absence
from Jerusalem of a lunatic asylum. [Havelock Ellis (1859-1939)
English scientist and writer]
==
Baal , plural Baalim [bA'ulim] [Semitic,=master, lord], name
used throughout the Bible for the chief deity or for deities
of Canaan. The term was originally an epithet applied to the
storm god Hadad. Technically, Baal was subordinate to El. Baal
is attested in the Ebla texts (first half of 2d millennium B.C.).
By the time of the Ugarit tablets (14th cent. B.C.), Baal had
become the ruler of the universe. The Ugarit tablets make him
chief of the Canaanite pantheon. He is the source of life and
fertility, the mightiest hero, the lord of war, and the
defeater of the god Yam. There were many temples of Baal in
Canaan, and the name Baal was often added to that of a
locality, e.g., Baal-peor, Baal-hazor, Baal-hermon. The Baal
cult penetrated Israel and at times led to syncretism. In the
Psalms, Yahweh is depicted as Baal and his dwelling is on Mt.
Zaphon (Zion), the locale of Baal in Canaanite mythology. The
practice of sacred prostitution seems to have been associated
with the worship of Baal in Palestine and the cult was
vehemently denounced by the prophets, especially Hosea and
Jeremiah. The abhorrence in which the cult was held probably
explains the substitution of Ish-bosheth for Esh-baal, of
Jerubbesheth for Jerubbaal (a name of Gideon), and of
Mephibosheth for Merib-baal. The substituted term probably
means ?shame.? The same abhorrence is evident the use of the
pejorative name Baal-zebub (see also Satan). The Baal of
1 Chronicles is probably the same as Ramah 2. As cognates of
Baal in other Semitic languages there are Bel (in
Babylonian religion) and the last elements in the Tyrian names
Jezebel, Hasdrubal, and Hannibal.
==
Numbers 11, verses 32 , 33 32: And the people stood up all that day, and all
that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that
gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for
themselves round about the camp.
33: And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed,
the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote
the people with a very great plague
==
Gen. 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,
and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the
firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were
the second day.
==
High rates of infant mortality. The plague. Crops and livestock
wiped out overnight. How could a world created by a watchful,
benevolent and engaged God be such a mess? The answer, according
to 15th century Christian theologians, was
witches. Their belief in witches -- and their ability to persuade
society in general that witches existed -- took God off the hook for
all the bad things that happened to good people. Stories of alleged
witches' gruesome acts comforted people whose faith in God was
challenged by the evil in the world, according to Walter Stephens,
the Charles S. Singleton Professor of Italian Studies at The Johns
Hopkins University.
About 80 percent of those prosecuted, and a comparable proportion
of those executed, were female. It appears that some of the people
executed -- male and female -- were as young as 8.
Very late witchcraft theologists proclaimed that there can be no
proof that God exists without proof that the devil exists (Nullus
deus sine diablo). Why? Because if God is all good and powerful,
then there is no excuse for evil in the world. Christians in other
times have come up with sophisticated answers to this puzzle, so
that they don't need the devil and his accomplices to let God off
the hook. But the world of the 15th century was an absolute
nightmare in many respects, and the 14th century was, in general,
even worse, particularly after the outbreak of the plague in 1347.
The theologians needed to explain that devils were the origin of
all society's evils, so they needed authoritative witnesses that
devils were real. The best witnesses are always accomplices. So
far, so good. But how do you know that someone who says demons are
real is telling the truth? You get them to confess having had
orgiastic sex with their demonic accomplices. Sex with demons was
'carnal knowledge' of the reality of the spirit world. As the Hammer
of Witches proclaimed, The expert testimony of the witches themselves
has made all these things credible. An even earlier treatise claimed,
in essence, that you can't have sex with something imaginary; another
went into great detail to claim that you can't have sex while asleep
and dreaming. Women were the ideal lovers of demons in these theologians'
view because women were thought of as sexually passive, the objects of
actions performed by men. But there were theologians who even imagined
sex between men and succubi, or 'female' devils -- and then, often, put
those men to death for confessing it. The crime was presented as
something abominable to be wiped out, but it was also the best possible
proof that demons were real, and thus that God was not responsible for
the shambles of this world.
How many people were tried and killed as witches?
Somewhere between 30,000 and 60,000; historians are currently tending
toward the figure 50,000 in 300 years.
Stephens, author of Witchcraft: Sex, Demons and the Crisis of Belief
==
The Bible says trees appeared on earth before fish.
They did not. It says the world was covered by a flood. It wasn't. It
says you can cause animals to produce spotted offspring by showing
them spots as they breed. You can't.
==
In the Flood, consider that all 8
elephants need to be fed at least 80 Kg of fodder daily, for a period
of a whole year. The 12 rhino's ate about as much. Gnu's and
Wildebeest have a healthy appetite and an excellent digestive system.
==
..it is high time that scholars of all godly religions united to confront
the forces of immorality in the present day under various names such as
secularism, human rights, freedom of speech. [Tehran's Kayhan
International newspaper urging cooperation with the Vatican in
opposing the U.N. population control document]
==
St. Augustine found lying among the clergy so prevalent that he wrote two
books (De Mendacio in 395 A.D. and Contra Mendacium in 420 A.D.), urging that
it stop. [Gordon Stein, _A Second Anthology of Atheism and Rationalism_,p. 65]

Women should not be enlightened or educated in any way. They should,
in fact, be segregated as they are the cause of hideous and involuntary
erections in holy men. [St. Augustine]

The good Christian should beware of mathematicians and all those who make
empty prophecies. The danger already exists that mathematicians have made a
covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and confine man in the bonds of
Hell. [Saint Augustine]
==
Frazer's The Golden Bough is a very scholarly work on the history of
magic and superstition. The whole set is 12 volumes.

The Relationships Among the Gospels: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue,
.==
Jesus contradicts himself and tells us we must hate our fathers and mothers,
bothers and sisters, wife and children, and even our own lives to be a
disciple of Jesus.(Luke 14:26)
The word hate here in the Greek is miseo, hate, despise.
==
1Samuel 15:1-9
1And Samuel said to Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint you king over his
people Israel; now therefore hearken to the words of the LORD. 2Thus says
the LORD of hosts, 'I will punish what Am'alek did to Israel in opposing
them on the way, when they came up out of Egypt. 3Now go and smite Am'alek,
and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man
and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.'
==
The inerrant bible says, in various places, completely contradictory
requirements to be saved. These are, as you should know,
1. All you got to do to get saved is good works.
2. All you got to do to get saved is believe.
3. You can't do a damn thing to get saved. You are saved only if God
feels like it. It was decided long before you were born.
==
The Canaanite pantheon was headed by El, the creator god, whose wife was
Asherah.(http://www.xenos.orgclassespapersaneidola.htm)
There is one Ugaritic text which seems to indicate that among the inhabitants
of Ugarit, Yahweh was viewed as another son of El. KTU 1.1 IV 14 says:
sm . bny . yw . ilt The name of the son of god, Yahweh.a
This text seems to show that Yahweh was known at Ugarit,
though not as the Lord but as one of the many sons of El.
(http://www.theology.eduugarbib.htm)
Recall that the Hebrew literature also makes references to the SONS OF GOD.
In some Canaanite texts BAAL, originally a SON of EL, replaces
EL, just as YHWH replaces him in many Hebrew texts.
==
Every sensible man, every honest man, must hold the christian sect in horror.
'But what shall we substitute in its place?' you say. What? A ferocious animal
has sucked the blood of my relatives. I tell you to rid yourselves of this
beast and you ask me what you shall put in its place? - Voltaire
==
I stand for the separation of church and state, and the reason that I
stand for that is, the same reason I believe that our forefathers did.
It is not there to protect religion from the grasp of government, but
to protect our government from the grasp of religious fanaticism. I
may be atheist but that does not mean I don't go to church. I go to
church. The church I go to is the one that emancipated the slaves,
that gave women the right to vote, and gave us every freedom that we
hold dear. My church is the chapel of democracy.
==
Exod.12     [44] but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it
after you have circumcised him.

Lev.22 [11] but if a priest buys a slave as his property for money, the
slave may eat of it; and those that are born in his house may eat of his food.

Josh.9 [23] Now therefore you are cursed, and some of you shall always be
slaves, hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.

Eph.6 [5] Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters, with
fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ

Isa.14 [2] And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place,
and the house of Israel will possess them in the Lord¹s land as male and
female slaves; they will take captive those who were their captors, and
rule over those who oppressed them.

1Tim.6 [1] Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters
as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not
be defamed.

Leviticus 19:20,
And whosoever rape woman, that is a slave, married to a husband, and not at
all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not
be put to death, because she was not free.
Beat the victim!!!
==
Exo 21:17 And he that curseth his father, or his mother,
shall surely be put to death.
==
kjv Deuteronomy 7:1-2
Deu7:1 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest
to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and
the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and
the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;
(KJV)
Deu7:2 And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt
smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them,
nor shew mercy unto them:
==
http://home.utm.net/pan/einstein.html
My religion, said Einstein, is really the universe--in other words,
nature, which is our reflection of the universe. When asked if he believed
in God, Einstein answered I believe in Spinozas God who reveals himself in
the harmony of all that exists. Benedict Spinoza (1632-1677), the renowned
philosopher of pantheism, held that God and Nature are one in the same. I
am fascinated by Spinozas pantheism, but I admire even more his
contribution to modern thought because he... (dealt) with the soul and body
as one, not two separate things. Spinozas oneness of spirit and matter
reinforced Einsteins search for a single unifying force in Nature known as
the unified field theory.

I have never imputed to Nature a purpose or a goal, or anything that could
be under-stood as anthropomorphic. What I see in Nature is a magnificent
structure that we can comprehend only very imperfectly, and that must fill a
thinking person with a feeling of humility. This is a genuinely religious
feeling that has nothing to do with
mysticism.- 1954 or 1955; quoted in Dukas and Hoffman
_Albert Einstein the Human Side_, p. 39

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its
own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he
contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous
structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend
a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.
--Albert Einstein

To assume the existence of an unperceivable being ... does not facilitate
understanding the orderliness we find in the perceivable world.
- Letter to an Iowa student who asked, What is God? July, 1953; Einstein
Archive 59-085

I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has
a will of the type of which we are conscious in ourselves. An individual who
should survive his physical death is also beyond my comprehension,...;
such notions are for the fears or absurd egoism of feeble souls.- Albert
Einstein

A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education,
and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be
in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of
reward after death. [Albert Einstein, Religion and Science, New York Times
Magazine, 9 November

I don't try to imagine a God; it suffices to stand in awe of the structure
of the world insofar as it allows our inadequate senses to appreciate it.
- Letter to S. Flesch, April 16, 1954; Einstein Archive 30-1154

Arnold Lesikar has a good set of pages on Einstein and
religion.
Here are some short quotes, taken from those pages:
Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of
science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in
the laws of the Universe-a spirit vastly superior to that
of man.... In this way the pursuit of science leads to a
religious feeling of a special sort, which is indeed quite
different from the religiosity of someone more naive.
I have found no better expression than religious for
confidence in the rational nature of reality, insofar as
it is accessible to human reason. Whenever this feeling
is absent, science degenerates into uninspired empiricism.
I am a deeply religious nonbeliever.... This is a somewhat
new kind of religion.
I don't try to imagine a God; it suffices to stand in awe
of the structure of the world, insofar as it allows our
inadequate senses to appreciate it.
My religion consists of a humble admiration of the
illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the
slight details we are able to perceive With our frail
and feeble minds. That deeply emotional conviction of the
presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed
in the incomprehensible Universe, forms my idea of God.
No one quote completely captures Einstein's religious view; but
the above selection is a small start.
==
Christians, it is needless to say, utterly detest each other. They slander
each other constantly with the vilest forms of abuse and cannot come to
any sort of agreement in their teachings. Each sect brands its own,
fills the head of its own with deceitful nonsense, and makes perfect little
pigs of those it wins over to its side. - Celsus (2nd century C.E.)
==
Stories of virgin births were so commonplace that Justin Martyr appealed to
pagan myths in his apology addressed to Emperor Hadrian as proof that Jesus had
been born of a virgin
==
Rejected gospels were Shepherd of Hermas, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of
the Twelve, the Gospel of the Hebrews, the Acts of Andrew, etc.
Many of these have absolutely no contradictory teaching to the
now-canonical Scriptures, but were still rejected to be included in the canon.
The root of the problem is, how do we know what is the proper and correct word
of God and what is not. How did those who set the canon know what to include
and what to exclude?
==
In Christianity neither morality nor religion come into contact with
reality at any point. Nothing but imaginary causes ('God'', 'soul',
'ego', 'spirit', 'free will' -- or 'unfree will'): nothing but
imaginary effects ('sin', 'redemption', 'grace', 'punishment',
'forgiveness of sins'). -- Nietzsche
==
The gods can either take away evil from the world and will not, or,
being willing to do so, cannot; or they neither can nor will, or
lastly, they are both able and willing. If they have the will to
remove evil and cannot, then they are not omnipotent. If they can,
but will not, than they are not benevolent. If they are neither able
nor willing, then they are neither omnipotent nor benevolent. Lastly,
if they are both able and willing to annihilate evil, how does it exist?
..........Epicures, 300 B.C.
==
Matthew and Luke made up contradictory infant narrative tales.
Jesus is said to have appeared to his apostles in Jerusalem
where they were hiding and to have ascended immediately
there after (Mark), Matthew says the apostles were told
to go to Galilee, which they did, where they met Jesus,
Acts tells no, Jesus told his apostles to not leave Jerusalem,
and counter Mark, hung around 40 days, Luke contradicts them
all and says Jesus lead them out to Bethany and ascended to heaven.
==
Genesis 1
Birds and other animals created on fifth day
Man on the 6th day.
Genesis 2
Adam created first. Then anmimals and birds.
This is a gross contradiction.
=
In Numbers and Deuteronomy, a lot of numbers of tribes,
are given and totals, often the totals are wrong.
Numbers of the returning offspring of:
-- Adin
454: Ezra 2:15
655: Neh. 7:20
-- Adonikam
666: Ezra 2:13
667: Neh. 7:18
-- Arah
775: Ezra 2:5
652: Neh. 7:10
-- Asaph
128: Ezra 2:41
148: Neh. 7:44
-- Azgad
1222: Ezra 2:12
2322: Neh. 7:17
-- Bani
642: Ezra 2:10
648: Neh. 7:15
-- Bebai
623: Ezra 2:15
628: Neh. 7:20
-- Behlehem & Netophah
179: Ezra 2:21-22
188: Neh. 7:23
-- Bezai
323: Ezra 2:17
324: Neh. 7:23
-- Bigvai
2056: Ezra 2:14
2067: Neh. 7:19
-- Delaiah, Tobiah, & Nekoda
652: Ezra 2:60
642: Neh. 7:62
-- Lod, Hadid, & Ono
725: Ezra 2:33
721: Neh. 7:37
-- Pahathmoab, Jeshua, & Joab
2812: Ezra 2:6
2818: Neh. 7:11
-- The Porters
139: Ezra 2:42
138: Neh. 7:45
-- Senaah
3630: Ezra 2:35
3930: Neh. 7:38
-- Zattu
945: Ezra 2:8
845: Neh. 7:13

