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The only essential belief in Hinduism is that the Vedas are inspired (based on some lectures I watched on a Great Courses DVD at least). The Bhagavad Gita is treasured by lots of Hindus, but it isn't part of the Vedas. It's probably analogous to the book of Job. Christians like Job because it tries to resolve some theological problems, but they don't all consider it historical necessarily.I don't know. Would it all depend upon whether Arjuna actually existed and whether or not he actually killed his cousins at the behest of Krishna?
Potentially we can prove that Jesus didn't rise from the dead. There is the hypothesis that Jesus never existed, and although most historians dismiss this hypothesis we might find new evidence that confirms that Jesus never existed. Another possibility would be to find the bones of Jesus or historical references to the bones of Jesus. Then the Christians must change their story and say it was a "spiritual" resurrection instead of a physical resurrection.I think it's best to simply ask the person what would suffice as a debunking. If they say, "Prove that Jesus didn't rise from the dead" then you can reply with, "What can I show that would demonstrate that?" Eventually they will shift from trying to force you to prove a negative into trying to prove a positive, and that's when they will be in trouble.
Can it be debunked fully? No. No more than any other religion can, however, that alone should serve to discredit individual faiths as being 'objectively true' because ultimately they all rely on faith in the absence of proofs.
Most 'evidence' brought forward is from holy texts which, ironically, require faith to take as any authority in the first place.
So no, it can't be debunked fully but no faith can be objectively proven either. That leaves us with the outlook that we can't be sure it's wrong, but there's nothing to suggest x, y or z are true any more than other faith systems.
People then typically argue that "it's better to have faith just in case" but really, if a god exists and they would punish us for choosing wrong in what is equivalent to "pick a hand" when they have thousands of hands, well, begs the question on whether that's a character worthy of respect, let alone love or worship.
Nothing is 100%. If I said "100%" then I'm sorry to have confused the issue.
There are plenty of religions that can be debunked. Scientology can potentially be debunked by showing the L. Ron Hubbard invented the facts. The same is true for Mormonism. Potentially we could discover that Muhammad didn't exist or that the Quran and Islam were invented after the Muslim Conquests (as a few believe).
Christianity is just as vulnerable to debunking, because it makes historical claims.
There are religions that are less vulnerable to debunking (such as Hinduism mentioned by @Steve Petersen a few posts up). If a religion doesn't claim anything historical or physical then it isn't as vulnerable IMO.
The only essential belief in Hinduism is that the Vedas are inspired (based on some lectures I watched on a Great Courses DVD at least). The Bhagavad Gita is treasured by lots of Hindus, but it isn't part of the Vedas. It's probably analogous to the book of Job. Christians like Job because it tries to resolve some theological problems, but they don't all consider it historical necessarily.
What "zombie parade"? And exactly what "must" be shown to debunk Christianity? Does someone have a time machine stashed away somewhere by which we can go back and verify or unverify anything about Jesus?But how do we debunk Matthew's zombie parade aside from showing that there is absolutely no historical record of it? And even if we did so to the satisfaction of every Christian on earth, it would accomplish very little. It all stands or falls on the resurrection of Christ. No Christian I know of has firmly established what one must show in order to debunk the resurrection, indicating either that they don't know of any such thing or that they know it is not in their best interests to set up unmoving goal posts.
One important aspect of Hinduism to consider is the possibility that the Caste System was a later addition to the overall and ongoing collection of these ancient sets of belief. And if my memory serves me right, it theoretically came later with the onset of what are called the Aryan invasion. However, even if it wasn't a later addition, and the Aryan Invasion isn't a correct theory, it does seem to be a bit unhumanitarian either way, doesn't it? Now, let's jump on over to the Old Testament and tear it a new one, too, shall we?I know very little about Hinduism, aside from the fact that it is useless and cruel (like nearly every single religion on earth).
Potentially we can prove that Jesus didn't rise from the dead. There is the hypothesis that Jesus never existed, and although most historians dismiss this hypothesis we might find new evidence that confirms that Jesus never existed. Another possibility would be to find the bones of Jesus or historical references to the bones of Jesus. Then the Christians must change their story and say it was a "spiritual" resurrection instead of a physical resurrection.
I was reading about "The Great Disappointment" yesterday where Millerite Christians eagerly expected the Second Coming on a particular date in the 1800s. Surprisingly the failure of this prediction was NOT the end of the religious group. That is what I suspect happened with the Jesus Movement. First Jesus was crucified, so they had to modify their theology. Then the Kingdom of Heaven never arrived, so they had to change it up again. Also the defeat and destruction of the Jerusalem Temple must have necessitated some rethinking of Christianity.
I've never actually read any Hindu texts except the Bhagavad Gita, but I think your impression is correct. This is why Hinduism is more resistant to debunking.there was barely the hint of anything resembling----to me, anyway---any kind of historical material.
I've never actually read any Hindu texts except the Bhagavad Gita, but I think your impression is correct. This is why Hinduism is more resistant to debunking.
