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General Category => General Talk => Topic started by: The Mike on October 22, 2007, 04:09:29 am

Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: The Mike on October 22, 2007, 04:09:29 am
So recently I published a couple of blogs (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=206440307) that brought a bit of attention to my myspace.  As a result I received a lot of hilarious hate mail and an invitation from a 61-year-old lady to participate in a series of debates concerning the Bible and Christianity.

The Cruelty and Violence series is obviously biased, and I never really had any intent for it not to be.  It's just a funny interpretation of certain selections of scripture.  Some of it is serious, and it has caught the attention of some pretty crazy religious people and a few more atheists.  One lady says she's gonna fast for seven days and spend the rest of her time this week in a prayer closet in the hopes of interceding and ultimately saving my soul so that I get to go to Heaven when the world ends next week.

Either way, the debate that this lady has invited me to is going to be a departure from Cruelty and Violence.  I'd like to have a serious, objective analysis of Christianity and the Bible.  I don't want it to turn into a huge flame war.  I'm willing to make valid arguments and not write every reply with the intent of offending people.  The only problem is, well, which aspects of the Bible and/or Christianity are good for debate?

At times GW seems to be a hotbed for religious/political debate.  For those of you who participate in those, which topics did you enjoy discussing the most?  The Bible is a very broad topic, and I'd like some specific examples of sections that make for a good debate and analysis. 

(keep in mind i'm not asking you guys to turn this topic into a debate/flame war...i'm asking for TOPICS, not ARGUMENTS)

Discuss.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Doktormartini on October 22, 2007, 04:15:23 am
Bring up a shit load of the contradictions (no doubt she, as most Christians do, try to make up excuses as to why they are there).  Bring up the Documentary Hypothesis theory.  Bring up facts like how Paul never met/doesn't know anything about Jesus except for the death and ressurection so you can't trust him.
Also, ask her why the Myspace Daily Bible verse never shows any of the versus containing bad things like killing, incest...stuff like that.

I could go on...

On a somewhat related note, I messaged this random chick cause she was vegetarian and her profile said she loved animals I'm like, "Hey that's cool I do also!"  Then she messaged me back basically saying Christ is the truth and tried to convert me.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: missingno on October 22, 2007, 04:16:30 am
sorry sport i can't read the page you have background music on it.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: The Mike on October 22, 2007, 04:20:48 am
On a somewhat related note, I messaged this random chick cause she was vegetarian and her profile said she loved animals I'm like, "Hey that's cool I do also!"  Then she messaged me back basically saying Christ is the truth and tried to convert me.

Yeah, I hate it when that shit happens.  I've got three different Christians on my back right now who are trying to get me to jump on the bandwagon.  It makes for semi-relevant discussion, but it's mostly just annoying.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Ayolark on October 22, 2007, 05:00:35 am
Well, here are a few topics: Who Created God?
 Creationism v. Evolution
moral subjectivity v. sin
the idea of free will and an omniscient God
 reconciling monotheism with the Trinity
 child discipline: Biblical vs. behavioral perspectives
 nature of the soul and of Heaven (i.e. what do you get as rewards in Heaven, and why do many claim that the rewards are physical in nature)
 infinte punishment for finite sin
 how Satan can rival God's power
 the role of Christianity in legislation today
 indoctrination of children in religion
 concepts of physical demons and the Devil (exorcisms used on the mentally ill....)
 religion v. science (recently learned that some Christians actually are religiously opposed to vaccinations!)
"miracles" (whether miracles are actual divine intervention, or simply improbable occurences misattributed to a god)
God of the gaps (why we use God to explain the unknown)
No historical Jesus
Relationship between the divine and the hallucinogenic
Justifying unfairness and death with an afterlife (and how this devalues life)
God in the image of man (and how this affects treatment of animals)
Misogyny in the Bible; Homophobia, Racism, and Crusades justified by the Bible
How claiming a True Faith affects treatment of others and justifies ignorance
Key to salvation: faith or virtue?
And, of course, killing in the name of God.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Dark Angel on October 22, 2007, 05:01:43 am
Give them this link and walk away victorius. http://www.exitmundi.nl/bible/

I am dead serious.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: ImmortalDreamer on October 22, 2007, 05:18:53 am
Completely off topic here, but lol at the "heathen punkbag" thing.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: The Mike on October 22, 2007, 05:25:43 am
Ayolark, I think you just singlehandedly solved the problem.  That's enough to keep me up to my eyesockets in debate until, well, Jesus returns. 
Completely off topic here, but lol at the "heathen punkbag" thing.
Yes, that was the highlight of my hatemail. 
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: crone_lover720 on October 22, 2007, 05:26:04 am
you better start studying the bible (http://tomatoland.org/index.php/THE_BIBBLE)

and if you're actually going to do this, you've got to do it for the comedy factor. I don't know who these people are or anything, but they've probably worked out all their arguments already and just want to defeat you. so it pretty much depends on how good you are at being a troll?

I'm just saying this because you probably can't beat them. not because THEY'RE RIGHT but because they more than likely live in this shit and they're good at winning just by destroying the other side's argument and making them look stupid (like what we do here at GW)
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Ayolark on October 22, 2007, 05:53:08 am
You probably can beat them if (unlike me) you don't get dizzied by Bible verses, and you look up a few of the more basic arguments.  Aside from that, all you need to do is have a basic understanding of logic, arm yourself with a few counterarguments and counterexamples to the more popular gems (like the legendary Pascal's Wager....) and you'll be fine.  (You could go here: http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/;_ylt=AqxpwmrMbONDnhEgt3PVipvd7BR.;_ylv=3?link=list&sid=396545163.  It's basically a question and answer format battleground between Atheists and Christians, with the occassional reference to Muslims, Pagans, and Jews.  Though it may be hard to get any good info....)

Also, I have to say,  "The end is nigh, sinner!  I saw it in a dream because I'm a lol prophet!" is the best response to one of those crazies I have ever heard! (or, rather, seen...).  Anyway, I love your site (might bookmark it for further reading), and hope that you delicately tear those religious ladies a new one!  (Beware though...old ladies can be vicious...I don't need to go through Catholic school to know that!)
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Feldschlacht IV on October 22, 2007, 05:58:36 am
No one's going to 'win' this either way. The debate between religion and secularism has been raging for hundreds of years, and neither will some kid on the internet, nor will some old lady on the Internet solve any cosmic questions anytime soon. I'm not saying you shouldn't debate, everyone learns from a good debate, but just letting you know, don't have any delusions of grandeur of tearing down Christianity.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: crone_lover720 on October 22, 2007, 06:09:30 am
uh man, they spend their LIVES looking at this stuff. The Mike can't look at this shit over a couple of days and just develop PERFECT VIEW ON GOD and wipe the floor with them. it's not going to happen!

and just looking at the arguments you've listed, a lot of them don't really have any perfect answers. people are scholars of stuff like this! there's a world of history and philosophy behind this stuff that has been going on for centuries, and saying that he's gonna be able to walk in there and defeat them is unrealistic.

like, he could choose maybe a select few points and try to make them, but who's to say that they'll actually, you know, disagree? especially if they're pretty simple points to be making, which will more than likely be the case

depending on how good The Mike is at trolling this could potentially be kind of funny but pretty boring otherwise

edit: responding to ayolark btw
edit: I argued with the author of Darwin's Black Box lmao fuck myself :(
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: The Mike on October 22, 2007, 06:32:34 am
Well, this isn't some sort of grand dragon quest to defeat Christianity and wipe it from existence.  A lot of people who subscribe to widely held ideas simply will not change their minds no matter how well your present your opinion, and I'm well aware of that.

I'm mostly doing this because people seem to get a kick out of reading my posts and the ridiculous responses some people come up with.  There is a definite comedic value to it.  However, it's also a way for me to sharpen my teeth on some real world issues and provoke intelligent discussion rather than using my blog for "well, went to the doc today and found out i got butt cancer zomfg". 

Rather than disprove the Christians, I'd like to set an example for people who want to debate the issue.  I'd like me and this old lady to be one of the few who prove that controversial topics can be discussed rationally without having to resort to flaming.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Roman on October 22, 2007, 06:41:44 am
Give them this link and walk away victorius. http://www.exitmundi.nl/bible/

I am dead serious.

wow dude this site is really interesting!  good call
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Feldschlacht IV on October 22, 2007, 06:41:52 am
Well, this isn't some sort of grand dragon quest to defeat Christianity and wipe it from existence.  A lot of people who subscribe to widely held ideas simply will not change their minds no matter how well your present your opinion, and I'm well aware of that.