The numbers for how long Israel was in Egypt til the
building of the temple by Solomon are beset by numerical impossibilities.
==
There is no Satan, proper noun, in the OT.. It is a transliteration. That
means it started off as a mere word (adversary) and over time, translators who
were biased toward the concept of a 'devil' changed it from the satan to
Satan in order to make it seem as if the 'devil' was written of in the OT.
To reinforce this truth, just look in any good translation and see for
yourself.
==
When Anselm wrote the Monologian in 1077, he argued from two basic premises:
1)things have different degrees of perfection; and
2) what relative perfection things have in common is derived from an absolute
perfection--God. For the first premise, Anselm contended that, as we look
around us, it is self-evident things are unequal in perfection. Man is mentally
To Anselm, this unequal cognitive perfection presupposed the existence of a
being that is absolutely perfect, from which all other things derive
comparative perfection.
Yet all things share a common perfection, Anselm added--being, or a thing's
existence. Furthermore, every example of existence has a cause, which raises
the question: Is being derived from a single cause, or several causes? Anselm
offered three possible answers: 1) things exist by themselves, without cause;
2) things cause each other to exist, with no first cause; 3) all things exist
from a single cause. He rejected the first two hypotheses and affirmed the
last--everything exists from a single cause, a cause that exists by itself.
That single cause is God.
The problem is, archaeology has given us much hard objective evidence, and that
proves the OT is not history. There was no Egyptian captivity, no Exodus,
no military conquest of Canaan, no Moses on the mount communing with god, no
golden calf.
All of this is faux history invented as a prop to make
claims that the Israelites were the chosen people of God.
==
Please tell me where I can find one of those mustard trees mentioned in
Matthew 13:32? No horticulturist I know has ever seen a
mustard tree nor is there any evidence that they ever existed.
==
THE HUXLEY FILE of Huxley's Collected Essays.
C. Blinderman & D. Joyce Clark University

_Atheism: A Reader_, edited by S.T. Josh. It's a collection of
excellent essays regarding atheismagnosticism.

Also, Terry Practchett's _Small Gods_

Wittgenstein Tractatus On Certainty

A Guide To The Ancient World, Michael Grant, ISBN 0-8242-0742-4

The Bible Unearthed :
Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts
by Israel Finkelstein, Neil Asher Silberman

Anderson, A Critical Introduction to the Old Testament

Jacobs, The Jewish Religion: A Companion

Parmalee, A Guidebook to the Bible

Davidson & Leaney, Biblical Criticism

Fox, The Unauthorized Version

Stiebing, Out of the Desert

Johann Most, The God Pestilence

Gospel Fictions by Randel Helms?

Paul Tillich, 'Dynamics of Faith'

James Barr 'Fundamentalism'

Marcus Borg Reading the Bible again for the first time - Taking the Bible
Seriously but not Literally

Biblical Archaeology Review.

a good book to start with is:
Out of the Desert - Archeology and the ExodusConquest
Narratives - By William H. Steibing Jr.
Prometheus books 1989 ISBN 0-87975-505-9

Dever What Did the Biblical Writers Know- And When did they Know It?
==
Objective evidence shows us that Israel was typically
Canaanite, including its language and culture, not
what you'd expect from a nation that started with 70
illiterate herdsman and had grown to 2.5 million
people over 439 years in Egypt. There are not the
Egyptianisms you'd expect to find in iron age Israel
if that tall tale of the OT was true.

The Bible Unearthed by Finkelstein and Silberman. It lacks some of the
general information about the ancient middle east that Thompson's book has but
it is fairly complete regarding the archeology that specifically relates to
biblical accounts.
The origins and evolution of the Hebrew canon:
People of the Book: Canon,
Meaning, and Authority by Moshe Halbertal
Scribes and Schools, the Canonization of the Hebrew Scriptures
by Philip R. Davies.
==
I Samuel 6:19 . . . and the people lamented because the Lord had smitten many
of the people with a great slaughter.

