No harm done, fellas. Getting people to think is always welcome. As for the authenticity and the Bible being the most reliable ancient text, I wasn't exaggerating. I'll see if I can find some specifics. John MacArthur (a well known apologist) laid it out pretty straightforward but I'll see what I can find.
And imago, please don't think I don't understand anything but Christianity. I've explored the theologies of both rudimentary and well developed religions. Mostly out of curiousity, but some because I have/had friends and coworkers who were as devout in their beliefs as I am in mine. To speak with someone, you must understand how to do so. What are the differences between Christianity and Mormonism? What do Muslims say about Jesus, God, and Heaven? What do the various teachings of Buddha relate to? What do Hindus actually believe (and not what you can glean off the internet, but actually sitting down with some). I know about New Age, Wican, witchcraft, Druidism, and general paganism. True, I've never hung out in a sweat tent, so I would have to talk to someone about it first. I lumped them together because we are discussing Christianity.
The sects of Christianity you mentioned and the extreme oddities of certain Catholics do not jive with the teachings of Jesus. Gnostics have never been apart of the church. They were dealt with in their early form by Peter and another group by Paul.
I wasn't kidding about the part of not being able to work your way into God's good graces by good works, either. If that's what you think Catholics believe, then check again. There are definitely some things the Catholic church does that I disagree with, but they do believe in forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ.
And your point about protestants believing you can do anything after your salvation is fallacious as well. Whoever told you that didn't understand the scriptures either. It's true that once you belong to God, no one (even you) has the power to take that away, but it is not a "get out of jail free" card nor can it be used to justify acts that go directly against what God has already stated.
People that believe Jesus was just a prophet, a good man, or a wise teacher need to realize something very important: He said he was the Son of God, and that he came to die for our sins.
That makes him either a liar, a lunatic, or the actual Lord.
It's difficult to deal with. People don't like being told there's only one way, that they can't do it themselves, that they are inferior to a superior being, or even that there is a Hell. It's ugly and forces people to face things they would prefer to keep tucked safely in the dark recesses of their minds and forgotten.
And imago, please don't think I don't understand anything but Christianity. I've explored the theologies of both rudimentary and well developed religions. Mostly out of curiousity, but some because I have/had friends and coworkers who were as devout in their beliefs as I am in mine. To speak with someone, you must understand how to do so. What are the differences between Christianity and Mormonism? What do Muslims say about Jesus, God, and Heaven? What do the various teachings of Buddha relate to? What do Hindus actually believe (and not what you can glean off the internet, but actually sitting down with some). I know about New Age, Wican, witchcraft, Druidism, and general paganism. True, I've never hung out in a sweat tent, so I would have to talk to someone about it first. I lumped them together because we are discussing Christianity.
The sects of Christianity you mentioned and the extreme oddities of certain Catholics do not jive with the teachings of Jesus. Gnostics have never been apart of the church. They were dealt with in their early form by Peter and another group by Paul.
I wasn't kidding about the part of not being able to work your way into God's good graces by good works, either. If that's what you think Catholics believe, then check again. There are definitely some things the Catholic church does that I disagree with, but they do believe in forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ.
And your point about protestants believing you can do anything after your salvation is fallacious as well. Whoever told you that didn't understand the scriptures either. It's true that once you belong to God, no one (even you) has the power to take that away, but it is not a "get out of jail free" card nor can it be used to justify acts that go directly against what God has already stated.
People that believe Jesus was just a prophet, a good man, or a wise teacher need to realize something very important: He said he was the Son of God, and that he came to die for our sins.
That makes him either a liar, a lunatic, or the actual Lord.
It's difficult to deal with. People don't like being told there's only one way, that they can't do it themselves, that they are inferior to a superior being, or even that there is a Hell. It's ugly and forces people to face things they would prefer to keep tucked safely in the dark recesses of their minds and forgotten.