Dickson in the introduction to "The Christ Files" DVD mentions this issue. Christianity makes historical claims and dares people to disprove them (unlike other religions such as Wicca or Hinduism). Of course Christianity isn't the only religion that is potentially vulnerable to history. Islam and Mormonism are vulnerable too.
"FBUH" instead of "PBUH" - yeah, I like that LOL. Another possibility is "Muhammad (SYFP)" ("see you in the funny pages"I haven't looked into the existence of Muhammad (feces be upon him), but I would think that his existence has been independently verified given his involvement in conquests.
I think one fundamental claim of Christianity is "Christ". Christians claim Jesus was God's promised Jewish Messiah. The Resurrection is mainly important because it seems to demonstrate God's approval of Jesus. (I'm trying to imagine the barest-minimum form of Christianity.)But how do we debunk Matthew's zombie parade aside from showing that there is absolutely no historical record of it? And even if we did so to the satisfaction of every Christian on earth, it would accomplish very little. It all stands or falls on the resurrection of Christ. No Christian I know of has firmly established what one must show in order to debunk the resurrection, indicating either that they don't know of any such thing or that they know it is not in their best interests to set up unmoving goal posts.
What "zombie parade"?
And exactly what "must" be shown to debunk Christianity?
Does someone have a time machine stashed away somewhere by which we can go back and verify or unverify anything about Jesus?
One important aspect of Hinduism to consider is the possibility that the Caste System was a later addition to the overall and ongoing collection of these ancient sets of belief. And if my memory serves me right, it theoretically came later with the onset of what are called the Aryan invasion. However, even if it wasn't a later addition, and the Aryan Invasion isn't a correct theory, it does seem to be a bit unhumanitarian either way, doesn't it?
Now, let's jump on over to the Old Testament and tear it a new one, too, shall we?
My faith in Christianity has withered to the point that I have a hard time imagining ever believing again, but I like to double-check my conclusions periodically.
So I started in the style of a proof by counter example. Assume Christianity in some basic and standard form is true. Can I find a counter example to debunk this assumption to my satisfaction? Or must I rely on the lack of positive evidence and unlikeliness of Christian claims?
Is there some core assumption of Christianity shared by Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox (so that nobody can dodge the bullet) and then a counter example that would convince a reasonable person that this core assumption is extremely unlikely if not impossible?
EDIT: And exclude the assumptions from Christian scholasticism such as omnipotence, omnibenevolence, etc. I don't consider those things core assumptions. A core assumption might be "the crucifixion served a divine purpose". That's the type of thing I'm after.
"FBUH" instead of "PBUH" - yeah, I like that LOL. Another possibility is "Muhammad (SYFP)" ("see you in the funny pages")
There are a few scholars who believe that Islam was invented AFTER the conquest as a way to legitimize the new empire. There is surprisingly little evidence that Islam or the Quran existed during the time of the conquests. Those scholars are a minority though.
I think one fundamental claim of Christianity is "Christ". Christians claim Jesus was God's promised Jewish Messiah. The Resurrection is mainly important because it seems to demonstrate God's approval of Jesus. (I'm trying to imagine the barest-minimum form of Christianity.)
A second fundamental claim is that Christianity somehow represents the teachings of Jesus (however imperfectly).
A third fundamental claim is that Judaism was God's chosen and revealed religion.
So my personal approach has been to learn the origins of Judaism and its many fundamental changes over time, and to persuade myself that Jesus was an Essene who believed that God was going to overthrow the existing order and install Jesus on the throne in Jerusalem as the Messiah. (In a nutshell that's been my strategy.) If I can persuade myself of these things, then Christianity isn't viable for me.
The key historical claim of Islam is that a God revealed the Quran to Muhammad, and that Muhammad's life was an example of righteousness. The fact that the Quran apparently includes the infancy stories about Jesus and Mary as historical fact makes it uninspired IMO. Also the belief that Jesus escaped death at His crucifixion apparently comes from the discredited gospel of Peter. Islam is easy to scratch off my list of possible beliefs IMO.I've read and studied the entire Qu'ran, and I don't see any history there either, other than prophetic rhetoric and frequent allusions (and reinterpretations) to the Old Testament and to bits and pieces of New Testament ideas. Mormonism is much like Islam in presenting a "new," additional revelation to the world (supposedly), yet again, with basically no historical reality reflected in the stories in the Book of Mormon. At least Christianity has some historical clout to it, even if it seems its all a bit under what we'd like it to be by today's historical standards.