It's not as simple as "Oh, you stubborn, stupid Christians!" Believe it or not, there are some aspects of Christianity that just have no concrete logical counterargument for it. I know you've already addressed the other points I brought up, so I wish you the best and I hope both parties learn something.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Farren on October 22, 2007, 07:16:19 am
On a somewhat related note, I messaged this random chick cause she was vegetarian and her profile said she loved animals I'm like, "Hey that's cool I do also!"  Then she messaged me back basically saying Christ is the truth and tried to convert me.

I don't know what makes her seem more unstable, being a h4rdc0re christian that randomly tries to convert myspace peoples or being a vegitarian.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: The Mike on October 22, 2007, 07:19:41 am
I don't know what makes her seem more unstable, being a h4rdc0re christian that randomly tries to convert myspace peoples or being a vegitarian.

Either way, she's prolly not the type to bring home to mommy.

As annoying as it can be at times, I actually do get some degree of amusement out of people who use myspace as a means to convert people.  The whole "I am a prophet, I can see into your wounded soul" thing made me lol many times. 

I have to confess that after I posted Cruelty and Violence:  The Old Testament, I went around and joined 7 or 8 Christian blog groups and invited all of their members to my blog just to see what sort of hilarity I could provoke.  Needless to say, it worked. 
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Dark Angel on October 22, 2007, 08:32:20 am
wow dude this site is really interesting!  good call

Yeah, I think it is great. I never knew that the bible actually stole it's stories from religions that were thousands of years older than it until I read that site. That website reminds me of the ormon episode on South Park "Wait, you guys know this story and still believe it?"  :fogetmmh:
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: datamanc3r on October 22, 2007, 08:47:12 am
...Is this the woman who claimed to be a prophet?

And you want to try to have a civil debate with her?

EDIT: I wish that site had its sources readily available. If you want to refute something, you can't just blindly agree with the counterargument. You'll have then subject yourself to the same mindset of the crazed christian and perpetuate another thousand-years worth of useless arguments -- ill-grounded.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Dark Angel on October 22, 2007, 08:51:33 am
What do you mean by "readily available"? They DO cite their references and sources.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on October 22, 2007, 09:04:38 am
that site is fairly ridiculous

read the bible, quickly. just skim over the new testament or something, or better yet download an audio bible (they're great!) and speed it up so you can listen quickly.

then when you've got a good handle on what the bible says christianity is all about, see if what she's saying lines up with scripture, and if it doesn't: point it out.

this is perhaps the only way to battle with a christian, though it assumes what they're saying won't line up
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on October 22, 2007, 09:26:03 am
Quote
Even Moses isn’t safe for the wrath of God. In Exodus 4:24, we read how “the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him”, for no apparent reason. Zipporah manages to appease God by circumcising her son and touching Moses’ ‘feet’ with it (scholars point out that ‘feet’ are a eufemism for ‘genitals’).

this site is really ridiculous. why was God apeased by a circumcision? god was going to kill moses because he hadn't circumcised his sons. he's kinda a stickler for obedience. also there's a fair few spelling mistakes and a lot of the science is outdated

ahahaha, did you know Jesus wasn't born on the 25th of December??

that website would work well for face to face stuff but when you have a little time to think about it, or even to look it up yourself you can find it's pretty far-out. i would not recommend it for a myspace debate!

then again a 61 year old might not know about google? (how old is larry king?)
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Frankie on October 22, 2007, 10:03:47 am
Uh yeah, don't just link to that site in the debate. Don't link to ANY site actually, that would be lame.

I mean seriously, when YOU are in a debate, do you like it when someone just goes LOL READ THIS instead of actually responding to what you're saying?

Also, naturally you cant even hope to "win" this debate. I mean, they don't just believe strongly in god, they also WANT to believe (lol pascal's wager). It is impossible to convince someone who doesn't honestly want to be convinced in the first place.

Well its probably possible, but like, you'd need to be a MASTER OF PSYCHOLOGY AND OF CONVINCING, have a charisma score of at least 18 and be at least talking to them face-to-face so that they cant just look away and leave ,and so that you can use your tone of voice, gestures etc to make your discourse more convincing, rather than its content alone.

Content alone is enough to convince someone who is already contemplating the possibility that you might be right in the first place, but not someone who is arguing against you with zeal and a possibly condescending feeling of moral and spiritual superiority.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: kentona on October 22, 2007, 11:50:19 am
Ask why Jesus supported slavery.

http://atheism.about.com/library/weekly/aa112598.htm

(yea, it was written by an atheist.  so what?)
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Vellfire on October 22, 2007, 12:07:55 pm
Just send her a picture of a huge penis and don't say anything.  You're fooling yourself if you think this debate would do anything at all.  The fact is, these people never, ever change their minds, no matter what argument you give, so it's pretty damn useless.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: dom on October 22, 2007, 12:09:20 pm
Goddamn those Christians trying to convert people to Christianity, they're interrupting me converting people to atheism! Graaaaaaaaah!!!!!!
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on October 22, 2007, 02:31:26 pm
yeah, seriously. she's 61 years old dude why are you trying to ARGUE with her. just let it go!
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: LORd on October 22, 2007, 02:56:31 pm
Well it's not like The Mike wants to SHOW HER UP SO BAD, he just thought that it would be a good (and amusing) exercise at civil e-debate, since the opposition is - after all - 61 years old and serious enough about it to issue him an e-challenge. It's a pretty unique chance and it looks like he just thought he'd try it!

But uhh as regards to debate topics I can't really say anything since I prefer ad lib. Perhaps you should try it too?
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Hundley on October 22, 2007, 03:16:09 pm
THREAD DOES NOT DELIVER


certainly not as cool as when i went to the myspace of the woman who was defending her husband after he tried to microwave their baby and asked for ADVICE ON HOW TO PROPERLY MICROWAVE BABY


she's 61 years old dude why are you trying to ARGUE with her. just let it go!
hahahhaha how dare you say this you fucking guy!! you would argue with a tree stump if it could kinda put together sentences
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on October 22, 2007, 03:22:38 pm
no man i cut it off at people that might have heart attacks.

unless they are morbidly obese.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: The Mike on October 22, 2007, 03:53:21 pm
yeah, seriously. she's 61 years old dude why are you trying to ARGUE with her. just let it go!
Um, she's asking me to.  I had no idea who she was until she messaged me and was all like "hay let's do internets debate"
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: alucard on October 22, 2007, 07:36:03 pm
step 1: kill yourself
step 2: find out truth
step 3: come back as ghost and epic jone old woman

great success.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Mama Luigi on October 22, 2007, 07:55:55 pm
Haha, I really hope this turns into something awesome. Just keep us posted through your blog or whatever the hell it is and make sure to include your remarks!
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: The Mike on October 22, 2007, 08:51:06 pm
Ayolark, I messaged her back with some of your topics and some of my own.  I'll drop in and let everyone know which topic we've decided upon when she gets back to me.

As a sidenote, I published Cruelty and Violence:  Jesus Christ (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=206440307&blogID=321410911&Mytoken=6B4E3A1B-A207-4907-93A5C9320CEC1C3D1887345") today.  It's quite possibly the most offensive CaV yet, so I'll let you guys know if I get any more ridiculous emails from pissed-off Christian folk.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on October 22, 2007, 08:54:00 pm
Um, she's asking me to.  I had no idea who she was until she messaged me and was all like "hay let's do internets debate"

oh what, I misread. I thought it was just some comments on a blog.

in which case good luck she's going to roll out all the standard arguments so just prep for those?
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: baseball19225 on October 22, 2007, 11:02:38 pm
you better start studying the bible (http://tomatoland.org/index.php/THE_BIBBLE)
haha awesome i made that one
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: KK4 on October 23, 2007, 12:06:28 am
Just be glad you are dealing with modern pussy jesus and not bad ass medieval Jesus. I've been taking a course on early English literature and I gotta tell you, their Jesus kicks so much fucking ass that they've just about won me over. I think I may enter the priesthood.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on October 23, 2007, 12:23:56 am
For millions of years people have been worshiping Jesus Christ as the son of god. But is this really the case???
Here are my finding and I hope to be emprical about this. Jesus christ once spat in the eye of some dude with eye problem. Does that sound very perfect to you??? I don't know about you, but if someone was called perfect and he spat in my face i would think twice about leaping without looking when that person told me to!!

