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 Roman persecution of Christians was depicted in paintings such as "The Christian Martyrs' Last Prayer" by Jean-Leon Gerome.
March 30th, 2013
10:00 PM ET
Christ was persecuted, but what about Christians?CNN examines the tumultuous early years of Christianity in a special narrated by Liam Neeson. Watch “After Jesus: The First Christians,” Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. By John Blake, CNN (CNN) - She walked into the Roman arena where the wild beasts awaited her. She trembled not from fear but from joy. Her name was Vibia Perpetua. She was just 22, a young mother singing hymns as the crowd jeered and a lion, leopard and wild cow encircled her. One of the beasts attacked, hurling her to the ground. She covered an exposed thigh with her bloody robe to preserve her modesty and groped in the dust for her hair pin so she could fix her disheveled hair. And when a Roman executioner approached Perpetua with a sword, her last words before collapsing were aimed at her Christian companions: “Stand fast in the faith, and love you all one another and do not let our sufferings be a stumbling block to you.” Millions of Christians worldwide will celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus on this Easter Sunday. But the story of how the church rose to prominence after Jesus’ death is being turned upside down. According to a belief passed down through the centuries, the church grew because of Roman persecution. The blood of Christian martyrs such as Perpetua became “the seed of the church,” said third-century church leader Tertullian. It’s the Hollywood version of Christianity reflected in epic biblical films such as “Ben-Hur” and “The Robe.” Vicious Romans relentlessly targeted early Christians, so the story goes, but the faith of people like Perpetua proved so inspiring that Christianity became the official religion of Rome, and eventually the largest religion in the world. But that script is getting a rewrite. The first Christians were never systematically persecuted by the Romans, and most martyrdom stories - with the exception of a handful such as Perpetua's - were exaggerated and invented, several scholars and historians say. It wasn’t just how the early Christians died that inspired so many people in the ancient world; it was how they lived. “You had much better odds of winning the lottery than you would have becoming a martyr,” says Joyce E. Salisbury, author of “The Blood of Martyrs: Unintended Consequences of Ancient Violence.” “The odds were pretty slim. More people read about martyrs than ever saw one.” Do Christians have a martyr complex today? The debate over exactly how many Christians were persecuted and martyred may seem irrelevant centuries later. A scholarly consensus has indeed emerged that Roman persecution of Christians was sporadic, and that at least some Christian martyrdom stories are theological tall tales. But a new book by Candida Moss, a New Testament professor at the University of Notre Dame, is bringing that message to the masses. Moss says ancient stories of church persecution have created a contemporary cult of bogus Christian martyrs. She says too many American Christians are acting like they’re members of a persecuted minority, being thrown to the lions by people who simply disagree with them.  Professor Candida Moss, author of "The Myth of Persecution," says most stories of Christian martyrs were fabricated. She cited former Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. Romney claimed last year that President Barack Obama was waging a “war against religion,” and Santorum said the gay community “had gone out on a jihad” against him. Other Christians invoke images of persecution when someone disagrees with them on controversial issues such as abortion or birth control, says Moss, whose "The Myth of Persecution" was recently released. The problem with invoking persecution is it implies your opponents are evil - and no common ground can be found with evil, Moss says. “When someone is persecuting you" she says, "there is no room for dialogue." Others say Moss’ claim is dangerous. People such as Perpetua did die because of their beliefs. The first Christians were tortured, reviled and held in contempt by Romans - and their example helped the church grow, they say. The Rev. Robert Morgan, author of "On This Day in Christian History: 365 Amazing and Inspiring Stories about Saints, Martyrs and Heroes, " says it’s true that some of the accounts of martyrdom were “undoubtedly embellished” and that many of the persecution stories were “handed down in an atmosphere of confusion and pressure.” Still, being a Christian in the first century was a risky move - persecution was significant. Jesus and most of his apostles were executed, he says. “To deny the history of the movement is a way of attacking the movement,” Morgan says. Some opposition to contemporary Christians is indeed evil, Morgan says. Christians are being killed today in places such as Nigeria and North Africa. “Christians do not have a victim’s mentality,” Morgan says. “They take their stands, they know what they believe and they do good in this world. They are the ones who have established orphanages, hospitals and charitable institutions. For some reason, there’s this animosity against them.” Hatred of Christians is woven into much of the New Testament. Jesus constantly warned his followers to expect persecution. The Apostle Paul wrote many of his epistles from jail. And the death of the first Christian martyr, Stephen, is dramatically recorded in the New Testament book the Acts of the Apostles. The Easter message itself is a story of martyrdom - Jesus, unjustly executed by the Romans. The idea that Christians are at war with demonic