I Kings 22:23 The Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy
prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee.
==
W.T. Grant claimed that he could cure people.
He would ask people in wheelchairs to get out of the wheelchair, and
then he'd push the wheelchair away and he'd scream, They're healed!
What we found was he carried about 100 wheelchairs with him and, if
somebody would come in who was hobbling a bit, they'd put him in a
wheelchair and put them up front. They could walk and he would
proclaim a miracle. We did the same thing at the Brooklyn Academy of
Music. We followed people out afterward. One man said, I had a bum
leg and they made me sit down. I was glad to. We said, How do you
feel now? He said, It ain't no better.
==
Disharmony of the Gospels:
MatthewLuke
J. born during Herod's reign, vs J. born after Herod is long dead
Wise men Shepherds
J. lived in Egypt for years vs visited temple each year in Jerusalem
==
The gospels are generally considered later than the Pauline epistles. When
1st Timothy was written, there were no gospels floating around. The gospels
aren't even mentioned in writing until the 2nd century CE.
==
cult n. a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious;
also : its body of adherents
Thus every cult (a religion is a societally-approved cult) relies on breaking
down the psyche of it's members so that it (the psyche) may be rebuilt to said
cult's specifications. Take away one's feelings of self-worth, and replace
them with a dedication to the cult. People with high self-esteem are, by virtue
of their state of mind, not easy to lead, and have a tendency to question any
would-be authority. That is surely a sin, according to Christians.
==
On the inner walls of the holy of holies in the Temple of Luxor inscribed
by King Amenhotep III (1538-1501 B.C.) the birth of Horus is pictured in four
scenes very much like Christian representations of the Annunciation and the
Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, and the Birth and Adoration of the
Christ Child. These four consecutive scenes, as engraved on the walls of the
Temple of Luxor, are reproduced in Gerald Massey's Ancient Egypt: The Light
of the World Vol. II (London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1907) page 757,
==
Angel list
Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities,
Archangels, Angels
==
One cannot be a follower of Christianity without having endless faith in the
unknown men who wrote the Bible. Christians always operate under the illusion
that they have faith in God but what they really have is faith in the Bible,
which is written by unknown men, thus the faith Christians have is actually
faith that the authors of the Bible were accurately reporting history.
==
Have you ever read Joseph Campbell's *The Hero with a Thousand Faces,
which shows that the miraculously born child, who was perceived as a threat
to the king and later killed and resurrected, is a tale that was circulated,
with variations, throughout the pagan world long before Christianity came
along?
==
In the book of Ezekiel 4:12-15, God tells Ezekiel that he must cook his food
over human feces. Ezekiel petitions God by saying he has never defiled himself
by eating anything unclean. Therefore, God, the unchanging deity that he is,
changed his mind and allowed Ezekiel to cook his food over cow excrement
instead.
==
Consider the Works of Philo, Publisher's Preface, Philo affords unique
perspectives that not even Josephus permits and that his writings contain a
treasury of insights into aspects of the New Testament world... Philo is also
noteworthy for understanding the early church and the writings
of the New Testament, especially those of Paul, John and Hebrews.
Philo family was well connected in Jeruslem. His brother used his money to
plate the gates of the temple in Jerusalem and even made a loan to Herod
Agrippa I.
David M. Scholer wrote the Foreword of The Works of Philo
The 20 odd other historians of the 1st century
missed Jesus and the events of the NT
It is about 40 of his works,it's almost 900 pages long(897), the
translator is C. D. Yonge. It's one on the better books on Philo's works.
You can get it from Amazon.com, ISBN 0-943575-93-1 The Works of Philo
==
The oldest Greek texts is called the Alexandrian text, which consists of
Vaticanus and Sinaiticus.
==
Following the outbreak of persecution of Christians in Jerusalem, and
after the death of Stephen the martyr, many disciples fled to Antioch
(Acts 11:19) where great numbers believed. After his conversion to
Christianity, Paul taught the church in Antioch for a whole year and
it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians
(Acts 11:25-26).
Paul made his missionary base in Antioch and it was from Antioch that
Paul made his missionary tours to establish churches in Galatia,
Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, Ephesus, and other cities and towns
throughout Asia Minor and Greece. History records that it was to
Antioch (not Jerusalem or Rome) that these Greek speaking churches
naturally gravitated. No wonder Antioch was called the Mother of all
the Gentile churches.
Not surprisingly, with the desolation of Jerusalem by Titus, son of
the Roman emperor Vespasian, in AD 70, it was Antioch which became the
natural successor as the world center of Christianity.
According to the church historian Eusebius, the apostle John was an
elder in the church at Ephesus, Asia Minor, and John was personally
involved in collecting and forming the writings of the New Testament.
It can be safely said that the original hand written autographs of
John, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 & 2
Peter, 1 & 2 & 3 John, and the Revelation were held in Asia Minor and Greece.
The Christians who fled Jerusalem before its desolation took their
precious manuscripts with them. Scholars estimate that at least
twenty, and possibly as many as twenty-four, of the original
autographs of the twenty-seven New Testament books were held in the
region of Asia Minor and Greece.
That the church jealously guarded over these writings is easily
confirmed. For example Irenaeus (AD 140 - 202, who had moved out from
Asia Minor to Lyons, France, by AD 177) records that a disputed
reading of Revelation 13:18 had been settled by examining all the
most approved and ancient copies and by consulting men who had
personally spoken about the disputed reading with the apostle John in
Ephesus. Likewise Tertullian (about AD 208) is on record challenging
heretics to examine the original writings of the apostles and
specifically states that they were still available for examination in
such places as Corinth, Philippi, Thessalonica, and Ephesus, etc.
With the need for accurate copies of the New Testament to be made, and
with the advent of the Christian school of Antioch (and affiliated
scriptoria), the early Greek speaking church went to great lengths to
ensure that reliable copies of the original autographs were made. The
New Testament of the Greek speaking churches, in the eastern portion
of the Roman Empire, was known as the Greek Vulgate.
The eastern Greek speaking portion of the Roman Empire later became
known as the Byzantine Empire (AD 330 - 1453). Its political capital
was the ancient city of Byzantium (renamed Constantinople; now
Istanbul, Turkey). For this reason, the traditional New Testament
text of the Greek speaking churches is often referred to by scholars
as the Byzantine text.
The eastern Greek speaking churches were often at loggerheads with the
Church of Rome and were finally alienated from the Latin speaking West
by a formal schism (AD 1054) between the Greek Orthodox Church and the
Roman Catholic Church. In the east, the Greek churches preserved the
Byzantine text, the traditional text of the Greek speaking churches.
In the west, the Roman Catholic Latin speaking churches had the Latin
Vulgate compiled by Jerome (AD 345 - 419).
In 1453, the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople (Byzantium),
bringing the Byzantine Empire to an end. Greek Orthodox Christians
fled to western Europe, some of them bringing their Greek New
Testament manuscripts with them. Interestingly, these events
coincided with the invention of the printing press by Johann
Gutenberg, of the German city of Mainz. In 1516 a Dutch Roman
Catholic priest, named Desiderius Erasmus, printed his first edition
of the Greek New Testament, based on a handful of Byzantine
manuscripts, alongside a new Latin translation.
It was not long before sharp-eyed scholars noticed that the text of
the printed Greek New Testament of Erasmus, and his Latin translation,
were substantially different from the text of the Roman Catholic
Bible, the Latin Vulgate.
==
Examine the conflict in Matthew's account, which says that the centurion came
to Jesus, whereas Luke's account says that he sent elders of the Jews to Jesus?
==
It seems to me that religion like much else is just people trying to
revert back to their childhood when everything was black and white and
easy to understand, where your parents told you what to do and how to
behave, when you could be with your friends be a part of a community
and be safe under supervision by your parents. Guess what... some
people grow up. If you try to get a point across to Bible worshipers, all you
get is Well, the Bible
says... as if they have no opinion or no brain to draw their own
conclusions with. Anyone can quote the Bible but not everyone can draw
their own conclusions based on their own experience and logical
deductions. And why would they bother to start thinking for themselves
when it all comes prechewed? What if they were to give you a personal
statement they could be held accountable for in the future? What would
they do if they made a statement or did something they themselves were
solely responsible for and would have to take the consequences of?
Haven't we seen enough examples of what happens when the Bible comes
first and common sense second? How many people have died of poisoning
because it says somewhere in there something like Thou shalt pick up
serpents.... The Bible should have a warning in big letters on the
cover: Must not be read literally or by immature or irresponsible
people without common sense or they may end up dead.
==
The Bible says that no more than 391 years had passed since a flood had
destroyed all the people on earth save 8 on a wooden boat --- but here we have
a country with a history that looms back 2000 years when Abraham shows up.
Moreover, a country with an estimated population - based on ancient
dwellings, irrigation works etc., of around 4 million people. Two million on
the upper Nile, two million on the lower Nile.
By the time Canaan was populated, at that same time (artifacts and trade and
such) Mesopotamia was also populated, as were Minoan Crete, Greece, Etruscan
Italy (maybe not by Etruscans yet, but people were there). And then there's
Asia, India (the Indus valley has a history nearly as long as Egypt) China,
the Picts running around in England.
The Abos in Australia were around too.
==
There are thousands of variations from the Masoretic in the Isaiah
scroll. The Qumran scrolls have shown that two versions of the book of
Jeremiah were circulating at that time, one of which matched the Septuagint
version that was about 15% shorter than the Masoretic and was organized
differently. The Qumran scrolls, among other things, have also shown
variations in the books of Samuel and the Pentateuch.
==
When one is irrational when facing facts about religion, when one supposedly
uses that religion as the basis for one's morality, it opens the door
to immorality that cannot be reasoned with. Unreason breeds monsters.
==
The highest levels of the Celestial Kingdom are reserved for Mormon
couples who have been married in a Mormon temple and thus have had their
marriage sealed for eternity. The couples can eventually become a God
and Goddess.
http://www.religioustolerance.orglds_beli.htm
==
The baby of an infidel can be killed at any time by God(or his servants) and
this is perfectly moral and acceptable because these babies would have grown
up evil like their parents.
Killing and ethnic cleansing are acceptable as long as the killing is
done based on a particular God's definition of a sinner.
So when God kills babies who without fail would have grown up to be
sinners, God demonstrates to the world that he is all good.
The people of the world get glory when God exterminates babies because
by killing evil babies God shows that he is the source of all good.
God makes an example out of these evil babies to show the world that
he is all good and wants the world to get the credit for his glory.
God doesn't really do this for himself but for the good of the world.
I Sam 15, Num 31, Joshua, Ps 137.
==
(Matthew 5:22), Jesus says that calling someone a fool makes the speaker
to be in danger of going to hell so does that mean both Paul (1st
Corinthians 15:35) and Jesus (Luke 24:25) are in danger of going to hell?
==
The first time the gospels are named is about 170 CE and you can not name one
church father that quoted from them in the 1st century.
==
The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel On the Pentateuch
With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee
By J. W. Etheridge, M.A. First Published 1862
==
In the Roman empire of third century AD, stabularia, or barmaids, were little
above prostitutes in social status. Roman soldiers might seek a night's
comfort, a mistress, or a frontier wife from among the stabularia ranks
Helena (c. AD 250-c. 330) was a pretty stabularia, and her young customer,
Constantius Chlorus, was a pale-skinned Roman general who fell deeply in love
with her and took her as his mistress.
He is associated with establishing Christianity as the dominant Western
religion. Following her death circa AD 330, the pretty barmaid became
St. Helena, the Greek Orthodox Church's most honored saint.
Constantius and Helena spent 19 years together and produced a son, Constantine.
Constantius was forced by his patron, the Emperor Maximanius, to forsake Helena
and their new son and marry the emperor's stepdaughter, Theodora. Constantine
was sent away to be raised, leaving Helena alone. But the boy never forgot his
mother.
When Constantine became emperor upon the death of his father in AD 306, Helena
was summoned to the imperial court in Rome, where Constantine ordered coins
minted bearing her likeness, bestowed the title of Nobilissima Femina (Most
Honored Noble Lady) on her, and witnessed her conversion to Christianity.
Helena was revered throughout the empire for her acts of charity and kindness,
and for her devoutness. Nearly 80 years old, she set out on a pilgrimage to
Palestine, where she discovered a cross in the earth of Calvary. The cross,
however, was curiously devoid of any signs of age and decay. The popular Church
legend of Helena and the True Cross was born. It was on this site (never
historically authenticated) that Helena founded the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre, destination of thousands of pilgrims annually.
--
The Life and Times of Constantine the Great
By D. George Kousoulas
==
I will quote to you what George A. F. Knight said about Daniel
1:1-2 in the Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary on the Bible.
1:1-2. BEGINNING OF THE EXILE. The record in II Kings
23:34-24:17, confirmed and supplemented by Babylonian annals, shows that
JEHOIAKIM became KING OF JUDAH as a vassal of Pharaoh Neco of Egypt in 609
BC. In 605, NEBUCHADNEZZAR defeated Neco at Carchemish (cf. Jer. 46:2),
then hurried home to succeed his father as KING OF BABYLON. Thereafter he
proceeded to take over from Egypt the domination of Syria and Palestine,
and Jehoiakim became his vassal for 3 years (II Kings 24:1) before
rebelling ca. 600. Being occupied elsewhere, Nebuchadnezzar did not bring
his own army against Jerusalem till 598. At that time Jehoiakim died, and
after three months his young son Jehoiachin surrendered on Mar. 16, 597. A
Babylonian capture of Jerusalem in Jehoiakim's THIRD YEAR, I.E., before
Carchemish, can scarcely be fitted into the record. No doubt the author
misinterpreted the 3 years of Jehoiakim's vassalage. On the other hand II
Chr. 36:5-6, if historical--for the Chronicler was also more interested in
theology than in precise history--may indicate that the establishment of
Babylonia control over Judah after Carchemish involved some military
action, which may have resulted in the taking of a few hostages to
Babylon. More probably, however, the tradition followed by the author
refers to the first body of exiles deported with Jehoiachin in 597 (p. 438).
So you see, Helpless, responsible biblical scholars recognize the problem
here. The problem for you is to explain how Nebuchadnezzar could have
besieged Jerusalem in Jehoiakim's THIRD year (which would have been
Nebuchadnezzar's FIRST YEAR), taken captives to Babylon, given orders for
them to be trained and nurtured for THREE YEARS, and yet Daniel and his
friends managed to complete this training at sometime in the SECOND year of
Nebuchadnezzar.
Yes, he was, but Nabopolassar died in 605 BC, at which time Nebuchadnezzar,
who was in a military campaign at Carchemish, rode across the desert to
take the shortest possible route to Babylon to claim the throne, which he
took in September 605 BC.
The captives were not taken to Babylon BEFORE
Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem, so if he besieged Jerusalem in the
THIRD YEAR of Jehoiakim (the FIRST year of Nebuchadnezzar), then the
Israelite captives of the royal seed of Israel were taken in
Nebuchadnezzar's FIRST year.
Now we would like to see how Nebuchadnezzar took these young men captive in
his FIRST year, ordered that they be trained and nurtured for THREE YEARS,
but somehow Daniel and his friends completed this training period at some
time in Nebuchadnezzar's SECOND year (2:1).
Well, just tell us if what Daniel said in 1:1 is historically true. Did
Nebuchadnezzar, KING OF BABYLON, besiege Jerusalem in the THIRD year of
Jehoiakim?
other biblical passages and Babylonian
records indicate that his first siege of Jerusalem occurred in 598597
BC. Babylonian records also shown that Nebuchadnezzar became king in 605
BC upon the death of his father, so it isn't my claim that Nebuchadnezzar
besieged Jerusalem in his first year. It was Daniel's claim that he did
(1:1) I was simply using Daniel's claim that Nebuchadnezzar had besieged
Jerusalem in the THIRD year of Jehoiakim. If this claim is true, this would
mean that Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem
in the FIRST year of his reign. Hence, you must show how Nebuchadnezzar
besieged Jerusalem in his FIRST year, took captives, and then ordered that
some of the captives be trained and nurtured for THREE years but somehow
Daniel and his friends completed their three years of training in the
SECOND year of Nebuchadnezzar.
Nebuchadnezzar was king when he besieged Jerusalem,
because Babylonian records corroborate the claim in 1 Kings 24:12 that
Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem in his EIGHTH YEAR, which would have
been the final year of Jehoiakim's 11-year reign. Daniel, however, claimed
(1:1) that the siege occurred in the THIRD year of Jehoiakim.
==
MAJOR COURT CASES OPPOSING ORGANIZED PRAYER IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
==
Madalyn Murray O'Hair, a plaintiff in the historic 1963 U.S.
Supreme Court combined case of MURRAY v. CURLETTABINGTON TOWNSHIP v.
SCHEMPP. Her suit, along with a similar legal action by the Schempp
Family of Philadelphia, helped to end mandatory prayer and Bible verse
recitation in the public schools. An earlier case, ENGEL v. VITALE,
abolished the forced reading of government-composed prayer in New York state.
Key legal decisions on the role of religion in the public schools
(ABINGTON v. SCHEMPP, STONE v. GRAHAM, SANTA FE v. DOE) all support the
notion that students in public schools must remain free from any
school-sanctioned religious activity or exercise.
--
In Torcaso vs. Watkins, the Supreme Court stated:
Among religions in this country which do not teach what would generally be
considered a belief in God are Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical Cultural, secular
humanism, and others. (Footnote 11, Torcaso v. Watkins).
--
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down that practice of having
government-composed prayer in the
historic ENGEL v. VITALE (1962) case.
--
* McCOLLUM v. BOARD OF EDUCATION, 333 U.S. 203, 212 (1948) Struck
down a practice in Champagne, Ill. which permitted clergy to conduct
classes in religious instruction. Justice Felix Frankfurter opined
that the public school was a mirror of society, Designed to serve as
perhaps the most powerful agency for promoting cohesion among a
heterogeneous democratic people, and must be kept scrupulously free
from entanglement in the strife of (religious) sects. This requires
strict confinement of the State to instruction other than religious,
leaving to the individual's church and home indoctrination in the
faith of his choice.
--
* ENGEL v. VITALE, 370 U.S. 421 (1962) A major step in abolishing
mandatory religious ritual in public schools, the ENGEL case
successfully challenged the so-called Regents Prayer in New York
which had been composed by a committee of the state education
authority. The effort had been to craft a prayer that would
supposedly be nonsectarian and nondenominational, so as not to offend
the sensibilities of various religious faiths yet still attract the
attention of a deity. Atheists were simply ignored in all of this;
but the high court ruled that the practice constituted entanglement
between church and state.
--
* MURRAY v. CURLETT and ABINGTON TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT v.
SCHEMPP, 374 U.S.203 (1963). These two cases were combined under
ABINGTON since they involved similar constitutional issues. The
ABINGTON suit challenged a Pennsylvania statute which required reading
of At least ten verses from the Holy Bible at the beginning of the
school day. MURRAY challenged a rule of the Board of School
Commissioners of Baltimore, authorized by state law, which required
reading of a chapter in the Holy Bible andor the use of the Lord's
Prayer in schools. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the practices
as violative of the First Amendment separation of church and state.
--
* STONE v. GRAHAM, 449 U.S. 39 (1980). The high court struck down a
requirement that Kentucky schools post the Ten Commandments in
classrooms. The justices ruled that the Decalogue was a religious teaching.
--
* COLLINS v. CHANDLER UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT (1981). The Ninth
Circuit Court of Appeals found prayer at school assemblies to be
unconstitutional.
--
* KAREN B. v. TREEN (1981). Citing earlier Supreme Court decisions,
the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down organized classroom
prayer.
--
* WALLACE v. JAFFREE, 472 U.S. 38, 72 (1985), The high court struck
down a state law requiring a period of silence ... for meditation or
daily prayer.

* JAGER v. DOUGLAS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT (1989). The court let
stand a lower ruling which found invocations at high school football
games to be unconstitutional.
--
* LEE v. WEISMAN, 120 le 2D 467112 sct 2649 (1992). The Supreme
Court ruled that clergy-led prayers at graduation ceremonies violated
--
* JONES v. CLEAR CREED SCHOOL DISTRICT (1992) The Fifth Circuit Court
ruled that graduation invocations violated the First Amendment
separation of church and state if student-initiated.
--
* SANTA FE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT v. DOE (2000) The U.S.
Supreme Court found student led prayers at high school athletic
contests to violate state-church separation.
the separation of church and state.
--
June, 2000 U.S.
Supreme Court decision in SANTA FE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT v. DOE
where the justices actually struck down as unconstitutional a student
led prayer at high school football games. Part of the decision noted
that government in the form of school administrators were organizers
and enablers of the prayer, and that a captive audience of students,
parents and sports fans were compelled to listen to a sectarian
oration.
==
Geisler, Normal L., and Nix, William E., A General Introduction to the Bible,
Revised and Expanded, (Chicago, IL: Moody Press) 1986.
==
The Book of Enoch was extant centuries before the birth of Christ and yet is
considered by many to be more Christian in its theology than Jewish. It was
considered scripture by many early Christians. The earliest literature of the
so-called Church Fathers is filled with references to this mysterious book.
Bashirura: Second and Third Century Church Fathers like Justin Martyr,
Irenaeus, Origin and Clement of Alexandria all make use of the Book of Enoch.
Tertullian (160-230 C.E) even called the Book of Enoch Holy Scripture. The
Ethiopic Church even added the Book of Enoch to its official canon. It was
widely known and read the first three centuries after Christ. This and many
other books became discredited after the Council of Laodicea.
Tertullian's (lived c 155-225 CE) Another date found.
==
Saint Irenaeus? He denied the immortality of the soul, he believed that Jesus
Christ died on the cross as an old man, he believe that Jesus Christ's ministry
lasted for 10 years instead of 3 years, quite unorthodox beliefs. And he is
considered a Saint and an authentic refution against the Heretics?
==
1 Samuel 5:9 And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of
the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the
men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret
parts.
==
The word translated as firmament is derived from the word raqa, beaten out,
as a tray or a shield is beaten out of a piece of brass.
The earth is flat and below are waters. The dome of
the heavens above the earth, hold back the waters above.
Genesis spells it out pretty explicitly.

Daniel 4:11 The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it
was visible to the ends of the earth.
Daniel 4:20 The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top
touching the sky, visible to the whole earth.. Flat earth proof!!!

Isaiah 40 (RSV)
22 It is he who sits above the CIRCLE of the earth, and its inhabitants are
like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads
them like a tent to dwell in;

Isaiah 40:22 (NASB)
It is He who sits above the CIRCLE of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like( grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens
like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

Isaiah 40 (NLT)
22It is God who sits above the CIRCLE of the earth. The people below must seem
to him like grasshoppers! He is the one who spreads out the heavens like a
curtain and makes his tent from them.

Isaiah 40 (KJV)
22 It is he that sitteth upon the CIRCLE of the earth, and the inhabitants
thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and
spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

Isaiah 40 (NIV)
22 He sits enthroned above the CIRCLE of the earth, and its people are like
grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out
like a tent to live in.

Isaiah 40 (YLT)
22 He who is SITTING ON THE CIRCLE of the earth, And its inhabitants [are] as
grasshoppers, He who is stretching out as a thin thing the heavens, And
spreadeth them as a tent to dwell in.

Isaiah 40 (DARBY)
22 [It is] he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants
thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a gauze
curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in;
==
Christianity is one of the few religions that can actually
be tested scientifically. Testing claims is the very essence
of science and is why science works so well. Testing discards
errors. The New Testament represents Jesus as making claims that
can readily be tested. Below are four NT texts that are testable,
and that fail such testing, showing that Christianity cannot be true.

Mark 11:22-3
22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have Faith in God.
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto
this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the
sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe
that these things he saith shall come to pass; he shall have
whatsoever he saith.
Jesus promises obvious and spectacular miracle working abilities
to those who shall not doubt in his heart. But it does not work.
Nobody gets whatever he saith merely from lacking doubt.
Nobody moves mountains or similar such tricks.

