[Warning—This is rather long, so if you are going to read it (which every Christian should!), be sure you have time and a cup of coffee, tea, can of beer, mixed drink, or soda, because you should read the entire piece all the way through.
My reason for putting this on my blog—As some of you, who are regular readers, I home school my children through Seton Catholic (a great school), and my daughter found this article on the net, and after emailing it to me came storming in the room proclaiming, "Mom, you have to do your thing to this article!" She knows how verbal I can be. That was weeks ago. I finally found the time to read through my emails and, with three Bibles on my desk and the Lord† by my side, I did my thing. I am a Christian before anything else, and for someone who knows nothing about our Lord† or his works to write something like this and put it on the net, I felt it my obligation to reply to it. I won't reply on this person's web page, so if you want, you can find him and direct him here. When you finish reading this, you will fully understand why America is in the state it is in. PS. I had to do a lot of grammatical editing. Also, at the end I have included some websites so that you may walk your own journey in discovering Christ†. God†bless us all.
10 Reasons Why Christianity Is Wrong—
10. It is Absurd—This may seem like I am re-stating what this list sets out to show. However, this is misleading. When someone comes to us with an extravagant claim, the most common reason we may discount the claim is because, to put it curtly, we find it absurd. The reason why the majority of people don't believe in Scientology, reincarnation, Mormonism, Greek gods, etc. is not because they have extensively researched the historicity and veracity of the claims, it is because they don't believe such things happen in the world. In other words, common sense tells us that when someone claims the absurd almost anything is more likely to be the case (i.e. they are lying, they are delusional, they are relying on misinformation) than for the absurdity to be real. Men do not miraculously heal the sick, raise the dead, cure the blind, and rise from the grave. The claims of Christianity are prima facie absurd. The burden of proof is on them.
[Strange assumption. Mr. Burrus has forgotten to read! We already have the proof that Jesus† and God† are real! What's wrong with Mr. Burrus is that he is lost himself. Faith is all it takes. But for those unfortunate souls who lack faith as Mr. Burrus does, there is the written testimony of Jesus'† life not only in the Bible but also in science and history. His number 10 reason is bogus, lacking any evidence to back up his claim. Mr. Burrus, you have the burden of proof to prove God† is not real.]
9. Jesus† Has Not Returned—This, also, may seem a soft point. However, for 2,000 years—80 generations—a substantial number of every single generation of Christians has whole-heartedly believed that Jesus’† return was imminent. This often included exact dates that, when they came to pass, did not cause the believers to toss their erroneous ideologies aside. And this perennial incorrectness goes back to the beginning. One can only understand the earliest Christians—the generation immediately following Jesus’† death—as a group who were expecting Jesus† to return at any moment (I Thess 4:15-17). Why did they believe this? Because on more than one occasion, Jesus† unequivocally said so (Mark 9:1, Matthew 26:64, Mark 13:30). Christians have proven to be resolutely imperturbable and incorrigible to their continued failures.
[The First Letter to the Thessalonians (I Thess 4:15-17) (Chapter 4 Exhortation to godliness)—"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17e which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Words from two different Bibles (A King James version of the Holy Bible dated 1982 and The New American Bible dated 1987).
A little history Mr. Burrus—"During this time, somewhere around 51 A. D., it seems like that Paul writes two letters to the Christians in Thessalocia, through which Paul has passed on his way to Corinth. At some point Paul has sent Timothy back to Thessalonica in order to establish more fully the Thessalonians' faith and to exhort them to steadfastness in the face of persecution, Paul's letter takes on the same purpose. Although Luke's historical record of Paul's visit to Thessalonica mentions only three weeks of confrontation with the Jews in the synagogue, Paul's letter clearly addresses Gentile Christians, probably Greeks, who had been converted from paganism. Paul reminds these new converts that they have turned from idols to worship the true and living God†, and he exhorts them to continue in purity, love, and labor for the Lord†. He also answers questions which have arisen in their minds regarding the second coming of Christ." (The Daily Bible 1984)
Mark 9:1 (Chapter 9 Death and the kingdom of God)—"And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power." (Holy Bible) First verse before the verse 2-8 which describes the transfiguration of Jesus†.
Mark 13:30 (Chapter 13 Jesus predicts destruction of the temple)—"Verily I say unto you, that this general shall not pass, till all these things are done." (Holy Bible)
Matthew 26:64 (Chapter 26 The rulers conspire against Jesus)— "Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." (Holy Bible) After Jesus† is arrested, he is put on trial before Sanhedrin. This passage is Jesus'† response after He† is brought before Caiaphas and council when the high priest asks Him†, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?"]
8. God† Doesn’t Care—Most people believe in God†. And, when asked why they believe in God†, the most common answer is taken from the argument from design—the universe is too ordered and beautiful to have arisen without an intelligence behind it. Whether or not this is true, this claim has little to do with Christianity. Christianity claims that God† not only created the world but also takes an active part in its management, in our moral choices, and in our fates. In other words—He† cares. It is this conception of God† that bends credulity to the breaking point. God† as essence—that is a “first cause” God† or a “higher power” God†—is a far less difficult concept than God† as being. First of all, according to centuries old Christian dogma, God† is immutable. In other words He† is a static, non-changing “being” that cannot create new beliefs, make inferences, or adjust desires. Secondly, the idea of an omniscient, omnipotent “being” having desires borders on the nonsensical. If all things are known—all that ever was, is, or will be—what would be the point of desiring anything? This is not just a simple word game. Christians consistently claim that God† “wants” us to believe in him and follow His† Commandments. However, they also claim that He† knows whether we will do so or not. So, what is the point of Him† wanting anything? A god as essence is palatable. A god as being is not only ridiculous but likely impossible. (P.S. This one is for the non-predestinarians. If you are a predestinarian, there are other reasons you are wrong (see below). However, most Christians are not predestinarians; although, if they care about consistency [not high on the list], they should be.)
[I find it amusing that Mr. Burrus puts God's† name in capital letters as well as each time he is referring to God† using a pronoun. The underlined statement was my doing (as well as all the editing and crosses, I will do this throughout the rest of this article). I wanted to point out this particular statement because it appears that Mr. Burrus has some questionable emotions—almost like he is unsure of himself. That would be right because atheist are, indeed, unsure of themselves when it comes to any kind of faith. Those of us who have the faith don't have this problem.]
7. Other Religions—For most of Christian history the problems caused by other religions were not pressing, if they were considered at all. In the enclosed world of medieval times—when most people would never travel more than 10 miles from their place of birth—people of non-Christian faiths seemed almost phantasms. However, in the modern world, the pots have been poured together and the faiths now intermingle on a daily basis. This, of course, brings religious problems to the forefront. But it also should force Christians (and other faiths) to make a few realizations—first, that faiths are conveyed primarily genealogically—from parents to children—as opposed to through dialectical, later-life conversion. We can never reasonably expect everyone to become Christian. This is not because Christianity is right or wrong, but because faiths carry their own momentum that is not derived from the truth or falsity of the beliefs. Secondly, that people of other faiths can live saintly lives of intense moral rectitude that rivals any Christian saint. And third, that people are exceptionally good at perpetuating, believing in, and dying for faiths that are manifestly false (as Christians believe). In other words, as Christians must unhesitatingly accept, people are very good at making up fantastic stories about events and figures in the past and then believing in them with fervor. If Christianity was the only belief system in the world that made extravagant claims, and if its claims resembled none others in the world, then we would have more reason to believe it to be true. However, this is obviously not so. In fact, often the claims of Christianity are hopelessly derivative. Healing and resurrecting god-men have been the objects of stories for millennia (these god-men were particularly common in the Hellenized world of post-Maccabean Palestine. i.e. Apollonius of Tyana). Also, in addition to sharing many strong features with Mithraism and Zoroastrianism, many early Christians found much distaste with the idea of the virgin birth, finding it too pagan. Plutarch writes in Convivial Disputations,”The fact of the intercourse of a male god with a mortal woman is conceded by all.”
