Listen if I’m just supposed to take the Bible as metaphorical truth then I’m already there, but seemingly a lot of people tell me I need to take it as literal truth

Christianity isn't powerful, Christ is

Christianity, if false, is still very very important. CS is wrong here.

If God is all knowing does God know why you don't believe in him? Would God understand?

Yeah, good job on being born into truth.

I'm assuming you're just a parody, to make atheists look bad, or something.

The guy in the picture

I second this.

Incredibly well put statement by the way.

What sold it for me is reading the writings of the early church fathers (the leaders of the early Christian church around 50 a.d. - 150 a.d.). The historical truth cannot be denied.

The human condition needs no rectification, just the pursuit of happiness.

Sounds like Jordan Peterson's version of Christianity. He doesn't explicitly say it like this. You need to read between the lines so to speak.

Agreed. Hodl sounds like his viewpoint is like Jordan Peterson's view of Christianity.

I read two Marcus Aurelius quotes every morning. The first one is to help me prepare to deal with assholes(not relevant to this discussion). This is the second. ”Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones." I also believe most people cannot accept this. Some people literally say they would kill people if they didn't believe in god. Those people definitely need religion.

I like Christian values a lot. You can live by them without having to believe in God or the Bible literally. It's not that complicated to me, or am I missing something here? Honest question.

Skill issue.

Don't give up, skeleton!

Strong morals and ethics do not derive from religion, they are inherent to evolved human thought. But religions have co-opted morals and ethics and like to claim that you have to be religious to be imbibed with them from "god". When you say you want to live in a Christian society, I would posit that you want to live in a moral and ethical society. Drop the crutch of religion and stand on your own. Or keep the crutch, but recognize it for what it is.

I guess my first question is what do you mean/what elements are you referring to when you say you don't believe it's "literally true?" Because if you are trying to flat earth your way into the bible, don't bother. If you are talking about the historicity of Jesus and his death and resurrection, now you are talking about a core doctrine. 1 Corinthians 15:14-19

Have you ever tried a psychedelic?

Nope.

Don't you think Bitcoin is a manifestation of Pagan nature? Isn't reality/Nature/the Tao, whatever you want to call it, powerful enough and already containing all possibilities/miracles that you don't need to add extra socially binding stories? The vigour of nature found an eruption in giving us bitcoin didn't it? Don't all groups congregate and bind around an irrational lie, because only lies serve as an in-group signal? Decentralised truth is rational, and you would do it anyway, ergo it serves no purpose as an in-group signal. The bigger the group the bigger the lies.

In Europe it resulted in Satanism. Just watch Eurovision, a popular yearly song contest. Jesus said "You're either with me or against me". If we're not connected to God, the heart doesn't stay empty, we slowly become connected to something else

The invisible qualities of God are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable. - Romans 1:19

have u seen this?

Everyone single experience is different. Religion is completely irrelevant when trying a psychedelic.

Do your homework, like you did for Bitcoin. Don't expect the biggest Truth to be revealed without 1000 hours of study. It will be worth 1000x what Bitcoin was.

i don't think many people are arguing that the things in the physical world actually happened like they say in the Bible. its true, but in a deeper sense then historical fact. its true because its a deep analysis of the human condition and represented in narrative form.

That's what I've heard. I was talking about how psychedelic experiences seem to share some commonalities with the experiences of religious mystics. Perhaps psychedelic experiences are all so different because they don't necessarily take place within the framework of spiritual devotion.

They are similar, but not the same. Trying certain psychedelics activates the part of the cerebral hemispheres that conduct memory. Those random memories become imbued with everything you see and do. Religion has nothing to do with it.

Be still, silent, and open long enough and whatever you need will come to you

Have you seen what is going on with the Covid cult and the green cult? What about science is neutral? Although the great scientists of the past, like Newton, Boyle, Pascal, etc. were Christians, most scientists today are anti-christian and start from a premise that there is no god and therefore end up "proving" there is no god because of their starting premise. Since this became the starting premise, we have made fewer giant leaps and the predictions of what will be found have been failing. One example is with the magnetic field of Uranus. Based on Newtonian physics, they could calculate its mass, but couldn't measure its magnetic field. Most scientists calculated a very small magnetic field based on their Big Bang theory. A Nasa pHd Physist, Dr. Humphreys, took the biblical statement that everything was made of water and out of water. He took the mass of Uranus, assumed it had originally been made of water and took the biblical age of the universe of 6,000 years. Using the water dipole magnetic field, he calculated a starting magnetic field and calculated how much it would have declined over 6,000 years. His prediction was almost exactly the magnetic field. The Big Bang physicists prediction was orders of magnitude wrong.

Just because there are people who call themselves Christians (who may or may not be considered Christians by God), doesn't mean the Bible is false. We are all fallen human beings who make mistakes. Our God and creator is awesome and you will be blessed if you seek Him.

The Bible does not say people are equal, only that they are of equal worth due to being made in the image of God. The Bible definitely doesn't say that all cultures or beliefs are equal. It says the opposite of that. Sadly, like most human organizations, those seeking power seek the positions of leadership and end up messing up the true mission of the organization.

I don't know where you are going with the flat earth thing. Nothing in the Bible suggests a flat earth. There are several passages about the circle of the earth and being hung on nothing that match reality.

