So say various Christians about right-wing fundamentalist Anders Behring Breivik, suspected of the bombings in Norway that killed more than 90 people. Naw, of course not. Your Christianity is the true one. You have evidence for your faith. He does not. And surely everyone knows there is no precedent for this in the Bible or in the history of the church. So Christians one and all, come here and tell us which Christianity is the true one. We're all ears. But you can't come to a consensus because you have no better evidence than he does for his type of Christianity. Faith is the problem, which can and does lead to fanaticism. Admit it you schmucks, or stay in denial. ;-)The thing is "Faith" as John Loftus defines it is not how the Bible defines it and Loftus is complaining (rightly so) about how Christianity is lived out. What we have is precedents in the Bible and church history that match up with what Anders Behring Brejvik did. However it doesn't match up with the Bible. The Bible defines what true religion is.
26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:26-27
It's not about your denomination or traditions. Anders Behring Breivik seems to have not been religiously motivated but politically motivated and I can't find anything showing him to be a Christian or how that has anything to do with what he did,
Debunking Christianity: "Anders Behring Breivik Doesn't Represent True Christianity"
Breaking: Name Of Utoya Shooter Released… Anders Behring Breivik… Photos
This comment was perfect...
ReplyDelete"shooting children = not a true christian, summoning bears to kill children = holy prophet."
Another astounding example of Biblical illiteracy!
ReplyDelete23 From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” 24 He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. 25 And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria. -2 Kings 2:23-26
1. The people who jeered Elisha were not innocent.
2. They were young but not little children
3. Elisha didn't summon bears. He cursed them.
4. The boys were not killed.
5. I still want to see proof that Anders Behring Breivik was inspired by religion in the slightest.
Not really a good or informed comment. Too bad. A complete fail at trying to be witty.
2. They were young but not little children
ReplyDelete3. Elisha didn't summon bears. He cursed them.
AHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA!
The funny part is that you really think you know what you are talking about. And I was saying the Elisha cursed the youths not the bears.
ReplyDeleteNo, what's funny (and sad) is the lengths you'll go to to make this stuff palatable.
ReplyDeleteSo rather than just assuming I know what your problem is, I will just ask: Do you have a problem with the idea of bears attacking people or that the bears were attacking people on behalf of a prophet?
ReplyDeleteSuch is the price of blasphemy.
You should take heed, lest God decides to hold you accountable like He did then.
Bears, unless trained by Russian circuses, don't do anything on behalf of anyone but themselves.
ReplyDeleteIt's a faery tale Marcus.
Its fascinating to me how if the Grimm Brothers or Hans Christian Andersen had written this story, you'd recognize it for what it was, but because you don't know who the author was and because long dead Rabbi's decided it should be included in your holy books, you take it as fact. It's really amazing.
Also, I still assume you have no idea who Alexander Vilenkin is.
First, Who said I don't know who Alexander Vilenkin is?
ReplyDeleteSecond, you can't say that 2Kings 2:23-26 did not happen. You can express how much you think it didn't happen but I think calling it a "fairy tale" is pushing it way farther than you have any hope you have of proving that it didn't happen.
Feel free to believe what you want.
And you can't say that the events in Sahih Bukhari Volume 5, Book 58, Hadith #227 did not happen either. But it's unlikely, just as unlikely as divinely inspired bears mauling youths because they made fun of someone's lack of hair.
ReplyDeleteDid you hear the one about the seven dwarves and the princess who fell asleep after eating a poison apple?
The things is what the Hadith said has no bearing on my life. Mocking God's prophets carry a heavy price. Pay it if you want. If you think it was only about Elisha not like being called "baldy", I think you have a problem.
ReplyDeleteElisha is a bald head! Elisha is a bald head!
ReplyDeleteI'll be fine.
By the grace of God. He just chose to give you more grace than he gave those youths. I just wish you were smarter than them.
ReplyDeleteRight, uh huh sure.
ReplyDeleteYou're using the same mental sleight of hand here that you use with prayer. No matter what happens... something, nothing, or something later (and something always happens later, doesn't it?) you've got a divine explanation ready.
You have to realize 2nd Kings 2:23-26 is just something priests wrote to maintain their authority.
Elisha is a bald head! Elisha is a bald head!
I'll be fine.