Disassembling Christianity
I used to be a Christian. And I used to think that Christianity was THE truth. That it was the reality of life. How shocked I was to find out that it is just another one of the religions, made up by people. Christianity was both good and bad for me. It would take too long to explain, so I'll just leave it at this.
If you are a Christian and want to continue to be one, don’t read on. These things might make you doubt… Don’t think that your faith is too strong…. Faith is just wishful thinking….It has no proof. So it can be influenced by information…. But if you are ready to come out of Christianity, these things below might help you to alleviate your fears about God punishing you for not believing…
Not all Christians believe the same thing, there are variations. But for the majority of Christians, the message is as follows: God has created everything. Man has sinned (disobeyed God’s law). Man deserves condemnation and will be tortured forevermore in the lake of fire (aka: hell). But God, because He is loving, has sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for men’s sins. And those people who hear about Jesus Christ and believe in that event and ask Jesus Christ to come into their hearts, will be spared, and will be given a happy eternal life.
Christians believe this without proof. But believing something doesn’t make it true. There is information to show that it’s NOT true. But Christians are encouraged to believe their ideas in spite of the proof to the contrary. And this is the reason why some are still able to believe.
An example of such thinking would be this: people couldn’t see outside of the earth and therefore didn’t know that it was spherical. Their assumption was that it was flat. It made sense. We are all walking on a flat earth. Why believe anything different? But then, the technology has brought proof: the earth is a sphere. So now what: do you continue to believe that it’s flat or do you accept the fact that it’s a sphere? Well, if you used the method of thinking that Christians use, you would have to continue to believe that it is flat… you have to be loyal to the first thing you believed in…hey, there is even a verse that says that. (2Ti 3:14)
Christians are encouraged not to think because thinking leads to doubts. In order to be strong in your faith, you have to just hear a one sided argument and you have to ignore the other side. Belief is simply wishful thinking. And that’s why information affects it and that’s why you could lose your belief, and that’s why you are encouraged to guard it by not listening to opposing views.
But if you simply believe and DO NOT think, you will be susceptible to any bad and evil idea. You might belong to some violent religion where they would simply tell you that God said that we need to kill these people. And if you don’t think, you will do it. But if you think, you will stop and say: that’s impossible. God is love. It would be against His nature to give such an order. So NOT THINKING would make you do bad things. THINKING will stop you from doing bad things. So thinking is necessary in order to keep yourself from possibly doing something bad.
Believing is great, when there is no proof. But if there is proof to the contrary, we have to modify what we believe, don’t we?
THE ERRORS IN FACTS AND CONTRADICTIONS IN IDEAS
My goal is to show why Christianity cannot be true. My assumption is this: if some ideas or facts are contradictory, then they are not the truth. I am going to list errors and contradictions in both ideas/beliefs and in factual data.
If people assume that the Bible is 100% true, and they see contradictions, then their job is to explain away contradictions. They assume that since the Bible is true, there could be no contradictions. But if there are, then there must be a way to reconcile them. Explaining away contradictions is an art, a creative process. People who are always forced to do that become very good at doing it. Apologists get very creative in their efforts to reconcile contradictions… Apologetics is an art of its sort. (Also, the job of apologists is to explain away God’s bad actions. So I think it’s a fitting name: apologetics…they have to always apologize for God…)
If theologians come across contradictions which even they cannot explain (with all their skill), they resort to this: they say: my brain cannot understand it or make sense out of it, therefore it’s a mystery of God.
TRINITY
A really good example of an impossible contradiction would be the Trinity. (Some verses say that God is one and other verses imply that God is three.) It’s not possible to explain. Therefore Christians say: it’s a mystery of God. Well, it COULD BE a mystery of God. BUT, it also could be a contradiction. And the way you can determine which one it is, is by observing the pattern of the writings. The pattern of the Bible is this: it is full of contradictions (I will list a few of them for an example). And therefore, it’s reasonable to assume that Trinity is just another contradiction.
Here is one contradiction: Is there only 1 Spirit of God (Eph 4:4) OR are there 7 Spirits of God (Rev 3:1) ?
NEVER HEARD OF JESUS contradiction
But here is the biggest contradiction I think.
The only way to be saved is to believe in Jesus Christ. God is just. People have free will to choose Jesus or damnation. Therefore, when people make their choice and choose not to believe in Jesus, or not to serve God, their choice sends them to hell. But God is just because they had a choice.
But here is a problem: not everybody has a choice. Some people never hear of Jesus. They die. If God sends them to hell, then he is NOT just.
If God does not send them to hell, but saves them, then “believing in Jesus” is not the only way to be saved.
“God is just” and “believing in Jesus is the only way to salvation” CANNOT both be true.
(Some Christians believe that “God is just” no matter what his actions say. He is just no matter how unjust his actions are. This is reflected in Calvinists’ beliefs. They believe that God chooses some people to save (his own choice, not people’s free will) and sends the rest (majority) to hell. And to them this is all peachy. Nothing unjust about that.)
But back to Christians who believe in free will. Some people cannot believe. They really want to, but they are incapable of belief without proof. They were born that way. Is it really just to send them to hell for their inability to believe?
What about mentally ill people? Is it just to send them to hell just because they didn’t have the right mind to make the right choice?
And here is a biggie: why would anybody in their right mind choose eternal torture instead of eternal happiness?
The choosing of eternal torture would go against people’s nature and survival instinct. You have to be insane to choose eternal torture.
So why do they choose it? Perhaps because they don’t believe that God exists and that hell exists. Afterall, there is no proof. Why should they believe it?
Even the Bible says that the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers. (2CO 4:4) So then they do not choose God because they are blinded. Is that really fair to send them to hell without making sure first that they are not blinded to the truth?
Jesus said that he spoke in parables: so that the people wouldn’t understand and repent. (John 12:40, Rom 11:10, MK 4:11-12) Is that really fair?
Jesus also said that only those whom God enables, can come to Him. (John 6:44,65) So that means if God did not enable you, then you cannot come. Is that really fair?
NONE of these things are fair. That means that either God is NOT fair, OR the beliefs about salvation are wrong.
GOD WANTS ALL TO BE SAVED, BUT SAVES ONLY A FEW contradiction
If you can come to Jesus only when God enables you (John 6:44,65), then why won’t God enable ALL? It says that God wants ALL to be saved. (1TI 2:3-4, 2PE 3:9) It says that it’s God’s choice as to who gets saved or who does not (Rom 9:18)
Either God wants to save all or he does not (they can’t both be true). Either He wants to save all, OR it’s his choice as to whom to save. They cannot both be true at the same time. He CANNOT desire to save all, but choose only a few.
