In reading various blogs related to discussions between believers and non-believers, I find it rather puzzling that the former take it for granted that the latter accepts the credibility of the Bible. Again and again, as questionable matters arise, Christians will reference scripture to “prove” their point. Occasionally, a believer will reference a noted apologist who supports the matter under discussion, but essentially it is the words of the Bible that are the determining factor.
As an example, I lifted the following from a discussion related to the existence of the person Jesus. (Interestingly, the blog visitor preceded his comment by saying: “I’m about evidences and facts.”)
What you need to understand is it is very clear in the Bible that hundreds of people saw Jesus and people touched his wounds and saw him up close. It is one thing to have a person act as a double to trick the masses for a cruel trick on humanity it is completely another thing to have someone go up to Jesus and see his wounds and touch them. Jesus was making it very clear with no doubt to all the witnesses he was indeed Jesus Christ.
So the natural question that pops into my mind as I read this is what “evidences and facts” does this person have that “hundreds of people” saw Jesus? How does this person know that “Jesus was making it very clear” that he “was indeed Jesus Christ”? Indeed, what “evidences and facts” does this person have that it wasn’t someone acting as a “double to trick the masses?”
Oh Wait! Could it be? Ahhh yes. As the person noted, “it is very clear in the Bible”!
Do believers not understand that atheists do not accept the validity of the Bible? Do they not realize that atheists reject the existence of gods in any size, shape, or form? Do they think it’s all a façade and that in reality, atheists (deep down in their hearts) truly believe the Bible God exists?
It would seem so.
I can only surmise that they put their faith in the BIBLE scripture that says …
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12; ESV)
And thus, they continue to reference the contents of this several thousand year old book written by nebulous individuals … certain that it has the force to “pierce the soul” of the Non-Believing Atheist.
“It’s true, the Force of the Jedi Bible — all of it, it’s all true.”
(With apologies to Hans Solo in “Star Wars”, Episode 7)
Nan's Notebook 
Again, this is why I’m a devout Muslim for in the Quran it states, “This book is NOT to be doubted!” I mean, MIC DROP, BABY!!!! What more evidence is needed. How much more proof can there be. It says right IN the book that it’s not to be doubted! Thus, Islam is the only true religion and Allah the one true god. After all, it says so RIGHT IN THE BOOK!!! $Allahu Akbar$
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So do you think the bible writers missed an opportunity when they didn’t include this phrase???
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They sure did! And since they didn’t, it proves the falsity of the Bible and the truth of the Quran. Mic drop, baby! Evidence city, here we come!!!
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And Jeff, my Sasquatchianity is JUST as equally factual as your Islam-ishness & Quran paraphrasing, and DAYUM SURE more factual than Christianity’s origins! 😉
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And more authentic!! 😁
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Dear Nan,
Hear me sing, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the bible tells me so.” (evil snicker) I don’t get it.
No god = no Jesus Christ = no word of god or scriptural inspiration = delusional rantings by people who do not understand the word “no.”
You ask, “Do believers not understand that atheists do not accept the validity of the Bible?” They do not.
God is like the first domino. When it falls, everything that follows becomes moot and fails. Except this, it’s all they have.
So it is really not a belief in a god that members of all Abrahamic religions have, it’s blind faith in scripture. And they provide all the evidence of that. We don’t make it up. Fact.
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More seriously, even if I did “accept” the Bible, the character of Yahweh….and Jesus is horrific. The only moral response to the Abrahamic cults is rebellion…and ridicule.
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I delved into the holey scripture for years. I was so proud of my ignorance I wanted to share it with the world.
Christian researchers have access to thousands of books, interpretations of scripture, opinions, alternate languages, well-written thesis, translations, drawings and paintings, apologists, bible readings and study guides. But no facts.
