Traditional Christianity: Discerning the Real Faith from False Teachings

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
While I disagree with Mr. Nice Guy, and while I think he made his point in an especially obnoxious way(posting a long long article), what is wrong with proselytization per say?

The OTF is a place for discussion and argument about different ideas.

There's a difference between discussions and proselytising. It's fine to discuss religions say, to put thoughts and arguments in your own words. It's a different thing to respond to questions by extensive copy-n-paste.

[Evil Knevil]

Have you not heard of that madman who lit a lantern in the bright morning hours, ran to the market-place, and cried incessantly: "I am looking for God! I am looking for God!"
As many of those who did not believe in God were standing together there, he excited considerable laughter. Have you lost him, then? said one. Did he lose his way like a child? said another. Or is he hiding? Is he afraid of us? Has he gone on a voyage? or emigrated? Thus they shouted and laughed. The madman sprang into their midst and pierced them with his glances.

"Where has God gone?" he cried. "I shall tell you. We have killed him - you and I. We are his murderers. But how have we done this? How were we able to drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What did we do when we unchained the earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving now? Away from all suns? Are we not perpetually falling? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there any up or down left? Are we not straying as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder? Is it not more and more night coming on all the time? Must not lanterns be lit in the morning? Do we not hear anything yet of the noise of the gravediggers who are burying God? Do we not smell anything yet of God's decomposition? Gods too decompose. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we, murderers of all murderers, console ourselves? That which was the holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet possessed has bled to death under our knives. Who will wipe this blood off us? With what water could we purify ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we need to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we not ourselves become gods simply to be worthy of it? There has never been a greater deed; and whosoever shall be born after us - for the sake of this deed he shall be part of a higher history than all history hitherto."

Here the madman fell silent and again regarded his listeners; and they too were silent and stared at him in astonishment. At last he threw his lantern to the ground, and it broke and went out. "I have come too early," he said then; "my time has not come yet. The tremendous event is still on its way, still travelling - it has not yet reached the ears of men. Lightning and thunder require time, the light of the stars requires time, deeds require time even after they are done, before they can be seen and heard. This deed is still more distant from them than the distant stars - and yet they have done it themselves."

It has been further related that on that same day the madman entered divers churches and there sang a requiem. Led out and quietened, he is said to have retorted each time: "what are these churches now if they are not the tombs and sepulchres of God?"

Bite me :P

[Elok]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


There's a difference between discussions and proselytising. It's fine to discuss religions say, to put thoughts and arguments in your own words. It's a different thing to respond to questions by extensive copy-n-paste.

HAH! In writing! You see that, Molly? Bad, bad, bad!

Oh, and to honor this thread's incorrect topic, hooray for doctrine, sez I. The "dead tradition of men" was established well before the end of the first century, by the first generation of Christians. The idea of a Christian Golden Age where everyone just believed, without doctrine or ritual, is an absurd myth propagated by Roma-phobic Protestants. Arguing for a church without doctrine or creed is like saying we should all just honor the principles of the Declaration of Independence as we see fit--that legalistic "Constitution" is such a downer, isn't it? Who needs it, really?

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by mrmitchell
* mrmitchell wonders what would happen if a Warlord started pasting propoganda for Islam

I think that's what the poster Boris was talking about did.

[Az]

Krishnabot was obviously not a muslim, Ludd.

[Agathon]

If anyone really cares about this topic, The Pagan Christ by Tom Harpur is worth a read.

But what ancient person would bother reading the Bible when they could read Plotinus?

[Dis]

isn't it all false teachings?

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by Azazel
Krishnabot was obviously not a muslim, Ludd.

I must be thinking of someone else, then.


Who was this Krishnabot?

[Cruddy]

Astonishing. By that text you'd think Jesus was a middle ages Englishman with a speech impediment.

"ye, thou, thine" - the mark of some one with an out of date scripture that got translated long before the information age.

Of course, it impresses some peasants...

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Elok
HAH! In writing! You see that, Molly? Bad, bad, bad!

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by General Ludd
Who was this Krishnabot?

Buddhist or Hindu, IIRC. I think he was the one always talking about the frog above the ocean, or something like that.

[Agathon]

isn't it all false teachings?

It's of historical interest. I happen to think that most modern people would find original Christian teachings to be quite alien.

Anyway, Plotinus has arguments.

[Lincoln]

I agree that traditions can prevent some from learning more truth as it may be revealed but then comes a new "prohpet" who starts new traditions that stifle truth. I don't attend any church now after many years of observing the words of Jesus used to justify almost anything that makes more money for the church or increases it's worldly power. I do agree with many of the observations of the author in the article posted however it seems to me that the church is in the same position it was in when Jesus came the first time. We cannot see it now and they could not see it then. But, sorry, I'm not going to follow the latest prophet either.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Elok


HAH! In writing! You see that, Molly? Bad, bad, bad!

For the first time a religionista has almost prompted me to use 'ignore', but then that would reduce me to his level.


Perhaps if you used 'cut and paste' to SUPPORT your ludicrous assertions, Elok, such as 'atheism= a religion' instead of relying on your own, um, power of reasoning, and uh, 'chain of thought', you wouldn't appear such a fatuous jejune jackass.

Oh Kuciwalker- it's a lesson you could learn too, next time you can't tell the difference between Aristotle's Lyceum and the Athenian Academy, or fail to recognise the words of any of your country's Founding Fathers.

Of course what Mr. Nice Proselytizer did is far different from what I do, but perhaps you aren't yet mature enough to see that.

[Ben Kenobi]

HAH! In writing! You see that, Molly? Bad, bad, bad!

If I can put up with Molly's posts, then I don't see why they should be forbidden.

Same with Mr. Nice Guy.

Unlike the Krishnabot, they have both shown capacity for discussion rather than simple copy/pasting.