Those crazy Muslim bastards did it again

[Hermit]

the Bible is known to be inspired by god and therefore open to interpretation.

Not according to the Bible:

What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. - Deuteronomy 12:32

So when the Xians say PI=3 they really do mean?

If they are true Christians, they must.

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book - Revelation 22:18

[pErvinalia]

It's almost like the Christian God is as big of a cunt as the Muslim God..

[JimC]

I suspect that if you did some really careful research on all the passages in the Bible, compared to all the passages in Islamic holy writings, you would see a somewhat higher number commanding the faithful to slay the infidel than in the bible.

Be as that as it may, Seth's pious vision of "true christians" being only those who follow "gentle Jesus meek and mild" is utterly irrelevant to this argument. It may be the lofty aim of christianity (or at least some of its nicer vicars), but its practice over the centuries was that of a powerful institution, fighting to control it's own somewhat fractious in-group, and subjugate every out-group it came across. It had the estimable advantage, of course, of riding on the coat-tails of western imperialism. The classic "Guns, Germs and Steel" of Jared Diamond should perhaps be extended to Guns, Germs, Steel and the Missionary Position...

[pErvinalia]

I suspect that if you did some really careful research on all the passages in the Bible, compared to all the passages in Islamic holy writings, you would see a somewhat higher number commanding the faithful to slay the infidel than in the bible.

Yeah probably. I haven't read either. But I have no problem accepting that Islam is a bigger fuckup than Christianity going by modern evidence.

Be as that as it may, Seth's pious vision of "true christians" being only those who follow "gentle Jesus meek and mild" is utterly irrelevant to this argument.

Yeah. Not to mention the irony explosion in Seth, the most old-testament biblically righteous poster getting around these days, advocating for Christianity as a gentle benign religion. Lol. That's certainly not the type of Christian Seth is.

The classic "Guns, Germs and Steel" of Jared Diamond should perhaps be extended to Guns, Germs, Steel and the Missionary Position...

[JimC]

There used to be an English movement called "Muscular Christianity"

Very big on boxing, and chaps showing other chaps their muscles...

[pErvinalia]

Substitute muscles for "guns"...

[Hermit]

Here's one of the few Christians who might just be a True Christian. Pastor Peter LaRuffa said "If somewhere within the Bible, I were to find a passage that said two plus two equals five, I wouldn't question what I'm reading in the Bible. I would believe it, accept it as true, and then do my best to work it out and understand it." But even he has an impossible task at hand, for the Bible is so riddled with contradictions that he must obey some of its commands and ignore others. He cannot avoid interpreting scripture in his effort to determine which to obey and which to ignore. Is it to be an eye for an eye (Leviticus 24:19–21) or turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:38-39). Interpretation is unavoidable, even for those who are serious when they say that they accept every word of whatever holy book they subscribe to as the literal truth. it's not just the problem of denying reality when they say they believe that Pi = 3, that locusts have four legs or that stars are holes in the firmament through which we get rain. The more fundamental problem is that the holy books are self-contradictory in several places.

[Sean Hayden]

That's why the clever ones lose themselves in the history of it all e.g. Jesus the Jew, understanding Paul as a Jew first, yada, yada. There's plenty of room back that way to avoid all the conflicts associated with Augustine and Luther's brand.

[JimC]

I invite catch lines to this:

"How many theologians does it take to change a light bulb?"

[Sean Hayden]

I promise you that some here today are like this light bulb, and without my hand they will not be turned on again.

[Galaxian]

It would be akin to having a debate with as ass. At the end of it all, you get a plop of manure on the ground, a jet of piss, and a braying "Eee Aww" sound.

New addition to my signature!

Thank you eRvin. You're welcome. You notice from Seth's reply that he still doesn't get it!

[JimC]

I promise you that some here today are like this light bulb, and without my hand they will not be turned on again.

I like it!

[Galaxian]

He wasn't talking about God existing. All that matters is that the followers of religions (i.e. the people who enable religions) believe that God exists. Without those God-believing followers, religion wouldn't exist. Hence why it's silly to say that religions "have nothing to do with God".

It's true. Religious zealots claim that their wooo is inspired & supported by "God". Well, if that's the case then they're not needed are they? Why doesn't their fuckin' God get off his arse & support them by inspiring the general population, so they wouldn't have to commit all sorts of barbaric acts on a daily basis?
Hence we see that a religion & a philosophy, or prophets & philosophers/polemicists are no different from each other. Both are purely material, human artifacts.
Yet, there is one difference between prophets and philosophers: Prophets are deluded nutters with a psychiatric condition, generally a personality disorder, demanding that they're the Voice of the Deity. Philosophers are generally sane with an inquisitive mind and fond of debate who have no pretensions to divine inspiration (except modern French philosophers )

[pErvinalia]

He wasn't talking about God existing. All that matters is that the followers of religions (i.e. the people who enable religions) believe that God exists. Without those God-believing followers, religion wouldn't exist. Hence why it's silly to say that religions "have nothing to do with God".

It's true. Religious zealots claim that their wooo is inspired & supported by "God". Well, if that's the case then they're not needed are they? Why doesn't their fuckin' God get off his arse & support them by inspiring the general population, so they wouldn't have to commit all sorts of barbaric acts on a daily basis?

God moves in mysterious ways, something something.

[NineBerry]

I suspect that if you did some really careful research on all the passages in the Bible, compared to all the passages in Islamic holy writings, you would see a somewhat higher number commanding the faithful to slay the infidel than in the bible.

No, the Bible has a lot more of those. Most of the violence in the Quran is done by God directly, mostly in the afterlife to the poor souls going to Hell.