Part 20 of Post Your Tough Questions Regarding Christianity

Muhammed NEVER claimed to be the Messiah.. nor did he claim divinity.. He was a messenger..

 

He could have kept his message since it has proven to be lousy.

 

The message was "Save yourselves, I cannot save you. Return to the God of Abraham".......

 

As I said, it was a lousy message. The crazy old coot Abraham is the most despicable person in the Bible. Anyone who worships his deity is insane.

 

He's the founder of the Islamic faith, he existed all right. He was a prophet they say. Many Christians as well as others believe a false one at that.

 

Not true. Below is a thorough explanation from my favorite Christian web-site concerning evidence of Jesus existence.

Question: "Did Jesus really exist? Is there any historical evidence of Jesus Christ?"

Answer: Typically, when this question is asked, the person asking qualifies the question with “outside of the Bible.” We do not grant this idea that the Bible cannot be considered a source of evidence for the existence of Jesus. The New Testament contains hundreds of references to Jesus Christ. There are those who date the writing of the Gospels to the second century A.D., more than 100 years after Jesus' death. Even if this were the case (which we strongly dispute), in terms of ancient evidences, writings less than 200 years after events took place are considered very reliable evidences. Further, the vast majority of scholars (Christian and non-Christian) will grant that the Epistles of Paul (at least some of them) were in fact written by Paul in the middle of the first century A.D., less than 40 years after Jesus' death. In terms of ancient manuscript evidence, this is extraordinarily strong proof of the existence of a man named Jesus in Israel in the early first century A.D.

It is also important to recognize that in A.D. 70, the Romans invaded and destroyed Jerusalem and most of Israel, slaughtering its inhabitants. Entire cities were literally burned to the ground. We should not be surprised, then, if much evidence of Jesus' existence was destroyed. Many of the eyewitnesses of Jesus would have been killed. These facts likely limited the amount of surviving eyewitness testimony of Jesus.

Considering that Jesus' ministry was largely confined to a relatively unimportant area in a small corner of the Roman Empire, a surprising amount of information about Jesus can be drawn from secular historical sources. Some of the more important historical evidences of Jesus include the following:

The first-century Roman Tacitus, who is considered one of the more accurate historians of the ancient world, mentioned superstitious “Christians” (from Christus, which is Latin for Christ), who suffered under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius. Suetonius, chief secretary to Emperor Hadrian, wrote that there was a man named Chrestus (or Christ) who lived during the first century (Annals 15.44).

Flavius Josephus is the most famous Jewish historian. In his Antiquities he refers to James, “the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ.” There is a controversial verse (18:3) that says, “Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats....He was [the] Christ...he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him.” One version reads, “At this time there was a wise man named Jesus. His conduct was good and [he] was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who became his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive; accordingly he was perhaps the Messiah, concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.”

Julius Africanus quotes the historian Thallus in a discussion of the darkness which followed the crucifixion of Christ (Extant Writings, 1.

Pliny the Younger, in Letters 10:96, recorded early Christian worship practices including the fact that Christians worshiped Jesus as God and were very ethical, and he includes a reference to the love feast and Lord’s Supper.

The Babylonian Talmud (Sanhedrin 43a) confirms Jesus' crucifixion on the eve of Passover and the accusations against Christ of practicing sorcery and encouraging Jewish apostasy.

Lucian of Samosata was a second-century Greek writer who admits that Jesus was worshiped by Christians, introduced new teachings, and was crucified for them. He said that Jesus' teachings included the brotherhood of believers, the importance of conversion, and the importance of denying other gods. Christians lived according to Jesus’ laws, believed themselves to be immortal, and were characterized by contempt for death, voluntary self-devotion, and renunciation of material goods.

Mara Bar-Serapion confirms that Jesus was thought to be a wise and virtuous man, was considered by many to be the king of Israel, was put to death by the Jews, and lived on in the teachings of His followers.

Then we have all the Gnostic writings (The Gospel of Truth, The Apocryphon of John, The Gospel of Thomas, The Treatise on Resurrection, etc.) that all mention Jesus.

In fact, we can almost reconstruct the gospel just from early non-Christian sources: Jesus was called the Christ (Josephus), did “magic,” led Israel into new teachings, and was hanged on Passover for them (Babylonian Talmud) in Judea (Tacitus), but claimed to be God and would return (Eliezar), which his followers believed, worshipping Him as God (Pliny the Younger).

There is overwhelming evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ, both in secular and biblical history. Perhaps the greatest evidence that Jesus did exist is the fact that literally thousands of Christians in the first century A.D., including the twelve apostles, were willing to give their lives as martyrs for Jesus Christ. People will die for what they believe to be true, but no one will die for what they know to be a lie.


Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/did-Jesus-exist.html#ixzz394sGaPeN

 

Are you concern that apes will one day become smarter and more intelligent than humans that apes will surpassed humans in science and space exploration?
I thought that you guys believe that apes are smarter and more intelligent than humans? Or that humans evolved from apes maybe it was apes evolved from humans?
Are there any ape scientist researching to make their species more intelligent or gain new knowledge or is it humans that are doing all the research to make apes like humans?

 

That is why your fairy tale is just a fairy tale.
According to the Bible God visited hell only Jesus can enter hell and come back out because He is God.
The Bible got it right it is your fairy book that got it wrong.

 

Have you watched Australia: 400 million years BC?

 

The difference is that you are pushing people to two pits that are filled with snakes if one pit is fill with nice thing I am sure your friend will not need you to push him to the snake hole he will for sure chose the nice hole with no snakes.
God is not forcibly pushing people into Heaven of Hell because it is the people who chose their destination just like it is you who chose to be what you want not what your parents want you to be.
The reason God does not use any physical or metaphysical is because it is the people who make their own choice and decision.
The only rule is man made rule not God's. Man create the rules who enter Heaven or Hell God only educate and make us aware of the existence of Heaven and Hell it is up to you that is why even the worst criminal that repent and accept God is welcome into Heaven. "Today you will be with me in Paradise."