Matthew 21:21
21 And all things, whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing,
you shall recieve.
Nobody gets all they ask in prayer, as promised by Jesus.
**
John 14:12-14
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me,
the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works shall
he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatever ye shall ask in my name, that I will do, that
the Father may be glorified in the son.
14 If ye ask anything in my name, I will do it.
Nobody changes water to wine, finds his tax money in a fish,
feeds thousands with a few fishes and loaves, walks on water.
Much less betters these works. Nobody gets whatever ye shall
ask despite this promise, even asking in the name of Jesus.
****
Matthew 18:18-19
19 Verily I say unto you, if two of you shall agree on earth
as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done
for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am
in the midst of them.
No two Christians get any thing they shall ask despite this
solemn promise from Jesus.
==
The Salem witches were convicted on eyewitness testimony. It is the
most useless form of proof known to man.
Falsification is not just unlikely. It is a virtual certainty.
==
Dr. Bart Ehrman, professor of religious studies at North Carolina, says that
some scholars think that there are 200,000 variations among the roughly
5,400 Greek N.T. manuscripts while other scholars feel that the number is
closer to 300,000 variations. According to Ehrman, there are more
differences among our manuscripts than there are words in the New Testament.
==
One doesn't have to know Hebrew to point out discrepancies in the KJV, since
the KJV O.T. is based on the 2nd rabbinic Bible of Jacob ben Chayyim
(1524-1525) and the N.T. writers quoted from the Septuagint. The result is
that there are many discrepancies, with some of the theological points the
N.T. writers made hinging on the Septuagint rendering. Hebrews 10:5-9
provides one example.
Hebrews 10:5-9 (KJV)
5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering
thou wouldest not, but A BODY THOU HAST PREPARED ME:
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,)
to do thy will, O God.
8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and
offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which
are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He
taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
This quotation is from the Septuagint rendering of Psalm 40:6-8, but here is
how the KJV (based on an edition of the Masoretic Text) renders it:
Psalm 40:6-8 (KJV)
6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; MINE EARS HAST THOU OPENED:
burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
The capitalized passages are particularly significant, since the point being
made is about Jesus' body, not ears being opened as the M.T. states.
==
True biblical scholars abandoned the myth of verbal inspiration long ago. They
did so because their studies of Mid-Eastern cultures that were contemporary to
the Hebrews of Bible times had destroyed the fanciful notion that the Bible was
a special revelation from God. They discovered that there was nothing at all
special about it. It was based on the same myths that had circulated in the
Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Canaanite, Persian, Egyptian, and Greek
cultures that had surrounded the Hebrews. In fact, we now know that there was
even very little originality in the Hebrew myths. They had borrowed them from
neighboring cultures and adapted them to their society. The most obvious
examples of this adaptation can be found in the first 11 chapters of Genesis.
The creation, the garden of Eden, the flood, the tower of Babel--these
myths had all originated in neighboring cultures. And so did the Genesis 6 myth
about the sons of God (angels) who married earthly women and made the world so
corrupt that God destroyed it with a great flood.
=
Genesis 6 says: two of every animal
6:19 You must bring into the ark two of every kind of living creature from
all flesh, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 6:20 Of the birds
after their kinds, and of the cattle after their kinds, and of every
creeping thing of the ground after their kinds, two of every kind will come
to you so you can keep them alive. 6:21 And you must take for yourself every
kind of food that is eaten, and gather it together. It will be food for you
and for them.
6:22 And Noah did all that God commanded him-he did indeed.
Genesis 7 says: 14 of each of the clean and birds, 2 of each of the unclean
7:2 You must take with you seven [refers to seven pairs] of every kind of
clean animal, the male and its mate, two of every kind of unclean animal,
the male and its mate, 7:3 and also seven of every kind of bird in the sky,
male and female, to preserve their offspring on the face of the earth.
==
2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned,
but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of deepest darkness
to be kept until the judgment;
5 and if he did not spare the ancient world, even though he saved Noah,
a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood on a
world of the ungodly;
==
Note god is so forgotten by the Israelites, he must reintroduce himself to
Moses in the burning bush. Does he appear to the Canaanites? Does he try to
lead them into righteousness? No, he simply tells the Israelites to kill them.
And no angel of death here, no it has to be up close and personal and bloody.
kill the men and women in battle, drag the women and children from their homes
and kill them with crude swords and spears. Hack! Slash! Screaming innocent
babies, crying children, screaming young mothers. Hack! Slash! And when the
slaughter must continue. Hack! Slash! The lying Israelite 'priests' made up
these lies to justify their later bloody wars on their neighbors and their
conquests. God told us to. Archaeology has proven none of this genocidal exodus
and conquest happened. It was just an infamous lie made to justify later
depredations.
==
If God is able to stop evil but doesn't want to, it is not omni-benevolent.
If God is not able to stop evil but wants to, it is not omni-potent
If God is able to stop evil and it wants to, then why is there evil?
If God is not able to stop evil and doesn't want to, then why does it deserve
our worship? Epicurus
==
It is not logical to start with a belief and try to make everything
fit that belief. Have the courage to test your belief against
reality, instead of testing reality against your belief.
==
At least three major plague outbreaks claimed 200 million lives in the past
1,500 years. In 541 A.D., the first outbreak swept through the Roman Empire.
Europe's Black Death started in 1347, killing 25 million in Europe and 13
million in the Middle East and China within five years.
The third major outbreak started in China in 1894. By 1900, it had spread
worldwide, killing 12.5 million in India alone. A large outbreak was contained
in Los Angeles in 1924-25.
God is love
==
Job 26:13 By his Spirit the heavens are garnished; His hand hath pierced the
swift serpent.
==
The God Part of the Brain Matthew Alper
==
2 Samuel 6:6
When they came to the threshing floor of , reached out and
took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled.
2 Samuel 6:7
The anger burned against because of his irreverent act;
therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God.

1 Kings 15 (NIV)
29
As soon as he began to reign, he killed Jeroboam's whole family. He did not
leave Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but destroyed them all, according to the
word of the LORD given through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite--
30
because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had caused Israel to commit, and
because he provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.
==
The dogma of Christianity with its Virgin Birth, Son of God,and
Resurrection was not fully developed until some 300 years after the
alleged death and resurrection, at the Council of Nicea - A Council
called not by any Bishop of Rome but by Constantine.
==
Deuteronomy 2 (NIV)
30 But king Sihon of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the LORD
your God had MADE HIS SPIRIT STUBBORN AND HIS HEART OBSTINATE in order
to give him into your hands, as he has now done.
31 The LORD said to me, See, I have begun to deliver and his
country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.
32 When and all his army came out to meet us in battle at,
33 the LORD our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down,
together with his sons and his whole army.
34 At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed
them--MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN. We left no survivors.
II Kings 2
23 neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall
be put to death for his own sin.
2 Samuel 12
==
The word circle in Isaiah 40:22 is the Hebrew chuwg, Strong's
Concordance #2329. According to Dr. Strong, circle is an accurate
translation. The probable meaning is more like horizon than sphere,
as evidenced by comparing other passages where chuwg is used.
Proverbs 8:27
When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass (chuwg)
upon the face of the depth: (KJV)
When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the
face of the deep, (NRSV)
When He established the heavens, I was there; when He set a circle upon
the face of the deep, (JPS)
Job 22:14
Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the
circuit (chuwg) of heaven. (KJV)
Thick clouds enwrap him, so that he does not see, and he walks on the dome
of heaven.' (NRSV)
Thick clouds are a covering to Him, that He seeth not; and He walketh in
the
circuit of heaven. (JPS)
Saying that Isaiah shows a spherical earth is, I think, a stretch. It is
interesting that such verses as the following aren't usually mentioned when
trying to establish that the Hebrews knew more than others about the cosmos.
Job 9:5-6
5 he who removes mountains, and they do not know it, when he overturns
them
in his anger; 6 who SHAKES THE EARTH out of its place, and ITS PILLARS
TREMBLE;
Job 26:11
11 The PILLARS OF HEAVEN TREMBLE, and are astounded at his rebuke.
1 Samuel 2:8
8 He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash
heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For THE
PILLARS OF THE EARTH are Yahweh's, and ON THEM HE HAS SET THE WORLD.
Psalm 75:3
3 WHEN THE EARTH TOTTERS, with all its inhabitants, IT IS I WHO KEEP ITS
PILLARS STEADY.
If one argues that these passages employ figurative language, please
explain why Isaiah 40:22 (and Job 26:7,

Psa 93:1     The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed
with strength, [wherewith] he hath girded himself: the world also is
stablished,
that it cannot be moved. kJV
--
Psa 19:4Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the
end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Psa 19:5Which [is] as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, [and] rejoiceth
as a strong man to run a race.
Psa 19:6His going forth [is] from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto
the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
==

The Catholics said that the doctrine of the motion of the earth was false.
The Catholic Church, however, was not content with this. It promulgated a
solemn formula of condemnation of all books---already written and yet to be
written in the centuries to come---that propagated similar scientific
doctrines.
These are the actual words:
Libri omnes docentes mobilitatem terrae et immobilitatem solis
(All books forbidden which maintain that the earth moves and the sun does not).
==
Christianity for Modern Pagans

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls
in English, Giza Vermes
==
Ecc 10:19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money
answereth all [things].
==
MackWho Wrote the New Testament

Ehrman's Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium.
==
The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel On the Pentateuch
With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee
By J. W. Etheridge, M.A. First Published 1862
http://www.tulane.edu~ntcspjpsjon.htm

Meier, John P John the Baptist in Matthew's Gospel Journal of
Biblical Literature Vol 99 (1980) 383-405, 397

- The Hebrew Apocalypse of Elijah 1.5.2

- Morris M. Fairstein, Why Do the Scribes Say That Elijah Must Come
First? JBL 100 (1981) 75-86

- Dale C. Allison, Elijah Must Come First, JBL 103 (1984) 256-58

- Joseph A. Fitzmyer, More About Elijah Coming First, JBL 104
(1985) 295-96

- David Frankfurter, Elijah in Upper Egypt: the Apocalypse of Elijah
and Early Egyptian Christianity (Minneapolis, Minn.: Fortress, 1993)

- Richard A. Horsley with John S. Hanson, Bandits, Prophets, and
Messiahs: Popular Movements at the Time of Jesus (New York: Harper &
Row, 1985) esp. ch. 4
==
Religions work backwards when compared to science; they start with an
assertion and claim it to be true. Evidence to the contrary will be
ignored or criticized as part of the faith in that religion. However,
science works to build explanations and theories from the evidence collected.
==
The persons commonly called Christians, who were hated for their enormities.
Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate,
procurator of Judea in the reighn of Tiberius...Tacitus taken from the
Annals XV,44
Pilate was not even a procurator, which casts enormous doubt on Tacitus's
accuracy.
==
People give ear to an upstart astrologer [Copernicus] who strove to show that
the earth revolves, not the heavens or the firmament, the sun and the moon
Whoever wishes to appear clever must devise some new system, which of all
systems is of course the very best. This fool wishes to reverse the entire
science of astronomy. [Martin Luther, Works, Volume 22, c. 1543]
==
The reason for the presumption of nonexistence (and hence the uneven burden of
proof) is prior probability. In specific, possibilities are far more common
than actualities, so any given possibility is most likely not an actuality.
==
In a famous study conducted at Yale in the '60s by professor Stanley Milgram,
members of the public willingly administered what they thought were fatal
electric shocks to another human being -- simply because they were told to
do so.
Believing they were participating in a study on memory, the volunteers watched
a pupil being strapped to a chair and wired to electrodes. The volunteers
were then taken to the next room and told to read questions to the pupil and
to administer increasingly powerful electric shocks for every answer he got
wrong.
The electric-shock buttons appeared to go up to 450 volts and were clearly
labeled, Danger: Severe Shock.
The volunteers readily administered the shocks while listening to the pupil cry
out in pain. Two-thirds of the volunteers continued to administer the shocks
even after the pupil emitted a blood-curdling scream and then suddenly went
totally silent, apparently dead. The study was shocking. If asked to do so
by an authority figure, a majority of people will kill another person
completely unknown to them.
==
There is absolutely no indication of Augustus declaring an empire wide
census for taxation in any of the substantial writings surviving from the
early first century. Doesn't make any difference anyway.
Herod was the king of Judea. Judea was a client state of Rome and thus not
under direct Roman rule. Roman taxation policy was directed to those lands,
Italy and elsewhere, that were directly ruled by Rome. Client kings were
responsible for taxing their own subjects and forwarding Rome's cut.
Herod The Great died in 4 bce. Quirinius became Legate of Syria in 6 ce.
Herod had been dead for 10 years.
The purpose of a census was for taxation purposes, to determine the wealth
of a given area and hence the amount that could be skimmed off.
In 6 ce, chronic unrest and misrule in Judea led Augustus to depose the
current ruler (one of Herod's kids) and take Judea under direct Roman
imperial control annexing Judea to the province of Syria. At this time, the
Legate of Syria, Quirinius, announced a census to assess Judea's taxable
value to Rome. This was common behavior for all new Roman possessions.
Now, forget the very dead Herod. Joseph and his wife lived in Nazareth in
The Galilee. At this time, 6 ce, The Galilee was ruled by another one of
Herod's kids. The Galilee was an independent principality and thus not
subject to direct Roman rule or taxation. Joseph was, therefore, immune from
the Roman census and tax.
Back to Herod, the baby killer. The two major contemporary sources of the
time for the affairs of the Jews were Josephus and Philo of Alexandria.
Both of them despised Herod. They throw quite a lot of dirt on Herod's name
and reign. Neither of them mention this conspicuous act of mass murder...a
heinous act that would not be tolerated by Jews in general (who also hated
Herod) and probably not by Rome either. (Romans liked stability in their
allies, particularly allies that had the Parthians for neighbors and
controlled the gateway to Egypt.)
Speaking of the Parthians, the wise men are generally assumed to be
Zoroastrians from Parthia (what else is to the East of Judea?).
==
Charles Parham, a founder of the American Pentecostal religion in the late
1800s, was intent on creating a more informal and emotional religious
experience for Protestant churchgoers. He also sympathized with the
Ku Klux Klan, an organization originated by Southern whites at the end of the
American Civil War that sought to restore white supremacy over freed black
slaves. Parham barred blacks from his church in Kansas.
==
_Dictionary of Philosophy_
Belief: Acquiescence in the existence of objects (e.g. external
things, other minds, God, etc.) or assent to the truth of propositions
(e.g. scientific, moral, aesthetic, or metaphysical statements). The
belief in objects is frequently immediate and non-inferential; the
belief in propositions usually rests on reflection and inference.
Theories of belief may be classified as: (a) affective, (b)
intellectual, and (c) volitional. Hume's theory that belief is a
feeling of vividness attaching to a perception or memory but not to a
fiction of the imagination is an example of (a). Bain and James Mill
represent (b), while W. James represents (c).
==
Juda therefore said to Onan his son: 'Go in to thy [deceased] brother's
wife and marry her, that thou mayst raise seed to thy brother. He knowing
that the children should not be his, when he went in to his brother's wife,
spilled his seed upon the ground, lest children should be born in his
brother's name. And therefore the Lord slew him, because he did a
detestable thing. (Genesis 38:8-10)
==
We have literature that was written as history during the claimed time of
Jesus, guess what, out of the 22 or so first century historians that wrote at
that time not one mentioned Jesus or the events of NT. Philo wrote at the time
of Jesus, all about the Jews in Jerrusalem and what was happening there, he
was writing about a messiah like Jesus and his quotes were in circulated within
the lifetime of Jesus, Jesus fit the bill as to a messiah for Phil but it
appears that he was unaware of the events of the NT and a Jesus. Seneca wrote
books on science and recorded the events of eclipses, it's unlikely that both
him and Plane the Elder would miss the greatest eclipse in the history of the
earth.
Now as far as the accounts being in circulated within the lifetime of, the
eyewitnesses there is no support for that at all. Even if we accept that the
first gospel was written about 70 CE, that hardly means it was in circulation,
they did not have printing presses back then. And it's unlikely they were in
circulation before around 160 CE, for starters no church father quotes any of
the books of the NT before 110 CE and they are not even mention until around
170 CE by a church father.
The writes of the NT did not have to set out to falsify the books, they were
just repeating mythology. We also know that the gospel was added to by others,
look at Mark 16:9-20, The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient
witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20.
==
Jer 48:10 A curse on him who is lax in doing the Lord's work! A curse on
him who keeps his sword from bloodshed!
==
In a Catholic school run by monks, they had what they regarded as their
relic. It seems that when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane he had to
use the bathroom and the result was kept. The relic is called the
Excrementum Christi and displayed on special occasions.
==
John W. Haley, Alleged Discrepancies...
==
Psalms 104:5 He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.