[Oh, boy! It appears that Mr. Burrus does read but, in my opinion, too much Greek mythology. The underlined passages I will touch. Yes, faiths are passed down generation to generation but, and a BIG but, when a child grows up and becomes an adult, they have their own minds to decide, on their own, what and what not to believe. Yes, there are many different faiths. Tell me, Mr. Burrus, how many of these faiths believe in something higher than themselves. You clearly state that people are great at making stories up. This I know. People tend to get trapped in their minds without looking at the bigger pictures. I think you, Mr. Burrus, can relate to that.
Christians believe in their faith because Jesus† was real. Plain and simple. But that's not all. Mary is real. Many people around the world have seen miracles. These are messages sent from God† letting us know that He's† here and that we must stay true to our faith because false gods will try to bring evil upon us. All faiths experience these miracles. We call ourselves Christians because it's our language, but there are many other versions of the same faith. You have misinterpreted a lot of your reading. You are seeing through closed eyes. Plainly, you are one who has to "see" to believe instead of having "faith."]
6. There is No Soul—The inexcusable flippancy of the term “soul” abounds. And, although most people believe in it and freely use the term, they have no idea what it means. The evidence for physicalism—that the mind is the brain—has become nothing less than overwhelming. This evidence exists not only in the highest levels of research—where scientists can now point to, and manipulate, the exact location in our grey matter where essential characteristics lie—but it exists in the everyday lives of millions of people who take psychotropic drugs on a daily basis. These users will tell you drugs such as Prozac, lithium, Paxil and Ritalin don’t just give them a slight pick-me-up, they make them an entirely different person. Some of them must wonder if their “soul” is depressed or happy, anxiety filled or laid-back. Only by ignoring 200 years of medical progress can we believe that we simply inhabit our bodies—dropping by on the way to something better. It isn’t “I have a brain,” it’s “I am a brain.”
[Lost—the only word that comes to mind. Here the soul is being confused with the brain. Wow! The soul has nothing to do with the brain. But while I'm on the brain, Mr. Burrus, with all the technology we have today, not one scientist or doctor can tell you exactly how the brain works. They do know that a cell works like a little factory but they can't explain it. The medications people use, like the ones you mentioned above, are not really genius if you think about it. Laboratory scientist and doctors take years and years to develop these types of drugs. But it wasn't through some knowing and understanding of the brain in its entirety. They were developed through trial and error, and by using lab animals and people to get the formula right. This great technology can't tell exactly why people cry, why people laugh. This great technology can't explain why human beings have emotions. Can you, Mr. Burrus?
Go ahead and visit some people on their death bed. Ask them if they have a soul or not. Ask them if their soul is their brain. Have you ever seen someone dying, Mr. Burrus? In most cases (if not all), when a person is just about to die their toes turn blue. Did you know that? But there's something else. There are others in the room. I watched my grandmother die and she saw them. She reached for them. They were there to take her home. You can't deny that if you have seen it.
Go ahead and talk to someone who has experienced a near-death experience. In fact, there are plenty of books on the matter from people all around the world, in many different faiths who have experienced the same thing. Read something other then history on tyrannical kings.]
5. Evil—The tried and true returns—If you are a Christian, you are probably rolling your eyes because you’ve heard it time and again. Why don’t we atheists understand that—[A] God† works in mysterious ways, [B] God† gave us free-will which allows us to commit evil and good, [C] the world is in a fallen state, and [D] Satan represents a real presence in the world? No, we don’t understand because—[A] clearly, God† doesn’t work in ways that are too mysterious for you to be unhesitant in calling something “He†” did “good” and asking Him† to do “good” things in the world on your behalf. You can either use moral qualifiers to describe God’s† actions or you cannot; you can’t have it both ways. [B] Not only does this point not jibe with argument “A” (if God† works in mysterious ways, we couldn’t claim that free-will is a “good”) it is difficult to see how, if free-will is good, the using of free-will to take away another’s free-will (i.e. murder) is not intensely problematic in God’s †eyes. Hitler used his free-will to take away the free-will of 10 million others. Thus, if, in 1919, God† flipped the “become an artist” switch in Hitler’s mind, the result would have greatly added to the net amount of freedom in the world. [C] This is a non-starter if the Old Testament is not accurate but, even if it is, a God† who holds great-great-great grandchildren responsible for their ancestor’s actions does not pass even the bare minimum test of human morality. Without a defined concept of desert, morality is a completely empty concept. It seems God† is playing fast and loose on this count. [D] If this objection is forwarded seriously, then it is little more than ditheism (dual theism). Otherwise, in the Christian universe the only power Satan has is that which God† lets him have. If you believe in the traditional Christian conception of God†, you must believe that, ultimately, everything is His† fault. Everything. This in a world where rocks fall out of the sky onto innocent people and babies are eaten by dingoes.
[Well, well, well, he finally admits he's an atheist. Figures. Everything happens for a reason. If you, my dear friend, don't believe that, then you are indeed lost. Evil exist to bring out the good. If you don't see that, then you are, for sure, lost. Hitler was pure evil. A liar. A killer. We are given free-will and what we do with that free-will on an individual account proves if we are good or evil. You are doing your free-will right now by crucifying God†, and guess what, you have to answer to it—just you.
Morals. Funny you should mention that. If you read the Bible, you would discover that it shows you how to live and how to die. If you don't know the difference from right and wrong, then you have nothing. That's what morals are—knowing right from wrong. Our American founders made sure those morals were instilled in our Constitution. For instance "Thou shall not kill." If you kill someone, what happens to you, Mr. Burrus. You go to jail. You face the death penalty. The very reason why crime is up, divorce is up, abortion is up, corruption is up is because of "cause" and "five-minutes-of-fame" problematics like yourself. You were not raised with heart or guidance, and I hate to be the one to break that news to you. Believe this, Mr. Burrus, without morality—no one would be safe. You wouldn't be safe. Your money wouldn't be safe. Think really hard about what you believe or not believe because you will have to answer to it in the end.]
4. The Bible is Not Consistent—Many, if not most, Christians would say that the Bible is inerrant. Well, they are wrong. Saying so doesn’t require an appeal to history, science, and/or archaeology; it only requires a demonstration that the Bible is incoherent—that is, it contains claims that cannot be true simultaneously. In such instances either one claim is false or they are both false—there is no other possibility. If you wish to throw rationality out the window and claim that a contradiction is possible, then you can just take your ball and go home; you are now playing a game that you can ask no one else to play with you. One example of many—Matthew 1:1-16 claims that there are 27 generations between David and Jesus†, Luke 3:23-38 claims 41 generations. These cannot be reconciled. The Bible is not inerrant.
