August 5, 2009, 5:37 pm by dc-agape.

Once again the Usual Suspects have made an appearance.  This time, I must admit, my Christian commenter has at least read more than one post!  It is obvious that he has not read all the pertinent posts, but at least he tried.  Unfortunately, he has used the same old arguments that have little meaning or effect.

To begin with he does claim that my linking petty vandalism to Christianity is weak.  In this comment:

What does someone breaking into your car have to do with the Christian faith? You are missing a few steps in your argument. Like were the people who broke into your car born again? I think not.

Of course he uses the “born again” distinction.  He uses to imply that a “Real” Christian would not do such a thing.  To the non-Christian point of view, this is a red herring.  What is the difference between calling yourself a Christian and being a Christian?  When 82% of US citizens claim to be Christian, the vandalism I reported was most likely done by a Christian!  When you consider that Tennessee is in the Bible Belt and is a religiously conservative state, the likelihood of the criminal being a Christian becomes nearly 100%.  Two questions become apparent at this point.  First, why does YHWH do nothing about the “false” Christians?  In the OT he killed those you angered him.  Now days he is much more forgiving.  How can you not say that YHWH has changed?  Second, why are TrueChristians^TM attempting to force their perceived religion on the US?  This will only create more “false” Christians.  Shouldn’t the TrueChristians^TM be more active in removing the “false” Christians?  That is what Paul tells Timothy in 1^st Timothy 1:3-11.

My Usual Suspect continues with the Atheism is a faith argument:

You conclusions are received by faith and therefore your atheism is based on faith not reason.

Many Atheists have refuted this non-sense.  Notice also that even though I respectfully capitalize Christianity, Atheism is not given the same respect!  Even though my commenter wants Atheism to be a faith, he cannot bring himself to show the respect that a religion is given.  But that is beside the point, can you have faith in nothing?  Do adults have faith that Santa Claus does not exist?  Or the Invisible Pink Unicorn does not exist?  Of course not!  Yet for some reason these TrueChristians^TM believe that knowing that YHWH is a human creation must be based on faith.  This is similar to claiming that believing that little green men do not live on Mars is based on faith, instead of the knowledge that no proof of life has been discovered on Mars.

My Usual Suspect’s latest argument is that I was never a TrueChristian^TM and so could not fall away. 

You cannot have a de-conversion You either are or you are not. You either receive or do not receive. I respectfully disagree with your thought that Atheism is not a faith. If is was not then (on emotional level) you would not be offended when someone does not capitalize it out of respect. It is most certainly a belief system and belief systems are based in faith.

This of course is easily refuted by referring to the Word of God:

Heb 6:4-6 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

The author of this Book (either Barnabas or Apollos) makes it quite clear that if Christianity is true, followers can be lost.  The author also makes it clear that once this occurs there is no turning back.  Jesus also makes it clear that one “sin” cannot be forgiven:

Matt 12:31 And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age of in the age to come.

So the Word of God makes it quite clear that even those who did believe at one time can “fall away”.  This of course brings up a very good question.  Why does one “fall away”?  The Christian apologist will claim the “sinful heart of man”.  But is this the only reason?  Of course not!  When YHWH fails to provide the promises that he has made in the Word of God, it becomes clear that the cornerstone of the entire religion is false.  When the Word of God, itself, contradicts either itself or the observable world, can the Bible be taken seriously?  Would an all-powerful, all-knowing supernatural being lie about himself and the world he created just to test how gullible we puny humans are?

Posted in Contradictions, The Usual Suspects, Inerrancy - My Ass, Becoming an atheist | Print | 39 Comments »

August 4, 2009, 2:41 pm by dc-agape.

August 3, 2009

I promised one of my readers to go into more detail about how I over came my Southern Baptist indoctrination.  In previous posts I have mentioned my love of science (specifically chemistry), my loathing of hypocrisy, the lack of evidence that prayer works, and even my distrust of the proofs that the Holy Ghost exists.  But there are certain characteristics of my upbringing that I should point out that were essential to my de-conversion.

