KFC Kickin For Christ KFC Kickin For Christ

What If Jesus Was Never Born?

What If Jesus Was Never Born?

Thank God He Was

What if Jesus Christ was never born? What would it be like here and in the rest of the world? Would it make a difference at all? It is a thought provoking question isn't it? What if Jesus had never been born?

If Jesus was never born, what a difference it would make in politics. Our representative form of democracy rests on explicitly Christian principles of church and state. So do our principles of free speech and religious tolerance. In fact, the very founding of this nation was motivated by the goal to establish a Christ-centered community. If Jesus was never born, there wouldn’t be a United States of America, at least as we know it today.

If Jesus was never born, what a difference it would make in education. The world’s oldest universities were all founded on Christian principles, so that students could grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The same is true of nearly every one of the first one hundred colleges and universities in America. Eventually people would have developed institutions of higher education, but there would be no Oxford, no Harvard, no Yale, and no Princeton. Furthermore, Christians have always been pioneers in promoting literacy and universal education. Even America’s public school system is part of the legacy of Puritan education. To this day, linguists are working all over the world, in the name of Jesus, to put native languages in written form and teach people to read the Bible.

If Jesus was never born, what a difference it would make in literature, music, and the arts. There would be no Messiah for Handel to write into his famous oratorio—no Christmas music at all. There would be no Pieta by Michelangelo, and no Last Supper by Leonardo. There would be no cathedrals in Europe, no Hagia Sophia or Notre Dame. There would be no Gospels and no New Testament, and therefore no story of the prodigal son, no parable of the good Samaritan, and no Sermon on the Mount. There would be no Divine Comedy by Dante, and no Paradise Lost by Milton.

If Jesus was never born, what a difference it would make in science and medicine. It was the Christian worldview—with its insistence on the rational order of the universe and man’s dominion over creation—that gave rise to modern science. Followers of Jesus Christ were also pioneers in the art of medicine. The first hospitals were established by Christians who believed they had a God-given responsibility to heal the sick.

If Jesus was never born, what a difference it would make in charity and the protection of life. It was the followers of Christ who first introduced the Roman world to disinterested benevolence, to helping someone who couldn’t help you in return. Pagans were amazed to see that Christians not only took care of their own needy people, but also provided for other people’s poor. It was also the followers of Christ who first abandoned the nearly universal practice of infanticide. The birth of Christ taught them to protect the lives of their own children, and to rescue foundlings and orphans.

Humanly speaking, none of this would have happened if Jesus was never born. What I have said so far is only just the beginning, of course, and it is also true that many wrong things have been done in the name of Christ—that is a topic for another occasion. But simply in terms of secular history, the life of Jesus Christ has had a far greater and more positive influence on the world than anyone else in history.

But to bring what I have said closer to home, if Jesus was never born, what a difference it would make to your own destiny. You would have no atonement for your sin, no resurrection from the dead, no hope of eternal life, and no Savior to call a friend.

What if Jesus was never born? But Jesus was born. As the angel said to the Christmas shepherds: “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:12). And the rest, as they say, is history.


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Reply #101 Top
ASAXYGIRL wrote:
"If you would like to ascribe this inner voice of conscience to your god then that is your choice....Your truth is .....called the Bible. To me the Bible ...is not provable nor is there rigorous, repeatable study to show that the claims made in this book are true or false....There is no proof to me that Jesus or the Christian defined god is the source of all that is good and moral....As a scientist I look for rational arguments...ones that can be substantiated with fact."

Asaxygirl posts: #97 Grad school calls and homework is waiting so I'll make this fairly brief.


It is understandable that as a grad student you are busy with homework and all. Nevertheless, you found time to post your comment implying my assertion that God as LawGiver hardwired our inner voice of conscience is irrational (reply #54).

You asked:
Why is it that only a lawgiver can give conscience to another being?
End of quote


Perhaps you didn’t read my answer which btw, comes not from Scripture, but from human reason...specifically the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Ever hear of the law of causality? It tells us that every effect must be due to a power or agent that caused it. Nothing in the world came into existence of itself...including the phenomena of the moral law dictated to us by inner voice of our conscience, of which I'm sure you agree we all have.

Motion comes from a mover; design from a designer, life from life and the moral law dictated to us by our voice of conscience from a Lawmaker or Lawgiver. The proof of causality is simple and irrefutable. A watch takes a watch maker, the Cosmos manifests design that supposes a Designer of infinite intelligence and power, whom we call Almighty God. The universality of belief in the existence of a Supreme Being is a forceful reminder of the fact that our human nature recognizes and is dependent upon the existence of God.

