Problems with Jesus…

1.  There is no reliable historical evidence for the existence of Jesus outside of the scriptures.  Jesus was supposedly the “greatest man ever to walk the earth” yet none of the historians of that time found him to be important enough to write about.

 

2.  The scripture writers themselves were not even eyewitnesses to Jesus.  All four scriptures were written decades after Jesus’s supposed death.

 

3.  Descriptions of Jesus’s deeds, character, and history are too similar to pagan gods that preceded Jesus.  Jesus is nothing more than a character based off of a compilation of these previously worshiped gods.

 

4.  Stories about Jesus are based solely on oral tradition.

 

5.  Jesus’s teachings were inspirational but they were not original or even morally superior.

 

6.  Jesus never revealed anything of importance to the human race.  He simply preached about peace and love.  Also, why did he “cast out demons” from people who, in all reality, were likely suffering from now known medical conditions?

 

7.  There are zero writings attributed to Jesus himself.  Why wouldn’t someone as important as Jesus leave us with writings straight from his own hand?

 

8.  There are no descriptions in the Bible regarding what Jesus looked like.  We also know very little about his childhood…why?

 

9.  There occurs not a shred of evidence for a city named Nazareth at the time of the alleged Jesus. (Jim Walker, 1997. From the online article “Did a Historical Jesus Exist?”)

9 Reasons Why Science Is Better Than Religion…

1.  Science is willing to change its theories as new evidence is discovered.  Religion simply attempts to justify anything that contradicts its claims.

2.  Science has no agenda…it simply seeks the truth about the world around us.  Religion has an agenda…to convince others that a specific “God” is real and that we must “obey” this god in order to be “saved.”

3.  Science confirms its findings with evidence.  Religion “confirms” its findings with speculation, superstition, and through “revelation.”

4.  Science avoids using the supernatural to explain any phenomena.  Religion employs the supernatural to explain many things.

5.  Science is not afraid to say, “We don’t yet know how or why that happens.”  Religion simply says, “God did it.”

6.  Science has done more to advance mankind.  Religion is why we had the “Dark Ages.”

7.  Science follows logic.  Religion is based on superstition and oral tradition.

8.  People don’t start wars over opposing scientific beliefs.

9.  Science continues to advance.  Religion has been stagnant for thousands of years.

More Questions for Christians...

Christians:  Read the following questions then choose two or three to answer in the comments section.  Feel free to answer more if you would like...

1.  Do you believe that the Bible is free of errors and/or inconsistencies? 

     a.  If  no, do you write these all off as “problems with translation” like most people of faith do?

     b.  If yes, have you read the Bible?

2.  Do you believe in free will?  Do you believe God has a plan for all of us?

3.  Do you believe in the existence of angels and/or demons?  Why don’t we see them nowadays?

4.  Does religion do more to bring people together or does it tend to divide people?

5.  Do you believe that the bread and wine offered during church service is actually the body and blood of Christ? 

     a.  If yes, how do you explain this?

     b.  If no, then what is the purpose of participating in this unusual ritual?

6.  What would it take for you to not believe in God?  Lack of physical or historical evidence?  Disproving the authenticity of the Bible?  Having the God of another religion appear to you?  Scientific proof that demonstrates how life began and/or how our universe came into being?  Prayers not being answered?

7.  Do you believe that God works through faith healers?  Explain.

8.  Do you have any social, political, or moral issues that you believe strongly in which are based solely on your religious beliefs?  In other words, independent of religion you would have other opinions on these issues.

9.  Do you believe that you will be reunited with loved ones after you die?  Explain.

10.  What constitutes a soul?  Does a monkey have a soul?  How about a baby that is born without a brain?  Do dogs have souls?  Does a fertilized egg have a soul?  Where was your soul before you were given life?

11.  Do you believe that the laws of nature were different back in the days of Jesus?  Explain.

12.  If Jesus was such a great and influential individual, how come we never hear about his childhood or teen years?  Why is so much of his life not documented?

13.  When a little church-going girl is plucked from the street by a crazed sadist and raped for two days then left for dead in a vacant lot…could God have prevented that or is he powerless to do anything about it due to the free will of the perpetrator?  Is it part of his plan?

