Do you believe that Jesus is real? If so, then why is there no evidence that he is real? Why can't you see him?

"But he is real!" You say. Well, let's prove it.

1 Cor 15:3-8 states: "For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once...After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me."

What we learn here is that Jesus has no problem showing himself to people.

Now let's look at Matthew 18:19-20:

"Amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

What we learn here is that 1) Jesus is all around us. and 2) if 2-3 people pray for something then God WILL grant that prayer.

So let's pray. I'm asking everyone who reads this to honestly, and sincerely pray the following, regardless of your own personal beliefs: "Dear Jesus in Heaven, we know that you are all around us, and that you have appeared before hundreds of people before. We ask that you appear in the flesh to Willy so that he may capture and prove your existence with a digital recording device. Doing so would give billions around the world faith in you. There is simply no down side for you not to show up. You also told your followers that the Lord will grant our prayers. In Jesus name we pray, Amen."

I have my camera ready to go. Now, let's see what happens.

This is about Jesus, and proving his existence. Now get back to praying.

Not that I have anything against Christmas or Easter, but both holidays are good examples of Christianity being pushed down ALL of our throats.

Truth be told, I don't reall give a fuck if there was a "real" Jesus or not. Even if there was a human being that got hit so hard over the head that he believed he was the "Son of God" and who had a mother who managed to convince her father and everyone else that she got pregnant without fucking anyone. that still doesn't prove a Goddamned thing to me as far as the Christian religion is concerned.

As long as you guys continue to tell me that I will go to hell for the sin of "nonbelief" I will continue to ridicule you for your ridiculous fairy tales that you expect me to live by. Tit for tat. Get the rest of the Christians to leave me alone, and that includes paying for your fucking holy wars, and I promise to return the favor. As Phil has pointed out, no one is ridiculing the Buddhists or the Shintos or any one of the several hundred other religions that are out there, The reason? They leave the rest of us alone.

and the very first verse will be "You shall not put GaGambler your God to the test." Roflmfao

So, we should take the bible literally when it says "you shall not put the Lord your God to the test." Well, yeh, I did. But so far, nothing has happened to me. Funny thing about this though, is when you think about it, every prayer is a test. And it doesn't change the fact that the bible does say that if you pray for something to happen, it will happen. For instance:

Matthew 7:7: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find"

and

Matthew 21:22: "Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive."

and

Mark 11:24:

"Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours."

John 14:13-14:

"whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it."

So, we find here that the Lord seems to be rather ambiguous about being tested. So let's ask again.

"Lord, please help us. Willy is a godless atheist heathen, but he doesn't know any better since he's never seen you. Lord we pray to you to reveal yourself to Willy, physically in the flesh so that Willy can actually see you with his own eyes, and capture your image on camera so that he knows that bowl he smoked earlier today wasn't laced with something. As an omniscient and omnipotent entity, this really shouldn't be hard for you to pull off. And really, Willy would be ecstatic that he has a long term future that isn't limited to being worm food. So really do this one favor for us, Lord, please? Amen."

Which probably explains where God came from to begin with, only someone stoned out of their gourd could have possibly come up with some of the nonsense found in the Bible

Because you don't believe in anything you can't see or touch, you mock anyone who does have a belief.

I'll be praying very hard for God to show him/herself to you.
Possibly, in the form of a lightning bolt out of the blue...LOL.

BTW, God reveals him/herself to us in many ways everyday, if only you have a mind that is open enough to see it.
You obviously don't.

I'm not mocking anyone. In fact, all I'm doing is praying and asking you to pray with me.

God revealed himself to you? When did I mention anything about dropping trou? In all seriousness, if God's existence can only be proven by certain people having it "revealed to them", but it requires an open mind for that to happen, then obviously, you would have some evidence of this revealment. A picture perhaps? A video tape? No, that's not what you meant? Didn't think so.

