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Author Topic:   jar - On Christianity
kuresu
Member (Idle past 2503 days)
Posts: 2544
From: boulder, colorado
Joined: 03-24-2006


Message 181 of 307 (345297)
08-30-2006 11:44 PM
Reply to: Message 180 by robinrohan
08-30-2006 11:28 PM


explain the american nazis.
you're right, a better person would be Stalin or Mao.
still, people will follow other people, and those leaders may or may not be crazy.
so to say that the reason that jesus is followed by so many was because he was sane is a touch presumptous. He may have been infact sane. But you know, even Lincoln had his mental problems--disease begins with an m, can't remember, oh, duh--marfan's syndrome (how it sounds, spelling is wrong).
and many people followed lincoln and today still think he was a good leader.
point put shortly--people follow crazies as much as they do sanies.

All a man's knowledge comes from his experiences

This message is a reply to:
 Message 180 by robinrohan, posted 08-30-2006 11:28 PM robinrohan has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 184 by robinrohan, posted 08-30-2006 11:50 PM kuresu has replied

robinrohan
Inactive Member


Message 182 of 307 (345298)
08-30-2006 11:44 PM
Reply to: Message 176 by Faith
08-30-2006 9:58 PM


And how do you account for the apparent sanity and realism of so many who follow Him? You quote some of them with appreciation, such as Samuel Johnson, Jonathan Edwards, William Law, Pascal. And in fact all of these believed in the whole supernatural package.
These writers never talk about the person of Jesus. What attracts me is that they talk very realistically about the nature of life as it is lived by us--very different from the modern sentimental sensibility, as evidenced by the posters on this forum.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 176 by Faith, posted 08-30-2006 9:58 PM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 183 by Faith, posted 08-30-2006 11:50 PM robinrohan has replied
 Message 185 by Faith, posted 08-30-2006 11:54 PM robinrohan has replied

Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1434 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 183 of 307 (345301)
08-30-2006 11:50 PM
Reply to: Message 182 by robinrohan
08-30-2006 11:44 PM


These writers never talk about the person of Jesus. What attracts me is that they talk very realistically about the nature of life as it is lived by us--very different from the modern sentimental sensibility, as evidenced by the posters on this forum.
That's a cop-out answer. They are all total believers in Jesus, the Deluded One according to you.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 182 by robinrohan, posted 08-30-2006 11:44 PM robinrohan has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 186 by robinrohan, posted 08-30-2006 11:55 PM Faith has replied

robinrohan
Inactive Member


Message 184 of 307 (345302)
08-30-2006 11:50 PM
Reply to: Message 181 by kuresu
08-30-2006 11:44 PM


explain the american nazis.
A fringe group? Really now . .

This message is a reply to:
 Message 181 by kuresu, posted 08-30-2006 11:44 PM kuresu has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 188 by kuresu, posted 08-31-2006 12:04 AM robinrohan has not replied

Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1434 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 185 of 307 (345304)
08-30-2006 11:54 PM
Reply to: Message 182 by robinrohan
08-30-2006 11:44 PM


The question is how you account for how these orthodox traditional believers in the deluded Christ talk so much more realistically than those who have the modern sentimental sensibility.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 182 by robinrohan, posted 08-30-2006 11:44 PM robinrohan has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 192 by robinrohan, posted 08-31-2006 12:18 AM Faith has replied

robinrohan
Inactive Member


Message 186 of 307 (345305)
08-30-2006 11:55 PM
Reply to: Message 183 by Faith
08-30-2006 11:50 PM


That's a cop-out answer. They are all total believers in Jesus, the Deluded One according to you.
I was telling you what attracted me to these writers.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 183 by Faith, posted 08-30-2006 11:50 PM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 189 by Faith, posted 08-31-2006 12:05 AM robinrohan has not replied

Archer Opteryx
Member (Idle past 3588 days)
Posts: 1811
From: East Asia
Joined: 08-16-2006


Message 187 of 307 (345307)
08-31-2006 12:00 AM
Reply to: Message 176 by Faith
08-30-2006 9:58 PM