Another proof is the existence of law as it manifests through inanimate as well as animate nature. It evidences the existence of a LawMaker or LawGiver. The Natural(moral)law in particular is a constant reminder of the LawMaker enjoining us to do and not to do certain things.

So, what's your rational argument as to where our interior law known as conscience comes from? If not from God, what's the source....From where/ from what/ from whom does our conscience come?


Reply #102 Top
and do you have witnesses to back you up on this Ock?


*drops voice to a whisper* Yeah...but Fred doesn't like it when you test him, and he's a leprechaun, (to Lula,) not an elf. Elrond is an elf - well, he's half elf. Regardless, I don't have to prove the existence of Fred, you have to prove that Fred is not.

"But I can't see you, I can't see anything", she said. "Jump and I will catch you, my arms are wide open". The little girl had faith in her father


She protested first, and then his voice spoke to her, sound waves she perceived with physical ears, and she had faith? Are you saying you've heard sound waves from God with your physical ears? I don't suppose you could get us a recording...

namely the law of causality


Another playground argument easily refuted. Everything must have a cause. So God caused the universe. So what caused God then? God is eternal. Then why can't the universe be eternal? Next.

Moses had appealed to people hard of heart by promising material blessings as a reward of right living.


Silly people with hardened hearts. Oh wait...who was it that hardened them? Exodus 7:3 (Stacked Deck Theory proven WITH the bible)

The Old Law had said they were to exact an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, the New Law demands...


The eternal law of god changed? I guess the first law was just a theory.

I think Cedarbird was on to something though when she said that we know it exists becasue if not for it we'd be floating.


Actually, gravity is a lie. God put little spiritual magnets inside all of our bodies that stick us to the planet. You can't see them, but clearly they are there.

Reply #103 Top
The Christians do NOT have a problem with provable well tested out scientific FACTS. What is at issue is the theories TAUGHT as fact. Evolution is NOT a FACT. It is a THEORY. So no we do not believe in the theory of Evolution. To a Christian that is just one more avenue (lie) to get God out of the picture, and we're not falling for it.
End of quote


B-I-N-G-O!

And now that the science of genetics, molecular biology, etc. have given us more detailed info on DNA, we know without a doubt that there is no such thing as one species (kind) evolving into a completely new and different one.

Reply #104 Top
Ock it's past your bedtime. You are a silly, silly man......too much partying during the Superbowl?  ;) 

To me the Bible ...is not provable nor is there rigorous, repeatable study to show that the claims made in this book are true or false....There is no proof to me that Jesus or the Christian defined god is the source of all that is good and moral....As a scientist I look for rational arguments...ones that can be substantiated with fact."
End of quote


Really? I thought you said you studied this? Again I noticed the "to me" statement that you keep using. Good. I'm glad you're clarifying this.

While I can't prove to you the bible is the inspired word of the Living God or that Jesus was God in the flesh, I can show you much, much evidence that many of the facts presented in the bible are true...you know people, places, events and things. They are easily verified with archeology, historical documents and the like. This is not even debated. You don't even have to go far into research to realize this.

After doing the needed research even the most hardened atheists have to admit that this bible is at least historically trustworthy. If a person discards the Bible as unreliable in this sense, then he or she must discard almost all the literature of antiquity. The Bible is trustworthy and historically reliable.

Reply #105 Top
And now that the science of genetics, molecular biology, etc. have given us more detailed info on DNA, we know without a doubt that there is no such thing as one species (kind) evolving into a completely new and different one.
End of quote


and WHAT color are your eyes Lula? They wouldn't happen to be blue now would they.... ;) 
Reply #106 Top
One of the most convincing evidences of God's existence is from causality.

OCK posts:
Another playground argument easily refuted. Everything must have a cause. So God caused the universe. So what caused God then? God is eternal. Then why can't the universe be eternal? Next.
End of quote


The Universe isn't eternal; it had a beginning and it's going to have an end; because God Being the First Cause created the Universe. The Universe limited in all its details could not be its own cause. It could no more come together with all its regulating laws that the George Washington Bridge could just happen or a clock could assemble itself and keep perfect time without a clock maker. On the same principle, if there were no God, and this also goes to answer KFC's article question, there would be no you to dispute His existence.



