| UK and Ireland ChristianForums.co.uk - A forum to discuss Christian issues in the UK. |
 | | 
7th June 2012, 11:09 AM
|  | Newbie
   
 | | Join Date: 23rd July 2011
Posts: 2,761
Blessings: 933,072 My Mood 
Reps: 33,796,279,410,751,016 (power: 33,796,279,410,755) | | | One way!
Jesus Christ alone said that He is the only way to heaven and to a right relationship with God. Jn 14 : 6 "I am the way the truth and the life, no-one comes to the Father except through me."
Obviously not a popular claim, but nonetheless it is exclusive to Him, for no other world religion/historical religious leader has, or can make this claim.
Why do you think that this is the case? |
7th June 2012, 11:22 AM
|  | The Agnostic, Ignostic, Apatheistic Atheist
  
| | Join Date: 2nd January 2010 Location: The Death Starbucks
Posts: 8,992
Blessings: 16,850,962 My Mood 
Reps: 671,138,758,507,202,560 (power: 671,138,758,507,214) | | | I doubt that Jesus has been the only person to have ever made this claim, given that many cults (and at the beginning Christianity was essentially a cult, like any other splinter group of a religion) revolve around a single leader through whom salvation/heaven/etc., is attained. The only thing we can be certain about is that Jesus' claim became the most successful.
As for why, too little is known about the historical Jesus to really make any conclusion. Some people advance the argument that he never really existed, and so this claim would be a later fabrication to attract people to the church.
__________________
Sarcasm is obviously the lowest form of wit. |
7th June 2012, 01:28 PM
|  | =
28
| | Join Date: 16th April 2012
Posts: 3,834
Blessings: 30,155
Reps: 120,281,017,870,334,736 (power: 120,281,017,870,339) | | Originally Posted by savedbygrace05  Jesus Christ alone said that He is the only way to heaven and to a right relationship with God. Jn 14 : 6 "I am the way the truth and the life, no-one comes to the Father except through me."
Obviously not a popular claim, but nonetheless it is exclusive to Him, for no other world religion/historical religious leader has, or can make this claim.
Why do you think that this is the case?
I don't. Multiple groups have claimed that it is the case, all of them about as credible. |
7th June 2012, 01:37 PM
|  | Faith Squad!
27    
| | Join Date: 1st August 2011 Location: Lancaster
Posts: 361
Blessings: 10,436 My Mood 
Reps: 18,355,380,879,562,300 (power: 18,355,380,879,564) | | | Old Testament prophecy, miricles performed in front of hundreds of people, contemporary secular writers documenting Jesus, Holy Spirit, I could go on :p
__________________
"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you" Matt 6:14
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
7th June 2012, 02:41 PM
|  | Really Senior Member
| | Join Date: 27th August 2011 Location: Surrey
Posts: 1,375
Blessings: 123,576 My Mood 
Reps: 9,791,982,705,698,224 (power: 9,791,982,705,701) | | Originally Posted by SithDoughnut I doubt that Jesus has been the only person to have ever made this claim, given that many cults (and at the beginning Christianity was essentially a cult, like any other splinter group of a religion) revolve around a single leader through whom salvation/heaven/etc., is attained. The only thing we can be certain about is that Jesus' claim became the most successful.
As for why, too little is known about the historical Jesus to really make any conclusion. Some people advance the argument that he never really existed, and so this claim would be a later fabrication to attract people to the church.
The bottom line is that there are only 2 possibilities - the claims made by Jesus as recorded in The Bible are either true or they are false.
If false, then it's the biggest hoax of all time. Some would say there is enough contrary evidence already to dismiss Christianity, although much of this evidence comes from makes inferences, rather than direct or primary evidence.
There is also the possibility that his claims are true. Even if this is not an equal possibility, it still exists as a possible permutation. It exists as a outcome to convince many Christians in this day and age.
To me personally, the claims of Jesus in particular and The Bible in general stand up to scrutiny and stand up against competing world views. If I've got it wrong, and when I die it's annihilation or reincarnation or whatever then I've not lost out on anything in this life. I enjoy my life as a Christian, and am heaps happier than when I was a non-Christian.
