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Stephen (Colbert) v. Stephen (Prothero) on Religious Truthiness
By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN It’s probably not the best venue for promoting religious literacy, but I managed to get a few words in edgewise during my brief border crossing into “Colbert Nation” last night. In our mini-battle of the Stephens, Colbert was his usual staccato self, but he allowed me to make a few points about my new book, God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World—and Why Their Differences Matter. Colbert came out swinging, insisting on the superiority of Christianity as the one true faith. I got in a few jabs of my own, however, including my argument that the atheists (who say all religions are one and bad) and the liberal multiculturalists (who say all religions are one and good) both have it wrong. The world's religions aren't different paths up the same mountain, I said. They are “going up different mountains with different techniques and different tools.” The best line of the night belonged, however, to the truthy Stephen. As I was struggling to say something coherent about how Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism try to solve very different problems, he delivered classic Colberesque non sequitur: “Adam and Eve were Jewish. Check under the fig leaf, my friend.” Oh, and Stephen Colbert (the man, not the character) was a gracious host backstage. He told me he used to teach Sunday school in his Catholic parish, and he made the day of my star-struck cousin by having a picture made with him. All in all, great fun. I hope it was just round one. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Stephen Prothero.
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  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Dan Gilgoff and Eric Marrapodi, with daily contributions from CNN's worldwide newsgathering team and frequent posts from religion scholar and author Stephen Prothero.  |
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Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of "God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World," is a regular CNN Belief Blog contributor.
To Only One;
John 3:16, John 14:16-17. Personally, I want to make it clear – I will never deny him.
Tena, my friend, you do realize that Christian doctrine was formed by committee, just as OBAMAcare was. The First Council of Nicaea (325 a.d.) was the initial 'committee'.
Is there any question in your mind that Christians have been argueing over the definition ever since? There is a book that was created as a complete unifiying source for the Truth though. This book was supposedly 'delivered' by the angel Gabriel, and Mohammed (PBUH) was the prophet it was delivered to. Within this book are many references to Jesus, but he was no God, he was simply another prophet trying to correct a wrong.
I was nurtured in the womb of Gabrielle, who is an angel in my mind. I have discovered that Truth is Reality, and in my mind, God is REASON.
Nirvana is Freedom without a God, Freedom is when you accept the Truth of a singular God, and when you Submit to God's Will, you will live in a state of Bliss. What i am telling you is this...
A mind at peace with itself, will quite naturally cause actions that are peaceful in this world. I am at peace with myself, and at peace with this world. How 'bout you?
Knowledge is good and necessary. The human mind is limited/finite. Whether you interpret it literally, figuratively or not at all: Adam and Eve were doing the same thing Atheists today are doing – seeking knowledge that is beyond human comprehension. There has been anger, hatred and intolerance expressed in this blog (as with any blog that concerns Christianity), by many people – if you don’t know how to love, look at 1 Corinthians 13 and “If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (Galatians 5:13). “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other”. (Galatians 5:22-23, 26).
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU OSSAMA. FINALLY THE TRUTH. God (The Creator) said. he created man, jinn and all that exsit to worship him...alone Jesus said I have not come to change the legislation. Meaning he had the same message as the Prophets before him... to worship God Alone with no partners. He also said do not worship me I am but a messenger. Check your bible. The statement "I am the way means follow my teaching..... To WORSHIP God Alone.. The Facts are all there in the Quran and the True Gospel of Jesus. It is so clear. People put there own feeling and logic into religion when there has always been one belief. To worship God alone. These people include extremist in Islam, Christianity, and Judisim . Jesus never stated the he was God or the Son of God. The Term Son was used to discribe many prophets in all of Gods Books. Adam and Eve were the first humans Created. We did not come from Monkeys. Adam had no Father or Mother. Jesus had no Father. The Creator can do anything. He said BE and Jesus was created. The Trinity was created by Paul and so were the false statement said against the Beloved Messiah Jesus.(PBUH) I find it so sad and scary that people claim to Love Jesus, yet you don't believe and follow his message in any way. Jesus was Jewish who followed the commandments of Ibraham, Moses and all the Prophets before him and the final Messenger and Prophet Mohommed who by the way was mentioned throughout the Bible by Jesus. Pork is not allowed in all religion by the command of the Creator, yet you will slap a piece of Ham in you face in a heartbeat....Jesus will be coming back and the truth will be known that he did not die you your sins but he will speak against you for not following his message. WORSHIP GOD ALONE WITH NO PARTNERS
Only one,
Why was Jesus put on trial by the Sanhedrin(Jewish Council) and condemned to death?
