2923: The Case for Christ w/ Kyle Thompson

[astrokahn]

Goddamn I can’t hear Chemda cry and not cry

[caseofthemondays]

GREAT episode, nice to hear Kyle back on the show, intelligent thoughtful young dude!

[ispeakthetruth]

All the members of Jonestown did not willingly drink the poison.

[SpareBen]

Feeling the need to depend spirituality again. Be an atheist if you want - I just think you owe it to yourself to interrogate the reasons for that choice.

To the guy who suggested someone made Jesus up - of what possible benefit is it to espouse counter-culture beliefs that are likely to get you and anyone else infected by them killed for the next 300 years? No one is going to die for Harry Potter.

Think about yourself - I know, a novel concept. The vastness made up of genetics and family and lessons instilled and lessons sought and habits and feelings. Each person contains that vastness - to dismiss an individual or group as dumb because of a fraction of that they think and believe does you a disservice.

I have yet to hear a convincing evolutionary argument for altruism, or for those transcendent moments you sometimes feel when you're exposed to music, comedy or literature.

I've read The Case for Christ and The God Delusion - both contain unconvincing arguments but I don't need to dismiss them completely because of that. It is also unfair to use a 2-hour adaptation to judge what would be a 10-hour audiobook.

There are references to Jesus outside of the Bible.

I am a selfish bastard, I suspect you are too. I can't conceive of a human originating concepts like John Petrie stole some of my stuff - it would be good to give him more of my stuff. Like, maybe one wife is better than several wives. Like, happy are the peacemakers. I don't know where it comes from, I just think it comes from somewhere beyond original human thought. There's a lot of unbelievable (& potentially harmful when absorbed by imperfect people) stuff in the Bible - there's also a lot with the potential to change you for the better.

It is scientifically proven that gratitude and service to others can improve your life. When Jesus was asked to boil everything down to one commandment, it was essentially to love others and love your creator (or being an AA alum, I would suggest anything higher than yourself, like nature - don't you feel awe when you see Apia's photos and want to direct it somewhere?). An authentic love for others would cause Kyle's stepdad to live his truth and not destroy multiple lives by dragging them into his lie. An authentic love for others would cause conservative Christians to question their support of Trump.

Repeating what I mentioned in a previous thread - Jesus didn't claim to be God & there are reasonable arguments against the concept of Hell being Biblical. Yes, Christians have created the straw man, but it's still a straw man.

Chemda, since you compared Jesus & Buddha, you might be interested in learning more about the Baha'i Faith which lists them both among manifestations of an unknowable God. The Baha'i were also promoting women's rights and racial unity in 19th Century Persia - unsurprisingly, thousands have been killed for these counter-culture beliefs.

I haven't reached any conclusions. I just know my life is better when I am open to the questions. I know I feel *something* when I read Rumi or The Sermon on the Mount, when I hear a Psalm or Krishna Das chanting divine names. Maybe those embers don't need to be quenched.

Peace and Love.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by SpareBen

I haven't reached any conclusions.

Let us know when you do.

[ThePinkSuperhero]

So nice to hear from Kyle again! Thanks for sharing your family story- so sorry to hear all you went through.

[DJ Trashy]

Originally Posted by SpareBen

There are references to Jesus outside of the Bible.

Forgery: Josephus et al

Originally Posted by SpareBen

Repeating what I mentioned in a previous thread - Jesus didn't claim to be God & there are reasonable arguments against the concept of Hell being Biblical. Yes, Christians have created the straw man, but it's still a straw man.

He claimed it: Did Jesus claim to be God?

Which kinda doesn't matter since he didn't exist...

[Archimedes_Screw]

Dead Christians doesn’t make Christianity true. People have died for stupid shit since there were people.

[Keith]

None of this will register.

SpareBen was just shown that Jesus DID say he was God. But I guarantee this will be ignored, and he’ll still use his argument to people who want to deny Christ, as if it somehow proves his existence anyway.

It’s like people that say Jesus never said anything PERSONALLY against homosexuality, then I show where Jesus said a man’s job is to find a woman to marry and leave his parents’ house. They ignore it like that’s not very important.

SpareBen thinks people should at least ruminate over his “facts,” and yet you know none of this is being taken in by him or you would have just changed his whole way of thinking in 5 minutes. And you didn’t.

It’s interesting you happened to be raised with this. What a COOINCIDENCE. But then realizing how ridiculous it is if the entire bible is true, it’s like you need to find a way to meet in the middle.

“Ok, I won’t believe in God in a cloud, but we all know at least Jesus was true...”

Don’t say you’re unsure, Ben. You’re VERY sure.

[Bucho]

Thanks for getting Kyle back in the studio Chemda!

Thanks for coming back in the studio Kydizzle! (p.s., Sorry to hear about all the shit that asshole put your family through - especially your mum and sister. As we say in Aoteroa, kia kaha brother)