tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post116515281974705923..comments2024-03-25T17:35:02.238-04:00Comments on Debunking Christianity: Another Look at John Loftus', "Why I Rejected Christianity"Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-44600374930493502132008-01-24T06:22:00.000-05:002008-01-24T06:22:00.000-05:00Well, here I am, a year late for the debate as usu...Well, here I am, a year late for the debate as usual...<BR/><BR/>I love the post above, as I was just about to go out and find some small children, and my neighbour and I have an arrangement on the sodomy front. Oh wait - that's not true - I am in fact a normal sentient being who's capable of making a judgement against the claims of Christianity without having to fit the mold that "Anonymous" has created. And it's great to see that the Christian in-fighting continues to programme just as many posters on this site have commented.<BR/><BR/>But actually, my comment centres around this:<BR/><BR/>"Mark10:15 Most certainly I tell you, whoever will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child, he will in no way enter into it."<BR/><BR/>Can we paraphrase this into: <BR/><BR/>"whoever will not abandon reason, experience, knowledge and free thought will in no way enter into it"?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-18332634835568186812007-02-06T01:16:00.000-05:002007-02-06T01:16:00.000-05:00This is hillarious, a cultist/wolf in sheeps cloth...This is hillarious, a cultist/wolf in sheeps clothing turned atheist/communist tries to debunk something he has never been a part of (Church of Christ is as Christian as the Church of Satan or why not the Church of Rome) and calls himself a freethinker when in reality he doesn't even know how to think. Thanks for the laughs. By the way are you guys sodomites and pedophiles aswell? Your kind usually are. Just like your Catholic buddies. Thanks again for the laughs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-1165339797712696462006-12-05T12:29:00.000-05:002006-12-05T12:29:00.000-05:00Postscript: I wanted to add something more - All ...Postscript: I wanted to add something more - All differences of belief/nonbelief aside, one human to another, I really love and appreciate Joe's sense of humor and his talent for writing. I'm not familiar with Glenn's writing but I'll give you this - both Glenn and Joe could have been way more harsh on me for that 3-D post (I don't think I could have restrained myself as much as you both did)- don't think I haven't noticed that. One other thing, if I had given up looking at the 3-D pics and dismissed them based on my frustration, I would never have enjoyed getting to see them.<BR/><BR/>Thanks.<BR/><BR/>GinaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-1165334842437973692006-12-05T11:07:00.000-05:002006-12-05T11:07:00.000-05:00Thanks for the response, Joe and Glenn. We remain...Thanks for the response, Joe and Glenn. We remain uninfluenced by one another.<BR/><BR/>Thanks!<BR/><BR/>GinaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-1165323020154524512006-12-05T07:50:00.000-05:002006-12-05T07:50:00.000-05:00I wonder how a Magic Eye 3-D picture book of Numbe...I wonder how a Magic Eye 3-D picture book of Numbers 31:15-18 would look? It would be something else to see a graphically illustrated version of Moses and the Israelite soldiers plunging rusty, bronze-age swords through the wombs of pregnant women and 4 year old children! <BR/><BR/>Or perhaps 2 Chronicles 25:12 would be funnier (in a cruel slapstick sort of way)... <BR/><BR/><I>"And the other ten thousand left alive did the children of Judah carry away captive, and brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, that they were all broken in pieces."</I><BR/><BR/>*Whooooaaaaa..."Splat!"*Joe E. Holmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10273702675019012966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-1165308909920573322006-12-05T03:55:00.000-05:002006-12-05T03:55:00.000-05:00My daughter loves the Magic Eye books - upon first...My daughter loves the Magic Eye books - upon first viewing the pictures, they appear a conglomeration of colorful splotches and beautiful disorganization. But if one gazes more intently, and focuses the eyes, suddenly, a magnificent 3-D picture emerges.<BR/><BR/>The Bible is written in a similar way. It can be used corruptly to condemn and marginalize people or used to offer grace. Jesus's words that one must enter the Kingdom as a little child mean that we cannot "see" Jesus or heaven with pride blinding our sight. God is not stupid - one cannot reduce Heaven into a formula or material object that can be usurped and destroyed by those seeking to control and manipulate, much as we are in the habit of doing. I used to be invested in seeking my own power and I was successful at it so I was not interested in the gospel - to me it was unnecessary and it looked like the "badpel" - my trust had been broken and I didn't want anyone lording over me. <BR/><BR/>Having said that, there is grace for running hot or cold - God still loves even when we do not, but it is our awakening and loving Him back that creates an eternal saving bond. Scripture alone, moral and legal codes alone, cannot accomplish that. His love defies logic because it sacrifices even in the face of persecution and hatred.<BR/><BR/>The many issues you mention about scripture are a reflection of a pride filled perspective -I had all the same questions and doubts. There aren't as many problems where love resides - grace is more powerful than evil and God is not restricted by religious or national divides to connect and rescue people. <BR/><BR/>I still can suffer from pride but it is slowly and surely losing its appeal - I'm learning that God's grace is sufficient for me - my "bad" is not bigger than His grace.<BR/><BR/>Thanks and God Bless.