Christianity // Current

Fundamentalist radicals on YouTube

YouTube doesn't just have Nazis, it has fundamentalist freaks. This weirdo freaks the living shit out of me. He... more

FallenMorgan
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Is it logical to believe in god?

I think this video is fascinating. It's been a question which I've been going over in my head as of late so I was kind... more

middle_east
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Stephen Baldwin Says Teens Are "Furthest From God"

Actor Stephen Baldwin has stated that today's teens are "furthest from God," and we ("we" being the... more

FallenMorgan
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Christ-like anti-rape poster row

An anti-rape poster showing a naked woman in a Christ-like pose has has been condemned as blasphemous by conservative politicians... more

saverio
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Cherie to present film on Christianity

Cherie Blair is planning to present a Channel 4 film concerning the challenges faced by Christianity. She will take part in a... more

ClareW
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Violent brawl between Christian monks in Jerusalem

Israeli police have had to restore order at one of Christianity's holiest sites after a mass brawl broke out between monks in... more

Sumiboom
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Catholic bishops plan to forcefully confront Obama

I personally believe patrial birth abortion is atrocious and should never be considered by any means. There is no possible way... more

IMMININT
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'Child-witches' of Nigeria seek refuge

Children from Crarn accused of being witches and wizards, protesting outside the Governor's headquarters. Photo: Mags Gavan,... more

Vierotchka
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Who or What is the Antichrist?

In First John 2:18, 22; 4:3; and Second John 7 you will find the answer. The Antichrist is a person that deny that Jesus is the... more

carrolraypugh
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The Bible and Abortion: No Clear Message

"The Bible says nothing specific about abortion, the "sanctity" of human life, or when life begins. The Ten Commandments does say "you shall not kill" (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17), which Bible scholars interpret as "you shall not kill unjustifiably." Exceptions to this command are: to punish a murderer, participation in holy war or general war and self-defense. Thus killing is permitted if the community finds it "justifiable."

With respect to the "sanctity" of human life, the situation depicted in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament is surprising. God authorizes the killing of Job's entire family to satisfy a back room bargain with Satan (Job 1:12). God himself kills the two brothers Er and Onan for different reasons (Genesis 38:7-10). God was responsible for the deaths of Moses' opposition, Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their entire households (Numbers 16:1-35). The prophet Samuel told Saul that God had authorized the slaughter of the entire nation of the Amalekites--including even infants and nursing babies (1 Sam 15:2-3). The prophet Elijah slaughtered 400 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:40-41). So much for the Bible's position on the sanctity of life!

Anti-abortionists cite certain texts from the Bible to argue against abortion, but none are specifically on the topic of abortion. For example, they make inferences from texts tangentially related to the issue and argue that the Bible's use of the term child, son or daughter for an unborn fetus means that the fetus has the same standing as a child living independently of the mother's womb. A text that says the opposite, however, regards harm to a living person as greater than harm to a fetus. In Exodus 21:22-25 a pregnant woman is caused to miscarry. The man causing the miscarriage must pay a fine, but if the woman subsequently dies the killer must pay "life for life" (Exodus 21:23). A fine is paid for the death of the miscarried fetus to compensate the father for the potential economic worth of the child, but the mother's death requires the killer's death! Another argument asserts that when God is described as "knowing an individual before birth" it means that the Bible regards the fetus as a person. Such language, however, is a poetic way of affirming the omniscience of God. For example, Jeremiah 1:4-5 asserts that God knew Jeremiah's future before he was in the womb. The writer could equally well have said God knew me "when I was but a gleam in my father's eye," as is suggested by the Psalmist's statement "The Lord knows the thoughts of man" (94:11; see also 1 Chronicles 28:9; Psalm 44:21). Prohibitions against committing murder exist in the New Testament (Matt 19:18; 1 Pet 4:15; Rev 21:8, 22:15), and one text even asserts that murderers are denied eternal life (1 John 3:15), but nothing on abortion or describing abortionists as murderers.

On the other hand, the Didache, an early non-biblical Christian writing dating anywhere from 50 to 150 C.E., reads "you shall not kill a child by abortion/miscarriage; you shall not kill an infant" (2:2). The same writer also argues for a clearly immoral idea: "slaves be subject to your master, as to God's representative, in reverence and fear" (4:11). The trick in using an ancient text to support modern ethical arguments is to quote briefly.""The Bible says nothing specific about abortion, the "sanctity" of human life, or when life begins. The Ten... more

DeliaTheArtist
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2 responses

12 days ago

Pope appeals to Muslims to end violence in God's name

"Pope Benedict XVI has appealed to Muslims gathered for an historic meeting in the Vatican to join Christians in opposing violence "carried out in God's name". He said that although Muslims and Christians have "different approaches in matters regarding God, we can and must be worshippers of the one God who created us and is concerned about each person in every corner of the world."