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I i READ THAT ALSO SOMEPLACE, AND MY BROTHER IS A PRIEST AND HAS TAKEN COURSES IN HEBREW AND GREEK SO HE COULD READ THE BIBLE AS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN. HE”S INTELLECTUALLY A FEW THOUSAND MILES ABOVE ME BUT I BELIEVE THE THINGS HE SAYS. INTERESTING FOOTNOTE, AS KIDS WE WERE NOT ABLE TO READ THE BIBLE. MASS WAS IN LATIN SO WE HAD TO TAKE IT ALL ON FAITH. FUNNY THING IS THAT EVERYONE HAS A DIFFERENT INTERPRETATION OF THE SAME PASSAGES.
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But is there an original complete Bible? It was assembled from fragments and icees by policeman’s and priests… and the major branches don’t 100% even agree on what should be included
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Pieces. Politicians…not police 😳🤪
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No, there is no actual written version for centuries after it all happened. Stories told around the family gatherings, campfires and any other place people met. And even now there are many interpretations of the same bible that I don’t know what to believe. Even the Catholic bible has several versions, depending on what company did the printing. The stories are all closely related, but again, too many people take phrases out of context and interpret them wrong. Example: “An eye for an eye” seems to always be taken out of context with the rest of the phrase omitted – – “Vengeance is Mine, says the Lord!”
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“Faith is the evidence of things not seen.”
I read that someplace.
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❤
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Nan, here is an excerpt from the survey from 2014 by the Pew Research Center US Religious Landscape.
“While about four-in-ten Christians (39%) say the Bible’s text is the word of God and should be taken literally, 36% say it should not be interpreted literally or express another or no opinion. A separate 18% of Christians view the Bible as a book written by men, not God.”
To me, religious texts, even if divinely inspired, were written, edited, translated, retranslated almost entirely by “imperfect men.” The gospels in the Christian bible were written between 30 and 75 years after Jesus was crucified, based on stories that were told after his death. They also were not all written in the same languages, so there are some inconsistencies.
I think we should focus on the overarching messages of religious text such as the various permutations of the Golden Rule of treating others like you want to be treated or treating your neighbors well in times of need.
But, what the above survey shows is only 39% of Christians believe the bible should be taken as the word of God.
Keith
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And I would tend to think the 39% most likely frequent evangelical churches. And to go one step further, I would tend to think the author of the quote I included in my post is a member of same.
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That in and of itself should be frightening to most people.
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This is an annoyance I deal with regularly. Yes, believers would like to point to scripture as proof, to which I explain that “scripture is your claim, not your evidence. You’re trying to prove to me that scripture is true, it can not be your proof as well.” They do not get it at all, I believe because it’s always been used as “evidence” by those indoctrinating them into the fold. It’s incredibly annoying to me.
I usually throw in the fact that I could use “The Origin of Species” to prove that evolution is true and they will inevitably argue the point.
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Someone I used to read (I believe it might have been Neil Carter – Godless in Dixie) said once, “Mentioning scripture is not like a Jedi mind trick”. I thought that was clever. 😉
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Nan, I have just a quick short comment about this Christian infallibility non-sense. 😉
In response to the ill-founded presupposition by that “E & F” Christian 😄, s/he and thousands of other blind-faith Christians of the world intentionally refuse to examine the independent evidence & facts of their Greco-Roman blind-faith compared and contrasted to Late Second Temple Judaism & Messianism easily found in Zugot (170 BCE–30 CE) & Tannaim (10-220 CE) Literature, i.e. the direct, precise context Yeshua bar Yosef (Jesus) was born in, raised in, educated in, fought to reform along with thousands of other Jews and rabbis, then was executed for by the Romans. Hence, this begs the elementary question: Was Yeshua/Jesus a Jew in that time-period?