I am not sure if the first one comes from my romanticized image of the rebellious nature of the Southern Rebel or if it comes from my parent’s obsession with explaining everything to me as a child.  I know that many Southerners do not question everything…i.e. the Southern Baptists.  But I do know that I have always questioned everything.  Since a very early age I have been told the answer to the questions that I asked my parents.  They were always patient with my “Why?”  Only the church leaders told me “take it on faith”.  This annoyed me from as far back as I can remember.  My thought pattern went something like this: “If everything else has a reason…that can be explained to me, why does religion have to be so vague?”  Answers like “you’re not ready for that”, “your too young to understand”, or “it’s too complicated” would only make me want to know the answer more!  And my curiosity was insatiable. 

Another factor from my childhood was my father’s job.  This may sound strange but the nature of his work influenced my perception of the world.  Both my parents were well educated.  My mother graduated top of her class with a BS in Education, and my father was a civil engineer.  His job was with the US Geological Survey.  As a result, we moved a lot.  By the time my parents divorced (when I was 12) I had already lived in NC, FL, SC, and TN.  To a preteen each of these experiences was true “culture shocks”.  I struggled after each move to make new friends, but most of the time they were “transplants” just like me.  As a result, the moves themselves made me more accepting of differences in people.  Since most of my friends were also not from the new state originally, I accepted an even greater diversity of opinions.  But I was always an outsider, a misfit, a geek, and of course the worst insult possible “a fag”. 

Being a “fag” without actually being attracted to boys or girls was another factor in my childhood that influenced my outlook on life and religion.  The same children that called my “fag” were also the most religious!  So my irritation at the blatant hypocrisy grew.  These religious kids were judging me, when their own religion specifically demanded that:

Matt 7:2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Of course, I acted different than them; I was not from the same town, the same church, the same background.  I even remember thinking at one point: “If they really think I’m gay…maybe I should try it”.  I certainly did not know anyone who was gay.  Not until I reached high school was there anyone who was even remotely “flamboyant”.  So all I knew was what other ignorant children told me about homosexuals.  As it turned out one of my best friends in high school was gay…and I did not even know it until after I “came out”.  In fact, when I did finally go to a “gay club” one of the first people I met was the football captain from my Junior year (and I studied him and one of the cheerleaders in our Trigonometry class)!  We did not “hook-up” both of us were so shocked to see each other we barely spoke.

The biggest blow, in childhood, to my acceptance of Southern Baptist (and religious) tradition was the Southern Baptists themselves.  There are two jokes about the SBs that truly reflect my opinion of them.  I will give the punch line to save time, but if you want to read the jokes in full here are the links:  Visiting Heaven and Sinning on Saturday.  In the first joke, a man is visiting heaven…when Peter takes him to where the SBs are worshiping, Peter tells the man to be very quite.  After leaving the area the man asks why and Peter tells him that the SBs believe they are the only ones there.  The second joke is about the difference between Catholics and SBs.  Catholics go to Mass on Sunday so they can be forgiven of their sins…SBs sin all week long so they have to go to church on Sunday.  It’s a subtle difference, but one that I quickly learned…and despised.  Every summer the SBs have “Revival”.  It’s a time in the year where people “re-dedicate” themselves to YHWH.  I never understood why rededication was required…once your dedicated (by a supernatural being no less) shouldn’t you stay dedicated.  I mean seriously isn’t that the meaning of the word dedicated!  If YHWH and the Holy Spirit couldn’t keep these people dedicated for at least 365 days, what type of supernatural being is YHWH?

I have posted before about one specific incident in TN before, but it is worth repeated here.  When I moved to TN I was not like the other middle-TNers.  In 6^th grade I was completely ostracized by my growing personal opinions.  Due to my curiosity and my parent’s willingness to share their knowledge my responses to specific topics were not the same as most of the other students in my class.  I trusted in evolution, I agreed that women were equal to men, I knew that computers were going to change the future (this was 1981), and since I was never going to have one I could not understand why I had a right to deny a woman the right to an abortion.  To say the least, I was a complete outsider and made many enemies with these opinions.  But I also made some friends who thought I was foolhardy but brave for standing up for what I thought.

