[donb9006]

Originally Posted by DAWN MARIE

I see what your problem is. You are going to people outside of the religion who will answer what you wish to hear. You're saying yourself they are "more honest?" Based on what criteria?

If you're going to go to Africa and have never been there before, do you get your information from people who have never left their home town, or do you seek those who have traveled abroad and more importantly been to Africa?

You're getting bad information. Matthew wrote the book of Matthew. Mark wrote the book of Mark most likely with Peter's help. Luke wrote Luke and John wrote John...and most scholars DO believe that.

John also wrote 1,2,3 John and Revelation. The letters written by Paul were sent to churches and addressed to them as letters.

Have you even read this book? I mean, really read it?

The best person to go to for answers is the one whom you are avoiding. God said himself in His Book that those who truly seek me will find me. We did that. That's why we are so convinced that He is real and His book is much more than a book written with the hand of man.

You assume too much Dawn... I have listened to BOTH sides. I've read the Bible, Had courses in Jesus, Early and late Christianity, Gnostics, Books that were omitted during Canonizing. Roman history, I really have tried. I told you, my search was for what I was missing. And I concluded I'm not missing anything. Christianity is just one of many MAJOR religions, all different, all filled with believers that would give their life for it. There are too many DIFFERENT true believers. I'm convinced you're all wrong. That people are born to follow. We're more herd like than we'd like to admit. That and the teaching starts at a VERY early age with malleable brains. Religion breaks down to "you are where you grew up and lived". Religion is regional.

If there WERE any evidence, it would help, but you don't have any. Just believers writing about believers. You NEED outside eyes looking at you "proof" too.

That's just it...you have NOBODY writing who's been to Africa. Nobody writing the NT met Jesus. There is nothing by Jesus or anyone who personally met him...nothing. That's VERY troubling to me. Paul is to Christianity as Muhammed is to Islam. It's really the religion of one man.

From Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testament#Authors

Authorship is an area of longstanding and current research and debate, with different works posing different problems for identification. While the various works have traditional ascriptions of authorship, these ascriptions are in some cases defended by scholars, and in other cases disputed or rejected.[26] None of the Gospel authors is thought to be an eyewitness, and none claims to be. There is a broad consensus that many of the books of the New Testament were not written by the people whose names are attached to them.[27]

Originally Posted by Golfingnut

I have been searching for 33 years and nothing. Count yourself very fortunate. Even if your wrong you have gained a lifetime of peaceful living. I envy what you have archived. I am slipping more away from faith every day.

Make your own peace. It's what "finding God" is anyway. They ascribe it to God, I'd say it's becoming comfortable with oneself. They use God as a placebo to find the cure to their ills.

Originally Posted by rubicon

In earlier posts there was a go about concerning whether South Baptist require people to be re-baptized . The suggestion was denied as being inaccurate . To make a point let me share with you that when I lived in Memphis both of my children (catholic) were told by SB that they were going to hell and to be saved they had to be re-baptized.

I believe and understand that the people spouting these beliefs were probably mis-interpreting their church doctrine,,,,but that is the point

Far too many people of faith seem to pick and choose off the documentary menu.

Bottom line for me is that a God/Jesus of love could not create me to be me and then deny me paradise because my cerebral pursuit of the truth left me with more questions than answers. Why is it that Bill Graham the Pope, etc knows more about [t]he truth than others

That quite a problem...and you never hear anyone address it...relativism...gotta love it!

Exactly, a God who gives free will and then punishes when you actually use it? I don't think so...

Gotta run, wish I could go more deeply...