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Thread: Stupid Bible Questions

  1. #1
    http://www.flipshark.com flipshark's Avatar
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    Stupid Bible Questions

    As some of you know I am an atheist. However I have taken on the task of reading the entire bible (old and new testaments) just for the heck of it. Pretty big feat considering most christians have never actually read the bible.

    Now anyway, I have a load of stupid questions to ask, and I'm hoping to get a few answers, and thought maybe some people could help me out. I'll start with one or two questions (or groups of questions), then once they are answered I'll move on.

    I hope noone will get too steamed about the thread.

    Okay here goes:

    Question Group 1:

    Was Jesus evil?? Since most will answer no. Then I will ask why would he bring back evil hellbound souls from the dead?? If he did not bring back hellbound souls, but rather heaven bound souls. Isn't that cruel.. doesn't that make him evil??

    THINKING BEHIND IT (yes I actually have thought behind this )

    Okay basically Jesus brings back quite a few people from the dead, the sick women and the dying child, his friend lazarus, etc.

    Now let's say these people were good people. Let's say these people were going to heaven. Why bring them back?? I mean if heaven is such a great place, why would anyone want to leave??

    Let's put it this way. You go on fear factor, you eat 10 lbs of horse testicles. You win $50,000. Would you be pissed if the producers took away your prize only because it made the other contestants feel bad??

    Now, you start to die (equate to going on fear factor), you suffer the pain of dying (equate to horse testes), you get to go to heaven (ain't that better than $50,000), and then Jesus brings you back because your family was sad (like the losing contestants).

    From this I can only conclude...
    1) Either heaven is not a great place and Jesus knew this thus bringing the people back.
    2) Jesus was being cruel by taking heaven away from someone who deserved it.
    3) Or the people were not going to heaven and thus Jesus brought evil souls back from hell.

    What am I missing?? Explanations??

  2. #2
    Sun Devil asun2art's Avatar
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    in all seriousness, try posting this is one of those "Christian Forums" You might get some long explanatory responses as well as some much needed humor...



    here you will just start a flame war.

  3. #3
    Didn't do it. japangreg's Avatar
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    I think the thought process is that no one could actually go to heaven before Jesus arrived; before then, souls were lost in a type of purgatory. After the crusifiction, man was capable of purifying himself enough to enter heaven.

    But I'm an atheist myself, so I'll shut up now and hope a real religious person chimes in.
    Last edited by japangreg; 08-30-2004 at 01:04 PM.
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  4. #4
    supervillain gerbick's Avatar
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    without going too deep into theological theories and what not... those people were brought back, or saved to show the power of good. Not a self-serving manner, as you've stated.

    In some ways, people need to hear of a greater good in other to believe it. Some have to see it. Some others... have to experience it. Lazarus, the blind, the sick (leprosy), and what not... they weren't in hell, per se.

    But by curing, helping, and saving those people, they spread the word of a greater good that was able to heal, cure, and assist to a better place; ultimately that being a haven, or heaven, were people were free from those burdens he just cured or freed them of.

    Sorta think of it as incentive to live well and try to be good to each other because an ultimate good was waiting for them. sorta like a kid being ultra-nice to his sister only because he really wants that red lollipop. where in our adult lives, that red lollipop is shelter from all of the bad things in our lives.

    and that can only happen under this greater good.

    btw, I'm rather agnostic. I believe in a supreme being; however I've not made up my mind what's right. the christians, the muslims, the jews, the zorastrians, or the even the athiests. but I won't justify my beliefs at something as petty as FK, but I do believe in something higher than us.

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  5. #5
    hmmm...
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    To answer filpshark, I'll quote John 11:4 - "But when Jesus heard this [that Lazarus was dying], He said, "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it."

    Sometimes God allows things to happen so that His power can be revealed. In this case, Lazarus died so that Jesus could show His power to his relatives, His disciples (who came with Him), and other onlookers by bringing back Lazarus from the dead.

    Also in verse 11:45 it says, "Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary [Lazarus' sister] and saw what He [Jesus] had done, believed in Him."

    So something else was accomplished: more people believed in Him because of the miracle He had done.

    And, yeah, I'm a Christian.

    edit: by the way, I don't think it's a stupid question at all

  6. #6
    http://www.flipshark.com flipshark's Avatar
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    Answer #1: So basically Jesus was trying to build a hype about himself?

    Next dumb question:

    Genesis 1:3
    and god said "Let there be light; and there was light"

    If man wasn't yet created, IE: He was created on day 6. How did we hear what god said?

    Maybe off topic, but Genesis 2:7 "the lord formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life"

    Is that where the term "God bless you" comes from when people sneeze??

  7. #7
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    Is that where the term "God bless you" comes from when people sneeze??
    I think people say that because when you sneeze your heart actually stops for a second. That's what I was told anyway.

