While debating with theists, I’ve come across familiar defense mechanisms built right into the doctrine. Designed to prevent critical analysis or to confuse the believer into dismissing opposing arguments, they’ve stood up as truly dynamic mechanisms. Awe-inspiring, even. Here are a few that I’ve been thinking about. If you have any to add I’d be grateful. Check out my original music channel: www.youtube.com
On April 16, 2010, In Uncategorized, by admin
While debating with theists, I’ve come across familiar defense mechanisms built right into the doctrine. Designed to prevent critical analysis or to confuse the believer into dismissing opposing arguments, they’ve stood up as truly dynamic mechanisms. Awe-inspiring, even. Here are a few that I’ve been thinking about. If you have any to add I’d be [...]
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
Why does this mans voice sound familiar?
@onijester56
You’re wrong because the true and only god is Amun-Ra! Yawhew is just a copycat.
Excellent video!Bravo.
this video is great. really hits the nail on the head!
Let’s see:
* Blatant theft (on many topics) from known-and-admitted polytheistic mythologies.
* References of God as “us”, at least refering to a council of other, less-powerful dieties and at most other gods.
* God exhibiting multiple personalities (each derived from polytheistic gods) between chapters, let alone books.
Hell, the idea of “one god” was actually supported/flourished by Plato (a polytheist) with his “theory of Forms” and “Diotima’s Ladder”.
I’m sorry I’m working with personal knowledge, but if you are questioning that about the flood i would have to say i haven’t studied too much into that, and I am flawed in conversation on it.
are you referring to the epic?
but i really thought we were talking about the bible being more polytheistic than believed to be.
How blunt can you be?
Aside from God refering to “us” in the very Bible, not even twenty pages in?
Aside from God allowing worship of other gods (so long as he gets the most)?
Aside from the blatant theft of ideas and mythologies from other civilizations?
Aside from personalities exhibited that are characteristic of dieties from other religions?
Simple enough, if you paid attention to what you put. The reason the golden calf was destroyed was because it was an idol, and NOT (at least not directly) because it was for a different god.
And then because it was MOSES who destroyed the idol, it was not God who destroyed it. If GOD had destroyed it instead, or told someone to destroy it, even then it would NOT mean that God doesn’t allow the worship of OTHER gods.
How contradictory can you get?
The Biblical creation myth has Noah and his family the only survivors. So how could “many” witness it if only SEVEN PEOPLE lived to tell the tale?
Not to mention it was written about a thousand years BEFORE the Genesis account was.
Also, the Babylonian and Sumerian creation myths are actually highly detailed considering the little bit we have found of their culture. Thirteen stone tablets, telling of the divine conflict(s), and electing Marduk as their king.
good job… i don’t know what you wanted from that
I’m sorry i’m just not feeling anything polytheistic about what you bring to the conversation. now maybe if you had accounts of certain prayers for certain gods coming out of the bible or rituals celebrating multiple ones then maybe i could agree with you however i have not seen these nor similarities to other polytheistic religions.
yes creation myths but not detailed accounts unlike that of Genesis.
if many witnessed the flood why would they not write an account for it?
i think you should refer to comment below about Egypt, what we have wasn’t stolen, but given. just because early civilizations recognized the supernatural doesn’t mean they are correct in their portrayal of it. you can see conflicts with all of the others beliefs once compared to the Jews and christian.
FYI, the “golden calf” was an IDOL and THAT is why it was destroyed…by Moses and not by God.
And then, the very commandment(s) is/are
Exodus 20:3
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
Deuteronomy 5:7
“Thou shalt have none other gods before me.”
And I am not bending scripture. Merely stating what is there, as it is.
Genesis 1: 26
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
Genesis 3: 22
“And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever”
Let’s see:
Creation: African, Asian, Greek, Sumerian, Egyptian…Hell, even Apache creation myths have striking similarities to the Judeo-Christian one.
Flood: Sumerian/Babylonian, Hindu, Greek, Chinese, Norse…and I am cutting short the lists.
The “Tower of Babel” was actually themed on the construction of the Babylonian/Mesopotamian ziggurats. believed to be bridges to the levels of Heaven and Hell.
So let’s see: Creation, man, flood, Heaven…all stolen from other cultures.
Yeah.
from personal experience I’ve never felt a polytheistic grasp on me from those chapters.
I’m getting the vibe from that commandment to have no others… especially recalling the golden calf that was made… and destroyed. you’re claim is in your head. Jew and christian alike are focused on one Father and Creator no matter how bad you want the scripture to bend for you we still know Who we worship, and we’re quite fine with the one.
Actually no, I am not wrong with that claim.
I found the term: Henotheism. The idea that each nation has a deity/set of deities they worship. It is a loose modification of polytheism, partially depicted in Ancient Greek with each city-state having a central deity.
Hell, geographic and even Ten Commandment evidence (“You shall have no gods before me”, hence you can have other gods…) support it.
And even textual references support it (it’s especially important in Genesis 1-3).
a lot of people are starting to believe that Judaism took many of others beliefs and focused them into their own however it’s good to note that once the Egyptians had the Jews as slave a pharaoh attempted to turn the Egyptian belief system around to a monotheistic as opposed to a polytheistic on account of the belief of a one supreme Creator. hmmmm who’s copying whom you say?
“You think? that the religion of a celebrity in a secular nation is an argument for your point?”
actually i do not. i believe that is a comment reply to someone else. gotta love how an atheists will bend anything to their liking, quite good at it for quite some time. also if i troll i prefer “obvious trolls” like “evolution is just a theory” or “atheism is a satanic religion” however what i stated below was not a troll just a joke for someone else, hopefully they will find it funny.
just to let it stand however you are wrong in saying that “Judaism actually BEGAN as polytheistic” especially in the sense as how the other beginning beliefs started out.
You are aware that early Jews focused on oral tradition?
You think that the religion of a celebrity in a secular nation is an argument for your point?
Also, go troll somewhere else.
Comparing religion requires more than just a historic approach.
Historical, religious, and philosophical bases, texts, doctrines, mythologies…just to list a few.
Remember this tidbit: the central plot of the “Flood” story of Genesis 6-9 was written by the Sumerians about 1000 years before Genesis was written.
And also: Christianity bases itself ON Judaic texts.
If you are so ” familiar with the other names of the Lord in the Old Testament” then you should now familiarize yourself with the use of “Elohim”, specifically noticable in Genesis 1, “Let us make man in our image”, but still used a bit.
And, fyi, (philosophically) the idea of “One (Perfect) God” is actually best attributed to Platonic influence. Before that, it was generally “Our god is the only one worth worshipping.” [Henoism, I believe it is called].