<BR/><BR/>GinaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-1165280376371761192006-12-04T19:59:00.000-05:002006-12-04T19:59:00.000-05:00Jesus acknowledges outright that there are differe...Jesus acknowledges outright that there are different perspectives/influences at work - ones that see Jesus as crushing/cruel or nonsensical and others that see Him as a safe place to be a human that is broken and with faults. All too often religion turns the gospel into a contest amongst people for moral superiority/empowerment or to target sinners for venting hostility - too often in religion, the truth is stigmatized rather than embraced. How can a moral or legal code be promoted when we are to witness about spiritual salvation?<BR/><BR/>I expect that D'Bulls words are intended to offer insight and compassion, consistant with a position of belief.<BR/><BR/>GinaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-1165279329873212232006-12-04T19:42:00.000-05:002006-12-04T19:42:00.000-05:00I sorry you have chosen to leave the Church. I'm n...I sorry you have chosen to leave the Church. I'm not going to judge you or knock you for whatever reasons.<BR/><BR/>I want to suggent something that you may have not considered.<BR/><BR/>Being an evangelical Christian has, in my opinion, become something of a joke. What with guys only in it for fame, money, sex, big houses, cars, etc, people, understandably look at Christianity with a jaded eye and think "what greedy, two-faced corrupted people".<BR/><BR/>What about looking into the real Christianity? I'm talking about the centuries-old Lutheran churches. A lot of people I know are disenfranchised by what they see, and wish to attend real worship services. I could be wrong. You may have rejected God outright, and you have been given the freewill to do so, but have you looked into a non-evangelical synod that is centuries old and follows 1st century practices? Not a modern-man inspired farce of a church that is more concerned with judging people?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-1165265439680944032006-12-04T15:50:00.000-05:002006-12-04T15:50:00.000-05:00dbull said:In the eyes of the WORLD, it sounds lik...dbull said:<BR/><BR/><I>In the eyes of the WORLD, it sounds like John has the perfect setup to know God right? <BR/><BR/>Mark10:15 Most certainly I tell you, whoever will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child, he will in no way enter into it.<BR/>...<BR/>John's already told me I must be "uneducated because only uneducated people would argue against education"-thanks for the compliment, refer back to Mark 10:15."</I><BR/><BR/>So, the same people that are supposted to accept xianity could just have likely broke their arm, while jumping from the roof of a shed with a red cape tied around their neck? Wait... Does that mean I should keep up my dream of attending Hogwarts?!! WAAHOO!!<BR/><BR/><I>"In the not too distant future I expect you folks will be amazed at how all the "uneducated" people got into heaven, and all the tons of books, educated men and scholars on both sides of the debate ended up not in heaven. I can't recall any little children with seminary degrees....cheers"</I><BR/><BR/>Ahhh... <B>The End is Near!</B> argument. I think of it as the <B>Cry Wolf!</B> argument. Sorry, but that doesn't hold any water.<BR/><BR/>If you want to blindly follow a book written (and organized) by a group of people intent on using superstition to control the masses, go for it. Me? I'll be living each day as if it's my last, and working to leave something worthwhile behind to future generations.<BR/><BR/>-BerlzebubAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-1165260009889122472006-12-04T14:20:00.000-05:002006-12-04T14:20:00.000-05:00I check your website off and on and often my jaw h...I check your website off and on and often my jaw hangs open at the things you write that confirm and reinforce directly what the bible says. You know the bible talks about a GREAT apostacy at the end of the age right? See text below for current headlines lol<BR/><BR/>The trend is growing. More and more often nowadays we are hearing about Christian preachers walking out of their pulpits, away from lives of privilege and honor, leaving the fold of God.<BR/><BR/>If people wonder why so many are falling away, see the resume below:<BR/><BR/>graduate of several Christian colleges and seminaries. Making John even more unique to the already exceptional caste of minister-turned-atheist is his education at the feet of renowned Christian apologist, Dr. William Lane Craig. Craig is best known for his work and defense of the Kalam Cosmological Argument and is viewed as a “Big Gun” in the world of Christian-atheist debate. <BR/><BR/>In the eyes of the WORLD, it sounds like John has the perfect setup to know God right? <BR/><BR/>Mark10:15 Most certainly I tell you, whoever will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child, he will in no way enter into it."<BR/><BR/>You guys are way too impressed with your degrees and how educated and wise your arguments are to ever approach the kingdom this way. You have determined you are either going to argue your way in, or argue your way out. You have done the latter without recognizing that the first option was impossible to begin with. John's already told me I must be "uneducated because only uneducated people would argue against education"-thanks for the compliment, refer back to Mark 10:15.<BR/><BR/>In the not too distant future I expect you folks will be amazed at how all the "uneducated" people got into heaven, and all the tons of books, educated men and scholars on both sides of the debate ended up not in heaven. I can't recall any little children with seminary degrees....cheersBrother Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04645401412444899487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21219785.post-1165156505584287522006-12-03T09:35:00.000-05:002006-12-03T09:35:00.000-05:00I want to thank Joe for this well written review.....I want to thank Joe for this well written review...if only I had his talent for putting words together. I appreciate his honesty and I value his thoughts. <BR/><BR/>In a few months my book will be reviewed by a scholarly Christian journal. We'll see if they liked it as much as Joe did. ;-)<BR/><BR/>As far as I can tell, the connection that several of us ex-Christians have with the Church of Christ is just coincidental. Anyone who tries to make something more of this better have some hard cold evidence to the contrary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com