If we are chemical accidents that evolved into chemical bags that act, then where does morals and ethics come from? If only the fittest survive, why is is moral to help those in need or those with disabilities? Morals and ethics have no foundation without God. If God created us, time, space, and the universe, then He has the right to define morals and ethics in His creation the way He sees fit. He can also design into each one of us the knowledge that stealing is wrong and murder is wrong, that helping the poor and sick is good. If our God and Creator doesn't define right and wrong, then how can we say what is right and wrong. In reality, most of what all humanity considers good and right would not make sense if we are all cosmic accidents and we have evolution of the fittest. If mankind was made in the image of the God and creator, then all ethics make sense.

This is a pretty good example of logical proof. Reasoning.

If all you have is Christian ethics, but not Christ, you miss out on so much. If you believe that the universe and life are accidents and there is evolution of the fittest, then Christian ethics is inconsistent with those beliefs because Christian ethics calls for us to help the poor, the sick, and the weak. Evolution requires the weak to die so the strong can evolve. Christian ethics without Christ cause logical conflict.

For what it is worth, I'm Protestant (not that I like labels), but I agree with the Nicene Creed.

If you are interested and have some way I can share it with you, I will send you a pdf copy of my book, "Why I Need Jesus" that will answer many of your questions. I'd also recommend reading the Bible (I'm partial to the ESV and NASB translations, but the NLT is an easier read because it isn't a word for word translation, but a phrase for phrase translation.).

I think Luke 23:39-43 has the answer your looking for. The thief was on the cross with Christ and was saved in his last moments because he had faith. Its about believing that Jesus Christ is the savior and has died on your behalf. Its about what he did not what you can do. We all deserve death as the payment for sin is death. He alone can make that payment on your behalf so you can have eternal life.

Everything I've read in the Bible says we must repent and believe. I know lots of people believe that kids that haven't reached mental maturity all go to heaven. I honestly don't know for sure. "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." (Psalm 19:1) There are lots of verses like this explaining that God's creation makes it clear that He exists. Maybe (?) He accepts belief in a holy creator God in those who have never heard a word of the gospel, even though He says we must believe in Jesus. I tend to believe actual faith in Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection is required, but God can save who He wishes. I have heard stories of Jesus appearing directly to Muslims in countries where there are basically no Christians, so He can call a person to Himself even if there are no witnesses available. Read the Bible.

I dunno, that didn't seem to be on that same topic. It looks good from the perspective of a christian that is exploring, not really good for someone from outside that is looking for something and considering Christianity an option. I've recently found myself in that boat as well, potentially considering, seeing the virtue it brings but not quite ready to buy into the difficult to believe stuff. So not really questioning my faith exactly, more like exploring faith in general and looking to a prominent one as a potential path and considering that it might be the right one for me.

Great analogy!

Kerygma, a myth to live by.

My question is are you referring to any particular denomination of your faith? Also, and i speak only from personal experience/opinion, Christianities biggest problems are Christians. The hypocrisy of belief and action combined with infighting on who is correct in their interpretation of a book that has been revised and edited so many times. I was raised around Christianity, my father is a newly ordained priest and i would agree with many of the teachings but it would be incredibly boring if everyone was the same. Especially since you pray to tge same God as rhe other two Abrahamic religions. I will end it with this, we are all trying to get tothe same place and are on the same road. We're only driving differemt vehicles.

O people of "The Book"

Nah

Now you've put it into words, I have a similar feeling. Interesting.

Can I challenge your choices in translation? I do not claim one translation superior to another, study and critical are always a more important than the specific text. John 3:16 is probably the most well known and most frequently quoted verse. The way that the NASB and the ESV translated this verse actually kills the original intent of the author. If we "believe" that the Bible is true then it must be true to fundamentals of our belief consistently. 16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. Now this is what I call a rubbish translation. In 1 Corinthians 44 - 49 If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. In this verse Jesus is equated as being the second Adam. Adam created by God in the Image of God, Jesus begotten by God as the seed of God. Jesus is the descendant of Adam through the body of Mary and the brother of Adam through the immaculate conception. This implies that Jesus cannot possibly be the one and only son of God. In Lukes geneology 3:37-38 it reads like this, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Kenan, 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. So the NASB vastly contradicts itself literally two books apart and it is misleading on a fundamental level with regards to the identity of the created being Christ or otherwise. The King James version squares this hole by a slightly more accurate translation. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The word begotten really brings all the texts back into harmony. The translation is not yet perfect, I would go further into the oikoumene and its apllication with regards to the word world but all that aside the King James is a superior translation and the NASB has been cucked and purposefully so.

I do claim it. My mistake.

And now you see why Christianity builds civilization. It does not begin with certainty; it begins with doubt. It does not wait for perfect knowledge; it demands movement. You have two choices: 1. To act as if that which you doubt is true. 2. To not act at all. And here is the paradox: doubt is not the opposite of faith. It is the very thing that makes faith possible. A man who waits for absolute proof before stepping forward will never move. But a man who moves, even in doubt, proves something far greater—that truth is not merely something we observe, but something we create by the way we live. So live as if it is true—not because you have been convinced beyond all doubt, but because you know that, if it were true, it would be the only thing worth living for. And in the end, you will find that the man who acts as if Christianity is true has done something far more important than proving it. He has made it real.