The inverse of this it was scares me - people who (in my view) "take the risk" that Christianity is false.
__________________
"...since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse...."
Romans 1:19-20 |
7th June 2012, 03:09 PM
| | The Agnostic, Ignostic, Apatheistic Atheist
| | Join Date: 2nd January 2010 Location: The Death Starbucks
Posts: 8,992
Blessings: 16,850,962 My Mood
Reps: 671,138,758,507,202,560 (power: 671,138,758,507,214) | | Originally Posted by ianb321red The bottom line is that there are only 2 possibilities - the claims made by Jesus as recorded in The Bible are either true or they are false.
Or that some are true and some are false. If false, then it's the biggest hoax of all time. Some would say there is enough contrary evidence already to dismiss Christianity, although much of this evidence comes from makes inferences, rather than direct or primary evidence.
Being false doesn't make it a hoax. A lie is not a lie if the person saying it believes it is true. To me personally, the claims of Jesus in particular and The Bible in general stand up to scrutiny and stand up against competing world views. If I've got it wrong, and when I die it's annihilation or reincarnation or whatever then I've not lost out on anything in this life.
Or you go to hell because you're not a Muslim. People tend to forget the "wrong religion" scenario. Christianity is not the only heaven/hell option. The inverse of this it was scares me - people who (in my view) "take the risk" that Christianity is false.
You've taken the risk that Islam is false, or that God doesn't reward atheists and not theists. There are an infinite number of "what if" scenarios, all just as valid as Christianity, and in any of them we could both be going to hell, or perhaps worse. So we might as well enjoy whatever life we're living, Christian or otherwise, and recognise that we've currently got a one in infinity chance of being correct.
__________________
Sarcasm is obviously the lowest form of wit. |
7th June 2012, 03:16 PM
| | =
28
| | Join Date: 16th April 2012
Posts: 3,834
Blessings: 30,155
Reps: 120,281,017,870,334,736 (power: 120,281,017,870,339) | | Originally Posted by Miser miricles performed in front of hundreds of people
Let's be accurate here - you have claims of hundreds of people witnessing it.
An account of hundreds of eyewitnesses is far from the same thing as hundreds of eyewitness accounts. |
7th June 2012, 03:22 PM
| | Veteran
| | Join Date: 27th December 2009
Posts: 2,883
Blessings: 10,443
Reps: 193,785,381,170,647,040 (power: 193,785,381,170,653) | | Originally Posted by savedbygrace05 Jesus Christ alone said that He is the only way to heaven and to a right relationship with God. Jn 14 : 6 "I am the way the truth and the life, no-one comes to the Father except through me."
Obviously not a popular claim, but nonetheless it is exclusive to Him, for no other world religion/historical religious leader has, or can make this claim.
Why do you think that this is the case?
Sounds similar to, Not through the letter of the law but through the spirit of the law.
To go above and beyond the law,
One who gives life recieves life.
Maybe that should be "saves a life" depending on how it is applied.
__________________
Yirat Hashem
Last edited by Robban; 7th June 2012 at 03:37 PM.
|
7th June 2012, 03:48 PM
| | Newbie
| | Join Date: 23rd July 2011
Posts: 2,761
Blessings: 933,072 My Mood
Reps: 33,796,279,410,751,016 (power: 33,796,279,410,755) | | Originally Posted by Gadarene I don't. Multiple groups have claimed that it is the case, all of them about as credible.
Interesting! Here we stand in the middle of 2012, with over 1900 years of church history, over 2 billion Christians alive in the world today. Each life a living testimony to Christ (not to mention those who have already gone ahead like CS Lewis), and you (and your likes) still question the credibility of Christianity! Now that is what I call arrogance. |
7th June 2012, 03:52 PM
| | Newbie
| | Join Date: 23rd July 2011
Posts: 2,761
Blessings: 933,072 My Mood
Reps: 33,796,279,410,751,016 (power: 33,796,279,410,755) | | Originally Posted by SithDoughnut
Or you go to hell because you're not a Muslim. People tend to forget the "wrong religion" scenario. Christianity is not the only heaven/hell option.
Islam came on the human scene about 700 years after Christ, and borrow much of their teaching from the bible. | | |
| Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode |
| | |
