WHAT DOES CHRISTIANITY MEAN TO YOU?

[sky]

Originally Posted by Molearner

Sky123,

Thank God for the wiggle room that ‘can destroy’ implies as opposed to what ‘will destroy’ would have promised.....:). In the end we are left to hope and believe that God is a God of mercy. Maybe I should provide verses about the mercy of God ?

Hell seems to have so many different meanings it needs it's own dictionary

[Phaelyn]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

mistranslated a word.

It could have been "mistranslated" on purpose.

History has tons of virgin birth stories... Here are a few that pre-date Christianity.

Romulus and Remus, twin founders of Rome, born of the virgin Rhea Silvia. In ancient Egypt, Ra (the Sun) was born of a virgin mother, Net; Horus was the son of the virgin Isis.

The Phrygo-Roman god, Attis, was born of a virgin, Nana, on December 25. He went on to be killed and was resurrected.

In ancient Greece, Dionysos was the son of either the virgin Semele or the virgin Persephone. Persephone was also the virgin mother of Jason. And Plato’s mother, Perictione, was a virgin.

There are lot's more in all cultures and religions.

Many of the attributes of Isis, the God-mother, the mother of Horus; and of Neith, the goddess of Sais are identical with those of Mary the Mother of Christ."

There is a myth on the birth of Hatshepsut. In this myth, Amun goes to Queen Ahmose in the form of the Pharaoh Thutmose I and awakens her with pleasant odors. At this point Amun places the ankh, a symbol of life, to Ahmose's nose, and Hatshepsut is conceived by Ahmose. Another myth on divine birth concerns Amenhotep III: he is conceived by Amun which has gone to queen Mutemwiya in form of Thutmosis IV

One reality is in the male dominated ancient world, women could be put to death for losing their virginity. That probably plays into some of these stories. Also, that the "mother" of a "god" should be chaste, pure, undefiled.

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by Phaelyn

It could have been "mistranslated" on purpose.

History has tons of virgin birth stories... Here are a few that pre-date Christianity.

Romulus and Remus, twin founders of Rome, born of the virgin Rhea Silvia. In ancient Egypt, Ra (the Sun) was born of a virgin mother, Net; Horus was the son of the virgin Isis.

The Phrygo-Roman god, Attis, was born of a virgin, Nana, on December 25. He went on to be killed and was resurrected.

In ancient Greece, Dionysos was the son of either the virgin Semele or the virgin Persephone. Persephone was also the virgin mother of Jason. And Plato’s mother, Perictione, was a virgin.

There are lot's more in all cultures and religions.

Many of the attributes of Isis, the God-mother, the mother of Horus; and of Neith, the goddess of Sais are identical with those of Mary the Mother of Christ."

There is a myth on the birth of Hatshepsut. In this myth, Amun goes to Queen Ahmose in the form of the Pharaoh Thutmose I and awakens her with pleasant odors. At this point Amun places the ankh, a symbol of life, to Ahmose's nose, and Hatshepsut is conceived by Ahmose. Another myth on divine birth concerns Amenhotep III: he is conceived by Amun which has gone to queen Mutemwiya in form of Thutmosis IV

One reality is in the male dominated ancient world, women could be put to death for losing their virginity. That probably plays into some of these stories. Also, that the "mother" of a "god" should be chaste, pure, undefiled.

EXCELLENT POINTS

especially that it could have been a deliberate mistranslation............

and then you look at the various Christian 'sects' that firmly believe Mary was a virgin................. even though that is based on a mistranslation.

[Phaelyn]

Another one is why Jesus's birth was made to be December 25. The people already had a major day of celebration on that day. It's pretty crazy when you look at the similarities of winter solstice celebrations (the birth of the sun) and Christian celebrations (the birth of the son). In the Julian calendar, the twenty-fifth of December was the winter solstice, and it was regarded as the Nativity or Birth of the Sun, because the day begins to lengthen and the power of the sun to increase from that turning-point of the year.