And while we are at it, let's go back to your question, "so what caused God then? God is Eternal." which is the sneering gibe always to be expected from an Atheist in a discussion with a believer in the existence of God. It is his breakaway when unable to answer the simple query,

"If not from God, tell me straight and not with the wise-crack, from where came Creation, from where does our interior law known as conscience come?"

God, the Creator cannot be a creature which He would be if He were made. Being a creature He would be a contingent, a dependent being, instead of a being that cannot be. He would be a composite being, made up of parts, subject to decomposition, death, hence, not a pure Spirit as is God.

God told us Himself that He is the "I AM Who AM." In other words, God has no past or no future. He is Eternal Being, and therefore without a beginning or an end. To ask, who made the Eternal is as absurd as to ask when the Eternal, the Timeless began. If the Eternal, who is God, were made as I wrote above, He would be a creature instead of the Creator; and if the Eternal God had a beginning (as the universe does), He would not be Eternal.

Your question suggests reasoning that is as senseless though not as enjoyable as asking: "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, If a woodchuck could chuck wood?"

In studying the source of created things, right reason demands that we go intelligently from the finite back to the last of the series, beyond which we come to the Infinite. Words in our language would be minus their proper cntrast if the finite did not assume the existence of the Infinite; the imperfect, the Perfect; just as a contingent, a dependent being (man) calls for the existence of a Necessary Being, one who is independent, indispensible existing by and of Himself, who is God.

Just try to look, really look at God as we hold Him to be, the First Cause. The first is first, isn't that so? Of course, it is. Then only the one who takes the reason prisoner would ask, If the first is first, then who made the first?

If there were such a possible thing as the cause of the First Cause, it would not be the First Cause. So, therefore even you, the Atheist could see, if you would take an unbiased intellectual peep, that to ask who made God is as far-fetched as to ask what makes water wet? or what makes a circle round? or how high is up?

God is a Self-Existent, Spiritual Being, the "I AM WHO AM", the Causeless Cause, the Maker of the made.




Reply #107 Top
Ock it's past your bedtime. You are a silly, silly man......too much partying during the Superbowl?


Actually, I don't party (if your reference is alluding to alcohol) and I'm not a big fan of watching testosterone laden millionaires running full tilt into each other at full speed, either. So I didn't watch the super bowl. In addition, regarding my bedtime, I wrote that during my morning (I live in Italy, currently) I guess I should add that I won 50$ in an office super bowl pool. 4 25$ awards were given for the scores at each quarter. I paid ten bucks for 10 squares and just let the guy running the pool pick my ten squares. I don't believe in luck, either.

Really? I thought you said you studied this? Again I noticed the "to me" statement that you keep using. Good. I'm glad you're clarifying this.


Not to speak for the Sax playing scientist, but I believe the "to me" is rendered for the sake of humility in not knowing everything. Particularly things that simply can not be tested scientifically. Although prayer was tested scientifically in a double blind study at least once, but it would be a long write to tell about it and the results, and since I'm fairly sure the results would not to be to the Christian liking, and therefore would be summarily dismissed as flawed somehow, I won't bother.

The Universe isn't eternal; it had a beginning and it's going to have an end; because God Being the First Cause created the Universe. The Universe limited in all its details could not be its own cause.


I think it could. I find that no more strange (and probably less strange since much of it can be measured) than the concept of a deity that created everything.

which is the sneering gibe always to be expected from an Atheist in a discussion with a believer in the existence of God.


I wasn't sneering. I find that to be a perfectly legitimate argument.


I'm about to write a fun little blog on "Guess who said this" where people guess the quoter of a few quotes I put up. I'll leave you with one of the answers, so readers of this thread will have one up on everyone else. Guess who said this:

I don't try to imagine a personal God; it suffices to stand in awe at the structure of the world, insofar as it allows our inadequate senses to appreciate it.
~Albert Einstein
Reply #108 Top
There are all kinds of comments about Christ from various kinds of rabbinic literature. The Jewish authorities did not deny that Jesus performed miracles but they attributed them to sorcery.

Many Jewish scholars in our present time have been in the forefront affirming the historicity of Christ. Geza Vermes, David Flusser, S. Safrai and Pinchas Lapide have lead the way claiming Jesus as a first century Jew. I could go on and on as to what they found out by studying Jesus and his Jewish background and how it compares to the Hebrew Scriptures finding no discrepeancies in his very Jewish nuances in His words and deeds. Many parallels between his teaching and rabbinic teaching have been found. When you compae these teachings you can see how far fetched the idea that the life of Christ was made up by zealous Christians of the second and third centuries.