Jesus said: “many are called, but few are chosen”. (Matt 22:14 LUK 13:23-24) (So many hear the message of salvation, but only a few are chosen to be saved? This would contradict the verse: “God wants all to be saved”)
There is also a verse which says: those who were appointed to salvation believed. (Acts13:48) If only some were appointed to salvation, that means that God does NOT want to save all. (as is implied in 1Ti2:3-4).
There is another verse which says: Jesus is the Savior of ALL men, especially of the believers. (1Ti 4:10) (This verse implies that Jesus would save believers and non-believers). This verse would contradict the one where it says that “many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt 22:14) It would also contradict the one that says: you have to BELIEVE in order to be saved. (John 3:16)
ELECTION VS. MAN’S CHOICE contradiction
It says that some were predestined to salvation from the beginning. (Eph 1:4,11; 2Th2:13, Acts13:48, RO 8:28-30) It says that only those whom God enables can come to Jesus (and be saved.) (John 6:44,65; JOH 8:43-44), It says that those who were appointed to salvation, believed. (Acts 13:48) It says that God chooses on whom to have mercy and on whom not to have it. (Rom 9:18) And that God hardens those he wants to harden. (Rom 9:18) It says that God on purpose hides the truth from some (John 12:40, Rom 11:10, MK 4:11-12). –all these teach that God is the one who chooses who will be saved.
If God is the one who chooses, and if he chooses to send majority to hell, then He is neither good nor loving.
But Christians believe that both can be true. They believe that God is good and loving AND sends majority of people to hell (people who didn’t even have a choice sometimes).
Also, some verses seems to say that it’s people’s responsibility to be saved and it’s up to them. (there are more verses, I just didn’t want to spend much time trying to find them all) These would contradict the fact that God is the one who chooses whom to save.
EZE 18:23 Rom 10:13 COL 1:22-23 HEB 10:36 Heb 3:15
CAN YOU FALL AWAY FROM FAITH OR NOT?
These verses say that God can keep people from falling away. PSA 55:22, PSA 37:23, JUD 1:1, JOH 10:28, JUD 1:24, 2TI 4:18
These verses say that people always will fall away and did fall away. Matt 24:10, Heb 6:4-6, Rev 3:16, 2TI 2:12, REV 3:2 This one says that you can fall from your “secure” position - 2Pe 3:17
SAVED BY FAITH OR BY WORKS
MT 7:21, RO 2:6, 13, JA 2:24 We are justified by works, not by faith.
JN 3:16, RO 3:20-26, EP 2:8-9, GA 2:16 We are justified by faith, not by works.
GOD KNOWS ALL OR HE DOESN’T?
God supposedly knows everything. But he keeps regretting things and changing his mind. Why? Didn’t he know in advance? And besides, some verses do say that he doesn’t change his mind because he is not a man. But others show how he changes his mind.
NU 23:19-20, 1SA 15:29 God does not change his mind. GE 6:6. EX 32:14, 1SA 15:35, 2SA 24:16 He does.
1SA 9:15-17 The Lord tells Samuel that Saul has been chosen to lead the Israelites and will save them from the Philistines. 1SA 15:35 The Lord is sorry that he has chosen Saul.
God knows everything. And yet, he repented about making a man. (Gen 6:6-7) He wiped them out with flood. (Gen 7:4) But then decided not to punish men for their sins with such destruction again. (Gen 8:21) (And yet, He has prepared a wiping out of mankind according to these verses: 2Pe 3:7, Revelation’s 7 seals, trumpets and bowls)
So the verses about God knowing everything contradict the ones in which God changes his mind or regrets doing something.
ERRORS IN FACTS
If the Bible is 100% truth, how can there be errors? There are errors in facts. Why did God allow errors? If the Bible is 100% God inspired, why are there contradictions in ideas? I am listing just a few of the errors in facts (there are lots more on the huge lists from the internet):
1SA 17:12 /1CH 2:13-15 7 / 8 sons;
1SA 16:19-23/1SA 17:55-58 knew a person/ didn’t know him at that time
1SA 21:1-6/MK 2:26 Ahimalech/ Abiathar
1SA 31:4-6/2SA 21:12 killed himself / killed by the Philistines
2SA 6:23/2SA 21:8 (KJV) Michal was childless/ had five sons
2SA 24:1/1CH 21:1 The Lord inspired David / Satan inspired
2SA 24:9 / 1CH 21:5 800,000 and Judah 500,000 / 1,100,000 and Judah 470,000
2SA 24:24/1CH 21:22-25 50 shekels of silver/ 600 shekels of gold
1KI 4:26/2CH 9:25 40,000 /4,000 horses
1KI 5:16/2CH 2:2 3300/3600
1KI 7:15-22/2CH 3:15-17 18 /35
1KI 7:26/ 2CH 4:5 2000/3000 "baths"
1KI 9:28 /2CH 8:18 420/450 talents
1KI 15:14 Asa did not remove the high places. 2CH 14:2-3 He did remove them.
1KI 16:6-8 Baasha died in the 26th year of King Asa's reign. 2CH 16:1 Baasha built a city in the 36th year of Asa's reign.
1KI 22:42-43 Jehoshaphat did not remove the high places. 2CH 17:5-6 He did remove them.
2KI 9:27 Jehu shot Ahaziah near Ibleam. Ahaziah fled to Meggido and died there. 2CH 22:9 Ahaziah was found hiding in Samaria, brought to Jehu, and put to death.
2KI 16:5/2CH 28:5-6 Did not conquer Ahaz / did conquer Ahaz.
JE 34:4-5 Zedekiah was to die in peace. JE 52:10-11 Instead, Zedekaih's sons are slain before his eyes, his eyes are then put out, he is bound in fetters, taken to Babylon and left in prison to die.
EZ 26:15-21 God says that Tyre will be destroyed and will never be found again. (Tyre is still inhabited.)
MT 1:16 Jacob was Joseph's father. LK 3:23 Heli was Joseph's father.
There were Nephilim (giants) before the flood and after the flood (even though they shouldn’t have survived). Gen 6:4, Gen 7:21, Num 13:33
CONTRADICTIONS IN IDEAS (again, I am listing only a few):
Gen 32:30, Exo 24:9-11, 33:11 Men see God and live. EX 33:20, JN 1:18 No one can see God and live.