forces in the world is reflected throughout the New Testament, says Bryan Litfin, a theology professor at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. “If Jesus was just a soft moral teacher who taught us to love one another and petted little babies, the Romans wouldn’t have crucified him,” Litfin says. “Jesus is a polarizing figure, then and today. The early Christians weren’t foisting a narrative out of the blue about being martyrs. ” 'Like the action heroes of the ancient world' If the first Christians pictured themselves as waging war against the world, the martyrs were their version of the Navy SEALs. They were the elite Christians who inspired and united others of their faith. There was a purpose behind spreading stories of persecution: Nothing brings a new group closer together than a common enemy, Moss says. “The idea that you are persecuted forges a concrete identity,” Moss says. “It really solidifies your sense of group identity.” The stories of Christian persecution were so popular that they spawned a market during the first centuries after the crucifixion. The places where martyrs were born and died became early tourist stops. Towns competed with one another to draw rich pilgrims seeking martyr memorabilia, Moss says. “People would go and buy the equivalent of a T-shirt,” Moss says. “You’d have all these little combs with saints on them that people would buy, and lamps with saints on them. People would also buy fruit from trees that grew in the vicinity of martyrs’ graves. Of course, the prices were completely jacked up.” Church leaders began to embellish and invent stories of martyrdom to inspire the faithful but also to settle theological feuds, Moss says. If, say, a bishop wanted to denounce a rivals’ theology, he spun a story in which a martyr denounced the same doctrine with his last breath, Moss says. “Martyrs were like the action heroes of the ancient world,” Moss says. “It was like getting your favorite athlete endorsing your favorite brand of soda.” But how often did Romans force Christians to endure torture or die for their faith? Christianity took roughly 300 years to conquer Rome. The emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in 312 and gave Christians religious freedom. Christianity became the official religion of Rome by the end of the fourth century, scholars say. For the first 300 years of the church, Christians were often ridiculed and viewed with contempt. But Roman leaders spent about "less than 10 years" out of the first 300 actually persecuting Christians, Moss says. There are only six reliable cases of Christian martyrdom before A.D. 250 out of “hundreds of stories,” including Perpetua’s, she says. Many scholars have greeted Moss’ contention that Roman persecution of Christians was exaggerated with a shrug. They say it was common knowledge in the academic world. “There weren’t that many Christians who were persecuted,” says Gail O’Day, dean of the Wake Forest University School of Divinity in North Carolina. “When you actually read the Roman historical records, the Christians just weren’t that important to them. Most Christians just got along with empire.” When Roman persecution did occur, though, it was vicious. The Emperor Nero covered fully conscious Christians with wax and used them as human torches. Other Christians were skinned alive and covered with salt, while others were slowly roasted above a pit until they died. Perpetua’s passion One of the most famous martyrs was Perpetua. She lived in Carthage in North Africa (modern-day Tunisia) and was arrested in March 203 with four others as they prepared for baptism. The Roman Emperor Septimius Severus had decreed that any new conversion to Christianity would result in death. History remembers Perpetua because she kept a diary during her imprisonment. It’s called "The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity" (Felicity was a slave girl arrested with Perpetua). It’s the oldest-surviving document from a Christian woman. The emotion in the diary is almost unbearable. Perpetua describes the pain of leaving her infant son, who she was still nursing. She describes a prison visit from her weeping father, who kissed her hands while trying to get her to renounce her faith.  Perpetua's father visited her in prison, begging her to think of him and renounce her faith. A narrator picks up the story in the diary after Perpetua was sent to her death. He says in the diary that Perpetua’s faith was so inspiring it caused the prison’s warden, a man called Pudens, to convert. The narrator also describes Perpetua's death. While she was imprisoned, Perpetua says God gave her visions to reassure her. After one, she wrote: “I understood that I should fight, not with beasts but against the devil. But I knew that mine was the victory.” You can’t discount the power of such stories, even if persecution “wasn’t extremely common,” says Litfin, the Moody Bible Institute professor. Persecution was central to the rise of the early church, he says. “How many people in your church would have to be pulled out and executed and tormented for it not to have a tremendous effect for many years on your memory and self-perception,” Litfin says. “The early Christians are not foisting a narrative out of the blue about being matyrs.” The early Christians' secret weapon Other scholars say it wasn't simply persecution that helped the church grow. Instead, they say, Christians had a secret weapon. The martyrs may have gotten all the press, but it was ordinary Christians who got it done by the way they treated friends and strangers. Life in ancient Rome was brutal and nasty, says Rodney Stark, author of "The Triumph of Christianity." Stark’s well-regarded book gives one of the most detailed descriptions of the early church and