Don't get me started......I'll spare you the rest.
End of quote


KFC, I do not doubt the historicity of Jesus. Please re-read what you quoted of me. I doubt much of anything Christians today think they know about Jesus, as there is little to no contemporaneous historical record, as you yourself point out. So you are left with second and third hand accounts as well as the spin of Paul as he formed the early church. What we know of Jesus is more about what the early church wants us to know than anything else.

Be well.

Reply #109 Top
Flat Earth Society? I'd never think so low of any intellect that was smart enough to make a web site, but by golly, there it is. Here's the Flat Earth FAQ in it's entirety. I got the EXACT same feeling reading this as I do reading this thread - not at all coincidentally.

General / this forum

Q: "Is this site for real?"

A: This site is real. There are people who seriously believe the Earth is flat. However, there are also people on this site who do not.

Q: "Why do you guys believe the Earth is flat?"

A: Well, it looks that way up close. Also, Samuel Rowbotham et al. performed a variety of experiments over a period of several years that show it must be flat. They are all explained in his book, which is linked at the top of this article.


Government


Q: "Why do the all the world Governments say the Earth is round?"

A: It's a conspiracy

Q: "What about NASA? Don't they have photos to prove that the Earth is round?"

A: NASA is part of the conspiracy too. The photos are faked.

Q: "Why has no-one taken a photo of the Earth that proves it is flat?"

A: The government prevents people from getting close enough to the Ice Wall to take a picture.

Q: "How did NASA create these images with the computer technology available at the time?"

A: Since NASA did not send rockets into space, they instead spent the money on developing advanced computers and imaging software instead

PLEASE NOTE This means that pictures confirming the roundness or flatness of the Earth DO NOT IN THEMSELVES CONSTITUTE VALID PROOF

Q: "What is the motive behind this conspiracy?"

A: The motive is unknown although it is probably money

Q: "If you're not sure about the motive, why do you say there is a conspiracy?"

A: Well it's quite simple really; if the earth is in fact flat, then the governments must be lying when they say it isn't.

Q: "The government could not pull off the conspiracy successfully"

A: Actually, they could.

Q: "How are the world governments organized enough to carry out this conspiracy?"

A: They only appear to be disorganized to make the conspiracy seem implausible.

Q: Why hasn’t this site been shut down by the government?

A: Doing so would prove that the government is hiding something.

Q: No way could the government possibly guard the entire Ice Wall! It would take too many men! Millions of men!

A: Not really. You could do it with a few hundred and some basic equipment.

Q: Why is NASA’s space shuttle runway curved?

A: It was specially constructed by NASA to be so. After all NASA are at the heart of the conspiracy.

The Earth in space


Q: "What is the circumference and diameter of the Earth?"

A: "Circumference: 78225 miles, Diameter: 24,900 miles

Q: "What about the stars, sun and moon and other planets? Are they flat too? What are they made of?"

A: The sun and moon, each 32 miles in diameter, circle Earth at a height of 3000 miles at its equator, located midway between the North Pole and the ice wall. Each functions similar to a "spotlight," with the sun radiating "hot light," the moon "cold light." As they are spotlights, they only give light out over a certain are which explains why some parts of the Earth are dark when others are light. Their apparent rising and setting are caused by optical illusions.

In the "accelerating upwards" model, the stars, sun and moon are also accelerating upwards.

The stars are about as far as San Francisco is from Boston. (3100 miles)

Q: "Please explain sunrises/sunsets."

A: It's a perspective effect. Really, the sun is just getting farther away; it looks like it disappears because everything gets smaller and eventually disappears as it gets farther away.

Q: "Why are other celestial bodies round but not the Earth?"

A: The Earth is not one of the other planets. The Earth is special and unlike the other bodies in numerous ways.

Q: "What about satellites? How do they orbit the Earth?"

A: Since sustained spaceflight is not possible, satellites can't orbit the Earth. The signals we supposedly receive from them are either broadcast from towers or any number of possible pseudolites.

Q: "What's underneath the Earth?" aka "What's on the bottom?" aka "What's on the other side?"

A: This is unknown. Some believe it to be just rocks, others believe the Earth rests on the back of four elephants and a turtle.

Q: "What about gravity?"

A: The Earth is accelerating upwards at 1g (9.8m/s^2) along with every star, sun and moon in the universe. This produces the same effect as gravity.