Was jesus god?
here is a fact about god (according the the myth: the holy bible): god doesn't die. but hang on a moment if jesus and god are one in the same how did jesus die?? also the ressurection never happened because that's impossible so i don;t need to consider this aspect of the legend of jesus.

jesus is a saviour
saviour of what exactly? ? how can he say we have sin (doing something people don't like/being bad) when jesus SPITS IN EYES. God kills a bunch of people in the old testament and in the new testament as well. he once killed a guy because he sold his farm and DIDn'T GIVE EVERY CENT OF IT TO THE DISCIPLES!!!! (this is why he was killed it was for money and not for lying to the holy spirit (phhhf what is that meant to be, casper??))
how can jesus save us from being bad when he himself does really bad things?!? he once went into a church and turned tables over and stuff that is pretty darn bad.

on top of some of this stuff he was also really intolerant. he went into a church and turned tables over JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE money CHANGERS?? he had a problem with money changers etc. also huge racist: always refers to the Jews and the Gentiles rather than "people" how intolerant is this? in the old testament he destorys soddom and gommorah for being GAY. JUST FOR BEING GAY.

this is one of the many contradictions of the bible it says that god is good but he doesn't support homosexuals, is anti-semetic probably, and other stuff that is pretty bad.

please feel free to leave commens.

READ THE BIBLE EVEN JUST A SUMMARY OF EVERY BOOK WOULD BE GOOD. READING A REVIEW FROM SOMEONE THAT'S NEVER READ THE BOOK IS REALLY FRUSTRATING AND OBVIOUS
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: KK4 on October 23, 2007, 12:52:36 am
Extremism in following the will of god is no vice! But seriously, I would have beat the money changer's asses too. Gonna charge me 10 times the worth of a drachma (IIRC) bullshit, I will sacrifice YOUR FACE to the god of WHUPASS thank you very much. Jesus is the prince of peace and you can't have peace unless you have everyone of your enemies shook.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Clucky on October 23, 2007, 05:13:21 am
Goddamn those Christians trying to convert people to Christianity, they're interrupting me converting people to atheism! Graaaaaaaaah!!!!!!
This is the best post I've seen so far. :mellow:
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Mama Luigi on October 23, 2007, 02:24:03 pm
Converting? Atheism isn't a religion, son.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Vellfire on October 23, 2007, 02:29:31 pm
And religions aren't the only thing you can convert people to.



I'm an atheist, but I hate the CONVERSION WAR shit.  Everyone leave everyone the fuck alone--that goes for atheists AND christians.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Marcus on October 23, 2007, 03:59:19 pm
I was masturbating when I scrolled over this topic, read a couple of posts, and instantly became flaccid.

Seriously... there's some retarded discussions going on here and I don't even feel like arguing with anyone because the stupidity knows no bounds.

Simple thing: arguing over faith based beliefs is completely and utterly stupid.  Trying to disprove something that someone BELIEVES in is just as retarded in their eyes as your BELIEF that it doesn't exist.  You can bring up science/facts/random writings from bullshit philosophers and internet geeks all you want it doesn't change the fact that faith is an abstract concept that stems from a mental/perceived connection.  Whether or not you believe in spiritual connections or if faith is just a mental side effect of a deep, personal love for what doesn't exist, openly objecting to it is not going to change your outlook or their outlook no matter what evidence is brought up in the case.

Maybe they're dumb for believing?  Maybe your dumb for not believing?  I'm just tired of all this bullshit that goes on with religion.  Nothing you can do will prove that a omnipotent deity doesn't exist because it's "beyond our comprehension."  There's nothing a believer can do to prove it does exist because... well, it's "beyond our comprehension."  Simple as that, drop the subject and let it be.

As far as the bible goes, it's a fucking book, not a literal interpretation of an entire religion.  It's words to live by, tips written by MAN not God.  The stories contained within are designed to help people in need or strengthen their relationship with God and this goes with any religious text right down to the Book of Satan which gives Atheists tips on living life to the fullest.  You have to take into account the time period the book was written in; back then, incest and murder were everyday occurrences (they still are today but that's a different subject).  It contradicts itself because it written over a course of centuries by several different writers and retranslated several hundred times.

So yeah, save yourself the time and breath and just drop the subject.  Believe what you want to and let everyone else do whatever the fuck they want to do.  If you honestly think this woman will enlighten you with her speech then by all means speak to her, but if I were in your position I'd ignore her ass and do whatever.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Klean on October 23, 2007, 04:17:54 pm
For some reason I keep thinking this topic title says "Dating a 61-year-old".
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: KK4 on October 23, 2007, 06:21:56 pm
And religions aren't the only thing you can convert people to.



I'm an atheist, but I hate the CONVERSION WAR shit.  Everyone leave everyone the fuck alone--that goes for atheists AND christians.

Quoted for the motherfucking truth. I agree with this sentiment 110%. Let well enough alone and let people believe as they damn well please.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on October 23, 2007, 06:54:20 pm
post her debates here btw so we can argue them and then you can seem super smart.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: The Mike on October 23, 2007, 07:23:59 pm
Man, you guys keep getting the wrong idea about this whole thing.  I'm not trying to convert anyone.  I'm not trying to change anyone's mind.  I don't care what people believe, and I don't feel like I have some sort of responsibility to ENLIGHTEN.

Overall, as I stated earlier, this is just a debate to prove that two people from completely different backgrounds can discuss a sensitive topic without wanting to kill one another.  There are quite a few people here on GW who could benefit from that idea.  I'm also hoping to get more ridiculous responses from uber-Christians who want to save my soul or see my burn in hell or whatever.  It is NOT the typical "ARG I'M CHRISTIAN" versus "LOL FUCK UR GOD" shit.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Marcus on October 23, 2007, 07:34:16 pm
Quote
It is NOT the typical "ARG I'M CHRISTIAN" versus "LOL FUCK UR GOD" shit.

But it will turn out like that.  They always turn out like that.  Two people with radically different views can not get anywhere in an argument without it becoming a shit fest.  This is fact and I base this on absolutely no research.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on October 23, 2007, 07:45:45 pm
Quote
Overall, as I stated earlier, this is just a debate to prove that two people from completely different backgrounds can discuss a sensitive topic without wanting to kill one another.

aside from Marcus's post, this isn't proving anything. I can rock anyone in a debate without hating them unless they are abhorrent, and uh, there are FAMOUS debates where that happened (CROSS OF GOLD). I mean, if you go to any kind of intellectual discussion, that happens.

it's just that aside from GW/internet not being very intellectual anyways, you aren't going to really prove anything we don't know exists? fuck I can find posts I've made YESTERDAY of me disagreeing with someone without hating them.

so if you aren't trying to "win" and your sole point is to prove CIVILITY IS POSSIBLE, something everyone knows, why bother?
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: IceSage on October 23, 2007, 08:55:51 pm
You could perhaps ignore the crazy people and continue on with your serious discussion and debate... If that's the straw that caused your viewpoint on handling your topics and posts.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: fatty on October 24, 2007, 12:19:20 pm
Man, you guys keep getting the wrong idea about this whole thing.  I'm not trying to convert anyone.  I'm not trying to change anyone's mind.  I don't care what people believe, and I don't feel like I have some sort of responsibility to ENLIGHTEN.

Overall, as I stated earlier, this is just a debate to prove that two people from completely different backgrounds can discuss a sensitive topic without wanting to kill one another.  There are quite a few people here on GW who could benefit from that idea.  I'm also hoping to get more ridiculous responses from uber-Christians who want to save my soul or see my burn in hell or whatever.  It is NOT the typical "ARG I'M CHRISTIAN" versus "LOL FUCK UR GOD" shit.
I like your stance on this issue, The Mike.

Youtube is full of this shit lately, so you might wanna check the situation over there out.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Reaverbot on October 25, 2007, 01:06:35 am
atheistw.net
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: ChaosTechnician on October 26, 2007, 11:29:11 pm
But it will turn out like that.  They always turn out like that.  Two people with radically different views can not get anywhere in an argument without it becoming a shit fest.  This is fact and I base this on absolutely no research.
Nah, they don't always turn out like that (but they can easily get there--I can base that on field research).  In fact, if you want a legitimate discussion (debate implies there's going to be a winner) about Christianity, I'm willing to put out...
I'm not one of those run-of-the-mill, die-hard, born-again, all-you-have-to-do-is-say-"Jesus, save me"-and-you're-in-type Christians--I'm actually a smart one who knows what the Scriptures actually say.  :naughty:
But, The Mike, if you bring a topic like that to forums like this one you're going to get stupid comments from the under-educated peanut gallery composed from the mindset of Atheism for Show: many of these self-proclaimed atheists are probably the teenaged sons of good Christian people who are trying to rebel against God and Man just to prove that they can--they'll snarl all through the sermon and everything.  Spouting websites that claim to single-handedly prove the Bible wrong is tripe--as much tripe as the born-again Christians who say that God personally wrote the Bible with His own ethereal, three-in-one/one-in-three hand and has ensured it to be an utterly flawless book that contains every word God has ever uttered or will utter, so we'd better memorize 7-10 passages way out of context and build a church on it.  :fogetpope:

That said, if the masses want some good natured discussion, I'm down. :sly:
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: the bloddy ghost on October 27, 2007, 12:21:37 am
And religions aren't the only thing you can convert people to.