It's my first post on NOSTR and I hope it doesn't come across "preachy". Christianity is not a religion or social system. It is a personal relationship between you and God . It is powerful because Christians have the Spirit of God living inside of them, enabling them to be resilient and persist through all manner of injustices. Jesus taught that everyone from the famous to the nameless can be forgiven and have eternal life by simply believing in Him. No mediator is required. He removed the "middle man" from spirituality in the same way Bitcoin removed the "middle man" from money. The religious institution of the day hated Him for it and eventually crucified Him because of it. A true Christian is fully at rest wherever they reside, because they are at peace with God and their future is secure in Jesus. "neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:39. Hope this helps.

The ratio of senses that create the rational western mind is not the only mode of perception. Interpreting Christianity as “true” in this framework doesn’t work for many people. Listen to the song of Christ instead. It’s addressing a perception that’s native to your humanity but is likely in a state of atrophy. Once dormant, it is now being provoked as we accelerate into the Information Age.

Well, clearly God created the earth with the appearance of age. Science can say no more than that. Why did God make the earth appear old by every validatable/repeatable measure? I sure don’t know…I’m not God. But I have no problem accepting the earth looks really friggin old and the Bible doesn’t disclose this fact.

Religion/spirituality comes from an experiential understanding, not an intellectual one

Parts of the bible are written by the institution of religion and have been corrupted by the fallibilities of humans over the centuries. Other parts are literal, and other parts are metaphors. I am the way and the truth and the life. He is not referring to Jesus the man, but the eternal I am, the consciousness that I am, that you are. A camel can pass more easily through the eye of a needle than a rich man can get into heaven. He is not referring to worldly wealth,, but rather to one that is so rich in mind that he's not open to seeing beyond what he knows. (Reminds me of the Ackktually midcurve meme guy). And so on. (Typing with thumbs on a little phone screen is a PITA). It's a simple book, but the most on target I know of: Resserecting Jesus by Adyashanti

But all evolution is not survival of the fittest individual. Group evolution is a thing. It is better for a group if they behave "well" towards each other, and to other groups who they interact or trade with. The idea that people only behave if they believe that they have a bearded guy in the sky watching them is strange to me. And if morals were given from god, would there not be significantly lower levels of corruption in religious orgs than others?

We didn't try a world without religion, woke and environmentalism is just a different kind of religion, surely you can see that, fulfilling the same needs as your religion. Christianity has been used since forever as the main tool of social repression and control. Why do you want that? Christianity and wokeness both reject science, evolution and curiosity, and instead defaults to retarded collectivist ideologies things like creationism, public "health" and global warming.

Sadly I don't believe in zaps either. 😅

Religion is life in a lie 100%. I despise believers 100%. You are the enemy.

We humans can be wrong

Well too bad, you would have gotten some🙂 May I ask why?

The way scientists work is that they try to discover the truth step by step, as a result, a physicist today knows much more about physics than Newton, even a physics student now knows more than Newton. The more scientists advanced in understanding the world, the more they came to the conclusion that the world could have come into being without God. The reason why most of today's scientists are atheists is because they know more about the universe than the old scientists. Dr. Humphrey's prediction looks more like a scam than a scientific discovery, check out this link: https://www.reddit.com/r/DebateEvolution/comments/tbrlvt/russell_humphreys_magnetic_field_predictions/

The Bible was redacted under Constantine. It has been translated to many languages. One thing I try to remember is the truth in love shown and communicated by Jesus. There is truth in kindness, forgiveness of others and thyself, humbleness, gratitude, and a direct connection for all without the need for payment or intermediary. Always remember, His ways are higher than ours, there is peace in letting go of the words and knowing the message of love.

all is a construct of your mind. just like the fiat and all the rest...

There are far better replies here already than I can give and I'm no expert.. Obviously reading the Bible will be the place to go. I've also found CS Lewis really helpful. Seraphim Hamilton and Jonathan Pageau both have pretty in-depth videos, but also some accessible stuff, but yeah obviously and I'm sure you know YouTube has lots of unhelpful dross.

I think a good experience might be to turn our attention from the social constructs inward, the deep self, and from there discover that the material plane is only a part of the whole. Hence, a spiritual rabbit hole.

Indeed.

Hell exists not because God refuses us, but because we refuse God. In heaven we are united with God who is perfect. What if we don't want to be perfect? What if we spent our lives defining ourselves by lies and self-serving desires? Then union with God becomes worse than hell because everything that we are would be burned away. If we value the creature we have become, more than we want to be with God, then God will honor that choice by allowing us to choose to exist apart from Him. The trouble is that since God is All Good, not merely a good being, but a being who IS goodness itself, then hell is devoid of good. Not completely since existence itself is a good, but enough to keep those souls that will not change, from having to change. Heaven for them would be abject horror, but the little love that remains in hell is still a torment for them.

I think getting paid for writing things leads to conflict of interest. Instead of writing what I think, I start to write what people want to hear. But I have no problems in other people zapping each other. And appreciate the intention of zapping. 😀

Christianity is bitcoin. A mysterious founder, probably a real historical figure but mostly mythical. Christianity favours freedom. Islam is ethereum. Made by Man, and whose descendants are still spiritual leaders and revered. Islam literally means submission.

Whadda ya mean by "it's"? Christianity, Christ, a Christian society?