ancient Rome. Forget those antiseptic portraits of Roman cities you see in biblical moves such as “The Robe.” Roman cities were overcrowded, raw sewage ran in the streets, people locked their doors at night for fear of being robbed and plagues were rampant. Soap had not yet been invented, Stark says. “The stink of the cities in the summertime must have been astounding,” Stark says. “You would have smelled a city miles before you got to it.” Christians stood out because they created a “miniature welfare state" to help the less fortunate, Stark says. They took in infant girls routinely left for dead by their parents. They risked their lives to tend the sick when plagues hit and others fled in terror. They gave positions of leadership to women when many women had no rights, and girls as young as 12 were often married off to middle-aged men, he says. Ordinary Romans might have thought Christians were odd but liked having them for neighbors, Stark says. “If people had really been against them, I don’t think they would have grown like they did,” Stark says. Christianity became so popular that when Rome did unleash one of its sporadic waves of persecutions, the empire couldn’t stop the church’s momentum, Stark says. “If you knocked off a bishop, there were 20 guys waiting to be bishop,” Stark says Christian belonging, not blood, is what drew many people, another scholar says. The Easter story of a risen savior wasn’t distinctive in Rome’s competitive religious marketplace. Dying for one’s beliefs wasn’t considered heroic; it was expected in the Roman world, says Selina O' Grady, author of "And Man Created God: A History of the World at the Time of Jesus." The early church, though, was radically inclusive. First-century Rome was undergoing globalization. The peace of Rome had made travel easier. People left homes and tribal ties for Rome. The empire was filled with rootless and excluded people: immigrants, traders, slaves. The Christian message offered guidelines for living in this strange new world, she says. “Its universal message, its proclamation of equality, unconditional love, offered everyone in the Roman Empire a new family, a new community, and a way to live,” O’Grady says. Roman rulers eventually found reasons to support the church, she says. The Christian message of obeying earthly masters - “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's" - reduced the potential for social unrest, O’Grady says. “Christianity told the poor and lowly that their status was noble and that there would be recompense in the afterlife,” O’Grady says. “It was a wonderful recipe for creating good, obedient Roman subjects.” A turning point for the early church was the conversion of Constantine. Scholars still debate Constantine’s motive. By that time the empire was rife with division, and Christians had become a major political bloc with members in the highest reaches of Roman society, says Stark, the sociologist. “Constantine was interested so much in church affairs for the rest of his life, but I don’t think there’s a reason to not think he was a sincere Christian,” Stark says. “But he was also an egomaniac and an emperor.” The growth of Christianity was too complex to be attributed to any one factor - whether it be Constantine, persecution or Christianity's message of compassion and inclusion, Stark says. “I don’t think there was a primary reason,” he says. “It was a collection of things. It was all part of a package.” Wrapped in that package, though, were the persecution stories of people such as Perpetua. Today, churches have been named after Perpetua; films and graphic novels have been made about her life. She is considered a saint. Her words still inspire. People still read her diary. There’s probably a Christian somewhere in the world now facing danger who is taking courage from Perpetua’s ordeal. One passage in Perpetua’s diary is particularly luminous. Perpetua stopped keeping her diary just before she was sent into the arena. No one knows for sure what she felt when she faced her moment of death, but she did write what she expected to see afterward. She wrote that God gave her a reassuring vision while in prison. In the vision, she saw a great bronze ladder ascending to heaven. At the foot of the ladder was a great serpent surrounded by swords and knives. Perpetua said she ignored the serpent and climbed the ladder. When she arrived at the top, she saw a great garden and a white-haired man in shepherd’s clothing milking a sheep. He was flanked by thousands of others Christians dressed in white. “And he raised his head and beheld me and said to me: Welcome child.” The man gave Perpetua curds from the milk of the sheep, and she said it tasted sweet. She then wrote: “And I took it with joined hands and ate it up: and all that stood around said, Amen.” Centuries later, millions of people who look to Perpetua are still saying amen. soundoff (6,965 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 Next »
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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 Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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some wiseguys got together and made up the whole thing. it is so obvious. there isn't a word of truth to any of their silliness. motive? who cares? it makes no difference. these clowns wrote the thing trying to pull a fast one and that is all we need to know. if you have 1/10 of a working brain, you realize there is nothing to it. skydaddy is for morons, unaccomplished weaklings and incompetent know-nothings like jimmy carter.
wait. why would people make up a story like that?
You got any evidence for this claim? Or are you no different from those that claim God is real but offers no evidence?