Q: "Isn't this version of gravity flawed? Wouldn't planes/helicopters/paragliders crash into the Earth as the Earth rises up to them?"

A: No. By the same argument, we could ask why planes/helicopters/paragliders don't crash into the Earth as they accelerate down towards them. The reason that planes do not crash is that their wings produce lift, which, when the rate of acceleration upwards equals that of gravity's pull downwards, causes them to remain at a constant altitude.

The same thing happens if the Earth is moving up. The plane is accelerating upwards at the same rate as the Earth, which means the distance between them does not change. Therefore, the plane stays at the same height and does not crash.

Q: "Doesn't this mean we'd be traveling faster than the speed of light, which is impossible?"

A: The equations of Special Relativity prevent an object from accelerating to the speed of light. Due to this restriction, these equations prove that an object can accelerate at a constant rate forever, and never reach the speed of light. For an in depth explanation: Click here.

Q: "If the world was really flat, what would happen if you jump off the disc's edge?"

A: You would enter an inertial reference frame, moving at a constant velocity in the direction the Earth was moving before you jumped. The Earth would continue accelerating upwards past you at a rate of 1g, so it would appear to you that you were falling into space.

Q: "If the Earth was indeed a flat disc, wouldn't the whole planet crunch up into itself and eventually transform into a ball?"

A1: If the Earth generated a gravitational field, yes, it would eventually happen, after a billion years maybe. FE assumes that the Earth does not generate a gravitational field. What we know as 'gravity' is provided by the acceleration of the earth.

A2: There is a counter-mass which pulls the Earth back into a disc shape.

Q: "Why does gravity vary with altitude?"

A: The moon and stars have a slight gravitational pull.

Q: Follow-up to previous question: How is it that the Earth does not have a gravitational pull, but stars and the moon do?

A: This argument is a non sequitur. You might as well ask, "How is it that snakes do not have legs, but dogs and cats do?" Snakes are not dogs or cats. The Earth is not a star or the moon. It doesn't follow that each must have exactly the properties of the others, and no more.

Geography

Q: Do you have a map?

A: See this one, created by one of our members. There is also this map attributed to a person named Wilbur Voliva, and another by Heinrich Scherer.
Also, there is Cosmas Indicopleustes' world picture, 6 th century in the Christian Topography.

Q: Exactly what shape is the Earth if it's flat? Square or circle?

A: Circle, like in the UN logo, however, the earth is NOT 2D, it is in the shape of a cylinder.

Q: "Why doesn't water run off the Earth?"

A: There is a vast ice wall that keeps the water where it is. The ice wall is roughly 150ft high. This also explains why you can find a vast plane of ice when you travel south.

Antarctica as a continent does not exist.

Q: "How does global warming affect the ice wall?"

A1: The Ice Wall is really a mountain range. It just happens to be covered in ice and snow.

A2: Global Warming doesn't happen. It and its counter-theory (Global Cooling) are effects that cancel each other out. Remember, these "greenhouse gasses" can reflect heat back out into space as well as keep it on Earth. Yes, there are recorded rises in temperature, but the only records we have go back, at most, around 150 years. This is very likely an occurrence that happens every [x>150] years, that's happened before (perhaps many times), and that the Earth has thus survived before.

Q: "What about tides?"

A: The tides exist due to a slight see-saw effect on the earth. As it goes back and forth, the water rushes to the side that is lower. Note, this is a very slight wobble. Remember, these wobbles are created by very minor earthquakes. They keep the tides in check. Notice that large earthquakes result in large tides or "tsunami".

Q : "Why is the North pole colder than the equator?"

A: The sun circles over the equator, thus the poles don't receive the same intensity of light.

Q: "How do volcanic eruptions happen?"

A: The Earth is thick enough to have a core of molten lava. Once there's too much of it in too confined a space, it finds its way out, just like the water will come out of a full bottle if you squeeze it too hard

Q: "What about time zones?"

A: The sun is a spotlight which shines light on a concentrated area, so not everywhere on Earth will be lit at once. Times zones exist so that everyone's clock will be at 12:00 around the time the sun is approximately directly overhead.

Q: "What about Lunar Eclipses"

(Possible A) The moon isn't a spotlight; it glows with light from the sun, reflected off the Earth. Different parts of the Earth are more reflective than others (the seas, the polar cap, the ice wall, for example). Sometimes, the position of the sun (which is a spotlight) means that only very low-reflective or non-reflective parts of the Earth's surface are illuminated, so the moon is abnormally dark. This could potentially explain lunar phases as well.

