OT: was christianity the invention of a Troll?

[dash]

Another question:

What does God need with a starship?

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

I tend to agree. My God is not an egomaniac or politician.

I still think that there is a place for church and temple etc, as a celebration of God, but the idea of worship has always fascinated me.

 

[mattola]

No... which is why I truly believe that if there is indeed a supreme being, so long as you live a good and honest life, you will be alright in this so called afterlife.

i just treat people as I want to be treated. I think thats fair sadly. too many people just cant grasp that and want more than their neighbour. they always want more. more money, more possessions, more love, more friends, more greed.... always more.

 

[SLY]

I think Jesus came from a starship.

 

[SLY]

i just treat people as I want to be treated. I think thats fair sadly. too many people just cant grasp that and want more than their neighbour. they always want more. more money, more possessions, more love, more friends, more greed.... always more.

Yep.

 

[dash]

I think Jesus came from a starship.

Then he needs to take responsibility for this abomination...

 

[filosofy29]

When someone asks you "if you are a God", you say YES!

 

[pixburgher66]

I tend to agree. My God is not an egomaniac or politician.

I still think that there is a place for church and temple etc, as a celebration of God, but the idea of worship has always fascinated me.

My only take on it is not that he demands worship, but he doesn't want your worship to be elsewhere. No idolatry, etc. that takes your focus away from him. Worship brings you closer to God, and the closer you are to him the better your relationship with him, etc. etc. I don't believe that means you'll have an easier life. In fact it is those people with the strongest faith are attacked the harshest. Why would Satan waste his time with people who don't believe? He thinks he's won those battles.

 

[SLY]

When someone asks you "if you are a God", you say YES!

IMO, it wouldn't completely be false. If "God" truly is a spirit and not an entity, then he is within all of us. No?

 

[mattola]

When someone asks you "if you are a God", you say YES!

thanks Winston

 

[dash]

When someone asks you "if you are a God", you say YES!

lol - I'm a doctor, not a theologian

 

[pixburgher66]

IMO, it wouldn't completely be false. If "God" truly is a spirit and not an entity, then he is within all of us. No?

You're right on one end in regards to Christian beliefs. The Holy Spirit is within us all, it is the part of the God Head that is on the Earth. There's power in that too. I believe that. However, that doesn't make us God. Not even a little. What separates us from God is sin. Jesus came to fix that, and did, which means eventually we will live in a world without sin, but right now? Still rather plentiful.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

My only take on it is not that he demands worship, but he doesn't want your worship to be elsewhere. No idolatry, etc. that takes your focus away from him. Worship brings you closer to God, and the closer you are to him the better your relationship with him, etc. etc. I don't believe that means you'll have an easier life. In fact it is those people with the strongest faith are attacked the harshest. Why would Satan waste his time with people who don't believe? He thinks he's won those battles.

Isn't this a bit narcissistic though? I would think that God would not be narcissistic.

 

[Comeds]

Yeah that's something I really dislike that some religious people tend to believe. If a God exists and is actually keeping an eye on us, I give him a bit more credit than that. I'm quite confident if he's anything close to the loving God that he's portrayed as (in some parts of the Bible ) that he's not going to send good people to hell for eternity just because they might have been a bit skeptical. The fact that so much emphasis is placed on "faith" is what makes it seem a bit sketchy to me.

I view myself as an agnostic, slouching towards atheism at times. I do not discount the idea of God. I'd like to believe firmly believe, I just don't. Facing a terrible punishment cannot make someone believe something they do not. It just doesnt work that way, at least for me.

In school when we were learning about "Manifest Destiny!" we were given a print out of an early 1800s sermon. Boy what a change from today, it was all fire and brimstone and basically said God mostly hates us and is real close to kicking us into the pit of hell. All he wants is a slight excuse so if you do not do exactly as God wishes eternal damnation for you. Ok, heres the collection plate, bake sale on Thursday.

On a side note - I wish they would go back to using the term 'holy ghost' more. Much more amusing than 'holy spirit'.

 

[Darkstone42]

I view myself as an agnostic, slouching towards atheism at times. I do not discount the idea of God. I'd like to believe firmly believe, I just don't. Facing a terrible punishment cannot make someone believe something they do not. It just doesnt work that way, at least for me.

In school when we were learning about "Manifest Destiny!" we were given a print out of an early 1800s sermon. Boy what a change from today, it was all fire and brimstone and basically said God mostly hates us and is real close to kicking us into the pit of hell. All he wants is a slight excuse so if you do not do exactly as God wishes eternal damnation for you. Ok, heres the collection plate, bake sale on Thursday.

On a side note - I wish they would go back to using the term 'holy ghost' more. Much more amusing than 'holy spirit'.

Yeah, but then it sounds like Casper's pious cousin...

 

[pixburgher66]

Isn't this a bit narcissistic though? I would think that God would not be narcissistic.

Can one be narcissistic if one truly is all-knowing and all-powerful? He's everywhere, so of course he's self-involved.

 

[puckhead]

My only take on it is not that he demands worship, but he doesn't want your worship to be elsewhere. No idolatry, etc. that takes your focus away from him.

it was Akhenaten (aka Amenhotep IV) who introduced the concept of only one god.
before that, there were about 2,400.

so if there is one... why is it yours instead of Buddha or Vishnu, or even Huitzilopochtli?


/not meaning to troll, but I am genuinely curious. i was raised Roman Catholic, but that always kind of bugged me... why this god and not that one? if catholics are right, does that mean that everyone else (muslims hindis etc) is wrong?

 

[SLY]

All are one. That is my belief. Well, all were influenced by the same phenomena.

 

[dare2be]

If there is any narcissism in the God/human relationship, it is not with God.

 

[dare2be]

/not meaning to troll, but I am genuinely curious. i was raised Roman Catholic, but that always kind of bugged me... why this god and not that one? if catholics are right, does that mean that everyone else (muslims hindis etc) is wrong?

Does the Christian reject the Hindu god? Do Hindus reject all other god but their own, etc?

Atheists just reject one more god than non-atheists.