Conspicuous absence

[Waymarker]

..the only source we have for these miracles is the Bible, which is the same for the other religions, i.e. that the only source for their miracles are their holy books..

Ha ha, so you're a conspiracy theorist, you'll be telling us man never walked on the moon next..
Just as there were thousands of NASA personnel who'll testify to the truth of the moon landings, so there were thousands of people who saw and heard Jesus, including the roman army garrison..;)
In short, Jesus was TOO BIG not to be real.
incidentally, if you doubt Christianity, do you also discount Buddhism? If not, why not?

 

[jasoncran]

wow, waymaker hit that for me.that is the truth that i have found for me, it is like that alot when i saw it.

btw not all buddhist like any religion arent peaceful, tai boxing was founded by buddhists in response to the mongols. the samarai were founded and assisted by buddhism.

 

[Brokendoll]

Well it rejects Jesus, so that sets the alarm bells ringing for a start.

Again, your personal opinion does not constitute an argument.

And although Buddhism pre-dates Jesus, why did God send Jesus to found the dynamic new religion of Christianity if Buddhism (and other ancient religions) were all we needed?

"And although Christianity pre-dates Mohammed, why did God send an angel to inspire the Quran and found the dynamic new religion of Islam if Christianity (and other ancient religions) were all we needed?"

As regards the teachings of Buddhism, there's a whole truckload of odd stuff, for example-

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense"- Buddha
See, Buddha's saying believe nothing, even if he himself said it!

He said believe nothing unless it agrees with your reason, which sounds like good advice to me. ;)

"He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes"-Buddha
So Buddha's saying adopt an "I'm all right Jack" mindset and don't get involved with anyone else's problems. Tut-tut, that's very unchristian!

Actually, Buddhism teaches non-attachement in ADDITION to compassion. In other words, help these people out but do not attach yourself to them. It will, as we all know, at one point or another, bring you pain.

"Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little."
Buddha

"No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path"- Buddha
"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without"-Buddha
In other words Buddhism teaches we don't need Jesus, that's a satanic doctrine.

No. Buddhism teaches that you must self take responsibility for your own life and that unless you have peace within you will never have peace without.
Also, calling it satanic is hitting it in the wrong ballpark since Buddhist doctrine doesn't even recognize Satan.

"The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart"- Buddha
"Depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed"- Buddha
Here again, Buddhism urges us to look within our own imperfect sinful selves rather than outward to Jesus, tut-tut

Again, taking responsibility for yourself sounds like good advice to me. ;)

"You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection"- Buddha
Ha ha what a selfish doctrine!

Misinterpretation. You must first learn to love yourself before you can love anyone else.

 

[Waymarker]

I'm an atheist. Does that make "not in my right mind" i.e. crazy?

Not at all, it probably means you've got the wrong idea about Christianity, possibly through bad teaching at school, or bad christians who you knew.(I know plenty)
Satan 'plants' his stooges in our lives to sabotage us and turn us from Jesus, and quite often they masquerade as Christians but relax, they can't get under Jesus's radar-
"Not all who call me "Lord,Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven. Then I'll tell them plainly, I never knew you, GET AWAY FROM ME " (Matt 7:21-23)

 

[Brokendoll]

doenst work for me,and i know others that were buddhists that say this. look one can find anything and not believe christianity

From my expercience, one can try to change the evil , bad in the thyself is forever and it will always reappear. this is why i found it lacking. i couldnt simply shake off the habits or really improve myself.

sure a little here or there but no real gains. this isnt to say that all that buddhism has is false, but a half truth is still a lie,


you dont believe in salvation and buddhism doenst save. when you die that's it end of story. no matter whether good or bad the grave is the same. unlike christianity.

Again, you are arguing from personal anecdotes. That is a fallacy in and of itself and I will thusly ignore them. ;)

 

[Waymarker]

Waymarker quote- "Well it (Buddhism) rejects Jesus, so that sets the alarm bells ringing for a start.
Brokendoll reply- "Again, your personal opinion does not constitute an argument"
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Are you telling us that Buddhism doesn't reject Jesus?
Are Buddhists Christians then?

 

[Brokendoll]

..the only source we have for these miracles is the Bible, which is the same for the other religions, i.e. that the only source for their miracles are their holy books..

Ha ha, so you're a conspiracy theorist, you'll be telling us man never walked on the moon next..
Just as there were thousands of NASA personnel who'll testify to the truth of the moon landings, so there were thousands of people who saw and heard Jesus, including the roman army garrison..;)
In short, Jesus was TOO BIG not to be real.
incidentally, if you doubt Christianity, do you also discount Buddhism? If not, why not?

Never said I doubted the moon landing. ;)

I would love to argue about the validity of the bible with you, but due to the forum rules I cannot.
Sorry.

As for Buddhism, as I said, I am an atheist so I do not follow any religion at all and I see no more reason to believe in Buddha and his miracles than I do in Jesus and the miracles he supposedly did. Hope that answers your question.

 

[jasoncran]

this link then for you
http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/beliefs.htm

same thing that waymaker says not as extensive though. a good friend who died was a buddist and i often asked him what they believe to be sure.

i see no reason continue as his, brokendoll, mind is set.

