Anti-theist

And it also says that He creates evil. You're just making that up. The Bible is pretty clear what God embodies, despite your sanitized fantasies.

Nonsense. You're thinking about an extremely small segment of "believers". There is no consensus among believers even about who or what God is. I WOULD LOVE TO! But you refuse to bring any of their arguments here. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes. He does that Himself. "Free will" is bullshit. You only trot it out when it suits you.

Oh come on. They're not "giving anything up". They're having it taken away from them by force. It has nothing to do with trusting anybody in the church. It's about trusting Jesus. Ananias and Sapphira were killed by God for holding back. And yet you're the one who is not persuaded to obey Jesus. Because Jesus said so. Read my lips : There is no Jesus! Fairness has nothing to do with it. Not at all. Not even close. One standard, period: If you believe in Jesus, you should be doing what He said. If you don't believe in Jesus, it wou;d be stupid to do what He (supposedly) said. But there's ZERO evidence. And half the time you tell us there can't BE any evidence. Just once, could you do me a favour and read what I write? I'm not hoping for any "miracle", as I've told you many, many, many times. I'm recognizing that we need to DO it ourselves because there isn't going to BE any miracle. Humanism isn't some vague hope. it's all there is. There is no "fallen world". God said so Himself. The only thing that's fallen is your mind.

Even the self-proclaimed "fundamentalists" that I used to know used consecrated olive oil for laying-on of hands.

Well, I never saw anything like that in church. I think I would have remembered that.No, they would "annoint" the person with a dab of olive oil on the forehead. I think it was mostly for healing but it may have also been used as a blessing for people going out to the mission field or to pastor a new church.The cynic in me suggests that there's more money in olive oil selling it by the ounce than by the gallon.

For the same reason that "thou shalt not steal", etc. became untenable - believers preferred to believe in the voodoo aspects of Christianity - e.g. the resurrection - and avoid the practical aspects - e.g. loving their neighbors. Jesus didn't teach infallibility of the Pope but that's what Catholics do. He didn't teach praying to saints but that's what Catholics do.

And yet Peter denied Jesus three times. How does that demonstrate infallibility? But He didn't overturn the truths that He had explicitly told them - e.g. the instruction to give up everything they had. Again, He did not overturn the instructions He had already given. And you're claiming that the early churches, set up by the apostles themselves, were not faithful to the teachings of Christ?Who killed Ananias and Sapphira?

Now you do.

"The Bible is true, even when it contradicts itself."

Sounds more like the janitor than the head.

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"the pope when he speaks ex cathedra is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "initially given to the apostolic Church and handed down in Scripture and tradition". Wikipedia

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Doctrines are generally designed to be unassailable, even if they're nonsensical. The doctrine is a dogma after all.In any case, it seems like an odd choice to give a serial denier the keys to the cookie jar. But then Jesus was not infallible, was He? He could easily make a fallible decision about infallibility. Matthew 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 18:22. Very good. Why did He kill them?

Not "a" servant, YOUR servant:

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Matthew 23:11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

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And it does on:

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Matthew 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

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Watch the Pope humble himself.And it still goes on:

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Matthew 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

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14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

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15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

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16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

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Woe unto you exclusivists who shut up the kingdom of heaven against men.

Edited by ringo, .

It isn't an "interpretation". It's word-for-word what Jesus said. 1. It was Jesus who said it, so ask Him. Do you think He was an idiot, expecting his followers to do the impossible?2. The disciples did exactly what Jesus said. They relied on Him to provide food and a place to sleep.3. The early church did exactly as Jesus said: Acts 4:34-35 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. Every Christian doesn't need his own frypan. He can donate it to the communal kitchen where everybody can use it. Cummunal living-room. Communal transport pool. See above - and use your head. That question is especially egregiously silly. Does every parent own their own school? A Cristian community can own a business. Well, no. Jesus was answering the direct question, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" It was a requirement for eternal life. So does Phat. So do you, it appears. it's a pretty common problem. Exactly. So you know better than the early church? It's what they did. Ananias and Sapphira were killed for not doing it.

He robs poor people to build his palaces. He does. By proxy, he does. It certainly does, you Pharisee. He breaks the spirit of infallibility, if not the letter. You might as well say he's only infallible when he's facing Mecca or when he's wearing his special pope-hat.

Irrelevant. Jesus told you to do it, so if you believed in Him you would do it.If the "apostles" - e.g. your beloved lying apologists - rip you off, then that's on them. If you refuse to do it, it's on you. Nobody's asking you to. But if the government came for everything you have, you would certainly give it up. They don't take no for an answer.