Religion Ranting Topic

[Life]

im talking about strictness

Dude, we wrote the book on strictness in religion. Literally.

There are 613 laws that need to be obeyed before you venture off into the territory of slippery slopes.

I actually used to study Jewish law in High School. Trust me when I say that Judaism is far more strict than Christianity where Jesus told his followers that they don't have to follow the old laws.

Edited September 19, 2016 by Deplorable Pepe

[Rezzy]

I don't want to get into comparative theology, but the New Testament is pretty nonviolent to a fault almost. As stated, Jesus obviated many of the Old Testament draconian punishments. There's a story about "Let he who is without sin throw the first stone" and all that.

There's been plenty of Christians over the past couple millennia who had much harsher practices, but their basis was either from the Old Testament or didn't have basis in scripture at all.

[tuvarkz]

To note, it's also brought up in the New Testament that intent matters a lot more than following the commands by the letter.

[Espinosa]

I don't think Christianity made the old laws easier to follow. The Sermon on the Mount is a good testament to how complex spiritual life got (Matthew chapter 5; notably the 'But I say unto you' bits).

[Phoenix Wright]

What? Jewish tradition is as severe as they come, even far behind Muslims and Puritans. Adultery was a capital offense, thieves lost hands, and delinquency in children often meant stoning to death. Granted, they are not empowered to legalize such punishments, but the prerequisite for them is there. Where do you see Christian Laws advocating such practices? Remember that Christianity was progressive and still is compared to the other 4 major world religions.

uhhhh. that's not far behind muslims.

Dude, we wrote the book on strictness in religion. Literally.

There are 613 laws that need to be obeyed before you venture off into the territory of slippery slopes.

I actually used to study Jewish law in High School. Trust me when I say that Judaism is far more strict than Christianity where Jesus told his followers that they don't have to follow the old laws.

again, it depends on the flavor of christianity. some sects are very strict. but it's not like this actually matters. it's not a competition to see which faith is the strictest.

I don't want to get into comparative theology, but the New Testament is pretty nonviolent to a fault almost. As stated, Jesus obviated many of the Old Testament draconian punishments. There's a story about "Let he who is without sin throw the first stone" and all that.

There's been plenty of Christians over the past couple millennia who had much harsher practices, but their basis was either from the Old Testament or didn't have basis in scripture at all.

what do you mean by "almost to a fault." are you saying you want a little more action and wrath in the new testament or something?

To note, it's also brought up in the New Testament that intent matters a lot more than following the commands by the letter.

ok

[Tryhard]

what do you mean by "almost to a fault." are you saying you want a little more action and wrath in the new testament or something?

perhaps that a pacifistic world view isn't always practical

[Rezzy]

what do you mean by "almost to a fault." are you saying you want a little more action and wrath in the new testament or something?

perhaps that a pacifistic world view isn't always practical

Sort of what Tryhard said. Pacifism is a great concept in theory, but there are times when I feel action or violence are justified. One example would be if someone threatened the lives of my children. By the book, one might interpret that we should accept any transgression against us with the whole "turn the other cheek" rule, but I feel that in that case, I would be justified in any sort of defense in protecting my children, up to, and including killing the aggressor, if necessary.

An extreme example, but a caveat that colors my views on pacifism.

[Phoenix Wright]

i see. i thought you were speaking in the context of god and god's actions.

[Magical CC]

To clarify my stance, I believe private companies can refuse service on religious or whatever personal views they hold, with only a few exceptions.

I dont think it's good idea to lower yourself to their level. Everyone is fair without exception. It's not like you are a Christian like them. There was a fiasco in my country two years ago when a group of Christianity nuns went to the country side to perform charity but they only gave foods and books to Christianity kids and refused the rest. I laughed a little because if it's 500 years ago, in the same situation, non-Christianity people could have Jesus forced into their throat.

[Rezzy]

I dont think it's good idea to lower yourself to their level. Everyone is fair without exception. It's not like you are a Christian like them. There was a fiasco in my country two years ago when a group of Christianity nuns went to the country side to perform charity but they only gave foods and books to Christianity kids and refused the rest. I laughed a little because if it's 500 years ago, in the same situation, non-Christianity people could have Jesus forced into their throat.

If they want to selectively give charity, that's their prerogative, assuming they aren't hurting anybody. Christianity has thankfully moved past the days of the inquisition, where forced conversion was a thing. Where was this, by the way?

[Magical CC]

If they want to selectively give charity, that's their prerogative, assuming they aren't hurting anybody. Christianity has thankfully moved past the days of the inquisition, where forced conversion was a thing. Where was this, by the way?

I think you got it wrong. The ones who have to be thankful because Christianity moved past the days of the inquisition are the Christians themselves. Nobody would accept forced conversion and many other stupid things in this era. Christianity evolved to avoid being boycotted by people. Nowadays Christianity is like a trial version of Christianity just 200 years ago. If Christianity didnt change, nobody would want to be a part of it.

Edited September 29, 2016 by Magical CC

[Espinosa]

I'd say Christianity hasn't changed a whole lot (though there are denominations that weren't there centuries ago), in essence, and really shouldn't change. After all, if the meaning derived from the experience of being a Christian is just the latest trends of the current ideologies just with a different name, why be a Christian at all? Now, society has changed a lot, and Christians can't really be separated from the world in which they live.

[eclipse]

I think you got it wrong. The ones who have to be thankful because Christianity moved past the days of the inquisition are the Christians themselves. Nobody would accept forced conversion and many other stupid things in this era. Christianity evolved to avoid being boycotted by people. Nowadays Christianity is like a trial version of Christianity just 200 years ago. If Christianity didnt change, nobody would want to be a part of it.

