Religions are manmade. Prove me wrong.

Originally posted by @eladar
Funny I was not responding to you.

My response to you is that a belief about religion can't be proved nor disproved. You will have to die to see your proof.

What about the living Christ ?

Originally posted by @suzianne
Thank you for the shout-out. 🙂

Yes, I know we disagree about Christianity, but that doesn't make either of us 'evil'.

What about when you and I disagee? Or more to the point, what about when I disagree with sonship (which I do 90% of the time), and you are vehemently berating me for persecuting people, for destroying this website and a host of other despicable deeds driven by vile motivations?

Originally posted by @secondson
You have a nihilistic mindset. It stifles your imagination. You see what man has done and you equate it to who God is. Your science god has your mind in a materialistic box with no hope of life everlasting. Your philosophy of life is one of a depressing dead end.

"For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eye ...[text shortened]... ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

You just said the key word: Hope. That's ALL you have, nothing more. Besides, your religion excludes everyone who is not Christian. Estimates places the total population of humans living and dead for the past few hundred thousand years at something like a trillion. So counting the present christian population at 1 billion give or take means that only one in a thousand people go to your heaven. Not good odds no matter what apologists say. Even confining that number to the present world population say 8 billion which it will be soon, that means only about 12% go to your heaven. Also not good odds.

You go back in time to the OT and only Jews go to heaven. Now all of a sudden, AD times, Christians go to heaven. Does that mean Jews are out in the cold now, or heat depending on your definition of hell.

My problem: I cannot and never will accept the idea that some god would allow only a certain tribe or religion to go to this alleged heaven.

The second problem is the idea that ANY god would want ANY human to be hanging around after they died. Exactly what for? Joe the plumber, a christian, dies, goes to heaven. You think Joe is going to be called on to use his special plumbing skills? Or is he going to be stuck with a god who requires sycophants so he sings hosanna's for ever and ever, in short, has no life of his own.

When the men who invented these religions did that in the past, they didn't think through the logical zingers about the plot. That alone shows me the lack of foresight clearly says man made.

Originally posted by @wolfgang59
The evidence against religion being "man-made" is that it is more evil than man.

Very interesting spin.

Exception: cancer.
Feeds on and then overtakes the organism and then eventually collapses under its own destruction.

Akin to the body capable of producing a death which is strong enough to destroy its host but also designed to kill itself in the process.
A smart bomb, of sorts.

But the parts are dependent upon the host to grow and thrive, and, ultimately, even after "conquering" the entire landscape, unable to survive without the host.

Originally posted by @sonhouse
You just said the key word: Hope. That's ALL you have, nothing more. Besides, your religion excludes everyone who is not Christian. Estimates places the total population of humans living and dead for the past few hundred thousand years at something like a trillion. So counting the present christian population at 1 billion give or take means that only one ...[text shortened]... logical zingers about the plot. That alone shows me the lack of foresight clearly says man made.

<<You just said the key word: Hope. That's ALL you have, nothing more.>>

And what do you have? Christians have hope and faith. But Christianity is not just about salvation and the afterlife. Far from it.

“And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.”

(Mark 12:26-27)

Christianity is about a relationship with God while the believer is alive.

<<Besides, your religion excludes everyone who is not Christian.>>

And Judaism excludes everyone who is not a Jew and Islam excludes everyone who is not a Muslim. But it’s much easier for a non-Christian to become a Christian than it is for a non-Jew to convert to Judaism and for a non-Muslim to convert to Islam. Becoming a Christian doesn’t require anyone’s approval.

<<Estimates places the total population of humans living and dead for the past few hundred thousand years at something like a trillion. So counting the present christian population at 1 billion give or take means that only one in a thousand people go to your heaven. Not good odds no matter what apologists say.>>

Christianity hasn’t been around for the past few hundred thousand years. More like the past 2,000.

<<Even confining that number to the present world population say 8 billion which it will be soon, that means only about 12% go to your heaven. Also not good odds.>>

You’re right. Jesus Christ said as much.

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

(Matthew 7:13-14)

<<You go back in time to the OT and only Jews go to heaven. Now all of a sudden, AD times, Christians go to heaven. Does that mean Jews are out in the cold now, or heat depending on your definition of hell.>>

I’m not sure only Jews went to heaven pre-Christ. I believe, post-Christ, that Jews who reject Christ will be out in the cold, so to speak.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

(John 14:6)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

(John 3:16-18)

There is a logical progression from the Old Testament to the New Testament and from Judaism to Christianity, in both the sacrificial systems and in prophecy.