[Matthew 1:1-16 (Chapter 1 Genealogy of Christ)—"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham begat Issac; and Issac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; 3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 4 And Aram begat Aminadab and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; 7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; 8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; 9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; 10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; 11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon; 12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salatheil begat Zorobabel; 13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; 14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; 15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob 16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations." (Holy Bible) 14 + 14 + 14 = 42 "Matthew list 42 of the known generations and divides these into three groups of 14 each. The genealogy is traced through Jesus' legal father, Joseph, as the husband of Mary." (The Daily Bible)
Luke 3:23-38 (Chapter 3 Religious work of John the Baptist)—"23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 24 Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph 25 Which was the son of Mattahias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, 26 Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, 27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, 28 Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, 29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, 30 Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, 31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, 32 Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, 33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which is the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda, 34 which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor, 35 which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, 36 Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, 37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, 38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God." (Holy Bible) "Luke...account traces the lineage directly through Jesus' mother, Mary. This explains the differences in ancestors from Heli...to David. Luke's genealogy also goes beyond Abraham, all the way back through Noah, Encoh, Seth, and Adam to God himself...." (The Daily Bible)]
3. Christianity Cannot be the Religion that Jesus† Preached—The story of Christianity is the story of the beliefs that Jesus† professed developing into the religion that professes Jesus†. In other words—dogma. It is pure folly to believe that Simon Peter, Thomas, Mary Magdalene etc. followed Jesus† because when He† died, they would be able to absolve their sins by believing in Him†. This later theological construction was created by believers who were searching for a meaning to the seemingly pointless execution of their leader and teacher. Those who originally followed Jesus† did so because of his life—because He† was an exemplary teacher who radically reinterpreted the Law in favor of inclusion rather than exclusion. Those who now follow Jesus† do so because of His† death. They turn a man’s poignant teachings—His† life’s work—into a secondary and near meaningless preface to the panacea of His† death. We primarily have Paul and John the evangelist (two people who did not know Jesus† in His† life) to thank for this inexcusable dumbing-down of Jesus’† life. With Paul and John’s help, what Christianity would become is embodied in the Nicene Creed. Take a look at it. Dogmatic fiat has expurgated everything the man stood for.
[John 1:21 (Chapter 1 Divinity of Jesus Christ)—John clearly states that, indeed, John was one of Jesus† disciples. Meaning he did know Jesus† in life. John 20: 30, 31 (Chapter 20 Jesus' resurrection)—"Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (Holy Bible)
Paul (given name Saul) was known as the great persecutor of the Lord's† church. But he gained his faith. How can a man of such hatred turn to Jesus†, simple, Jesus† appeared to him (Acts 9:1-9 (Chapter 9 Saul (Paul) is blinded)). If someone with such hate of Christians (believers in God† and Jesus†) can learn of the Lord† and see Him† for what He† really is, couldn't you, Mr. Burrus, do the same? "At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God...." (Acts 9:20-22). (Holy Bible)
A little history lesson—Paul and Barnabas toured Asia and returned home in 47 A.D. John lived in the same time period. The Nicene Creed was written in 325 A.D. by the First Council of Nicea to denounce the great heresies that claimed Jesus† was not God†. This Creed came about because a corrupted Bishop decided he would interpret the Bible the way he wanted and that people had to believe what he said. Over 300 Bishops went to Nicea for this discussion/debate and the outcome was this Creed. Some lines were later changed/added by the First Council of Constantinople in 381. What follows is the English version of this Creed.
- "We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth, of things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the begotten of God the Father, the Only-begotten, that is of the essence of the Father. God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten and not made; of the very same nature of the Father, by Whom all things came into being, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. Who for us humanity and for our salvation came down from heaven, was incarnate, was made human, was born perfectly of the holy virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit. By whom He took body, soul, and mind, and everything that is in man, truly and not in semblance. He suffered, was crucified, was buried, rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven with the same body, [and] sat at the right hand of the Father. He is to come with the same body and with the glory of the Father, to judge the living and the dead; of His kingdom there is no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, in the uncreated and the perfect; Who spoke through the Law, prophets, and Gospels; Who came down upon the Jordan, preached through the apostles, and lived in the saints. We believe also in only One, Universal, Apostolic, and [Holy] Church; in one baptism in repentance, for the remission, and forgiveness of sins; and in the resurrection of the dead, in the everlasting judgment of souls and bodies, and the Kingdom of Heaven and in the everlasting life.” (Wikipedia)
John and Paul had nothing to do with this Creed. Also, Jesus’† teachings and the way He† lived His† life is celebrated more than His† death. His† life is lived and celebrated every day of everyone’s life, like it or not. You, Mr. Burrus, live by His† teachings when you follow the American law. You say “thank you,” “excuse me,” “you are welcome” all the time and you don’t even realize that you are living Jesus’† life all over again. Jesus† was about peace, about love. That’s an every day thing for all of us. His† death is remembered each year by all faiths who believe in Him†. In my Southern Louisiana life, our Catholic way is to celebrate Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) which is a celebration before Lent which is when we remember the 40 days Jesus† prayed before He† was arrested. Each Friday during this time, church services are held which go through Jesus’† walk with the cross—we call it The Stations of the Cross. Ending this period is Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter. All of God’s† children celebrate this event one way or another to remind ourselves that God† sent His† son as Himself† in flesh and blood as a sacrifice for original sin. Because of Jesus†, you are wiped clean of this original sin and you are given a fresh start, if you want to say it that way, to make your own choices (free-will) to chose between good and evil.]
2. The Gospels are not Historically Reliable—We need not demonstrate Biblical errors solely through appeals to internal consistency. Doing so only tells us that something in the “word of God†” is awry—but not necessarily which word is wrong. In order to perform Biblical analysis that actually broadens our view of what is true and false in the “good” book we need to bring in external sources. From these external sources we learn that the Bible makes claims that cannot stand up to even the most cursory historical examination. In the Gospel of Luke the story is told of a census enacted by the governor Quirinius (Luke 2:1-7). The census, according to Luke, required everyone to return to their ancestral homes to be counted. Thus Joseph, being in the line of David, travels from Nazareth to Bethlehem where—after unadvisedly traveling ninety miles with a woman in the final days of pregnancy—Mary gives birth. The Romans, being meticulous record keepers, did take censuses. However, because of this meticulous record keeping, we know that the only census conducted during Quirinius’ governorship took place in 6-7 A. D.—a time over ten years after Herod was king of Judea (Luke claims they are contemporaries). However, aside from this fact we can use common sense to realize that the story is totally unbelievable. Luke invents an empire-wide migration for a simple tax registration—millions of people traveling hundreds or thousands of miles to go to their ancestral home of a millennium past (David predates Joseph by approx. 1,000 years) in order to sign a simple form. Imagine this happening today. Imagine the cataclysmic disruption of societies resulting from the masses of people crossing boarders and oceans in order to sign a form. This, of course, supposes you could even find your ancestral home of a millennium past. No, something is wrong here and it isn’t that the Romans liked to periodically enact sadistically cumbersome legislation. No, I think our evangelist needs to go back to history class. But wait…
[Oh, my! I have to comment. Poor little Burro. You have it wrong dear child. It has been proven that this census would have taken place as Luke spoke about. There are, indeed, many stories in the Bible. The stories are designed to teach you something. You, my friend, didn't learn well. The Gospels are accounts of Jesus'† life from those who knew Him†. In the above paragraph, you are flat out calling Luke a liar. How bold of you, Mr. Burr! You are not paying attention to the time frame in which you are writing. You speak of millions of people with ancestry back dating 1,000 years. If you did proper research, you'd discover that families at this time lived in the same areas generation after generation. The only reason for them (it would have been the males only) was to work to pay their taxes. Most likely they would have worked on some construction site. It wouldn't be uncommon for some of these men to find approval with some fathers and a marriage would be arrange. It would not be millions who displaced themselves from their native towns, thousands maybe but probably hundreds would be closer to the accurate number. Also, these people would know exactly where their original ancestors lived because of this way of life. Most families lived in the same homes generation after generation.
