Quote (El1te @ Apr 30 2023 04:55pm)

it is the same God. However, humanities understanding of God in the Old Testament was flawed or incomplete. Jesus guided humanity to a better understanding of God, if still incomplete.

People who criticize the Old Testament don't realize they are just being anti-Jewish, not anti-Christian. The New Testament overrides the old, though the messages contained within are still fundamental.

Quote (El1te @ Apr 30 2023 12:19am)

It's only people with rigorous scientific educations that can understand it.

It's consensus in the scientific discipline of psychology that people have natural psychological defense mechanisms.

Psychedelics inhibit your own psychological defense mechanisms that prevent one from considering other perspectives. Your brain is naturally on "tunnel vision", in a sense, for your own survival. It is this lowering of your own inhibitions that allows one to consider something they may not have.

As a chemist you may know the story of Kekule and how he discovered the structure of benzene while high on ether.

Dismissing this as "I got high and spoke to God bro" is blatant ignorance of how these drugs function in the first place, which has been well-studied in the biological sciences yet our understanding is still very incomplete due to the black-box nature of the brain that we cannot probe with conventional techniques.

Quote (NetflixAdaptationWidow @ Apr 29 2023 09:57pm)

Or we could just acknowledge that they are documents that evolved over thousands of years and aren't totally self-consistent as a result.

Quote (NetflixAdaptationWidow @ Apr 29 2023 10:04pm)

I see no reason to assume any divine intent.

Quote (TiStuff @ Apr 30 2023 06:12pm)

noting new about antitheists making excuses.



you can at least realize that it is the most unique book(s) in all mankinds history, nothing else even comes close.
The bible is a collection of 66 books written over a period of approximately 1400-1500 years in 3 different languages across 3 continents by over 40 different authors from every walk of life (from a kings throne to prison cell). Most of whom never knew each other and many of which died a horrible death rather than deny their faith. With no historical errors or contradictions, coming together in one single unified harmonious message.

Quote (TiStuff @ Apr 30 2023 01:12am)

noting new about antitheists making excuses.



you can at least realize that it is the most unique book(s) in all mankinds history, nothing else even comes close.
The bible is a collection of 66 books written over a period of approximately 1400-1500 years in 3 different languages across 3 continents by over 40 different authors from every walk of life (from a kings throne to prison cell). Most of whom never knew each other and many of which died a horrible death rather than deny their faith. With no historical errors or contradictions, coming together in one single unified harmonious message.

Quote (addone @ Apr 29 2023 11:35pm)

It's 73 cannon for Catholics 66 for protestants and 81 Ethiopian orthodox. Remember cannon books are only what the church cherrypicked there were at least 52 - 75 more books which were not included. It's basically 1/2 of the known material that was completely redacted. Hmm I wonder why?

Quote (NetflixAdaptationWidow @ Apr 29 2023 11:39pm)

There's tons of historical errors and contradictions, but you don't really care to find them so there's no reason to show them.

Quote (addone @ Apr 30 2023 03:54pm)

Well this is awkward because if the same perfect all powerful "God" needed to undermine his original work by writing another set of books that have a completely different messege.
First 1/2 goes from all out batshit crazy God, human sacrifice, lopping off people's foreskins, vengeance, genocides, wiping out the entire human race including the animals etc to a hippy chill God "turn the other cheek and like forgive Brah!".

It's like marketing department at church decided to go from R18 to PG, as if same "god" got cancelled and they had to bring in a new one.

Quote (SP00K @ Apr 29 2023 05:21pm)

There are varied opinions on if children go to heaven or not.

Calvin's imput was that until a child is of age to reject christ they will go to heaven. I tend to lean into this but it may be my emotions getting involved.

Then again, John the Baptist lept in Elizabeth's womb when he heard Mary speak since she was carrying Jesus so it's possible to be regenerated before birth.

Luke 1

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit

Arguments for children going to heaven usually refer to David when his baby was sick he was going through hell. Once the baby died David went to the temple and prayed where he told his servants

2 Samuel 12

22 David said, “While the baby was still alive, I fasted, and I cried. I thought, ‘Who knows? Maybe the Lord will feel sorry for me and let the baby live.’ 23 But now that the baby is dead, why should I fast? I can’t bring him back to life. Someday I will go to him, but he cannot come back to me.”

Quote (CPK001 @ Apr 30 2023 04:40am)

Do you honestly think you've lived a perfect life, guilt free? What if you were to die tomorrow, then what?

1. Realize that you are a sinner and in need of a Savior:

Ro 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"

Ro 3:10 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:"

It all began with the story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. God created them perfect, there was no death or sorrow. God told them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They disobeyed God and as a result, sin entered into the world. The pain, which this world sees, is the result of sin.