I'm an atheist, but I hate the CONVERSION WAR shit.  Everyone leave everyone the fuck alone--that goes for atheists AND christians.

c-c-christian lover.....................

why don't you marry them, heh?
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Dark Angel on October 27, 2007, 12:57:47 am
Nah, they don't always turn out like that (but they can easily get there--I can base that on field research).  In fact, if you want a legitimate discussion (debate implies there's going to be a winner) about Christianity, I'm willing to put out...
I'm not one of those run-of-the-mill, die-hard, born-again, all-you-have-to-do-is-say-"Jesus, save me"-and-you're-in-type Christians--I'm actually a smart one who knows what the Scriptures actually say.  :naughty:
But, The Mike, if you bring a topic like that to forums like this one you're going to get stupid comments from the under-educated peanut gallery composed from the mindset of Atheism for Show: many of these self-proclaimed atheists are probably the teenaged sons of good Christian people who are trying to rebel against God and Man just to prove that they can--they'll snarl all through the sermon and everything.  Spouting websites that claim to single-handedly prove the Bible wrong is tripe--as much tripe as the born-again Christians who say that God personally wrote the Bible with His own ethereal, three-in-one/one-in-three hand and has ensured it to be an utterly flawless book that contains every word God has ever uttered or will utter, so we'd better memorize 7-10 passages way out of context and build a church on it.  :fogetpope:

That said, if the masses want some good natured discussion, I'm down. :sly:

Why don't you read that website before you tear it down, and then try to explain how the bible has multiple stories that can be traced back to religions that are 1000+ years older than christianity. I don't know how you can say "I'm not one of those run-of-the-mill, die-hard, born-again, all-you-have-to-do-is-say-"Jesus, save me"-and-you're-in-type Christians--I'm actually a smart one who knows what the Scriptures actually say." and then go on lumping me and others into the "ARG ANGSTY CHILD" category in one fell swoop. I grew up in the church and I also know what the scriptures say. And THAT is why I choose to not believe. Climbtree said the site was ridiculous but I didn't bother asking why because I assumed that was just his opinion. But if you actually read the site they list and cite all their reference and source material. Unless you actually review the site (and refute every single one of those sources), you shouldn't just assume it is "tripe".
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: ChaosTechnician on October 27, 2007, 02:09:26 am
Why don't you read that website before you tear it down, and then try to explain how the bible has multiple stories that can be traced back to religions that are 1000+ years older than christianity. I don't know how you can say "I'm not one of those run-of-the-mill, die-hard, born-again, all-you-have-to-do-is-say-"Jesus, save me"-and-you're-in-type Christians--I'm actually a smart one who knows what the Scriptures actually say." and then go on lumping me and others into the "ARG ANGSTY CHILD" category in one fell swoop. I grew up in the church and I also know what the scriptures say. And THAT is why I choose to not believe. Climbtree said the site was ridiculous but I didn't bother asking why because I assumed that was just his opinion. But if you actually read the site they list and cite all their reference and source material. Unless you actually review the site (and refute every single one of those sources), you shouldn't just assume it is "tripe".
You seem think that I think exactly like the die-hards I already separated myself from.  I don't.  I didn't assume it was tripe.  It is tripe.
I never named names on who the "ARG ANGSTY CHILD[ren]" were.  I don't know who they are.  I never said you were one of them.  (And I really don't know how that ties into me not considering myself a die-hard born-again--unless the paragraph separation and the rest of the ANGSTY CHILD sentence was lost on you.)  In fact, I said "most" of them "probably" are making for a pretty vague generalization that wouldn't necessarily include you.  More on the word "most" a little later...
My (very short) explanation on "how the bible has multiple stories that can be traced back to religions that are 1000+ years older than christianity":  The Christian Bible as we have it today came from councils, many of which occurred several hundred years after the latest of the events recorded (one example (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea)).  That doesn't mean the account in Genesis was written then, it was assembled as part of the Canon (and rest assured that any book not in adherence to the council's voted-on beliefs were not included) at that point; It was written well before.  It has been translated into many languages and into even more languages from the multiple translations.  I personally own four English translations (among others) that have very different wording.  Obviously, the Bible did not escape 100% flawless and intact--I won't claim otherwise--but that doesn't mean there is no truth in it whatsoever.  Verbal and logical contradictions are rife throughout the book.  But, I don't rest my belief on the teachings therein on the hard-headed idea that it is a flawless book.

Your site says "Most scholars agree that Genesis was only written three or four centuries BC" and offers absolutely no citation.  "Most" is a great giveaway that you're reading speculation instead of fact.  What scholars are these?  Why should I believe them?  How did they determine this hundred year window portraying 6000 year old events?
Other phrases that aren't cited and indicate similar sentiments:
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"Outside of the bible, there is overwhelming scientific evidence that mankind wasn’t put on the planet by God, but gradually evolved from a now extinct ape forebear over the last 5 million years.  The evidence for this is massive."  (No citation)
  This point is still argued by scientists.  The so-called "missing link" has never been found: it's "missing".  It's a hypothetical animal at this point.  This is not the fact it purports itself to be. 
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"The Tower of Babel did exist! But it wasn't demolished by God - but by Alexander the Great."
  Can you show me in the nine verses about the tower at Babel that God demolished the tower?  This assertion by the author(s) of your site preys on misinformation and incorrect verbal tradition of the tower.  The top of that page does say "In the city of Babel, a ‘Tower of Babel’ was built. It was meant to reach out to the heavens. But God punished the vanity of the people of Babel by tearing down the tower. Then He punished the people some more, by giving them different languages so that they couldn’t understand each other and spread them across the globe. (Genesis 11:1-9)" offering a "synopsis" of the passages.  But they've added concepts to the synopsis that aren't in the verses cited.  The author(s) are intentionally misleading (read: flat-out lying to) people to plant false ideas and banking on the notion that most people will not verify a source that's offered.

And that's just a few instances from just a few pages of your "Give them this link and walk away victorius [sic]" site.  It's not well researched, it's misrepresentative, and attempts to make half-truths look like full truths.  And it certainly does not "cite all their reference and source material" like you claim it did.  Have you read the citations?  Have you researched the scriptural passages they reference to check the context and applicability? 
I flipped through a few of the citations they do offer, and wasn't particularly impressed by their use.  But if you think I'm going to point-by-point argue every point made in every reference, you're mistaken.  I've done enough reading of the site and have seen sufficient lies and foolishness that I don't need to bother.

Additionally, how can I take seriously any site that advertises it's own Christianity-mocking comics?  Really...?  Is it even trying to be scholarly?  I chuckled at a couple of them, but this doesn't make the site any more reputable than a Bible-bashing website on Geocities complete with animated .gifs every two lines.

If the site claims that showing contradictions or logical untruths will prove the Bible isn't accurate, it just fell prey to its own contradictions and untruths.

Don't expect me to comment any further on that site (or any similar).  But, if you have any of your own points that aren't based on poorly researched concepts, I'd love to hear them.


This post edited slightly for formatting so dangerousned can read it... but the inline quotes are staying as they are.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on October 27, 2007, 03:27:27 am
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This point is still argued by scientists.

no it isn't.

whoa i just won the "discussion".

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The so-called "missing link" has never been found: it's "missing".  It's a hypothetical animal at this point.  This is not the fact it purports itself to be.

yo what's the missing link.

just I mean, don't wikipedia, tell me.

what is the missing link.

if it's between ape and man, we've got loads of those in various degrees.

so what's the missing link bro come on we're all waiting for you to prove every biologist ever wrong.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Dark Angel on October 27, 2007, 04:01:14 am
You seem think that I think exactly like the die-hards I already separated myself from.  I don't.  I didn't assume it was tripe.  It is tripe.
I never named names on who the "ARG ANGSTY CHILD[ren]" were.  I don't know who they are.  I never said you were one of them.  (And I really don't know how that ties into me not considering myself a die-hard born-again--unless the paragraph separation and the rest of the ANGSTY CHILD sentence was lost on you.)  In fact, I said "most" of them "probably" are making for a pretty vague generalization that wouldn't necessarily include you.  More on the word "most" a little later...