Of course he was. No Christian can deny that FACT. Period. Therefore, if someone REALLY wants to know who this rabbi-reformer named Yeshua was… you have no choice but to start with his Jewishness. How many modern Christians know primary or secondary facts about 1st-century CE Sectarian Judaism/Messianism of Syro-Palestine in the Late Second Temple Period? It is miniscule, and I’m being generous with that. How many Christians even consult Jewish scholars of the Tannaim literature and culture today? HAH! 😄
Furthermore, outside of Yeshua’s deeply steeped Jewishness a FACT not equitably found in the decades-late canonical Gospels—nor what little there is isn’t accurate or comprehensive at all—what are or where is the independent evidence of this Greco-Roman “Son of God” messiah? I share what MOST historical scholars of the 1st-century Levant already know and have known for many decades (a century?). From my own Why Christianity Will Always Fail page:
There are at least 41 known Pagan and Jewish authors/historians during Jesus’ lifetime or within less-than 100 years of his life that aside from two forged passages in the works of a Jewish author (Josephus), and two disputed passages in the works of Roman writers (Pliny the Younger & Suetonius), there is no mention of a Jesus Christ. Nor within a century of Jesus’ life do any of these authors/historians make any mention of the later disciples or apostles.
The “version” of Christendom’s story and history the last 2-millenia is NOT supported by any plausible “evidence or facts.” But the vast majority of Christians today only allow or defend their faith in a Kangaroo Court where the jury and judge will only gaze or reference ONE source, ONE dependent and highly biased source: their Greco-Roman canonical New Testament.
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My goodness! It seems like I’ve read all this information somewhere before. Hmmm. 😈
But to your point: How many modern Christians know … , I think the answer is pretty obvious. Even with your frequent attempts to enhance the knowledge of the average believer, it’s doubtful they have learned anything.
I’m sure you’re familiar with the sayings related to a closed mind. This one seems rather timely: “Small thoughts fit easily into a closed mind, but big thoughts require an open one.”
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BWAAAAA! Then you are obviously very well-read Nan! 🥰
‘Small thoughts, big thoughts’… Very apropos Nan. And again, they intentionally refuse to be in any court other than their safe Kangaroo Court, Judge, and jurors—the epitome of a rigged-game where the “outcome” is already determined by THEIR rules.
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Just for the record, atheists aren’t the only ones who don’t accept the “authenticity” of the bible. Agnostics, deists, and other non-Christians are non-believers as well
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Indeed mistermuse. This Free-thinking Humanist is also part of that acclaimed group! 😉
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There a billion Hindus that deny the Bible. Hundreds of millions of Buddhists, etc etc.🤪
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The reality is that there are almost no believers that accept all parts of the Bible. They pick and choose passages that resonate with their own life choices. What’s more, the Bible is full of contradictory passages. This makes the claim “it must be true because it’s in the Bible” even more absurd.
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I was raised Catholic & I was taught that the Bible was NOT to be taken literally. It was metaphor & poetry. More than one priest told me this … my own cousin, who’s a priest, told me this. Only fools take it literally.
As for the other religious writings, it’s the same for them.
There’s wisdom in those books but there’s no reason they have to be literal, historical truth. I’ve never understood why so many people insist upon that.
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Here in North Alabama, I’m pretty sure that the number of folks who believe the Bible to be the inerrant word of God is quite high. We can also claim one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.
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Hah! The two definitely go hand-in-hand. 😉
Just more “evidence & facts” of BLIND Faith running rampant, especially throughout the Deep South!
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Re “What you need to understand is it is very clear in the Bible that hundreds of people saw Jesus and people touched his wounds and saw him up close.” This should be stated that “What you need to understand is it is very clear that the Bible claims that hundreds of people saw Jesus and people touched his wounds and saw him up close.”
Then, we can go from there by asking “How would the Romans feel about someone they executed walking around drawing crowds? The Romans had spies, lots of them. This would have been reported. The Romans would have figured “That bastard Joseph of Arimathea tricked us.” then scooped Jesus up a second time and nailed him up for good. This would have taken only an hour or so from Jesus drawing a crowd.