Speaking two years after his controversial speech on Islam at Regensburg University, in which he appeared to suggest that Islam was inherently violent and irrational, the Pope added; "Together we must show, by our mutual respect and solidarity, that we consider ourselves members of one family: the family that God has loved and gathered together from the creation of the world to the end of human history."

In a reference to persecution of Christians he deplored "the discrimination and violence which even today religious people experience throughout the world, and the often violent persecutions to which they are subject". These were "unacceptable and unjustifiable acts, all the more grave and deplorable when they are carried out in the name of God. God's name can only be a name of peace and fraternity, justice and love. We are challenged to demonstrate, by our words and above all by our deeds, that the message of our religions is unfailingly a message of harmony and mutual understanding. It is essential that we do so, lest we weaken the credibility and the effectiveness not only of our dialogue, but also of our religions themselves".

Pope Benedict was speaking at the end of a three-day "Catholic-Muslim Forum" between the Vatican Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and representatives of 138 Muslim leaders who signed an Open Letter to Christian leaders called "The Common Word" in October 2007, after the Regensburg address.

He said the gathering was "a clear sign of our mutual esteem and our desire to listen respectfully to one another. I can assure you that I have prayerfully followed the progress of your meeting, conscious that it represents one more step along the way towards greater understanding between Muslims and Christians". This dialogue was not limited to a small group of experts and scholars but "a precious legacy to be placed at the service of all, to bear fruit in the way we live each day."

The Pope declared: "The Christian tradition proclaims that God is Love..... It was out of love that he created the whole universe, and by his love he becomes present in human history." The Muslim tradition was "also quite clear in encouraging practical commitment in serving the most needy, and readily recalls the "Golden Rule" in its own version: your faith will not be perfect, unless you do unto others that which you wish for yourselves. We should thus work together in promoting genuine respect for the dignity of the human person and fundamental human rights, even though our anthropological visions and our theologies justify this in different ways."

He called on Muslims and Christians to "unite our efforts, animated by good will, in order to overcome all misunderstanding and disagreements. Let us resolve to overcome past prejudices and to correct the often distorted images of the other which even today can create difficulties in our relations; let us work with one another to educate all people, especially the young, to build a common future. May God sustain us in our good intentions, and enable our communities to live consistently the truth of love, which constitutes the heart of the religious man, and is the basis of respect for the dignity of each person. May God, the merciful and compassionate One, assist us in this challenging mission, protect us, bless us and enlighten us always with the power of his love." "Pope Benedict XVI has appealed to Muslims gathered for an historic meeting in the Vatican to join Christians in opposing... more

DeliaTheArtist
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12 days ago

Pope urged to admit common ground

When 138 senior Muslim scholars and clergy tried to establish the common ground between Islam and Christianity last year, they... more

bedeboop
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3 responses

14 days ago

Moroccan ban for French magazine

An edition of French magazine L'Express International has been banned in Morocco for allegedly insulting Islam. The... more

bedeboop
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4 responses

15 days ago

Koran

the Koran is just anotheer Holy Book that has much in common with perhaps the Holy book of your choice, so instead of getting... more

dap106
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16 days ago

Christians and the creative arts—Push for Originality

For those of us who make our living in the the creative arts, we are all too often pressed and molded by deadlines that crowd out... more

peterlamb
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1 response

1 month ago

Bullying = good, tolerance = evil?

Apparently teaching tolerance is propaganda, according to people like Soleil10 here at Current and the person who posted this... more

PoisonTheMonkey
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2 responses

18 days ago

Oct.31-Birthday Celebration Protestant Church

The western world knows October 31 is Halloween, but what is seldom mentioned is that it is also the day the Protestant Reformation began. In the Protestant world the day should be a celebrated because the birth of all the Protestant/Sabbath keeping/Sacred Name/Messianic, etc. churches was made possible by the unfolding events beginning on this day in 1517.