If you knew your history, or even just a little bit about it, you'd know that the kings of the time built extravagant buildings and palaces. It takes money to do such things, especially when you lined things with gold. It was all about control and in Jesus'† time, it was this way. This was reality for them. They didn't have telephones or computers. The only means of communication was travel.
Mr. Burro, you live in a completely different world than Jesus†. Without proper education, you have no idea how to relate to such a life. You live without morals, without guidance, without proper love. Jesus† lived in a time when if you wanted to eat, you had to grow your food; if you wanted a house, you had to build it yourself (and their was no lumber store, they made their own bricks). If you were a king, you had access to horses, if not, you walked!]
1. The Gospels are not History—This may seem like a paltry excuse for the number one spot on a list that makes such a grandiose claim. This reason, however, is the lynch pin. The historicity of the Gospels represents the most crucial element of Christianity—for either its truth or falsity. Christianity claims a specific historical relationship between God† and man. If that relationship is historically inaccurate then Christianity is wrong. Or, as Paul memorably put it, “if Christ† has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (1 Cor. 15:14).
[1 Corinthians 15:14 (Chapter 15 Christ's resurrection)—this is The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians—a letter sent to the church in Corinth by Timothy around 55-56 A.D. Those living in Corinth at the time was surrounded by paganism including turning their backs on sexual morality and modesty. Paul's letter speaks about this and the relationships these Christians were sharing with the pagans. 1 Corinthians 15: 12-19—"But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." (This version is from The Daily Bible which makes it easier to understand.) Paul wrote this after a letter from Corinth was sent to him asking him all sorts of questions regarding marriage, singleness, food sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, etc. Before this particular passage 15:1-11, Paul talks about his belief, his faith, and how it is justified. He talks about Jesus† appearing to not just him but to many people.
What Mr. Burrus failed to mention is what next Paul had to say in 15:20-28. Before he was being a bit sarcastic because of the connections between those "saying" they followed Jesus† and paganism. He was basically saying if you say doctors can't really heal then why do we go to doctors, all of the money we spent on surgeries and medications was spent in vain. Now, Paul tells it like it is—"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [died]. for since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he ‘has put everything under his feet.’ Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.” (The Daily Bible)
As we’ve seen the Bible is often contradictory and the Gospels are not historically accurate. [Already proved this wrong.] However, the Christian mistake is compounded by believing that the Gospels are even history—that is they were written or designed to accurately portray historical truths.
[Oh, my poor child. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John didn't know what life would hold. They wrote what had happened. Matthew and John wrote from their personal experience. They wrote in different places and different times from their personal prospective. They were not writing a biography, just what had happened as they saw it. Mark was an interpreter for Peter, as well as his disciple. Peter did know Jesus and he related what he saw and Mark wrote it down. Luke was a disciple of Paul, and wrote accounts from Paul's point of view. He also lived during the time when people were alive who witnessed Jesus'† life. He would have asked questions and listened to what those people had to say. Journalist do the same thing today. They are at the scene, ask questions, then they write. All four of these men had close a relation to Jesus—two were first-hand witnesses and two were friends (disciples) of two who first-hand witnesses. They knew they were chosen to a part of something beyond anything they could ever experience. Don't think it wasn't trying for them. It was. Each of them battled their own demons, their own doubts. Each of them, because they believed in Jesus† so much, wanted everyone to experience what they did. These four men wrote their accounts at different times, and different places. You cannot judge them. Everything they wrote is HISTORY (the past's story). Historians have been studying their writings for many years and they know far more than you. The Bible is deemed an historic record of facts!]
The evangelists did not intend their writings to be taken as historical truths. [Are you kidding? Jesus† told them to write it down, spread His† word. Yes, they did intend for it to be historical truths. They didn't collaborate. They were busy staying alive while trying to turn evil into good.] If they could see modern Christianity, they would be shocked at the millions of Christians interpreting their writings as historically authoritative. Please don’t misinterpret what I am saying. I am not saying the Gospels were entirely made up. I am saying that they were primarily written as myths that forego historical truths (but use many of them) in favor of conveying larger, theological truths that the evangelists believed about Jesus of Nazareth.
[I think Mr. Burrus needs a cross of his own to carry. He says the Gospels weren't entirely made up then he says that they were myths. Well, it seems Mr. Burrus is a bit confused because according to the dictionary "made up" is the same thing as a myth. As I said before the Gospels were written from four different men, from four different view points of disciples of Jesus†. Plain and simple!]
The evangelists poured through the Old Testament and found “prophecies” that predicted Jesus’† life. After all, there had to be grander reasons why their great teacher had been executed like a common criminal. [Here's a hint for you. He† told them why and how.] In the pages of Jewish scripture they found those reasons. They then consciously wrote their Gospels in order to retroactively fulfill prophecy. [How uneducated you are.] That this happens at all is beyond dispute. Sometimes, while stumbling over themselves to “fulfill” prophecy, they get it horribly wrong—Mark (1:1-3), using shoddy sources, begins his Gospel with “prophecy” that mistakenly conflates two Old Testament versus; Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1. Matthew (1:20-23) uses a mistranslated Old Testament, in which the Hebrew almah, (meaning “young woman”) was changed to the Greek parthenos (meaning a physical virgin), as a justification for the immaculate conception. Matthew (21:1-7) so wants to fulfill a “prophecy” from another shoddy source that has combined Isaiah 62:11 and Zachariah 9:9, that he misinterprets the passage—which only speaks of one animal (with subsequent qualifiers)—and has Jesus† ride into Jerusalem, in some bizarre act of balance, on two animals. (The other Gospel writers are quick to correct this grievous error.) Thus, we begin to see that not only is it a manifest absurdity to believe the Gospels are history, it becomes tenuous to believe they are even accurate.
[Here, Mr. Burrus again shows his atheist background. Matthew, Luke, Mark and John (again) lived during the time of Jesus†. They also lived in the time after Jesus'† death. They would have spoken to the parents of Jesus†. That's only common sense. And AGAIN Mr. Burrus is calling the four writers of the Gospels, liars! And, how does he know that one of them used a "mistranslated Old Testament." Was he there, too? Let me tell you a little secret—I know you watch the weather channel and you see how weatherman predict the weather. But that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to predicting. Many people have made predictions in our far-off past, and still today scholars, politicians, etc. pay attention to those predictions because 80% of the time, they come true. Isaiah and Zachariah made predictions and most of it came true, maybe not to the last detail, but they came true. Zachariah spoke of "a donkey and a colt." But did he mean a donkey which was really a baby of an adult donkey (ass). He says "a donkey and a clot the foal of an ass." Mr. Burru, you are not clearly thinking or comprehending what the writers in the Bible are actually saying.
