Yes, I believe the system we have here. The order that we have in the universe the complexity of man and the human mind, our bodies ability to heal itself was created by God. An intelligent being. Not by chance.
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Find yourself a copy of Fox's book of martyrs. It will show how every one of those in Jesus' inner circle died for their faith in that He is exactly who He said He is. The Apostles knew Him better than anyone. If they knew He wasn't the Messiah do you truly think they would die as they did?
<TABLE border=1 borderColorLight=#3366ff borderColorDark=#003399 width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff align=center><TBODY><TR><TD><CENTER>Apostle</CENTER><!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->
</TD><TD><!--mstheme--><!--mstheme--><CENTER>Where
died</CENTER><!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->
</TD><TD><!--mstheme--><!--mstheme--><CENTER>When died</CENTER><!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->
</TD><TD><!--mstheme--><!--mstheme--><CENTER>Manner of Death</CENTER><!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->
</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Peter (Simon Peter),
Bible writer<!--mstheme-->
</TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Rome, Italy
(Nero) <!--mstheme-->
</TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->54-68AD<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Homicide:
crucified head down,
at his own request<!--mstheme-->
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!--mstheme-->Andrew, son of a John & brother of Peter (Matthew 4:18)<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Edessa, Greece<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->?AD<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Homicide:
severely scourged & tied by ropes on x-shaped cross where he hung 2 days to expire<!--mstheme-->
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!--mstheme-->James,
son of Zebedee & Salome and elder bro. of John (not bro. of Jesus) the Bible writer<!--mstheme-->
</TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Jerusalem, Israel
(Herod)<!--mstheme-->
</TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme--><CENTER>44 AD
(the 1st martyred)</CENTER><!--mstheme-->
</TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Homicide:
beheaded with sword; Mark 10:39 & Acts 12:1-2<!--mstheme-->
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!--mstheme-->John,
son of Zebedee and bro. of James;
Bible writer<!--mstheme-->
</TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Ephesus, Turkey
or Turkish Isle
of Patmos<!--mstheme-->
</TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->98 AD<!--mstheme-->
</TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->thrown in boiling oil but unharmed; died of Natural causes in Ephesus<!--mstheme--></TD></TR><TR><TD><!--mstheme-->Philip of Bethsaida<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Hieropolis, Syria<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme--><!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Homicide:
crucified<!--mstheme-->
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!--mstheme-->Bartholomew (Nathaniel)<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->India or
Armenia<!--mstheme-->
</TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme--><!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Homicide:
beaten/flayed, and crucified
head down<!--mstheme-->
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!--mstheme-->Thomas (Didymus)<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Edessa, Greece<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme--><!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Homicide:
lanced by
idolatrous priests & burned up in an oven<!--mstheme-->
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!--mstheme-->Matthew (Levi), of Capernaum
the Bible writer<!--mstheme-->
</TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Nadabah, Ethiopia<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->about 60AD<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Homicide:
axed to death with a halberd<!--mstheme-->
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!--mstheme-->James (son of Alphaeus);
Bible writer
(? half bro. of Jesus?)<!--mstheme-->
</TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Jerusalem, Israel<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->AD66<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Homicide:
thrown down from the Temple tower & not dead so clubbed to death with a fullers club at age 94<!--mstheme-->
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!--mstheme-->Jude (Thaddaeus...Judas Lebbaeus) <!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Edessa, Greece<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->AD72<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Homicide:
crucified<!--mstheme-->
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!--mstheme-->Simon the Zealot
(the Canaanite)<!--mstheme-->
</TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Brittainnia, Europe<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme--><!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Homicide:
crucified<!--mstheme-->
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!--mstheme-->Judas Iscariot<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Jerusalem, Israel<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme--><!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Suicide:
by hanging Matt. 27:5<!--mstheme-->
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!--mstheme-->Matthias (the 11 remaining Apostles chose him to replace Judas)<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Jerusalem, Israel<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme--><!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Homicide:
stoned and beheaded<!--mstheme-->
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!--mstheme-->Paul (chosen by Jesus on the road to Damascus)<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Rome, Italy<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->66 AD<!--mstheme--></TD><TD align=middle><!--mstheme-->Homicide:
beheaded<!--mstheme-->
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
This is contemporaneous and part of Simom Greenleaf's evidence If you will just look it up.
Gssixgun, where is this in God's word?Quote:
BTW Christians are not supposed to argue religion with non-believers, I do not know about
These guys include the man that is known as the Father of modern forensic evidence. Simon Greenleaf was a Law Professor at Harvard who began his quest to disprove Jesus and the Gospels but after intense investigations came to believe the Bible and became a Christian himself.Quote:
Now these are just my opinions, but I have done a bit of reading, and honestly those books you guys keep linking to, are not "really" proof...
If his evidence would hold up in a court of law I think that should give it some merit.
Jones town and the branch dividians were mass suicides they were not individual people standing for their faith in the face of those who were hostile towards it over approximately a 50 year period. Those people followed their leader to death. Jesus never told any of His apostles to die with him in fact He told them to go and make disciples teaching them everything He had taught them. As for others who die for their faith (like suicide bombers) they believe in a "works" religion and they believe those works are their ticket to heaven. God's word says
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. Eph.2:8-9.
These groups were tragic losses they were not martyrs, I hear no voices rallying to follow in their steps and nowhere in the Bible do I find suicide considered a righteous act.
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I understand there is a significant difference in the message and fellowship between Jesus Christ and David Caresh.
What I am saying is that your argument, that people willing to die for the person they followed should be proof of their leaders message, is a pretty hollow argument. You could make that same statement for suicide bombers. Has their religion no seen persecution? are they not doing it out of faith?
We could just as easily say that regardless of why they died or who told them to do it (or even made them do it). The fact is that the members of branch dividian were willing to die for the person they followed. So based on the principals of your statement, their fellowship is just as valid as christianity.
Understand that I am not comparing christianity to a cult, I'm simply saying that your statement proves little. It is just a silly as the video posted by Philidelph about "The Delusion of Religion". Did you watch that video? The guy starts by saying he's going to disprove religion then follows by insulting and talking down to everyone that is not atheist. Using as his only arguments against religion (that I could find) was that religion is false because every rational person outside the bubble of that religion does not believe it and that the originating story of the religions sound similar to a fairytale. Where is the proof in those statements?
No Baron. Bless your heart. The distinct difference is that the Apostles were actually there and were the eyewitnesses, so they knew first hand what actually happened and if it was not so then they would have known it and the point is that they would not have willingly died for what they KNEW was a lie. Therefore it only stands to reason that it was true otherwise they would not have willingly died. And if you remember the followers of the David Koresh group of the Branch Davidians where not all necessarily there by their own choosing, nor were they witness to any great miracles like the Apostles were, they were just victims of an insane brain-washing madman, same with the Jonestown Jim Jones group. And like ENUF2 pointed out the Jonestown group was a mass suicide, and some of the Branch Davidian David Koresh group were suicide some murdered by Koresh and some by the government. :)
Seraphim, did you realize what you were starting when you created this thread? Lol
You may not like his book but when you place it along side Simon Greenleaf, CS Lewis, Lee Strobel, Grant R Jefferies, St. Augustine and many many more it has weight, point and direction. Not to mention the countless lives who by following Christ have moved from the underside of humanity into productive lives. Works religions are about what "I" can do for my god, Christians understand our "best is filthy rags" to God and there is nothing we could do on our own without Christ to merit His favor. He Finished the sacrifice for us because of His love for us.