1KI 8:12, 2CH 6:1, PS 18:11 God dwells in thick darkness. 1TI 6:16 God dwells in unapproachable light.
2CH 18:22, 2TH 2:11 God himself causes a lying spirit. PR 12:22 God abhors lying lips and delights in honesty.
Gen 7:1, Job 2:3 Noah and Job were righteous RO 3:10, 3:23, 1JN 1:8-10 No one is righteous
2KI 2:11 Elijah went up to heaven. JN 3:13 Only the Son of Man (Jesus) has ever ascended to heaven.
2KI 4:32-37 A dead child is raised (before Jesus). AC 26:23 Jesus was the first to rise from the dead.
PS 78:69, The earth was established forever. HE 1:10-11, 2PE 3:10 The earth will someday perish.
EX 34:7, NU 14:18, DT 5:9, IS 14:21-22 Children are to suffer for their parent's sins. DT 24:16, EZ 18:19-20 Children are not to suffer for their parent's sins.
DT 5:17, RO 13:9, JA 2:11 God prohibits killing. EX 32:27, DT 7:2, 13:15, 20:1-18 God orders killing.
EX 23:7 God prohibits the killing of the innocent.
NU 31:17-18, DT 7:2, JS 6:21-27, 7:19-26, 8:22-25, 10:20, 40, 11:8-15, 20, JG 11:30-39, 21:10-12, 1SA 15:3 God orders or approves the complete extermination of groups of people which include innocent women and/or children.
EX 20:14 God prohibits adultery. HO 1:2 God instructs Hosea to "take a wife of harlotry."
GE 17:7, 10-11 The covenant of circumcision is to be everlasting. GA 6:15 It is not needed anymore.
PS 104:15 God gives us wine to gladden the heart. RO 14:21 It is good to refrain from drinking wine.
TS 1:2 Num 23:19 God is truthful. Joh 8:44 The devil is the father of lies. 1KI 22:21-23 God condones a spirit of deception.
EX 34:6, DT 7:9-10, TS 1:2 God is faithful and truthful. He does not lie. 2TH 2:11-12 God deludes people, making them believe what is false, so as to be able to condemn them. EZ 14:9 A prophet who is deceived, is deceived by God himself.
EX 34:6-7, JS 24:19, 1CH 16:34 God is faithful, holy and good. IS 45:6-7, LA 3:8, AM 3:6 God is responsible for evil.
LE 3:17 God himself prohibits forever the eating of blood and fat. MT 15:11, CN 2:20-22 Jesus and Paul say that such rules don't matter--they are only human injunctions.
1CH 29:11-12, LK 1:37 God is all powerful. JG 1:19 Although God was with Judah, together they could not defeat the plainsmen because the latter had iron chariots. (What? God could not help them defeat because of some chariots?)
DT 24:1-5 divorce is allowed MK 10:2-12 divorce is not allowed In the old testament, it was ok to divorce. In the new it’s not. Which is good in the eyes of God? Both? Does “good” or “evil” depend on which time period the person lives in? Does “good” and “bad” in the eyes of God change with different times? Or perhaps this is a contradiction. Two different groups of people believed opposite things. Jews believed one thing. Christians believed the opposite. It’s like mixing the two different faiths together. It’s like adding apples and oranges. They do not mix.
EX 21:23-25, LE 24:20, DT 19:21 A life for a life, an eye for an eye, etc. MT 5:38-44, LK 6:27-29 Turn the other cheek. Love your enemies.
In the old testament it was ok to hate enemies (David sure does) and to kill enemies. In the new testament it’s prohibited. So since God does not change, ask yourself, in the eyes of God, which one is good and which one is not? To kill is not good? Then why did he say to do it in the law? How can the same thing be good and not good at the same time? Why does the time period matter as far as determining what is a good thing and what is an evil thing? I would say: these are contradictions in ideas. The same God could not have said that the opposite things are both good. It’s good to hate and to kill. And it’s not good to hate and to kill.
And that’s a problem with not only what’s “good” or “bad”. The same problem applies to what a “good” God should be and what a “bad” God should be. It’s interesting to note that the God of the old testament is pretty much the same as the “hate your enemies, kill your enemies” idea. That God is into killing his enemies and hating his enemies.
On the other hand, the God of the New Testament, is all forgiving and loves enemies, according to our new rules given to us in the new testament. And we are called to imitate God, in other words: to love even our enemies. In other words, God himself loves enemies and we are to imitate him in doing the same thing.
So does God love his enemies or hate his enemies? Does God forgive or is he into “payback” and vengeance?
God, who teaches us to control our anger and to forgive our enemies cannot control his own anger?
Some of the things that God did (as written in the old testament) are so cruel. If these were done by a person, we would consider that person cruel. But then why do we consider God loving when he did these same things? Does the fact that he is God give him the right to be cruel? Maybe. But then he should have admitted that he is cruel and that he wants everybody to worship him no matter what. But he didn’t admit that. He keeps claiming that he is perfect, just and good and forgiving and loving. Therefore, these ideas are contradictions.
These verses show the God of the old testament. And he is nothing like the God of the new testament.
God of the old testament:
GE 4:15, DT 32:19-27, IS 34:8 God is a vengeful god.
EX 20:5, 34:14, DT 4:24, 5:9, 6:15, 29:20, 32:21 God is a jealous god.
LE 26:7-8, NU 31:17-18, DT 20:16-17, JS 10:40, JG 14:19, EZ 9:5-7 The Spirit of God is (sometimes) murder and killing.
NU 25:3-4, DT 6:15, 9:7-8, 29:20, 32:21, PS 7:11, 78:49, JE 4:8, 17:4, 32:30-31, ZP 2:2 God is angry. His anger is sometimes fierce.
EZ 6:12, NA 1:2, 6 God is jealous and furious. He reserves wrath for, and takes revenge on, his enemies. "... who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and rocks are thrown down by him."
God of the new testament:
2CO 13:11, 14, 1JN 4:8, 16 God is love. 1Co 13:4 Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; 1Co 13:5 love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; 1Co 13:6 love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. 1Co 13:7 Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail. GA 5:22-23 The fruit of the Spirit of God is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
The two descriptions cannot be of the SAME God. The descriptions of a god were according to those people’s beliefs. Whatever Jews believed in their time, that’s how they described their god. Whatever Jews/Gentiles of 2000 years ago believed, that’s how THEY described their God.
