Great Christian Deception.

Since the word "Christian" didn't even exist during Jesus' lifetime, the observation that He and the four books written about His life never used the word is wholly uninteresting.

> Stephen

Your understanding of chronology, and its relation to creation of words, is pathetic. I need not be a Christian to note that, nor even much of a follower of historic events to recognize your lack. Jesus said on multiple occasions that he was sent to his own, to the remnants of the House of Israel, or, to the 12 tribes of Israel [Jacob, son of Issac], i.e. the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph, Benjamin [Jacob's 12 sons]. It is true; after Solomon, the twelve tribes separated, north and south, with nine tribes [not ten, because the levitical tribe was not ever given a territory, but were assigned to work in the temple located in Jerusalem, where it remain to the time of Jesus] in the north, calling themselves by the name "Israel", and two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, in the south, calling themselves "Judah."  "Christian" was not a name known during the life of Christ, but his followers, as you have noted in Acts, were called such afterward. But each member of each tribe knew their lineage [Reuben, etc]. Family ties, then, were far more prevalent then than they are now. That Jesus, himself, was sent only to the House of Israel by no means indicated that the apostles and other disciples would be so restricted.  Jesus, himself, expanded the effort by telling them, as you noted, and conveniently oppose, in Mark 16, and Matthew 28, to go into all the world to preach. At that point, the gospel was to be taught to all nations, not just the House of Israel. You start with baby steps, and learn to do more, yeah? It's how you learned, isn't it? Talk to people you know, then become more familiar with talking to strangers. What's so hard to understand about that? That "Christian" was not an extant word as Jesus began his ministry is not such a unique event. Why try to make it so, and in the process, attempt to de-legitimize a group of people. We hang labels on people, yeah? Mostly by what they espouse. As you had no "Christians" before and even during Christ, called by that moniker, of course, they did not exist. Now, they do. So bloody what?

Minor quibble: Ephraim and Manasseh were often counted as two separate tribes, so there were ten Northern tribes.

Okay, I'll stop being a pedant. For now.

The concept that a God who created 70 thousand million million million - or seven followed by 22 zeros - stars visible from the Earth through telescopes, impregnated a virgin

to create his only son is laughable.  Listen to the real greatest Jew that ever lived:   “The word God is for me nothing but the expression of and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of venerable but still rather primitive legends, no interpretation, no matter how subtle, can (for me) change anything about this.”- Albert Einstein 1954

This is where the atheist implies that we should base our truth on his credulity. Does anyone ever fall for such sloppy thinking?

And our appealer to authority in chief, quotes Einstein again, is Einstein his high priest or just a man? 

...one of the most sublime revelations in the Bible. That this great King, this mighty creator of the universe loves me, and wants me to be with Him! The Bible already tackled this point....

Psa 8:3 - When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

It's laughable to you because you don't know your value in the eyes of God, because you don't know God. 

Yep you're right....The bible is laughable and shouldn't be taken too seriously....Just enjoy it for the book of Middle Eastern folklore that it is.

And if you want to sing and dance about it on a Sunday morning in that enormous church of yours...... Then, go and have a good time..

Still no nearer to explaining universal creation though. 

Those that are interested in these ambiguous and anomalous half  stories in the scriptures may want to take note that the New Testament records the word "Jew" or "Jews" 185 times.

Of the four gospels John is the most prolific in his use of the word clocking up 70 times in all;  whilst the other three only use the word 16 times between them,  12 of which are in reference to Jesus as "King of the Jews".  Yes JEWS!!! now there's a surprise.

The book of Acts refers almost 80 times to "the Jew"; whilst we can some 27 time in the Pauls letters,  in his Epistle to the Romans. That will Paul the self confessed murderer of Jews including women,Acts 22 and obviously forgiven and in paradise now  .  Interesting too  that Christians have it  that,   Paul was executed without a single piece of biblical evidence to support this claim. Interesting too the Paul is martyred simply because it is  "believed"  that he was beheaded. No one knows when , where or why?  And beheading of Christians  doesn't sound very Roman does it?  I could do a whole thread on Paul, he  of many faces and the reader wouldn't be surprised to find that there are many different versions about his conversation or "epiphany"; that's to say Pauls change from being what ever he was claiming to be  at the time to being a  Christian.

   That said,  if anyone should take credit for the birth of this new religion - Christianity- way after the death of the Jew Jesus, that credit should go to Paul , and certainly not Jesus the Jew who would have been appalled that a whole new religious movement had sprang up in his name. 