You want to live in a society where people fear a lord they cannot see? No wonder IMF thrived in Bolivia, the fiat runs in the religious blood #Bitcoin

Just.. What ? We tried having a world with religion and it led to endless wars, slaughters, colonialism etc. too. I agree though that religion is necessary, defined as how we relate to the divine. The problem is not religion or no religion, the problem is imposed dogma and centralized power. Christianity itself would have been stuck in the middle age and obscurantism (remember Copernic) if not for some people fighting to believe in God in their own way (protestantism and enlightement). Would you prefer to live in an exclusive christian world (thus which one ?) or in a world where everyone is free to relate to the divine in their own unique way ? I would rather decentralize everything.

The story of Christ is not merely a tale among tales—it is the one tale so magnificent that, if it be true at all, it must be the very heart of all reality. And if it were false or mere allegory, then reality itself would be a drab and broken thing, unfit for the soul of man. The Christian does not merely believe in Christ; he wagers his whole life upon Him. He embraces the paradox, the grand defiance of a world that scoffs at mystery, and walks with joyful defiance through the valley of doubt, because to do otherwise—to cast off the Incarnation, the Resurrection, the great romance of the Gospel—would be to exile oneself into a wasteland of meaninglessness. Faith is not the absence of doubt; it is the refusal to let doubt rule. It is to choose to live in a world where Jesus Christ and his story actually happened, because it is so good and so beautiful that you refuse to live in a universe where it didn't happen. To call oneself Christian is to courageously live as though the world is enchanted.

Every religion is about submitting to the divine.

There’s some truth to that, but the language is tricky and slippery. In Christianity (at least where I’m from), it is more often phrased that you « accept » Jesus and God into your life. Seldom do you hear submit to Jesus. Maybe when they’re bringing out the Old Testament god. Jesus dying for our sins is an unique act is spiritual emancipation and freedom.

There are different kind of scientists with different religions. Some only believe in what they see (materialism), some keep being doubtful. Some great physicians realize the probability of the existence of a superior intelligence (God ?) is significant.

We also need to deal with the (still) invisible world. The scope of what we see and perceive is very little compared to everything that is happening in the universe.

What drove the Bishop to make such a comparison?

Have you considered that more or less everything can be true depending on the perspective ? And Jesus loved to mess with perspectives (parables). One perspective I find interesting to take while reading the bible (especially the old testament) or any other sacred (especially Hindu's) text is : what if it is a literally true story of what happens in my own mind ?

I think almost all Christians do. I know the Orthodox, most Protestants. Not sure about Copts & Armenians, but that is because I’m unsure if they split before or after that time.

Christianity one of the worst inventions in history created to control humanity, just like fiat money.

Something that was profound to me listening to the Peterson biblical series is how much respect and attention he gives to the text while letting the audience know the stories are not meant to be taken as literal truth. He reveals the value in the lessons, not as a historical record.

I know I've already posted a link to Seraphim Hamilton. But this short video is another good one. There's a lot to actually unpack in this, even. I find his channel very useful, although as someone recently taking this seriously, he can put out some videos which are go over my head.

So good 🙏 God bless brother.

Seraphim is a friend and his work is incredible.

Well said, friend. This insightful comment is a lilly among the thorns. Most of these comments are just deeply uninspired but this has real spirit.

This is part of the reason we wrote The Gospel According To Bitcoin. Would love to send you a copy brother.

You can believe in the values without believing the stories

I agree. My point is just that when we are talking about someone questioning the truth of scripture, it's important to first clarify if they are talking about what scripture says is true vs. what someone told them it says.

Some people are predisposed to so much evil and violence they need a reason to be better. It's more predominant with lower IQ. The high IQ ones do their evil in private.

I find voluntaryism is the essence of what it's all about.

"The danger of not believing in God is not that you believe in nothing, it's that you'll believe in anything". (Widely attributed to G.K Chesterton) Beliefs like, men can menstruate!

"...what are the criteria?", "...why did he create such flawed individuals?", "...what brand of Christianity is the best?" "it's vague and arbitrary" "...It is sad that the Christian church has gotten so divided. " The church has always been divided. Paul wrote to the Corinthians about divisions, that people were saying I belong to Cephus, or I to Paul, or I to Appolos, or I to Christ. Christ exists divided. - 1 Corinthians 1:12 Trying to make sense of twisted doctrine and tradition will only serve to confuse. I think that is why Paul said: "...and so I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come with an extravagance of speech or of wisdom declaring the sacred secret of God to you. For I decided not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and him impaled. - 1 Corinthians 2:2-3 The bible is the preserved word of God. It's not a bunch of stories as some in this thread assert. It is full of prophesy for the future, not just historical record of the past. It contains the answers you seek. It is true and is no lie, and for those truly seeking, it is the annointing from God that is teaching you. - John 2:26-27 However, the truth found in the bible is examined spiritually: "...physical men don’t recognize the Spirit of The God, because these are just foolishness to them and they can’t understand them, since such things can only be understood spiritually." 1 Corinthians 2:14 Keep on seeking friends. “...ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" - Luke 11:9

He is amazing. He would also do quite well with a lightning wallet and publishing here. Probably not as well as his substack and YouTube reach, but still another possible revenue stream. No idea if he is open to that tho. Maybe in the future, hopefully :)

You look cross eyed staring down your nose this hard at people. I think this takes the cake for most high horse comment in this thread. Must be tough having to deal with us low IQ plebs all the time. You should read the Brothers Karamazov.

religion and churches are what do that. Biblical based Christianity on our hearts sets us free.

