Pious Fraud

Recently I took part in a discussion on an internet forum about Christianity. The specific topic of the Sermon on the mount came up and it was mentioned that the concepts were unique to the New Testament. I flippantly called them pious fraud as I was well aware of much writings before that had it written yet one person decided not to challenge me but to call me anti-Christianity and ignorant and proceeded to build strawmen to attempt to prove they were unique. This post is dedicated to him or her. Not only that but the authors of the New Testament were well aware of them yet they demonized the original writers and attributed the words to Jesus anyway. That is pious fraud by any definition.

A Little Background

Once again I have heard the Christian claim that I am angry with god and I can’t understand the bible because of my anger. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I am not angry at god. Can’t be angry at something I lack belief in. Saying I don’t believe in god is not the same as saying I believe there is no god. I will go so far as saying a god as defined in the bible doesn’t exist but that has nothing to do with anger. As far as my knowledge of the bible goes, well it is surprising what assumptions Christians make.

Is Jesus God?

That is a great question and not one to be answered by anything written by anyone but answered by the word’s attributed to Jesus himself. My reason for that approach is easily seen by the lax translation throughout the New Testament and the wanton use of god versus God.

A Longer Conversaton Part 2

Now we get to part 2 of A Longer Conversation Part 1 which is a follow up to A Short Conversation With A Christian. Here in part 2 my conversation with the minister turned to the New Testament.

A Longer Conversation Part 1

A while back in my article A Short Conversation With A Christian, I mentioned a local baptist minister had invited me to give a lecture at his Church. I called him yesterday afternoon to apologize for not getting back to him and to explain why I had to decline. He told me he had someone in his office at the moment but he would like to talk further with me so I made an appointment to see him this morning. This article will summarize a few points from this morning.

Trinity: Biblical Or Not?

Sheild Of The Trinity

The trinity is one of the concepts found in Christianity that has questionable origins that are claimed to be biblical. The word Trinity, which is derived from the Latin Trinitas, was first written by Theophilus of Antioch in his 170 CE  letter to Autolycus.

“In like manner also the three days which were before the luminaries, are types of the Trinity, of God, and His Word, and His wisdom. And the fourth is the type of man, who needs light, that so there may be God, the Word, wisdom, man.”

In the early 3rd century Tertullian again used the word to explain the essence of god. The next century saw the council of Nicaea in 325 CE and the  trinity was made an official doctrine of the church.

Dangers Of Biblical Literalism

To anyone honest with themselves a literal reading of the bible, Koran for you Muslims, is not compatible with science nor is it moral. Not a small number of bible believers will counter this saying the bible should be read metaphorically. That leads to problems and quite a few of them are insurmountable.

The Church: A hou/se

Americana itself

To use the words of that icon of Americana [no, not baseball, apple pie or Chevrolet], Abraham Lincoln, from a speech given in 1858 given in the town made famous for being home to the Simpsons [Springfield], he said

A house divided against itself cannot stand.

which oddly enough, given Lincoln’s distaste for Christian dogma is a paraphrase from Matthew 12:25 which says

Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand’.