Continuation from a NCE thread:

[Sphere]

This thread:

http://christianforums.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=46860864

There are a lot of holes in Mr. Klare's thought piece.

[...]

What if it's true? Have you thought about eternity lately?

What does your deity have to offer over Thor, Buddha, or Brahma? Moreover, what does your faith have to offer over Judaism or Islam?

Have you thought about your eternity lately? Maybe you're practicing the wrong flavor of Christianity. Are you a mormon? A jehova's witness? A catholic? Lutheran? The odds of you adhering to the True® version aren't good.

Being real, for starters.

Can you prove that Allah, Thor, Buddha, Brahma aren't real?

Can you prove that your deity is real?]

Also, what makes your flavor of Christianity "better" than the other countless denominations?

 

[HypnoToad]

Have you read the Questions by Non-Christians guidelines or the notice right above your post? This area is not for apologetics and debate, which your quotes suggest you're doing here.

 

[IisJustMe]

Exactly. When I invited you here, Crim., I was intending to answer your questions, not start an argument. Your choice.

 

[Sphere]

Answer the questions, and if I have more, i'll ask.

What's the problem? Don't turn this into something it's not.

 

[BlackAndy]

Though I am sure this will not suffice, 1 Corinthians 1:18 through 25 reads:

18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."
20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

 

[Sphere]

It doesn't answer my questions.

 

[RevCowboy]

This thread:

http://christianforums.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=46860864
Originally Posted by Criminology

http://christianforums.com/showthread.php?p=46904543#post46904543

What does your deity have to offer over Thor, Buddha, or Brahma? Moreover, what does your faith have to offer over Judaism or Islam?

Have you thought about your eternity lately? Maybe you're practicing the wrong flavor of Christianity. Are you a mormon? A jehova's witness? A catholic? Lutheran? The odds of you adhering to the True® version aren't good.
​

Originally Posted by Criminology

Can you prove that Allah, Thor, Buddha, Brahma aren't real?

Can you prove that your deity is real?]

Also, what makes your flavor of Christianity "better" than the other countless denominations?
​

This is a rather interesting set of questions (and clearly has spilled over from a forum with some history), but I will attempt chip in my two cents as far as they worth anything.

Regarding the question as to what our deity has to offer, I am no expert on other religions, but I have studied them some and I think that Christianity can make the claim that its God offers free and radical grace, or "forensic justification" as we theologians like to call it. We are justified freely by no work of our own, it s God alone who saves. As far as I know with my limited knowledge, this seems to unique among religions. In Islam and Judaism one must follow the law, in Buddhism and Hinduism one must achieve enlightenment.

Regarding your follow up about the "true religion", there are Christians (a great many of them) who do not hold a developed theology of justification (or really much of developed theology or body of confessions), so this notion of "forensic justification" is really preached by Christians, instead many mistakenly proclaim that we must also do work to earn our salvation such as "have enough faith".

Regarding proving whether our God is real and others not. There is no empirical proof regarding the existence or non-existence of any deity (although I have a cousin name Tor [Thor is the English corruption], so perhaps he does exist). God existence is evidenced by subjective human experience, however, more and more subjective human experience is the blight and corruption of science. Or IOW, the philosophers of sciences are recognizing that so called "objective observation" is impossible. I would suggest that subjective human experience is really all we have to go by in this world.

And finally, what I makes my denomination better. Well everyone knows that Lutherans are the best theologians. But seriously, "You gotta dance with the one what brought ya". Denominations are largely cultural divisions but are increasingly a sign of the variety that exists within humanity. We don't all wear the same clothes or eat the same food, and certainly we couldn't all go to the same church.

I hope this a different view than you are accustomed to Criminology. I know that discussions with some of my Christian brothers and sisters can be trying at times, I experience much of the same unfortunately.