  8. #8
    hmmm...
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    Originally posted by flipshark
    Genesis 1:3
    and god said "Let there be light; and there was light"

    If man wasn't yet created, IE: He was created on day 6. How did we hear what god said?

    Maybe off topic, but Genesis 2:7 "the lord formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life"

    Is that where the term "God bless you" comes from when people sneeze??
    God told someone (most likely Moses) what to write about creation. Just like with other passges where no humans were peresent, such as when the Bible explains how Satan was cast out of heaven and became a "fallen angel", and others like that. God inspired someone to write what happened because He wanted us to know.

    As for "God bless you", I heard that it was used in the middle ages because people thought that demons were being released from your body when you sneezed. It doesn't come from the Bible, though.

  9. #9
    Banned indivision's Avatar
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    Originally posted by flipshark
    Answer #1: So basically Jesus was trying to build a hype about himself?

    Next dumb question:

    Genesis 1:3
    and god said "Let there be light; and there was light"

    If man wasn't yet created, IE: He was created on day 6. How did we hear what god said?

    Maybe off topic, but Genesis 2:7 "the lord formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life"

    Is that where the term "God bless you" comes from when people sneeze??
    Flipshark,

    With all due respect, it appears that you already have your mind made up what you think of the bible. The questions you are asking don't really strike me as the kind one would ask naively in an attempt to better understand the religion. Rather, you sound like someone who is critical of all religious faith and is looking for proof in the bible that it's followers are dumb. I remember you starting a similar thread to this where you started it off as if you were trying to understand more, but then it quickly turned into an opportunity to engage in criticism of those trying to explain. I'm sure there are plenty of people who will be happy to debate this stuff for the rest of eternity, but why make it out like you're trying to learn when you clearly believe that you already know?

    Am I wrong? Not trying to give you a hard time about it.

  10. #10
    http://www.flipshark.com flipshark's Avatar
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    Dumb Question #3

    Is there hell?

    The bible does refer to hell multiple times in many chapters. However it also keeps referencing the levels of heaven.

    Anyone ever hear of that christian TV show 7th heaven?? Basically the term comes from a supposed pre-bible (or a part of the bible that has been removed) belief that there was no hell just different heavens.

    IE: 7th heaven is where gods and angels live. While 6th heaven is for good people. And 1st and second heaven for not so good people.

    Dumb Question #4

    Does Genesis hints towards multiple gods??


    After Adam eats from the tree of knowledge. GEN 3:22: "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to take also from the tree of life to live forever."

    Kindof hints that "US" refers to the idea that more than one god exists. It also hints that if man has the knowledge of the gods and the other tree of life could give him the power of the gods. Couldn't there be more than one god?

    Also, where did this other tree come from?? Adam and Eve were only prevented from eating from one tree.

    Further god never said the tree was forbidden. He only said they would die if they ate from it. Does that mean god lied??

  11. #11
    zephyr Olly K's Avatar
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    Originally posted by flipshark
    Is that where the term "God bless you" comes from when people sneeze??
    I comes from the times of 'The Black Death'. Sneezing was one of the first symptoms so if you sneezed people would say 'God bless you' in the hope that God would prevent you from getting the plague and dying.
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    Sun Devil asun2art's Avatar
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    Originally posted by flipshark
    Is that where the term "God bless you" comes from when people sneeze??



    Urban Legend says:

    1. In the middle ages people believed that when you sneezed your soul left your body for a brief time. If the devil was in the area patrolling for souls he might capture it while it was unattached. As soon as someone said, "God bless you!" the soul would be returned safely to the body.

    2. The custom of saying "God bless you" after a sneeze was begun literally as a blessing. Pope Gregory the Great (540-604 AD) ascended to the Papacy just in time for the start of the plague (his successor succumbed to it). Gregory called for processions and unceasing prayer for God's help and intercession. Columns marched through the streets chanting, "Kyrie Eleison" (Greek for "Lord have mercy"). When someone sneezed, they were immediately blessed ("God bless you!") in the hope that they would not subsequently develop the plague.


    - Again, stories are created to explain the unknown....
    Last edited by asun2art; 08-30-2004 at 04:35 PM.

  13. #13
    more cowbell DigitalOne's Avatar
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    Originally posted by flipshark
    Answer #1: So basically Jesus was trying to build a hype about himself?

    Next dumb question:

    Genesis 1:3
    and god said "Let there be light; and there was light"

    If man wasn't yet created, IE: He was created on day 6. How did we hear what god said?

    Maybe off topic, but Genesis 2:7 "the lord formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life"

    Is that where the term "God bless you" comes from when people sneeze??
    I go to a Catholic school, and we're taught that the story of Genesis is sort of a "symbolic truth". IE; In our Catholic faith, the Bible should not be taken as a literal truth.