Faith argues 'apparent sanity' of some Christians
Faith writes:
And how do you account for the apparent sanity and realism of so many who follow Him? You quote some of them with appreciation, such as Samuel Johnson, Jonathan Edwards, William Law, Pascal. And in fact all of these believed in the whole supernatural package.
How do you account for the duration of His influence if He was deluded -- people believing in Him by growing millions in every generation for the last 2000 years, and even in our modern times in which the majority have rejected the very idea of the supernatural?
How do you account for the millions who have been and still are persecuted and even killed for believing him Him in Asia and Africa and the Middle East, refusing to repudiate their faith even for the sake of saving their lives?
I guess a sizeable portion of the world is deluded.
Well, that's OK, He told us that's how we would be viewed.
God save us from reheated Josh MacDowell garnished with sprigs of persecution complex.
By this logic all world religions are true, because all of them boast sane followers and great thinkers.
How many people here think Faith accepts all world religions as valid?

Archer
All species are transitional.

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 Message 176 by Faith, posted 08-30-2006 9:58 PM Faith has not replied

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kuresu
Member (Idle past 2503 days)
Posts: 2544
From: boulder, colorado
Joined: 03-24-2006


Message 188 of 307 (345308)
08-31-2006 12:04 AM
Reply to: Message 184 by robinrohan
08-30-2006 11:50 PM


yeah, and there not too far off from the KKK. even if just, say, one percent of america is a nazi that makes 3,000,000 people.
and that many 60 years after hitler.
and I don't think america is home to the only nazi's in the world.
how many people were christians after christ died? how long until it hit the one percent mark of the population of the roman empire.
christianity was a fringe religion--just like nazism is a fringe philosophy (or position?). One follows a supposedly sane, dead, person. the other a supposedly insane, dead, person.
again, sanity is no defining principle of believing in people.

All a man's knowledge comes from his experiences

This message is a reply to:
 Message 184 by robinrohan, posted 08-30-2006 11:50 PM robinrohan has not replied

Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1434 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 189 of 307 (345309)
08-31-2006 12:05 AM
Reply to: Message 186 by robinrohan
08-30-2006 11:55 PM


I was telling you what attracted me to these writers.
I understand that, but they are all orthodox Christians -- strikingly committed dedicated Christians, not just in-name-only Christians -- and their realism is a striking characteristic of them at the same time, so I would think their believing in a deluded leader would have to create some cognitive dissonance for you -- as in, how can crazy people have such realism? I mean four is a big number of crazy people for you to be so attracted to their realism.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 186 by robinrohan, posted 08-30-2006 11:55 PM robinrohan has not replied

kuresu
Member (Idle past 2503 days)
Posts: 2544
From: boulder, colorado
Joined: 03-24-2006


Message 190 of 307 (345310)
08-31-2006 12:06 AM
Reply to: Message 187 by Archer Opteryx
08-31-2006 12:00 AM


Re: Faith argues 'apparent sanity' of some Christians
exactly why I brought up mohammed--the founder if Islam.
apparently he has to be sane and logical for a good chunk of the world's people to believe in the religion, right?
also why I brought up Hitler.

All a man's knowledge comes from his experiences

This message is a reply to:
 Message 187 by Archer Opteryx, posted 08-31-2006 12:00 AM Archer Opteryx has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 191 by Faith, posted 08-31-2006 12:11 AM kuresu has replied

Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1434 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 191 of 307 (345311)
08-31-2006 12:11 AM
Reply to: Message 190 by kuresu
08-31-2006 12:06 AM


Re: Faith argues 'apparent sanity' of some Christians
The particular four I named who are these realists Robin has quoted are not ordinary Christians but truly orthodox uncompromising exmplary Christians.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 190 by kuresu, posted 08-31-2006 12:06 AM kuresu has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 197 by kuresu, posted 08-31-2006 12:45 AM Faith has not replied

robinrohan
Inactive Member


Message 192 of 307 (345313)
08-31-2006 12:18 AM
Reply to: Message 185 by Faith
08-30-2006 11:54 PM