14.  When you listen to a eulogy and the speaker says something like “I know that this is what God wanted”…do you believe that?  Explain.

15.  Do you believe that loved ones who have passed away are watching over you?  If so, do they see you when you are picking your nose?  Masturbating?  Going to the bathroom?  Or do they look away at just the right time?

16.  Does giving money to the church influence your standing with God?  Is it better to give your money to the church or directly to those in need?  What would God prefer?  What would the church want you to believe?

17.  Do you think people tend to value life more if they believe that they will have eternal life after they die or if they believe that this is their one and only chance at life?

Christians: Would you still believe in God if…

The Bible was found to contain any, if not many, scientific inaccuracies, inconsistencies, or factual errors?

The Bible was found to contain unfulfilled prophecies?

The origin of life could be replicated in a science lab?

Life was found on another planet?

It could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the “soul” does not exist?

You had been raised to believe in a different God/faith and were then told about the God/faith that you now believe in (in other words, would you change)?

A historical church document was found which basically confirmed that the Bible was written by ancient scribes who knew nothing of a man named Jesus and that he was a fictionalized character created to further the teachings of the church?

A different God came down from the sky and presented himself to you then declared that he was the only true God?

Prayer after prayer went unanswered even though there was no reason for them to be ignored?

Solid scientific evidence was presented which confirmed the reality of the “Big Bang”?

Solid evidence was presented which confirmed the reality of evolution?

The earth was proven to be billions of years old, contradicting the Bible’s contention that it is only 6-10 thousand years old?

Evidence showed that the story of Jesus was actually based upon previously worshipped Pagan gods?

Jesus’ burial site was found and his bones were retrieved?

It was demonstrated that there is no historical evidence for the existence of Jesus outside of what the scriptures say…despite the meticulous record keeping that took place during that time period?

Christians engaged in a holy war against believers in another religion...and lost?

Prayers to a different God were answered at the same rate as those that were prayed to your God?

Spontaneous Recovery!

I believe that I am the perfect example of just how possible it really is to spontaneously recover from a non-organic delusional disorder.  

A delusion, as you might know, is defined as “a persistent false belief held in the face of strong contradictory evidence.”  Well, I can certainly say that as a child I had some highly unusual beliefs about the world around me.

I believed that there was an invisible being who watched my every move and who was also simultaneously everywhere at once.  This being loved me and cared for me, but if I didn’t believe that he was real, then upon my death this being was going to send me to a horrible place where I would burn for the rest of eternity. 

I believed that I could telepathically communicate all of my wishes and regrets to this invisible being and he would then grant me my wishes so long as they were consistent with his overall plan for me. 

I believed that this invisible being could protect me and my loved ones from harm and/or illness.  Whenever someone close to me died a slow agonizing death, I used to believe that it was all for a special purpose.  This was something that I had no way of understanding but it was also something that I wasn’t supposed to question. 

I believed that if I gave this invisible being money each week then he would take even better care of me.  I used to get frustrated when life got rough, but I never questioned it.  I just assumed that it was all a part of some larger plan that this being had in place for me.

I also had a lot of other unusual beliefs involving such things as a talking snake, a worldwide flood, people rising from the dead, a person walking on water, and so on.  These beliefs were the result of selected stories inside a special book that this invisible being bestowed upon all of us humans.

As I look back, I can’t help but wonder how I allowed myself to believe such nonsense.  What could possibly have caused me to hold such unusual beliefs?  A rational person such as myself should know that these beliefs are unusual and impossible.

Well, fast forward to the present day…these delusions no longer persist.  I am glad to say that one day I came to my senses and realized these were simply that: delusions.  Since that realization came to light, I have not had any more delusional episodes.  I now see the world the way it is.  It functions the way it does due to natural laws and not because of some invisible being who, like a puppeteer, manipulates the world around us.

Thanks goodness for spontaneous recovery!

Questions for Christians...

1.  Why did Jesus “cast out demons” when in fact the people that he cast them out of were probably suffering from now known neurological disorders (such as Epilepsy, Tourette’s, or MPD)?

 

2.  How can the bible have any moral, spiritual, or historical value given the number of times it was edited, changed, modified, interpolated, and mistranslated?