1 Chronicles 16:30 Fear before him, all the earth:
the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.
==
Mistakes and slips in Mark's gospel are more connotative of honest ignorance
rather than absent mindedness. For example, the geographical confusion in
7.31 (Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon
towards the Sea of Galilee) is in all likelihood the result of a faulty map.
Good maps in the first century were rare. If the author didn't to know the
region well enough to record the details accurately, he had little else with
any considerable reliability to work with.
Likewise in 2.26 Jesus' reference to David's flight from Saul's pursuit in
1 Samuel 21 identifies the high priest in the reference as Abiathar. Equally
noteworthy is the mention of other people traveling with David, while no
such evidence is found in the story in Samuel.
==
Karen Armstrong's The Battle For God, shows how fundamentalist movements
throughout all three monotheistic
faiths and throughout time all have striking similarities - a catalyst of
advancing modernity that is perceived as a threat to religious folks, and a
reaction that involved a separatist movement of sorts followed eventually
by a war to take back what they felt belongs to them.
==
The spread of Christianity inspired additional Greek and Latin
translations of the Bible. Augustine complained of the 'infinite
variety of Latin translations'. To remedy the problem, in the year 382
CE Pope Damascus commissioned the leading biblical scholar Jerome to
prepare a standard Bible in Latin. For some two decades Jerome worked
on the project, using in particular Old Testament Hebrew and Aramaic
manuscripts rather than the Septuagint. For the New Testament Jerome
followed in the footsteps of his predecessors by using existing Latin
and Greek manuscripts. His work, completed in 405 CE, gradually gained
wide-spread acceptance among Latin speaking Christians - it was thus
referred to as the versio vulgata, 'the common version'.
==
'It was generally acknowledged, even by those who were unfriendly towards
him, that he [Leo X] was unfeignedly religious and strictly fulfilled his
religious duties. He heard Mass and read his Breviary daily and fasted
three times a week. His piety cannot truly be described as deep or
spiritual, but that does not justify the continued repetition of his
alleged remark: How much we and our family have profited by the legend of
Christ, is sufficiently evident to all ages. John Bale, the apostate
English Carmelite, the first to give currency to these words in the time of
Queen Elizabeth, was not even a contemporary of Leo. Among the many sayings
of Leo X that have come down to us, there is not one of a skeptical
nature.' [Catholic Encyclopedia, volume IX, 1910, p163]
==
A few points about Buddhist 'scripture':
The language spoken by the Buddha was Pali, a now dead language that had no
written counterpart.
After the Buddha's death, the Dharma was handed down by oral tradition
(hence all the chanting) until the first written transcriptions to Sanskrit
were done, some 500 years after the Buddha's death. Thus, it is practically
impossible to say with any certainty what the Buddha actually said or
taught. The Dharma as it exists today is a collaboration of opinions from
several monastic councils that met to decide what should be included in the
Tipitika (The Three Baskets of knowledge). In that respect, Buddhist
'scripture' has roughly the same integrity as the Christian bible. It is
almost certain that the oral tradition suffered broad linguistic
interpretation as the Dharma spread, and further interpretation as the oral
tradition was transcribed into Sanskrit.
==
The Fall of Jericho Yahweh gave Joshua precise instructions on how to
capture Jericho. For six days the people marched silently round the
city, preceded by the priests carrying the ark of the covenant and
blowing trumpets. On the seventh day they marched around the city
seven times. On the seventh circuit, just before the priests were
about to blow their trumpets, Joshua told the people to shout. The
priests blew their trumpets, the people shouted, and the walls of the
city collapsed. The Israelites marched in and killed the inhabitants
of Jericho.
Situated in the Jordan Valley, nearly 300m below sea level and
approximately 13km to the north-east of the Dead Sea is Jericho, 'city
of palms' of the Old Testament. Bounded by Mount Nebo to the east, the
Central mountains to the west and the Dead sea to the south, Jericho
lies in the center. It is the world's oldest know inhabited city. The
mound that is the remains of that ancient city is now known as Tell
es-Sultan and is located besides a spring called Elisha's
fountain. New Testament Jericho is a separate site to the south of
Tell es-Sultan.
Although the remains of several excavations scar Tell es-Sultan, it
was not until the pioneering work of Dame Kathleen Kenyon of the
Institute of Archaeology, London in the 1950s that the city's ancient
past was revealed. The earliest human habitation at Jericho dates from
about 8000 BCE, when there was a permanent settlement of about two
thousand. Its irrigation system, large stone tower and massive
defensive wall built a thousand years later. Archaeological
investigations of the tell provided detailed records of successive
settlements on the site, but the level corresponding with the city
destroyed by Joshua was not among them.
The first work on the site was done by Captain Charles Warren of the
British Royal Engineers who were surveying Palestine in 1867. He sank
a shaft into the tell but failed to find to discover anything of
archaeological significance and abandoned any further work. It was not
until 1930 that the first a major expedition, lasting six years, was
undertaken by Liverpool University under the direction of Professor
John Garstang, one of the most distinguished archaeologists of the
day. Garstang created headlines around the world when he claimed to
have unearthed the fabled tumbling walls of Joshua.
It was twenty years later that Kenyon, between 1952 and 1956,
disproved Garstang's claim. Under the auspices of the British School
of Archaeology in Jerusalem and supported by the Department of
Antiquities of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan she undertook a major
excavation and re-evaluation of the site using new techniques of soil
removal and classification. Among her many findings were that the
walls that Garstang had identified as Late Bronze Age and dated to
1600-1400 BCE were in fact much earlier and belonged to the Early
Bronze Age which she dated as ending in 2100 BCE. Thus the evidence
was at least 500 years too early for it to have been destroyed by
Joshua.
Biblical scholars and archaeologists believed that the period between
the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age (1550-
1000 BCE) was of special importance for both ancient history and
biblical archaeology. This period had been an era of destruction and
invasion. Though the Old Testament offers no date for the conquest of
the Promised Land, later ancient texts and archaeological evidence
suggested that this was the only possible period in which Joshua and
the Israelites could have arrived in Canaan. Joshua's Jericho lay
buried in the tell close to the point where the Late Bronze Age strata
ended and the Iron Age strata began. Wedged between these two strata
should have been a black band, the ash and the tumbled bricks of the
city's fallen walls. Kenyon found evidence that during the Early Iron
Age, the period which was the only possible time for the first
Israelite settlements in Canaan, Jericho had been largely deserted,
having been in a state of ruin ever since the destruction of the last
Bronze Age city 300 years earlier.
==
Distinguished Israeli archaeologist Ze'ev Herzog argues in his article
!Deconstructing the Walls of Jericho: Biblical Myth and
Archaeological Reality.
==
The Flood never occurred.
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the
Son of man be.
Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating
and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah
entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so
shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
==
As for Luke's historical accuracy in ordinary historical matters, I will
cite just one example that gives us reason to doubt this frequently made
claim. In Acts 5:35-37, Luke had Gamaliel, a Pharisee and doctor of the
law, saying this to the Sanhedrin as they deliberated on what to do to
the apostles for continuing to preach the resurrection of Jesus: You men of
Israel, take heed to yourselves as touching these men, what you are about
to do. For before these days rose up Theudas, giving himself out to be
somebody, to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves,
who was slain, and all, as many as obeyed him, were dispersed and came to
nought. AFTER this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the
enrollment, and drew away some of the people after him. He also perished
and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered abroad.
In this speech, Luke had Gamaliel putting the revolt of Theudas before the
one led by Judas of Galilee. Luke's Gamaliel dated Judas's uprising at the
time of the enrollment, which is a probable reference to the enrollment
that Luke mentioned in his gospel (2:2). Luke alleged that this enrollment
occurred when Quirinius was governor of Syria (2:2), and in the *Antiquities
of the Jews,* Josephus referred to the sons of Judas of Galilee, who had
been slain in a revolt when Cyrenius [Quirinius] came to take an account of
the state of the Jews (20:5.2). In 20:5.1, however, Josephus said that the
revolt of Theudas happened when Fadus was procurator of Judea, and this
would have had to have been between A. D. 44-46, since that was when Fadus
procurator of Judea. Quirinius was governor of Syria 40 years earlier, so
we have Luke disagreeing with Josephus as to the proper sequence of these
two revolts. Luke said that the revolt of Theudas happened before Judas of
Galilee's; Josephus said the opposite. In fact, if the revolt of Theudas
occurred during the administration of Fadus, then Luke has Gamaliel talking
about a revolt that hadn't even happened yet. (Gamaliel's speech was
allegedly made about two months after the alleged resurrection in about
A. D. 29; Fadus was procurator of Judea in A. D. 44-46.)
==
In 312 AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine saw an apparition, a crucifix in the
sky, and asked a local Catholic bishop to help him interpret this vision.
Constantine subsequently converted to Catholicism at a time when there were
about 160 different types of Christianity. Constantine's conversion facilitated
the unification of the Roman Empire, but it also played a central role in
exterminating unofficial forms of the religion.
A bone of contention among various Christian groups was the canon--the
official list of sacred books. Some groups, including the one eventually known
as Catholicism, included the Old Testament in their canon; others did not.
Constantine found the leadership models in the Old Testament appealing,
however. Israelite kings were political and religious leaders who presided over
a nation devoted to one religion. Constantine was trying to unify the Roman
Empire, and he liked the idea of having one God and one faith for the entire
kingdom.
To achieve this, Constantine felt he had to eradicate all non-Catholic forms of
Christianity. He gathered bishops from all over the empire at the Council of
Nicaea in 325. Here they decided on the nature of God, defining the doctrine of
the Holy Trinity, in which Father, Son, and Holy Ghost were found to be equal
entities in one God.
But the council also condemned Arianism, the most common form of Eastern
Christianity. The Arians believed that Jesus Christ was of lesser importance,
having been created by God the Father. Several years later, Constantine made
the practice of Arianism punishable by death.
Constantine died in 337 as both a protector of Catholics and
The Age of Constantine the Great
By Jacob Burckhardta persecutor of Christians. His devotion to Catholicism and
systematic attempt to destroy other popular forms of Christianity eventually
led to the proliferation of a single, unified Church.
==
This is the law for leprosy. (RSV, Lev. 14)
1. Get two birds. Kill one and dip the other one and some other stuff in the
blood of the dead one. Sprinkle the blood on the supposed leper, 7 times, and
declare the leper cured.
2. Seven days later take two lambs and some cereal and oil. Kill one of the
lambs and put its blood on various random but very specific spots on the leper.
Then, in case God's still not happy, do it again.
3. Then the priest makes an atonement for the leper, and he's cured.
4. But if the leper is poor, a whole bunch of other rules are used instead.
5. Then there is a ritual, excuse me, a cure, for a house that has harbored
lepers.
==
DEUTERONOMY..
13:12 : If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God
hath given thee to dwell there, saying,
13:13 : Certain men, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the
inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye
have not known;
13:14 : Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and,
behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is
wrought among you;
13:15 : Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of
the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle
thereof, with the edge of the sword.
13:16 : And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street
thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every
whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not
be built again
==
Luke said that Jesus was born when the first census when Quintaisis was
governor of Syria happened. That is specifically 6 C.E. He was born before
4 B.C.E because Matthew said he was born during the life of Herod the King,
and Herod DIED in 4 B.C.E. Jesus already CAME twice, and no one noticed!!
Born again!!
==
The Qur'an and the Bible in the Light of History and Science by
Dr. William F. Campbell
==
When the Black Plague finished its deadly trek through Europe in the years
1347-1351, 25 million people, nearly a third of the population, lay dead in its
wake. The cause of such misery and death--which would not be known until
centuries later--was a common rat flea.
==
1 Samuel 16:14 But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an EVIL
spirit from the Lord troubled him.
==
Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or
his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by
grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates
of their conscience--those too may achieve eternal salvation.(Lumen Gentium 16)
==
Deuteronomy 3:3,
Then we turned and went up the way to Bashon: and Og the king of Bashon
came out against us, he and all his people to battle at Edrei. And the LORD
said unto me, Fear him not for I will deliver him and all his people and his
land into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon, the
king of the Amorites which dwelt at Heshbon.
So the LORD, our god, delivered into our hands Og also, the king of
Bashon, and all his people; and we smote him until none was left to him
remaining. And we took all his cities at that time, there was not a city
which we took not from them, three score cities, all in the region of Argob,
the kingdom of Og in Bashon.
All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates and bars; beside
unwalled towns a great many. And we utterly destroyed them as we did unto
Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women and children of
every city. But all the cattle and the spoil of the cities, we took for a
prey to ourselves. And we took at that time out of the hand of the two kings
of the Amorites the land that was on this side Jordan, from the river of Arnon
unto Mount .