Unbelievably reductionistic.

To eat from the table but ignore the banquet, why it is happening, and who provided it is missing the whole point. You don't have to believe it is literal. In other words, the food will still give you sustenance, but you are missing so much richness.

To eat from the table but ignore the banquet, why it is happening, and who provided it is missing the whole point. You don't have to believe it is literal. In other words, the food will still give you sustenance, but you are missing so much richness.

Yes. That is a sticky place to find one's self, and for the exact reasons you articulated. Honestly, it would probably take a full 8 hours of live conversation to rectify this for you, but it can be done. The keys are: - Understanding the variation of Stockholm Syndrome that many children never shed in adulthood - Understanding the Monty Hall problem, pivoting it from prizes to belief sets, and then distilling from that thought exercise the value of open mindedness guarded by robust discernment - Realizing that our parents, guardians, teachers, and guides were flawed but had our best interests in mind - Realizing that, if all religions have some variation of the Golden Rule, then all religions are at least somewhat correct and perhaps taking an "all or nothing" approach to any given religion is itself a major obstacle to overcome in order to find truth If you have realized and understood those things, you are ready to rectify the observation you made with respect to the undeniably great power of Christianity and the matter of incredulity that comes along with modern, mainstream Christianity. I should point out that I personally have great reverence for Christ and the Christ movement. I was raised Christian, but like you, had issues with a number of aspects of modern mainstream Christianity, and so, in college, I took a step back to a place of open-minded agnosticism. 2 events in particular drastically altered my "beliefs". These were experiences I could neither explain nor deny. As an applied mathematician with significant amounts of both education and professional background in mechanical engineering, these two inexplicable, undeniable experiences were enough to capture my interest to the point where I've now purchased 160+ books in just the last year and a half. I can offer you a cosmology that is consistent with science AND not only Christianity, but also consistent with basically every other religious tradition on Earth at this time. None of them are perfectly right, but all of them have truths in them, and some have truths the others lack, and vice versa. When there is a disagreement between 2 parties, the only honest way for the disagreement to be rectified is for both parties to do the research the other has done already. At that point, all that is different is perspectives and insights, not data and information. Any debater who is willing to dismiss their debate opponent's case without having done adequate due diligence is merely seeking validation, not truth itself. That said, the "great work" is to study all religions, all sciences, math, philosophy, etc. This is echoed by the "eye of the needle" parable, as well as the "empty cup" Zen koan. Both are about being open minded and exploring new "territory". Hit me up if you want to explore a cosmology that acknowledges, respects, and reveres the power of Christianity by actually doing what Christ said: love your neighbor. I personally do not think that it is loving to mock and deride one's neighbors because they use different words and customs to express reverence for the Creator, yet that is exactly how many Christians, e.g. Nick Fuentes 2024 RNC commentary, will act. Christ travelled during the missing years of the canonical Bible, studying with sages, gurus, healers, wisemen, and holy men. The Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi library exist. We know that dudes who lived like 300 years after Christ, who never met Christ, who never walked with Christ, apparently had the necessary discernment to exclude a bunch of stuff from the "canonical" Bible. Why do dudes in slick robes and fancy hats 1700 years ago get to decide what is and what is not valid? Why did Rome persecute Christians and then, all of a sudden, flip the script and hijack...I mean..."adopt" Christianity? Niche, but accurate and reliable sources indicate, again, that Christ travelled during the missing years. Did Roman conquest occur to cover up those tracks in Egypt, Britain, and along the Silk Road. There is evidence Christ went to those places. Consider that the word "canonical" simply means "because we said so". Consider that the word "fiat" simply means "because we said so". Hit me up if you want to do a deeper dive into this. It's not a light undertaking but it's totally worth it to have answers to questions you never thought you'd have. I'll leave you with one thought to consider. Why, in Genesis, is the serpent depicted as an evil source of temptation, yet in Matthew 10:16, Christ explicitly tells the disciples to "be ye therefore as wise as serpents and harmless as doves"? Anyone who claims those serpents represent different things doesn't know what they're talking about, and I don't care what credentials they have from academia to back them up.

It began brilliantly, but was hijacked and distorted after the crucifixion by Rome as a population control mechanism.

I had 2 experiences that were crucial. The first one was the big one. THe second one was 53 months later when I finally figured out what the first experience was. Since then, I've been on an intellectual tear for the last 2 years figuring out how the various religious and esoteric wisdom traditions tie together. Best 2 years of my life.

Is he in the room with you right now?

Thanks. That's my first zap.

I want to live in a society governed by the great Gigi monster

That is wonderful to hear, thanks for sharing. Once I had my first experience, my life was never the same afterwards as well. Happy for you.

I agree. We may have a creator, but that creator is not the God of religions because the God of religions is not compatible with scientific facts.

OK. Now, I understand your point. You are correct.

