“The work of God”?

[Ban-jani]

Because that 'truth' you believe in would change depending on where you live.

I could level the exact same thing at you, though couldn’t I?

Only there are atheists and Christians in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, you name it, so it doesn’t really work as it’s possible to be a Christian Right across the Middle East.

In fact I heard about two ladies who escaped from Iran recently, who were Christians and were in danger there.

 

[KS55]

Your wrong. Most vicarages and priest homes are still very palatial in the extreme. What pray is earning not so much then in preacher terms per annum in these times of austerity that most ordinary sausauges find themself flung unto.
All the preachers homes in our hamlets are very palatial and they are hardly on their arses. If I had my way I would frock them all in hessian and send them out on their miserable hides to carry out the good work of their lord. I would also house them in accomadation best beffiting a servant of the lord. Matbe a 1 bedroom council flat where they can spread the word of Jesus and live a life of frugality. It is easier for a rich man to pas through the eye of a needle than enter the kingdom of heaven. A bigger bunch of hypocrites you could ever wish to meet. Amen

Hundreds of clergy facing hardship despite vast C of E wealth

Exclusive: Some vicars are tens of thousands of pounds in debt and reliant on charity handouts

www.theguardian.com

Far be it from me to defend the priesthood, but it is you who is wrong, led astray by your cynicism and aversion to priests.
In England the average salary or priests is about £22,000pa (well below the national average) with a maximum of £27000. In addition there is a huge army of unpaid voluntary priests.
As far as vicarages are concerned, info is harder to come by as the commissioners keep things very close to their chest, but here is one view:

The Lure of the Rectory - Strutt & Parker

Living in an old rectory is many house hunters’ dream. We look at the history of these centrepieces of rural life and what makes them so popular.

www.struttandparker.com

 

[tonea2003]

Mark 16:9-14

that is the addition many many years later, you know it so stop passing it off as part of the original manuscript which in itself are at least a generation after he supposedly died on the cross

The earliest and most reliable manuscripts of Mark end at Mark 16:8, with the women fleeing in fear from the empty tomb: the majority of recent scholars believe this to be the original ending,[33] and this is supported by statements from the early Church Fathers Eusebius and Jerome.[34] Two attempts were made to provide a more satisfactory conclusion.[35] A minority of later manuscripts have what is called the “shorter ending”, an addition to Mark 16:8 telling how the women told “those around Peter” all that the angel had commanded and how the message of eternal life (or “proclamation of eternal salvation”) was then sent out by Jesus himself.[35] This addition differs from the rest of Mark both in style and in its understanding of Jesus.[35] The overwhelming majority of manuscripts have the “longer ending”, Mark 16:9–20, with accounts of the resurrected Jesus, the commissioning of the disciples to proclaim the gospel, and Christ’s ascension.[34]This ending was possibly written in the early 2nd century and added later in the same century.[35]

not only is it written later its written by someone else

 

[tonea2003]

Not to me he isn’t and nor is he to the 1 billion Protestants around the world and 220 million Eastern Orthodox Christians around the world.

I didn’t say you blamed them for all the bad in the world, I’m just saying criticism of the church for bad, needs to be balanced by the good.

I am glad you see the good done too, I agree that religion generally has a lot to answer for but the bad being done cannot be blamed on the Gospels, the Gospels is anti persecution, anti war, anti hatred, anti discrimination, anti sex crimes, anti murder, anti thieving, anti hypocrisy and many more.

Those committing atrocities as Christians aren’t following the word of the Lord.

That said, the most atheist societies in the 20th century killed many more than any religious atrocities. The USSR was the least Christian country in Europe and we all know how many were killed there, many for their faith.

Humans beings are flawed and it’s our fault, we often make the wrong choices.

you're right there ;-)

 

[KS55]

and in the LGBTQ threads they'll name him the Motherfather.

Is the last word a typo?

 

[Le Havre Oswald]

I could level the exact same thing at you, though couldn’t I?

Only there are atheists and Christians in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, you name it, so it doesn’t really work as it’s possible to be a Christian Right across the Middle East.

In fact I heard about two ladies who escaped from Iran recently, who were Christians and were in danger there.

Yeah but its very rare.

and of course you're right, if I was born in the middle East or another country where religion dictates most walks of life, then yeah I'd most likely grow up to be religious and so would most people. Like if I was born in 1920s Germany, I would probably be a fascist is the Hitler youth, but that doesn't make it right or true.