So these were not God inspired writings about God Himself. These were people’s ideas about how God is or should be or could be. In other words, these are simply rumors about God.
2 different pictures: somebody who destroys enemies, rejoices at vengeance time, pays with evil for evil OR somebody who loves and forgives enemies and overcomes evil with good… Which one is God?
NU 25:9/ 1CO 10:8; NU 33:38 /DT 10:6; NU 33:41-42 / DT 10:6-7; DT 23:1/ IS 56:4-5; JG 4:21/JG 5:25-27;
DT 7:9-10 God destroys his enemies.
MT 5:39-49 Do not resist your enemies. Love them. Be perfect, like God.
PS 58:10-11 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees vengeance. PR 24:16-18 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls or stumbles.
MT 5:39-49 Love your enemies. Rom 12:21 Overcome evil with good.
THE GOD OF LOVE vs. creation of hell
So God is either love, or God is cruel (as described in the old testament.). Christians claim that it’s both. Although they don’t say cruel, they say “holy”. But it’s equivalent for all practical purposes. It’s a contradiction in character. If God is love, then he did not create hell. Creating an eternal place of torture for anybody, even for enemies, is not a characteristic of a God who is love itself. God-Love loves enemies. God-love would not create hell in the first place. Punishment for corrective action is different than destruction and eternal torture. God-love could not have prepared such a place for any lifeform. If he did, then he cannot possibly be God-Love. Mafia leaders love their own family members (as long as those are faithful to them), but they are pretty cruel to all others. And we don’t call them loving. We call them cruel. So a God who is loving towards the few that perhaps love him, but cruel to the majority, also cannot be considered: perfectly good and loving.
Let’s say that hell is not a created thing, but simply a pain of being separated from God. But in this case, why did God give men free will? Wouldn’t it be more merciful to force them to believe in him? Didn’t he know in advance that majority of the people would be in pain for the rest of eternity? Some – because they simply couldn’t believe in God. Others – because they never got to hear about Jesus. First of all, God could have made sure that ALL would hear about Jesus. And second, He didn’t have to give men free will if he knew very well how harmful it would be for them. Love does not seek its own. God-Love would not put his needs and desires above the people if he is love. If there was a place of torment (of any sort) he should have not created the people (for his pleasure) OR he should have made sure that ALL got saved. But he is not doing either.
So either he is NOT LOVE, OR there is no hell (either created or uncreated.) It cannot be both. It’s a contradiction of a character.
DIFFERENT TRANSLATIONS
Different translations sometimes give different meanings to the verses. Who is to say which meaning is the correct one? Who is to say that the translator was God-inspired? They say different things… They can’t all be God inspired.
Different denominations believe different things, although read the same Bible. Who is to say which one is the correct idea, correct interpretation of the verses? Nobody seems to know for sure… Or the opposite: all the different ones claim that THEY believe the truth. But it cannot be…
SECOND COMING
Christians are afraid to think that Apostles and Paul might have been wrong in something they said. So when Apostles and Paul said that they lived in the last days (because they believed that Jesus would come back in their lifetime), Christians decided that “last days” started 2000 years ago… instead of admitting that the disciples were plain wrong about the timing…
And in fact Jesus said: it is NOT given to you to know the times…. And yet disciples thought it was given to them to know, and continued telling people that “we live in the last days”… Christians should have realized that since Jesus said that it was NOT given to the disciples to know, that means they couldn’t have known… Instead of thinking that the apostles were perfect in their knowledge of the things of God…
People are still arguing about the timing of second coming because the verses in the Bible seem to be contradictory as to the timing. What a surprise….
THE LAW IS GOOD?
In these, RO 7:12, 1TI 1:8 Paul said: the law is good.
What? Which law? The one listed in the five books of Moses? The one that teaches to be cruel to people for different reasons? Cutting off the hand of a wife who was trying to save her husband but touching him inappropriately while doing that? What gratitude. It would be best for her not to bother saving him. Stoning their own children? People being excommunicated just because they were disabled in some ways or were illegitimately born? The women having to drink poison (to see if they are guilty or not) just because their husband doubts them… And so much more bad stuff. That is definitely NOT good. So I am not really sure what law Paul could have been referring to. I can’t believe that he would be indecent enough to think that THAT law was good. Perhaps they had different kinds of law books and they were not preserved until our days… Perhaps he was just referring to the 10 commandments…. But Jesus also mentioned that law hangs on “Love God and love your neighbor”. Since the one in five books of Moses does NOT hang on those, there must have been some different kind of law…?
HERE ARE SOME MORE ERRORS AND CONTRADICTIONS (NEW TESTAMENT)
MT 4:1-11, MK 1:12-13 JN 2:1-11Mar and Mat- Jesus met Andrew and Peter after John the Baptist was put in prison. Joh - John the Baptist pointed Jesus out to Andrew, and then Andrew has found Peter and told him.
MT 4:5-8/LK 4:5-9 first pinnacle then mountain/ first mountain, then pinnacle.
MT 5:1 - 7:29/LK 6:17-49 sermon on the mount/sermon on the plain
MT 8:5-12 The centurion comes himself LK 7:2-10 The centurion sends elders to get Jesus
MT 8:28-33 Two healed LK 8:26-36 One healed in the evil spirits and pigs incident.
MT 9:18/LK 8:42 the daughter is dead already / she is dying, but not dead yet
MT 10:10 Do not take sandals (shoes) or staves. MK 6:8-9 Take sandals (shoes) and staves.
MT 16:6, 11/MK 8:15 leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees / leaven of the Pharisees and Herod.
MT 20:20-21 The mother asks MK 10:35-37 They ask for themselves.
MT 20:29-34 two blind men MK 10:46-52 one blind man.
MT 21:1-17 triumphal entry, cleansing of the temple JN 12:1-18 Cleansing of the temple, triumphal entry
MT 21:12-13 The cleansing of the temple - end of Jesus' career.JN 2:13-16 It occurs near the beginning of his career.
MT 26:26-29, MK 14:22-25 The order was: bread, then wine. LK 22:17-20 It was: wine, then bread.
MT 26:52 Dispose of swords. All who take the sword will perish by it. LK 22:36-38 Buy swords.
MT 27:3-7 The chief priests bought the field. AC 1:16-19 Judas bought the field.
MT 27:5 Judas threw down the pieces of silver, then departed. AC 1:18 He used the coins to buy the field.
MT 27:5 Judas hanged himself. AC 1:18 He fell headlong, burst open, and his bowels gushed out.
