Pentecost celebrations (2 Viewers)

Otis

Well-Known Member
Scam, I will believe in your dragon when he toasts me a mashmallow and not a moment before! :D
 

TheRoyalScam

Well-Known Member
Sorry royal scam I was saying I agree with Otis about the part he was saying about thanking god for fireworks and the bit about him not laughing. OK I understand now - and yes, I agree that Otis' neighbours blessing their fireworks was quite laughable.....

You know that there are many names for the Hebrew/Christian god don't you? Yes, I only used Yahweh because you mentioned it. You still haven't answered my questions though!

I think there is quite a lot of contemporaneous evidence for the man Jesus not just in the bible. You may 'think' this, but I would love to see proof of contemporaneous evidence -the gospels were written centuries after his death. Faith is the only answer to your dragon and faith (being sure of something I cannot see) is ultimately the only answer I can give for the reality of my god. I admire your honesty, Pete, and you've cut to the chase - you're saying that your god's existence is as probable as my fire-breathing dragon!
 

Sky Blue Pete

Well-Known Member
Don't be silly! Real fire-breathing dragons don't toast marshmallows;)

Love it.

Josephus wrote about Jesus and the artefacts and proof of the manuscripts etc for the gospels is pretty damn good but yeah I don't like to waste people's time ultimately the leaps are made by faith.

All the arrangements went well I think so probably time to stop boring you all and annoying others
 
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TheRoyalScam

Well-Known Member
Love it.

Josephus wrote about Jesus and the artefacts and proof of the manuscripts etc for the gospels is pretty damn good but yeah I don't like to waste people's time ultimately the leaps are made by faith.

I do hope god pours his spirit our again this generation

All the arrangements went well I think so probably time to stop boring you all and annoying others I think you're wrong - the more we discuss and debate the concepts of religion/god/faith/the afterlife/secularism/humanism the better - I was criticized for my second post in this thread because of this flawed argument: 'Why even post that? The guy has faith and is brave enough to post it in here. Good for him' Now I find that incredibly patronising. Pete you obviously have religious faith, but it's wrong that it shouldn't be open to criticism. I have many religious friends to whom this would be water off a duck's back, such is their faith - and they have more of my respect than the wishy-washy agnostic 'I'm not really sure, so I'll sit on the fence and say that there must be something out there whether it's god or not I can't say' brigade.

Right, I'm just off to feed the dragon:)
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
Love it.

Josephus wrote about Jesus and the artefacts and proof of the manuscripts etc for the gospels is pretty damn good but yeah I don't like to waste people's time ultimately the leaps are made by faith.

All the arrangements went well I think so probably time to stop boring you all and annoying others


Indeed! Bout time you went and tried to convert some of those pesky Taliban types into Christianity and leave us normal folks alone! ;)
 

TheRoyalScam

Well-Known Member
That sounds so dodgy!!!

Ok I'll happily continue. Have enjoyed discussions with Otis. Hate that I made houch relive shit from his past though

Agree with you about Houch - have you read this: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...arkest-chapters-in-irish-history-9503897.html?

Would this have happened in other circumstances, for example in a secular society? Possibly. The fact that it was done by the church makes my blood boil. The Catholic Church has a lot to answer for.
 

SkyblueBazza

Well-Known Member
I think there is only one true GOD common to all of this world - MONEY.

Yes the Pope lives in a modest flat. Though well-intentioned, IMO this modesty is false as it's safely tucked up behind the vast wealth of the Catholic Church.
All religions operate via influence exerted at the highest administrative levels of society through the wealth they command rather than their following or sensibility...& at the social level largely through fear &/or guilt.

That having been said - there could be some sort of "higher being". Several Doctors & Nurses I know (& I know a fair few) witnessing the dying say that even the least likely candidates often turn to GOD in their dying words...in-grained, spooky, evidence of this GOD coming for their soul even in consciousness? Who knows? But the debate could run until the death of mankind itself.


PUSB
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
I think there is only one true GOD common to all of this world - MONEY.

