Hi Al,

Well, if there is good evidence for any of that then you had better get busy putting it out there, because it's not to be found in any book, article or website that I have ever seen. And bearing in mind that atheists on average actually know more about religion than Christians, it's hard to see how we could all have missed it.

By the way, it's JONJ, not John.

Season's Greetings!

"Jesus of Nazareth ...spoke to the outcast, to the poor, to the weak; he befriended sinners, ritually becoming what he associated with, and was thereby exiled from that other deity of purity and might."

Christianity is a plagiarized version of Horus, Mithras, Krishna and enough deities to fill this comment. It's purpose was to enslave humanity to the yolk of perpetual fear. Jesus gave only one thing to humanity that was outside our existing nature: Hell.

It's no accident that descriptions of heaven are balms for the fear of death; seeing loved ones again, living for eternity, tripping out on deity love, yadda. But hell is described in infinite detail, given amplitude by the church over the centuries to ensure one thing only: Fear.

Control of humanity is slavery. To control another's thoughts is to have more power than a chain and neck iron upon them. Jesus hated his mother and despised the notion of family. Consider Matthew 10:35-37.

Whatever was sought by *all* the Gospel writers is not the Christian Lie. The Judas Gospel hints at the pagan rituals and the fact Judas was to become the greatest of all disciples. This in no way offers truth to the biblical myth. It merely reinforces that the birth of Roman christianity was a crushing barbarity to human intellect and culture - the beginning of one of the most vile, violent and bloodthirsty lies in human history.

The fact that it is axiomatic that the Lie was crafted from existing texts but that this denial is essential to become 'christian' makes today's Christian pursuits an intellectual repugnance.

To claim love and piety at the same time as threatening toddlers with eternal suffering or abusing women and railing against free thought and advancement of humane qualities is a most curious aspect of this fantasy.

The Christian message is simple. Believe or suffer for eternity. This is barbarity beyond the realms of defence. All else is simple Secular Humanism, usurped by Christians.

Be careful what you wish for, Boaz.

>>I suspect it would not matter if the Lord came and gave you a personal shakeup of 20 on the Richter scale, you would find some way of rationalizing or refuting it.<<

If he were to appear, *poof* goes religion. Out the window. Fini. End of story.

Douglas Adams nailed it.

"I refuse to prove that I exist," says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."
"But," says Man, "the Babel fish is a dead giveaway isn't it? It proves you exist, and so therefore, you don't. Q.E.D.."
"Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't thought of that," and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic.

Just think for a moment, how much religion relies upon the concept of faith.

Instead of the act of prayer, you could simply become a Facebook friend, or tweet @God, whenever you needed an answer to a ticklish question, such as, is corporal punishment appropriate discipline for a teenage daughter? Or, how come you're the same guy that Muslims worship?

Now that would be interesting, would it not?

That is a good point Fire snake, but in a greater context to what you would write; 500 odd years ago, the Church was the State; everyone was born into the church. The Church Ruled , or the despots attached to the church ruled ; somewhat apart from religious verve; also remember that the monarchs needed it to gain favour from the church gatherings, and thus the Monarchs were in most the divinity as so granted by the Church (God save our King / Queen; Christianity for its part gave us the Philosophy to reason and create civilizations , and the Church is likened to Atheism and the State of today; You have just traded Faces and end up with the same warlords bustling for power – wealth and self indulgence.

Perhaps it would be fully advice to know and understand the philosophy that gave birth to the religious creed that is Atheism; it is not as people would have believed, just like Agnostics- The closest relative to this phenomena in Modern times is the Church of Scientology; Despotism and fatalistic despotism that formulates Cults ; Atheism is but one .

Oh Al.......and others....I would just love to hear your reply that one.

"Control of humanity is slavery. To control another's thoughts is to have more power than a chain and neck iron upon them. Jesus hated his mother and despised the notion of family. Consider Matthew 10:35-37.

Religion just takes advantage of an already built in system called the love with-in all. Almost Every animal shows this to be true. Jesus was no different to the likes of Martin-Luther king or Mother Tresa......and a great many more, that the people in times of distress will follow.

Rhian......you said'

"But I will not accept that you can set the conditions on how I practice my faith, still less its content. Authentic Christianity cannot be confined to the private and personal....

Iam glad you've brought that up.......religion is or faith...as you put it, is causing untold damage to the second and third world people by telling them not to use conventional contraception. Maybe in the first worlds of people your argument has substance......where one can see the truth in what old writings...... one of sound mind can de-code.

You religious people are still coming into the main stream of pubic life and tell us non-believers how to think and behave........I and 100,s of millions more need not your god.........and if people continue to put it forward.....that we are sinners from their point of view.......you are in fact changeling all of humanity to a fight of the conscious minds which since the dawn of time has being programing one individual from another.

However....if you kept it private.......no-one wouldn't even know religious people even existed.........But that's the point isn't it!

And how's business going any way:) Caught any more new sheep?

Have a great Xmas...........just don't push your thoughts on to me in the pubic arena.

BLUE

Deep Blue

I have not tried to impose my faith upon you. I respect your right to hold to any religion or none. But Christianity – and many other religions - cannot be confined to private piety. As well as a relationship between individual Christians and God we are in relationship with each other. Christianity has a social dimension that entails both a critique of how human society is organised and how it can go wrong, and a call to social action to improve the society in which we live.

The beginning of Mark’s article describes some of Christianity’s social critique.

If we ignore this social dimension we fail to meet the demands of our faith. This demand calls many Christians to work in charities, NGOs and social services, politics etc