Deut 2: 34 At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed
them--men, women and children. We left no survivors. 35 But the livestock
and the plunder from the towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves.
==
3 April, 1843 * After studying the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation,
former atheist William Miller had published his prophecy that the world would
end by fire on April 3rd in the New York
Herald. After the spectacular comet of 1843, some of the Millerites (who
believed that the dead had first pick in Heaven) commited suicide. At the end
of the day, by which time nothing had happened, Miller fell back on a
reasonable solution...
he moved the scheduled date of Armageddon up to 7 July.

7 July, 1843 * Millerites prepared for the end by buying ascension robes
(ever so thoughtfully sold by Miller) and waiting in predug family
plots. Nothing happened, and the ever resourceful Miller moved the date up to
21 March, 1844.

21 March, 1844 * Showing true Christian faith and perseverance, thousands
of Millerites prepared for doom, many choosing to await by sitting in
graveyards so that they'd get to see the restoration and assumption of the dead
prior to the Millerites' own demise. At the appointed hour, a thunderstorm
began, and the expectant Millerites were jubilant that this time they were
right, and that they were going home. Unfortunately, it was just a quick
summer shower that left a lot of sopping Millerites in its wake... who were all
too happy to purchase new assumption robes to replace the ones ruined by the
rain.

22 October 1844 * Miller's faithful once again gathered for the ascension,
one well-prepared believer bringing along his ascension-robed cows, claiming
It's a very long trip, and the kids will want milk. Keeping his
batting average consistent, Miller's prophecy went unfulfilled and, this time,
the faithful deserted him and split into several sects, of which the most
important survives as the modern Seventh-Day Adventists. Personally, Miller
kept plugging along, giving over 3,200 invited speeches on the coming end of
the world and selling ascension robes.
==
The virgin Isis is the mother of Horus.
She collected the body of her divine husband, who was murdered and cut
into 14 pieces, and distributed all over the Egyptian prefectures by his
evil divine brother Seth. She succeeded in collecting all the body in half
a month, a piece a day (with the help of Ra') and she mourned for nine
months, during which the shadows of the body was on Isis and the light was that
of Ra'.
The light surrounded the shadow and protected Isis while she conceived
Horus, who was born as a king, a priest and a prophet to rule and take
revenge for his murdered father and to restore the priesthood of Ra' and to
fulfil the prophecy and give more about the end of times. Behold Isis, for
here is the shadows of he who is high is upon you, and with the power of Ra'
through the shadow you are to conceive a son, a king, a priest and a
prophet, for he shall rule his people and raise an army to revenge the blood
of his murdered father, and he shall restore the priesthood of Ra' and
prophesizes about the end of time. Blessed art thou a goddess for eternity.
==
President Eisenhower signed the measure on Flag Day, June 14, 1954
Two months later, Eisenhower wrote:
We are particularly thankful to you for your part in the movement to
have the words 'under God' added to our Pledge of Allegiance. These
words will remind Americans that despite our great physical strength
we must remain humble. They will help us to keep constantly in our
minds and hearts the spiritual and moral principles which along give
dignity to man...
==
Death penalty
1. Murder (Ex 21:12, 21:15)
2. Kidnapping (Ex 21:16)
3. Disobedience to Parents (Ex 21:17, Deut 21:18)
4. Beastiality (Lev 20:15)
5. Violations of the Sabbath (Ex 31:15)
6. Adultery (Lev 20:10, Lev 19:20)
7. Abominations (Lev 20:2)
8. Blasphemy (Lev 24:16)
9. Incest (Lev 20:11)
10. Homosexuality (Lev 20:13)
11. Witchcraft (Ex 22:18, Lev 20:27)
12. False Prophecy (Deut 13:5)
13. Rebellion Treason (Josh 1:18)
14. Worshipping a false god (Duet 13:6-10)
15. Sodomy (Lev 18:22, 20:13)
16. Sex with a woman betrothed to another (Deut 22:25)
17. False witness in a capital crime (Deut 19:16-20)
18. Daughters of preachers fornicating (Lev 21:9)
19. Juvenile delinquency (Deut 21:18-21)
20. Sacrificing to false gods (Ex 22:20)
21. Disrespecting a judge or priest (Deut 17:22)
22. Sex with a woman during her period (Lev 20:18)
23. Unchastity (Deut 22:21-24)
24. Cursing someone (Lev 24:14)
==
One of the most probable explanations is that the Roman Emperor Theodosius I
(AD 346-395), a Christian zealot, targeted pagan temples and structures for
destruction throughout his empire. In 391, he directed his wrath toward
Alexandria and ordered the great library razed and its contents burned.
==
There were officially two heads claimed to be that of  St. Luke, one at
Prague and one in Rome,
==
: exclusive truth - n. (theology). The belief in the absolutely exclusive,
faultless truth of all of one's personal or religious principles; often leads
to strict adherence to specific religious principles, intolerance of other
views, and opposition to secularism.
==
It's a fact demonstrated over and over again over millennia that
superstitious people reward fanciful storytellers (not necessarily
with money) more than do rational people. So the superstitious and
moralistically satisfying stories get told more often, are more
memorable to their audience and get repeated more often by non-storytellers
==
The Gnostic Gospels By Elaine Pagels
An exploration of Gnosticism and the Gnostic gospels.

The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ (1996)
Gary R. Habermas

The Historical Reliability of the Gospels by Craig Blomberg

The Birth Of The Messiah Raymond Brown
==
Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not;
and make their loins continually to shake. - Psalms 69:23
==
The History of the Church By Eusebius
The classic 1,700-year-old history of the church translated for modern readers
by G.A. Williamson.
A central figure in first-century Christianity was actually not a Christian.
There has been more written about Simon of Gitta than about the apostles.
Simon claimed to be the incarnation of the one, true God, though a biblical
account has him finally repenting and requesting to be baptized as a
Christian. Some scholars think Simon's reputation for miracle working, along
with his declaration of divinity, helped influence the Christian idea of Jesus
Christ as God incarnate.
Before converting to Christianity, Simon was a Gnostic (Knower) who didn't
want to blame the world's evil on a good Creator God. He claimed rogue angels
created the world. Simon said that his traveling companion, Helena, was the
incarnated First Thought created by God. Wicked angels kidnapped her, he
would preach, and used her divine soul to breathe life into their creations.
Simon said he had rescued Helena, and this act cleared the way for all
followers who had a spark of her divine light to join Simon and be saved.
Simon's reputation for miracle working made him famous. He even impressed the
Roman Emperor Nero (37-68 AD) by supposedly flying through the air. Simon
finally died in Rome--but his ideas lived on.
Around 175 AD, Justin Martyr reported that Simon was still widely worshipped in
both Rome and Samaria. Martyr recognized the importance of Simon's claim to
divinity, and he argued strongly that Jesus was the one who embodied the
Divine Mind of God. This became a central tenet of the School of Alexandria,
the first Christian institution of higher learning founded in the mid-second
century AD in Alexandria, Egypt. But it took another 300 years of theological
debate before the Catholic Church officially declared Jesus was God incarnate,
a paradox meaning he was both the Son of God and God.
==
The reference in Genesis to kings who reigned before any king
ruled in Israel suggests that the book was written *after* the
establishment of the Israelite monarchy, much later.
==
The Bible describes David as trying on armor and a helmet
for his battle with Goliath and abandoning them as too heavy.
But there was no armor nor helmets at the time of David
or the Palestines.
There were no helmets for common soldiers, and no armor.
Once again, at about 1000 BCE, very few signs of armor
or helmets are to be found in archaeology.
Egyptian steles and similar works show soldiers wearing
clothing, but no helmets and armor. Shields were used.
The many foes depicted in their defeat are shown as
fighting without armor or helmets. Nor did the Egyptians
use any. The only troops I can find that are depicted
as wearing some sort of helmet are the shallow WWI Tommy type
helmets worn by Cypriot mercenaries hired by the Egyptians.
And they may not strictly be helmets, no telling
if they were made of leather or metal.
Helmets as such were used only by pharaohs and higher
ranking leaders not as helmets, but as badges of rank.
Helmets and armor in the OT at the time of David are
indeed anachronisms.
One of the 4 remaining known words of Philistine is a word
apparently for helmet, but it would be a word from
times long past the days of David, near the times
the last of Philistine civilization was ended by Assyrian invasion.
==
Lev 20:15
And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall
slay the beast.
==
Matthew 14: (KJV)
3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for
Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.

According to Josephus, Philip was married to Salome and Herodias was married
to Herod Antipas. There's no good evidence to doubt Josephus here.
The only known agreement to Matthew 14:3 is Mark 6:17 but the wording of Mark
and Matthew is so similar it's likely that Matthew either picked up the error
from Mark or from their common source.

When did Herodias's daughter receive instructions to ask
for John the Baptist's head? Matthew says BEFORE Herod asked her what she
wanted but Mark says AFTER Herod asked what she wanted.
Mt 14:8
And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John
Baptist's head in a charger.
Mk 6:24-25
And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she
said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste
unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a
charger the head of John the Baptist.
If according to Matthew, she had prior instruction, why
would it be necessary to ask her mother what to ask for?

The failed prophecy of Jesus is that he'd preside over the
end of the world (Matthew 24:3) and Judgement day itself
(Matthew 16:27-8, Matthew 25:31-45) 1930
years ago, In this generation (Matthew 24:36) in the
lifetimes of some standing here, (Matthew 16:27-8),
in the lifespan of the high priest at Jerusalem
(Matthew 26:64 Matthew 24:31), shows that Christianity
is utterly false.
==
http://groups.yahoo.comgroupErrors_In_The_Christian_Bible
==
Almost all scholars date John as being written from 90 CE to 125 CE.
==
Scholars assign a date ca. 3000 BC for the founding of Egyptian civilization,
with a much older pre-civilized Egyptian culture from which it arose.

It's really hard to believe the events in Exodus took place only 850 years
after the Earth's human population was reduced to a breeding population of six.

Chinese legends said the gods fought each other and resulted in a break in
the heaven and a great downpour , and then Nui-woh used ('refined' ,
'alchemied') a five-colored stone (prob. opal) to mend the heaven and stop
the flood.
==
Farrell Till's 'The Skeptical Review'
Steve Wells' 'The Skeptic's Annotated Bible'
Dennis McKinsey's 'Biblical Errancy'
Judith Hayes' 'The Happy Heretic'
Essays by Massimo Pigliucci
Wayne Aiken's 'Atheist Fortune Cookies' (quotations)
Mark Isaak's 'Flood Stories from Around the World'
Dave Matson's 'What About Those Young Earth Arguments?
==
Richard Dawkins evolutionary biologist
Many of us saw religion as harmless nonsense. Beliefs might lack all supporting
evidence but, we thought, if people needed a crutch for consolation, where's
the harm? September 11th changed all that. Revealed faith is not harmless
nonsense, it can be lethally dangerous nonsense. Dangerous because it gives
people unshakeable confidence in their own righteousness. Dangerous because it
gives them false courage to kill themselves, which automatically removes normal
barriers to killing others. Dangerous because it teaches enmity to others
labelled only by a difference of inherited tradition. And dangerous because we
have all bought into into a weird respect, which uniquely protects religion
from normal criticism. Let's now stop being so damned respectful!
==
SUPREME COURT LETS STAND BOGUS STUDENT LED PRAYER
The nation's highest court has rejected an appeal to block a Florida
school district policy which authorizes students to elect chaplains
who deliver inspirational and religious remarks at graduation
ceremonies.
Without comment, the justices let stand rulings from the 11th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals which has twice upheld the policy. Opponents
of the practice had charged that it violated the separation of church
and state, and that The clear purpose of the challenged policy is to
preserve a tradition of prayer at graduation. Indeed, the dispute
over the school board's endorsement of prayer went back to 1992, when
sectarian invocations and benedictions delivered by members of the
clergy were allowed throughout the county's 15 public school
graduations.
In 1992, cleric-led prayer at graduation events
was ruled unconstitutional in the historic LEE v. WEISMAN case.
Justices noted that the practice clearly violated the separation of
church and state, and compelled a captive audience of students and
members of the community to participate in religious exercise as the
price of attending a graduation ceremony. Officials with the Duval
County schools -- like districts throughout the nation -- then
embarked on an effort to find a way of preserving the graduation
prayer which would still pass constitutional muster. The answer was
to shift the burden from school officials to students. In Duval
County, Superintendent Larry Zenke issued a memorandum (May 5, 1993)
stipulating that under a new policy, students would select a
volunteer from the senior class who would give a brief opening
andor closing message, not to exceed two minutes, at high school
graduation exercises, and that the content of the that message shall
be prepared by the student volunteer and shall not be monitored or
otherwise reviewed by the district.
Along with this policy, Duval County school officials also examined
the possibility of including another prayer ruse in the form of a
moment of silence at graduation. That was never implemented,
however, and throughout the district, the new practice of student-led
prayer was put into effect.

