"True" Christianity

[AdminAssistant]

I would just like to say how hilarious I find it that King James I, probably one of the most openly homosexual kings in history, commissioned the first major English translation of the Bible.

Sorry, carry on...

[Boozy]

This is why I want to get my hands on a copy of the Toarh & Koran in English so I can read them.

The Torah is essentially just the first five books of the Bible.

I'm guessing that the translations used in a church vs. a temple are different, but you'll get a pretty good idea of it just reading the first five books in whatever Bible you have at home. The same Oxford Annotated Bible was used for both my Christianity and Judaism religion classes in university, so an official Torah can't be terribly different from your standard Bible.

[IDrinkaRum]

Thanks Boozy! I figured it would be different somehow ... Not sure ... Part of my own ignorance I suppose.

I'll have to dig out my Bible.

It's nice have a debate here on Fratching about Chirstianity as I cannot talk about it with Mr. Rum - he doesn't give two figs about it. Ah well.

[Seshat]

Be aware that the Scriptures consist not just of the Torah, but also of the Nevi'im and the Ketuvim.

To really get the comparitive-religion aspect of reading the Scriptures, I'd recommend going to a Jewish bookstore, or a library (if you're not in some hyper-sensitive 'everyone must be Christian' part of the world*), and telling the staff what you're doing.

They may be able to not just give you a copy of the Scriptures, but to point you to a beginner's-level commentary on it.



* not intended to refer to all Christians, just the subset who that description fits.

[Ghel]

All my adult life, I've felt that people should be called what they want to be called. I try to apply this to religion, race, sexual orientation, and even nicknames. In that manner, anybody who calls themselves Christian is a Christian. (At least, by their own definition. It might not fit anybody else's definition. )

[Flyndaran]

The sun is yellow. Anyone that disagrees is verifiably wrong.
I am an atheist no matter how you define it. I don't believe in anything supernatural or magical or godly.

Christian just means you follow what you believe to be words of some guy taken as the christ. Everything else is differences of branch.

... I try to apply this to religion, race, sexual orientation, and even nicknames. ..

So even though I'm legally hispanic, look white, have a penis, and will only ever sleep with women, I can legitimately call myself a black hetero woman?

That's a little too "liberal" for me.

[Evandril]

So even though I'm legally hispanic, look white, have a penis, and will only ever sleep with women, I can legitimately call myself a black hetero woman?

You can *call* yourself that all you want...and I reserve the right to point and laugh Heck, look at some of the 'wanna-be's out there...You'd be closer to being what you claim than they are!

If someone wants to use insults towards themselves...I'll not say they are wrong...though I won't have much respect for them, either *shrugs*

[Ghel]

So even though I'm legally hispanic, look white, have a penis, and will only ever sleep with women, I can legitimately call myself a black hetero woman?

Legitimately? No. But if that's what you want me to call you, I will. And then I'll burst out laughing as soon as you leave the room.

Besides, how am I to know that you're not a transgendered individual who has enough of a mixed racial heritage to qualify (at least in your own mind) as black?

So if somebody tells me they're a Christian, I'll call them that. Even if I find out that the way they define Christian isn't the way I would define Christian, I'll keep calling them that. Not being a Christian myself, I don't see it as an issue. It seems like the only ones who care are those who call themselves Christians.

[Flyndaran]

....
So if somebody tells me they're a Christian, I'll call them that. Even if I find out that the way they define Christian isn't the way I would define Christian, I'll keep calling them that. Not being a Christian myself, I don't see it as an issue. It seems like the only ones who care are those who call themselves Christians.

This wanders into whether we should play into others delusions or not. Should I refer to my just out of the institution "relative" as Santa Claus as he insists? Don't I have the right to call a spade a spade?

[Slytovhand]

Aaaannnnndddd... If I choose to call myself an elephant, and expect everyone around me not only to call me an elephant, but to treat me like I'm an elephant??? And then, while I'm acting like an elephant, knock all your expensive glassware and crockery all over the place and take no responsibility for it..????

In the same way, calling yourself of a particular religion, but not acting in a way that would be consistent with it is hypocritical... and doesn't do a lot of good for the 'legitimates' trying to preach a more faithful and 'correct' version.

The sun is yellow. Anyone that disagrees is verifiably wrong.

Well.... actually, no... "yellow" is how we interpret frequencies via the eye. Others may perceive it differently. So, 'yellow' is qualitative, not quantitative. So 'verifiably' is only going to be defined as 'we agree'. (hehehe )

[guywithashovel]

Well.... actually, no... "yellow" is how we interpret frequencies via the eye. Others may perceive it differently. So, 'yellow' is qualitative, not quantitative. So 'verifiably' is only going to be defined as 'we agree'. (hehehe )

I read somewhere that the sun only appears yellow to us because of our atmosphere. The gases in our atmosphere mix with the sun's light and make it appear yellow to us. If we were out in outer space looking at the sun, it would appear white.

[Slytovhand]

I read somewhere that the sun only appears yellow to us because of our atmosphere. The gases in our atmosphere mix with the sun's light and make it appear yellow to us. If we were out in outer space looking at the sun, it would appear white.

Damn.. I forgot about that bit

[Flyndaran]

I read somewhere that the sun only appears yellow to us because of our atmosphere. The gases in our atmosphere mix with the sun's light and make it appear yellow to us. If we were out in outer space looking at the sun, it would appear white.

It would appear whiter, but still yellow.