Mark 1:1-3 (Chapter 1 Office of John the Baptist)—"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God; 2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." (Holy Bible) Then Mark goes on to write about Jesus† from his Baptism to his death as it was told to him by Peter.
Isaiah 40:3 (Chapter 40 Promulgation of the gospel)—"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." (Holy Bible) Isaiah also predicted Judah's sins and captivity. He predicted the Babylonian captivity, the restoration of Israel, the rebuilt city of Jerusalem.
Malachi 3:1 (Chapter 3 The messenger, majesty and grace of Christ)—"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts." (Holy Bible) Again, yes, a prophecy about the coming Messiah in this time of turmoil in Persia. People were discouraged, there was cynicism (as with Mr. Burru), there was hardly any spiritual guidance, divorce was rampant and paganism is like today's material world. Malchi spoke to the people, telling them that God† still loves them, etc. Actually, Malachi's questions and answers would serve Mr. Burru some good.
Matthew 1:20-23 (Chapter 1 Genealogy of Christ)—After Matthew writes out the family line as written above, Matthew starts at Jesus'† birth and how Joseph protected Mary after finding out she was with child—"But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus." (Holy Bible) Now here Matthew talks about Joseph and Mary. In the dream that Joseph had, he is told that Mary's child is the Son of God† as the prophets had said. Before this time, wondrous things had taken place—Noah and the ark, Mosses parting the red sea, the seven plagues. Joseph was part of those family lines. His belief was strong, and he well lived past Jesus'† crucifixion, so all of Jesus'† friends would have known him, and he would have passed on this event.
Matthew 1:1-7 (Chapter 1 Genealogy of Christ)—"And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them, 'Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.' 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon." (Holy Bible)
Isaiah 62:11 (Chapter 62 The Prophet's promise to the church)—"Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him." (Holy Bible) "Isaiah declares that his mission at this time is to bring comfort to those already in exile and to those about to be taken captive. God† has a further purpose in Issiah's prophecies: he wants to reveal what is about to happen so that, when it does, the people will know that it is God† who is punishing them and God† who will deliver them. he does not want them to attribute anything to the pagan gods which they worship. To make sure there is no mistake about it, God† specifically reveals the name of Cyrus the Persian king, who 150 years later will be God's† instrument in bringing about the restoration." (The Daily Bible)
Zechariah 9:9 (Chapter 9 God defends his church)—"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." (Holy Bible)
Both of these were prophesies made long before Christ† came. Mr. Burrus' analysis is corrupted at best.]
Each evangelist had his own interpretation. The theology of the evangelists—and specifically their Christology (the nature of Christ†)—developed into more grandiose claims as Jesus’ † life moved further into the past. If you wish to discover this for yourself, I advise you to successively read the Gospel of Mark (almost universally agreed to be the earliest Gospel written between 65-70 A.D.) and the Gospel of John (agreed to be the latest Gospel written between 90-100 A.D.) in a single sitting. Ask yourself this question—Are they telling the same story? In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus† largely speaks in parables and evasive third-person proclamations about someone called “the Son of Man.” In John’s Gospel, Jesus† tells no parables and spends most of the time talking about himself, His† godly status, and what the future will bring.
[I will again point out that the four Gospels were written at the time of Jesus† and that John and Matthew wrote about their personal accounts from their own individual prospective as Apostles of Jesus Chrust†, Mark and Luke wrote the personal accounts of Peter and Paul (both Apostles of Jesus Christ†) from their prospective. These accounts were also written at different times and at different places. Another reminder is that they were writing like you would write in a diary, they were NOT writing his biography.
The Gospel According To Mark—"The Gospel According To Mark is one of four Gospels in the Holy Bible and is the second book in chronological order presented in the New Testament. Mark (John Mark was his full name) was an associate with Simon Peter, one of the 12 apostles that followed Jesus Christ† throughout His† public ministry on Earth. Peter was the name given to Simon by Jesus Christ† personally (Mark 3:16 (Chapter 3 Jesus heals the withered hand)). He was very close to Jesus† and after the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus†, Peter was one of the founders of the early Christian church. Although the book was written by Mark, the facts contained in it are thought to be the accounts of Peter during his ministry with Jesus†. The consensus among scholars is that the book of Mark was written between 50 and 60 A.D. The author is referenced several times in the New Testament starting in the book of Acts, chapters 12 and 13, in Colossians 4:10, and finally in 2 Timothy 4:11. The book of Mark was probably written in Italy, and perhaps even Rome. This book has 16 chapters and is the shortest book of the four gospels. However, the details of the events and miracles of Jesus† in this book are consistent with the other three gospels; Matthew, Luke and John." (All About Jesus Christ)
The Gospel According To John—"The Gospel of John is one of four Gospels in the Holy Bible and is the fourth book in chronological order presented in the New Testament. The Gospel of John is a unique perspective of the life of Jesus Christ†. It varies from the other three Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke (also known as the synoptic Gospels), by focusing more on spiritual themes rather than historical events. The author of this Gospel was the disciple John, one of the twelve disciples that followed Jesus Christ† during His† earthly ministry. The author identifies himself in the last chapter of the Gospel—"This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true." (John 21:24). John was also known as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (see John 13:23, 19:26, and 21:7.). Perhaps this explains the uniqueness of John's record of the life of Jesus†. The book is filled with first hand accounts of experiences with Jesus Christ† that occurred during Christ's† 33 years of life on earth. Scholars generally accept that the Gospel of John was written between 50 and 85 A.D." (All about Jesus Christ)]
So, here is a brief lesson in the development of the concept of Jesus as God†—the transition from focusing on what Jesus† said to focusing on who He† was. We will only look at the beginning and the end—Jesus’† birth and death. Changing the birth and death of Jesus† is the most direct route to altering Jesus’† status from one contained within a life to one transcending it. First the birth narratives. In Mark, there is no birth narrative. Jesus’† higher metaphysical standing begins when He† is chosen at his Baptism. This is a story that Jews would have known well. The Old Testament is replete with God† adopting servants—sometimes even called “sons”—during a communicative moment in their lives. Mark did not believe Jesus’† status differed greatly from God’s† chosen sons of the past—David, Elijah, Moses, Elisha etc. In fact, in writing for a Jewish audience, he thought it important to strongly align Jesus† with the prophets of old. Mark’s Christology is thoroughly earthly and—when judged against later alterations—mundane. However, this aspect of Mark is of paramount importance; the earliest Evangelist, the one least removed from Jesus’† life, did not know what Christians now know. It is simply absurd to believe that, of all the things Mark knew about Jesus† and with all the time he took to compose and disseminate his Gospel, Mark just didn’t know that Jesus’† birth was a once-in-an-eternity miraculous event. While Mark certainly plays up the figure of Jesus†, he was not willing to go that far. When Mark is taken by itself—a Gospel lacking a birth narrative and a resurrection narrative (the last twelve verses are almost universally agreed to be later additions), fraught with a persistent “messianic secret” in which no Apostle is able to completely understand Jesus’† status, and Jesus’† constant, oblique, third person references to a figure called the “Son of Man” (almost assuredly a reference to Daniel 7:13)—no interpretation even remotely resembling Christianity can be culled from it. Instead Mark fits squarely into well-known traditional Jewish stories of chosen prophets instructing the Jews as to God’s† will.
[Daniel 7:13 (Chapter 7 Vision of four beasts)—"I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heave, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him." (Holy Bible) I have already explained most of what is underline. No need to go into it again. But just to remind some readers, Mr. Burro uses the word "gospel" in his testimony. He does not mention the Acts written by Luke.