 

3.  Why would god send a decent, non-believing man to hell?  Why would he send a despicable believer to heaven?  Is this really a god worthy of worship?  Is this really the work of a "just" god?

 

4.  God himself admits that he is the creator of evil (Isaiah 45:7).  Why would a perfect god do such a thing? 

 

5.  If evolution is untrue, why has it not been falsified yet?  How can so many different fields of science all arrive at the same conclusion (that evolution is real) using different means to arrive at those conclusions? 

 

6.  Christians like to try to “disprove” evolution (which, of course, has yet to be done) thinking that, in doing so, they will prove creation (or intelligent design).  I’d like to know what proof they have for their assertion that we did not evolve, but were in fact created. 

 

7.  If god is real, then why am I so much happier now that I am no longer a believer?  My morals have not changed and I have done nothing different other than to abandon my belief in god.  Don’t you think god would make me less happy instead of providing me with inner peace (an inner peace that I never had as a believer)?

 

8.  Why is the bible so vague and inconsistent?  Shouldn’t a book that was “inspired by god” be a little more specific, clear, consistent, and inspiring?

 

9.  Why do most, if not all, Christians worship their god but not follow his teachings?  Most have not read the bible and are not even aware of all the ridiculous laws they are supposed to be following.

 

10.  How is it possible that people of different faiths each claim to have personal experiences of their own god?  Does that mean that there are several gods?  Or that maybe it is nothing more than a psychological phenomenon?

 

11.  If god is real then why is there even any question as to whether or not he exists?  Shouldn’t his existence be obvious to everyone?  Despite what Christians say, there really is no legitimate reason why he would have to hide from us.

More Reasons for Not Believing…

1.  The Bible implies that the earth is only 6-10 thousand years old.  However, we know from many different scientific fields that it is much, much older than that.  Either the Bible is inaccurate or Christianity has a lot of explaining to do.  If Christianity is wrong about the age of the earth, then what else is it wrong about?

2.  Evolution can be falsified in a number of different ways…yet it never has been and never will be.  Why?  Because evolution is a fact.

3.  The Bible is filled with inconsistencies, scientific errors, historical errors, absurdities, and useless information.  There is even a whole field of study (called apologetics) devoted to explaining all of these errors and discrepancies.  Why would a “perfect book” inspired by a “perfect god” need apologetics to clarify all of these problems.  Shouldn’t a book as “perfect” as the Bible be clear, consistent, and accurate?

4.  There is no afterlife.  The soul does not exist.  Our memories, thoughts, ideas, and emotions are all the result of physiological processes.  Once the body dies and the brain no longer functions, there are no more of these processes taking place and we simply cease to exist.  We go to the same place after we die as we were before we were born.  There are no memories, no thoughts, and there is no pain.  There is nothing…and that’s okay.

5.  The whole story of creation, original sin, and salvation simply make no sense.  I mean seriously, think about it.  All three of these concepts are utterly ridiculous.  Can anybody really preach these concepts with a straight face and expect others to believe them? 

6.  Prayer doesn’t work.  It’s called “confirmation bias.”  People acknowledge prayers that “have been answered” by attributing it to god’s grace.  But when prayers are not answered, they are simply written off as “not part of God’s plan.”  In the bible it says that all prayers will be answered if asked in the lord’s name.  If that is the case, then why didn’t I ever get that puppy I prayed for as a child?  Prayers are only “answered” at the same rate as chance.

7.  The god of the bible is not worthy of worship.  He sends good, non-believing people to hell even if they had led good lives and he sends horrible people to heaven if they simply accept him as their savior.  Say what?  So god either sends people to the best place imaginable or to the worst place imaginable…hmmm.  That makes no sense.  Luckily, there is no heaven and there is no hell…they were each created by early church leaders to manipulate the masses. 

8.  Religion is just a crapshoot.  Roll the dice on a religion and hope you pick the correct or “only true” one.  If you are wrong…guess where you will go for eternity?  It is much more likely that NONE of the religions are true.  Science is where we should turn to for answers.

9.  Churches intentionally shield known scientific facts from its members and instead teach “facts” which have long been disproven by science.  They insist that the words of ancient desert wanderers are more accurate than those of our current day scientists.  Sadly, many church-goers buy into it.