You do and your two posts are proof enough. You didn't have to name names, it was OBVIOUS your comment was directed at me maybe I DUNNO because you specifically mentioned "Spouting websites that claim to single-handedly prove the Bible wrong is tripe" which is exactly what I did (and which is exactly what that site does BTW).

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My (very short) explanation on "how the bible has multiple stories that can be traced back to religion\s that are 1000+ years older than christianity":  The Christian Bible as we have it today came from councils, many of which occurred several hundred years after the latest of the events recorded (one example (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea)).  That doesn't mean the account in Genesis was written then, it was assembled as part of the Canon (and rest assured that any book not in adherence to the council's voted-on beliefs were not included) at that point; It was written well before.  It has been translated into many languages and into even more languages from the multiple translations.  I personally own four English translations (among others) that have very different wording.  Obviously, the Bible did not escape 100% flawless and intact--I won't claim otherwise--but that doesn't mean there is no truth in it whatsoever.  Verbal and logical contradictions are rife throughout the book.  But, I don't rest my belief on the teachings therein on the hard-headed idea that it is a flawless book.

Ok? Most people know that the bible has been written many times by many different people with many different interpretations and omissions. What does that have to do with the stories in the bible existing a 1000+ years before the bible was written? Are you saying that God gave those stories to different religions to write about before he gave them to the christian people to write?


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You site says "Most scholars agree that Genesis was only written three or four centuries BC" and offers absolutely no citation.  "Most" is a great giveaway that you're reading speculation instead of fact.  What scholars are these?  Why should I believe them?  How did they determine this hundred year window portraying 6000 year old events?
Other phrases that aren't cited and indicate similar sentiments:

Here's one. (http://www.allabouttruth.org/when-was-the-bible-written-faq.htm) Here's two. (http://www.carm.org/bible/biblewhen.htm) Here's three. (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/first/scriptures.html)




Three sites that are all within 500 years of each other, the oldest saying 1500 BC. Ok, so they were off by about 1000 years. BUT WAIT. That doesn't matter! Why? Because their POINT of saying that was to show that three different stories/books were all written before the bible. The oldest of of those being written in 1700 BC, still 200 hundred years older!





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"Outside of the bible, there is overwhelming scientific evidence that mankind wasn’t put on the planet by God, but gradually evolved from a now extinct ape forebear over the last 5 million years.  The evidence for this is massive."  (No citation)  This point is still argued by scientists.  The so-called "missing link" has never been found: it's "missing".  It's a hypothetical animal at this point.  This is not the fact it purports itself to be. 

I believe "this" point is still argued by religion and religious scientists. The EVIDENCE, which is the word they used, IS in fact overwhelming for evolution. The evidence for CREATION is non-existant!

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"The Tower of Babel did exist! But it wasn't demolished by God - but by Alexander the Great."  Can you show me in the nine verses about the tower at Babel that God demolished the tower?  This assertion by the author(s) of your site preys on misinformation and incorrect verbal tradition of the tower.  The top of that page does say "In the city of Babel, a ‘Tower of Babel’ was built. It was meant to reach out to the heavens. But God punished the vanity of the people of Babel by tearing down the tower. Then He punished the people some more, by giving them different languages so that they couldn’t understand each other and spread them across the globe. (Genesis 11:1-9)" offering a "synopsis" of the passages.  But they've added concepts to the synopsis that aren't in the verses cited.  The author(s) are intentionally misleading (read: flat-out lying to) people to plant false ideas and banking on the notion that most people will not verify a source that's offered.

Maybe I will e-mail them telling them to clarify their source. But here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Babel#Destruction). Whether you are refuting our ascertaining something, it would be a wise move to do some looking up yourself.


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And that's just a few instances from just a few pages of your "Give them this link and walk away victorius [sic]" site.  It's not well researched, it's misrepresentative, and attempts to make half-truths look like full truths.  And it certainly does not "cite all their reference and source material" like you claim it did.  Have you read the citations?  Have you researched the scriptural passages they reference to check the context and applicability? I flipped through a few of the citations they do offer, and wasn't particularly impressed by their use.  

What I think you did is skim through until you found what you thought exactly suited your purpose, didn't research it at all, and slammed it down as an "AHA WHAT NOW?" Now, "It's not well... ...full truths." If you say that based on your above examples, then that's wrong. Just because someone doesn't spoon-feed every bit of info does not make it any of what you said. They DO cite and source their materials on, what I believe to be, the parts that are important and not necessarily common knowledge. Yes I read the citations, they are one sentence long, why would I not read one more sentence about where they got their material after reading the whole page of the issue? Yes I know most of those passages (grew up in the church remember) and the ones that I actually thought sounded wrong I looked up. I never saw/found a DIRECT quote from the bible on that site that they had quoted incorrectly. Please feel free to look for the few that might be there. I did NOT look up every verse they shared.

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But if you think I'm going to point-by-point argue every point made in every reference, you're mistaken.  I've done enough reading of the site and have seen sufficient lies and foolishness that I don't need to bother.
Additionally, how can I take seriously any site that advertises it's own Christianity-mocking comics?  Really...?  Is it even trying to be scholarly?  I chuckled at a couple of them, but this doesn't make the site any more reputable than a Bible-bashing website on Geocities complete with animated .gifs every two lines.

If the site claims that showing contradictions or logical untruths will prove the Bible isn't accurate, it just fell prey to its own contradictions and untruths.

Don't expect me to comment any further on that site (or any similar).  But, if you have any of your own points that aren't based on poorly researched concepts, I'd love to hear them.

Good job on falling back into the "run-of-the-mill, die-hard, born-again, all-you-have-to-do-is-say-"Jesus, save me"-and-you're-in-type Christians" state of mind by refusing to to discuss something after you put down what you believe to be the end all of a conversation.

DA and Steele, unstoppable team that will tear itself apart from within. but.. can they put aside their difference to win?
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on October 27, 2007, 04:43:20 am
in all honesty I could barely read his post because it wasn't spaced out and his quoting was awkward.

just some advice dude please use quote tags and space your posts out, don't just hit enter. DA's post is a good example of what to do!
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on October 27, 2007, 05:27:23 am
Climbtree said the site was ridiculous but I didn't bother asking why because I assumed that was just his opinion. But if you actually read the site they list and cite all their reference and source material. Unless you actually review the site (and refute every single one of those sources), you shouldn't just assume it is "tripe".

this site is really ridiculous. why was God apeased by a circumcision? god was going to kill moses because he hadn't circumcised his sons. he's kinda a stickler for obedience. also there's a fair few spelling mistakes and a lot of the science is outdated

ahahaha, did you know Jesus wasn't born on the 25th of December??

that website would work well for face to face stuff but when you have a little time to think about it, or even to look it up yourself you can find it's pretty far-out. i would not recommend it for a myspace debate!

i pointed out two of the most ludicrus

but here's some extras for kicks:

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But there is also some evidence that Jesus was noticeably ugly. In Byzantine citations of a now lost text of the Roman historian Josephus Flavius, Jesus is said to have been three cubits tall (that’s three human underarms tall – almost a midget!), crooked and dark-skinned.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephus_on_Jesus

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In fact, the texts explicitly describe Jesus as being very ugly. He was almost completely bold, had a long nose and eyebrows that touched each other. Jesus looked much older than he really was, the Byzantine texts read.
i take it that's meant to be bald, and he's only references the one work so that should be 'text.' (the first part is an innocent typo probably, the second part is important because he implies a larger support)

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They came up with a broad face with short, curly hair, a prominent nose and a dark skin. An average peasant from those days would have been 5 foot and 1 inch tall (1,55 meter).
an average peasent son of a carpenter (wealthy) who was a descendent from the line of david. blending in is different to being the same as everyone, and perhaps people didn't know what jesus looked like because they didn't exactly have TV back then??? roman soldiers (who were well paid) gambled for his clothing, and i doubt it was for its religious significance.