. . .if I'm reading this right, you're saying that the One True Christianity is whatever was practiced way back when? Do you think that the outlawing of slavery means that no one can be a true Christian, since there's biblical rules regarding their treatment? Because that's what I'm getting from your post.

[Moblin Major General]

I think you got it wrong. The ones who have to be thankful because Christianity moved past the days of the inquisition are the Christians themselves. Nobody would accept forced conversion and many other stupid things in this era. Christianity evolved to avoid being boycotted by people. Nowadays Christianity is like a trial version of Christianity just 200 years ago. If Christianity didnt change, nobody would want to be a part of it.

Christianity at its core never changes. People's perception of how it should be followed does. Some are warmongering zealots who use it to justify atrocities, some manipulate people into greed through it, and some even suffer in the name of it. However, these are all corruptions by man, not what it is supposed to be. My heart bleeds for people who have been hurt by those claiming to be Christians, as those who hurt them subvert the very love Jesus showed in his sacrifice. Do not blame Christianity as a whole for the past sins of a few thousand, because the other 2 billion of us recognize the evil done in the name of Jesus and God. Unless you were hurt by a "Christian." In that case, I pity you, and I pray that you meet other, more tolerant Christians.

[dondon151]

if you think that christianity was merely tarnished by the historical deeds of "a few thousand," then you need to re-read your history

of course christianity has changed. the old and new testaments have been constantly edited since the religion's founding.

[Moblin Major General]

if you think that christianity was merely tarnished by the historical deeds of "a few thousand," then you need to re-read your history

of course christianity has changed. the old and new testaments have been constantly edited since the religion's founding.

The Crusaders only numbered in the tens of thousands, the KKK in the thousands, and the Conquistadors in the hundreds. These 3 groups are the worst of us Christians, and many Christians today despise all of them. As for the rewriting, you tell me how literate one must be to understand a King James rather than a New International Version.

[blah the Prussian]

The Crusaders only numbered in the tens of thousands, the KKK in the thousands, and the Conquistadors in the hundreds. These 3 groups are the worst of us Christians, and many Christians today despise all of them. As for the rewriting, you tell me how literate one must be to understand a King James rather than a New International Version.

Actually, the Taiping Tianguo in China were a fundamentalist Christian sect whose leader claimed to be the brother of Jesus. They were responsible for millions of deaths in their rebellion against the Qing, including of anyone who had passed the Imperial examinations. They are by far the worst Christiamity has to offer, but we also must take into account late Tsarist Russia, the actions of the Ustase in Croatia and Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia, and of many Christian groups in Africa, including Joseph Kony. The KKK, Crusaders, and Conquistadors are hardly the worst of Christianity.

[dondon151]

The Crusaders only numbered in the tens of thousands, the KKK in the thousands, and the Conquistadors in the hundreds. These 3 groups are the worst of us Christians, and many Christians today despise all of them.

this is such a disingenuous argument. aside from the objections that blah pointed out above, the people who believed in christendom and white supremacy were undoubtedly the majority demographic in their respective populations. that "good" christians outnumber "bad" christians in the context of the entirety of human history is only a result of there being more people alive in the present day.

if you were to go back to 1860, then i would bet all of my student loans that almost all of the 8 million people in the southern US believed in white supremacy and freely used scripture to justify that. and that's just scratching the surface.

As for the rewriting, you tell me how literate one must be to understand a King James rather than a New International Version.

KJV and NIV are not the only translations of the bible. you missed the point.

in the evolution of the present-day english bible, the content within must have been copied and translated numerous times, with many items altered, added, or omitted in each version. the original language of the bible was not english but aramaic. english was not an officially sanctioned language of the bible until relatively late in the history of christianity. the bible has spent more years being forbidden from translation into english than being in english.

additionally, before the invention of the printing press, manuscripts had to be copied by hand, with each editor likely to take liberties with copying or making mistakes.

finally, the content within the new testament wasn't formally sanctioned until almost the 5th century AD. prior to that point, different churches adopted different gospels.

Edited October 8, 2016 by dondon151

[Moblin Major General]

You seem to forget that Christianity was formed by Jews, not Whites. I can turn your argument around and say everything that Europeans touch gets twisted to no end. Relative to population? Maybe, but Christianity isn't getting any smaller, so we must not be all that bad, especially when you consider that many converts are from Islamic countries. And if you read any bible cover to cover, you would realize that we Christians love nothing more than to go out of our way to be intolerable, and when we were tolerable, bad things happened to other people. I'm not a bigot or a racist, or even an idiot, but as soon as you realize you aren't going to guilt me for the sins of the worldly acts of millions of Christians over 2000 years, we can move on with our lives. I don't need to apologize for their sins, because a carpenter's son already did with a painful death on a crucifix.

[Phoenix Wright]

i don't think you responded to the argument at all.

[Magical CC]

The Crusaders only numbered in the tens of thousands, the KKK in the thousands, and the Conquistadors in the hundreds. These 3 groups are the worst of us Christians, and many Christians today despise all of them. As for the rewriting, you tell me how literate one must be to understand a King James rather than a New International Version.

Geeze, you should spend less time reading the bible and more time reading about history. "Tens of thousands" is a vast different from the real number.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades

Also, I suggest you to look closer to the inquisitors, the force conversions, the purges done by Christians, the terrorists based on their belief of Christianity, the other religious wars relate to Christianity and the crimes done by the explorers in the New World. And that's excluding the child molesting priests that plagued the Church for hundred years and the money laundering Vatican. KKK is not even in the top 5 worst Christian groups. The reason Christianity isnt getting smaller is because it changed to suit the new eras which I said in the previous post and because the Church is doing its best to stop people from digging deeper into its corruption. But that is another story, I am not here to slander the religion. What I want to say is that nowadays Christianity is not the same as it used to be. People dont change because of the religion but religion changes for the people.