Q: "How come the travel time by air from South America to New Zealand, via the polar route, is SHORTER than the travel time going North first and then South again?"

A: (Presumed answer: The airline pilots are misled by their GPS, or are deliberately conspiring to make it appear that the flights take different times)

Q: "How can a compass work on a Flat Earth?"

A: The magnetic field is generated in the same fashion as with the RE. Thus, the magnetic south pole is near the geographic north pole, just like on the RE. The magnetic north pole is on the underside of the Earth. The Ice Wall is not the south pole, but acts as it, as it is the furthest from the center of the earth that you can follow the magnetic field. The field is vertical in this area, accounting for the aurora australis.

Q: "When traveling in a straight direction, you will always reach the same point on the globe from where you started. How can this happen if the world is flat?"

A: You need to have evidence for this to be true. Also, define "straight." Remember, the northern point on the compass is, under most circumstances (unless near the centre or deep in the ice wall), pointing toward the centre of the Earth. Therefore, if you follow your compass due east or due west, ending up at the same point you started from, you've just gone around the world in a circle.

Q: If you go directly south won’t you eventually fall off the edge of the Earth?

A: Yes, you will. In order to use this fact as proof you need to record a video of someone flying directly south around the world without falling off the edge. Furthermore you need to prove that your navigational equipment allows you to travel directly south without deviating.

Q: How come when I flush my toilet in the northern hemisphere it goes counterclockwise but I have this friend in Australia and when he flushes it goes clockwise?

You're mistaken. On a round Earth, the Coriolis effect adds at most one (counter)clockwise rotation per day; fewer as you get closer to the equator. The water in your toilet/sink/bathtub/funnel spins much faster than that (probably at least once per minute, or 1440 times per day) so the additional/lost rotation from the Coriolis effect wouldn't be noticed.

Q: How do seasons work?

The radius of the sun's orbit around the Earth's axis symmetry varies throughout the year, being smallest when summer is in the northern annulus and largest when it is summer in the southern annulus.
Reply #110 Top
Lula, as regards your detailed reply to my post, you present a lot of tainted information, spun either by you or your sources to make a case for Christianity and against Judaism. Why?
Reply #111 Top
So you are left with second and third hand accounts as well as the spin of Paul as he formed the early church. What we know of Jesus is more about what the early church wants us to know than anything else.
End of quote


Not if you believe the accounts are eye witness accounts as the gospels were. Paul, as you probably know, was a Pharisee of all Pharisees on his way to kill the Christians himself. He had a remarkable change of heart. Something affected him in a drastic way.

John, who wrote four books of the NT, was Polycarp's teacher. Polycarp of Smyrna was a prominent pastor. Polycarp went on to teach many in the first century church and these students of John's and Polycarp had no problem with the Gospel of John, his letters and his book of Revelation. So why should we? Polycarp knew John personally and we do have some of his writings from the first century. Polycarp was burned alive at 86 years of age for what? Believing in Christ. Many died during this time for the faith believing in the one they either had met personally or believed in thru the Apostles such as John and later Polycarp and his disciples. In some parts of the world it's still happening today.


Because Christians are going to heaven and Jews ain't, neener-neener-neener.
End of quote


That is wrong theology.
Reply #112 Top
Flat Earth Society? I'd never think so low of any intellect that was smart enough to make a web site, but by golly, there it is. Here's the Flat Earth FAQ in it's entirety.
End of quote


ARGH!!!!! That hurts so much...I can't believe people actually believe that! Ice Wall? Government/NASA conspiracy? Are you freakin' kidding me? That's way too much crazy for me, thank you...ugh. I wanted to see some "LOL j/k guys" but no...it's not there...they actually believe it. It's...it's a travesty...oh God. These people need to be institutionalized...

~Zoo
Reply #113 Top
Wait, wait, hold the phone!!! I thought that you just found that and it was all a joke! People honestly believe that the earth is flat? I mean, in their heart of hearts, they've come up with answers to all of life's questions...in a completely lunatic way! I do not believe how stupid these people are. I mean, I believe a lot of things that other people might think are strange, but come on!!! That's nuts. Holy cow.
Reply #114 Top
I do not believe how stupid these people are.
End of quote


Welcome to my world. :( I'm a science major...for the love of God, it burns.