Because He equated Himself with God. So you have to choose, either Jesus is who He said He was or He was lying. You can't get away with saying he was a prophet or a good teacher, You have to choose, which was He, the Son of God as He claimed, or a liar.
All religion was (and is) written by man. All religion is considered sacred by those who believe. For those who believe in their sacred religion(s) all who doubt what they believe are sinners and will pay dearly for not conforming to whatever sacred belief(s) they have. The way I see it, religion is a place where people can comfort themselves from the unexplained or the unknowns of life – which is death. Truthfully speaking, casting religion aside, nobody wants to die and nobody likes it when a loved one dies. So people have created religion for comfort. I will always doubt religion until something concrete and real emerges. The bible and other religious literature were written by men, not God. And if all religions account of God or gods were true, then whatever this God or gods write would not need the hand of man.
After going to a variety of churches from different religions I have come to discover that religion is a tool. It can be used for good and bad, just like money, an axe, a kitchen knife, etc. The biggest problem are the church leaders that use religion as a tool to gain power by negatively judging out-groups, non-members, and most religions have no shortage of leaders using hatred and distrust of others as a means to gain power. Religion imbues a sense of community and purpose, so it will always attract people seeking a shortcut to understanding"the of purpose in life", but I think that the real purpose of life is either too simplistic to consider or too complicated to grasp, or even both at the same time, that everything is relative and paradoxical. The Human mind has trouble accepting multiple truths, but each of us has a unique perspective, one facet amongst billions, and each facet has its relevance and lack of relevance, so each of us is right and wrong. The foundation of our universe is very similar, with the very basic building blocks being there and not there simultaneously, or being in multiple locations at the same time, yet out of this chaos comes a very strong structure for existence. The more ideas we have about the meaning of existence, the closer we will probably come to really understanding and defining it, but it is impossible for any one religion to capture the truth. I also think it may be time for an updated religion that more closely follows what science has discovered and using spiritual thought and prayer to contemplate our best understanding of reality and how that might fit into our spiritual meaning. We can't throw away the obvious because it does not agree with unscientific minds from thousands of years ago, but that is exactly what many religions do these days, they are anti-educational, they discourage questioning faith or even using any amount of reason.
Check out your local Unitarian Church. You sound like you would appreciate them.
If God "made" Adam, why did his "son" have to be born to a human woman?
DEAR WONDERING
Great question. the answer is because Jesus was a man, one of the most highest Prophets and messengers. Adam was the first man created. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ismael, Issac, David, Solomon, Moses, Jesus, Mohommed and all the other messengers (PBUH them all) were sent for I guidance and example. They all taught the same message to Worship the one true God. The Creator of the Heavens and Earth, mankind and Jinns. Please read the Quran and Hadiths for your answers. I used to believe that God had a son and that he died for the sins of man....How selfish to believe that a pure innocent man would have to die for other peoples sins. and if Jesus is God or God in the form of man. Then why would God crucify himself??? God does not need us we need God.
I look at it all this way. I do not believe in god whatsoever. Other people do and thats fine for them. The only think I ask is that they not disparage me or try to convert me. I don't do that to them.
End of story.
Here is an idea. Prove the existance of God/Jesus, or better yet, prove that Christianity is the one religion
The one caveat: You can't use the bible
If I want to prove evolution, I can use geology, paleontology, carbon dating, molecular cell biology, astronomy.
If you want to believe in that which cannot be measured or quantified, that is your right. But prove YOUR religion is correct.
Again, don't use the bible, that is just circular reasoning. Surely the one religion has plenty of proof to be correct, right?
I question calling Stephen Prothero a "scholar" if he claims Judaism doesn't think sin is important. The Law and Prophets clearly says it's sin that separates mankind from God. The references of God dealing with man's rebellion of Him and sin are prolific, and Prothero's claim is clearly refuted by the entire system of sacrifices. I think he is trying to pick one aspect of separation, but he is forgetting why there is separation in the first place: sin. However, you have to do such things if you want to create your own theories, (i.e. redefine things for your own convenience.) Unfortunately, too many people think because a person has a degree, they just accept it and don't think critically about the validity of such claims. To follow that line of thinking, Christianity is also about getting back to God, since Jesus' disciples ask Jesus about the way to the Father. Jesus claims to be the way. He is the way by dealing with sin. I don't expect Prothero to believe Judaism or Christianity anymore than I expect anyone on this blog to accept it, but I expect him to have his facts straight if he is claiming scholarship.
