Sacrifice

[BoyntonStu]

On Friday last week I sold my house, my stocks, cleaned out my bank account and gave it all to the American Cancer Society.

Three days later, on Sunday, I changed my mind and asked for and received a full refund.

I resurrected all my belongings and net worth.

Would you consider what I did last week a sacrifice?

Belief in atonement through the ritual murder and blood sacrifice of an innocent being – animal or human – is an ancient pagan practice that truly sacrifices one thing in particular: reason. The sacrifice of reason. In order to accept such a doctrine, I would have to put my capacity to reason, my logical mind, my 20th-21st century education, and my common sense in a waste basket by the church door. I did that for too many years.

We were created with the most awesome intelligence and capacity to learn, invent, reason, and grow spiritually and intellectually. I choose to focus on that and to be grateful to our Creator for it.

[BoyntonStu]

[quote=Heidi Guedel]Belief in atonement through the ritual murder and blood sacrifice of an innocent being – animal or human – is an ancient pagan practice that truly sacrifices one thing in particular: reason. The sacrifice of reason. In order to accept such a doctrine, I would have to put my capacity to reason, my logical mind, my 20th-21st century education, and my common sense in a waste basket by the church door. I did that for too many years.

QUOTE]

Well said.


Was my charitable contribution and refund a 'sacrifice'?

The 'Believers' will not touch this question. They would have to acknowledge what you have so elegantly said. They hinge all of their 'Faith' on THE SACRIFICE. They never come to grip with the illogical reasoning behind it.

Was my charitable contribution and refund a 'sacrifice'?

The 'Believers' will not touch this question. They would have to acknowledge what you have so elegantly said. They hinge all of their 'Faith' on THE SACRIFICE. They never come to grip with the illogical reasoning behind it.

... or the utter barbarism and cruelty inherent in it. Did you see The Passion of the Christ? One film reviewer described the violence in Mel Gibson’s portrayal as “pornographic”.

[BoyntonStu]

Why haven't any Christians responded to my question that is IMHO quite logical?


Is it because Christians wish to remain in their illogical worlds?

Why haven't any Christians responded to my question that is IMHO quite logical?


Is it because Christians wish to remain in their illogical worlds?

Sad… because the irony is that we were created with the most awe-inspiring capacity for logic and reasoning... and I believe we were meant to use it.

The day I first watched, “Inherit the Wind” starring Spencer Tracy as the famous agnostic barrister, Clarence Darrow … and Fredric March as the Christian fundamentalist barrister and politician, William Jennings Bryan - Hollywood’s re-enactment of the Scopes “monkey trial”- and I listened to the blistering cross-examination of Bryan by the articulate and logical Clarence Darrow, I knew I could no longer swallow the doctrine that the Bible was written and/or inspired by the Creator. Most of the glaring inconsistencies and illogical doctrines in the Bible were exposed in that one exchange. Nevertheless, the jury found that school teacher, John Scopes, guilty of violating the law against teaching any theory besides biblical creation, and fined him $100.00.

Most of us do hope that this life is not merely a biological exercise in birth, survival, procreation and ultimate death. I have read books on near-death experiences… I’ve looked up “reincarnation” on the Internet and found documented accounts of children who remember past lives to the point of leading their parents to their former homes and families… sometimes in a completely different country… sometimes mysteriously being able to speak a foreign language and identify their former relatives by name. Shanti Devi is one such case, and quite well documented.

Bible believers will tell us that all such things are some sort of satanic trick designed to turn us all away from “the truth”. But such doctrines mitigate against our inborn curiosity and our capacity to discover new truths on an ongoing basis.

BTW, I came across the interesting info that after the Roman Emperor Constantine officially accepted Christianity as the religion of the Roman Empire, he took his turn at re-translating the Bible HIS way, and deliberately omitted all references to reincarnation. Hmmmm. There is nothing “divine” or “inspired” about a self-motivated editor! LOL!

I prefer to keep the open mind that I was born with, and remain a seeker…

Originally Posted by BoyntonStu

On Friday last week I sold my house, my stocks, cleaned out my bank account and gave it all to the American Cancer Society.

Three days later, on Sunday, I changed my mind and asked for and received a full refund.

I resurrected all my belongings and net worth.

Would you consider what I did last week a sacrifice?

Of your time and effort maybe. I see you got your computer back too!

[kry]

I asked a friend of mine the other day if his belief in the bible freed him, and his answer was that it does. I asked another friend of mine if his belief in science freed him, and his answer was that it does. I asked them both if their belief in themselves freed them, and they both suggested that they weren't truly free without their creator. I never imagined that freedom would be something needed to be given to me, I always thought of it as something I would give away...

[BoyntonStu]

Originally Posted by kry

I asked a friend of mine the other day if his belief in the bible freed him, and his answer was that it does. I asked another friend of mine if his belief in science freed him, and his answer was that it does. I asked them both if their belief in themselves freed them, and they both suggested that they weren't truly free without their creator. I never imagined that freedom would be something needed to be given to me, I always thought of it as something I would give away...

That is great! I'm thinking about printing it out and laminating it for my wallet!

There is a ratio difference between 'Bible' freedom and science freedom, in fact it is 10%:0%, an infinite ratio!

[BoyntonStu]

Originally Posted by Tommygun

Of your time and effort maybe. I see you got your computer back too!

In parallel with your logic, should Christians be thankful for Jesus' time and effort? Was that enough of a 'sacrifice' to redeem all past, present, and future 'sins'?