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@caissad4
I would you are making a lazy attempt at the worst strawman argument of the year here.
Big Foot and Jesus of Nazareth - roughly equivalent.
Right.
I have a used car I would like to interest you in.
Now, did you ever give your alternative to the historical origin of the Passover celebrated by Jews around the world for centuries if there is totally nothing to the story of the Exodus from Egypt ?
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@sonship
I'm not keen on the OP either, but the basic premise still holds water. (Not a strawman as you alleged). If we do not believe in something (irrespective of what that 'something' is) then it is unreasonable to expect us to decide to believe in it due to terrible consequences if we don't.
As for the Passover thing, I clearly blew that out of the water in the thread concerned. What does it matter what triggered the 'celebration' when there is a void of evidence regarding the biblical events it commemorates?
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I'm not keen on the OP either, but the basic premise still holds water. (Not a strawman as you alleged). If we do not believe in something (irrespective of what that 'something' is) then it is unreasonable to expect us to decide to believe in it due to terrible consequences if we don't.
I don't believe Sasquatch and Christ are close.
There are bad consequences for being on the Titanic and not getting into a life boat once it hit a iceberg.
There are also bad consequences for not placing your tooth beneath your pillow so that a fairy may exchange it for a coin during the night.
Now let's pretend that both are fear mongering concoctions for fear mongering's sake created by mean bullies.
Drowning in the cold Atlantic Ocean from the proud ship which even "God could not sink" which turned out not to be invincible.
And being deprived of the coin because of neglect of the tooth fairy during the night.
These are not two roughly equivalent instances of concocting fear mongering for the mere sake of fear mongering.
The throwing together for comparison of Bigfoot and Jesus Christ is like this.
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Jesus: I love you so much that I came to earth and died for you so that you may be saved.
Human: Saved from what?
Jesus: From what I'll do to you if you don't believe in me.
That's not how I read the Bible. I take it more like this.
God "It is most important to be reconciled to God"
Man "What are the consequences if not?"
God "Whatever the consequences. It is most important to be reconciled to God."
Let’s turn this around the other way, shall we? Suppose there were no consequences, no lake of fire waiting for those who did not believe (that Jesus was God), and no heaven for those who did believe. Would there be any compelling reason to believe (that Jesus was God)?
Buddhism, for example, is very gentle in this matter. Buddhism does not claim that you will suffer eternal torture if you reject Buddhism. It says that there are several paths to reach the blessed state, and that it is possible to reach the blessed state here, now, in this life. No consequences, neither a promise of good ones later nor a threat of terrible ones later. Just a blessed life now.
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@moonbus saidBeing reincarnated into a roach isn’t that bad?
Let’s turn this around the other way, shall we? Suppose there were no consequences, no lake of fire waiting for those who did not believe (that Jesus was God), and no heaven for those who did believe. Would there be any compelling reason to believe (that Jesus was God)?
Buddhism, for example, is very gentle in this matter. Buddhism does not claim that you will suffer etern ...[text shortened]... , neither a promise of good ones later nor a threat of terrible ones later. Just a blessed life now.
@dj2becker saidDepends on what karma you are here to work out. For those people who just blew themselves up in churches in Sri Lanka, life as a cockroach might present fewer false paths to reaching nirvana than life as a human.
Being reincarnated into a roach isn’t that bad?
Edit: not nearly as bad as spending eternity in a lake of fire.
@sonship saidQ. Why do Jews today celebrate Passover?
Now, did you ever give your alternative to the historical origin of the Passover celebrated by Jews around the world for centuries if there is totally nothing to the story of the Exodus from Egypt ?
A. Because previous generations did.
And that is all - nobody has any proof of any exodus.
@sonship saidThis presupposes the "Man" in your skit actually believes your Christian God figure has communicated anything to him about what is "important" and what the "consequences" for lack of belief are.
That's not how I read the Bible. I take it more like this.
God "It is most important to be reconciled to God"
Man "What are the consequences if not?"
God "Whatever the consequences. It is most important to be reconciled to God."