Yes the Pope lives in a modest flat. Though well-intentioned, IMO this modesty is false as it's safely tucked up behind the vast wealth of the Catholic Church.
All religions operate via influence exerted at the highest administrative levels of society through the wealth they command rather than their following or sensibility...& at the social level largely through fear &/or guilt.

That having been said - there could be some sort of "higher being". Several Doctors & Nurses I know (& I know a fair few) witnessing the dying say that even the least likely candidates often turn to GOD in their dying words...in-grained, spooky, evidence of this GOD coming for their soul even in consciousness? Who knows? But the debate could run until the death of mankind itself.


PUSB

It could.

Funnily enough, one of the arguments on the Big Questions a week or so ago was that of theologians trying to blow a hole in the big bang theory and how the universe began. The question was what came before the big bang and then before that etc. etc. Where was the start and the start before the start.

Could flip that on its head though and ask where did God come from? What was before God? and if the answer is nothing, then how was God created out of nothing?
 

Houchens Head

Fairly well known member from Malvern
RoyalScam:
I believe in your dragon. Can I come and play with it or even take it for at walk? At the very least, can I pet it?
 

Houchens Head

Fairly well known member from Malvern
Agree with you about Houch - have you read this: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...arkest-chapters-in-irish-history-9503897.html?

Would this have happened in other circumstances, for example in a secular society? Possibly. The fact that it was done by the church makes my blood boil. The Catholic Church has a lot to answer for.

Have you seen the film, "The Magdelene Sisters"? Tells it like it was. The truth! Also another book you might like to read - my autobiography from aged 3 to 16. My shit childhood in care. http://www.lulu.com/shop/barry-adam...l;jsessionid=5927F33A3088094722F30B2042E6E237

Then ask yourself, is there REALLY a god?
I've said enough for now. All this crap about religion makes me so bloody pissed off!
 

Sky Blue Pete

Well-Known Member
Millions don’t believe inJesus....millions do...everyone seems to believe different
things about him. So who’s right?
When a Christian says the gospel all about Jesus is true....how do they know?....how can they be so sure?.... is it just a matter of blind faith?
What is the evidence for Christianity?
Is Jesus just a myth? Did he even exist?
Regardless of their religious belief, no serious historian would deny that Jesus existed...all would agree that there is simply too much evidence that Jesus lived on earth.
Basically, the idea behind textual criticism is this: as you sit and read a book that is a copyof an ancient manuscript, of any kind, the way you know what you are reading is what the
original author/s wrote is by asking two questions:
1. How quickly after the original was written was the earliest copy made? 2. How many copies are there?
So, Herodotus and Thucydides were both written in the 5th century BC. The earliest copy that we have is around AD 900 so there's a 1300 year gap. For each of these works we have 8 copies........And yet no classical scholar would doubt their authenticity.
Tacitus: a thousand year gap between original and first copy — total of 20 copies. Caesar's Gallic War: 950 year gap between original and first copy — total of 9 or 10 copies.
Livy's Roman History: 900 year gap between original and first copy — total of 20 copies.
The New Testament, written between 40 and 100 AD, the earliest copy we have is AD 130. And we have full manuscripts AD 350. So, at most, there's a 300 year gap. And not just 8 or 20 manuscripts: we have, 5,309 Greek manuscripts, 10,000 Latin manuscripts, 9,300 others.
You look at this and you see it: the New Testament stands absolutely and unapproachably alone amongst ancient prose writings ........and no secular historian would disagree with that conclusion.
So there's all kinds of evidence that Jesus existed

Royal scam??
 