Let's be real here dumba. If only certain people can have God's existence revealed to them, and their mental state makes a big difference on whether or not an omnipotent being can be percieved, then should we conclude that:

1) God exists, but there's a funny loophole where only certain people can detect this omnipotent being,

or

2) There is no God. He is imaginary. And certain people believe in fairy tales.

-- Modified on 4/20/2011 7:54:14 AM

-- Modified on 4/20/2011 8:13:42 AM

You see, there are many songs and stories written about love, but in each demonstration of it can be deconstructed or explained away in such a way as it no longer appears as love.

And, who says you can see God?

"    1 John 4:20
   Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen."

The evidence of God is in how His people treat one another, and even their enemies.

We live in a world with many subtle energies, which communicate many messages to many people, which in turn motivate them to engage in various behaviors; some constructive and some destructive toward themselves and others. What if, as in the transmitters and receivers of these subtle energies and messages, we are to be the same, but emitting and receiving energies that lead to manifestations of love, care, kindness and fairness? What if God is the original and primary transmitter of that energy and message?


-- Modified on 4/20/2011 8:51:22 AM

or even worse, want to kill us.

The two religions that cause me any harm are Christianity and Islam, two different pieces of the same stupid pie. If hindus started banning beef, or Wiccans started banning whatever it is that they don't like, then I would have a major problem with them as well

Of course the larger problem is the world as we know it could possibly end because Christians and Muslims want to engage in a holy war that with modern technology and weaponry could very well end the world as we know it.

That's why I only "pick on" the Christians and the Muslims.

Is the Egyptian god Horace related to Jesus?

http://www.theeroticreview.com/discussion_boards/viewmsg.asp?MessageID=143411&boardID=39&page=1

an african teacher once told me of these stories and where he said they came from


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIMFz5ZKDVo


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH66MsrmE50


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1CWBKRWIg0

You started with...
/////////////////////////////////////////
Do you believe that Jesus is real? If so, then why is there no evidence that he is real? Why can't you see him?

"But he is real!" You say. Well, let's prove it.
/////////////////////////////////////////

This is wrong because you start by demanding someone needs to brove their beliefs to you. Now if I demanded YOU believe it, then I would owe you proof.

BTW, isn't the very definition of faith belief without proof?


-- Modified on 4/20/2011 4:41:11 AM

-- Modified on 4/20/2011 4:41:58 AM

Messiah "The Christian myths were first related of Horus or Osiris, who was the embodiment of divine goodness, wisdom, truth and purity...This was the greatest hero that ever lived in the mind of man -- not in the flesh -- the only hero to whom the miracles were natural because he was not human."
About Yeshua of Nazareth: He is commonly referred to as Jesus Christ, although Joshua would be a more accurate translation of his first name. "Christ" is not his last name; it is simply the Greek word for "Messiah," or "anointed one." Theologians have discovered about 50 gospels which were widely used by Jewish, Pauline and Gnostic groups within the early Christian movement. Only four of these were chosen by the surviving group, Pauline Christianity, and were included in the Bible. Those four Gospels describe Jesus as a Jew who was born to a virgin in Palestine circa 4 to 7 BCE. He is portrayed as a rabbi, teacher, healer, exorcist, magician, 18 prophet, and religious leader who had a one year (according to Mark, Matthew and Luke) or a three year (according to John) ministry in Palestine, starting when he was about 30 years old. Most Christians believe that he was executed by the Roman occupying army, visited the underworld, was resurrected, spent 40 days with his disciples, and then ascended to heaven. Most Christian denominations view Jesus as God, and as the Son of God, the second person in the Trinity.|

Conservative Christians view the Gospels as being inerrant whose authors were inspired by God. The Gospels and other passages in the Bible are mostly interpreted literally. Muslims revere Jesus as a great prophet -- next only to Muhammad in importance. They regard the assertion that Jesus is God to be blasphemy.