MT 27:28 Jesus is given a scarlet robe (a sign of infamy). MK 15:17, JN 19:2 A purple robe (a sign of royalty) (if God inspired the writing, why did people wrote a different word for the same robe? Could it be because they were expressing their own opinion as to the color? Or perhaps they couldn’t remember well...)
MT 27:37 "This is Jesus the King of the Jews." JN 19:19 "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."
MT 27:44 Both taunt Jesus. LK 23:39-42 Only one taunts Jesus, and he is rebuked by the other for doing so.
MT 27:46-50, MK 15:34-37 Jesus' last recorded words are: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" – Why does Jesus sound surprised? Did something happen which he did not expect? Didn’t he know everything?
LK 23:46 right before dying: "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit." JN 19:30 right before dying: "It is finished."
MT 27:48, JN 19:29-30 Jesus was offered vinegar, he drank. MK 15:23 It was wine and myrrh, and he did not drink it.
MT 27:54 "Truly this was the son of God." LK 23:47 "Truly this man was innocent" (or "righteous").
MK 1:14 Jesus began his ministry after the arrest of John the Baptist. JN 3:22-24 Before the arrest of John the Baptist.
MK 6:16 Herod thought that John had been raised from the dead. LK 9:7 Herod was perplexed by the belief.
MK 6:53 Jesus and the disciples went to Gennesaret JN 6:17-25 They went to Capernaum.
LK 22:3-23 Satan entered Judas before the supper. JN 13:27 It was during the supper.
JN 5:31 if he bears witness to himself, his testimony is not true. JN 8:14 even if he bears witness to himself, his testimony is true.
JN 7:38 Jesus quotes a statement that he says appears in scripture (i.e., the OT).(No such statement is found in the OT.)
AC 9:7 Those present at Paul's conversion heard the voice but saw no one. AC 22:9 They saw a light but did not hear a voice.
AC 9:7 Those present at Paul's conversion stood. AC 26:14 They fell to the ground.
The stories about the tomb and resurrection are different in different gospels. The details do not quite fit. And the whole story sounds fishy.
MT 27:62-66 A guard was placed at the tomb (the day following the burial).
MK 15:42- 16:8, LK 23:50-56, JN 19:38-42 (No guard is mentioned. It is POSSIBLE that there was no guard)
MK 16:1-3, LK 24:1 (The women did not think that a guard would be a problem when they wanted to enter the tomb? Most likely the women did not expect there to be a guard. They seemed to be worried about the stone being there (and who would roll it away), but they weren’t worried that the guards won’t let them in?)
The first visitors to the tomb were:
MT 28:1 Magdalene and the other Mary (two).
MK 16:1 Magdalene and the other Mary plus Salome (three).
LK 23:55 - 24:1, 24:10 Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and "other women" (at least five).
JN 20:1 Mary Magdalene only (one).
MT 28:2 An angel arrived during an earthquake, rolled back the stone, then sat on it (outside the tomb).
MK 16:5 No earthquake, only one young man sitting inside the tomb.
LK 24:2-4 No earthquake. Two men suddenly appear standing inside the tomb.
JN 20:12 No earthquake. Two angels are sitting inside the tomb.
MT 28:8 The women ran to tell the disciples. MK 16:8 They said nothing to anyone.
JN 19:38-40 Joseph brought spices with him and annointed the body
LK 23:55-56 The women followed Joseph to the tomb, saw how the body had been laid, then went to prepare spices with which to anoint the body.
So in one place, Joseph brought the spices and anointed the body. In another, women went with Joseph. And in another, women decided to anoint the body. They should have noticed that he anointed the body, UNLESS those three stories were three different versions of the same incident, with a variation in details.
MK 16:1-2 The women came to the tomb to anoint the body.JN 19:39-40 The body had already been anointed and wrapped in linen cloth.
MT 28:9 On his first appearance to them, Jesus lets Mary Magdalene and the other Mary hold him by his feet.
JN 20:17 On his first appearance to Mary, Jesus forbids her to touch him since he has not yet ascended to the Father.
JN 20:27 A week later, although he has not yet ascended to the Father, Jesus tells Thomas to touch him.
Disciples doubted resurrection story. MK 16:11,14 LK 24:11 Why? Didn’t he tell them just before his death? Why did they have to “research from scriptures” to know and believe, as it says in John 20:9? “For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.” Perhaps he never told them? Perhaps they never expected that to happen? Perhaps it never even happened? And one has to LATER, after “researching the scripture”, fabricate this story…
The Gospel of Mark, in the original version, ended at 16:8 (and the rest of the text was added later). It ended where the body was not in the tomb. And a man in white robe told the women that Jesus was resurrected. Was that an angel? Or was that a regular man trying to create a story? Why did women went away terrified and didn’t tell anybody? Shouldn’t they have rejoiced? Or was that some scheme going on which terrified them? And Matthew and Luke tell the story differently. But they were supposedly based on Mark. So since the details were different, then they got their details from stories circulating at the time of their writing…and there were different versions of the story by then…
In John the story is quite different. First, Mary also thought that the body was stolen and was weeping. And the disciple also thought that the body was stolen and went home. But later, SUPPOSEDLY, Mary met Jesus later and found out what really happened.
But look at these fishy verses:
Joh 20:8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in; he saw and believed.
Joh 20:9 (They still did not understand the scripture which said that he must rise from death.)
Joh 20:10 Then the disciples went back home.
In verse 20:8, they didn’t yet know that he was resurrected as it states in verse 9. And yet the disciple believed. Believed what? They did not expect the resurrection (since all the disciples did not believe even if the women did tell them), and they didn’t meet the angels, so what did he believe? Or was this just an error in writing? He believed, but Mary continued weeping and thinking that the body was stolen? Verse 11 And then she saw both angels and Jesus, at about the same time? While in the other gospels it says that Mary was with the women and saw the angels right after entering the tomb (Mary did not get a chance to weep there or to wonder) …. Something really doesn’t add up here.
It’s either Mary came to the tomb alone, didn’t find Jesus’ body, then wept, then met Jesus and the angels, then told the disciples OR Mary came with the other women, they saw angels right away, and told the disciples. It cannot be both. So why different accounts? Because different people usually remember differently after the time passes. And since the source of the gospels were different people’s stories, the gospels have different versions of the stories circulating at that time. If the writings were God inspired, they wouldn’t have been different and contradictory.