Yes

Most science isn't as proven as you think. The two big theories, the Big Bang and Evolution, keep having to be majorly changed because they are poor predictors of new evidence. They have kept the same name but the details have changed majorly. Both theories avoid discussing the details of the initial beginning because it is contrary to science. There are lots of things made up to support the theories because the evidence doesn't support the theories. For example, comets lose significant mass every time they approach the sun. If the Solar System is as old as assumed, there should be no comets left. They have now made up an Oort Cloud that is so far out in the Solar System that we can detect it and something supposedly happens regularly to knock comets out of the Oort Cloud and into the inner solar system. There is zero evidence of the existence. The only reason it is considered is because something like this has to exist if the Solar System is billions of years old. The Big Bang theory keeps getting more and more complicated and now supposedly the majority of mass and energy in the universe is dark matter and dark energy, two things that can't be sensed or measured in any way. There are so many rescuing devices used it is hard to keep track of them all. Evolution has been changed because although there are lots of changes within a kind, there is no uncontested (by evolutionists) transitional life forms. Most of the proposed transitional life forms have been later proven to be frauds. The initial formation of life from nonlife is so far out of reach of scientists that most have now given up, but assume some other expert knows how it happened. The only somewhat plausible experiment, the Miller-Urey experiment, used conditions that have never been shown to exist on earth. They then had to instantly remove the compounds formed into an artificial trap or they would be immediately destroyed. They managed to make a tiny quantify of the simplest amino acids in one of their tries (but not all attempts). These amino acids were in a mix of other toxic to life compounds. The amino acids were also right and left handed while life only uses left handed organic compounds. Although they claimed they had proved that life could form on its own, they actually proved that it couldn't. For life you need DNA, RNA, and proteins. You need information. You need only left-handed components. You need all of this fully organized together in an environment that is conducive to life (unlike the environment they used to make those few simplest amino acids). It took a lot of smarts to get a tiny piece of what is needed for life. The more we learn about the cell; the more we realize how it couldn't happen by accident.

Have you looked into aliens, Hodl? Maybe you'd be surprised what you end up finding in that rabbit hole

The most common complaints about God are "How could God send all of those people to Hell?" and "How could God allow all of those bad things to happen to people?" and "Why is God so authoritarian as to force people to do what He wants?". To be consistent we need to follow the Bible as written rather than as interpreted by many people. God created everyone and everything, including time and space. He has the authority to use His creation as He wishes. It is not evil for Him to create things for good and bad uses. God is holy, which means He is very good and can't allow evil in His presence. Adam and Eve sinned, corrupting His creation, so it is no longer perfect. In addition to being holy, He is also merciful, which is why He has given us time to repent instead of punishing us with instant death and banishment to Hell at the first sin we commit as we deserve. His holiness does not let those who reject Him be in His presences, so those who reject Him are sent to Hell. His mercy led Him to send His son to pay the penalty for our sins and to reconcile us to Himself, so God sees Jesus's righteousness rather than our own sinfulness. Our only part in salvation is belief, which leads to repentance. We can't say "God is evil because He allows bad things to happen." and "God is evil because He punishes people in Hell." A holy, good God has to punish evil and we have all sinned with no exceptions. When you say things are unclear, it is only unclear if you want it to be unclear. For the purpose of you personally, all you need to know is that faith leading to repentance means you will be saved, have a close relationship with your God and Creator, and will someday join Him in Heaven. If you refuse to do this, you will be punished by being separated from Him in Hell. (I'm not trying to be harsh, just truthful). Another thing is that a lot of people have a problem with God and the Bible because they can't understand Him perfectly. Who wants a God that is perfectly understandable? I want a God that is so awesome, so infinite and that is a Creator that His creation can never fully comprehend. That is a God worth worshipping. A superhero God, who is just a stronger, smarter person than us isn't worthy of submission or worship.

Why do all peoples around the world believe in the same basic morals: Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not murder, etc? Why is marriage an institution in every culture? Why do we want to help the sick, weak, and infirmed? If we are trying to protect the group, wouldn't it help the genetics and the use of resources if they got rid of those people? We all know we should help those people, but why? Because when our Creator God created us, He put that knowledge in us. FYI, I do believe that morals are much better in true Christian organizations. Sadly, there are many organizations that are Christian in name only or that have allowed their leadership to be taken over by power hungry pretenders which has harmed the organization and made it less and less Christian over time. They give true Christians a bad name. In life there are Christians, cultural Christians, fake Christians, agnostics, and atheists. Those questioning Christianity point to the cultural Christians and the fake Christians to reinforce their doubts. Sadly today, I think the cultural and fake Christians out number the true Christians.

It’s not literal bro it’s parable conceptual it’s a way humans conceptualize the omnipresent energy that started existed same with Islam same with every other religion. Just as there are many different languages and different ways to say Hello there are different ways humans have conceptualized the supreme creator of existence the common denominator is that they are all essentially frameworks to live a righteous life I don’t take any of it as literal.

Sorry for terrible spelling and grammar

I do like the KJV. It is more poetic than most modern translations. I don't agree with some of your statements about these verses. Your conclusions about 1 Corinthians 44 - 49, seem arbitrary. The statement "the second man is of heaven." implies that Jesus is God. It seems that I agree with your interpretation of what the Bible really says, but disagree that the ESV/NASB say something different. The ESV and NASB are written based on older and more accurate documents and therefore have at least the probability of being more accurate. One thing to know about the KJV Bible is that originally, the godly believers, like the Pilgrims, hated the KJV. They didn't trust this translation by a tyrannical King that forced unbiblical sacraments on the churches. At the time, all of the strongest English speaking Christians preferred the Geneva Bible (I have one from the 1600s. It is one of my favorite possessions) and rejected the KJV. That being said, I still think the KJV and the NKJV are both in the top 10 English translations (and there are soooo many). One other issue with the KJV is that it is written in older English. Many words, that were used and that were very precise at the time it was written, have now changed meanings to be less precise and/or mean something different. This can cause problems for anyone not familiar with the original meaning of the words. This makes it less ideal for many people. The NKJV tried to fix this problem, but it is a little less poetic than the original.

