mjpb, in the 47th post to this topic, asks BOAZ_David "Have you answered the last sentence in ET's King Herod paragraph addressed to you?". (ET is an unofficial abbreviation for EasyTimes.)

That last sentence in the 'King Herod paragraph' was "Very convenient if you ask me, anybody can say they have been chosen by god and that the holy sp[i]rit is talking to them." (I have assumed it was an 'i' missing, not an 'e' at the end of the word. If it was the latter, we would be waiting to hear from OLO user Cuchulhainn, wouldn't we?)

I am not going to presume that I know how B_D would respond to this sentence, nor attempt to answer for him. I have, however, read the Wiki reference provided, and it touches upon some of the relevant aspects of the historical context of this incident of infanticide under Herod 'the Great'. Life and times were exceedingly turbulent and capricious in Judaea during the last years of Herod, if Flavius Josephus, the near-contemporary historian is to be believed. Unravelling the chronology of events of those last years of Herod from Josephus is quite a challenge. That Josephus (whos primary source was Nicholas of Damascus, Herod's biographer) fails to mention the slaughter of the innocents is hardly surprising.

Against the scale of what Herod planned at the time of his death, that incident pales into insignificance. Josephus' "Antiquities of the Jews", in Book 17, Chapter 6, recounts Herod's intention to have one of every family of the nation slain upon the event of his actual death, in order that there should be genuine mourning at his passing throughout his kingdom.

The slaughter of the innocents, within a year of the Census, is recounted alone by St Matthew. Matthew was a 'publican' before becoming a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. For 'publican' read Roman tax agent, collaborator, Quisling, traitor to his nation. As such he would have likely had 'inside information' on public affairs that was simply not available or known to other writers.

How many Gods has man had? a thousand? ten thousand? the Mayan God was one of blood, young men had to die women and children too for that God.
Like every God I have so far heard of his servants lived a life of power and privilege.
And those lower down? fear and slavery.
Our science gave us planes and cars power to homes we learned to build every thing we have man and his sciences gave us.
But some insist in God who looks after us ,who visited in the flesh but is busy at present and cannot spare the time to slip back and say Gday.
We have no problem in saying other Gods are just a mith but seem unable to confront the fact they all are.

KatieO, 'Proof of God’s existence can be found in the great variety and complexity of His creation, from the micro to the macro; the logical nature of the world and yet apparent chaos' is an example of blind faith. Most of the above phenomena have been explained by science. All else will be explained in the future.

Didn't our ancestors think that the sun rode a chariot across the sky? Didn't they believe that a god caused thunder?

Even the early Christians beleived the Earth was flat and the sun went around. These theories were done away with as will creationism as science proves more on evolution. Religion will have to make way for the truth again.

I have no spiritual 'yearning'. Not everyone needs a crutch.

As for, 'I think we agree that all people were created equal, even if we can’t agree on by whom.', nice thought, but doesn't work in reality. If everyone was equal, there would be no wars.

There are alot of things here tha we can not be sure of but one thing I can be sure of and so can all of you that in the not to distant future (I doubt any of us here will see it but our great grandchildren may) that humans become almost godly. They will for all practical purposes cure all diseases and live forever. Once this occurs I am sure you will see a big shift in religion. Once death is taken out of the equation religion will quickly loose its appeal

Herod 'the Great' had built a winter palace at Jericho. He was living in it just before his death according to Josephus.

Joshua 6:26 says: "And Joshua charged them all at that time saying, Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and builds the city of Jericho. He shall lay the foundations of it in his first-born, and in his youngest son he shall set up the gates of it."

A matter of a few days before his death Herod ordered the execution of Antipater, his first-born son, at Jericho.

Some little time beforehand, Herod had executed his youngest son, Aristobulus, together with his brother Alexander, at Sebaste. This had largely been brought about by Antipater's intrigues, according to Josephus in Book 16, Chapter 11, of the Antiquites.

The scriptures record the birth of Jesus of Nazareth as having occurred at the occasion of the census ordered by Augustus.

It would be very interesting to know whether, at the moment of census registration by Joseph, Jesus had been born. My suspicion is that he had not, inasmuch as Jesus was in the royal line (by his mother's side?), and as a descendant of the house of Jesse in accord with the award made by Saul many years before in respect of the slaying of the giant, Goliath (as it transpired, by David, 8th and youngest son of Jesse), was to enjoy tax-free status in Israel. I Samuel 17:25 refers. I am prepared to bet Jesus was not counted in that census!

Tax, not surprisingly, interested Matthew. Matthew 17:24-27 seems to confirm this intended tax-free status of Jesus. It also says other things about the legitimacy or otherwise of certain authorities at the time.

It would also be very interesting to know how the birthdays of persons born during the periodically intercalated month of Ve-Adar in the Jewish calendar were conventionally handled. There were, I think, three Ve-Adars in every 11 years. Perfect cover, perhaps, for someone male born in Bethlehem of a certain age?

Runner
“In actual fact we all do either serve ourselves which if done exclusively leads to misery or we serve God by serving others which brings contentment.”

Not necessarily, individuals whom have achieved self actualization have overcome misery through self analysis, through introspection, by understanding oneself, and by emphasizing ones uniquness. Dr A Maslow, in formulating his needs hierarchy, contended that there are two processes necessary for self-actualization, exploration and action, the deeper that self exploration, the closer one comes to self actualization.

Hermits, for example, including Narcissus, Bishop of Jerusalem said in the year 212, ‘Weary of the world’s slanders against him, he retired to the wilderness’, where through becoming a stranger to the world, he was ultimately rewarded with inner peace.

The Hindus in one of their oldest myths say that the world was created because the Original Being was lonely, and is an idea that’s been tried by almost every civilization with Buddha, a self imposed exile, being the most recognized.

Atheism ultimately stands for the doctrine of the ‘personal god’ (as belly highlighted) “who is the ultimate principle of the universe, the primordial guardian of moral values, and lastly the highest object of our religious worship”, and is undoubtedly rooted in the ideal of realism, and the recognition of the 'real' existence of the world and its objects.

Religion is simply a poorly substantiated form of moral dictatorship.