 

And have you read about Cambrian explosion?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambrian_explosion

 

Wiki???

 

What if he doesn't even want to take part in my silly pit scheme? How is it fair that I force him to take part?

Wait, wait, wait, are you honestly trying to tell me that you believe Heaven and Hell are NOT creations of God? Because that's what you seem to be saying.

 

So now you've added limbo and disappeared to your argument.......hmmm that wasn't there before where does it say that in your bible?
Regardless I definitely will never make myself go to any of those places, Ill do whatever I feel like. Is something going to stop me wanren? I choose not to disappear, go to limbo, go to purgatory, go to hell or go to heaven. Id like to travel. Im not evil wanren it seems like according to you I will be punished unless I accept your god.
You were either incorrect before when you said god only punishes evil or you are incorrect now. Disappeared seems like a punishment to me wan.

 

Again you misquote me. Where did I say that apes are more intelligent than humans. Baby chimps certainly have more ability and intelligence to work out problems than human babies, but adults are far behind human adults - so far. Many creatures adapt/evolve to a new environment over hundreds of thousands of years.
Did a human tell a bird that dropping a shellfish from a great height would crack it open? No. Perhaps it happened by chance, but the memory was passed on down the generations.
Did a human tell the 'monkey' that by putting a stick down into an ants nest the ants would cling to it and make a good meal?
Many chance events have led to the progress man has made on the evolutionary scale. What caused man to discover fire? What event gave man the idea of weapons?
We no longer swing in trees, so we don't need our tail. We have changed our diet so no longer use our appendix.
Some people of course, believe everything they are told, and lose the ability to think for themselves.

In a million years the apes, if the impetus is there, may adapt their lifestyle and evolve, not necessarily human, but like a human to suit its environment.
But then, maybe, humans will no longer be around. The most 'intelligent' creature creature on earth may have destroyed himself.

 

Australia???

 

Again did you say why you dig two pits full of snakes why not one fill with good things?
The difference is you created a game for him to chose a temporal game that gives him the free will not to take part. For you to force him to take part is wrong. One thing for sure if you or him are stranded in the middle of the desert and in your eye sight you saw in your right an Oasis while in your left sand dunes for sure you will chose to go to the Oasis.
In death for those who believe there is life after death there is Heaven, Hell, Purgatory or limbo or for those who do not believe there is life after death then their soul and spirit ends at the day they die disappeared gone into nothing forgotten forever but the reality is their soul is trap in limbo waiting to be saved.
God created Heaven for our souls to destine in pure and eternal happiness. Hell was created by Lucifer that is why it is so imperfect with all kinds of imperfection just like men created cities, empires, etc.
Genesis 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

 

It seems you are amongst the many Christians that do not understand evolution science, thus believe that humans evolved from apes rather than Humans AND Apes evolved from something else entirely. Long ago there were no Apes or Humans, there ere Mammals that evolved in such a way that they eventually created both Apes and Humans.

 

And you have PROOF of what you claim as opposed to an offering of your claim supported by the opinions of others?

 

Well, so far you don't know where you want to go after death not in Heaven, Purgatory or Hell then there is only one place limbo and limbo is a term created by secular people sometime they call it the Black Hole.
When you die you can still do what ever you want and nothing or no one is going to stop you since you chose not in Heaven, Hell or Purgatory then you are left with one place to go or be limbo but you just said you don't want to be in limbo either so this mean your soul will be all over this infinite universe right?
You are punish due to your own acts and decision not God's. What ever you do or decide to do will develop to the consequence of it.
Well again you have not said where you think your soul will go or where you want your soul to go when you die? For sure you have clearly said not in Heaven, Hell, Purgatory or Limbo where then? Don't tell me you'll wonder around here on earth travel all over the world haunt, watch or spy on every living humans you so pleased, play tricks on them, etc. is that what you mean when you said you want to do what ever you want when you die?
So you believe you will never die? And that dying is a form of punishment?

 

So this goes back to the question are apes more intelligent than humans? Will apes ever evolve to become or more intelligent than humans? A simple yes or no answer will do.
My answer is No.

 

I have from the very beginning been saying that humans did not evolved from apes please do not try to sneak in one of your misquoting I suspect you did it unintentionally. And clearly you must correct your post that it was the many atheist who insist that humans evolved from apes.
Christians have no problem with science. Atheist have problem with Christians accepting science.
Long ago there was nothing science http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambrian_explosion
The Cambrian Period witnessed the most rapid and widespread diversification of life in Earth's history, known as the Cambrian explosion, in which most modern phyla first appeared\
Bible prospective:
Genesis
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

Bible and science agrees on each other that every living creatures evolved according to their own kind and science is now able to see the wonders of the creation process in more details while the Bible give us a general over view.

 

Yes actually....I do. You however will not accept the well established and thoroughly researched Data due to a predisposed bias which seems to prevent your mind from accepting anything that might force it to question your version of the God story....thus rendering you into the realm of ignorance and futility in discussion.

It is strangely entertaining however, to watch such inept flailings take place....a rarity in our species.

 

You are partly right. I do have a predisposed position. That position is to accept only those evidence or arguments that are capable of compelling my mind to accept them as true. So far, you have not presented a very compelling piece of evidence or argument.

 

Key words....YOUR MIND.

By using these words and the accompanying reality they entail...it is impossible to engage in reasonable discussion or convince you of ANYTHING you do not already believe to be truth.

We refer to this as having a closed mind to be nice.\

The not so nice terminology is unacceptable by forum rules.