That the Bible makes claims is not miraculous. actually, it is not the Bible, it is the authors of the books one is quote from. What was his name again, I forget. Oh, you don’t know who wrote it or when it was written, so you have no way of knowing whether the writer had a hidden agenda, now do you? Hmm. I wonder how many people actually wrote for publication. It is clear that the priests in the OT times inserted some of there own ideas into scripture so that they sounded as if they were God endorsed (Both Jesus and the prophet Ezekiel said so, or claimed to have said so in the Bible.). Do you think that could have happened in the NT as well? Gee, if we only knew something about the writers.
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Their knickers really get knotted when I remind them of what Jesus said about puffed-up pontificating pontificators puffed-up-edly pontificating on street corners: put it in the closet.
I really like the part about “they have their rewards.”
On-the-other-hand, the first fifteen verses of Genesis does a pretty good job, if you put your glasses on just so, of describing four billion (and more) years of evolution …
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I only have one question. Can we get names of these people?
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Nan: “I find it rather puzzling that the former take it for granted that the latter accepts the credibility of the Bible.” I find it rather puzzling that it is taken for granted that heaven exists. Without heaven gods cannot exist and the Bible is just a Jew/Jesus fable. GROG
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Except that the Jews didn’t believe in “heaven” … it is strictly a Christian invention.
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The Jews have a God who resides in a celestial kingdom. What do you mean the Jews don’t believe in heaven? All religions Depend on the supernatural, without magic the faithful have nothing. GROG.
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No, the orthodox Jews do not believe in heaven. They believe the dead go down to “Sheol” (an underground “pit,” known as the “Land of Forgetfulness.”) They are cut off from God and humankind. There is no concept of judgment or reward and punishment attached to Sheol.
While they do believe in a Supreme Being, they are not fixed on the idea that “he” lives in a “celestial kingdom.” They lean more towards a god whose presence is everywhere.
It is the CHRISTIANS that altered the perception of “God” — primarily based on the Zoroastrian religion — and as you wrote (and I agree), they are the ones that heavily “depend on the supernatural.”
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Pick and choose, Nan. There is a very wide range of “belief” among the Jews. Secular Jews have pretty much, I think, given up on the supernatural, but then there is this guy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzFUXKk2B4I&list=WL&index=23&t=2129s GROG
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Interesting. IMO, this guy definitely has an outlook that’s a bit “far-out.” 🤪
One other thing — yes, the Jews as a whole DO have a wide range of beliefs. But note that I was referencing the orthodox Jews and their beliefs as presented in the bible. Modern-day Jews are not so unlike Christians with all their different perspectives/beliefs/activities.
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Jews have a number of different afterlife beliefs. Some believe in a heaven and hell where you go based on merit. Some believe in a heaven and hell, but hell is temporary and you go to heaven after purging your “impurities.” Some believe in a bodily resurrection. Some believe in a combination of these things. Some think that when you die that’s it, you’re worm food.
Judaism never put as much focus on eschatology (the part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind) as Christianity.
According to Pew Religious Landscape: 40% of Jews believe in heaven, while 22% believe in hell. This is in comparison to about 80% or higher belief in heaven among Christians and 60% or higher belief in hell for all types of Christians.
Also talking about Orthodox Jews in Biblical times is a misnomer. Orthodox Jews might themselves claim they are continuing normative traditions that stem all the way back to ancient times, but they are just as much a product of the 19th century as Reform Judaism.
https://thejewishnews.com/2018/06/21/what-is-orthodox-judaism-rabbi-asher-lopatin/
Nan seems to be talking about ancient Israelite beliefs that transformed into Judaism over time. Otherwise her points about Sheol in ancient Israelite beliefs match with my understanding.
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Thanks, CR, for your enlightenment on Jewish beliefs.
You are correct. I was referencing what is laid out in the bible as related to the Jewish perspective on death. You are also correct that, just as with Christians, there are numerous outlooks on what happens at death among modern Jews.
For me, this is just one more indication that the entire idea of “religion” is simply whatever one wants it to be … which, IMO, totally undercuts its validity.