The question is how you account for how these orthodox traditional believers in the deluded Christ talk so much more realistically than those who have the modern sentimental sensibility.
Probably because they are not modern. There were nihilistic writers as well. Shakespeare was technically a member of the Church of England, but he was a nihilist at heart. And there's Hemingway who portrayed life realistically at times, and he only flirted with the Catholic church once because one time it seem to cure his impotence.
In the 60s the world, contrary to popular belief, grew sentimental, and it's been on a campaign ever since to wipe out rational nihilism and make us all public-spirited.
It's a cultural rather than religious matter.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 185 by Faith, posted 08-30-2006 11:54 PM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 193 by Faith, posted 08-31-2006 12:22 AM robinrohan has replied

Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1434 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 193 of 307 (345314)
08-31-2006 12:22 AM
Reply to: Message 192 by robinrohan
08-31-2006 12:18 AM


No it's not a cultural matter. These guys, certainly Pascal, Edwards and Law are minute-by-minute totally sold-out followers of the supernatural Jesus Christ, and if you read much of them you won't be able to avoid this about them. Shakespeare was at best a nominal Christian and Hemingway's flirting with religion is a ridiculous comparison.
{Edit: They are realists, which is thoroughly compatible with true Christianity, they are not nihilists.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 192 by robinrohan, posted 08-31-2006 12:18 AM robinrohan has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 195 by robinrohan, posted 08-31-2006 12:31 AM Faith has replied

GDR
Member
Posts: 6199
From: Sidney, BC, Canada
Joined: 05-22-2005


Message 194 of 307 (345316)
08-31-2006 12:23 AM
Reply to: Message 43 by jar
08-28-2006 5:06 PM


Re: Questions
jar writes:
IMHO the other thing that must be emphasized is that the Second Commandment is a two parter. Before you can love others you must first love yourself. Until you can honestly handle that part, look at yourself, recognizing what you have done right, what you have done wrong, how you might do better, you cannot love others.
After the discussion on loving ourselves I just happened to be thumbing through "Christian Reflections" by C.S. Lewis and he had this to say on that:
C.S. Lewis writes:
You are told to love your neighbour as yourself. How do you love yourself? When I look into my own mind, I find that I do not love myself by thinking myself a dear old chap or having affectionate feelings. I do not think that I love myself because I am particularly good, but just because I am myself and quite apart from my character. I might detest something which I have done. Nevertheless, I do not cease to love myself. In other words, that definite distinction that Christians make between hating sin and loving the sinner is one that you have been making in your own case since you were born. You dislike what you have done but you don't cease to love yourself. You may even think that you ought to be hanged. You may even think that you ought to go to the police and own up and be hanged. Love is not an affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.
I don't think that it settles any difference that you and I have on the subject but it is an interesting perspective and probably something that we can both agree with.
Greg

Everybody is entitled to my opinion.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 43 by jar, posted 08-28-2006 5:06 PM jar has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 210 by jar, posted 08-31-2006 10:59 AM GDR has not replied

robinrohan
Inactive Member


Message 195 of 307 (345317)
08-31-2006 12:31 AM
Reply to: Message 193 by Faith
08-31-2006 12:22 AM


No it's not a cultural matter. These guys, certainly Pascal, Edwards and Law are minute-by-minute totally sold-out followers of the supernatural Jesus Christ, and if you read much of them you won't be able to avoid this about them. Shakespeare was at best a nominal Christian and Hemingway's flirting with religion is a ridiculous comparison.
You were asking me why I admired the writings of these devout Christians, and I was explaining to you that the reason I admired their writings was for the same reason I admired the writings of others in the past who were a far cry from devout Christians.
So it's not that they were Christians--it was that they had a view of the world that had some meat in it, not just candy.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 193 by Faith, posted 08-31-2006 12:22 AM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 196 by Faith, posted 08-31-2006 12:35 AM robinrohan has replied

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