All these experiences culminate into one life lesson (well actually many) that influenced my de-conversion.  I learned early in life that what other people think about me really does not matter.  This also lead me to learn that most people are easily “herded” by tradition and/or charismatic people due to the desire to accepted.   Having grown up in an agricultural society, I knew being considered similar to a cow (heard-able) was considered equal to be being stupid.  I certainly knew that I was not stupid.  I might come across as arrogant, but I was certainly not stupid.

Posted in The Usual Suspects, My Beliefs, Traditions of Men, Family Values?, State of Mind | Print | 7 Comments »

August 3, 2009, 3:12 pm by dc-agape.

But two things make this event unique.

And I know that many people will say that it is due the bad economy.  I will start by disagreeing with that hypothesis.  A friend of my graduated from the same school in the early 90’s and had the same problem (three times).  The two things that make this unique are: this is the Bible Belt and how stupid they did it. 

I mention the Bible Belt of the United States because to Christians the morality of the US is centered here in the south.  I had my convertible for 3 years in Philadelphia (top ranked most dangerous place to live in the US) and never had a break-in.  Recently I have also experience the first time a waitress has stolen my credit card number…again here in the good old Bible Belt.  I find both these extremely ironic.  I have lived in the hedonistic states of Hawaii and Massachusetts.  The three last states I lived in were considered pits of iniquity by the Christobots.  Hawaii is despised because of the extreme liberal government and the open acceptance of all peoples, no matter what lifestyle or nationality.  Massachusetts is also despised for similar reasons, but additionally because they have approved gay marriage.  Philadelphia is because it is the reason that Pennsylvania is actually a Democratic Party state.  Without the Philadelphia and Pittsburg the rest of the state is purely Republican.  Yet, it is here in the South, where Protestant Christianity reigns supreme, that I have experienced the most crime…and I make the least amount of money!

But the other thing that makes both these incidents ironic is how they were carried out.   The idiot that attempted to break into my car cut the canvas at the back of the car.  The large hole they made is too small to take anything out of my car and it is too far from the locking mechanism to open the door!  So what do my illustrious criminals do?  They attempt to start again closer to the front of the car, but alas they are stopped (for some unknown reason) after just puncturing the canvas.  The waitress is even more stupid, if that is possible.  She stole the credit cards from everyone at the table!  Too make things even worse, she purchased items from the internet and they were delivered to our houses….When all of began to receive things that we did not order we were quickly able to add it up and figure out who and where this identity thief worked! 

In closing, the Bible Belt may be more religious but surely does not have higher moral standards.  In fact, I have a strong feeling that due to the larger number of people who claim to be Christians many young adults rebel.  Unlike inner cities where these rebels meet people you teach them how to actually commit crimes; here in the South criminals are incompetent.  In one way this is a good thing, the damage done is minimal.  But in another way it shows that by suppressing inner feelings (sins) more petty crimes are committed.  In the end, both the victim and the criminal pay just as high a price.

Why do I make this claim?

Because in both cases the police did nothing!  In fact, in the case of the car vandalization, there is a “hot-line” to report the crime.  A report is written and nothing else occurs.  The criminal is not brought to justice (and will continue to damage other people’s property) and the victim must pay for the repairs or have their insurance pay (which increase the cost of insurance for everyone).  In the case of the waitress, she did get fired.  But that does not mean that she will not get another job and do the same thing…she does not have a “record”.  In fact, her next employer will most likely never know that she has been (and will most likely repeat) an identity thief.  Who knows how many people she will scam before something stops her.

Posted in The Usual Suspects, Personal Responsibility, State of Mind | Print | 3 Comments »

July 4, 2009, 11:05 pm by dc-agape.

For all of you to enjoy!  A truly evil white “Christian” from the good old US of A who twists the Word of God to fit their definition of right and wrong!

