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Dying for a cause.
Why would Jesus followers die for a
cause they knew was false? There are a number of possibilities: One, they
may not have thought their cause was false, they could have been brainwashed or
they may have never died for the cause.
This has been touted as one of the big
proofs for the authenticity of the Christian faith and the way Jesus laid out
for his followers. I have heard it said that one of the biggest proofs for Jesus
and the legacy he left his followers was the willing death of his disciples for
the cause.
This
assumes that when someone or many people die for a cause that the cause must be
"true." Just because someone
dies for a cause does not make the cause true.
Many Muslims die for Islam, David Koresh died for the Waco (in Texas)
cause etc etc. If they did die, they
may have died for a false cause like many thousands before and still many more
thousands will after them.
Just because someone decided to die for a particular
person, belief or cause does not give them automatic authenticity.
Do you understand my point? The
second thing is that we cannot be sure if and how the followers of Jesus died.
I don’t think the New Testament documents the deaths of the apostles.
What we are left with are historical traditions and conflicting stories
about their deaths. So at the end
of the day, those apostles may not have even given their lives for their belief
in Jesus after all.
Got
thoughts or maybe answers?
Email me at mikesforum@tpg.com.au
Jill: hey ya mike..i
just wanted to point out the whole "dying for a cause " in regards
to christ and the christian teachings -
christians just blindly "believe" christ died for
us , died to take away the sins of the world"
in my opinon i dont
think it was Gods idea to send christ to earth to die at all.. -
for a father to place his son upon a cross today would be called a murderer ,
i believe it was mans idea to take the life of christ not God's..
exodus 20.13 and matthew 18.19 say do not murder. i tend
to think the creator of the universe would set an example to its
own creation if ya know what i mean .
.. if christ had come to take
away the sins of the world then why do people still 'sin"
2000 years later?.. if christ had come to die for sins he would not
have said "you reap what you sow" (galatians
6.7) .i find that contradicting ..christ also said mat
18.3 unless you CHANGE and become like children you will NEVER enter the
kingdom of heaven.. another contradiction . christ also said mat
5.48 you must be perfect like your father in heaven is perfect- 2peter
chapter 3 we are to be pure fautless holy and godly...-if christ
didnt think changing yourself and attaining perfection
was important im sure he wouldnt have
opened his mouth .... christians just think all you have to do to get
into heaven is just " believe in jesus ,
say he is" lord and saviour " , and say
"forgive me lord" ( if you just so happen to "sin"
all your life ) then all is ok and you'll be Gods right hand
man.......lol.. i think everyone is responsible for thier own actions and
inactions and that the only person that can take away your
"sins" is yourself .......another thing christians
might like to think about is.. "how can the conscience be purged of
sin by the shedding of innocent blood?... i think its dangerous for christians
to just believe someone died to take away their sins, for
its an escape from ones own self responsibility..
thanks mike...
Mike: I see your point
but I have to wonder about the whole story to start with. Although I do
believe there is value in discussing the Bible's stories with Christians so
they can see the glaring inconsistencies and errors.
The whole notion of God
sending himself (his son) to die is very hard to accept. Christians
would say that God's ways are higher than our ways. Well maybe they're
lower! If this God is an example of a good father, well I'm glad he's
not my father. You are right in pointing out the command not to
murder. However, if the New Testament story is correct, did Jesus commit
suicide? He supposedly, willingly and knowingly went to the place where
he knew he would be killed. Sounds like suicide to me.
Another point you raise relates
to whether this sacrifice was universally effective or limited. Some
Christians like the Presbyterians, amongst others, believe that Jesus only died
for an elect group (called predestination). In other words he only
forgives those who he already has
chosen. Sounds a bit crony to me. There
is so much inconsistency as you have seen. Christians often pick and
choose the stuff they want to believe and conveniently leave out the stuff that
doesn't suit them. This is dishonest and deceptive in my view. Many
go through this process oblivious to the cover-ups.
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