How did Simon Peter discover Jesus was the Messiah?
By a revelation from God:
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. (Matthew 16:15-17)
His brother Andrew told him:
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). (John 1:40-41).
This new “test” is part of the ongoing Catholic gay hate campaign and is completely ludicrous. What is the precise “test” to prove a person is gay? See if they frequently use the word “fabulous” or love Broadway shows? Are they neat, thin and well dressed?
My assumption is this is an attempt to rid of the outbreak of pedophilia and child molestation by Catholic priests. This is the typical backwards logic of Catholicism. If a person is a child molester, they must also be gay . . . right?
I think the Catholic Church needs to change its name to “The Church of Anti-Gay and Anti-Abortion”. The continually repeated public message: “Gay people are bad and don’t have an abortion . . . and by the way, Jesus”.
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
Abraham obviously suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, and further proves the conclusion that the entire book of Genesis is nothing more than an evil fairytale. If I ever hear “god’s” voice in my head telling me to murder my son, I’m checking myself into a mental hospital.
Do you think there would be any difference in criminal sentencing between a man giving credit to god for a murder, verses a man giving credit to the devil? Unfortunately the answer would certainly be yes. Especially in the highly religious regions of the U.S.
A religious courtroom jury would certainly have sympathy for someone claiming God instructed them to murder. They would feel sorry for them. But a person who murders by instruction from the devil would not get the same sympathy. They would be viewed as dangerously evil.
My question is what difference does it make? Murder is murder, regardless of what imaginary person tells you to do it. How is hearing the voice of god any less crazy than hearing the voice of any other mythical character?
How does this argument prove the validity of Yahweh, Jesus or the Holy Spirit? Because matter cannot be destroyed, that proves your god is real? A Muslim would say the same thing. When phenomena cannot be explained, it does not prove a guy up in the clouds is behind it. I’d start by proving the validity of scripture before I attempted to use science to prove your version of god is real.
This is a story from the Detroit News, March 25, 1931.
A “negro” atheist in Alabama in 1931? Did he hate country music too?
Even if his wife hadn’t shot him, that was the equivalent of a death wish with all of the “Bubbas” wandering around Alabama during that time. At least religious scoffers like myself don’t have to worry too much about being killed or having testimony in court dismissed for our religious non-belief.
What a joyous day of Armageddon! Imagine the joy in witnessing Jesus coming down on the clouds with horses, chariots and trumpets blaring to announce the coming slaughter, cannibalism, and rape. When the sun darkens, the moon stops giving its light and the stars fall to the earth. (Matthew 24:29) And hail and fire mingled with blood are cast upon the earth, burning up trees and grass. (Rev.8:7) When the oceans become poisonous and congeal like the blood of a dead man, causing every form of marine life to perish and people to die from drinking it. (Rev 8:8-11) And much, much more!
“Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.” “Whoever is captured will be thrust through; all who are caught will fall by the sword. Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be looted and their wives ravished. Their bows will strike down the young men; they will have no mercy on infants nor will they look with compassion on children.” (Isaiah 13)
“O Lord, think about this! Should you treat your own people this way? Should mothers eat their own children, those they once bounced on their knees? Should priests and prophets be killed within the Lord’s Temple? See them lying in the streets young and old, boys and girls, killed by the swords of the enemy. You have killed them in your anger, slaughtering them without mercy. You have invited terrors from all around, as though you were calling them to a day of feasting. In the day of the Lord’s anger, no one has escaped or survived. (Lamentations 2)
“A day of the LORD is coming when your plunder will be divided among you. I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped.“ (Zechariah 14:1-2)
“The great day of the LORD is near—near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness.” (Zephaniah 1:14-15)
Why would a mentally sane person yearn to witness and experience these horrific prophesied events? Anyone who is alive would be forced to endure armageddon, but not those who are already dead. That seems fair. Any Christian that tells me they hope to witness Jesus’ return is either clinically insane, lying or doesn’t read the Bible.
And the Bible agrees with me:
“Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day will be darkness, not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light—pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?” (Amos 5:18-19)
Wouldn't it be more impressive for Jesus to return with a mass of white army tanks? Or better yet, white sports cars? White horses and chariots are so 2,000 years ago.
Joe does the comedy bit from the perspective of a retarded child which is a bit offensive. But he does ask a very good question. How can an intelligent human being believe the story of Noah and the great flood actually occurred? It was not written as an allegorical story. It was written as historical fact.
The last words Jesus spoke according to the highly accurate and unquestionable eyewitness testimony of his disciples.
According to Matthew, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”:
“About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? …when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. (Matthew 27:46,50)
According to Luke, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”:
Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46)
According to John, “It is finished”:
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30)
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