Submitted by Boris (not verified) on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 11:42pm.
Even if it were true that Christianity has led to the greatest cultural advances that would have no bearing on whether the religion is what it claims to be. Other religions that predate Christianity such as Buddhism and Hinduism have certainly taught peace, love, fairness and acceptance as well and the sayings of Buddha and Krishna also predate those attributed to Jesus in the New Testament, yet they are strikingly similar. Is the profound effect for good on people’s lives from these religions evidence that Hinduism and Buddhism must be true? All religions teach the same things and their members all make the same claims. No religion can claim to be a force for good however, unless it can restrain evil, especially among its own ranks. Anyway the claim that Christianity has led to the greatest cultural advances is Christian propaganda that honest historians always disagree with. Muckraking journalist E. Haldeman-Julius said, “The influences that have lifted the race to a higher moral level are education, freedom, leisure, the humanizing tendency of a better-supplied and more interesting life. In a word, science and liberalism… have accomplished the very things for which religion claims credit.” One thing that really angers some atheists is the hijacking of morality by religion. Religion didn’t invent morality – it was the other ay around; morality invented religion.
There have been many well-known people including historians that have doubted the existence of Jesus Christ. Thomas Paine wrote in “An Essay on the Origin of Free-Masonry” that, “The Christian religion is a parody on the worship of the Sun, in which they put a man whom they call Christ, in the place of the Sun, and pay him the same adoration which was originally paid to the Sun.” “As for myself, I do not believe that such a person as Jesus Christ ever existed; but as the people are inclined to superstition it is proper not to oppose them” - Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821). What is really ludicrous about Steve’s claim though, if you just stop and think about it for a minute, is that the whole purpose of the brief 2nd book of John is to admonish followers not to listen to the many people who were telling them the truth, that Jesus never really existed. Thus, soon after Jesus allegedly existed many people were clearly claiming that he didn't exist. And rather than write to these unbelievers in a rational manner and present them with overwhelming evidence that Jesus really had existed just a short time ago, and all the miraculous things said to have happened really did happen, the writer instead admonishes his readers to stay away from these people. "Do not take him into your house or welcome him." The writer stigmatizes these people as "the deceiver" and "the antichrist" who do "wicked work," and further stigmatizes anyone who should listen to them. Robert Taylor stated the facts of the situation very eloquently:
“We might, say they, as well affect to deny the existence of such an individual as Alexander the Great, or of Napoleon Bonaparte, and so set at defiance the evidence of all facts but such as our senses have attested. It being quite forgotten that the existence of Alexander and Napoleon was not miraculous, and that there never was on earth one other real personage whose existence as a real personage was denied and disclaimed even as soon as ever it was asserted, as was the case with respect to the assumed personality of Christ.”
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Even if it were true that
Even if it were true that Christianity has led to the greatest cultural advances that would have no bearing on whether the religion is what it claims to be. Other religions that predate Christianity such as Buddhism and Hinduism have certainly taught peace, love, fairness and acceptance as well and the sayings of Buddha and Krishna also predate those attributed to Jesus in the New Testament, yet they are strikingly similar. Is the profound effect for good on people’s lives from these religions evidence that Hinduism and Buddhism must be true? All religions teach the same things and their members all make the same claims. No religion can claim to be a force for good however, unless it can restrain evil, especially among its own ranks. Anyway the claim that Christianity has led to the greatest cultural advances is Christian propaganda that honest historians always disagree with. Muckraking journalist E. Haldeman-Julius said, “The influences that have lifted the race to a higher moral level are education, freedom, leisure, the humanizing tendency of a better-supplied and more interesting life. In a word, science and liberalism… have accomplished the very things for which religion claims credit.” One thing that really angers some atheists is the hijacking of morality by religion. Religion didn’t invent morality – it was the other ay around; morality invented religion.
There have been many well-known people including historians that have doubted the existence of Jesus Christ. Thomas Paine wrote in “An Essay on the Origin of Free-Masonry” that, “The Christian religion is a parody on the worship of the Sun, in which they put a man whom they call Christ, in the place of the Sun, and pay him the same adoration which was originally paid to the Sun.” “As for myself, I do not believe that such a person as Jesus Christ ever existed; but as the people are inclined to superstition it is proper not to oppose them” - Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821). What is really ludicrous about Steve’s claim though, if you just stop and think about it for a minute, is that the whole purpose of the brief 2nd book of John is to admonish followers not to listen to the many people who were telling them the truth, that Jesus never really existed. Thus, soon after Jesus allegedly existed many people were clearly claiming that he didn't exist. And rather than write to these unbelievers in a rational manner and present them with overwhelming evidence that Jesus really had existed just a short time ago, and all the miraculous things said to have happened really did happen, the writer instead admonishes his readers to stay away from these people. "Do not take him into your house or welcome him." The writer stigmatizes these people as "the deceiver" and "the antichrist" who do "wicked work," and further stigmatizes anyone who should listen to them. Robert Taylor stated the facts of the situation very eloquently:
“We might, say they, as well affect to deny the existence of such an individual as Alexander the Great, or of Napoleon Bonaparte, and so set at defiance the evidence of all facts but such as our senses have attested. It being quite forgotten that the existence of Alexander and Napoleon was not miraculous, and that there never was on earth one other real personage whose existence as a real personage was denied and disclaimed even as soon as ever it was asserted, as was the case with respect to the assumed personality of Christ.”