Think about it, what does the term “Protestant” Christian mean? Most do not even know that October 31, is their holiday. It’s really a shame because so much blood was spilt to break the chains of religious dictatorship, give the world the Bible, and give most of the western world religious freedom. America was founded as a Protestant nation, and it was a very important step in government, but watch the news today; you will not hear anything regarding the great Reformation movement – not even from the pulpits of the American Christian churches! In my humble opinion, at the very least this day should be called Religious Freedom Day! Unfortunately, the only thing you will hear a lot about is Halloween, and that’s pitiful. (The stories of the Bible translators and Protestant reformers are heartbreaking, read through chapters 9-20 of Fox’s Book of Martyrs for the complete story.)

Most know of the story of Martin Luther the lawyer/scholar turned Catholic monk, who in 1517 C.E. sounded the call to religious change in an unchanging world by calling for a debate on his 95 theses of church reform. To make his theses public, he daringly posted them on the castle church door in Wittenburg, Germany, and by his act he unknowingly ignited a religious explosion called the Protestant Reformation. His 95 points of reform rebukes various traditions added on to God’s Law by the feudalistic Roman Catholic Church. As always, challenging the Roman status quo was done at your own peril. Luther would have been branded a heretic and swept away to a dark jail cell like many before him, but paper making and moveable type were invented in his time, and his open letters of debate appearing in print for all to see helped fuel the protesting movement against the dogmatic Roman Catholic rule.

Martin Luther began the Protestant revolution and America was founded as a Protestant nation that honored our CREATOR instead of an earthly king, our founders boldly answered the GOD question for all the world to hear, but few today even know what the word Protestant means or represents. Generally, the religious powers to be do not like any talk of a protesting laity, being lovers of their own words the religious scholars, over time, covered up and smothered the original meaning of the Reformation movement. The pure Protestant beliefs or concepts are a philosophy not a religion, and the Protestant philosophy still causes some hand ringing amongst the traditional Jews, Catholics, and other religious leaders who want to control people via dogmatic purity and mute obedience.

The western world knows October 31 is Halloween, but what is seldom mentioned is that it is also the day the Protestant... more

resolute
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18 days ago

Christianity: The Same Old Story

This video ties into a post from yesterday discussing the historical existence of Jesus, the origins of Christianity and so on. ... more

DeliaTheArtist
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0 responses

19 days ago

Did Jesus exist?

"No one has the slightest physical evidence to support a historical Jesus; no artifacts, dwelling, works of carpentry, or self-written manuscripts. All claims about Jesus derive from writings of other people. There occurs no contemporary Roman record that shows Pontius Pilate executing a man named Jesus. Devastating to historians, there occurs not a single contemporary writing that mentions Jesus. All documents about Jesus got written well after the life of the alleged Jesus from either: unknown authors, people who had never met an earthly Jesus, or from fraudulent, mythical or allegorical writings. Although one can argue that many of these writings come from fraud or interpolations, I will use the information and dates to show that even if these sources did not come from interpolations, they could still not serve as reliable evidence for a historical Jesus, simply because all sources derive from hearsay accounts.

Hearsay means information derived from other people rather than on a witness' own knowledge.

Courts of law do not generally allow hearsay as testimony, and nor does honest modern scholarship. Hearsay provides no proof or good evidence, and therefore, we should dismiss it.

If you do not understand this, imagine yourself confronted with a charge for a crime which you know you did not commit. You feel confident that no one can prove guilt because you know that there exists no evidence whatsoever for the charge against you. Now imagine that you stand present in a court of law that allows hearsay as evidence. When the prosecution presents its case, everyone who takes the stand against you claims that you committed the crime, not as a witness themselves, but solely because other people said so. None of these other people, mind you, ever show up in court, nor can anyone find them.

Hearsay does not work as evidence because we have no way of knowing whether the person lies, or simply bases his or her information on wrongful belief or bias. We know from history about witchcraft trials and kangaroo courts that hearsay provides neither reliable nor fair statements of evidence. We know that mythology can arise out of no good information whatsoever. We live in a world where many people believe in demons, UFOs, ghosts, or monsters, and an innumerable number of fantasies believed as fact taken from nothing but belief and hearsay. It derives from these reasons why hearsay cannot serves as good evidence, and the same reasoning must go against the claims of a historical Jesus or any other historical person.

Authors of ancient history today, of course, can only write from indirect observation in a time far removed from their aim. But a valid historian's own writing gets cited with sources that trace to the subject themselves, or to eyewitnesses and artifacts. For example a historian today who writes about the life of George Washington, of course, can not serve as an eyewitness, but he can provide citations to documents which give personal or eyewitness accounts. None of the historians about Jesus give reliable sources to eyewitnesses, therefore all we have remains as hearsay.""No one has the slightest physical evidence to support a historical Jesus; no artifacts, dwelling, works of carpentry, or... more