 

[Ban-jani]

that is the addition many many years later, you know it so stop passing it off as part of the original manuscript which in itself are at least a generation after he supposedly died on the cross

The earliest and most reliable manuscripts of Mark end at Mark 16:8, with the women fleeing in fear from the empty tomb: the majority of recent scholars believe this to be the original ending,[33] and this is supported by statements from the early Church Fathers Eusebius and Jerome.[34] Two attempts were made to provide a more satisfactory conclusion.[35] A minority of later manuscripts have what is called the “shorter ending”, an addition to Mark 16:8 telling how the women told “those around Peter” all that the angel had commanded and how the message of eternal life (or “proclamation of eternal salvation”) was then sent out by Jesus himself.[35] This addition differs from the rest of Mark both in style and in its understanding of Jesus.[35] The overwhelming majority of manuscripts have the “longer ending”, Mark 16:9–20, with accounts of the resurrected Jesus, the commissioning of the disciples to proclaim the gospel, and Christ’s ascension.[34]This ending was possibly written in the early 2nd century and added later in the same century.[35]

not only is it written later its written by someone else

Even the shorter version has the empty tomb and resurrection though, doesn’t it?

You said it didn’t.

5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.6"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"[13]

I am not passing anything off, all 4 Gospels are taken from accounts of people that were there, including Mark 16:9-14, which is Christian canon.

You’ve also conveniently left out “Q document”, which is where Matthew and Luke got information from and was thought to be at least as early, if not earlier than Mark.

In any respect, Matthew is considered the more important Gospel by scholars, the time frame you keep obsessing about really is quite normal in the ancient world.

As I’ve repeated, there’s more evidence of the life of Jesus then many people who lived before and after him that historians just presumed lived, with the documentation being written years after they lived.

The Bible Says Jesus Was Real. What Other Proof Exists? | HISTORY

Some argue that Jesus wasn't an actual man, but within a few decades of his lifetime, he was mentioned by Jewish and Roman historians.

www.history.com

Almost all historical critics agree that a historical figure named Jesus taught throughout the Galilean countryside c. 30 CE, was believed by his followers to have performed supernatural acts, and was sentenced to death by the Romans, possibly for insurrection.[66]

 

[Elbow beards]

There are around 10,000 religions in the world, not including all the old defunct ones. So at least 99.99% of these have got it wrong in what they believe, as they all can't be right. My guess is 100% of them have got it wrong. Every single on is man made mumbo-jumbo.

 

[journolud]

There are around 10,000 religions in the world, not including all the old defunct ones. So at least 99.99% of these have got it wrong in what they believe, as they all can't be right. My guess is 100% of them have got it wrong. Every single on is man made mumbo-jumbo.

That does bring fresh insight to the thread

 

[tonea2003]

Even the shorter version has the empty tomb and resurrection though, doesn’t it?

as i've already said and you know its one unknown individual saying he's risen, all the meetings with jesus and eventual ascension are added later. i know its hard for you to accept but this is now universally accepted

You said it didn’t.


I am not passing anything off, all 4 Gospels are taken from accounts of people that were there, including Mark 16:9-14, which is Christian canon.

You’ve also conveniently left out “Q document”, which is where Matthew and Luke got information from and was thought to be at least as early, if not earlier than Mark.

In any respect, Matthew is considered the more important Gospel by scholars, the time frame you keep obsessing about really is quite normal in the ancient world.

As I’ve repeated, there’s more evidence of the life of Jesus then many people who lived before and after him that historians just presumed lived, with the documentation being written years after they lived.

The Bible Says Jesus Was Real. What Other Proof Exists? | HISTORY

Some argue that Jesus wasn't an actual man, but within a few decades of his lifetime, he was mentioned by Jewish and Roman historians.

www.history.com

the "Q" document is hypothetical and is not deemed worthy of debate until something concrete is ever found
so its just a convenient way of filling in the gaps
you do know all gospels are unknown in their authorship and despite you thinking i'm obsessive it is critical the timelines
mark being the earliest at around 40 years later is the only possible to have eyewitness accounts and even that is unlikely given life expectancy around this time

there are more mark issues but that will do for now

and you keep ignoring that not one contemporary writer makes reference to a jesus not one