So far it seems all you have to offer up is ad hominems.
i just told you, it doesn't matter. they wrote it, others added more nonsense and you end up with skydaddy killing millions of people he loved, just for the h ell of it.
but, why? historians tell us they were murdered for spreading their ideas around. why would they do that?
I hope the next time someone tells you that God exists and offers up and answer like, "i just told you..he exists, it doesn't matter how I know. it's true, others added more to the story that proves it." That you just accept it but I doubt you will.
1. historians back then were paid off to make up stuff. 2. it doesn't matter. it is all a c rock. don't you get it? it was all hype written for some laughs. but, then some jerks got a hold of it and changed it. they thought people would buy their buybull. it is like the tooth fairy for pete's sake. it isn't worth your time.
why do you spend so much time renouncing it, then?
glad you asked.
911, that's why. our fundamentalist wackos who believe this junk threaten the religious people of the Mideast. they hit the towers because our retarded fundies pushed them too far.
so, i am trying to open the eyes of people who can think to point out the dangers of the fundy's religion so they will drop it and thus prevent more attacks. plus, they hate gays and promote slavery, bigotry, racism, greed, you name it. they are evil and i intend on wiping them out. enough is enough.
i see. so, you plan to make all those retarded types disappear, so no one will be left to accept that nonsense? is that your goal?
now you got it.
i have been preaching about it since 1982. i have written 9 best selling books to warn people. and i have a huge following.
you are kidding? 9 best sellers? holy cow!
@adolf-"1. historians back then were paid off to make up stuff. 2. it doesn't matter. it is all a c rock. don't you get it? it was all hype written for some laughs. but, then some jerks got a hold of it and changed it. they thought people would buy their buybull. it is like the tooth fairy for pete's sake. it isn't worth your time."
Soooo...a whole lot of more no evidence from you eh?
9 Best sellers...dang...you're funny on April Fools day.
yes sir, 9.
each one was on the best sellers list under the category "atheists who believe jesus was really buddha, skydaddy s ucks, and why you should hate god and chritians." pretty awesome, wouldn't you agree?
wow. awesome baby. congrats, man. can i get your autograph?
i have to go to my neo-nazi training class. i'll be back in a jiff, okay? can't wait to read your books
"each one was on the best sellers list under the category "atheists who believe jesus was really buddha, skydaddy s ucks, and why you should hate god and chritians." pretty awesome, wouldn't you agree?"
Shoot, my 9 best sellers proved your nine to all be a lot of bs. You need to get on the ball and write another 9 to match your delusional state.
adolf, you do know what Curly Howard said? "Tried to think, but nothing worked". Woooo, wooo.
Josephus, for example, spent his career under the patronage of Vespasian and his successors. That's maybe why he wrote that Vespasian, not Jesus, was the Messiah.
Classic. A whiner quoting another whiner.
HeavenSent, Curly Howard also said, "If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed."
Quoting Curly isn't wise to make your point.
Akira, the stooges got it.
well, adolf, i had my training and i agree, hitler was awesome. i bought all his tapes. how to murder w/o really trying. extermination, the easy way to prosper, killing for dummies.
now, i'd like your autograph and all your books, too. can i start with, "jesus lived next door and he wasn't no god, that's for sure" ? can you send it special delivery airmail c.o.d.? how much? thank you,
a
sure honey.
that book was my first and it sold out all 2 copies. one to my ex and one to my ex. it will take two weeks to find one. it goes for $14.95, but for you, today only, $.07 plus $12 for shipping and $16 for handling.
i added an epilogue. (jesus may have looked Italian, but he was Chinese).
Ah! Gotcha, HS.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgAoBaFT7EU&w=640&h=360]
What's a "Roman of Middle East"?
the hindu, ignorant one who lost his way to back to Rome.
no, they mean muslim barbarians from dark age, killing, preying on weak women
Bird is the word.
So is brute, meaning a hindu donkey, stupid secular in his hindu stupid, hinduism, secular ism,
A&A's are very close to bein' Qweirs.
I think you protest your sexuality a little bit too much, lol??/Give it up.
Persecutinggays on a thread about persecuted Christians is indeed irony.
Suck it, 'lol??'.
How did lolly get this way, Akira? Abuse? Drug addiction?
Unfortunately, I learned the hard way instead of listening to God with His story of Solomon. Hundreds of wives will mess you up!
I don't know, Tom. Sucking on too many lemons, perhaps.
Did the twit used to post under some other name? Was it just as stupid?
And he received [them] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
Exodus 32:4
Amen.
still talking like a little mouthy gash, are ya?
