Obviously you're better off reading the bible than not reading it, but I just wonder if you are using it for less than honest purposes. There are some people who despise fundamental Christians so much that they seek to learn the bible more so then most people in an effort to plant seeds of doubt in believers and would-be believers minds. I am sure you are not one of these people though. I am sure you are just confused like you said previously. But what if some of what we've been raised to believe for 12 years in our mandatory training camps is morally incorrect and corrupted by humans (political humans in powerful positions, mind you )? JewknowwhatImsayin?
No, I'm not using it for a less than honest purpose. I despise the people you describe just as much as I despise those who are so blindly indoctrinated by their churches that they go around asserting that questioning is blasphemous. That's nonsense as I've always believed that if one seeks the truth, they will find it. None of my religious views dealing with the Bible or Christianity in general were learned in school, though, so I don't know where you're getting at there. I took a lot of what I learned through school with a grain of salt as well. Unless something has evidence to support it and is credible, then I absorb it, but it isn't exactly put on my list of firm beliefs, you know? I would never waste my time like you're proposing I am though. I doubt other humans, not Christ.
I feel bad for Jesus. he'd consider being worshipped idolatry, and had no intention of starting Christianity plus, the religion in his name has done some anti-Christ things, and is full of hypocrisy.
I don't think he became a martyr so you would feel bad for him. lol He felt bad for you.... I agree that the hypocrisy is sad, though. AlienBlood, I've had a rough night and I think I agree with most everything you're saying now, so do you wanna just leave it there? lol
he also kinda happened to be hijacked by idiots and worshipped which was directly against his martyr intentions
How do you render this belief while considering these two statements by Him, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father, but through Me." and "if anyone wish to live, he must deny himself, pick up his cross and follow Me." ?
I do not consider it an exact quote. You and i, i believe talked about where he believes in following 613 commandments as necessary and you quote paul to trump Jesus. So there is a lot of things in the bible that would push a certain idea forward, but i do believe that way truth light is found in John, and not in Matthew? I may be wrong. However, there are many instances where different things are in different stories, since they were written in different times by different authors for different audiences. I consider the Sayings Gospel of Thomas to be more accurate than John. And i consider it unlikely that a strict Jew, a follower of someone most likely raised by Essenes, would consider himself = to god, or god's son, or anything of the sort. If i said "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father, but through Me." and "if anyone wish to live, he must deny himself, pick up his cross and follow Me.", you're not very inclined to believe me, are you? With all the discretions, mistranslations, hundreds of thousands of variations, language barriers, time difficulties, and deliberate misquotes/ interpolation, I find it hard to take the bible on it's word.
I think some of it is plagiarized too, for example I don't believe Moses existed. nor do I believe there was a child massacre when jesus was an infant, because I think it's a deliberate parallel to Moses in order to appeal to jews
>.> god in itself is a paradox of duality. IT has to be everything at once and nothing at all. god is life and death all in one. I suspect "IT" or god is just existence in it self and its something we have to find and cope with cause we will all die and just turn to dust
People with a brain can determine the difference between religious fanaticism and faith in Jesus Christ. They really don't go hand in hand.