They think the world is some kind of hockey puck shape protected by some freaky ice wall that the government won't let you get near...err, rather "THE GOVERNMENT" because obviously all world governments are in complete agreement on keeping the ice wall and the cylinder earth a secret along with NASA.

Ugh...now I'm dizzy...

~Zoo
Reply #115 Top
well nobody on this site today believes any of that flat earth mumbo jumbo so not sure what the point is other than there are crazies all around us who believe in all sorts of stuff like leprechauns and the flat earth.



Welcome to my world. I'm a science major...for the love of God, it burns.


and welcome to my world (I'm a Christian who still believes in creation....for the love of God it will burn someday)

Reply #116 Top
OCK POSTS:
Here's the Flat Earth FAQ in it's entirety. I got the EXACT same feeling reading this as I do reading this thread - not at all coincidentally.
End of quote


KFC POSTS:
well nobody on this site today believes any of that flat earth mumbo jumbo so not sure what the point is other than there are crazies all around us who believe in all sorts of stuff like leprechauns and the flat earth.
End of quote


Well said, KFC.

What's the point you ask....I would suggest that OCK is trying to use the Flat Earthers as a term of derision for well, people like us, FKC...for people who tell it like is as has we have on this thread....we question Evolution and believe in God, in Jesus Christ as our Savior and in the Holy Bible.

Reply #117 Top
There WAS a point to posting that. Those people believe, and they believe they have proof to back it up. And no amount of evidence to the contrary will sway them because of faith.

Now I imagine a "go and tell" Christian might like to go and tell them they're barking up the wrong tree and thanks to the eternal vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleansing, misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sado masochistic, loving and forgiving god will soon be burning eternally in hell. They're giving Christian fundamentalism a bad name. Ahem.

So do your duties, Lula and KFC. Go and tell them. Please post a link to the conversation - I'd like to read it.


Because Christians are going to heaven and Jews ain't, neener-neener-neener.


That is wrong theology.


The first sign of a genuinely forgiving person is an expansive sense of humor.
Reply #118 Top
Actually, Lula, it has little to do with any dogma, and more to do with closed eyes.
Reply #119 Top
we question Evolution and believe in God, in Jesus Christ as our Savior and in the Holy Bible.
End of quote


Heh...I believe(or rather I know) in Evolution and question my religion. Of course, I always thought this the most sensible method of conducting mental and spiritual growth and development. Never take anything at face value...always search for evidence. So I do just that.

~Zoo
Reply #120 Top
we question Evolution


Good. People should question all things. Here's an evolution question for you that I'm sure you know the answer to since you question it. How many different kinds of birds and mammals were there 250 million years ago?
Reply #121 Top
Those people believe, and they believe they have proof to back it up. And no amount of evidence to the contrary will sway them because of faith.


So do your duties, Lula and KFC. Go and tell them.
End of quote


OCk, you grossly misunderstand Christianity...and using this nonsense to poke fun at belief and faith in God is frankly getting tiring.

Reply #122 Top
OCk, you grossly misunderstand Christianity...and using this nonsense to poke fun at belief and faith in God is frankly getting tiring.


Well if I've tired you, feel free to bail. I'm not offended. I am saddened however that you see this as mere poking fun. There is a salient point here.

You clearly see the suggestion that the earth is flat as "this nonsense" - your own words. Why is it nonsense? Lots of people believe it's true. They claim tested evidence. They have answers for every naysayer who disputes it that you can't prove is wrong, and there's a good chance that if you took up the challenge at the one possible proof they mention as disproving their theory - flying over the south pole to the other "side" of the earth, many of them would simply say your instruments weren't calibrated correctly, that photographs you took were fake, etc...

I can only imagine, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, that you might respond something along the lines of "But I've seen pictures with my own eyes." Or "People have sailed around the world." "These are FACTS," you would say. "They are easily testable!" perhaps you would add.

Indeed, they are, and indeed, you're right. But your hypotheses regarding God et al are not testable in the same way as a round earth is, and that has been my point all along. I find it highly probable that if I thought the earth was round back in the day when everyone thought it was flat, I'd be having this same conversation with a "Flat Earther." And I'd be receiving the same exact treatment for it, as well.
Reply #123 Top
The first sign of a genuinely forgiving person is an expansive sense of humor.


well I guess it depends on which side of the cross you're on......

Exactly how I approach my religion, Zoo. We were born with sizable brains, the capacity for rational thought, the ability to apply what is learned, and to project thought into the past and future.


