Yes ma’am! Funny thing is though that whether anyone believes He is or isn’t doesn’t change Him one little bit. He IS. People like Vonu will learn that someday.
If I was going to be someone who claims to follow Jesus while rejecting God and "superstitions", I would probably try to say something like "Jesus didn't really make those divine claims, they were just added later".
(I don't think that actually fits the evidence, but it's potentially a fourth option - Liar, Lunatic, Lord or Legend, I guess.)
After dealing with my brother for so many years, I have come to believe that those who call themselves atheists more than likely know there is a Creator, they just don't want to be accountable to Him. Of course, they will be in due time.
My husband once worked with an atheist. When introduced on his first day, the guy said to my husband, "Hi, I'm Terry and I hate Christians." My husband replied, "Hi, I'm Van and I love atheists." They had a fairly good working relationship and one day he admitted to Van that he did believe in the existence of God, he just didn't like him.
Very interesting. I do think some atheists seem to talk that way, with things like "I don't believe in god because of <evil things god allegedly did>"... it sounds more like "don't like him" rather than "don't believe in him". I contrast them with a different type of person who say things like "well, I would like it if there was a God who loves me, but I'm just not convinced so far".
No part of manmade bibles are inspired by a deity that could have sent Moses down the mountain with a printed bound gospel in every language in use at the time, 1400 years before Gutenberg was born.
Ahhhh! God could have said "to heck with man" and started over too. The point is, perhaps this is simply the way God chooses to operate in history.
But, since you reject the concept of a "deity" or Creator, I really cannot understand how you interpret Jesus as a man to follow if you disavow the record of His life in the Bible?
"How about the 30 years of his life that are unaccounted for?" OK, I should have said "the record of His ministry in the Bible." But the question still stands.
"I don't reject the concept of a creator for mine has to exist for me to do so." OK, I think I got it. You hold to Gnosticism. Obviously I do not. My only parting comment is to ask something simple of you. Set aside your beliefs in the interest of unbiased objectivity and simply read the Gospels for yourself as if you were there. If nothing changes in your thinking, no harm - no foul.
You still didn't tell me how you know about Jesus and how you know what it means to follow Him, but I'm going to have to bow out of this. It brings back stress such as that I suffered from my angry atheist brother for 20+ years, climaxing with a threat to physically harm me. Take care. I sincerely wish you the best (as I do my brother).
Thank you for the response, but Jesus Christ claimed to be God, for which He was crucified.
Jesus was either who He said He was, or He was a liar (loose paraphrase from CS Lewis). Why would anyone want to follow a liar?
"Why would anyone want to follow a liar?" Good question--ask a democrat.
I think Lewis included a third option, a lunatic. God, liar, or lunatic. I choose to believe He is God, as you do, Janice.
Yes ma’am! Funny thing is though that whether anyone believes He is or isn’t doesn’t change Him one little bit. He IS. People like Vonu will learn that someday.
If I was going to be someone who claims to follow Jesus while rejecting God and "superstitions", I would probably try to say something like "Jesus didn't really make those divine claims, they were just added later".
(I don't think that actually fits the evidence, but it's potentially a fourth option - Liar, Lunatic, Lord or Legend, I guess.)
After dealing with my brother for so many years, I have come to believe that those who call themselves atheists more than likely know there is a Creator, they just don't want to be accountable to Him. Of course, they will be in due time.
My husband once worked with an atheist. When introduced on his first day, the guy said to my husband, "Hi, I'm Terry and I hate Christians." My husband replied, "Hi, I'm Van and I love atheists." They had a fairly good working relationship and one day he admitted to Van that he did believe in the existence of God, he just didn't like him.
Very interesting. I do think some atheists seem to talk that way, with things like "I don't believe in god because of <evil things god allegedly did>"... it sounds more like "don't like him" rather than "don't believe in him". I contrast them with a different type of person who say things like "well, I would like it if there was a God who loves me, but I'm just not convinced so far".
I regard all human theology as mythology.
You have presuppositions that inform your worldview, presuppositions that cannot be proven. How is that any different from theology?
Because I don't proselytize them.
OK...but that really doesn't satisfy the question.
Maybe it doesn't deserve satisfaction.
Hehehe...well, to inquiring minds it does.
So, how do you know about Jesus? How do you know what it means to follow Him? I assume you do not accept the Bible as inspired by God.
No part of manmade bibles are inspired by a deity that could have sent Moses down the mountain with a printed bound gospel in every language in use at the time, 1400 years before Gutenberg was born.
Ahhhh! God could have said "to heck with man" and started over too. The point is, perhaps this is simply the way God chooses to operate in history.
But, since you reject the concept of a "deity" or Creator, I really cannot understand how you interpret Jesus as a man to follow if you disavow the record of His life in the Bible?
I don't reject the concept of a creator for mine has to exist for me to do so.
How about the 30 years of his life that are unaccounted for?
"How about the 30 years of his life that are unaccounted for?" OK, I should have said "the record of His ministry in the Bible." But the question still stands.
"I don't reject the concept of a creator for mine has to exist for me to do so." OK, I think I got it. You hold to Gnosticism. Obviously I do not. My only parting comment is to ask something simple of you. Set aside your beliefs in the interest of unbiased objectivity and simply read the Gospels for yourself as if you were there. If nothing changes in your thinking, no harm - no foul.
You still didn't tell me how you know about Jesus and how you know what it means to follow Him, but I'm going to have to bow out of this. It brings back stress such as that I suffered from my angry atheist brother for 20+ years, climaxing with a threat to physically harm me. Take care. I sincerely wish you the best (as I do my brother).
I never said that I believe in the Jesus of the bible.
Yup... got it.