[hawkysu]

Really not wishing to offend anyone but:
Have you ever thought that Jesus was an ancient day practical joker? I mean, what if he and his buddies wrote the Bible to prank a whole bunch of people? And then people were like: "wow, this is awesome. I'm going to worship this" and they did. I mean, what if religion is a huge prank.


I'm going to hide in my bunker now to protect myself from any and all attacks.

[baavgai]

KYA, on 9 Apr, 2009 - 02:26 PM, said:

I know wikipedia is not considered a valid resource, but if he was reborn I thought it would have been mentioned there. All I see there is death.

To quote the great Zen master Obi-Wan, "what I told you was true... from a certain point of view."

As Jesus was a Jewish protestant, Gautama was a Hindu ( well, Vedic... it's complicated ) protestant. In his culture, reincarnation was a given. To say Gautama made it to parinirvana means he successfully escaped the Karmic wheel, an ultimate reward that should take several arduous life times. Buddha offered freedom to everyone suffering in this cycle.

Buddhism has just as many schools and groups as Christianity, if not more. Some feel he stepped off the wheel on his death, others feel he chose stay behind to help others. The term bodhisattva can refer to a being that can leave, but chooses to guide others on their journey.

That's the basic spiritual part. It's actually possible to be a moral Buddhist, following his insights but not the religious aspects that grew up around them. Buddha was cool with that and said so. On the other hand, there are "pure land" schools that pray to Buddha as savior, near identical to the way that some Christians do.

Many Christians see nihilism in Buddhism. Most of this comes from lack the vocabulary and the actual concepts involved. It's really quite life affirming. If you're curious, look at The Four Noble Truths. The real point is not some future reward, but being happy now.

[KYA]

baavgai, on 9 Apr, 2009 - 05:50 PM, said:

The real point is not some future reward, but being happy now.

I would say that is what we all should strive for to some extent. (With people defining "happy" in all sorts of ways nowadays)

[baavgai]

KYA, on 9 Apr, 2009 - 07:12 PM, said:

baavgai, on 9 Apr, 2009 - 05:50 PM, said:

The real point is not some future reward, but being happy now.

I would say that is what we all should strive for to some extent. (With people defining "happy" in all sorts of ways nowadays)

Yep. Defining happy, that's a can of worms.

To be honest, Buddhism is actually aiming for peace and freedom from suffering. Happy and sad are extremes. They are also passing and unmaintainable. Being firmly on the middle path means it's harder to be blind sided by the bad stuff and in a better position to appreciate the good stuff.

[mostyfriedman]

for the people who said that Jesus(pbuh) rose from the dead, you do realize that there are evidences in the bible itself that Jesus(pbuh) was never crucified in the first place

[BigAnt]

Quote

you do realize that there are evidences in the bible itself that Jesus(pbuh) was never crucified in the first place

Pics or it didn't happen

[mostyfriedman]

Quote

Pics or it didn't happen tongue.gif

lol, anyway i wouldnt take the bible seriously since it has been altered and contains many contradictions and the original version isnt there anymore(no offense to any christian fellows here)

[KYA]

mostyfriedman, on 9 Apr, 2009 - 07:45 PM, said:

for the people who said that Jesus(pbuh) rose from the dead, you do realize that there are evidences in the bible itself that Jesus(pbuh) was never crucified in the first place

What version are you reading?

[runfaster]

If you mean don't take it as a historical work, I agree. I see it really more as a philosophical work, meant to give people the general idea about how to live their lives.

[mostyfriedman]

Quote

What version are you reading? tongue.gif

its hard to stick to one version since they are all different. but Jesus's sign was to be as Jonah was 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the whale so shall the son of man be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth. to know what am talking about, check out the chapter of Jonah in the bible and compare the signs. there are also other points to be noted that prove that jesus was not crucified from the bible itself.

[NeoTifa]

hawkysu, on 9 Apr, 2009 - 03:16 PM, said:

Really not wishing to offend anyone but:
Have you ever thought that Jesus was an ancient day practical joker? I mean, what if he and his buddies wrote the Bible to prank a whole bunch of people? And then people were like: "wow, this is awesome. I'm going to worship this" and they did. I mean, what if religion is a huge prank.


I'm going to hide in my bunker now to protect myself from any and all attacks.

I think Christianity was out and the Bible written before the supposed birth of Jesus. At least, if I remember from my Western Civ class, that was the case. Did you read my post on the first page? It kinda hints to this. ^___^

And as for Jesus zombie,... man I wished the Air Force would let you see pics on their computers.

[mvalor]

[quote name='CodeWomanSRQ' date='9 Apr, 2009 - 07:14 AM' post='599834']

baavgai, on 9 Apr, 2009 - 06:54 AM, said:

timothybrown, on 8 Apr, 2009 - 01:49 PM, said:

This is true, however all religions (especially Christianity and Islam) take it as a personal mission of theirs to force beliefs down others throats.

Quote

Their are two things that draw people away from God: Religion and the World. I like to say I have a relationship with Christ. A Christian is a better witness by their actions - love, forgiveness, joy, kindness...fruits of the Holy Spirit. I prefer to plant a seed than to throw the entire forest at someone like some Christians do. I would be offended and pissed off too!! But we are not all the same.

It's ok to agree to disagree. I believe that if I plant a seed, God will try to develop it but if the person resists, then the seed dies (poor soil) or if another person can take away that seed (bird stealing seed). Anyway, there are parables in the Gospel about this.