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TheRoyalScam

Well-Known Member
Millions don’t believe inJesus....millions do...everyone seems to believe different
things about him. So who’s right?
When a Christian says the gospel all about Jesus is true....how do they know?....how can they be so sure?.... is it just a matter of blind faith?
What is the evidence for Christianity?
Is Jesus just a myth? Did he even exist?
Regardless of their religious belief, no serious historian would deny that Jesus existed...all would agree that there is simply too much evidence that Jesus lived on earth.
Basically, the idea behind textual criticism is this: as you sit and read a book that is a copyof an ancient manuscript, of any kind, the way you know what you are reading is what the
original author/s wrote is by asking two questions:
1. How quickly after the original was written was the earliest copy made? 2. How many copies are there?
So, Herodotus and Thucydides were both written in the 5th century BC. The earliest copy that we have is around AD 900 so there's a 1300 year gap. For each of these works we have 8 copies........And yet no classical scholar would doubt their authenticity.
Tacitus: a thousand year gap between original and first copy — total of 20 copies. Caesar's Gallic War: 950 year gap between original and first copy — total of 9 or 10 copies.
Livy's Roman History: 900 year gap between original and first copy — total of 20 copies.
The New Testament, written between 40 and 100 AD, the earliest copy we have is AD 130. And we have full manuscripts AD 350. So, at most, there's a 300 year gap. And not just 8 or 20 manuscripts: we have, 5,309 Greek manuscripts, 10,000 Latin manuscripts, 9,300 others.
You look at this and you see it: the New Testament stands absolutely and unapproachably alone amongst ancient prose writings ........and no secular historian would disagree with that conclusion.
So there's all kinds of evidence that Jesus existed

Royal scam??

Someone called Jesus probably existed. Was he the 'son of god'? Or should that be 'Son of God'??!! In all probability not, but if you want to believe it and it doesn't affect my life or my family then you can believe what you like. You've admitted that you (or anybody else yet) can't argue against the fire-breathing dragon in my garage. However my dragon hasn't molested children, or promised eternal life if people follow him, or threatened them with an eternity of damnation in 'hell' (Sixfields??!!) if they don't follow him...
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
Someone called Jesus probably existed. Was he the 'son of god'? Or should that be 'Son of God'??!! In all probability not, but if you want to believe it and it doesn't affect my life or my family then you can believe what you like. You've admitted that you (or anybody else yet) can't argue against the fire-breathing dragon in my garage. However my dragon hasn't molested children, or promised eternal life if people follow him, or threatened them with an eternity of damnation in 'hell' (Sixfields??!!) if they don't follow him...

Actually no one knows your dragon hasn't molested children. How do you know he hasn't?
 

TheRoyalScam

Well-Known Member
Millions don’t believe inJesus....millions do...everyone seems to believe different
things about him. So who’s right?
When a Christian says the gospel all about Jesus is true....how do they know?....how can they be so sure?.... is it just a matter of blind faith?
What is the evidence for Christianity?
Is Jesus just a myth? Did he even exist?
Regardless of their religious belief, no serious historian would deny that Jesus existed...all would agree that there is simply too much evidence that Jesus lived on earth.
Basically, the idea behind textual criticism is this: as you sit and read a book that is a copyof an ancient manuscript, of any kind, the way you know what you are reading is what the
original author/s wrote is by asking two questions:
1. How quickly after the original was written was the earliest copy made? 2. How many copies are there?
So, Herodotus and Thucydides were both written in the 5th century BC. The earliest copy that we have is around AD 900 so there's a 1300 year gap. For each of these works we have 8 copies........And yet no classical scholar would doubt their authenticity.
Tacitus: a thousand year gap between original and first copy — total of 20 copies. Caesar's Gallic War: 950 year gap between original and first copy — total of 9 or 10 copies.
Livy's Roman History: 900 year gap between original and first copy — total of 20 copies.
The New Testament, written between 40 and 100 AD, the earliest copy we have is AD 130. And we have full manuscripts AD 350. So, at most, there's a 300 year gap. And not just 8 or 20 manuscripts: we have, 5,309 Greek manuscripts, 10,000 Latin manuscripts, 9,300 others.
You look at this and you see it: the New Testament stands absolutely and unapproachably alone amongst ancient prose writings ........and no secular historian would disagree with that conclusion.
So there's all kinds of evidence that Jesus existed

Royal scam??

I also rely on reason and science - not cutting and pasting drivel from the 'Alpha' programme.

S B Pete??
 

TheRoyalScam

Well-Known Member
Actually no one knows your dragon hasn't molested children. How do you know he hasn't?

Because he's a friendly dragon and has told me personally that he hasn't molested children. He's also told me that he loves children and hates Marillion because they don't reflect true fire-breathing dragon values;)
 

TheRoyalScam

Well-Known Member
RoyalScam:
I believe in your dragon. Can I come and play with it or even take it for at walk? At the very least, can I pet it?