Snore. Wake up and say something. Times up. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
I just really hope the author isn't still hanging around the comments. Pretty sure he was traumatized after about 5 minutes...
No kidding. Reading the comments of internet christians would probably make him question his faith.
Have the atheists turned into Qweirs yet? boooooooooobies
lol??, there are MANY more "Qweir" Christians than there are "Qweir" atheists.
hindu secular, filth self centered . inherit it by birth just like their hindu stupid god monkey. The secular.
The Killer says watch out. I luv U, XX.
Change your name yet again, lol??
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2VPRNboAgE&w=640&h=360]
Sic enim Deus dilexit mundum,
ut Filium suum unigenitum daret ut omnis qui credit in eum non pereat sed habeat vitam aeternam
John 3:16
Car Dieu a tant aimé le monde qu'il a donné son Fils unique, afin que quiconque croit en lui ne périsse point, mais qu'il ait la vie éternelle.
Jean 3:16
כי ככה אהב האלוהים את העולם שהוא נתן את בנו יחידו, שכל המאמין בו לא יאבדו, אבל יש חיי
ג'ון 3:16
Dio infatti ha tanto amato il mondo da dare il suo Figlio unigenito, perché chiunque crede in lui non perisca, ma abbia vita eterna
Giovanni3:16
Որովհետեւ Աստուած այնպէս սիրեց աշխարհը, որ նա տվեց իր միակ Որդուն, որ ով հավատում է նրան, պետք է ոչ թե մեռնել, բայց ունենալ հավիտենական կյանք
John 3:16
"God so loved the world..."
That he created hell just in case you don't love him back
IF god is perfect how come he gave Jaci such an ugggggggly jutting chin?
I'm going to have some PITA chips and hummus while I ponder how CARNAL this world is.
Pain In the Ass chips are perfect for you.
carnalicious.
Maybe you should also have some carnitas with the PITA.
Same scripture applies here.
And he received [them] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
Exodus 32:4
Amen.
I trained my parrot to say What The F..K
No vowels? That's impressive.
You have to honor the most credible scholars, like dodo. See, Buddha lived before Christ and the two shared the same beliefs, ergo, Jesus, the real McCoy Jesus, not the one made up by the w hores who penned the N.T., was a disciple of the Buddha.
Not one word of his will fail. Atheists, please, don't believe. No one wants you. No one cares. Burn. You will be much better off b itching in h ell, okay. We got it. Have fun. Knock your socks off. Later. Beat it.
Your idea falls apart once you consider that god does not exist.
petty, vindicive pr1cks find comfort in a petty, vindictive pr1ck god. the skidmar posting as "biggles" is yet another example of this
you are right fellas. there is no god. all a hoax. not a speck a truth to the whole darn thing. nothin to believe in. you fellas knew all along. congratulations. wished i'd listened. oh well. at least i am free now. hallelujah.
so, whatever you do, don't ever go believin that stuff, even for a second. i know i don't have to tell you that, but you know me, just hate to see you fall for something that ain't true.
good luck now
i'm free i'm free
bird bird bird
women's got boooobies
It is not the wrath of man that should concern the Christian. "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to destroy the soul. But, fear Him, who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell". ....Jesus Mathew 10:28 We escape God's judgment or wrath by faith in Christ. If you have not done so, receive Him as your Lord and Savior and you will have peace with God, and pass from death to life. God bless.
Receive him where?
It is not the christian but the god-hating heathen who should fear him, unless you are like dodo and believe Hitler was a Christian, even though Christ never existed.
The problems in this thread are:
– god doesn't exist
– the bible is a fraud
– Christians are literally heathens even though they seem to think it is some magical word with which to zap atheists
Tommie Tom, aka the phony heavensent. I noticed TV shows don't quote you.
Do you know how crazy you are?
The real Tom, do you realize that you lack imagination? Now do what you do best and polish those apples.
mark: your scripture only concerns those who accept its authority
Classic. Fools refusing to learn wisdom.
Heavn sent. Receive Him as Lord and Savior by faith.
Sam, those who sit in jail, even though they do not recognize the authority of those who put them there, remain in jail. In the same way, there are many in hell today who did not recognize God's authority to put them there.. We cannot change reality.
@Mark
You can't demonstrate that what you say is true either. You can continue to spew out your immoral doctrine until you die, that doesn't make it true, and that doesn't make you any more pious even though you really want to feel better than everyone else because of it.
You arrogant, sociopathic doctrines do not fit with the god you propose exists, and your reveling in the very thought of people being tortured forever because they don't agree with your immoral views says more about you than anything else.