Hello

Positive Christianity Versus Judeo-Christianity
by Charles Coughlin
For much of our lives, White Christians in America have not been taught REAL Christianity. Instead, television and the mass media have gradually influenced and twisted the teachings of organized churches in America. If we could travel back in time, and tell a preacher in the 1950s what would be taught as Christianity in the year 2001, he would be completely shocked and disgusted. Basically, most ministers and priests want to “fit in” with society. Most do not want to endlessly fight ALL the corrupting influence of the mass media for fear of becoming “controversial” figures. Most preachers want to collect donations every Sunday, have nice peaceful sermons once a week, and carry on their work with minimal fuss…. so they defend a few principles of Christianity while the TV corrupts everything else. These preachers should be teaching “Positive Christianity”, which is based on the Bible and eternal truth, not giving in to Judeo-Christianity, which reflects what liberal, amoral Jews want us to believe.
Unfortunately, most Americans have been brainwashed into accepting “Judeo-Christianity”, which tells White people that is “bad” to want to live in clean, safe, White neighborhoods free of the troubles that the average Blacks would bring, that it is “bad” to want your daughters to marry White men, that it is “bad” to hope that your son does not turn into a homosexual, and that it is “bad” to own a gun to defend yourself and your family from criminals. Judeo-Christianity has been created by liberal Jews, and it could easily be called “Negative Christianity”. Judeo-Christianity tells White people that everything, that they know in their hearts is good, is “bad” if it conflicts with what the Jews want us to believe.
In truth, the beliefs of liberalism are overwhelmingly anti-Christian, whereas the beliefs of pro-White Americans are much closer to real Christianity than anything else out there. This can be easily proven by taking very clearly worded passages directly out of the Bible from quotations directly from God, Himself, and Jesus Christ.
Who are the Chosen Ones?
First of all, the Jews are no longer the “Chosen Ones” and the reason that they were “chosen” can be found in the Bible and will be a surprise to most Americans. Judeo-Christianity teaches us that the Jews have some special relationship with God even though they murdered His prophets and killed the Son of God, Jesus Christ. We are just supposed to forget about the fact that almost all Jews consistently turned away from the teachings of God and ignored or even murdered His messengers.

  In John 8:44, Jesus tells the Jews “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own nature: for he is a liar, and the father of lies.” In Revelations 2:9, an angel of God tells St. John “I know the slander of those who say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.”

  In Mark 2:17, in response to criticism from the Jewish elders, who complained that Jesus was spending time with lowly sinners, Jesus replied “They that are healthy have no need of a physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Why did God first focus on the Jews of all the races on the planet? Surely, God knew that the Jews would kill many of His prophets, and there was no doubt that the Jews would kill His Son. Was God trying to give us a warning about the true nature of the Jews to protect us so that we would keep them out of Christian lands or keep them from taking over our mass media and government?

  An even more clear explanation that wipes away the notion of Jews still being the “chosen people” appears in the Parable of the Vineyard. In Luke 20:9 through 20:17, Jesus explains in unmistakable clarity, the notion of who is chosen and who isn’t:
“Then began He to speak to the people this parable; A landlord planted a vineyard, and let it out to tenants, and went into a far country for a long time. And at the season he sent a servant to the tenants, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the tenants beat him, and sent away empty. And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated shamefully, and sent away empty. And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast out. Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence when they see him. But when the tenants saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed . What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and destroy these tenants, and shall give the vineyard to others.”=20
Basically, the Parable of the Vineyard explains that the Jews were evil from the start. That God gave them a chance, and they murdered the people sent to them, namely the prophets and the Son of God, and that a new chosen people will be found because the first people were undeserving. The White Race accepted Christianity and clearly White people are the new chosen people, who have accepted God’s Word, and who deserve to be “Chosen Ones”.
What is God’s Position on Diversity and Interracial Breeding?
The liberal Jewish media endlessly tells us that “diversity is= good” regardless of the crime statistics, the genetic effects of= Whites breeding with inferior races, or how many times a better qualified= White is denied promotions and jobs so that a less qualified minority is= pushed ahead of him. Once again, what the Jewish media tells us is wrong= and in conflict with what God has told us. Specifically, God clearly tells= us in Leviticus 18, that “intermingling of seed” is forbidden.= The Bible refers to different races as different seeds. For example, the= Jews are called “the seed of Abraham” and the Blacks are called= “the seed of Ham”. God clearly prohibits “intermingling of= seed”, which means any interracial breeding.
Multi-racial societies have existed throughout world history. Ancient= Babylon was a “diverse” society that existed long ago, and which= God strongly disliked. The term “Babylon” is used throughout the= Bible to refer to corrupt, multi-racial societies. Ancient Rome was often= called a “Babylon”. In Revelations, there is a prediction of a= future powerful nation, that sounds very much like modern America. A battle= of good versus evil takes place in this future Babylon. In Revelations 18,= an angel of God tells St. John: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great,= the whore, who made all nations drink of her impure passion.” The word= “nation” was often used in the Bible in place of= “race”. The “impure passion” is interracial breeding.= Liberal Jews tell us that interracial breeding is good. God tells us that= it is bad.