In 1998, a group of parents and students challenged the student-led
prayer. The suit noted, for instance, that while technically the
graduation message need not be religious, in practice all but four
addresses delivered over three years at 17 public high school in the
county contained sectarian, spiritual themes. Opponents also argued
that Student prayer from the graduation podium ... is more coercive,
and more imbued with state endorsement than prayer at football games.
Indeed, graduations have not been the only venue for religious groups
to use the public schools as a vehicle for promoting a faith-based
message. In a number of states throughout the country, including
Texas and Florida, school districts have allowed and even promoted
invocations prior to athletic events such as football games. That
practice was challenged in SANTA FE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT v.
DOE, where the identity of the plaintiffs was shielded in order to
protect them from violence. In a 6-3 decision rendered in 2000, the
high court struck down the student led prayer as a violation of the
First Amendment.
Although the 11th Circuit had already ruled in favor of majority-rule
prayer at graduation ceremonies, the high court ordered the Circuit
judges to review the case in light of the SANTA FE decision. The
appeals court majority responded by reaffirming its view that the
practice was constitutional, arguing that students -- not school
administrators or government officials -- decided what would be heard
at the graduation. It was also suggested that prayer was not the only
choice a student messenger would make.
Attorneys on both sides of the issue agree that the Supreme Court's
action on the contentious issue of prayer will likely encourage school
districts throughout the country to quickly implement student led
prayer, at least for graduation events. The fact that the Supreme
Court refused to review the case sends a green light to other school
districts that they can produce a neutral policy, said Matthew
Staver, head of General Counsel, a religious legal defense group.
Gray Thomas, who represented Duval students who said they had been
outnumbered and outvoted in opposing the graduation prayer, agreed.
Some school districts around the country have been trying to latch
onto different devices to accomplish the same purpose, he noted.
Others charge that by not examining the merits of the case, the
Supreme Court ducked the opportunity to render a definitive ruling on
when and where prayer is permissible in the public schools. As it now
stands, prayer at football games and other athletic events is
considered unconstitutional and coercive, even when organized by
students. Student led religious invocations at graduation ceremonies
have for now, anyway, barely made it under the constitutional bar.

APPEALS COURT STRIKES DOWN LOUISIANA SCHOOL PRAYER LAW
A three judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court voted unanimously
today to uphold a 1999 ruling which found a Louisiana statute
permitting a period of silent prayer to be unconstitutional.
The law evolved over several years, beginning with wording in 1976
that permitted silent meditation. In 1992, the statute was amended to
include the word prayer, and in 1999 legislators revisited the
statute, striking the term silent.
In declaring the Louisiana law unconstitutional, District Judge Robert
James rejected the state's argument that the statute was neutral in
respect to religion.
Joe Cook, executive director of the Louisiana ACLU told reporters:
Once again, the Louisiana legislature has passed an unconstitutional
law, resulting in local governments, in this case a school board,
spending money that could have been better used to educate our
children. The purpose of the Legislature was to defy Supreme Court
rulings of long standing.
The mother of a ninth-grade youngster had sued the Ouachita Parish
School Board over the statute, pointing out that her son and another
boy who refused to participate in the prayer were harassed by other
youngsters, and branded as atheists and devil worshippers.
The state Attorney General has not announced whether his office will
appeal for a full en banc hearing in front of the 5th Circuit or the
U.S. Supreme Court.
==
The bible gives two conflicting dates for Jesus' birth:
According to the gospel of Luke:
*Jesus is born the year Quinrinius carried out his first census,
which was when Judea was reduced to a province in 6 CE.
*John the Baptist enters the Jordan area in the 15th year of
Tiberius' reign, which is 29 CE.
*Jesus beings his ministry *after* the 15th year of Tiberius'
reign.
*Jesus begins his ministry around 30, *after* 29 CE.
According to Matthew:
* Jesus is born before Herod the Great died in 4 BCE.
According to the historical record:
*Herod the Great died in 4 BCE.
*Judea was reduced to province status in 6 CE.
*Pilate was governor from 26 CE to 36 CE.
1) Jesus is born prior to 4 BCE in Matthew, but in 6 CE in Luke;
a difference of at least a decade.
2) If Jesus turned 30 *AFTER*, or even in, 29CE, then he could
not have been born in the reign of Herod the Great. Luke
specifically uses two time frames, Quinrinius census of 6 CE,
John beginning his ministry in 29 CE, and Jesus only turning 30
after this date. If Jesus turned 30 after 29 CE, than he could
not have been born in the reign of Herod the Great.
==
Joshua's battle at Jericho couldn't have happened, since archaeology has shown
that at the time of Joshua, Jericho was long deserted.
The bible fails the test of prophecy worst of all, starting with the promised
destruction of Tyre in the book of Ezekiel that was supposed to be so great
that no one would ever find the island city again and then later in Isaiah,
the promise God supposedly made that he would restore Tyre to her former glory.

In Ezekiel chapter 27, Yahweh supposedly promised to destroy the
island city of Tyre so completely that it is never found again.
Supposedly it would be a bare rock for the spreading of nets in the
midst of the sea, and then the deep would come and cover it up so
completely that it would never be found again, and people would cry
out in anguish at the loss and disappearance of so mighty a city.
Amazingly enough, Tyre wasn't conquered by King Nebs as prophesied,
the city was never scraped bare as a rock and then covered by the deep
and the city still exists today. The island city was never scraped bare.
It was never a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea.
King Nebs laid siege to the city for 13 years and failed to take it.
The bible predicts that Tyre shall be destroyed and taken away,
disappeared from the face of the earth forevermore, that people will look
for Tyre and never find it again. Yet, we see it mentioned in the
New Testament. Mt.15:21 Mk.7:24, 31 Acts.12:20, 21:3, 7
(Harpers Bible Dictionary, 1985, p. 1101).
http://www.geocities.combdtaylt1.JPG map
http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.comezekpr_list.html
False Prophecy in Ezekiel.

Ezekiel Prophesies (in the 6th century BCE) that Ammonites will not be
remembered any more. They continued to exist until the 2nd century CE.
(And they are still remembered in the Bible.) 21:28-32
Ezekiel prophesies that Tyrus will be completely destroyed by
Nebuchadrezzar and will never be built again. But it wasn't destroyed,
as evidenced by the visits to Tyre by Jesus and Paul (Mt.15:21,
Mk.7:24, 31, Acts 21:3). 26:14,21
Ezekiel repeats the false prophecy of the destruction and perpetual
desolation of Tyrus. (See Mt.15:21, Mk.7:24, 31, Acts 21:3). 27:36
Once more Ezekiel repeats the false prophecy of the complete
destruction of Tyrus and its perpetual desolation. 28:19

Ezekiel makes another false prophecy: that Egypt would be uninhabited
by humans or animals for forty years after being destroyed by
Nebuchadrezzar. But there was never a time when Egypt was uninhabited.
Humans and animals have lived there continuously since Ezekiel's
prophecy. 29:10-13
Egypt shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt
itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they
shall no more rule over the nations. But Egypt remained an important
and often powerful nation. During the Tulunid dynasty (868-905 CE),
for example, Egypt was the center of a small empire and conquered
Syria. 29:14-15
The rivers of Egypt (identified as the Nile in NIV, NASB, and RSV)
shall dry up. This has never occurred. 30:12
Once again, Ezekiel prophesies God will protect the Israelites from
invasion and plunder as a shepherd protects his flock. Again, we know
this has not happened. 34:28-29

http://www.kadado.comalbumtyre_interactive_tour.htm

Wallace Fleming, The History of Tyre,

The city of Tyre is one of the oldest cities in the world. Founded in
2750 B.C. by Phonecian sailors as a port city, it is located 83 km south
of present day Beirut. The city started as both an island and mainland
community, but in the first millennium B.C. bridges where made of stone
connecting it to the mainland.

The city was a major port city and trading post in the Mediterranean
Sea. The city also had trading posts stretching from the Mediterranean
to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. The city had a monopoly on the sea
trading when it was not under attack or at war. The city had many goods
in which to export all over the world. These included sugar, objects
made of pearl, glass, and its purple-dyed textiles. This is not the only
thing to make it such a famous city. The residents of Tyre may have
invented the alphabet and they are credited for utilizing the color
purple in their textile industry.

The city was surrounded by a great wall to protect its inhabitants and
its beautiful structures. Some of the ancient structures in Tyre include
a Crusader Cathedral, a Roman Hippodrome that seated twenty thousand
people, and a Phonecian Cemetery, which is the first of its kind found
in Lebanon. Another significant structure of Tyre was the Roman-built
aqueduct which provided the city with its water.

Because Tyre was such a beautiful and wealthy city, it was desired by
other empires. The history of the city has a dark side that was plagued
by war throughout its history. The first of these battles started in the
sixth century B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon tried to
conquer the city. He tried for thirteen years but Tyre stood up to his
attempts. It is unknown if the mainland city was conquered with the
residents taking refugee on the island or not.

The second attempt came three hundred years later when Alexander the
Great tried to take the city in the war between the Greeks and the
Persians. He confined the city to the island for seven months. Because
he could not reach the city, he built a bridge with the remains of the
mainland city to reach the island. When he reached it he broke through
the wall and in his rage he killed or sold the residents into slavery.
The city changed hands x armies seized
it. The last time the city was attacked was by the Crusaders. The city
held up strong behind its wall until 1124 when they finally fell. The
city was been under different rule until after World War I when it was
taken into present day Lebanon.

The city of Tyre is one of the oldest cities in the world. Founded in
2750 B.C. by Phonecian sailors as a port city, it is located 83 km south
of present day Beirut. The city started as both an island and mainland
community, but in the first millennium B.C. bridges where made of stone
connecting it to the mainland.
The city was a major port city and trading post in the Mediterranean
Sea. The city also had trading posts stretching from the Mediterranean
to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. The city had a monopoly on the sea
trading when it was not under attack or at war. The city had many goods
in which to export all over the world. These included sugar, objects
made of pearl, glass, and its purple-dyed textiles. This is not the only
thing to make it such a famous city. The residents of Tyre may have
invented the alphabet and they are credited for utilizing the color
purple in their textile industry.
The city was surrounded by a great wall to protect its inhabitants and
its beautiful structures. Some of the ancient structures in Tyre include
a Crusader Cathedral, a Roman Hippodrome that seated twenty thousand
people, and a Phoenician Cemetery, which is the first of its kind found
in Lebanon. Another significant structure of Tyre was the Roman-built
aqueduct which provided the city with its water.
Because Tyre was such a beautiful and wealthy city, it was desired by
other empires. The history of the city has a dark side that was plagued
by war throughout its history. The first of these battles started in the
sixth century B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon tried to
conquer the city. He tried for thirteen years but Tyre stood up to his
attempts. It is unknown if the mainland city was conquered with the
residents taking refugee on the island or not.
The second attempt came three hundred years later when Alexander the
Great tried to take the city in the war between the Greeks and the
Persians. He confined the city to the island for seven months. Because
he could not reach the city, he built a bridge with the remains of the
mainland city to reach the island. When he reached it he broke through
the wall and in his rage he killed or sold the residents into slavery.
The city changed hands again in 634 A.D. when the Islamic armies seized
it. The last time the city was attacked was by the Crusaders. The city
held up strong behind its wall until 1124 when they finally fell. The
city was been under different rule until after World War I when it was
taken into present day Lebanon.
Sources:
Tyre History of Tyre
http://www.unesco.orgcultureheritagetangibletyrehtml_enghistory.htm

--
Nicolas Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt
==
Like many Native American religions, the Huron belief in a Divine Woman Creator
reflected a worldview of interconnectedness and a spiritual relationship to the
Earth. The Hurons were Native Americans who, in the 1500s, numbered close to
45,000 (by the mid-1990s there were about 2,700 left). They occupied a land
networked by rivers and lakes between Lake Huron and Lake Ontario in Canada,
named Huronia by French explorers. Their explanation of cosmic and world
creation stemmed from their environment and social order.
The Hurons believed that, in the beginning of time, there was only water and
water animals. One day, the sky ripped open and a woman fell out. The water
animals recognized that she was Divine Woman, and set about making a place for
her to sit. (Huron social organization began with extended families and
matrilineal clans--that is, the mother's bloodline determined clan
membership.) When Divine Woman fell through the sky, she connected the spirit
world to the Earth.
Turtle held the woman on his back and instructed the other animals to dive down
and bring up soil. Some animals dove too deep and never returned. Other animals
returned, but with no earth. At last, Toad returned with a small amount of
soil. Divine Woman patted the soil down on Turtle's shell and that was enough
to start the Earth. From that day forward, according to the story, Turtle has
been holding up the world.
When she died, Divine Woman was buried beneath the soil. The plants that grew
above her offered all the nourishment necessary to sustain life for generations
to come. Thus the Huron creation beliefs reflected and supported the tribe's
long-entrenched matriarchal society.

The available information on the Egyptian creation stories is very sketchy
and varied depending on the region. In Memphis, it was said that Ptah
thought, then spoke, and thereby created the other gods, who then created
the people. At Heliopolis, a mound appeared from the watery chaos, with
Atum on it. He created the god Shu and the goddess Tefnut, who married and
gave birth to Geb (the earth) and Nut (the sky). The other gods and people
followed.
The Egyptians seemed to think that their
entrance into heaven was governed entirely by their own conduct. In the
Book of the Dead, the deceased must affirm that he had not committed any of
42 enumerated sins, and have his heart weighed against the feather of Ma'at
before he could become an Osiris and enter the afterlife.
==
What happened to Pontius Pilate after he sentenced Christ to crucifixion?
Things went downhill from there. Pilate ended up killing himself in 36 AD after
Caligula ordered him to come to Rome to explain his actions in the massacre of
some Samaritans. It is unclear whether Caligula ordered the suicide or Pilate
simply feared
==
Our goal has been achieved. The Religious Right is solidly in place, and
religious conservatives in America are now in for the duration.[Jerry Falwell]

I hope I live to see the day, when, as in the early days of our country, we
wont have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again
and Christians will be running them. What a happy day that will be!

..If we are going to save America and evangelize the world, we cannot
accommodate secular philosophies that are diametrically opposed to Christian
truth...We need to pull out all the stops to recruit and train 25 million
Americans to become informed pro-moral activists whose voices can be heard
in the halls of Congress. --Jerry Falwell
==
The governor of Texas participated in prayer
assemblies at schools in Palestine and Whitesboro, Texas
that included recitation of sectarian prayer.

Public prayer at Maplesville High School, Alabama.
During the Veteran's day celebration they had a few special guests and events.
First off, was a local area preacher that came on stage and preached about how
God blesses America, and how he fought in a war, and how they should all thank
God he's alive. Then, of course, the entire assembly of students were led in a
school-wide prayer. An official school-wide school assembly to a captive
audience.
==
It was determined that only prayers from members of the Northern Conservative
Fundamentalist Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912 were effective;
therefore, these are the Followers of the True God.
==
The greater the number of men to whom the treasures of knowledge
become accessible, the more widespread is the falling-away from religious
belief -- at first only from its obsolete and objectionable trappings,
but later from its fundamental postulates as well. --Sigmund Freud

==
Judea was NOT under direct roman control during the reign of Harod the
King, and therefore did not have the authority to conduct direct taxing
of Israel, or to conduct a census for taxation purpose.
==
Jer 46:10 (KJV) For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day
of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall
devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord
GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
AllahJr: Jesus must hate me
Allah Jr: made irc crash
ortclod: Nahum 1:2 (KJV) God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD
revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and
he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
ortclod: Deut 32:41 (KJV) If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take
hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them
that hate me.
==
What Jesus actually said, and what Jesus actually did, as a historical fact we
will never know, ecause figures of past history are not necessarily
remembered for what they did, but they are remembered for what the effect of
following generations was.
=
Biblical Archeological Review.

Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe WHEN CRITICS ASK (Victor Books,1992)

Ian Plimer _Telling Lies for God_

Varieties of Religious experience by William James discusses
Psychology of religious people (1902) Mentor Paperback still in print

Paul Kurtz's _The Transendental Temptation_

Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology, edited by Louis Pojman

http://humanknowledge.netThoughts.html#ArgumentsAgainstChristianity

http://humanknowledge.netThoughts.html#Theology

_Philosophical Investigations_, Nozick

BRUNO BAUER AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY. It is online at:
http://csf.colorado.edumirrorsmarxists.orgarchivemarxworks1882baue.htm

==
[genocide n.
The systematic and planned extermination of an entire national, racial,
political, or ethnic group. --Am Herit. Dict. 3rd Ed, 1994]

Deut 7:1 ...many nations--the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites,
Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations....you must destroy
them totally....show them no mercy....For you are a people holy to the LORD
your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the
face of the earth....

Numbers 31:17: Now therefore kill every male among the little ones.

Deut. 2:34: . . . utterly destroyed the men and the women and the
little ones.

Deut. 28:53: And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the
flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters.

ISam. 15:3 . . .slay both man and woman, infant and suckling.

II Kings 15:16: . . .all the women therein that were with child he
ripped up.

Is. 13:16: Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their
eyes; their houses shall be spoiled and their wives ravished.

Is. 13:18: They shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their
eyes shall not spare children.

Ez. 9:6: Slay utterly old and young, both maids and little children.

Hosea 13:16: . . .their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their
women with child shall be ripped up.

Numbers 31: 18 But all the young girls who have not known man by lying
with him, keep alive for yourselves.

Ex. 32:27 Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword
by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay
every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his
neighbor.

Deut 2:32 When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle at
Jahaz,

2:33 the LORD our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down,
together with his sons and his whole army. 2:34 At that time we took
all his towns and completely destroyed them--men, women and children. We left
no survivors.

Josh. 10:40 . . . the country of the hills, and of the south, and of
the vale, and of the springs and all their kings; he left none remaining
but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel
commanded.
==
<<Wherefore in order that the happiness of the saints may be more
delightful to them and that they may render more copious thanks to God for it,
they are allowed to see perfectly the sufferings of the damned.
--St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Supplement to the 3rd part,
Q94 http://www.knight.orgadventsumma
==

In South Carolina, state legislators are proposing a bill to transform the
moment of silence that begins each school day into a moment of prayer, though
such moments of prayer were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in
Wallace v. Jaffree in 1985.

In Texas, Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, defended his participation in prayers
with children at a public school last week, saying he disagreed with the
Supreme Court's ban. School prayer advocates say that students are praying over
public address systems at football games throughout Texas, though without the
backing of any school board decision such as Greenbrier's.

In Greenbrier, parents said that since Sept. 11, every game the schools' teams
play away from home had also begun with public prayers.

==

Fifth king of Judah, son of Jehoram and Athaliah (daughter of Ahab), and
therefore nephew of the preceding Ahaziah, reigned one year, B.C. 884.

2 Kings and in 2
Chronicles:

In 2 Kings 8:17 the author mentions that Ahaziah's father Joram ben Ahab
was 32 when he became King, and he died eight years later, at the age of 40.

+++ King James Translation:
2 Kings 8
26 Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign;
and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was
Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.
2 Chronicles 22
2 Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and
he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was
Athaliah the daughter of Omri.
Note that 2 Kings 8:26 indicates an age of 22 years, while 2
Chronicles 22:2 says 42 years. When I looked at a few other
translations, I was surprised to learn that some of them have
changed the 42 years of age in the 2 Chronicles passage to 22 years,
and others have not. Here are a few examples of this from different
translations:
+++ New American Standard Bible:
2 Chronicles 22
2 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he
reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah,
the granddaughter of Omri.
+++ Revised Standard Version:
2 Chronicles 22
2 Ahazi'ah was forty-two years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athali'ah, the
granddaughter of Omri.
+++ American Standard Version:
2 Chronicles 22
2 Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he
reigned one year in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Athaliah
the daughter of Omri.
+++ New King James Version:
2 Chronicles 22
2Ahaziah was forty-two[1] years old when he became king, and he
reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah the
granddaughter of Omri.
footnote:
1. 22:2 Or twenty-two (compare 2 Kings 8:26)
+++ New International Version (NIV-IBS)
2 Chronicles 22
2 Ahaziah was twenty-two [1] years old when he became king, and he
reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother's name was Athaliah, a
granddaughter of Omri.
footnote:
22:2 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 8:26);
Hebrew forty-two
-----
Note that the age of Ahaziah was changed from 42 to 22 in the New
American Standard Bible and in the New International Version, but
the others left the age at 42 years old, or provided footnotes
calling attention to the differences.
There may be other examples like this where changes have been made
in both the OT and NT to the content of certain Bible passages in
modern translations to reconcile such apparent contradictions. If
so, are the translators of these modern Bible versions essentially
conceding that there are indeed errors in some of the passages of
the traditional Bible translations (such as the King James version)
or even in the earliest available transcripts themselves?
==
In STONE v. GRAHAM (1980), the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Kentucky
statute which permitting the posting of a copy of the Decalogue in schools.
Federal District Courts had found the practice constitutionally violative in
other decisions like HARVEY v. COBB COUNTY, GA. (1993) and ANDERSON v.
SALT LAKE CITY (1972).

The first four commandments: no other gods, no graven images, not to
take His name in vain, and remember the Sabbath are wholly religious
in nature and are unrelated to any civil or criminal law, Senyszyn
points out.
==
According to a news report out of Salt Lake City, the Mormon church has been
forced to delete the names of famous people from their list of Baptised
Mormons. It seems that according to Mormon law ,the dead who did not
have a chance to convert while alive, can and should be baptised post-humously.
According to Mormon theology,they retain the ability to choose
or reject the baptism in the next life.
Some of the names excised include Albert Einstein,David
Ben-Gurion,Menachem Begin and Sigmund Freud.
==
In May 1946, Pope Pius XII sent a letter to Catholic bishops around the world
asking them to inform us about the devotion of your clergy and people toward
the Assumption of the most Blessed Virgin Mary. He was referring to the belief
that Mary, the Biblical mother of Jesus, was physically brought to heaven as
her mortal life ended. While this belief had long been held in many Catholic
quarters, some church officials felt that it should not become doctrine.
Pius XII ultimately invoked the often-misunderstood power of Papal
Infallibility to settle the question and symbolically unite the Church.
The First Vatican Council, convened in 1869, defined the two central parameters
of Papal Infallibility: First, it applies only to pedagogical statements made
about morality and faith; second, these papal teachings must be made
ex cathedra, from his chair--that is, not from the pope as a private person,
but from the pope as Church official acting with apostolic authority.
Many Catholics and non-Catholics mistakenly believe infallibility applies to
all the pope's thoughts and actions. A pope's private theological opinions are
not considered infallible, nor are his actions. Popes can invoke infallibility
only to affirm or reinforce ideas contained in the writings of the Apostles
that already have broad support within the church community. As such, papal
infallibility has power mainly as a symbolic gesture to unite Catholics under
a single, strong spiritual leader.
The conditions are so narrow under which infallibility can be meaningfully
applied that it has only been used twice in the Church's history: once in
1854, when Pope Pius IX declared Mary's immaculate conception and again in
1950, when Pope Pius XII received overwhelmingly positive response to his
letter to the bishops, and consequently declared the Assumption of Mary
official Catholic doctrine.
==
It must be held by faith that outside the Apostolic Roman Church, no one can
be saved; that this is the only ark of salvation; that he who shall not have
entered therein will perish in the flood. (Denzinger 1647)

We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for
the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.
(Denz. 469)
==
A 100-ton boulder slipped off of a 96-wheel trailer while being driven
interstate in India from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu, where it was to be sculpted
into an idol of the Hindu monkey-god Hanuman. As the word spread, villagers
gathered around the rock, consecrated it, and delivered offerings to it, but
the temple in Tamil Nadu said it still wants the rock (which was donated to
the temple by a quarry owner) reloaded and delivered.
Rock of Ages?
==
The Sumerians worshiped the
goddess Inanna as the Queen of Heaven, the source of the fertility of life,
the original sex goddess, and the creator of civilization. Later Semitic
peoples joined in worshiping her under the name Ishtar, aka Anath and
Astarte to the Canaanites and Israelites. (Jeremiah 44:17-19 is a reference
to Israelite worship of her with a sacrament of wine and cake). She was
regarded as the power behind all thrones, the source of victory in war, the
healer of the sick, and the inspiration of prophets and visionaries.
InannaIshtar also was a dying resurrected deity. She supposedly visited
her twin sister (or the dark side of her psyche) Ereshkigal, who was ruler
of the underworld. Ereshkigal had Inanna Ishtar killed, and her body was
hung up, either upon a peg in a wall or upon a wooden stake (almost like a
crucifixion). After three days, the goddess was resurrected. She then
appeared to various people on the earth, looking for a substitute for her in
the underworld. She finally selected her lover--Dumuzi in Sumerian stories,
Tammuz in Semitic ones. He then had to spend part of each year in death.
That's why the women of Israel, among others, wept for Tammuz, (Ez. 8:14).
==
Genesis 1 is counterfeited from the Mesopotamian origin work
the Enuma Elish. Genesis 2 is plagiarized from a separate Mesopotamian
origin story, which explains the contradictions between the two accounts.
Also, the Noah story is counterfeited from the earlier Mesopotamian story of
Atrahesis and the ark, which is copied from the earlier (about 2000 B.C.E.)
story of Utnapishtim and the ark, found within the Gilgamesh epic, which is
copied from the 3rd millennium B.C.E. story of the Sumerian king Ziusudra,
who rode an ark to safety atop a worldwide flood.
==
GEORGE WASHINGTON: Letter to Sir Edward Newenham, June 22, 1792.
Religious controversies are always productive of more acrimony and
irreconcilable hatreds than those which spring from any other cause. I
had hoped that liberal and enlightened thought would have reconciled the
Christians so that their religious fights would not endanger the peace of
Society.
==
Matthew is a poor mathematician. He asserts that he lists
14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 more from David to
captivity, and 14 from the captivity to the return of Jesus.
But he makes a major error by counting Jechoniah twice. If
Jechoniah is counted once, like everyone else in the list, there
are only 13 generations between Jesus and Shealtiel.

Abraham to David: 14 generations.
David to Jechoniah: 14 generations.
Jesus to Shealtiel: 13 generations.
==
In ENGEL v. VITALE (1961), the justices struck down a New York law
presumably nonsectarian and did not support any specific religious belief,
but which was sufficiently potent to attract the attention of a deity. In the
combined cases of MURRAY v. CURLETT and ABINGTON TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT v.
SCHEMPP (1963), unison prayer and Bible verse recitation were declared
unconstitutional. Churches and religious groups then concocted
schemes like a moment of silence, but in most cases the courts have
considered this to be a simple ruse. In WALLACE v. JAFFREE (1985),
ritual silent prayer was declared illegal
==
_No Man Knows My History_. Fawn McKay Brodie.
She was the daughter of a prophet. David O. McKay. About Mormons
==
Inside the Mind of Joseph Smith By Robert D. Anderson
Did Joseph Smith write the Book of Mormon? Explore this intriguing thesis and
what the Book can reveal about Joseph Smith's personality.
Approx. price: $16

In 1828, 24-year-old Joseph Smith Jr. sat at his kitchen table in upstate New
York, mumbling, his face in his hat and a covered box before him. The box
allegedly contained gold plates with ancient, mysterious writing on them. Three
years before, the angel Moroni had appeared to Smith and told him the plates
were buried in a nearby mountain. Smith, a former diviner, had used seer
stones to find them. Without looking at the plates or knowing a word of the
language, he was now almost finished translating them through the power of the
same stones.
Smith self-published the result as the Book of Mormon. Less than a week later,
he founded the Mormon Church.
According to Smith, the plates told the story of an Israelite clan that fled
Jerusalem for America 2,500 years earlier. They had been inscribed by the
tribe's historian, a man named Mormon, and later buried by his son. Mormons
claim that evil forces took over the Catholic Church in its early years, and
that this lost tribe of Mormon is the true inheritor of Jehovah. Accordingly,
Smith and his followers sought to establish a true city of God on earth, a
blend of heavenly and earthly kingdoms.
They first tried Missouri, but were forced to settle in Illinois. Here, in
1844, Smith declared polygamy--the practice of having two or more spouses at
the same time--an official Mormon revelation, angering many church members.
(Among Smith's approximately 50 celestial wives were daughters and wives of
many church fathers.) A splinter group printed a letter attacking Smith as a
fallen prophet; Smith ordered their press smashed. As a result, the governor of
Illinois ordered Smith arrested.
In prison, Smith had his last vision: his own death. It came true when 150
angry Christians swarmed the prison, shooting Joseph Smith dead. But his church
lives on with over 10 million members, the biggest Christian denomination
native to America today.
=
The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance; he shall wash
his feet in the blood of the wicked. -- Psalms,Ch.58, V.10
==
Logical problem
1. Supposedly God made me.
2. I have a skeptical mind because He made me that way, and presumably wanted
it so.
3. My skepticism leads me to doubt what I am told about the existence and
nature of God.
4. God has failed to provide the additional evidence that is required to
convince me.
5. As a result of this God condemns me to eternal torment.
6. Does this seem to point to a just, loving God, or something else?
==
Marcion was the son of a wealthy shipbuilder in the seaport town of Pontus
(present day Turkey). His father was also a bishop in the emerging Catholic
Church, but his catechism must not have convinced his son. Marcion started his
own brand of Christianity and in the process created the idea of the New
Testament.
But his theology wasn't well received by rival church officials. Marcion once
met the Catholic Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna and greeted the older man, Do you
recognize me? But Polycarp only replied, I recognize the firstborn of