Mark: And you feel you posess this "reality"?
Even if it were real, which I do not believe for a moment, it is illogical to expect that people could fear retaliation from a being in which they do not believe. This is true even if they did want to fear such a being.
But, by all means, continue to bloviate those empty proxy threats.
Sam, step back for a moment and re-read your post in response to Mark. You sound quite delusional.
I don't think it sounds any more delusional than your posts do.
What sounds truly delusional is the claim that there are people in hell because they didn't believe in god. Where's your evidence of any such thing? Has anyone ever come back from heaven or hell to tell about it? I don't believe either exists at all. You die and you're dead. Just like Austin's cat.
Tom, its called the resurrection. Jesus who is risen, warned more often of hell then he spoke of heaven. He appeared alive after the resurrection to over 500 witnesses at one time. I Corinthians 15. But I wouldn't want to confuse you with the facts. As you say so eloquently "you die and you're dead". You are betting your eternal destiny on that and that hell does not exist. You are quite the gambler my friend. Good luck with that.
enjoy, revel and be merry. No, we won't be putting up sign boards mocking your belief. We know you simpletons!!!
Atheists-You know it is a lie, why live a lie?
Get wisdom! Read the scriptures!
Before you even *think* of palming off that lame April Fool's Day schtick on us...
Looking back only as far as the 1700s:
– Easter Sunday has fallen on April 1st in the following years: 1714, 1725, 1736, 1804, 1866, 1877, 1888, 1923, 1934, 1945 and 1956. Easter Sunday is due to fall on this date again in the year 2018.
– Palm Sunday has been on April 1 in 1793, 1708, 1787, 1792, 1798, 1849, 1855, 1860, 1917, 1928, 2007, 2012.
– Good Friday has previously fallen on April 1 in the years 1763, 1768, 1774, 1825, 1831, 1836, 1904, 1983, 1988 and 1994 and will again in 2067.
Now, don't get too defensive, we won't steal April 1st from you, it is reserved for YOU!!!
Wisdom.... ahahahahahaha... from scripture.... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahaha... stop, just stop.... oh geez my sides hurt that made me laugh so much.
Atheist day? Yeah, right.
Much more suitable humanist holidays include:
May 4 – (May the forth be with you)
May 25 – (Towel Day)
September 19 – (Talk like a pirate day ... lots of arrgh including some overlap with FSM – R'amen)
The official FSM holidays are of course, every Friday, Pastover, Ramendan and Holiday*.
* Multiple days in December, as in "Happy Holidays"
Derby Day is my personal High Holy. But I am rather fond of "Talk Like A Pirate Day."
OK, OK, if we must. Miserable atheist day to you.
What belief would you mock?
Have the atheists turned into Qweirs yet? We gave em the sewage treatment plant for a swimmin' hole already. They ain't satisfied?
Your shift at the sewage treatment plant over for the day?
Don't you know about the bird?
Well everybody's heard about the bird !
Bird bird bird, the bird is the word !
Bird bird bird, the bird is the word ! Yeah !
Well everybody's heard, about the bird !
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na
Everybody's heard, about the bird !
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na
Is the butthurt that bad, darling? I know you feel stupid, but there's no need for you to advertise it.
Aw, how cute. The git is now asserting atheists are gay.
The Marquis de Sade proselytizing.
Speaking of persecuted minorities:(gays) Christianity used to be one. Did you fight your way to freedom of faith just so you could treat nonbelievers the same way they used to treat you?
(With thanks to Debra)
My cats are wise, but I have quick hands.
Tommie Tom, your imaginary husband is NOT calling you.
You are such a boob, HS. You think you see enemies hiding behind every door.
Idiot.
Do you just throw out a different poster's name every time?
EVERYONE IS OUT TO GET YOU, HEAVENSENT
Paranoia belongs to those that live a lie Tom.
So SCOTTY, you trashed this site too, I see.
HeavenSent stated: "Paranoia belongs to those that live a lie Tom."
Yes sir. It's called believing in god.
Hey, HS, how's the toxoplasmosis?
The real Tom, did you read that off the net, or heaven forbid, drop a few bucks to purchase JAMA?
Do you think you're the only person who knows what toxo is, you witless wonder?
Tipping you hand(le) again Tommie Tom and her insults. Hey Tom, why aren't you cooking dinner for your hubby tonight. Oh, he's at a late night meeting again?
@HeavenSent
Why did you disappear when I pointed out that you weren't giving any basis (scientific or scriptural) for your claims in the previous page?
HG, what is wrong with HS's brain? I don't see how anyone could confuse the two of us, but the moron does it every time.