About Horus: Various ancient Egyptian statues and writings tell of Horus, (pronounced "hohr'-uhs;"
a.k.a. Harseisis, Heru-sa-Aset (Horus, son of Isis), Heru-ur (Horus the elder), Hr, and Hrw), a creator sky God. He was worshipped thousands of years before the first century CE -- the time when Jesus was ministering in Palestine. 2 Horus was often represented as a stylized eye symbol, symbolizing the eye of a falcon. He was also presented "in the shape of a sparrow hawk or as a man [or lion] with a hawk's head." 3 He is often shown as an infant cradled by his mother Isis. He was considered to be the son of two major Egyptian deities: the God Osirus and and the Goddess Isis. In adulthood, he avenged his father's murder, and became recognized as the God of civil order and justice. Each of the Egyptian pharaohs were believed to be the living embodiment -- an incarnation -- of Horus.
Stories from the life of Horus had been circulating for centuries before Jesus birth (circa 4 to 7 BCE). If any copying occurred by the writers of the Egyptian or Christian religions, it was the followers of Jesus who incorporated into his biography the myths and legends of Horus, not vice-versa.

Author and theologian Tom Harpur studied the works of three authors who have written about ancient Egyptian religion: Godfrey Higgins (1771-1834), Gerald Massey (1828-1907) and Alvin Boyd Kuhn (1880-1963). Harpur incorporated some of their findings into his book "Pagan Christ." He argued that all of the essential ideas of both Judaism and Christianity came primarily from Egyptian religion. "[Author Gerald] Massey discovered nearly two hundred instances of immediate correspondence between the mythical Egyptian material and the allegedly historical Christian writings about Jesus. Horus indeed was the archetypal Pagan Christ."

http://www.theeroticreview.com/discussion_boards/viewmsg.asp?MessageID=143411&boardID=39&page=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmomIZA2qI4

WHO CREATED JESUS CHRIST ?

DR. JOHN HENRICK CLARKE EXCERPTS
www.watchitall.tv



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5JnnWvgRjg&NR=1


http://www.theeroticreview.com/discussion_boards/viewmsg.asp?MessageID=143411&boardID=39&page=1


-- Modified on 4/20/2011 5:22:11 AM

Jesus also says in the Book of Luke, Chapter 4, verse 12, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." That's essentially what you're doing here Willy...putting God to the test. By the way, the Book of Luke is in the New Testament if you need to look it up.
Have a blessed day!

... to the extent I could be called religious, my spirituality would best be classified as universalist Asatru with deities seen as anthropomorphic manifestations of Jungian archetypes.

Why in the world is it, when people want to take on religion, do they always focus on Christianity?

Why not pick on Judaism, of which Christianity is a derivative?

Or Wicca? Or Druidry? Or Asatru? Or Confucianist ancestor worship?

and no I didn't stutter when I said "demand"

Pressure comes in many different forms, not just at the point of a gun (or sword). I have been pressured on many an ocassion to "respect the Christian Religion" at the expense of my own beliefs.

Can you honestly see a "Good Christian" honoring an atheists wish against prayer in his home, or a Wiccans request that he honor whatever the fuck they believe? Not a fucking chance

and I wouldn't mind if Christians believe that I am going to hell if they wouldn't bang on my fucking door, and try to invite themselves into my fucking house in an attempt to "share" their idiotic beliefs with me. How about if I knock on your door and invite myself into your home to criticize "your" beliefs?

As official oddsmaker here on P&R, I predict both lines to be "off the board"

Every major religion is nothing more than ancient myths purporting to explain natural phenomena that ancient people could not understand.  Scared of thunder?  It's only Thor!  Scared of death?  Believe in God, or Allah, or whoever and you'll live forever.  Poor, miserable and enslaved?  Jesus will comfort you on earth and welcome you into Heaven.
The problem today is, far too many believers want to impose their primitive views on the rest of us.  Some of them want to impose their "right to life" views on women.  Others want us to hate gays.  Radical muslims want to blow themselves up (and us with them) in order to impose a 13th-century version of Islam on the rest of the world.  It all revolves around: "Believe in my version of God, or else!"
There are lots of rational reasons to reject a divine presence; mainly that most phenomena attributed to "god" can be explained in other, simpler, ways.
Bottom line, more people have been murdered, tortured, enslaved and robbed in the name of God than for any other reason.  Should there actually be a God presiding over this mess, I don't want to have anything to do with him (and I say "him" because I believe a feminine deity would never have perpetrated all this shit on us).  I can comfortably exit without him.
However, I do agree with the religious types that looking for "proof" of God is foolish.  It is all about faith.  I reject it but think it's nice that some people are comforted by this crap.  I just wish they'd leave the rest of us alone.