Unfortunately, most Americans have been brainwashed into accepting “Judeo-Christianity”, which tells White people that is “bad” to want to live in clean, safe, White neighborhoods free of the troubles that the average Blacks would bring, that it is “bad” to want your daughters to marry White men, that it is “bad” to hope that your son does not turn into a homosexual, and that it is “bad” to own a gun to defend yourself and your family from criminals. Judeo-Christianity has been created by liberal Jews, and it could easily be called “Negative Christianity”. Judeo-Christianity tells White people that everything, that they know in their hearts is good, is “bad” if it conflicts with what the Jews want us to believe.

The question is, who is causing all the trouble? Why is our economy collapsing? Why are we fighting so many wars? Who are the REAL terrorists? Who’s behind the abortion slaughter? Who’s behind the nationalizing of American business? Who owns the federal reserve Bank (it is a privet bank)? Why do we pay interest on our own money?

Posted in The Usual Suspects, Comment Policies, State of Mind | Print | 16 Comments »

April 14, 2009, 6:45 am by dc-agape.

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I happened on the most horrific re-write of the Word of God today.  It was an article in the Knoxville Focus written by Richie Beeler.  The article was called Jesus was a Capitalist (starting on page A3).  This has to be one of the worst examples of Christian Ethics I have come across.  The amount of rationalizing greed in this article is overwhelming.  But even worse is that this lesson was directed at a college student from a Director of College Ministries. 

First he does agree that Christians should have “feeling of compassion and empathy” and uses this verse to show that it is OK to have compassion:

Luke 6:34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?

But he stops there and does not even finish the verse: Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners” expecting to be repaid in full.

The next verse is the clincher:

Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.  Then your reward will be great and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Jesus teaches his disciples to give.  Not to give on occasions, not to give whatever you can, but to give everything you have…even to your enemy and to the ungrateful.

Just to make sure you understand, read Mark 10:17-31, but this verse is the crucial point:

Mark 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him.  “One thing you lack,” he said.  “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.”

Before this man could be a disciple Jesus required him to sell everything and give it to the poor.  Not just a special type of poor, but just the poor.  But combine that with Luke 6:35 and it is clear that Jesus meant the ungrateful poor not just those on hard times.

But our illustrious Christian leader goes further.  He uses the Parable of the Talents to prove that Jesus really was a Capitalist (yes, he really uses the capitalization).  He Jesus uses a parable (in my other two verses Jesus taught directly to the masses) to describe how hard one must work to please a supernatural being that:

Matt 25:26 His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

Sign me up! I want to live my life for this type of creature and then praise him for eternity…there could be no greater hell than that!  To top it off, the good workers don’t get to share in the profit:

Matt 25:21 His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few thing; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share in your master’s happiness!”

Nothing about getting paid more, no, the faithful servant (slave) gets more work loaded on top of what he is already responsible for.  Basically, he does not get thrown out into the darkness.  This is just like a good dog gets to stay indoors on a cold winter night if he behaves.

Oh, but our author is not finished yet.  No he has to bring up Socialism (yes with a capital).  Richie even goes so far as to claim that Jesus was no Socialist!  He goes on to say that it is the free market of Capitalism that empowers people to “truly blossom as human beings”.  I guess the Book of Acts was not meant to be followed:

Acts 2:44-45 All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.

And of course the story of Ananias and Sapphira is meaningless as well:

Acts 5:3 then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?

Acts 5:5 When Ananias, heard this, he fell down and died.  And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.