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First, we know for sure that Jesus didn’t have long hair. The New Testament explicitly calls it ‘a disgrace’ if a man had long hair (Cor 11:14).

this is iffy! i think this is a passage where paul is saying it's a disgrace for a man to pray with his head covered, and this is well after jesus died (that very site says that they never even met). the jews used to have their head covered constantly

and right up the top of the page it says this:
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The Bible:
Jesus looked like this:

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However, in other sources such as the Book of Jubilees, Cornelius Alexander (frag. 10), Abydenus (frags. 5 and 6), Josephus (Antiquities 1.4.3), and the Sibylline Oracles (iii. 117-129), God overturns the tower with a great wind.

these are all apocryphal book, but regardless there were plenty of ziggurats built. I'm pretty sure if the tower of babel existed and the bible said it was destroyed then a lot less people would have followed judaism way back then (using your dates alexander the great came after the old testament)
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on October 27, 2007, 05:55:29 am
i'm hella tired but i know for sure most christians take Cor 11:14 as a condemnation against long hair. i'm not sure why you kind of lied dogg but

http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/11-14.htm

also a lot of the links were to say JESUS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE WHAT THEY SAID BECAUSE NO ONE SEEMS TO AGREE which I think is true.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Dark Angel on October 27, 2007, 06:02:41 am
i pointed out two of the most ludicrus

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this site is really ridiculous. why was God apeased by a circumcision? god was going to kill moses because he hadn't circumcised his sons. he's kinda a stickler for obedience. also there's a fair few spelling mistakes and a lot of the science is outdated

ahahaha, did you know Jesus wasn't born on the 25th of December??

that website would work well for face to face stuff but when you have a little time to think about it, or even to look it up yourself you can find it's pretty far-out. i would not recommend it for a myspace debate!

I didn't respond to this earlier because I just didn't know what you meant by it. I don't know which page talks about that particular circumcision and I'm not going to re-read every page just to find the word. I did a quick ctrl F for "circum" on all of the Moses pages and it didn't come up. So what exactly are referring to then? And why the laughter with Jesus not being born on Xmas? You disagree or what? So that was why I didn't respond when you first posted it, there was just too much you left out.

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but here's some extras for kicks:
But there is also some evidence that Jesus was noticeably ugly. In Byzantine citations of a now lost text of the Roman historian Josephus Flavius, Jesus is said to have been three cubits tall (that’s three human underarms tall – almost a midget!), crooked and dark-skinned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephus_on_Jesus


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In fact, the texts explicitly describe Jesus as being very ugly. He was almost completely bold, had a long nose and eyebrows that touched each other. Jesus looked much older than he really was, the Byzantine texts read.

Again, what exactly is your point here? You give that link right after talking about his looks but a quick skim of that page and I didn't see anything related to that dept. Do I REALLY need to read the whole freaking wall of text, or could you just quote the specific part?

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i take it that's meant to be bald, and he's only references the one work so that should be 'text.' (the first part is an innocent typo probably, the second part is important because he implies a larger support)
an average peasent son of a carpenter (wealthy) who was a descendent from the line of david. blending in is different to being the same as everyone, and perhaps people didn't know what jesus looked like because they didn't exactly have TV back then??? roman soldiers (who were well paid) gambled for his clothing, and i doubt it was for its religious significance.

At the bottom of the Appearance page on Jesus, there are THREE sources listed. And gay, I just found out ctrl F doesn't work in frames. I don't really know why you are talking about this one when that particular article seems to be pretty clear on the issue. You aren't being clear enough for me to understand what you are trying to get across.

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First, we know for sure that Jesus didn’t have long hair. The New Testament explicitly calls it ‘a disgrace’ if a man had long hair (Cor 11:14).

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this is iffy! i think this is a passage where paul is saying it's a disgrace for a man to pray with his head covered, and this is well after jesus died (that very site says that they never even met). the jews used to have their head covered constantly

How is that iffy? Right there in the bible at Cor 11:14 is says it is a dishonor for a man to have long hair. Cor 11:13 mentions that women should constantly have their heads covered, is that what you were thinking about? Nevermind that having your head covered doesn't seem to have much of anything to do with hair length...

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However, in other sources such as the Book of Jubilees, Cornelius Alexander (frag. 10), Abydenus (frags. 5 and 6), Josephus (Antiquities 1.4.3), and the Sibylline Oracles (iii. 117-129), God overturns the tower with a great wind.

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these are all apocryphal book, but regardless there were plenty of ziggurats built. I'm pretty sure if the tower of babel existed and the bible said it was destroyed then a lot less people would have followed judaism way back then (using your dates alexander the great came after the old testament)

We're talking about THE BIBLE and you want to make distinctions on which religious books are DOUBTFUL in their nature? Come on. The fact of the point is that several books explicity mention God as being the one responsible for the destruction of Babel. And I really doubt destroying Babel would be seen as worse than the flood. Or any of the other atrocities in the bible which are a hell of a lot worse than God giving out different languages and destroying a building. That was a really horrible point.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: baseball19225 on October 27, 2007, 08:25:20 am
For some reason I keep thinking this topic title says "Dating a 61-year-old".
Glad I'm not the only one. Though I might be the only one who gets an erection over it.
i'm hella tired but i know for sure most christians take Cor 11:14 as a condemnation against long hair. i'm not sure why you kind of lied dogg but

http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/11-14.htm

also a lot of the links were to say JESUS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE WHAT THEY SAID BECAUSE NO ONE SEEMS TO AGREE which I think is true.
That is awesome.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on October 27, 2007, 11:54:24 am
i'm hella tired but i know for sure most christians take Cor 11:14 as a condemnation against long hair. i'm not sure why you kind of lied dogg

Quote from: 'climbtree
i think this is a passage where paul is saying it's a disgrace for a man to pray with his head covered' date='[/quote']
ugh WHAT A LIAR I AM i knew corinthians talked about head coverings etc but i didn't have my handy dandy bible on me, and i didn't bother with a google search because the main point was: corinthians was written after jesus, the other stuff about head coverings was just to give more support that maybe he could have long hair? my conclusion was only a maybe which is part of why i said iffy.

I didn't respond to this earlier because I just didn't know what you meant by it. I don't know which page talks about that particular circumcision and I'm not going to re-read every page just to find the word. I did a quick ctrl F for "circum" on all of the Moses pages and it didn't come up. So what exactly are referring to then? And why the laughter with Jesus not being born on Xmas? You disagree or what? So that was why I didn't respond when you first posted it, there was just too much you left out.
it's on the god page, here's what he said:

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Even Moses isn’t safe for the wrath of God. In Exodus 4:24, we read how “the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him”, for no apparent reason. Zipporah manages to appease God by circumcising her son and touching Moses’ ‘feet’ with it (scholars point out that ‘feet’ are a eufemism for ‘genitals’).
like even reading this without knowing the rest of it you can kinda logically determine that if god was appeased by the circumcision, than maybe god was angry that moses hadn't circumcised his children yet???
also he spelt euphemism wrong and he didn't cite a source for the feet to genitals thing (which seems like a really unnecessary connecion anyway)


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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephus_on_Jesus

Again, what exactly is your point here? You give that link right after talking about his looks but a quick skim of that page and I didn't see anything related to that dept. Do I REALLY need to read the whole freaking wall of text, or could you just quote the specific part?

At the bottom of the Appearance page on Jesus, there are THREE sources listed. And gay, I just found out ctrl F doesn't work in frames. I don't really know why you are talking about this one when that particular article seems to be pretty clear on the issue. You aren't being clear enough for me to understand what you are trying to get across.
he is only refering to the josephus writing in the section when he says "texts," he's certainly not refering to his CNN link when he says Byzantine texts. the wiki link says right at the top

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Its authenticity has been disputed since the 17th century, and by the mid 18th century the consensus view was that is was a forgery. This conclusion was questioned in the 20th century and the intellectual controversy will probably never be resolved
dodgy text (OH WELL SO IS THE BIBLE IF YOU'RE GOING TO BELIEVE THE BIBLE MIGHT AS WELL BELIEVE HARRY POTTER TOO HUH WHY NOT FELLATE DUMBLEDORE??)