I'm glad that you believe in my dragon, HH, because nobody yet has argued that it doesn't exist.

You're most welcome to come over and visit the Scams whenever you're on the mainland, and I'm sure my dragon will be pleased to meet you.

From my own experience it's quite boring taking an invisible dragon for a walk, and it always beats me when we play games. You can ask it if it fancies a 'pet', however I've found that it's not that keen on 'petting' - I seem to remember it telling me words to the effect: 'Petting?? I'm omnipotent, dontcha know? You should read Isaiah Osbourne's diary from 45:7: "I make peace and create evil; I am the Dragon who does all these things." '
 

TheRoyalScam

Well-Known Member
Because he keeps him on a tight lead?

Unfortunately I have no control over the dragon in my garage because it's 'omnipotent', whereas I'm a mere human - trying to keep it on a tight lead would be impossible.
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
Unfortunately I have no control over the dragon in my garage because it's 'omnipotent', whereas I'm a mere human - trying to keep it on a tight lead would be impossible.


I used to be omnipotent too, but the doctor gave me some tablets and now I'm back to my old self again. Put it down to stresss and pressure.
 

TheRoyalScam

Well-Known Member
I used to be omnipotent too, but the doctor gave me some tablets and now I'm back to my old self again. Put it down to stresss and pressure.

I always enjoy your posts Otis, but in the words of _brian_ this really made me 'LOL'.............to be honest I was 'ROFL':)
 

Houchens Head

Fairly well known member from Malvern
Is Jesus just a myth? Did he even exist?

I've never denied that he may have existed, but he was never the son of a god / deity / superior invisible being / alien etc......... I DO believe, that IF he existed, he was just a religious nutter like the other one - John the Baptist, who was a total loony! He was supposed to be related as well wasn't he? A cousin or something? More bullshit fairy stories from the christian bible!
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
You want the true story of Jesus, here it is.

Over 2 thousand years ago a man with no name was killed upon the cross and placed into a tomb, beneath a shroud.

The bloke was quite important apparently so the body was guarded night and day. The guards positioned themselves at the front of the tomb with their backs to the body while they stood guard. After 3 days though the previously cold still body suddenly sprung to life and the figure beneath it pulled back the shroud and stood up. A guard turned round upon hearing the rustling noise of the sheet falling to the ground and jumped out of his skin when he saw the figure.

'Jesus! You scared the life out of me,' said the guard.

And so the name stuck and the dead bloke was then called Jesus from there on in.
 

Sky Blue Pete

Well-Known Member
Could you explain this in English please?
We accept the history books as fact even though they were written significantly after the events, we have very few copies and they date significantly after they were written.

When it comes to the gospels in the New Testament they were written very soon after the events, we have thousands of copies of very early manuscripts dated not long after they were initially written.

This means we can trust the information they contain

Put simply
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
We accept the history books as fact even though they were written significantly after the events, we have very few copies and they date significantly after they were written.

When it comes to the gospels in the New Testament they were written very soon after the events, we have thousands of copies of very early manuscripts dated not long after they were initially written.

This means we can trust the information they contain

Put simply


Nice to have a decent debate without it resorting to stupid name calling and ending up as an angry shouting match!! :)



YOU DELUSIONAL DUMB IDIOT! :D
 

Sky Blue Pete

Well-Known Member
Don't get me wrong. I think if we were writing about similar activities we would write them differently because of our knowledge but one shouldn't doubt the reality of the factual, historical activity in the gospels.

Otis you bastard. Accusing me of being a grown up. I'm not happy about that
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
Don't get me wrong. I think if we were writing about similar activities we would write them differently because of our knowledge but one shouldn't doubt the reality of the factual, historical activity in the gospels.

Otis you bastard. Accusing me of being a grown up. I'm not happy about that

As long as God doesn't smite me I don't particularly care! :D
 

skybluetony176

Well-Known Member
"Smite me oh mighty smiter"

You've got to love Bruce and Evan Oh mighty haven't you. If for nothing else for finally acknowledging that God must be black.
 

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