"As the Gospel accounts come to a close with Jesus'† ascension, the focus of Scripture turns to the work of the Apostles and others in their efforts to spread the good news about Jesus† throughout the world, and to the beginning of the church, which is comprised of Christ's† faithful disciples. The historical record of the church in the first 30 years of its history, commonly known as the Acts of the Apostles, is evidently written by Luke. Luke's writing records many of the acts of some of the Apostles, principally those of Peter and Paul (who will become a special Apostle), and also includes the work of others, such as Stephen, Philip, Barnabas, and Silas. More importantly, Luke records the work of the Holy Spirit in the church of the first century. After a brief introduction in his writing, Luke stresses the powerful manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the confirmation and spread of the gospel message." (The Daily Bible)
I believe that Mr. Burrus has mixed up the Gospels with the Acts.]
For Matthew and Luke this “Jewish Jesus†” would not do. Rather than taking a modern viewpoint that the earlier source should be trusted (that is, if you care about historical accuracy which, as I’ve said, they clearly did not), Matthew and Luke (written c. 80-90) decide to insert important “facts” into Mark’s general narrative that raise the status of Jesus† to a figure whose scope extends beyond Judaism. With this in mind, doctoring what He† said was not as important as doctoring who He was†. Thus, they go back to His† birth and tell incompatible, incredible, and clearly manufactured stories of Jesus’† miraculous birth to a virgin. In doing so they both establish Jesus’† higher ontological status than the prophets of old, and—by bending over backwards to place Jesus† in Bethlehem—they make sure that Jesus†— satisfies the prophecy that the Messiah was to come from the “city of David.”
[The Gospel According To Matthew—"The Gospel of Matthew is one of four gospels in the Holy Bible and the first book in chronological order presented in the New Testament of the Bible. Matthew was one of the 12 Apostles that were with Jesus Christ† throughout His† public ministry on Earth. The consensus among conservative scholars is that this book in the Bible was written between 50 and 70 A.D. Matthew was a Jewish tax collector that left his profession to follow the Lord†. Matthew gives a personal witness account of many miracles that Jesus† performed prior to being crucified on a Roman cross. The purpose of this book is to prove to readers that Jesus† is the true Messiah that was prophesied in the Old Testament of the Bible. It is an artistically written book and proves to be consistent with the other three Gospels in the Bible; Mark, Luke and John regarding the historical events that occurred during the life of Jesus† on Earth. With 28 chapters, it is the longest Gospel of the four. (All About Jesus Christ)
Looking at the differences between the Synoptics, we are also able to see the solution to the oft-mentioned "problem" of Jesus'† missing years. Other than Luke's small story of a twelve-year-old Jesus† teaching in the Temple, we have no other (canonical) stories of Jesus† between birth and Baptism. By comparing Mark with Matthew and Luke, the obvious answer presents itself; such stories didn't exist because no one cared about Jesus† until he established a ministry. Jesus'† "missing years" are no more bothersome than the "missing years" of the majority of Hebrew prophets.
[When Madonna first came on the scene in the '80's, no one knew her past either. When presidents are elected by the people, they don't know about their childhood either. When a Pope takes his seat, no one knows about his childhood either. Mr. Burrus doesn't take into account the time period in which Jesus† was born—it was in some turmoil. Mr. Burrus hasn't read or studied the Bible enough to make such assumptions as he has done here. For an atheist, who has no formal study, trying to decipher the Bible, is ludicrous at best. Without formal study, I wouldn't try to perform surgery—what Mr. Burrus has done here is exactly that.]
But John would change everything and one-up all who came before him. Jesus† wasn’t merely “chosen,” “adopted” or created from a miraculous set of circumstances. No, Jesus† is something else all together. Feeling it wasn’t good enough to go back [to] the beginning of His† ministry or the beginning of His† life, John decides to go back to the beginning of time (John 1:1 “In the beginning was the word…”) to establish the nature of Jesus†. Thus, Jesus† has been raised to the ultimate heights; dizzying heights that would have confused and shocked Mark.
[John 1:1-10 (Chapter 1 Divinity of Jesus Christ)—"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not." (Holy Bible) Mr. Burrus tends not to read the whole Scripture before making his assumptions.]
Likewise, the death of Jesus† changes dramatically throughout the Gospels. The changes (of which there are many more than these) can be summed up in the three different accounts of the last words of Jesus†—Mark 15:34 and Matthew 27:46 “My god, my god, why have you forsaken me.” Luke 23:46 “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” John 19:30 “It is finished.” The development of Christianity is encapsulated in the move from the utterance of pain, ignorance, nonacceptance, and suffering seen in Mark and Matthew to the statement of acceptance, foreknowledge, and peace that is seen in John. These are incompatible interpretations of Jesus†. The character in the Gospels may have the same name but it is not the same man hanging on the cross.
[Mark 15:34 (Chapter 15 Jesus is accused before Pilate) Mark writes his account of when Jesus† is accused before Pilate and then Jesus'† crucifixion. Verse 34 "And at the ninth hour Jesus† cried with a loud voice, saying , "Eloi, Eloi, Lama sabbachthani?" which is, being interpreted, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" 35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. 36 And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. 37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. 38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom." (Holy Bible)
As explained in The Daily Bible —"From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus† cried out...(this is the same as the Bible). Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus† said, "I am thirsty." Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus† to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him." (Mt. 27:48-49, Mk 15:36, Jn 19: 28,29).
When he had received the drink, Jesus† said, "It is finished." Jesus called out a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." (Mt. 27:50, Mk 15:37, Lk 23:46, Jn 19:30) At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. (Mt. 27:51-53, Mk 15:38, Lk 23:45b)." (The Daily Bible)
The Gospels are guides to belief written by believers. This is a horribly unreliable way to learn accurate information. When you already believe "The Truth," distortions that you consciously engage in—that you see as promoting "The Truth"—are not seen as lies, but rather, as efficacious ways of getting "The Truth" to the hearts of readers. We don't know why the evangelists believed as they did, but in the Gospels they don't give us the reasons they believe, they give us reasons to believe; an entirely different matter. But we do know they invented things. We know that the theological conception of Jesus† changed as the believers grew more distant from His† life. What Christians believe most fervently (i.e. Jesus† being God†, appearing after He† died, dying for the sins of the world) are concepts that were developed later. They are concepts that did not exist in the earliest generations of Christian belief. They certainly did not exist when Jesus† was alive.