-- Modified on 4/20/2011 11:34:26 AM

I haven't seen many southern baptists beheading people. I think you may be confusing Christianity with Islam.

They do preach the faith, they espouse and ask you believe, but they do not "Demand"

It is your right if you so choose to ask them to prove it, and if they can not then to dismiss their faith.

BTW, what do you care if someone claims you are going to hell? If you don't believe in God, I am guessing you don't believe in hell either.

Also, I am not responsible for any turbo christians you may encounter, just like you are not responsible for any left wing nut jobs I run across.

Dangers in Devotion:Buddhist Cults and the Tasks of a Guru

http://www.buddhismaustralia.org/cults.htm

The Error Of Buddhism - The real teachings of Buddha - Documentation - 1/5


The Error Of Buddhism - The real teachings of Buddha - Documentation

Buddhism is full of superstition and error. This film portrays the religion of Buddhism and its irrational practices. Those who regard Buddhism as a road to peace and contentment should pay close attention to the truths described in this film.

pagan religion of Buddhists:The Error Of Buddhism - The real teachings of Buddha - Documentation - 2
The Error Of Buddhism - The real teachings of Buddha - Documentation

Buddhism is full of superstition and error. This film portrays the religion of Buddhism and its irrational practices. Those who regard Buddhism as a road to peace and contentment should pay close attention to the truths described in this film.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqNDS6SDJpg

The Error Of Buddhism - The real teachings of Buddha - Documentation - 3/5
pagan religion of Buddhists:

The Error Of Buddhism - The real teachings of Buddha - Documentation

Buddhism is full of superstition and error. This film portrays the religion of Buddhism and its irrational practices. Those who regard Buddhism as a road to peace and contentment should pay close attention to the truths described in this film.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs33VVqKlM0&NR=1

-- Modified on 4/20/2011 1:49:26 PM

The Error Of Buddhism - The real teachings of Buddha - Documentation - 4/5


pagan religion of Buddhists:

The Error Of Buddhism - The real teachings of Buddha - Documentation

Buddhism is full of superstition and error. This film portrays the religion of Buddhism and its irrational practices. Those who regard Buddhism as a road to peace and contentment should pay close attention to the truths described in this film.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykRA4Am3jhM&NR=1

-- Modified on 4/20/2011 1:59:43 PM

The Error Of Buddhism - The real teachings of Buddha - Documentation - 5/5


The Error Of Buddhism - The real teachings of Buddha - Documentation

Buddhism is full of superstition and error. This film portrays the religion of Buddhism and its irrational practices. Those who regard Buddhism as a road to peace and contentment should pay close attention to the truths described in this film.



-- Modified on 4/20/2011 2:10:55 PM

is that all the demi-gods(?) are just reincarnations of the one God, Vishnu.
Vishnu has had many reincarnations as krishna, Buddah, Jesus Christ, etc.

en-titty jesus was supposed to be.

I was taking a walk at lunch in Rockefeller Center and was approached by a Christian evangelist.  I proceeded to lecture him about how more people have been murdered, raped, robbed and enslaved in the name of god than for any other reason.  He began to cry.
(though perhaps he was sobbing for my immortal soul, but I doubt it.)

-- Modified on 4/20/2011 7:23:41 PM

Willy,
There's a very basic, fundamental reason why your "prayer" for Jesus to reveal himself to you won't work. But, you being the amazingly smart person that you are, I'll leave it to you to figure it out. I'm sure other Christians on the board will recognize why it won't happen.
Have a blessed day!