  14. #14
    supervillain gerbick's Avatar
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    Originally posted by asun2art
    again, stories are created to explain the unknown..
    that ain't new.
    Originally posted by flipshark
    Is there hell?

    The bible does refer to hell multiple times in many chapters. However it also keeps referencing the levels of heaven.

    Anyone ever hear of that christian TV show 7th heaven?? Basically the term comes from a supposed pre-bible (or a part of the bible that has been removed) belief that there was no hell just different heavens.
    ok, this is where you have to be careful not to include Dante's Inferno, what's understood to be concepts of heaven and hell, satan and god, and angels and humans.

    quickly stated, yes... there are levels of heaven, but it's all in the Apocrypha, or portions of the bible that were taken out. Those are full of weird facts... but for instance. Satan, much like the Hebrew understanding of Satan, wasn't massively evil... he was more like the person that presented your life's story to god.

    sorta like a trial lawyer.

    and there is no hell in the apocrypha. but there are demons, and bad will... so later on, there mention of hell and satan being a fallen angel, well, that was a bit contradictory.

    so... then you find out that there are seven levels of heaven's "society"... and each level has it's own purpose. angels, arch angels, humans, god... it's all set up; however the seven levels were a bit twisted by Dante's Inferno to represent the seven levels of purgatory. Well, that's sorta how it was setup... your travel was to finally be judged at the feet of god.

    but to be judged, you had to be presented... mind you, I'm mixing story, apocrypha, bible, and Dante's Inferno... as they all steal from each other.

    The bible as it stands version of Satan/Lucifer really exists mainly due to the Christians and Muslims breaking the way of the Hebrews... they didn't have a concept of hell.

    but the early Zorastrians did. They had angels, kherubs - also seen in babylonian scripture - later named "cherubs", or angels, and well, you know the rest. well, Zorastrians also had the concept of the levels of heaven, and an absolute equal - yin and yang - to the absolute good of god. and they had a hell.

    the christians took from the books, the gospels, and the apocrypha, and made the bible as you know it now. things like the dead sea scrolls go into parts of the personal lives of Moses, Abraham, and even Jesus. But they also talk about deeply things taken out of the bible, or eventually left unanswered, like the seven levels of heaven.

    damn, I'm rambling. forgive me... just had a preacher answer these questions for me less than a month ago. dude was thorough... and I've had these questions since I've been 8 years old.

    that whole "us" part in Genesis - it's said more than once, btw - now that is something that I'd like to hear. the whole "trinity" thing just doesn't cut it.
    Last edited by gerbick; 08-30-2004 at 04:44 PM.

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    Sun Devil asun2art's Avatar
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    " I look at God behind his desk, taking notes on a pad, but God's got this all wrong. We are not special. We are not crap or trash, either. We just are. We just are, and what happens just happens. And God says, "No, that's not right." Yeah. Well. Whatever. You can't teach God anything." - Fight Club

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    Fan of Doritos alty29's Avatar
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    only way to really get the answers is to read the bible..now go read it...now.

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    Da danga!!!

    LOL, this is an interesting post...I’ve got a question too. Jesus spends a couple hours on the cross, it was Friday (crucifixion could not take place on Saturday), and his death was speed up by the nailing. He goes straight to heaven, and Judas hangs himself, goes straight to hell. Who died for our sins?

  18. #18
    Fan of Doritos alty29's Avatar
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    Re: Da danga!!!

    Originally posted by Goral
    LOL, this is an interesting post...I’ve got a question too. Jesus spends a couple hours on the cross, it was Friday (crucifixion could not take place on Saturday), and his death was speed up by the nailing. He goes straight to heaven, and Judas hangs himself, goes straight to hell. Who died for our sins?
    without sacrifice, there is no forgiveness.

    jesus.

  19. #19
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    Re: Re: Da danga!!!

    Originally posted by alty29
    without sacrifice, there is no forgiveness.

    jesus.
    Thought suicide was a mortal sin? The prophecies said that Judas would betray Jesus, and things worked out, so isn’t Judas the REAL Jesus? Cuz damn, couple ours on the cross don’t sound like a sacrifice compared to eternity in hell.

  20. #20
    I'm the good one! XU1's Avatar
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    Re: Re: Re: Da danga!!!

    Originally posted by Goral
    Thought suicide was a mortal sin? The prophecies said that Judas would betray Jesus, and things worked out, so isn’t Judas the REAL Jesus? Cuz damn, couple ours on the cross don’t sound like a sacrifice compared to eternity in hell.
    Jesus didnt suicide, Judas did........Judas is dead....Jesus is alive.

    Jesus died as a "ransom" for mankind, to reconcile man back to God........wether he spent 5 minutes or 5 hours hanging made not difference.

    Hell, translated (Sheol) in Hebrew and (Hades) in Greek.....means "the common grave", it does not referr to a place of torment....so Judas went to his grave...he is not being roasted alive.

    Tony

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