Correct me if I'm wrong here, but what I'm noticing here is you all, who do not cliam to be Christians, think the Christians are NOT using their God given brains? That's absolutely not true. I mean, maybe some follow blindly, granted, like anything else, but much time and thought has gone into my belief here. In fact years and years. I question absolutely everything. I am not where I am today as a result of blindly following anybody. In fact, I have always been quite good at playing Devil's Advocate myself. I could quite easily have been Doubting Thomas of Jesus' day. I am a huge skeptic about almost everything.

20 years ago you wouldn't even have caught me joining any religious organization after going thru so many in my younger years. I was done. I was fed up with religion. In some areas, I still am. But I have come to a conclusion after much research and time spent in this bible to realize that religion is one thing, God's word and work is quite another. I can separate the two. Religion is man-made for the most part. God doesn't desire us to be religious. He wants us to have a relationship with him and to tell others that he does indeed exist by telling them what he's done for us.

I like what Jeremiah the prophet said so long ago and I believe it to be true. He writing for God wrote:

"Call unto me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you know not. "

I understand this to be real. I have called out to God many many times and he has answered me. I can't deny this just because the world tells me different. There are many, many out there with testimonies who will tell you the same. We are witnesses. If I told you I experienced something in the physical realm would you believe me? Why not when it comes to the spiritual? Why not? Because you can't see it? Why is that? Is it because we are the blind ones or the closed minded? Or could it be the opposite?

I'm telling you God is real and personable. He cares for each and every one of his creation. It grieves him that we are having a discussion just like this. He warned us that the god of this world has blinded the whole world. Yes, the god of this world doesn't want you to read the words of God because by doing so, your eyes and ears just might be opened to the truth.

I would like to further discuss "who is man" from the standpoint of doing good and evil, but will start a new blog to do so. I've got many thoughts on this. New thoughts that will take us back to man made in the image of God and what that means exactly.

Ock is gracious when presented with fact or rational thought that demonstrates something is not true,


I'll take your word for this, but have to say he doesn't come across as mentioned here. Some of this, I give room for however because I know how hard it can be via internet to get your thoughts across with no personable interaction to go with it.
Reply #124 Top
I am a huge skeptic about almost everything.
End of quote


Or at least...anything that shakes the foundations of your interpretations of the Bible.

~Zoo
Reply #125 Top
To ASaxygirl

Unlikely we have met or will meet unless he spends any time in bioinformatics, genomics, infectious disease or the U.S. Navy
End of quote


Yes, unlikely. You're right. He's into TBI....I call him a brainiac.

He is truly one that thinks outside the box. He's a strong Christian working in a secular Science world. Many times he's questioned his professors even using their own words against them. I asked if this gets him into trouble. He said no. They actually respect him for making them think about what they are saying. He says that students of today drink everything their profs tell them not willing to really do the research themselves. They are more interested in just putting in the time, getting their paper done and getting on with their career. There is very little thinking outside the box.

[/B]
As for the search for a common ancestor... Studying the DNA of various species has shown there is a vast amount of conservation of "code" between the species. The more conserved the "code" the closer we are related. For example, we share more common DNA "code" with chimpanzees than we do with the California spiny lobster.
End of quote


I shared with my son some of what you said here and he said this:

i'm curious to find out why she chose to mention the "california spiny lobster" as something humans aren't related to rather than something more easy to say like
"dog?"


you need to let her know that "conserved among species" only means that those genes in the different species are similar. it doesn't indicate that the species are related in any way because that is untestable and impossible to prove.

But if she "aligns this data with her belief system" then she might be able to force
the interpretation of a conserved gene as meaning evolution.


I guess he's basically saying we can have the same data but our interpretation of said data will differ according to our world view or bias.

I left because of the use of lab animals...mainly rats and mice. The use of animals in research does not fit with my practice of ahimsa, also known as no harm
End of quote


So you don't agree with the use of lab animals used in Science because of your religious belief system? I don't mean to offend but would have to say, that seems to go against what a true scientist is all about.

I'm about 90% vegan and working everyday to be completely vegan.
End of quote


You're "90% vegan?" That sounds like you eat some meat so you're 10%
against your religious belief system of ahimsa? I don't understand how you can be "working everyday to be completely vegan"- its not like trying to quit smoking or something.

And what is all this talk about "ahimsa" and "no harm" anyway? shouldn't you believe in the "survival of the fittest?"