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Religion, a set of delusional beliefs that a magical kingdom exists, somewhere, anywhere, out there. GROG Heaven is where Santa Claus used to live. Cheers. GROG
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You’re welcome!
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Sometimes I daydream scripture suddenly disappears, and wonder how the world would play out. Anyway, I’d still probably follow the Creator vein.
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Arnold, based on the various comments of yours that I’ve read, I highly doubt that this is one of your daydreams. Just sayin’.
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Okie dokie
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Great quote from a fantasy novel:
“ humans are strange. They value punishment because they think it means their actions are important-that THEY are important.
…they think the whole world was set up to shame and humiliate and punish them. It’s all about them them them. The world is full of bad things, hurtful things, but it’s still all about them.
(Great quote relevant to religions from a novel by Robert Jackson Benson)
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I would agree that these statements contain truth … even beyond any connection to religion.
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Nan, I still pray for you and Ark and about 20 other atheists every day for years now… Why would I waste my time if I thought there would never be any chance of at least one of you being “born again” by God above ??
Just a quick post for you people to tear apart… Read my post from 2019 on proving mathematically that the Bible was the inspired Word of God. It is based on the over 1000 prophecies made in the Bible with 668 of them all coming about (the rest are end times prophecies)…without one being proven false. The odds of man writing 668 prophecies (sometimes 100’s of years later, and all of them coming true, without the help of God, has a probability of 10 to the 38th power- (1 in 100 billion, billion, billion, billion)..
You all have a great day !!
Blessings in Christ, bruce
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Well look who’s here!!!
Ahhh yes … your prayers. I guess your efforts go along with that old saying — you know the one … “If it feels good, do it.” But I would add … don’t expect much.
As for your stats? You DO realize, don’t you, that using the bible to prove the bible is hardly “mathematical.” 😎
Anyway, nice of you to stop by.
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I stopped by because I do my best to obey the Holy Spirit living within me… It’s not a feeling Nan… It is God Himself living within my heart, mind, and soul…
Obviously non of you or your readers has ever been truly saved by God’s grace alone… You would absolutely KNOW when you are filled with the Holy Spirit…
Romans 8:16… The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (NKJV)
Here is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ… My prayers every day are for the Holy Spirit to work in your hardened heart to open and respond to this link…
Your welcome for my stopping by !!
You have a nice day as well !!
Blessings in Christ, bruce
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OK, Bruce. Whatever you say.
BTW, I would prefer that you do NOT provide links to your sermonizing. As you noticed, I removed the most recent one. Most of my blog visitors are non-believers and I feel quite certain that if they wanted to hear about “God,” they know where to go … and it’s definitely not to my blog.
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I wish at some point that you would truly gain some wisdom and understand the logical loop to which you’ve consigned yourself. As Nan pointed out, using the Bible to prove the Bible is as ridiculous as anything I can think of; perhaps using the TV show “Ancient Aliens” to prove the existence of aliens? Using the Quran to prove the Quran?
But tell me something because I am interested: how is it that you are “saved” by god’s “grace” (whatever that is) but thousands of children die of cancer every year, their parents in absolute agony that THIER prayers aren’t being answered? Why do 2,000,000 (yes, TWO MILLION) innocent children die of starvation every single year while god is, what, twittling his thumbs? And this is ok with you? You’re perfectly fine with a god standing by and doing nothing while innocent children die? This to me is a repugnant aspect of religion. I’m sure you’ll find some quote in your scripture that explains it to your satisfaction but you should consider it.
Lastly, as a demonstration of your ignorance regarding your own faith, you might be interested to know that the KJV and even the N(R)KJV is probably the least accurate re-write of older gospels? It has been interpolated with all kinds of nonsense at the discretion and order of King James himself in order to accord with the views of the Anglican Church.
You really need to educate yourself about the so-called faith with which you seem so content in deluding yourself. As I pointed out before delusion is a game the whole family can play; ghosts, aliens, etc. However to invest so much of yourself in something about which you seem to know very little is futile.