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We're talking about THE BIBLE and you want to make distinctions on which religious books are DOUBTFUL in their nature? Come on. The fact of the point is that several books explicity mention God as being the one responsible for the destruction of Babel. And I really doubt destroying Babel would be seen as worse than the flood. Or any of the other atrocities in the bible which are a hell of a lot worse than God giving out different languages and destroying a building. That was a really horrible point.
ugh what are you talking about?

chaos whatever said the bible never said the tower of babel was destroyed you linked to apocryphal books (books which are purposefully not in the bible (they're not just left out to save space))

the passage quoted was from this page http://www.exitmundi.nl/bible/web-content/g_babel.html questioning the bible
not the one on whether god was good or not, so it's moot how worse it is for whatever reason.

i also pointed out that if the tower of babel existed when the bible was written then maybe people back then would've said "HEY!" back then???
also it is a REALLY HORRIBLE POINT that since the bible's authenticity is questionable, if you accept the bible as true you have to accept all the others too (specifically, ones that weren't included because they're too questionable)

also i remember hearing a joke in sunday school when i was like 6
a girl is in kindergarten coloring very fervently. the teacher comes over and asks "what are you drawing there sport?" and the kid says "i'm drawing jesus" and the teacher says "nobody knows what jesus looked like" and the girl says "they will in a second!

of course they could have just swapped jesus and god, but the joke in that is that they'd discuss religious matters in a school

also the xmas thing:
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The Bible: Jesus was born on December 25th
the bible never says anything like this, and i thought it was pretty well known that he wasn't actually born on christmas, that's why i laughed. like i'd laugh if an 'academic' work highlighted that WHOA, THE QUEEN WASN'T BORN ON THE QUEENS BIRTHDAY HOLIDAY (i don't know if you americans have an equivalent)
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: ChaosTechnician on October 27, 2007, 04:27:32 pm
also the xmas thing:the bible never says anything like this, and i thought it was pretty well known that he wasn't actually born on christmas, that's why i laughed. like i'd laugh if an 'academic' work highlighted that WHOA, THE QUEEN WASN'T BORN ON THE QUEENS BIRTHDAY HOLIDAY (i don't know if you americans have an equivalent)
For the Americans you could go with:  George Washington wasn't born on the 3rd Monday in February.  Or that the pilgrims didn't celebrate the subjugation of the native Americans *only* on the 4th Thursday in November. :)

Well, DarkAngel, it looks like I'm not the only person who thinks that website is poorly researched and presented.  If you want to continue to argue the validity of the site, it looks like you can go point-by-point with cilmbtree.  I found enough sensationalism and misrepresentation in the few parts I did skim--I don't need to read and research every word to tell that your source is not much of a valid or scholarly source.  The points I (and climbtree) made about the quality of research show this.  And, as such, isn't worth my time.

You weren't the only person who offered (read: spouted) websites.  You weren't the only self-proclaimed atheist.  I wasn't writing only to you.  You seem to have ignored the meatier part of that sentence that speaks much more specifically against many Christian ideas.  Apparently, you've decided to take the first one-third of a sentence and take it much more personally that it was intended to be taken by any one person.  If you're so offended by my obvious generalizations, start defending the born-again Christians I brought up in that sentence as well.

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three different stories/books were all written before the bible. The oldest of of those being written in 1700 BC, still 200 hundred years older!
When do the events in these stories take place?  MANY BIBLE SCHOLARS AGREE (that's a fun phrase) that Adam & Eve were cast from the garden of Eden around 4000 BC (give or take a few years--the record is pretty scarce :rolleyes:​).  So, a few thousand years later separate civilations have similar stories...  Perhaps they all came from a similar source?
Let's look at this from a pseudo-eternal perpsective.  If Christianity is the true religion that will bring everyone to God, and God wants us to be brought to Him, would Abraham or Moses be the first to hear the Gospel?  That wouldn't make much sense, would it?  If God created Adam & Eve (Or Gilgamesh, or Lilith, or Frankenstein, or Elvis) wouldn't He want them to follow Him?  Wouldn't He tell them His laws?  Wouldn't stories about the Gospel get warped and misrepresented over time (just like they do today) by people who aren't quite following them, and even many of the people who are?  I assume you've played the Telephone game: imagine that, over a few thousand years into groups separated by miles of desert who continue to play amongst themselves.  How similar might their stories be by the time we dig up various records and compare them?  I think it can be agreed on that God doesn't spend all his time politely correcting the records of people who aren't doing anything He said to do in the first place.  So, the civilations who aren't following His word aren't going to keep flawless renditions of the creation (or any other story).  The Bible isn't a ripoff, its a record.  I believe it to be one of the more inspired records, but who's to say that all these mysteriously similar stories didn't originally come from a common source?

If you want to understand Christian religions you need to look at the whole picture they paint, not try to prove random traditions false.  Many of these tactics sound similar to the nit-picking I hear from Jehova's Witnesses who don't teach doctrine, they argue obscurities and tradition in hopes of confusing rather than converting.
So what if Jesus was born in what we now call April and not December, does that change who He was?
So what if he had long hair, short hair, no hair, does that change the means by which we can get to heaven?
So what if parts of the Bible have been corrupted by the Catholic church (which was started by Romans as a means of controlling people), does that change the nature of God?
So what if Moses brought down tablets with an indeterminate number of precise Laws on them, does that change the fact that obeying God is a good idea?
So what if Saturday (not Sunday) is, according to the Gregorian calendar, the Seventh day of the week, does that change the fact that we should worship God?
"Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel" (Matt. 23: 24).  Don't pick the Gospel to death, live it correctly and it will work out in your favor.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: crone_lover720 on October 27, 2007, 05:07:32 pm
*topic lockes** this is so lame. hopefully one of you are trolling

http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/11-14.htm
this is so good (did the romans write that)
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on October 27, 2007, 07:59:40 pm
please don't use my name ChaosTechnician it discredits me.
my point was ONLY that that site is fairly useless. first glance it's like "oh yikes" but then it's like, "oh, hangon..." so again it would be good for a QUICK BATTLE FACE TO FACE but if you give them time to think about what you've said it'd be counterproductive, and you'd be best off just picking the best arguments and slinging them (hint: similarity to other religions isn't one)
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: The Mike on October 27, 2007, 08:35:20 pm
Who Saved the Saviour? (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&blogID=322939067&Mytoken=DA08106B-8DB4-4404-8C5780DE7BBA9A59167742310")

I ran across a piece on google today that suggests Jesus actually survived the crucifixion and went on to live in India afterwards.  Some of it is a little weird, but makes for a cool read.

And lol.  Who gives a shit what Jesus really looked like?  I mean, it's kinda funny to picture him bald with a unibrow, but c'mon, what does it really matter?
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Dark Angel on October 27, 2007, 09:55:42 pm
ugh WHAT A LIAR I AM i knew corinthians talked about head coverings etc but i didn't have my handy dandy bible on me, and i didn't bother with a google search because the main point was:
like even reading this without knowing the rest of it you can kinda logically determine that if god was appeased by the circumcision, than maybe god was angry that moses hadn't circumcised his children yet???
also he spelt euphemism wrong and he didn't cite a source for the feet to genitals thing (which seems like a really unnecessary connecion anyway)

Ok, Ex 4:24 IS the source for the genitals to feet. Ok, it's actually 4:25. And that, I am willing to bet without even checking for sure, was probably under the "Wrath of God" section. That section I belive is just trying to show how God can be an angry tyrant at times. "Hey! You did not cut your penis I KILL YOU!" So I don't see how anything is wrong with that piece of writing.

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he is only refering to the josephus writing in the section when he says "texts," he's certainly not refering to his CNN link when he says Byzantine texts. the wiki link says right at the top

Alright. But how does that negate the other sources? Or are you just pointing out the misleading nature of "texts"?

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dodgy text (OH WELL SO IS THE BIBLE IF YOU'RE GOING TO BELIEVE THE BIBLE MIGHT AS WELL BELIEVE HARRY POTTER TOO HUH WHY NOT FELLATE DUMBLEDORE??)
ugh what are you talking about?

chaos whatever said the bible never said the tower of babel was destroyed you linked to apocryphal books (books which are purposefully not in the bible (they're not just left out to save space))

the passage quoted was from this page http://www.exitmundi.nl/bible/web-content/g_babel.html questioning the bible
not the one on whether god was good or not, so it's moot how worse it is for whatever reason.

i also pointed out that if the tower of babel existed when the bible was written then maybe people back then would've said "HEY!" back then???
also it is a REALLY HORRIBLE POINT that since the bible's authenticity is questionable, if you accept the bible as true you have to accept all the others too (specifically, ones that weren't included because they're too questionable)

Ok, WHO says those books are doubtful in nature?  Again I feel I have to stress that the POINT is that there are books that DO state that God destroyed the tower of Babel. Here (http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Tower_of_Babel_-_In_other_scripture/id/600898) is another link which supports those exact three books, which I found by searching for "god destroyed babel". It really sounds to me like you are arguing that the bible needs to be the only book considered when discussing its history, which I don't think is an accurate route to take.


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also the xmas thing:the bible never says anything like this, and i thought it was pretty well known that he wasn't actually born on christmas, that's why i laughed. like i'd laugh if an 'academic' work highlighted that WHOA, THE QUEEN WASN'T BORN ON THE QUEENS BIRTHDAY HOLIDAY (i don't know if you americans have an equivalent)

Ok, so you thought it was funny because it was such common knowledge. I still fail to see why you think the site is as ridiculous as you are making it out to be. Yes there are errors but I have yet to see anything that is blatantly mis-represented. I will step-back and say that I was over-zealous in my "walk away victorius" comment. The site is heavy on the humor and even if the errors are minor, they are there and it does add an unproffessional air to it (as does the humor). Still, I feel the overall message of the site is clear and accurate even with the mentioned errors.