Anyway;

Elsewhere in the New Testament the word"Jew" is only mentioned twice and that is in the Book of Revelation. So the Christian should be elated that they are not included in the apocalyptic book of punishment and destruction intended for the Jewish audience.

Just don't tell St. Nick where he is, or things are apt to get violent.

Lol. Maybe you can sanction Christianity for not "explaining the universal creation" to you Benny. Lord knows that is Christianity's purpose. 

I've come to give gifts to kids,  and punch heretics,  and right now,  I'm all out of gifts

The telling thing about Christians denying the obvious is when we get to Jesus at the last supper and his instructions to his disciples to carry on and achieve the mission that he says he was sent  to do: " "I was sent ONLY to the lost sheep of Israel", he says. Matthew15:24 

 

At this point he had already "blessed them" with the holy spirit to go out into the world and do their miracles as he had done;

"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Matthew 10:8". (odd that with these new powerful gifts not a single one of them recognise that Satan "had entered Judas" while they were filling their faces, isn't it? Luke 22:3. The world would have been a different place altogether,..maybe? ) .

Anyway:

we are at the last supper and Jesus makes them this promise:

Luke22:15-30

"my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel".

29-30.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Well, what can one say. Again this is a categorical statement made by Jesus the JEW, in a private meeting to twelve of his JEW disciples about who they were to rule over.

Mathews gospel supports the supper comment by telling us :

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things,when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel".

Again we see , that it  is to Israel that this promise was made to.  Those that Jesus clearly tells us he had been sent to. Those that god called "My sons"  and told them "you are gods".

Psalm82:6

Can a single Christian claim to be a god?  Can a single christian claim to be a son of god?

Yes, that is true, but Ephraim and Manasseh were sons of Joseph, who was not designated as a tribe of his own. As a side note, the Book of Mormon is a volume of scripture that gives an account of the remnants of Manasseh after the Babylonian occupation in the 6th century BCE. One of the scientific "disproofs" of the Book of Mormon is that by trace of mitochondrial DNA, it has been demonstrated that indigenous peoples of the Americas do not exhibit Judaic blood, therefore, it is claimed, the account of claims of lineage to the House of Israel are false. However, Manasseh is not issue from Leah, the mother of Judah, but from Rachel, the mother of Joseph, the father of Manasseh. Different mother; different mitochondrial DNA. We must have an independent descendent of Rachel, but do not have one. Yet.

My thoughts exactly.

I don't recognize the Book of Mormon as Scripture.

Also, this is a tacit admission that there is no proof for the Book of Mormon's claims.

And who said God stopped talking to man with the Bible, retired and went fishing? Who are we to limit to whom and when God speaks? Argue for your limitations; they're yours.

You're reversing the burden of proof. I don't have to prove that the Book of Mormon isn't Scripture. The burden of proof is on the person who claims that it is.

This is little more than an ad hominem wrapped in a philosophical reference.

Oh, but there is; read Moroni 10: 4,5. Hint: it's a similar message, but more detailed, than James 1: 2 -6. I'll give you another hint: Don't know what's true? Ask God. You don't ask a plumber to solve the legal issue of your property line, do you? Maybe you do. Ask an expert. God qualifies.

A perfect argument of limitation. Well done.

I asked. He said no.

As a matter of fact, we are limited by logic. Not all limitations are invalid.

If we take personal responsibility for all we say and do, and act more angelic, why do we need limitations? If we use our free will to always choose wisely, we need no limitations, do we? That's the goal, and the journey is worth it.

Being personally responsible and wise is all well and good, but we are still limited by logic. No matter what we do, 2 + 2 will never be 5. Ad hominems will never become valid arguments. The burden of proof cannot be reversed, even if we pretend otherwise. We are limited by logic. Ignoring that will never end well.

I suggest you read my post #338 in Forum/philosophy/Antitheist AMA. Logic sometimes fails in practicality.

There are two reasons why you have a good time on "religious boards".

1. Mutual theistic back patting.

2. People like me and Stephen.

The atheist is the theists heretic and vice versa.

And you loose the argument when you cease to be kind to children and your only answer is punching.

Fortunately atheists always have gifts of wisdom to offer.

"I was sent ONLY to the lost sheep of Israel", he says. Matthew15:24   

Jesus may as well have said I have come to unite ONLY the lost son’s of god because this is what they -  "the lost sheep of Israel" -  were according to scripture.

Jesus could only have been referring to this :