You are just using someone's speculation as a reason, or excuse not to believe.
Just because the information is old does make it bad information.
That the information is old is not the problem. The problem is there is no evidence for the 'information'. Books are not evidence.
The organized religions have perverted their own teachings which were not meant to be taken literal. The original faiths that comprise them all addressed the same problems, and had similar points of view. Most people do not know that Christianity, Judaism, and Islam can be traced back to three cults that Abraham united into Judaism. The moon cult of Isis, the sun cult of Ra, and the Saturnian cult of El. These three names actually make up the name of what the Hebrews refer to as the promised land: Isis – Ra – El > Israel. These cults were not institutions of mass control like the major religions of today.
Neither side can prove anything definitively. Why can't people just agree to disagree? I'm still in high school and all I see is bickering in this world. People should just respect each others beliefs and live and let live. If people believe anything gets better with the elimination of religion take a look at today's society. We are more "progressive" and forward thinking with more atheists now than ever yet more people are depressed and committing suicide now than ever. Science has divided us in a deeper way than religion ever could. We haven't yet gone to a war over science yet though. Science is what is more comfortable to the individual. People have, through process of elimination, come to believe that there isn't a God. That is a respectable opinion. Others believe in God and that's respectable as well. So why shove it down each others throats? Religion has persecuted the non-believers for thousands of years and now it seems as if the non-believers are starting to be as antagonistic. The more we advance the more backwards we really are. Religion has become mellowed out by society in order to make it more appealing to the masses, but please realize I don't want your opinion. Things like religion and politics should be allowed for people to figure out for themselves. It's really rather pointless when everyone is trying to indoctrinate you everywhere you go. I respect both sides of the argument. What one must realize is people are not restrained by their conscience. They are restrained by rules and law. The fundamental rules came to be at the same time religion did – they go hand in hand. If not for religion people would still be raping and stealing because there would be no punishment for such actions. No I am not a Hobbsean, but I see what the world has become. I don't believe people will ever truly get along because there will always be isms and fundamental differences. We all come from one being. If you accept the creationist idea of Christianity you accept Eve was made from Adam's rib, literally from Adam. If you believe in evolution, it all started with one cell and evolved onward from there and divided. If we all come to see the world as one big family and cared about each other enough to close our mouths and open our hearts and minds enough to allow others to live the life they want to live with their opinions, then the world would be a much better place.
the so called religious clap trap of the major organized bodies have produced chaos violence and misery galore. Very few people in the main stream are able to accept this. Its curious when something is staring you right in the face, and you can't see it.
"Good people have always done good things, and bad people have done bad things. But for good
people to to bad things requires religion." --Steven Weinberg
I just love how the "certainty" of God, Jesus, Mohamed, Abraham, etc, etc brings with them such understanding and agreement to all their followers. God was so perfect he left irrefutable and straightforward instructions on how to live that all of His creations instinctively knew and understood them. There was no room for quibbling or argument from the perfect word.
The true laws of God, ARE universal and uncompromising. Laws governing Gravity, space-time, matter and energy are truly universal and apply to all creation. If only there was something to study and understand THOSE laws....oh wait...there is...
Agape is the only truth
Julie states that "A fool says there is no God". Mostly because there is no evidence one way or the other to make the word, "God" a meaningful utterance. So the "fool" might not be saying that God does not exist, only that the word has no relevance in the empirical world, because nothing meaningful can be ascribed to it.
On the other hand...
Believers accept the absurd with blind faith. Now , tell me again...who is the fool ?
It's been a real eye-opener reading these responses. We live in a country that mandates separation of church and state. As long as people don't create policy and legislation based on their religious beliefs, I don't care what they believe. But therein lies the problem. So many religious people want to force their biases onto everyone else. Why can't everyone just live and let live?
Most large organized religions are just a facade for a cash flow intensive business that thrives on peoples need to believe in something, follow it's leaders blindly and hypocritically; True religion is a very personal experience, comes from within and drives your morals and values and shapes your character.
The more of these comments I read the move convinced I become that mankind is on the verge of annihilating itself fighting over who has the biggest god.
elgeevz – There is only one God and He, Jesus Christ, is the Biggest, Most Powerful God there is, besides Him, there are no other.
There is no god, there never was a Jesus, and there never was such a pathetic cavalcade of stupidity as this self-inflicted mental illness festival. Humanity will march forward only when it drops this pathetic and childish worship of the all-powerful invisible magic sky fairy king tripe!