Here are some more contradictions:
MT 10:2, 5-6 Peter - to be an apostle to the Jews and not go near the Gentiles. AC 15:7 He was an apostle to the Gentiles as well.
MK 3:29 Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is an unforgivable sin. AC 13:39, CN 2:13, 1JN 1:9 All sins are forgivable.
(Paul was a blasphemer and yet was forgiven 1Ti 1:13).
JN 1:1, 10:30 Jesus and God are one. JN 14:28 God is greater than Jesus.
AC 10:34, RO 2:11 God shows no partiality. He treats all alike. RO 9:11-13 God hated Esau and loved Jacob even before their birth.
AC 10:34, RO 2:11 God shows no partiality. He treats all alike. RO 9:18 God has mercy on whoever he chooses, etc.
1CO 7:8-9 Widows should not marry (although it is better to marry than burn). 1TI 5:14 Young widows should marry, bear children, rule the household, etc..
This group shows a contradiction in ideas:
MT 5:17-19, LK 16:17 Jesus underscores the permanence of the law.
LE 10:8 - 11:47, DT 14:3-21 The law distinguishes between clean and unclean foods.
MK 7:14-15, MK 7:18-19 Jesus says that there is no such distinction.
1TI 4:1-4 All foods are clean according to Paul.
MT 5:17-19, LK 16:17 Jesus did not come to abolish the law. EP 2:13-15, HE 7:18-19 Jesus did abolish the law.
MT 5:22 Anyone who calls another a fool is liable to Hell. MT 23:17-19 Jesus twice calls the Pharisees blind fools.
MT 6:13 God might lead us into temptation and it is better avoided. JA 1:2-3 Temptation is joy.
MT 6:13 Jesus' prayer implies that God might lead us into temptation. JA 1:13 God tempts no one.
1JN 4:1-2 Everyone who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. MK 1:23-24 A demon cries out that Jesus is the Holy One of God. (Does it mean that the demon is of God?)
The Belief is: The Holy Spirit cannot come into the world until after Jesus has departed. (JN 7:39, JN 16:7, AC 1:3-5)
BUT
LK 1:15 John the Baptist had the Holy Spirit from before his birth. LK 1:41 Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. LK 1:67 So did Zechariah. LK 2:25 So did Simeon.
(and all this was before Jesus went to heaven) Supposedly, we receive the Holy Spirit AFTER believing in Jesus. Eph 1:13 So how did THEY get it before they knew of Jesus?
This prophesy did not come true: " Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place." — Matthew 24:34 (this was written by the writer of Matthew because the people of those times, per Apostles, believed that they lived in the last days. They fully expected the second coming to be in their days.)
CHRISTIANS DON’T FOLLOW THEIR TEACHINGS
The new testament teaches to love. Jesus taught to turn the other cheek and to love enemies. And Christians are mostly famous for judging, which is in opposition to loving. Christians are famous for hurting and abusing each other spiritually and verbally because of their harsh standards, rules and the desires to have everybody conform to their ideas of living. There are always exceptions of course, there are some very nice people among Christians. But then, there are also some very nice people among the non-Christians. So it turns out that Christianity does NOT make people nice NECESSARILY. Some people in the world are just nice and some are not. MOST Christians do not change long term. That’s why there is such a high rate of “falling away” and “failure in behavior” among Christians. If simply believing in Jesus WAS the power to change, then ALL believers would change. But it turns out that only SOME are changed. But then, SOME people of the world get changed through different experiences too. Not only Christians become better. The rest of the people in the world (some of them) become better as well. It’s a matter of conviction in their heart. Not only conviction of believing in Jesus, but conviction of simply believing in being a good person.
THE BIBLE DOES NOT HAVE MODERN SCIENTIFIC FACTS
Christians teach that God inspired the old testament writings to write the truth about life even though there was no proof for it at the same, which would prove that God supernaturally revealed the truth to them. So Christians believe that the old testament writes about the spherical earth. But if you look closely, the earth is mentioned as being flat, not spherical. And the interesting thing is that the Sumer people who existed before Jews, also believed that that the earth was flat (with a dome like sky). So if Jews were raised among that culture, no wonder they believed in the flat earth (being like a tent). Sumer people also believed that gods reside above the circle of the earth. And Jews believed that God resides above the circle of the earth. So two things: both believed that the earth was flat with a dome like sky (tent like earth) and that god or gods reside above the earth. No wonder they believed that they could reach God if they build the tower of Babel high enough to reach into the skies.
Isa 40:22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth…He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. (Prov. 8:26-27) “[God] walks on the dome of heaven.” — Job 22:14
So the old testament writes about people’s beliefs of their time, not God’s revelations. And how did the people know that the sky is like a dome (instead of flat?) Well, because the sun is going up and down….so it must be like a dome. All these are reasonable assumptions if there are no facts to prove otherwise. And that’s what they believed them UNTIL scientists have discovered something different.
Did Noah’s ark happen?
There is no geological evidence for a world wide flood. Maybe there was a local flood…
Miracles:
The animals must have flown over the water in order to get into the ark (some species are only contained on one island)
The animals and insects must have been given a magic pill in order not to EAT each other….
The ark must have been magical in order to fit all the animals into the ark… (there are so many different species exist now which could not have evolved in only 5000 years, so either they were all in the ark OR something different happened)
The plant life…did Noah magically get all the seeds for all the plant life we have now?
The water level – only by a miracle so much water could have come to earth
Interesting, how everything was done by magic. Except Noah had to build the ark manually, for a 100 years. It would have taken God only a second to give him the ark magically. Also, why did God have to perform so many miracles to send flood over the people when He could have just wiped out the people with one word?
Did creation happen as described in Genesis?
The story of creation tells us that plants were created before the sun was. And now we know that plants cannot live without the sun. So that couldn’t be true. And also creation story tells us that it took about 4 days to create one little planet earth, but it took only 1 day to create millions of other galaxies. (For when it says that God has hanged the stars on our sky, we know that those were not hanged on our sky. We know that the stars we see are millions of other galaxies and suns). So in one day, He created all those. While in 3 other days, He has been working on the details of 1 little tiny planet earth?
Tower of Babel?