Quote from: ChaosTechnician
I am not a close-minded christian but everything I have posted says otherwise.

Ok, enjoy your stay at GW.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: KK4 on October 27, 2007, 10:24:58 pm
Who Saved the Saviour? (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&blogID=322939067&Mytoken=DA08106B-8DB4-4404-8C5780DE7BBA9A59167742310")

I ran across a piece on google today that suggests Jesus actually survived the crucifixion and went on to live in India afterwards.  Some of it is a little weird, but makes for a cool read.

And lol.  Who gives a shit what Jesus really looked like?  I mean, it's kinda funny to picture him bald with a unibrow, but c'mon, what does it really matter?



I've heard a couple of claims about Jesus that are somewhat strange. I've heard that he traveled extensively  before his ministry, spending time in India and Tibet. There is a book about that written by a Russian iirc called :The lost years of Jesus: the life of Saint Issa" which can probably found on amazon. I've also heard that he traveled to Ireland and Scotland with his father Joseph and learned from the druids. One of the strangest claims however came from a video I saw on Google Video which claimed that Jesus was actually the son of Julius Caesar (Pontifix Maximus of Rome) and Cleopatra (Self-styled Isis) who had escaped to India with servants posing as his parents after Marc Antony and Cleopatra's forces lost the Battle of Actium. It was silly as all hell, but interesting. I don't put much stock in it at all but if I manage to find the link I'll supply it.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on October 27, 2007, 11:24:31 pm
Ok, Ex 4:24 IS the source for the genitals to feet. Ok, it's actually 4:25. And that, I am willing to bet without even checking for sure, was probably under the "Wrath of God" section. That section I belive is just trying to show how God can be an angry tyrant at times. "Hey! You did not cut your penis I KILL YOU!" So I don't see how anything is wrong with that piece of writing.
in the bible god punishes people for disobedience a lot harsher than this (he assaulted that woman who turned back to see soddom and gommorah heh heh heh). circumcision is meant to be done around 9 days after birth, as commanded by god to the sons of abraham. if i remember right his sons were like 30 years old or something so that is an awful lot of lee-way!
she threw the foreskins at his feet is what the bible says, he says scholars say feet means genitals. he threw the foreskins at his genitals? either way she threw them at him, the author was just trying to gross you out or something.


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Alright. But how does that negate the other sources? Or are you just pointing out the misleading nature of "texts"?
uhhh what?
the other sources were for other points he was making, he only had one source for that whole section describing jesus as ugly and it's widely discredited, but he still said SCHOLARS and TEXTS agree.
it weakens his other points because this is a really bad practice!!
also it's pretty goofy to put that he was actually HIDEOUS right after you say he looked JUST LIKE ANY OTHER JOE as hideous kinda stands out, no?

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Ok, WHO says those books are doubtful in nature?  Again I feel I have to stress that the POINT is that there are books that DO state that God destroyed the tower of Babel. Here (http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Tower_of_Babel_-_In_other_scripture/id/600898) is another link which supports those exact three books, which I found by searching for "god destroyed babel". It really sounds to me like you are arguing that the bible needs to be the only book considered when discussing its history, which I don't think is an accurate route to take.
here's a quote from your link:
"It is not mentioned in the Genesis account that God directly destroyed the efforts of the builders; presumably, the building fell into disrepair."

which is what chaostectum said, he said the bible doesn't say it was destroyed, and you're saying "hang on, these books say that the bible was destroyed" but they're books NOT in the bible, and they're books specifically not in the bible because they're PROBABLY FAKE

if the bible said something like HEY THIS TOWER OVER THERE WAS DESTROYED while it was STILL STANDING why would anyone beleive it?
back in the day they didn't have to search for ancient scrolls in clay pots, they could have just walked over to babylon and taken a look.

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Ok, so you thought it was funny because it was such common knowledge. I still fail to see why you think the site is as ridiculous as you are making it out to be. Yes there are errors but I have yet to see anything that is blatantly mis-represented. I will step-back and say that I was over-zealous in my "walk away victorius" comment. The site is heavy on the humor and even if the errors are minor, they are there and it does add an unproffessional air to it (as does the humor). Still, I feel the overall message of the site is clear and accurate even with the mentioned errors.

if you use a lot of the stuff on that site in a debate you will set yourself up for a fail.
"The bible says jesus was born on the 25th of december, but he probably wasn't! what do you say to that?"
"well actually, the bible doesn't say that and nobody beleives that, we celebrate his birth on the 25th"
"DID YOU KNOW THE CELEBRATION WAS ORIGINALLY PAGAEN, AND THE CHRISTIANS TOOK THE DAY AND MADE IT ABOUT JESUS??"
"yeah, it was taken from them and now it's much more christian than pagan"
"THE BIBLE SAYS THE TOWER OF BABEL WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT WASN'T!!!!"
"well it doesn't say that it was destroyed specifically. the original jews would have to have been pretty goofy to follow a book that said a tower that was still standing had been destroyed though"

if you've got some really killer points you don't need to back them up with grandois language and a propagandic writing style. this site is really ridiculous was all i said. here are some better topics for debate:
-the johannian clause and the topic of the trinity
-how does a god that can see the future change his mind?
-we know that mental diseases, drugs and manipulation can all effectively hamper free-will. what consequences does this have on sin?
-jesus on the cross, engraven images, the virgin mary and idol worship

while these can all be countered too i think they're harder to answer than anything on that site, and if you're looking to win the debate then questions about discrepencies between orthodoxy and orthopraxy are the way to go
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Dark Angel on October 28, 2007, 12:06:59 am
Ah ok, that post was much better (for me). I understand a lot of what you were saying now. The only thing I still disagree with is calling those books fake. I don't mean to argue their authenticity, I can't argue for or against that in anyway, what I mean is why discount them? What I don't understand is why you'd take the bible's story and assume that is the only piece to it, especially when the bible does not even meniton it's destruciton one way or the other? There are, at least, three other books which say that it was God's power that brought it down. Now, I had started thinking that your point as that these books are not a part of the bible, thus written by other religions trying to make God look bad or something, and that does make plenty of sense. Is that what you meant in that regard?
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on October 28, 2007, 12:50:49 am
there's a tonne of apocryphal books, a lot of which were didn't make the cut because they were too fake, but some were only excluded because they were written in a pen name or something.

i was saying they weren't part of the bible, so you have to take them with a grain of salt, and you certainly can't say something is biblical if it's only in an apocryphal book (there is more lee way with the official 'apocrypha' that the catholics use)
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Doktormartini on October 28, 2007, 01:03:15 am
Just an fyi there are many reputable scholars out there that believe the Josephus' mentioning of Jesus was a forgery.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on October 28, 2007, 03:21:27 am
why did chaos technician ignore my two posts.

1. missing link
2. format your damn post so it's readable.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: LORd on October 28, 2007, 09:31:01 am
as much as I dislike this discussion it's not really my place to deny you from having it. nevertheless it really doesn't belong here so I am going to give you four options in order of personal preference:

1. stop it
2. take it to PM
2. I'll split the posts into their very own argue the credibility of the bible thread where you can take this (I've never split a thread before I really want to try it out)
3. keep arguing here nonetheless and I'll warn you and lock this thread (effectively forceful execution of option 1.)

make youchoice.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: PTizzle on October 28, 2007, 12:43:21 pm
And religions aren't the only thing you can convert people to.



I'm an atheist, but I hate the CONVERSION WAR shit.  Everyone leave everyone the fuck alone--that goes for atheists AND christians.


I 100% agree.

This goes for anti-drug/vegetarian/anti-smoking/etc people as well. People can do what they please if it's mostly to do with themselves.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: Reanz Starr on October 30, 2007, 05:42:02 pm
Ask her about the correlations of the bible to astrology, with the three kings being the stars etc etc. Also ask her if she realises that Jesus shares the same story of birth, life etc etc with many other Gods that pre-date the bible, including Horus.
Title: Debating a 61-year-old...
Post by: The Mike on October 31, 2007, 07:56:42 pm
So the first round of the debate (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=206440307&blogID=323550801&Mytoken=F9EA1D1B-AB40-4FE3-92ECAED09076114041449049") is over with.  It seems to be going pretty well so far.