But that is not the end of the story.  Sapphira comes to Peter within three hours and Peter confronts her as well.  And this is how that story ends:

Acts 5:10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died.  Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

So Jesus was a Capitalist?  I don’t think so and it certainly does not look like the Word of God shows any sign that Jesus was anything but a Socialist!

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Posted in The Usual Suspects | Print | 5 Comments »

March 21, 2009, 9:30 am by dc-agape.

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This is my post about the errors that my second “Christian” commenters made.  This comment comes from a post on the Apocryphon of James.

21.  William Cody Bateman |  codybateman.org |

Your theology is terrible!

1. James and Peter, you correctly point out - were not “born of the Spirit” until AFTER Jesus’ ascension to heaven! They knew of Jesus Christ by words and deed but not kept by the Spirit Himself!

2. As the Son of Man (God in flesh) Jesus Christ came to the will of the Father (God the Father). But, He NEVER put off his Godhead as the Son of God! Therefore, it makes absolute sense that, speaking as the Son of Man - He would pray to God the Father and also, do the Father’s will.

3. Both James and Peter were warned by Jesus Christ PRIOR to Pentecost (God the Spirit coming and inpowering them) that they would be persecuted and inventually, put to death - though they were as innocent of any crimes like He, the Son of Man was.

4. Though you use a very liberal interpretation for your scripture references, it doesn’t change the fact that, as followers of Jesus Christ (born-again Christians by the working and indwelling of the Spirit Himself), no man or circumstance can separate them from the Love of God!

5. But, as believers - those adopted by God the Father through the blood of God the Son, Jesus Christ and kept by the power of God the Spirit unto the day of salvation - we are now become the enemies of this world!

6. I would suggest you read Hebrews 10, 11 and Acts 1-3 on these matters.

7. Lastly, those who claim to have been Christians at the start but now, reject Him as the Son of God and the only propiation for sin - were never born of the Spirit to begin with… or as Christ Himself proclaims; “I NEVER knew you!”

I will start with my reply:

21.  William Cody,
I was wondering if Zemanta would have this effect. I noticed a lot of your posts are recommended by Zemanta.

We agree on #1, but the problem is when did Jesus ascend? In the Book of Acts it was 40 days after his resurrection. In the Apocryphon of James (one of two Holy Texts ascribed to the brother of Jesus) it was 150 days. And Jesus did not appear to Paul until 6 months after his resurrection.

In #2, I think the comment that you are referring to is my analogy of YHWH to the head of a corporation, where the little guy (us) is replaceable.

In #3, Pentecost had already arrived when this story occurred. The contradiction is that in one section of the Apocryphon Jesus tells them that they will not be persecuted and then later tells them that they will be persecuted.

In #4, you are forgetting Heb 6:4-6 NIV translation. Followers can fall away, but they can never return! 

In #5, how I wish Christians were enemies to the world. In the US it is the exact opposite. Christians are the world, everyone else is the enemy. Christian control the world, they make the decisions in govt, schools, and even the military. And I thought they were supposed to “turn the other cheek”, “be feed and clothed like the sparrow by God” and “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar”.

In #6, how I wish Christians would read Hebrews 10:24, 11:26, and Act 2:42-47. Then I would see TrueChristian(TM).

In #7, I will only say that that is contradicted by Heb 6:4-6 and Luke 19:10 (seeking and save what was lost). Obviously, not everyone was lost or there would have been no need to seek.Please, remember, I am reading from the Nag Hammadi Library, it is not your conical Word of God. I am reading it to see how other Christian sects of the 1st century created and held their beliefs that became heretical.

I will do the same thing in each of these “usual suspect” posts.  I will use 2^nd Tim 3:16 as Paul recommends. I will admit that William Cody Bateman did attempt to do this.  But instead of giving direct verses he recommended reading entire chapters of the NT without emphasis on specific passages.

Let me put some color into what Cody has said.

#1)  The Holy Spirit had not entered James and Peter yet because Jesus had not ascended to heaven.  This boils down to the fact that James and Peter did not have freewill.  Only by having the Holy Spirit would they understand.  If that works for the apostles it must also work for us!