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Hallelujah!
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😅
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You see, now there’s that delusional aspect rearing its’ head again! Most of the predictions in the Bible were written decades and even hundreds of years AFTER the events that they “predict!” You would have to study the how, where, who wrote the Hebrew scripture to find this out.
This is the thing that religious court on; your lack of curiosity to explore the issues, events, claims, etc.
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Dear RaPaR, I have absolutely no interest in any links you give me… I am perfectly happy being delusional as you call it… But it is God who has to open your eyes to the truth found in the Bible… I would rather be delusional, living as a redeemed child of God, absolutely knowing I will be face to face with Jesus when I breathe my last… You can remain an atheist if that is what appeals to you…
I pray Nan doesn’t take out the link I give her every time she posts my response… This link is what God uses to allow the Holy Spirit to work on your heart… What are you all afraid of ??
Blessings in Christ, bruce
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How do you know how and what god uses to do anything? You don’t. That’s what I call delusional.
The least you can do is look into the evolution of your so-called faith; research it’s’ beginnings, authors, and scripture before you go hypnotizing yourself into believing nonsense like you know how god works.
And I don’t recall seeing you any links.
May the Schwartz be with you!! RaPaR…..
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“BTW, I would prefer that you do NOT provide links to your sermonizing. As you noticed, I removed the most recent one. Most of my blog visitors are non-believers and I feel quite certain that if they wanted to hear about “God,” they know where to go … and it’s definitely not to my blog.”
Nan, if you understood how God and the Holy Spirit worked, you would understand that non-believers are drawn in by God (John 6:44) And when they are drawn in and are presented the gospel of Christ, it is called the effectual call by God, meaning it’s effective because God doesn’t lose anyone Effectually called…
Why don’t you include my gospel presentation link ?? Afraid your readers would be drawn in by God ??
Here it is again, and I pray you include it this time ??
Blessings in Christ, bruce
NOTE TO BRUCE — No, I will NOT include it this time or any time. Sorry, your prayers weren’t answered.
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Bruce! You’re amazing! You actually know the mind of god AND how he works! AND the Holy Spirit! Holy cow! You should get your butt on TV, there’s a TON of dough with your or name on it!
And I was always taught that no one knows the mind of god. I guess, like everything else I was taught about “god” that wasn’t true either. You could knock me over with a feather.
The part you’re missing Bruce is the part where all of us “lost souls” have already reviewed all of the big man’s literature and have found it wonting. Many of us were born and bred into the fold and somehow, either in a search for truth or god, or just by luck perhaps, ending up finding “a” truth at least; that it doesn’t work. Your “truth” doesn’t stand up to scrutiny and as a result we’ve let it go and have been content that life is just as beautiful, just as mysterious and full of wonder without a god.
As Spinoza said “I take Mother Nature, anyway!”
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Nan, what everyone was born with is the sin nature. You can tell me all the stories of your past, about all you did for the Lord doing all these good works for Him… But you see, you were never drawn in by God (john 6:44), and filled with the Holy Spirit. Once God indwells you with the Holy Spirit, you actually do have the mind of Christ…
Philippians 2:5.. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, (NKJV)
And all these good works you do God gave you… Without the Holy Spirit, your good works will leave you standing at the door of Heaven with Christ telling you He never knew you…
Ephesians 2:10… For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (NKJV)
Still afraid to post the gospel of Christ link, I see !! What are you afraid of Nan ??
Here it is again for you and your readers… I pray the Holy Spirit urges you to share this truth-
And with this, Bruce, you’ve managed to get yourself banned. You’ve now had THREE opportunities to preach and even that is more than my usual limit.
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Thank you Nan! Like many of his ilk, he just doesn’t listen.
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Make that “any day!”
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I was told just a few days ago, “All atheists are just disgruntled Christians!” Nothing could change his mind. I may have gotten a bit disgruntled with him. No lightbulbs went off!
