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Goodbye Jesus

Are Xtians Really This Delusional?


Neon Genesis

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So, last night at church in bible class, we were discussing the book of Esther, and the teacher was talking about how biblical scholars believe that Esther was not a historical fact but simply a story. And even though the teacher actually admitted that there was no evidence that the story in Esther actually happened, they blatantly stated they were going to ignore biblical scholar's claims that it was just a story and accept that Esther is a historical fact because obviously the bible must always be 100% true (expect, of course, if there's anything inconvenient for Christians in it, then it becomes a "metaphor"). I just don't understand these people. They clearly know there is no evidence that the book of Esther is true but they'll blindly accept it as a historical fact and ignore whatever the biblical scholars say, because obviously some random college kids who are either still in the process of getting their education or have just graduated know more about the history of the scriptures than professionals scholars who rigorously researched the scriptures do, and came to the conclusion that this is just a story with no basis in reality whatsoever. And you'd think that out of all the books in the bible, that Esther would be the easiest to admit is just a fictional story, since as far as I'm aware it isn't referenced elsewhere in the bible. God doesn't even appear anywhere in this book, so it's not like there's any new revelation that occurs in it that would conflict with any other biblical teachings if you accept this story as fictional. As far as I'm aware, accepting this story as fictional would not in anyway contradict the rest of the bible, so I don't get why these people have to delude themselves into thinking everything their church teacher says is true because everything in the bible must be "historical" even if there is no evidence and the people realize there isn't any evidence. Are these xtians just ignorant or do they really want to delude themselves with these fantasies that badly?

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Yup willful ignorance to keep a bit of that bliss an unquestioned faith might give. I've had professor's that are well aware of the process that formed the church, bible and core theology, they realize what a screwed up man-made mess it is and the real criteria for its formation. Still if asked point blank they say that they just have to take it on faith that God was in it despite all the flaws and that its all part of his plan, that everything in the Bible is there by divine design.

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Neon, very good observation.

 

The whole "The Bible is historical to 100%" idea is probably not even Biblical. I often bring up that Jewish theologians in the first century even argued that the Torah stories were allegorical. Philo from Alexandria is my favorite example. So how come, if the Jews themselves, didn't consider all in the OT to be literal or historical, then why does modern Christians? I think even some of the Church fathers in the first centuries also stated that some of the stories were not factual, but illustrative. The modern Christianity is by large a very delusional religion, with completely unsupported claims and even contradicting the beliefs over the people who started it! I'd say Christianity today shouldn't be called Christianity at all, because they have made their religion into something it wasn't before. At the best we maybe could call them Neo-Christians, or Post-modern Christians?

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Ignorance can be cured. Willful ignorance is a hopeless mental condition. I can't have any kind of dialog with those throwbacks.

 

- Chris

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Yes, xtians are that delusional.

 

They also believe in talking snakes and donkeys.

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I'd say Christianity today shouldn't be called Christianity at all, because they have made their religion into something it wasn't before. At the best we maybe could call them Neo-Christians, or Post-modern Christians?

 

That would only be the fundamentalist Christians, by far the largest number of whom live in the USA.

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Guest eejay

I'm afraid the answer to your question is a very simple 'yes'. I know it's none of my business, by how do actually sit there and take this stuff in? I mean, so you just kind of pretend you're okay with what they're trying to teach you?

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I'm afraid the answer to your question is a very simple 'yes'. I know it's none of my business, by how do actually sit there and take this stuff in? I mean, so you just kind of pretend you're okay with what they're trying to teach you?
Mostly that's what I do. Honestly, I don't know how I'd be able to keep from going insane without ex-c to use as a place to vent my thoughts.
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I've been in a theology program since 2004 and deconverted in Sept. 2006. Couldn't exactly just drop out of the program at that point so I stuck it out. At this point, I think all I've got left before I graduate is the oral exam and then I'm done. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. ExC has sure been a help for me. And the fact that my school is very open-minded has helped a LOT. I had been on these forums only a week or two when I deconverted and school started. So I had no idea how others handled things and it never occurred to me to ask. I was new and shy on here. I felt I had to tell the profs to avoid awkward situations in class. It's actually been more tricky with them than I expected.

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some of the stories were not factual, but illustrative.
On some level, all the stories are meant to be more illustrative than literal.

 

Of the four levels that Jewish mystics focus on, literal is at the bottom, and the least instructive.

 

Strange how some modern Christians have turned that upside down and made literal the most important quality....negating deeper spiritual meaning.

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I think there is a lot of willful ignorance. Most of these folks can read. They just don't want to look at the facts. After all their eternal destiny is at stake. Once you accept the delusional idea that hell is real, what would you not do to save yourself from it?

 

There are many delusional xtian teachings and an eternal hell/heaven is one of them. Nothing is eternal in nature, everything changes, yet in xtianity punishment in hell never ceases. Also the "reward" of heaven, walking on golden streets and being with Jesus doesn't seem to attractive to me. We can have no absolute knowledge that any after death state does or does not exist, but heaven/hell sure seems not likely considering what we know of in this life. It is a great mind control tactic, no doubt about that.

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