In the ritual of the nativity of the solstice, the celebrants retired into certain inner shrines, from which at midnight they issued with a loud cry, “The Virgin has brought forth! The light is waxing!” The Egyptians even represented the new-born sun by the image of an infant which on his birthday, the winter solstice, they brought forth and exhibited to his worshippers. The Virgin who conceived and bore a son, symbolizing a new sun, on the winter solstice, the twenty-fifth of December, was the great Oriental goddess whom the Semites called the Heavenly Virgin or simply the Heavenly Goddess; in Semitic lands she was a form of Astarte. Now Mithra was regularly identified by his worshippers with the Sun, the Unconquered Sun, as they called him, his nativity also fell on the twenty-fifth of December.

So since December 25th was already a huge celebration of the sun, and involved a virgin birth, Christians leaders made it the official birth date of Jesus, even though there is no birth date given in the Bible. Celebration of the birth of the son of God, verses the celebration of the birth of a new sun.... the two went together very nice, much of the symbolism was the same, virgin birth and so forth.... There are actually two writings historians have found from those times where Church leaders are telling people to be sure to understand it is about celebrating the birth of Christ and not the birth of the sun, the winter solstice.

Historians found writings by Augustine where he told his fellow Christians not to celebrate that solemn day like "the heathen on account of the sun, but on account of him who made the sun." Likewise, Leo the Great spoke out against the wide spread belief at that time that Christmas was solemnised because of the birth of the new sun, as it was called, and not because of the nativity of Christ.

[BigJohn]

EXCELLENT POINTS!

And then there is Easter which has changed ..... to what it is today.

It is amazing that the more you look at what is today considered Christian, in many ways, they are beliefs not taught by Jesus but never the less are considered to be factual.

And then if you look, their are some 'Christians' who do not participate in this altered form of Christianity.

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by sky123

'



Oh dear Mathew and Mark must be telling lies,

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

Mark 9:43 48-49.


And more if you do a little research......

sky123, if you also do a little more research, you will find, more and more translations are removing HELL from their Bibles. Even some of the Apostles' Creeds, which I have no control over (LOL!), have removed HELL.

Originally Posted by BigJohn

sky123, if you also do a little more research, you will find, more and more translations are removing HELL from their Bibles. Even some of the Apostles Creeds, which I have no control over (LOL!), have removed HELL.

BigJohn,

If you could share some examples of what is used instead of hell

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by Molearner

BigJohn,

If you could share some examples of what is used instead of hell

Fair enough question which desires a fair answer.


As regards the Apostles' Creed

one NEWER version some people use, reads
"He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead."


another NEW version reads
"suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead."


The Catholic version reads
"suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell.


The Church of England has one OLDER version that reads
"Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead, and buried:
He descended into hell."
.

Another version the Church of England uses a NEWER version which reads
"suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead."

The Lutheran Church's version reads
"suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead."


As you can see, some newer version of the Apostles' Creed no longer use the word HELL.

Originally Posted by BigJohn

Fair enough question which desires a fair answer.


As regards the Apostles Creed

one NEWER version some people use, reads
"He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead."


another NEW version reads
"suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead."


The Catholic version reads
"suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell.


The Church of England has one OLDER version that reads
"Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead, and buried:
He descended into hell."
.

Another version the Church of England uses a NEWER version which reads
"suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead."

Dead or hell.....hmmm....it’s a hell of a choice...:). And thanks for answering...I appreciate it... it

[BigJohn]

      
                             # OF TIMES
                              THE WORD
                                  "HELL"
              APPEARS IN VARIOUS BIBLES


BIBLE TRANSLATION                            OT          NT       TOTAL

"Authorized" King James Version (KJV)       31          23          54
New King James Version (NKJV)                 19          13          32
New International Version (NIV)                  0           13          13
American Standard Version (ASV)                0           13          13
New American Standard Bible (NASB)          0           13          13
Revised Standard Version (RSV)                  0            12         12
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)         0            12         12
Revised English Bible (REB)                         0            13         13
New Living Translation (NLT)                        0            13         13
New American Bible Revised Edition
(NABRE) Roman Catholic                             0             0           0
Wesley's New Testament (1755)                   0             0           0
Twentieth Century New Testament (1900)     0             0           0
Emphatic Diaglott,
Greek/English Interlinear (Wilson, 1942)       0             0           0
New American Bible (1970)                          0             0           0
Restoration of Original
Sacred Name Bible (1976)                           0              0          0