 

[Waymarker]

Brokendoll quote-""And although Christianity pre-dates Mohammed, why did God send an angel to inspire the Quran and found the dynamic new religion of Islam if Christianity (and other ancient religions) were all we needed?"
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The Koran denies Jesus was the Son of God, so obviously the "angel" sent from "God" was Satan's messenger just as the Bible warns-
"..for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." (2 Cor 11:13/14)

 

[Brokendoll]

Waymarker quote- "Well it (Buddhism) rejects Jesus, so that sets the alarm bells ringing for a start.
Brokendoll reply- "Again, your personal opinion does not constitute an argument"
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Are you telling us that Buddhism doesn't reject Jesus?
Are Buddhists Christians then?

I meant that it is your personal opinion that a religion that rejects Jesus sets off the alarm bells.

But since you brought it up, many followers of Buddhism are also Christians and Buddhist scripture does not mention Jesus at all (which, if it did would actually lend amazing credence to Christianity). I suppose they might consider him a Boddhisatwa if they consider him at all. ;)

 

[Brokendoll]

I'm an atheist. Does that make "not in my right mind" i.e. crazy?

Not at all, it probably means you've got the wrong idea about Christianity, possibly through bad teaching at school, or bad christians who you knew.(I know plenty)
Satan 'plants' his stooges in our lives to sabotage us and turn us from Jesus, and quite often they masquerade as Christians but relax, they can't get under Jesus's radar-

Any number of religions can make the same claim.
"Maybe you just had the wrong idea about Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Scientology..."

If I'm a good person, why is it so important that I aknowledge Jesus and become a Christian?

 

[Brokendoll]

this link then for you
http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/beliefs.htm

same thing that waymaker says not as extensive though. a good friend who died was a buddist and i often asked him what they believe to be sure.

I am well aware of the doctrines of Buddhism thank you.

i see no reason continue as his, brokendoll, mind is set.

My mind is completely open to the idea that I might be wrong. But I will not take personal anecdotes or personal opinions as arguments that this is so. ;)

 

[Brokendoll]

The Koran denies Jesus was the Son of God, so obviously the "angel" sent from "God" was Satan's messenger just as the Bible warns-
"..for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." (2 Cor 11:13/14)

And they would say that Jesus falsly claimed to be the son of god and that he, at best, is just another prophet. In other words, this may seem obvious to you, but if you are going to convince others you will need more than that.

 

[Waymarker]

Brokendoll quote-"many followers of Buddhism are also Christians"
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That does it! I'm going to have to have a cup of tea and a lie down..
Incidentally you said you're an atheist, so tell us why you're in this Christian forum, I can't help wondering?
As for forum rules about Bible-bashing, personally I don't care what you say about it, so go ahead (if the mods have no objection) and i'll be glad to clear up your points..

 

[jasoncran]

do that via pm.

 

[Brokendoll]

Brokendoll quote-"many followers of Buddhism are also Christians"
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That does it! I'm going to have to have a cup of tea and a lie down..

^_^
The thing is that many people do not view Buddhism as a religion but more like a philosophy so for them there would be no conflict. ;)

Incidentally you said you're an atheist, so tell us why you're in this Christian forum, I can't help wondering?

Gladly.
I recognize that most people on this planet subscribe to a religion or another, so knowing something about how they think is useful. We have to share this earth so we might as well learn a little about each other. Also, I love having my views challenged. ;)

As for forum rules about Bible-bashing, personally I don't care what you say about it, so go ahead (if the mods have no objection) and i'll be glad to clear up your points..

Hmmm... I wonder if I could make a suggestion to the moderators:
How about making a section in which certain rules are lifted? It could allow for robust discussion that would otherwise cause a tread to be locked and/or members banned. I'm not advocating trolling or simple harrasment, but it could have it's own set of rules for what is allowed and not. Admission to post there could be handled just like the science section of the forum perhaps.

Any chance of that?

I'd really prefere not to do this by PM since it excludes others from weighing in with their arguments and also, my PM box is getting full... ;)

 

[Rick W]

There is an abundance of other places to go if one wants a no-holds-barred environment to "discuss" Christianity. Registered members agreed to a Terms of Service to participate on this semi-private Christian site. (Semi-private... can read but not respond if not registered) Abide by what has been agreed to and there will be no problems :yes

 

[Brokendoll]

There is an abundance of other places to go if one wants a no-holds-barred environment to "discuss" Christianity. Registered members agreed to a Terms of Service to participate on this semi-private Christian site. (Semi-private... can read but not respond if not registered) Abide by what has been agreed to and there will be no problems :yes

Well, I have agreed to follow the terms, so I leave discussing the validity of the bible for another time and place.

 

[Ed the Ned]

I have a question to ask all athiest on this forum, like brokendoll. What is your purpose? Why are you trying to convince Christians to deny their faith in Christ? It does not make sense to me. You claim to not believe in any religion, yet you are obsessed in trying to prove God does not exist!!!

 

[Waymarker]

Brokendoll quote- Well, I have agreed to follow the terms, so I leave discussing the validity of the bible for another time and place
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Yes, i'm disappointed that the wimpy moderators won't allow me to correct your wrong impressions of the Bible, maybe they're on your side?
i'm a newcomer to this forum but i won't be staying long if wer're not allowed to say what we like in free open debate and discussion