<<My problem: I cannot and never will accept the idea that some god would allow only a certain tribe or religion to go to this alleged heaven.>>

I think you’re looking at it the wrong way. People who accept Christ via John 3:16 and Romans 10:9 gain salvation; those who don’t, don’t. Salvation is open and available to everyone. But God gave mankind free will so everyone has to make a choice. God doesn’t force Himself on anyone. You’d think people would give some thought to whether God exists, given the importance of the question and length of eternity, but many people don’t bother investigating that.

<<The second problem is the idea that ANY god would want ANY human to be hanging around after they died. Exactly what for? Joe the plumber, a christian, dies, goes to heaven. You think Joe is going to be called on to use his special plumbing skills? Or is he going to be stuck with a god who requires sycophants so he sings hosanna's for ever and ever, in short, has no life of his own.>>

God wants fellowship with man and a relationship with His creation. It’s all he’s ever wanted. I think your perception of heaven and the afterlife is a bit skewed. Revelation, the last book of the Bible, speaks to God creating a new heaven and a new earth to forever extinguish the sin that entered the world due to the first humans’ rebellion.

<<When the men who invented these religions did that in the past, they didn't think through the logical zingers about the plot. That alone shows me the lack of foresight clearly says man made.>>

Christianity wasn’t invented, nor was Judaism. Secular historians agree that Jesus Christ existed and was crucified. The only debate is on whether He was the Son of God. I think enough evidence exists for one to conclude He was, beyond a reasonable doubt. But everyone has to come to a conclusion about that on his or her own.

Originally posted by @wolfgang59
The evidence against religion being "man-made" is that it is more evil than man.

Are you sure you’re not confusing religion with what men have done in the name of religion?

If you want to know what Christianity is all about, read the New Testament.

If you want to know what Judaism is about, read the Torah (first five books of the Bible.)

If you want to know what Islam is about, read the Qu’ran.

I wouldn’t ask a pastor, priest, rabbi or imam to tell me about the religion, and I wouldn’t base my opinion on a religion on what men have done in its name.

Let the foundational texts speak for themselves.

Originally posted by @romans1009
I wouldn’t ask a pastor, priest, rabbi or imam to tell me about the religion, and I wouldn’t base my opinion on a religion on what men have done in its name.

Let the foundational texts speak for themselves.

Why do you take it upon yourself to tell people about your religion then? You don't "let the foundational texts speak for themselves", I notice.

Originally posted by @sonhouse
ALL religions are man made. ...

There was a woman involved. You can accuse me of guessing.

Originally posted by @fmf
Why do you take it upon yourself to tell people about your religion then? You don't "let the foundational texts speak for themselves", I notice.

All I do and have done here and on other sites is respond to open questions and what I view as false statements about Christianity. And I often post verses from the New Testament (as well as the Old Testament) and encourage people to read and even hand-write the Bible.

If atheists didn’t start threads on Christianity to criticize and misrepresent it and blaspheme Christ, I’d be content to just play chess and post about music, politics and American football.

Originally posted by @freakykbh
Very interesting spin.

Exception: cancer.
Feeds on and then overtakes the organism and then eventually collapses under its own destruction.

Akin to the body capable of producing a death which is strong enough to destroy its host but also designed to kill itself in the process.
A smart bomb, of sorts.

But the parts are dependent upon the host ...[text shortened]... d, ultimately, even after "conquering" the entire landscape, unable to survive without the host.

Humans are a parasite .

Go from there

Originally posted by @apathist
There was a woman involved. You can accuse me of guessing.

I like your work

Originally posted by @romans1009
All I do and have done here and on other sites is respond to open questions and what I view as false statements about Christianity. And I often post verses from the New Testament (as well as the Old Testament) and encourage people to read and even hand-write the Bible.

If atheists didn’t start threads on Christianity to criticize and misrepresent it a ...[text shortened]... Christ, I’d be content to just play chess and post about music, politics and American football.

Be that as it may, there nevertheless seems to be a gap between what you say and what you do.

Originally posted by @romans1009
All I do and have done here and on other sites is respond to open questions and what I view as false statements about Christianity. And I often post verses from the New Testament (as well as the Old Testament) and encourage people to read and even hand-write the Bible.

If atheists didn’t start threads on Christianity to criticize and misrepresent it a ...[text shortened]... Christ, I’d be content to just play chess and post about music, politics and American football.

Idle hands are the Devils plaything

Originally posted by @fmf
Be that as it may, there nevertheless seems to be a gap between what you say and what you do.

You’re obviously entitled to your opinion.

Originally posted by @karoly-aczel
Idle hands are the Devils plaything

My old algebra teacher had it as, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.”