[Just by doing a simple search of Original Sin I found forum for Catholics called Catholic Answers. The following question was posted looking for the exact same answer that Mr. Burrus failed to research. "..."If we all have original sin as humans, and since Jesus† was the perfect human, yet we are told he was completely without sin, how can that be? How could he be without original sin if He's† human? Then why didn't He† get baptized until His† thirties? He† wasn't baptized as an infant. So, why would we need to be baptized as infants? Being a Protestant Bible church, every answer they receive must be from the Bible...if not, where and who did I get the answer from....Thanks for your help! — Jan Brennan"
This was Catholic Answers reply—"Here is an excerpt from the Catholic Encyclopedia on John the Baptist—(including scripture references...) 'The Precursor had been preaching and baptizing for some time (just how long is not known), when Jesus† came from Galilee to the Jordan, to be baptized by him. Why, it might be asked, should He† "who did no sin" (I Pet., ii, 22) seek John's "baptism of penance for the remission of sins" (Luke, iii, 3)? The Fathers of the Church answer very appropriately that this was the occasion preordained by the Father† when Jesus† should be manifested to the world as the Son of God†; then again, by submitting to it, Jesus† sanctioned the baptism of John. "But John stayed him, saying: I ought to be baptized by thee, and comest thou to me?" (Matt., iii, 14). These words, implying, as they do, that John knew Jesus†, are in seeming conflict with a later declaration of John recorded in the Fourth Gospel—"I knew him not" (John, i, 33). Most interpreters take it that the Precursor had some intimation of Jesus† being the Messias—they assign this as the reason why John at first refused to baptize him; but the heavenly manifestation had, a few moments later, changed this intimation into perfect knowledge. "And Jesus† answering, said to him: Suffer it to be so now. For so it becometh us to fulfil all justice. Then he suffered him. And Jesus† being baptized, forthwith came out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened to him...And, behold, a voice from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son†, in whom I am well pleased." (Matt., iii, 15-17).'"
Early Christians invented myths to overcome the "stumbling-block" (1 Cor. 1:23) of the cross. Paul knew that, for the Jews and Gentile Greeks, the execution of Jesus† represented a major problem. The "king of the Jews" was not supposed to be an executed lowly peasant. The "savior of mankind" was not a common criminal. Over time, theological concepts developed that explained this hang-up. Thus, an executed traitor was turned into a victorious Messiah.
[The First Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Corinthians (1 Cor. 1:23 (Chapter 1 Salutation and thanksgiving)—"But we preach Christ crusified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness." (Holy Bible) I've already discussed this in full detail about this letter from Paul, Timothy delivered, to the Corinthians in Corinth around 55-56 A.D. From The Daily Bible (pages 1532-1533)—After a warning against divisions within the church, (1 Cor. 18-25 explained in laymen terms) "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God†. For it is Written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligences of the intelligent I will frustrate.' Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God† made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God† the world through its wisdom did not know Him†, God† was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ† crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God† has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ† the power of God† and the wisdom of God†. For the foolishness of God† is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God† is stronger than man's strength."
All else that Mr. Burrus discusses here is bogus, strictly coming from a person who is lost.]
Conclusion—This article is primarily designed to address the reasons that Christians themselves believe. In other words, I consciously stayed away from having catchall reasons that counter any religion—i.e. “because evolution is true,” “because of the Big Bang,” “the anti-anthropic principle,” “because God† doesn’t exist,” etc. None of these abstract issues reach the core of any religion’s believers—particularly not Christians. Christians believe for one, over-arching, epistemological primary reason—the figure of Jesus† represents God’s† will on this Earth and this story is accurately related in the Bible. In the Gospel stories, they see something miraculous that they believe to be true. After this belief is established, the others will fall neatly into line. They will most certainly not believe in evolution, the big bang, the age of the Earth, etc. All of this simply because they think one paltry Jewish techné (not a carpenter, just a craftsman) did some special stuff. In debating Christians, for the sake of argument, I will concede every point they make—that the universe had to have a beginning, that it had to be designed, that God† cares, that evil doesn’t exist, etc.—except (generally) those based on the reliability of Christian tradition. A Christian’s house of cards is usually built entirely upon this foundation. This is what matters to them and, thus, for these purposes, it is what matters to me. I am aware of the counterpoints that numerous, well-informed Christians and theologians have made to many of my points. This article isn’t meant to be comprehensive but only informative. While none of these reasons is entirely convincing by itself, when taken together they create a strong case for the falsity of Christianity. If not that, then these points at least deserve pause, consideration and research. Most Christians and atheists do not know much of what is enumerated here. If you are a Christian and you are reading this (which I highly doubt) and if you cannot respond to each of these objections with evidence and coherent argumentation—as opposed to with faith and shouting—then you need to start shopping for a new religion.
[This particular statement "not a carpenter, just a craftsman," shows Mr. Burrus' ignorance. They would have been considered a carpenter if they worked with wood, in Jesus'† time. It appears that Mr. Burrus, as demonstrated in his last statement, is looking for his five minutes of fame. As for his second to last statement, well, he's half right and half wrong. Not "most" but ALL Christians know their Bible history. Atheists on the other hand, as discovered in Mr. Burrus' (self-proclaimed atheist) article, knows nothing about Bible history.
For my own conclusion here, I hope I have educated Mr. Burrus and others like him. There are more books, biographies, movies, etc. which back up everything I have said. There, maybe, a handful of books (mostly written by atheist), which back up Mr. Burrus' claims. I will list a few sites you can investigate yourself because I'm no authority, just a Catholic, a Christian. I have studied my Bible. For those who feel the same way as Mr. Burrus, you are an individual and you do have your right to feel and believe what you may, but (there's always a "but"), in the United States of America, through the Bill of Rights, Americans have every right to practice their religion. As an atheist is not a religion, you are given no rights when it comes to religion, in my opinion, as well as, condemning what people believe. You want not to believe in anything, that's your business and your business alone, but to condemn our God†, we have every right to crucify you. And I don't think I am alone.
The following I've included as reference to what the meaning of certain terms are in regards to religion, as well as, the demographics and percentages of each religion. As I see it, the world has a current population count of 6,697,254,041 (Google) and only 2.3% are atheist and 11.9% are nonreligious. That leaves 85.8% of the world believing in a higher power, morals, sins, evil and have faith. I would say that all of us with faith stand a better chance than those without. I'll leave that up to you to decide.