I think it might be several factors:Interesting. Why are those scholars in the minority if the evidence for Muhammad (FBUH) is
Yes, I figured those were the verses you were referring to. However, I'm not seeing any zombies there, and I think that to impugn those verses with such cheap language is to dismiss them without trying to apply any hermeneutical acumen to them, even if they turn out not to be true. [But I'm not saying that I think they're indeed false, but more likely misunderstood or assumed to mean something which they don't.]Matthew 27:52-53
Oh my Gosh, NV!! How many times do I have to reiterate that when it comes to religious belief, religious literature, and/or religious truth, particularly as it pertains to Christian faith, I'm not a Foundationalist, nor an Evidentialist in the Cliffordian vain. I'm more of an Existentialist with Coherentist leanings in this regard. But in the area of science and cosmology, I'll do what mainstream scientists do: use the Scientific Method with Methodological Naturalism and see where that leads me. Gee ....... wiz, NV!You tell me. I assume there's some place in your reasoning where you have a "___ , therefore Christianity." I imagine there would be several such pillars.
If you have no pillars, then what does your faith rest on?
Is it chocolate chip? I love me a chocolate chip cookie!No, but I have a cookie. Here you go.
Yeah...........I'm not going there today.Sounds good.
That is good advice. In 2009 I had that mental breakdown I mentioned earlier. Shortly after joining CF (2012?) I learned about psychosis from a therapist and that seemed to explain my experiences from 2009. But I had a hard time fully accepting this explanation, and as long as any significant doubt remained I continued to have problems with magical thinking and so on. I thought that atheism would be solution for my mental health, so I started learning as much as I could about the history of Christianity in hopes that I could fully kill my faith and heal my mind.I'm not sure why you would set out to persuade yourself of anything... other than that you should accept the truth, whether it's bitter or sweet.
Whether Lord, liar, lunatic, legend, or lore, if you set out to persuade yourself that Jesus was one of these predetermined conclusions then you will warp your reasoning to accommodate your bias.
Simply set your bias aside, value the truth for its own sake, and make your observations.
That is good advice. In 2009 I had that mental breakdown I mentioned earlier. Shortly after joining CF (2012?) I learned about psychosis from a therapist and that seemed to explain my experiences from 2009. But I had a hard time fully accepting this explanation, and as long as any significant doubt remained I continued to have problems with magical thinking and so on. I thought that atheism would be solution for my mental health, so I started learning as much as I could about the history of Christianity in hopes that I could fully kill my faith and heal my mind.
So that is why my approach has been goal-oriented and maybe a little biased. Interestingly what helped me the most in healing was being forced to confront one of my delusional fears and realizing that it was only a delusion. However, by that time, I had already read too many skeptical books about Christianity to change my course back to faith, so I was already basically an atheist.
That is partly why I like to revisit my conclusions on Christianity sometimes. My thinking isn't always very organized, and sometimes I make mistakes - especially under the circumstances of the past few years. I'm not sure I was fair to Christianity.
I think it might be several factors:
(1) No scholar wants to be labeled an Islamaphobe.
(2) A lot of the source material scholars need to study is controlled by Muslim clerics who could potentially cut them off.
(3) Sometimes the research grants for studying Islam come from Muslims and that could be cut off too.
(4) The ideas are new and haven't had time to propagate.
(5) Also there is the potential of some young Muslim fanatic trying to kill you. I believe one of the books is published under a false name for this reason. I haven't really read much on this, because Islam isn't a serious contender in my religious horse race.
Here is a Wikipedia article giving an overview:
Historicity of Muhammad - Wikipedia
That is good advice. In 2009 I had that mental breakdown I mentioned earlier. Shortly after joining CF (2012?) I learned about psychosis from a therapist and that seemed to explain my experiences from 2009. But I had a hard time fully accepting this explanation, and as long as any significant doubt remained I continued to have problems with magical thinking and so on. I thought that atheism would be solution for my mental health, so I started learning as much as I could about the history of Christianity in hopes that I could fully kill my faith and heal my mind.
So that is why my approach has been goal-oriented and maybe a little biased. Interestingly what helped me the most in healing was being forced to confront one of my delusional fears and realizing that it was only a delusion. However, by that time, I had already read too many skeptical books about Christianity to change my course back to faith, so I was already basically an atheist.
That is partly why I like to revisit my conclusions on Christianity sometimes. My thinking isn't always very organized, and sometimes I make mistakes - especially under the circumstances of the past few years. I'm not sure I was fair to Christianity.
Yes, I figured those were the verses you were referring to. However, I'm not seeing any zombies there, and I think that to impugn those verses with such cheap language is to dismiss them without trying to apply any hermeneutical acumen to them, even if they turn out not to be true. [But I'm not saying that I think they're indeed false, but more likely misunderstood or assumed to mean something which they don't.]
Oh my Gosh, NV!! How many times do I have to reiterate that when it comes to religious belief, religious literature, and/or religious truth, particularly as it pertains to Christian faith, I'm not a Foundationalist, nor an Evidentialist in the Cliffordian vain. I'm more of an Existentialist with Coherentist leanings in this regard. But in the area of science and cosmology, I'll do what mainstream scientists do: use the Scientific Method with Methodological Naturalism and see where that leads me. Gee ....... wiz, NV!(Moreover, see what I wrote to Cloudy above in post #192.)
Is it chocolate chip? I love me a chocolate chip cookie!
Yeah...........I'm not going there today.
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