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I have been an Atheist for a long time. I was six years old when I started doubting what I was being taught in Sunday school by my Catechism teacher. Most of my family members are Catholic. When I was ten years old, I was supposed to do my first communion. I told my mom that I did not want to go through with it because I was uncertain about the validity of religion. Thankfully, I have a very open-minded mother and she allowed me to opt out of going to church. My father was furious, but I couldn’t follow a deity, which in my opinion, caused so much pain and death. How is God able to “create” the world and everything in it, but he is incapable of stopping wars, famine, child rape, or rape in general, homicides, and more? When people ask me why I became an Atheist, my response is: “I read the bible.” Anyone who reads that book with an open mind will realize it was written by men to control the masses.
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Hello Alex! Thank you for stopping by and sharing your experiences.
I was “raised” Catholic as well (my father and his family’s religion) but fortunately, my mother was similar to yours so I was able to leave it behind at a very early age. I did get involved with religion as an adult (and gave it a good run) but finally wised up and left it in the dust!
I do hope you’ll become a regular contributor.
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I enjoy your content. I will visit your page for sure!
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Welcome to the “club” Alex. It’s not everyone however many critical thinkers can’t get through the Bible without expressing some doubt that leads to apostasy. I became an atheist the very same way, although not anywhere near your young age!
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I agree with you wholeheartedly. I think is funny that believers do not have enough knowledge of what is written in the bible. I wish they would read it with an open mind as if they were reading any other book. Maybe then they would see what we see.
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It does happen, obviously, we see people; Christians, even preachers and die-hard evangelicals leaving the faith. But not in the numbers one would expect. You’re correct, largely because they have no idea of what is written in their dogma. I often lament how people can put so much faith in something they seemingly know so little – sometimes almost nothing – about? People like us wouldn’t do that; substance means something to us. It’s cognitive dissonance at it’s worst.
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Just saw this on Facebook:
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On my way to work this morning, my favorite radio station host was talking about a priest, who has done hundreds of baptisms for the Catholic church. Apparently, several baptisms are now void because he used the wrong word. I think he was supposed to say, “I baptize you, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I think (if I am not mistaken) he said, “we” instead of “I.” So, just because of that mishap, those baptisms are not valid. I find the whole thing ridiculous, but of course, believers are worried that if they died now, they wouldn’t go to heaven. So, what about all those he baptized and have died? They are in hell? As an Atheist, of course I don’t believe in heaven or hell, but these people are worried. Shouldn’t they have faith that their god will still get them into heaven if they are good? I just can’t believe the attention this was getting. As if we didn’t have more important things in the world to worry about.
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I agree with your last sentence! Well, I pretty much agree with everything you said! 😉
Anyway, as you noted, the case was ridiculous so I wrote a blog post on it this morning (“Watch What You Say”),
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After I wrote my comment, I saw you had written about it, lol! I understand religious people’s feelings about all of this; I find it so absurd.
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God sits on His cloud with ears tuned just to catch every innocent (in good faith …) mistake? And then He punishes the innocent because of circumstances beyond their control? Hey — people vote for guys like that! (Certainly everyone who puts her mite in the collection buckets does.)
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People quote numbers of ‘experts’ to add weight to their points. However, ‘truth’ is rarely an election.
So, in the words of the late great biblical Wossisname, “Truth? What is truth?”?
I search for my own Truths.
Truths that satisfy me, and I don’t give a damn for the opinions of others—can an expert in The Holey Bible convince me of his truths by virtue of all the certificates he has plastered all over his office/den/study/shed? Parts of that book, I’m told, are demonstrably true. But then, so it is with Ms Enid Blyton’s “Hurrah For Little Noddy” (book); sadly, though hollows under trees can be found with not too much effort—goblins parking stolen cars in those hollows is stretching things a bit far. Goblins, angels, Toytown, Kingdom of Heaven, saints, miracles … all cheering fiction perhaps, but scarcely Reality.
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Lots to think about and ponder…thank you for posting this!
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