@The real Tom
Narcissism, paranoid delusions, psychotic, etc.
Take your pick, it's probably right. I just enjoy making her run like the true coward she is.
Stop pouting hawaiiguest, I must have overlooked your post.
@HeavenSent
Oh I'm sure you did. Just like before. Just like you never said certain things or promoted certain ideas. Yup. Your credibility here is incredibly high.
hawaiiguest, for future reference, just take SKIP as my stock reply to you.
@HeavenSent
Sure coward. You couldn't defend your positions, and now you're afraid to actually respond since I will call you on not answering anything. Congrats, you've made yourself even more credible here.
hawaiiguest, are you going to elaborate on what you are whining about this time? It seems to me that you complain about everything. That does give me a lot to work with.
Oooh, it's HS's version of the "IGNORE LIST"!
What a feeb.
@HavenSent
https://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/03/30/christ-was-persecuted-but-what-about-christians/comment-page-56/#comment-2259429
This was just today. I doubt you forgot about it.
hawaiiguest, I don't have your numbering system. Copy and Paste my reply so I can see what you're whining about.
@HeavenSent
It's not my numbering system you moron. It's the previous page on this very articles comments. If you're so computer illiterate that you can't recognize a URL (which you pasted in the very thread I'm talking about), then go to page 56 of this article at the bottom.
hawaiiguest, Repeat. I do not have the numbering system. Snooze, you lose.
@HeavenSent
Wow you really just don't want to go back to that thread do you? What are you afraid of?
hawaiiguest, there are at least 4 or 5 of my posts on there. Which post are you whining about. Better still, admit that you don't know how to copy and paste what you want me too view?
The old HS shuffle
@HeavenSent
It's an entire thread, not a single post you disingenuous little tool.
This is really just getting so pathetic I'm starting to feel bad for you. You seemingly can't be honest in what I'm linking to, you misrepresent when I said thread to be "single post". Can you ever actually honestly answer anything?
hawaiiguest, if it's you request for scriptures pertaining to the 3 heaven and 3 earth ages. I answered GOPer before you asked.
@HeavenSent
And I responded saying that the site has about as much justification as you do. They pull out one or two passages, and start spinning like a freaking merry-go-round to make it fit what they already decided it needs to say. It's about as credible as any other apologetic nonsense, which is to say not at all.
hawaiiguest, what actions in scriptures are you complaining about now? The righteous or the unrighteous results? You spent how many minutes on that site to come away with you same ole same ole complaining status?
HS, you're just stupid. HG isn't "complaining." He's telling you that your source sucks. And it does.
Get a better one or shut up.
@HeavenSent
You don't even fully read my responses do you?
Cranium, can I call you AB for short? The Holy Spirit (which is Jesus, which is God) inspired Holy Men to scribe His truth. Jesus is the author. You'd know His truth to be factual if you read the Bible with comprehension.
See, that's the problem, HS. Any jackwagon with an agenda can say he or she was moved by a holy migraine to write or do whatever they wrote or did. Still doesn't make it true.
Post by 'HeavenSent' contains an instance of the Secret Decoder Ring fallacy.
http://fallacyfiles.org/glossary.html
Holy spirits can also be used to keep my cats quiet.I use them a lot.
HS must have been cooped up in the loony bin for a while. Maybe they let her out because she's got some dreadful disease.
awfully big claim to make, HS
Yes, the dread disease called Ignorance.
Damocles, the problem is that you learned how to type.
Do you believe everyone here except you to be the same person, HS?
Yeah. She's as mental as Austin.
If you nonbelievers comprehended a fraction of Jesus' truth you'd know what I wrote to be factual. Since, you are clueless to what He has told us, you remain in the dark and buy into satan's lies. It's easy to believe and live lies. It takes courage to comprehend and live His truth.
If it took any courage, you old bat, you wouldn't get anywhere near it. You're an insecure old biddy who thinks there is only one atheist here and he/she only cares about you and your fractured fairy tale.
For the most part Akira. Do you know how I know this?
Oh, oh, PLEASE tell us, Auntie Em!
What a fvcking hand-job you are.
The real Tom, get a grip on yourself since no one else will do it.
Fantastic posts about the scriptures by HeavenSent.
Aww... don't be like that HS, you and I can be bestest of best friends... well, you can be my second best friend since topher will always be my number one.
By the way Tommie Tom, no one on this blog is as angry and blotted as you. You constantly tip your hand(les).
She doesn't evoke empathy like autism... err austin does.
How can anyone actually be as stupid as this tw@t?
Damo, she's like fingernails on a blackboard.