True cases...5 testimonies, one thing in common.
www.morethandreams.tv


Watch the videos!


MV*/

[mvalor]

baavgai, on 9 Apr, 2009 - 06:04 PM, said:

KYA, on 9 Apr, 2009 - 07:12 PM, said:

baavgai, on 9 Apr, 2009 - 05:50 PM, said:

The real point is not some future reward, but being happy now.

I would say that is what we all should strive for to some extent. (With people defining "happy" in all sorts of ways nowadays)

Yep. Defining happy, that's a can of worms.

To be honest, Buddhism is actually aiming for peace and freedom from suffering. Happy and sad are extremes. They are also passing and unmaintainable. Being firmly on the middle path means it's harder to be blind sided by the bad stuff and in a better position to appreciate the good stuff.

Buddah was a good Phsycologist but still just a man. Mohammed was a merchant who could not even read who had self taught himself to read at a late age and just misquoted Paul's writings when he wrote the Q'ran.
Same with the Catholic church, twisting the truth out of fear of loosing their precious authority by imposing a monopoly on God's word. Just ask William Tyndale about this!

Ask any religios man this: Who do you love the most, God or religion? Buddah cant save you, Mohammed cant save you, nor will religion. Ask any mother, how many times should her child have to do something in order for her to re-gain her mother's love when she has misbehaved? So how many times does the muslim have to pray in their lifetime in order for God to love them? Isn't God our creator? Doesn't that mean that He loves us just as a mother loves her child?

This is because God is not religion, He is above it and has no equal, not even a negative equivalent. He is the God of love and is a supernatural God.

To quote Kenneth Copland:
"Jesus commanded us to operate in the same God kind of faith He has. He also told us that anyone who did it would have the same results. After all, it’s His faith that’s in us. He put it there.

That being the case, how do we deal with the fact that so many Christians are being defeated by sickness, poverty and every other kind of problem? By understanding that those defeats are “fact,” but they are not “truth.”

You see, facts can be changed. Truth can’t. Truth supersedes fact. Spiritual law supersedes natural, physical law.

The law of gravity, for example, is a fact. But there is a higher law than the law of gravity. Those in the aeronautical industry know it as the law of lift. If you do certain things—make an airplane, build the wing right and engine powerful enough and so on—you’ll be able to put the law of lift into motion and make an airplane fly.

How does that happen? Does gravity cease to be a fact? No. The law of lift simply supersedes it.

In the same way, sickness and disease are facts. But those facts can be superseded by the truth in Isaiah 53:5, “With his "Jesus" (foretold 700 years before the incident) stripes we are healed.” It’s a truth that can never be changed. What’s more, if you’ll apply that truth, it will overcome sickness every time! Truth applied changes facts.

Applying it. That’s the key. You can put on your finest traveling clothes, pack your luggage and go sit down in a perfectly good airplane...but you won’t get 6 inches off the ground unless somebody turns on the engines and begins to put the law of lift into motion.

What we need to do is apply our faith just like Jesus did. We need to learn to supersede our natural circumstances by activating the supernatural law of faith. So apply the truth to your facts today. Speak Isaiah 53:5 to your body. Speak Philippians 4:19 to your needs. Speak Isaiah 54:13 over your children. And watch the truth change the facts!"

end quote.
I know about Satan and Hell through the Bible and understand its torments, I learned how satan can easily decieve even the most illuminated philosophers.

He will wisper the word "I" into your thoughts to make YOU think that the concept was your idea, and all through your senses. I know this enemy, he is terrible, unrelenting, nasty, ruthless and will never quit...ever, with the only mission is to destroy mankind at any cost and in any way just to FEED off of man's torments and while in hell and mock God in the process.

I challange you to make a comparison between all religious scriptures like the way I have done. Find the discrepancies, In the end, the Bible will always stand out above all of them. I double dare you on this.
Its a challange...But if you dont..then you have the right to choose your own destiny and eternity is a long...long...LONG time.


MV*/

[runfaster]

I would have watched the videos, but I only know 2 languages: English and German. All of these videos are in some other language. Aside from that, from the captions, those are pretty touching stories. It's nice to hear that people are deciding for themselves what to believe, whether it be Christianity, Islam, or others. What troubles me though is the reactions of these people's communities to their choices. It bothers me that some people feel that you are no longer a person if you decide to change your beliefs.

[baavgai]

mvalor, on 10 Apr, 2009 - 08:35 AM, said:

Buddah cant save you, Mohammed cant save you, nor will religion.

Save one from what, exactly?

mvalor, on 10 Apr, 2009 - 08:35 AM, said:

This is because God is not religion, He is above it and has no equal...

Sure, we'll go with that. The Jews call him YHVH, the Muslims Allah. If you accept that other religions are talking about the same reality, there are more names as well.

mvalor, on 10 Apr, 2009 - 08:35 AM, said:

the Bible will always stand out above all of them

Huh? We were doing so well. Heading toward a unified monotheistic spirituality... oh well.

mvalor, on 10 Apr, 2009 - 08:35 AM, said:

You see, facts can be changed. Truth can't.

Debate done. Even philosophers need a rational ground to stand on. Truth is essentially unknowable; epistemology 101. You can use facts to attempt to ascertain truth, but you're still guessing.


For some reason, I am reminded of Kant.

Quote

All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason. -- Immanuel Kant

The wish to talk to God is absurd. We cannot talk to one we cannot comprehend -- and we cannot comprehend God; we can only believe in Him. -- Immanuel Kant