Phenomenal you:

[Matthias]

It's not about God.

How do you feel when you think about God?

 

[2bme]

How do you feel when you think about God?

Fine.

 

[Riven]

Fine.

Read the Old Testament.

 

[2bme]

What ”traumatizing features of the New Testament” led you to decide to leave your belief in Jesus?

Everything that believing causes.

 

[2bme]

Read the Old Testament.

I feel fine when I'm thinking of the possibility of a real God. That's what my reply to @Matthias means.

 

[Riven]

I feel fine when I'm thinking of the possibility of a real God. That's what my reply to @Matthias means.

Do you think the OT God isn't real?

 

[2bme]

Do you think the OT God isn't real?

Yes I do.

 

[Matthias]

Everything that believing causes.

Life of the coming age with God and Messiah.

 

[Matthias]

Read the Old Testament.

The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament -> the living God. Everything else is idols.

“Read the Old Testament” is good advice. “Read the Old Testament and the New Testament” is better than good advice.

 

[Matthias]

Do you think the OT God isn't real?

Don’t you?

 

[Matthias]

I feel fine when I'm thinking of the possibility of a real God. That's what my reply to @Matthias means.

Everyone who thinks about the possibility of a real God should follow the evidence.

 

[Matthias]

Don’t you?

It’s utterly impossible to be a disciple of Jesus and at the same time believe the God of the Old Testament isn’t real.

 

[Riven]

Don’t you?

I think it's hard to read the Old Testament stories and still believe it's anything other than a fictional character. A very unpleasant one.

 

[2bme]

Everyone who thinks about the possibility of a real God should follow the evidence.

Of course they/them/those/should follow the evidence.

 

[Matthias]

I think it's hard to read the Old Testament stories and still believe it's anything other than a fictional character. A very unpleasant one.

It isn’t fiction. The God of the Old Testament is the one true God. The choice we are presented with in scripture: the God of the Old Testament or idolatry.

Jesus of Nazareth isn’t the Son of a fictional God.

 

[Riven]

It isn’t fiction. The God of the Old Testament is the one true God. The choice we are presented with in scripture: the God of the Old Testament or idolatry.

Jesus of Nazareth isn’t the Son of a fictional God.

Then why does he require animal sacrifice and stupid stuff like that? It's so human. It's so petty. It's so primitive. It's exactly what we would expect from the mind's of that time period. Human minds, not divine ones. A divine mind would object to animal sacrifice, slavery, murdering children, raping women, and all of the other assorted activities that people got up to back then.

But He doesn't. He just rolls with it. Animal sacrifice? Sure. Human sacrifice? You bet. Dash the babies heads against the rocks? Well it's Friday.

 

[Matthias]

Then why does he require animal sacrifice and stupid stuff like that? It's so human. It's so petty. It's so primitive. It's exactly what we would expect from the mind's of that time period. Human minds, not divine ones. A divine mind would object to animal sacrifice, slavery, murdering children, raping women, and all of the other assorted activities that people got up to back then.

But He doesn't. He just rolls with it. Animal sacrifice? Sure. Human sacrifice? You bet. Dash the babies heads against the rocks? Well it's Friday.

Why the one true God acted as he did and acts as he does is directly related to his character, which you’ve blasphemed. Your irreverence doesn’t change the fact that there is no God besides him. God is good and the Messiah isn’t an idolator.

 

[Matthias]

Actually, I think it would be better if we address issues like animal sacrifice and slavery and God's involvement in human atrocities head-on rather than whitewash them or sweep them under the rug. People know when they're being B.S.ed, and these are real issues for non-Christians. And we need to admit when there's no good answers.

I’ve already discussed it with him (and others here) before. He isn’t blaspheming out of ignorance. If you want to have that conversation with him that’s of course fine.

 

[Matthias]

You had that discussion and the issues didn't go away, so we can't pretend they did go away.

That’s right. I’m not pretending that they have and neither is he.

 

[Lambano]

Let's let 2Bme have his thread back.