Yes, very much like that.
Oh, boo hoo, the atheists are being bullies again as well as insulting. LOL. Freaks, freaks, everywhere freaks cough atheists.
The real Tom, snark, snark. Do you snort too?
No, HS; how do you know this?
You don't feed us enough, we're eating each other again
At least let us out into the yard so we can get the birds
Phony heavensent, why not change your oldie but moldy tune and write about my dog and bird?
Well maybe not the dog. I haven't seen her since a huge pile of the crap I've hoarded over the years tipped over and buried her.
Phony heavensent is too phony for words.
Yet I keep complaining about it even though I enjoy the attention.
It's the ego Scotty that does you in all the time.
Phony heavensent, both my dog and bird are males.
Fabricated huh? and I assume Ms. Moss thinks the same of the Bible too. I wonder how one goes about proving fabrication of stories from back then.
Miss Moss didn't say they were all fabricated. You lack reading comprehension. You assumed, and you're an ass.
read the book and find out
A related question but on a more modern front is, Why can't god put up some clear modern evidence of his existence?
I mean, seriously, why should anyone take unquestioningly, or even give a rat's butt about, some sketchy material from thousands of years ago. Anyone with a functioning brain should have serious doubts about the entire resurrection gambit/story.
Russ, the real question is ... why is the atheist so arrogant that he/she believe Jesus needs to prove anything to you?
Jesus is dead. Bullshit isn't coming from Jesus. It's coming from you. You have a lot to prove you ridiculous cow.
Someone reads and buys into the traditions of man Talmud.
@HS
Well golly, HS, why don't you apply that bit of wit to your life. When you buy your first car, don't have the salesman prove to you that it runs great, just take his Word for it. Buying a house? Just take the realtor's Word that it doesn't rest a toxic waste site. Someone offering to sell you some beachfront property in Arizona? Puhshaw! Totally on the up and up.
Damocles, excuses, excuses for never having done anything in life.
@HeavenSent
Why can you rarely actually address the point of a post, and instead continually resort to irrelevant bile?
I did reply to his post. I stated that he was dragging his feet with excuses while he does nothing.
@HeavenSent
And that had absolutely nothing to do with his post about applying the same rigors of evidence that you would apply to a number of other claims. What you posted was in no way relevant to anything he said.
HS. In case you can't find the question, it was "When you buy your first car, don't have the salesman prove to you that it runs great, just take his Word for it. Buying a house? Just take the realtor's Word that it doesn't rest a toxic waste site. Someone offering to sell you some beachfront property in Arizona? Puhshaw! Totally on the up and up."
I'm sure you understand which is why you never answer questions like this directly, but to be sure – why do you trust claims in the bible (which are dubious at best) but would want verification in all other walks of life?
I'll bet you look before you leap so to speak – look both ways before you cross the road, look before you pull out in your car. So why so trusting when it comes to the bible.
You obviously trust some science – you use the internet, one presumes you use a car, have flown in a plane, have a GPS or TV, yet you don't believe other science. The underlying method and techniques are just as rigorous. Do you ever question your closed mind?
In Santa we trust, Jesus' truth provides us the subject, content and outcomes. Both righteous and unrighteous outcomes in all the forks in the road of life. If that's too much for you nonbelievers to comprehend. Keep banging your heads against the wall until you figure out it hurts.
@HeavenSent
And there you go posting irrelevant bile to completely avoid actually answering a post.
You show your fear and insecurities every time you do that.
HS, So it's pick and mix. "I believe because I believe. You atheists should try it but I can't explain why. I don't have reasons I can explain. I can't explain the double standards."
HS. " Both righteous and unrighteous outcomes in all the forks in the road of life. If that's too much for you nonbelievers to comprehend."
Oh I do understand. I have crossed many rivers. I just have seen no evidence of a god determining or providing anything.
@hs
So your deity provides you with the subject (a new car), the content (the salesman's smooth pitch) and the outcome (you sitting on the side of the road shaking your head at the broke down POS you bought). I'd ask you a question, but it would just get mired in that concrete pudding you have sloshing about in your head.
In Santa we trust, the forks in the road of life are tests from God. His judgement is righteous. Take it from there how we are to respond.
I have cats on my brain. Cats cats cats and more cats.
Phony heavensent, I knew there was something on your brain ....unfortunately it wasn't His wisdom.
Because His wisdom is in your ass.
Phony heavensent, cough Tommie Tom. Just go away.
Your fat drippings will be lapped up by your own personal worm in the lake of fire cough cough
Close phony heavensent, but, as usual, no cigar.
Just a nice little FYI for all of you.
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