"The word catholic (derived via Late Latin catholicus, from the Greek adjective καθολικός (katholikos), meaning "universal") comes from the Greek phrase καθόλου (kath'holou), meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words κατά meaning "about" and όλος meaning "whole". The word in English can mean either "including a wide variety of things; all-embracing" or "of the Roman Catholic faith." as "relating to the historic doctrine and practice of the Western Church." It was first used to describe the Christian Church in the early 2nd century to emphasize its universal scope. In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. In non-ecclesiastical use, it derives its English meaning directly from its root, and is currently used to mean universal or of general interest; or liberal, having broad interests, or wide sympathies; inclusive, inviting and containing strong evangelism. The term has been incorporated into the name of the largest Christian communion, the Catholic Church, which consists of 23 churches sui iuris, in full communion with the Bishop of Rome. The largest of these, the Latin Rite, consists of nearly 95% of the population of the Catholic Church. The remaining 5% consist of the 22 Eastern Catholic Churches. Many Protestants sometimes use the term "Catholic Church" to refer broadly to the Christian Church and all believers in Jesus Christ† across the world and the ages, regardless of denominational affiliation. Generally, to avoid confusion between this concept and the Catholic Church, above, theologians (in English) will refer to the latter as the Church catholic, utilizing the lower-case. The Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans and some Methodists believe that their churches are catholic in the sense that they are in continuity with the original universal church founded by the Apostles. The Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches all believe that their church is the only original and universal church. In "Catholic Christendom" (including the Anglican Communion), bishops are considered the highest order of ministers within the Christian religion, as shepherds of unity in communion with the whole church and one another. Catholicity is considered one of Four Marks of the Church, the others being unity, sanctity, and apostolicity. according to the Nicene Creed of 381: "I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church."" (A simple definition from Wikipedia)
"A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus† of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical Gospels and the letters of the New Testament. "Christian" derives from the Greek word Christ†, a translation of the Hebrew term Messiah†. Central to the Christian faith is love or Agape. Christians also believe Jesus† is the Messiah† prophesied in the Hebrew Bible, the Son of God†, and the savior of mankind from their sins. Most Christians believe in the doctrine of the Trinity ("tri-unity"), a description of God† as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This includes Roman Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, and the vast majority of Protestantism. A minority of Protestants and other independent groups are Nontrinitarians. The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to describe anything associated with Christianity, or in a proverbial sense "all that is noble, and good, and Christ†-like."" (A simple definition from Wikipedia)
"Religion is a cultural system that creates powerful and long-lasting meaning, by establishing symbols that relate humanity to truths and values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the universe. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature. The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system, but religion differs from private belief in that it has a public aspect. Most religions have organized behaviors, including clerical hierarchies, a definition of what constitutes adherence or membership, congregations of laity, regular meetings or services for the purposes of veneration of a deity or for prayer, holy places (either natural or architectural), and/or scriptures. The practice of a religion may also include sermons, commemoration of the activities of a god or gods, sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trance, initiations, funerary services, matrimonial services, meditation, music, art, dance, public service, or other aspects of human culture. The development of religion has taken different forms in different cultures. Some religions place an emphasis on belief, while others emphasize practice. Some religions focus on the subjective experience of the religious individual, while others consider the activities of the religious community to be most important. Some religions claim to be universal, believing their laws and cosmology to be binding for everyone, while others are intended to be practiced only by a closely defined or localized group. In many places religion has been associated with public institutions such as education, hospitals, the family, government, and political hierarchies. Some academics studying the subject have divided religions into three broad categories: world religions, a term which refers to transcultural, international faiths; indigenous religions, which refers to smaller, culture-specific or nation-specific religious groups; and new religious movements, which refers to recently developed faiths. One modern academic theory of religion, social constructionism, says that religion is a modern concept that suggests all spiritual practice and worship follows a model similar to Christianity, and thus religion, as a concept, has been applied inappropriately to non-Western cultures." (A simple definition from Wikipedia)
"Atheism, in a broad sense, is the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Most inclusively, atheism is simply the absence of belief that any deities exist.[3] Atheism is contrasted with theism, which in its most general form is the belief that at least one deity exists. The term atheism originated from the Greek ἄθεος (atheos), meaning “without god”, which was applied with a negative connotation to those thought to reject the gods worshiped by the larger society. With the spread of free-thought, skeptical inquiry, and subsequent increase in criticism of religion, application of the term narrowed in scope. The first individuals to identify themselves as “atheist” appeared in the 18th century. Atheists tend to lean toward skepticism regarding supernatural claims, citing a lack of empirical evidence. Atheists have offered several rationales for not believing in any deity. These include the problem of evil, the argument from inconsistent revelations, and the argument from nonbelief. Other arguments for atheism range from the philosophical to the social to the historical. Although some atheists have adopted secular philosophies, there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere. In Western culture, atheists are frequently assumed to be exclusively irreligious or unspiritual. However, atheism also figures in certain religious and spiritual belief systems, such as Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism. Jainism and some forms of Buddhism do not advocate belief in gods, whereas Hinduism holds atheism to be valid, but difficult to follow spiritually. Since conceptions of atheism vary, determining how many atheists exist in the world today is no easy task. According to one estimate, about 2.3% of the world’s population describes itself as atheist, while a further 11.9% is described as nonreligious. According to another, rates of self-reported atheism are among the highest in Western nations, although also to quite varying degrees—United States (4%), Italy (7%), Spain (11%), Great Britain (17%), Germany (20%), and France (32%). (A simple definition from Wikipedia)
Major Religious Groups (Wikipedia)
- Christianity—2,000–2,200 million followers. Abrahamic religions. Main regions—Predominant in the Western world (Europe, the Americas, Oceania), Sub-Saharan Africa, the Philippines, and South Korea. Minorities worldwide.
- Islam—1,570–1,650 million followers. Abrahamic religions. Main regions—Middle East, Northern Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, Western Africa, Malay Archipelago with large population centers existing in Eastern Africa, Balkan Peninsula, Russia and China.
- Hinduism—828–1,000 million followers. Indian religions. Main regions—South Asia, Bali, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, and among the overseas Indian communities.
- Buddhism—400–1,500 million followers. Indian religions. Main regions—South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and some regions of Russia.
- Folk Religions—600? million followers. Folk religions. Main regions—Africa, Asia, Americas.
- Chinese Folk Religions (including Taoism and Confucianism)—400? million followers. Chinese Religions. Main regions—East Asia, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.
- Shinto—27–65 million followers. Japanese Religions. Main region—Japan.
- Sikhism—24–28 million followers. Indian Religions. Main regions—Indian subcontinent, Australasia, Northern America, Southeast Asia, the United Kingdom and Western Europe.
- Judaism—14–18 million followers. Abrahamic religions. Main regions—Israel and the worldwide Jewish diaspora (mostly North America, South America, Europe, and Asia).
- Jainism—6–12 million followers. Indian Religions. Main regions—India, and East Africa.
- Bahá’í Faith—7.6-7.9 million followers. Abrahamic Religions. Main regions—Noted for being dispersed worldwide but the top ten populations (amounting to about 60% of the Bahá’í World Faith adherents) are (in order of size of community) India, United States, Vietnam, Kenya, DR of the Congo, Philippines, Zambia, South Africa, Iran, Bolivia.
- Cao Dai—1–8 million followers. Vietnamese Religions. Main region—Vietnam.
- Cheondoism—3 million followers. Korean Religions. Main regions—North Korea, South Korea.
- Tenrikyo—2 million followers. Japanese Religions. Main regions—Japan, Brazil.
- Wicca—1 million followers. New Religious Movements. Main regions—United States, Australia, Europe, Canada.
- Church of World Messianity—1 million followers. Japanese Religions. Main regions—Japan, Brazil.
- Seicho-no-Ie—0.8 million followers. Japanese Religions. Main regions—Japan, Brazil.
- Rastafari Movement—0.7 million followers. New religious movements. Main regions—Jamaica, Caribbean, Africa.
- Unitarian Universalism—0.63 million followers. New religious movements. Main regions—United States, Canada, Europe.
Some Sites you may be interested in. There are many, many more and, to be honest, I didn’t read all of these sites through and through, but they are a start for you if you are on your personal quest to find your faith or learn more about it. As I was searching for these sites, I found there was a lot of anti-Christ proclamations out there. Be care, that’s all I can say.
Remember—Each person is on their own personal journey, and each person will have to answer for their life. Most of us feel unworthy, but, know this—God† is with us no matter if we do right or wrong. Know that every single thing you experience—good or bad—is given to you as a lesson. Even the worse thing that ever happened to you or will happened to you carries a lesson, if you miss the lesson, another event will come; but if you see the lesson and learn from it, as you are suppose to, then you will move to something better. With each step you take, the lessons will follow. The more you see the lesson and learn from it, the better happiness you will receive, the better state of grace you will be in, the more at peace you will feel. In order to understand these lessons, you have to teach yourself to listen, you will hear. And, finally, the most important thing that you can ever do is to teach yourself to thank Him† every day—it doesn’t matter for what, just say “Thank you” to Him†. You don’t need to bury yourself in prayers you don’t quite understand, just talk to Him† in your mind. He’s listening.