That’s the story where God has mixed the languages so that the people won’t become too smart and reach him (build a tower high enough to reach him). This is ridiculous, is it not? Could people really build a tower that high? Could they reach God? We traveled to the moon and still did not run into God….. Only a primitive person could think of such a thing as being a possibility. But on the other hand, maybe this was a work of fiction and the person did not even intend for it to be told as the truth in the first place? (Also, since they believed that the god or gods reside above the circle of the earth, perhaps they thought it was possible to reach him if only they built a tower high enough… But I think this story was not meant to be the truth when it was written). We now have many legends/fairytales that write in this style of writing. They would say: this and this happened, and from then on this kept happening this way forevermore. For example, somebody would try to describe where the rainbows come from and would write a story: this and this happened, and so from now on there is a rainbow…. There are lots and lots of stories like that. And we consider them all fairytales. For for some reason, the Jewish folklore we consider as “the holy words of God, the truth”.
Take a close look at the story of Samson and Delilah in the Old Testament. You will see that it resembles the style of fairytale writing. It resembles a fairy tale like about a Superman or a Hercules or some other hero. All the things that happened to Samson: they often happen in fairytales, but usually don’t in real life. And the fact that Samson was not aware of Delilah’s treachery after the very first time, makes him either the dumbest man alive, or it’s a fairytale (because for some reason people do act really dumb in fairytales).
What if somebody put a bunch of ancient books in front of me (without titles or descriptions) and said: choose what is history and what is fiction. How would I know whether this happened in someone’s imagination or really happened? So I assume that Jews also didn’t know which of their ancient books were fairytales and which were historic. But maybe they knew and called it “literature”. But then Christianity came along and called everything “God’s holy words”.
BOOKS OF MOSES - It has description of events which happened after the death of Moses. Obviously Moses did not write those parts. But as far as the other parts: did he really call himself a most humble person? Or did somebody else wrote that ABOUT Moses? And why did he keep referring to himself as “Moses did this or that” instead of “I did this or that”. It seems much more likely that Moses was not the actual writer of the books attributed to Moses.
THERE IS SOMEBODY OUT THERE, BUT THEY COMMUNICATE WITH ALL, NOT JUST CHRISTIANS
Some Christians would say: “But in spite of all of the above, I know that God does talk to us. I’ve seen miracles and his help and answers to prayers.” This fact, “that God is involved in their life” makes them think that Christianity is the truth. But “God” in fact, is involved in all the people’s lives, in all kinds of religions and even non-religious people. The fact is (as I see it) there is Somebody out there, “on the other side” who communicates with us and is involved with us. It’s not the God of the Bible. It’s not the God of any other religion. It’s just SOMEBODY. And the only way to get to know that somebody is through establishing a direct communication with them.
“God” or “whoever they are”, sometimes present themselves through people’s religions. For example, The Beings from the other side would present themselves/himself as “Jesus” to Christians and as somebody else to the people from other religions. Religions are like rumors about “somebody out there”. Nobody really knows the truth exactly, but many have glimpses of some sort of the truth about the reality. But nobody knows for sure, not clearly. From observation, I’ve come to believe that the Beings want it to be that way: it’s supposed to be a secret to some degree. I guess their goal is NOT people finding out the truth. Their goal for the people is something else. But everybody has to find out for themselves. Each person has their own path they have to travel, their own “mission” that they have to fulfill.
The Beings did not make religions. The people did. But the Beings want to establish communication with the people, and so sometimes they have to do it through people’s religions or beliefs. The Beings communicate with many people. Some people think that they are speaking to Jesus. I thought so too. But then the Beings have opened my eyes to the fact that Christianity did not get it right as far as their belief about them. So it wasn’t actually Jesus of Christianity that I was talking to. It was somebody else. But they presented themselves as “Jesus” to me at first because they knew that I would not believe/accept anything else. Christians especially, are warned against believing evil spirits. So if somebody came to me and told me that they were NOT Jesus, I would assume they were the evil spirits… So they had to be “Jesus” for me for a while. And after they have taught me many things and after my eyes were opened, only then were they able to tell me that there is no such thing as “Jesus the God” of Christian belief.
They told me that Jesus was a man (like us). They said that there is no atonement. They said that there is no hell. They said that the Bible has many tales that have basis in fact, but much was added by man. They said that there is no God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, but there are infinitely many spirits. (or at least that’s what we would call them here). Maybe they are what we call “angels” or maybe they are something else… All I know is that they are there and they talk to us…. They said that they are loving, which is a nice thing. And they said that there is such a thing as a “happy eternity” or what we call “paradise or heaven” idea. It’s not as we picture it I am sure. But it’s a future, and it’s a happy one.
HOW RELIGIONS ARE BORN
Religions are born through conflation (merging, joining) of different ideas. Think for a second about how new foods are made: start with the same recipe, but change one ingredient, and it may taste different. Then some (not all) of the old ingredients are taken out and others are added, and a new dish is born. It’s the same with everything else in our lives: fashion, styles of living, thinking, beliefs, religions…
So for example, some group of people believed something about life. Then maybe the Beings talked to somebody, and gave them an idea. And that idea was added to the mix of beliefs. But not all the people of that group believed it. So they separated into two groups. And later into three groups (as people reinterpreted the ideas). But the original new idea wasn’t understood correctly in the first place. So a religion was born, which had no truth in it really, but maybe a hint of something possibly true…
When people hear and believe new ideas, sometimes they filter them through what they already believe, and so the new ideas LOOK like something from their religion partly. Sometimes they believe the new idea AND still believe some of the old ideas. So the “new religion” is a mixture of old and new ideas. And some people reinterpret the ideas of this mixture and a variation of it is born. And it goes on like that forever…. And it expands…and that’s why there are so many variations of Christianity and so many denominations in it…. And that’s also why Muslim religion has something in common with Judaism and Christianity (because it was born out of the mixture of the two). Muslim’s God is the same as the God of Judaism (of the Old Testament.) AND Muslim’s religion has also hell idea, as Christianity does (Judaism did not have the hell idea). So Muslim religion has a harsh God from Judaism and hell idea from Christianity. Judaism at least did not believe in hell. So their people did not have to be so scared of the future as much. Christians have softened up their God by adding a “loving” side to him, the side in which he sent his son to save them. But Muslim religion does not have a soft side of God AND has hell…. These people live in fear much more than any other people under any other religion…
I found it interesting that in Sumer people’s religious texts (the seven tablets of creation) there were a few ideas/statements that were found in the old testament. I read that the Sumer people (who existed before Jews) had a book similar to the old testament book of “lamentations of Jeremiah”. I was surprised to find out that their ideas about the earth (that it was flat) and the fact that the god/gods live above the earth are the same as Jews’. I was surprised when I read the book: “the sixteen saviors of the world” that some other religions already had the ideas of sin and Saviors and dying for sin. I thought this idea was born in Christianity, but it turns out that it was not. I was surprised to find out that virgin birth idea did not originate in Christianity, but was adapted by Christianity later (because some other religions already had that idea in them). I was surprised to find out that in Indian people’s beliefs (Hinduism) there was Krishna who is considered similar to Christ. He also did miracles and taught the people great things. He is considered by Indians the manifestation of second person of God. In this, Hinduism is similar to Christianity. Krishna had a goddess girlfriend/lover. And there is a poem about their love. And the idea is similar to the Song of Songs idea: the Jesus Christ God, is the lover of the Church (who is supposed to be one with Christ, which would make her equal in his status, like a goddess).