I am unable to zap you for your concise and well worded response which leaves me sad and disheartened. Love hearing good ideas and strong opinion. NOSTR is amazing. Get your zaps together and setup please. This is the way.

“We need to follow the Bible as written” That takes interpretation. You can’t get around that. The way you read the Bible is different than the next person. That’s my .2c

Yes, scientists may make mistakes, but they seek the truth in the right way. They theorize and try to find evidence to prove their theories in the real world, religions do the opposite, they give you a booklet and tell you all the truth is in it without scientifically proving it. For example, the Bible mentions that the world was created in 6000 years, while dinosaurs lived on earth millions of years ago and there is undeniable evidence of their existence. Or if scientists still don't know exactly how organic molecules turned into RNA, that doesn't mean the Bible is right, it's just a matter of time, they'll figure it out one day. Scientists are not hostile to religions, they just find that the claims in the Bible do not match the scientific evidence.

Have you tried praying?

Yes, dinosaurs really existed, but not as long ago as we are told. In Job, there are descriptions of two creatures (behemoth and leviathan) which are almost certainly dinosaurs. The description of behemoth matches a sauropod. This is despite the fact that dinosaur fossils weren't discovered until the 1800s. There are also lots of tapestries, carvings, etc. showing dinosaurs with people. They can't have known what dinosaurs looked like unless people actually existed with the dinosaurs. We are now also regularly finding soft tissue in dinosaur bones that can't exist for millions of years, but if these dinosaurs were buried by the global flood in the Bible, then we would expect to see some of this soft tissue. Most of the so-called ages are determined using circular reasoning. The fossils are aged based o the which rock layer it is found in, while the rock layers are aged based on which fossils are in it. Yes, radiometric dating is used in some rocks (but not the sedimentary rocks in which fossils are found), but that is very inconsistent (different methods give different ages and when rocks of known age are tested, radiometric dating gives much older dates). Also radiometric dating depends on multiple assumptions that can not be reasonably assumed. They require assuming the starting amount of parent and daughter isotope, which we can't know because we weren't there. For most of the radiometric testing based on rocks, it is assumed that there is only parent isotopes initially which insures a maximum age. They require assuming that no parent or daughter isotope enters or exits the sample over supposed millions or billions of years, which is a very unrealistic assumption especially considering most of the isotopes are water soluble. It assumes the half-life is constant over time and condition, which is the most reasonable assumption, but some studies have shown evidence that even this assumption is invalid. Scientists are like all categories of people. Some are honestly seeking the truth. Some are actively trying to disprove God. Some think for themselves. Some refuse to investigate anything different than the current paradigm because changing the paradigm is unpopular and can cause them to lose their jobs or their research funding. Anyone who questions an old earth is pushed out of science no matter how good their evidence. Maybe even worse if their evidence is good.

The Bible means what it says. The overwhelming majority of the Bible is easily interpreted and has a very clear meaning. We can't make it say whatever we want it to say. We have to seek what the author, God, was communicating. There are a few things that are less clear, especially prophecy, but the basics are clear and specific. We don't get to interpret God's word any way we want. We have to seek to understand what God was communicating to us. If we pick and choose or intentionally change the meaning because we don't like what God said, then we will experience the consequences. That doesn't mean that the fine tuned details may be a little unclear and we may make mistakes. (Obviously mistakes are made because not all Christians agree about every little detail.) Despite that, the majority of the Bible was clearly communicated by God or that we can find the truth if we carefully study His word and use scripture to interpret scripture (not our feelings, preferences, or what the "experts" tell us).

Sorry, life has gotten the better of me and I have never finished setting up my alby hub. Hopefully next weekend, but I've said that the past 4 weekends.

Spots, but not the majority.

Sorry, that's how I see it. Religion is an opiate, just as much as Netflix. I happen to enjoy Netflix, though, and I know what I see there is for entertainment. I didn't put myself in either group above. I don't do evil, I don't even lie. So, yes, I consider myself to be different than those that do, regardless of which group I'm in. For me, lies and evil are pretty intertwined and I don't have to believe in the supernatural to know it.

You can try https://coinos.io/

My language is not English, unfortunately, and writing in English takes a lot of energy from me, and the discussion about this topic requires a lot of time and cannot be concluded with a few comments, so I apologize for not continuing this discussion.

Those are the ones thinking you go to Hell for NOT taking it literally, but if there was a God would he ever feel that way? Idk. Sometimes I wonder about my own parents on that. We were given free will and brains, right?

"I don't do evil." Your evil is pride. No need to apologize. Pride is blind, Im not trying to change your mind. Just wanted to recommend a book that might be help you think differently about simpletons.

What a crossroad to be stuck at! I have wanted to respond but I honestly didn't like anything that came to mind. I found my responses assuming to much about someone I know very little about. The one response I keep coming back to is this. I have prayed for you in the past and I will continue to pray that God will help you as you seek to rectify your belief.