#2)  The passage from the Apocryphon of James describes how the Father does not need the Son and the Son does not need us peons.  But that we little morals have a need for the Son just like the Son need the Father.  This is exactly like Corporate America.  The boss does not need the workers, and thinks that the worker is easily replaced.  Yet to the worker he must please the boss or be fired.  With that analogy we see that Christianity’s concept of freewill is bogus.

#3)  In this section of the Apocryphon of James, Jesus at one point tells the apostles that they will not be persecuted and then he turns around a little later and tells them they will be treated just like he was.  This is a contradiction within only a few rows of each other.  Both statements are attributed to Jesus.  But remember, this is the Apocryphon of James…a Holy Text that was destroyed by “mainline” Christians over 1600 years ago. 

#4) Cody claims that we cannot be separated from YHWH.  Yet this statement is in direct contradiction to:

Heb 6:4-6 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of Man all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

This set of verse is quite clear.  Anyone can fall away from Christianity.  Unless you want to cherry pick which Bible verse you follow.  Then there is this one:

Mark 3:29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.

”So not only does the Word of God make it clear that Cody is wrong, but Jesus himself is quite blunt about the subject.

#5)  I will leave my remarks in my post as enough about Christians being the enemy of the world.  Other than starting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, I have seen no proof that American Christians are the enemy to the earth.  Unless, you trust scientist and agree that global warming is real.  Then I can see how Christians are enemies to the earth, but not taking care of it!

#6)  Let’s read some of the chapters that Cody recommends.  Starting with Act, it is a favorite of mine, the whole section is worth are read (Acts 2:42-47), but focus on this:

Acts 2:44-45 All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.

You just don’t see that today!  But I sure wish we did.  Instead, we see power corrupt “christians” making bad decisions in business, govt, and education. They are not sharing anything with anyone!

How about the passages from the Book of Hebrews? In chapter 10 we can read about how the author(s) of the Book of Hebrews suggests this:

Heb 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Instead of following this verse, we see “christians” doing the exact opposite.  The Phelps family is a great example, the California Prop #8 is another example.  Both these cases are examples of Christians treating other people with hatred and spurring their own followers to do evil deeds.  In the past “christians” have done the same thing with mixed racial marriages and with slavery.

In a few verses down from that last one we read this:

Heb 10:26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

We certainly do not see many “Christians” following this verse.  How many continue to sin after being “saved”?  How many use the cop-out “it wasn’t deliberate”?  Come on Christians, us Atheist, especially us gay Atheist, need to see some real change.  Otherwise, your religion is a lie.

7) I think I have covered this one well enough.  It’s the old, and moldy, “you just never really knew Jesus” line that the believer will use on any of us that have converted from Christianity to Atheism.  Between my points on freewill and being able to fall away….that just about covers it.

In the end, any comments made on this blog that disagree with a gay Atheist interpretation of the Word of God needs to have some heavy back-up.  That back-up had better be specific verses.  Those verse had better be to the point and clearly not in contradiction to another verse in the Word of God.

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Posted in Comment Policies, The Usual Suspects, Apocryphon of James, Inerrancy - My Ass, correcting, Freewill | Print | 1 Comment »

March 21, 2009, 8:13 am by dc-agape.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

In my posting comment policies I have made it quite clear that anyone who posts should check their references.  Twice this week I have had “Christian” commenters that did not bother to do just that.  I will make two posts about this error.

1.     A strong believer in Christ

We all have a free will God cannot make us do anything, we are the one’s who choose to do evil or good. God has to let us choose for that is why he created us to serve HIM he did not want to force us, so please next time you try to say that someone or something forced you to do something just know that one day we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ alone with no one else to blame but ourselves. May God Bless you and may He show you how to see through your blindness and ignorance.

Can anyone see where this “strong believer” has made three faux pas?  First, this “strong believer” knows nothing about freewill.  Second, this “strong believer” knows nothing about why their god created them.  Lastly, this “strong believer” has made the grave sin of being judgmental.

