"We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart." -H. L. Mencken

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I work hard so the government doesn't have to.

it's a god eat god world out there

~embrace reason~

I'm not denigrating anyone's beliefs here and you need to quit being so defensive.

The Osiris/ Mithras link to Christianity is one that shouldn't be ignored. As a pastor, I would think that you would have the background and expertise to address this concern. I opened the door for you and gave you the opportunity to do that and you decided to feign offense and play the 'I'm being denigrated' game. I never said that I believe that Christianity was only repackaged Osiris mythology, I only said people made this claim, and as a matter of fact I said that there were problems with this claim.

You made a statement and I challenged it. This is a discussion board, not your personal pulpit. If you or I make a statement on here, it should be challenged. I think that is a good thing and I don't know why you think it is a bad thing. If you don't like that setup, then don't waste your time, but don't chide me because you have thin skin and think your posts should be above challenge.

As far as quoting Paul's words in Eph 4:32 at me, try reading Paul's words in Galatians. Paul is a huge hypocrite on the whole 'kind, tenderhearted' thing as he's hurling insults at other Christians and hoping that they get castrated (Galatians 5:11-12 Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!) Yeah, good old kind, tenderhearted Paul. LOL.

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"I like her early stuff. You know, 'Lucky Star', 'Borderline' - but once she got into her 'Papa Don't Preach' phase, I don't know, I tuned out."

That some are convinced Judeo-Christianity is highly derivative of several of it's predecessors is well established. In fact, there are many, when considering the activities of Jesus from age 12 through 30, that put Him in India and Persia, studying the work of Gautama Buddha, as well as the Zoroastrians, and others. Some even say that the 40 days in the wilderness in which He is tempted by Satan is no more than an allusion to His practical realization that the message He carried could make Him exceptionally powerful, could potentially put the whole of the Hebrew world at His feet, and make Him rich. He obviously did not fall to that temptation, as many "leaders" in the modern church have done again and again. Look, the theological and intellectual connections are not hard to make, and in some cases the parallels are nearly perfect. This is a question and concept that any self-respecting, fearless Christian needs to be able to cope with, either as an internal question, or as challenged by others. Avoidance of theological challenge is borne of either one's lack of real conviction, ignorance, greed, or vanity. Man Up. Own your faith, or realize you never really had it.

There's a warning on the Wittenburg Door that seems appropriate to this conversation:

Getting real about your beliefs can be a frightening process for self-identified Christians, as it usually requires abandonment of personal mythologies and magical thinking. It may even lead to a deep understanding of what a person believes and why, and there is some likelihood of taking personal responsibility for one's actions and outcomes, as well as the very real possibility of having original thoughts. It is reported that God doesn't mind if people use the minds He has given them, in spite of deeply held convictions to the contrary. The warm comfort of dogmatic certainty and doctrinal self righteousness is a dangerous drug, no less damaging to the spirit than heroin is to the body. You may feel pretty good, but the damage is being done.

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"It is one thing to show a man that he is in error, and another to put him in possession of truth."

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This is going to get weird. I can tell.

the jedi are weak! LONG LIVE THE SITH!

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an interesting thread and the real question is what makes Jedi or Christian or Buddhism etc.....any more or less correct or helpful or ludicrious than any other faith as all adherents think they have the right one and think the others are hogwash

where does one draw the line do you respect Muslim beliefs or those of Scientology give a blanket respect to all just because it is " belief "
Hitler had beliefs did he or them deserve respect ?
just when does it cross that line ?
Do you not on this board say what one thinks or do dance on eggshells trying not to offend and only converse with those that agree?

The Jedi were more like spiritual warriors. Hence why the more applicable real world connection are the Buddhist monks. I think certain sects of Buddhism are atheistic in nature. But you can't deny they've figured something out that most people do not that allows them to tap into a force that turns their bodies into elements of superhuman feats. The Jedi called it The Force. The Buddhists have their chi. There may not be a Force, but scientific proof of chi has actually been documented.

Every society had their experts. I believe in the ancient times they were called oracles. But people talked to different entities back then.

Simple 2fuzy, one draws the line where one sees fit. Of course, as to judging the beliefs of others, it's easy to get self-righteous and forget that it's not man's job, it's God's. One respects what is respectable, not simply because it is a belief, but because it is worthy of respect. Eggshells, Schmeggshells...say what you think.

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"It is one thing to show a man that he is in error, and another to put him in possession of truth."

that was the point just because it is someones belief does not mean that it should on that basis be respected and it doesn't equate to respect for a person as you can still respect a person and think that a belief system etc..is nuts or only parts of that belief
love thy neighbor great
stone those for eating shrimp wacked