I completely understand.

Power corrupts, but power also attracts the corruptible. The eye of the needly not only pertains to physical goods.

The book of John has many stories of people who met Jesus, literally in the flesh, and only truly believed who he said he was when they witnessed a sign. And John says that "these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." Maybe try reading John? I think believing in Jesus is more than just believing that a set of stories are literally true. And I would recommend finding a friend to read it with :)

Indeed language is alsways tricky. I assume it is the reason for religious wars... It is also a richness to have different religions so that one who is seeking God can benefit from different wording and approaches. To have a really profund discussion on this matter would require to define each word we are using, such as "god", "divine", "accepting", "submitting"... and our own very personal perception of them. Lifelong learning and working :-)

Yes litterally speaking, but I would rather say the "Gods" of religions, representing each multiple facets of God. Besides, those facets can illustrate God in different levels of abstraction. Except if you are in a religious movement that takes scriptures litteraly, you never know if the story there is trying to depict a "real" event or is a parable trying to explain some cosmic or psychological event in accessible words. Changing plan/perspective sometimes help realize that some facets are really close to scientific hypothesis (rather than facts). I am especially amazed by how quantum physics are starting to describe things that were already described in very ancient hindu texts for instance.

. What I have been praying concerning what I’m seeing: there is a rat via @LastDays247

I wrote about this sentiment a few years back:

Christianity for Bitcoiners

I'm afraid Jesus refers to this as a midwit position: > O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way! Please reach out would love to talk through this with you.

I have been watching YouTube vids on the history of Christianity and the Gnostic Gospels. They will reinforce your inclination that the bible is not literally true, but also give you a desire to follow the ‘good word’.

FWIW, one of my strongest personal convictions comes from God nether being able to be proven or disproved. It seems like no matter how much a person knows or doesn't know if they're honest they're always on the fence. If CHOICE is designed for a purpose, it seems to be perfect. Look at your own tug, you personally see the benefits of Christian society. There's something there that you like pulling you, and yet your logic pulls you away. Indeed Christianity is one of the most extreme claims and I as a Catholic have the most extreme claims of them all. God operates in the immaterial, it's not the same as studying history or science. Allow a little room for Him and seek. I believe what you find may surprise you. Try "The Case for Christ"? Pray to the God that isn't there. See what happens. In my experience he will meet you where you're at... But if you're honest you will always be on the fence because the choice is always yours. It's both frustrating and beautiful in my experience. He wants you to CHOOSE.

all the answers you seek are within brother

What is your reasoning for not believing it’s literally true?

Highly recommend everything by Edward Feser here. Happy to chat on this anytime.

💯 Killer handle btw

Do you think you can convince Seraphim to make his audio available on podcasts lol? I've just got into AntennaPod, perhaps he can even set up a fountain account and get paid! Reckon he'd make a fair amount with lightning. ;););) Mostly joking, but would be incredible

Forwarding this to him!

Thank you for sharing these

Npub??

Pretty sure he's not on social media (besides uploading on YouTube and substack). I actually did find him after I sent this under 'Kabane' on antennapod, but that stopped a while ago. But yeah, if you use podcasting apps there's plenty to get through there. I felt like it probably was intentional now, to focus more on substack and YouTube, which makes sense as they have an easier way to support the uploader.

It is hard to trust something you can't see, that's the faith challenge. Sometimes i really admire some faith people when it is about religion purpose or even any "famous" guy on this earth, like the faith they can have on politics or leaders that can change the world. My point of view is a little different. For me i trust "something" exist outside what we can see. But i think existence on this earth is to experiment an individual live, living with our senses, our character, our body and mind, and feeling a different way to connect to other individual people. It is the life experiment to live it. Before we born and after we die we will again return in this "something" which is just a peaceful "land" without any sense and connection we experiment in life. Just a place were we would feel good but not individual, but more like a water drop in ocean. I am not scared about it because before i born i was there and after i die i will return there, with just a little more existence experience lived on earth. Now i come to religion. For me it is just a way for human to put words on this. For some religion it will be one god, for other multiple gods, in the end it really don't care. what really care is the faith you have in your mind and heart. I'm not insulting any religion i think they all have their place, and even if extremists (whatever religion they are) can do awful things in name of god. They also have a good side for many people and make them more peaceful, less scared about question no one can really answer in this existence. Some religion make people give more than they receive, some avoid them to kill or do bad things, some act to help people in needs. For me all this religious rules are made by human for human. To make them live better all together. For some it works, for other it failed. But true faith about "something" is very private because only you can feel it in your bones and there is no recipe for that. You don't have to feel guilty or bad to not live it like the other because this "something" whatever you name "it" is not in the human judgment. And your faith will help you connect to "it". And even sometimes i think some intuition in life are a fruit of this connection. But it is not a scientist proof, i know 😉 Sorry for this long text again, but i think it was the right place and time to say it. I am not trying to convince anyone i have the only truth, it is just the way i live it. I have no religion but i am an exception in my family and friends. And i am really happy to haven't be "formed" by a religion since low age, because it have allow me free will to know more about religion by myself and make grow my own opinion and faith about that. I really thanks my parent to have let me this opportunity. Hope this share will give you another point of view of faith. 😅

BRUH!

I completely reject the idea of faith based action, action should be based on reason and conviction, not wish or whim 👍🏽