HOW DID CHRISTIANITY COME TO BE?
So assuming that people did not on purpose make up a religion, assuming that it was born naturally, how was Christianity born? Perhaps it was this way.
Under Judaism, there was born a Jew, Jesus of Nazareth. And he either reinterpreted the ideas of Judaism (like Martin Luther reinterpreted the ideas of Catholicism and brought Protestantism) OR the Beings were in communication with him and taught him the new ideas. I think that either one is a possibility. So he was a revolutionary and preached to the people. The people were illiterate so his words were not written down. Some years later, somebody decided to write things down and asked the people to remember what Jesus has been teaching. Some perhaps remembered some of it, others probably remembered incorrectly. And besides, the oral traditions were going from person to person and beliefs were being born in the meantime. So by the time the gospels were written, people already had their beliefs… And so when asked about what Jesus has taught, they were remembering and reinterpreting through their beliefs. So it’s really hard to say which things Jesus of Nazareth really did say and which came from the people themselves, filtered through their new religion.
Since Jesus was a revolutionary, he wasn’t liked by the authorities: he disrupted their way of life. And so they crucified him. He was a martyr.
Since Jews believed in sacrifices, some time later an idea was born that perhaps Jesus was the sacrifice. Greeks of their time (the culture in which Jews lived) believed in an afterlife and in hell. So Jews, being raised in these beliefs, PLUS their Judaistic beliefs, must have embraced BOTH partially. And BOTH of these beliefs came with them when Christianity was being formed. These people who already believed in these things, have also heard some new things, some things perhaps from what Jesus preached… and a new mixture of beliefs was born. And later the mixture kept changing and changing and growing…. Usually stories about heroes grow. And somehow, Jesus became a God.
But the “Savior” and “sin” ideas did NOT originate in Christianity. SOME people (cultures/religions) have already believed those. And since Jews lived among those people, they must have believed some of those ideas. And besides, Jews did expect a Savior of sorts, a Messiah to come… So the “Savior, sin, sacrifice, Messiah” ideas came together and a group of Jews has separated from Judaism and embraced these new ideas and attached them to Jesus of Nazareth.
And so Christianity was born. “Jesus Christ, the Son of God” of Christian religion was born. But not born physically. But born through merging of ideas, born in people’s imaginations and beliefs.
There was Gnosticism in those days. It was a group of people who believed in receiving secret messages from God. And perhaps to SOME of the people, the Beings did give some messages. But as usual, they got misunderstood partially. And by the time the ideas were passed on from people to people, the ideas went farther and farther away from the truth. In Gnosticism, people believed that the knowledge of things, the secret knowledge, saves a soul. (more like takes it to the higher level or something, not saves from hell).
There must have been people who believed in Gnosticism, but ALSO believed in Jesus the Son of God. So BOTH of these ideas mixed together brought a variation of Christianity. And I believe that this variation is partially responsible for the fact that Christians believe that the knowledge of Jesus’ death on the cross saves a soul. In other words, you have to believe in Jesus’ death on the cross. You have to KNOW about it in order to be saved. So the “knowledge” factor of Gnosticism and the “dying for sins” factor of some form of Christianity came together to form: “knowledge of dying for sins saves a soul from hell”.
Christianity was never unanimous in its beliefs. Different Christians believed different things. King Constantin wanted to make Christianity a religion of the state, but couldn’t, because different Christians believed different things. So he made the leaders of different movements to get together and come up with one unified form of Christianity. And so the Catholic Church was born. It forced its beliefs on others through violence. It seems that forcing people to believe in the same thing was the only way to keep people believing in the same thing. But life never stays the same. It’s subjected to the order of change. And so people came from this group who rebelled and brought new teachings to the light. And as we see now, Christianity continues to be very wide in the range of its beliefs. People simply cannot come to the same conclusions while reading the same Bible. And why is that? Because the Bible and Christianity was born through the natural process of changes. And as such, it’s full of contradictions and people are having a difficult time embracing ALL of its contradictory aspects. So they settle on accepting some aspects and discarding the others. (while denying to themselves that they have actually discarded something).
So, since Christianity cannot be the truth because of all the contradictions in their beliefs and the fact that the Bible itself has so many errors, there is no need to be afraid of eternal damnation or hell or being punished by God. The things described by Christianity are not true. There IS something “on the other side”. But we will have to find out what it is ourselves by direct contact with the Beings. The Beings led me to believe that I am deeply and unconditionally loved and that a beautiful future awaits me “on the other side”. I am very happy about that. I am happy that I don’t have to live in guilt of constant sinning, and in fear of hell. And I am happy that I still have somebody to depend on, somebody who would give me a future, somebody who loves me. I am happy that the Somebody is loving, instead of being harsh as described in the books of the old testament. Life is covered in mystery. There are many more questions than answers. But it’s been said: “seek, and you shall find”. Eventually, we will find out…
Life is hard to understand. There is so much information out there. Much of it is very contradictory. It becomes extremely frustrating when one is trying to find out the truth, to sift through all the confusion. So some people have given up on their search and just decided not to believe anything at all. And others didn’t make any decisions, they are simply are not capable of believing without factual evidence. These people consider themselves superior to those who believe. But I think that we are all in the same boat: we all believe something that’s not true, and don’t believe something that is true. Therefore, we should stop being condescending in our attitudes towards the people that are different from us. We should realize that until we know the truth ourselves, for sure, we cannot point fingers at others. Because we can never know which one of us is going to end up being right at the end….
A book (I’ve been told) shows how the rituals and traditions and beliefs of Christianity were also in the pagan religions before Christ… “The Ancient Mysteries: A Sourcebook of Sacred Texts”
Also about this (comparison) on this website:
http://www.pocm.info/pagan_ideas_miracles.html#wine
edit.