I will point out the verses where I can back-up these statements.  The concept that YHWH will not force us to do anything is a bunch of bull.  I have pointed out in the past how YHWH played the Pharaoh of Egypt like a puppet (Exodus 10:1).   I have also put it out there that Judas had no choice in betraying Jesus; otherwise the whole plan would collapse (John 13:27-8 and Mat 26:56). In these two verses alone, YHWH has taken freewill away from Judas and from all the other Apostles.  But this verse is the key to “strong believers” first faux pas (read all of John 12:37-41):

John 12:39-40 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: “He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, not understand with their hearts, nor turn – and I would heal them.”

Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 6:9-10.  It is YHWH himself (and Isaiah under orders from YHWH) that is doing the blinding and the deafening.   This in turn, stops Jesus from being able to “heal” some people.  As an aside, Jesus did take liberties with the verse from Isaiah.  Take a closer look at the verb form.  So where is the freewill?  YHWH took it away from the Israelites in Isaiah’s time.  Here Jesus is explaining that YHWH is still doing it.  Why should we believe that YHWH has changed?  There is, in fact verses, which claim he does not change:

James 1:17-18 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

But that was “strong believers” first mistake.  What about the second?  What purpose did YHWH make us for?  Simple as pie, read Genesis 1.  But to be completely specific:

Gen 1:26 then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

This was YHWH purpose for us.  There was no other purpose.  We were not created to “God has to let us choose for that is why he created us to serve HIM”.  There was no thought of “free choice” when YHWH created us.  In fact, I believe it came as a complete surprise to him when Adam and Eve did choose something other than what he wanted.  But that is another topic. 

But the third mistake is the most telling.  “may He show you how to see through your blindness and ignorance” these are the exact word I have used in describing the first mistake.  But that was about YHWH influence on freewill.  No the mistake here was to be judgmental.  I have been called blind and ignorant.  If that is not judgmental, what is?  And what does the Word of God have to say about being judgmental?

Luke 6:37 “do not judge, and you will no be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Jesus goes on to say this:

Luke 6:41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

The third mistake that “strong believer” has just made is to be judgmental.  This shows just how “strong” this persons belief is.  They are the hypocrite that Jesus so despised in his lifetime.  Worse, this “Christian” is attempting to judge a non-believer!

In the end, we see that “strong believer” is mistaken about the strength of their belief.  Otherwise, they would know the proper way to teach, rebuke, correct, and train:

2^nd Tim 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

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Posted in The Usual Suspects, Comment Policies, correcting, Freewill | Print | No Comments »

March 1, 2009, 7:04 pm by dc-agape.

I get my first flame comment:

The Word of God was written by mortal men, and it was a homosexual who transcribed it in the King James Version. It is certainly baised against women and God has no biases against women. Gal. 3:28 says God has not respect to gender. You are trying to prove that God’s word is a lie, is to beed into your fancy that you know more than God. You are deceived because God created the devil and angels and also your god Allah who is another form of satan. Don’t be deceived and perish with your god, because all non beleivers will be cast into the lake of fire.

I will warn anyone else who thinks that this type of useless fear mongering and bigotry will change what I say or do…forget it.

This was my response to the comment:

First of all, you might want to read the truth about the King James Version. Second, I do not use the KJV. See my post on the NIV. Third, without the “god bias” that you have…of course I know more than a non-existent figment of imagination. Third, I am an Atheist; I do not have a god. Fourth, read your own Word of God, the lake of fire is permanent destruction.

Please be careful what you leave as a comment on this site.  I am well versed in the Word of God.  I have read the entire book three times and I have Pradis software that can help me find any verse in the Bible.  The purpose of this experiment and my blog is to point out where the Traditions of Men have over-ridden the Word of God.  If you feel threatened by this…it might be because of your own personal lack of knowledge about your own personal religion. 

Truthful honest commentary about my interpretation of these Holy Books will be greatly accepted.  I may have misses some subtly that you are aware of.  But condemning me “to the lake of fire” is useless.  Read my six part Biblical topics of Hell to understand why.

If you feel that I should clarify or expound upon a subject feel free to let me know.  But be prepared for me to respond in a manner that you do not expect.  I do not have the “god bias” and my interpretation will not be favorable to that bias.  But my response will make you think, and I hope that it will help you clarify your own arguments for or against a specific topic.

Posted in The Usual Suspects, Comment Policies, State of Mind, Introduction | Print | No Comments »