I look at the numbers of witnesses that scripture mentions and when numbers are in the hundreds means more chances there are people who vary in religious, profession, cultural and scholarly backgrounds.
As a teenager several of my friends were basically forced to attend a Catholic high school. I assure you they were not angels. There really wasnt any difference between the Catholic school teens or the public school teens. Except the Catholic school teens had scars on their knuckles from the ruler carrying nuns.
Have you ever wondered who else got crucified for similar offenses before and after Jesus?
Literally thousands, Jesus’s crime was being labeled King of the Jews. This was viewed as not submitting to Rome. Many nonchristians were crucified for not acknowledging Rome’s absolute authority.
Quite a few Christians Ive talked to were suprised by the fact that crucifiction was a common thing. They thought it was a "special" sort of punishment reserved for Jesus. I was too back when I was a believer and first learned of it.
Right, he was crucified for Rebellion against Rome. At that time it was common. They didn't invent crucifixion for him because he did things so out of the ordinary. He wasn't charged for sorcery, or evil magician or anything relating to mystical actions. His fate was left up to his people. The very same ones that were supposedly witnesses to his God like doings. Either such things were commonplace that he didn't stand out or more likely he didn't perform miracles to the extent writers would have us believe.
I suspect that few would have studied Roman crime and punishment in the twentieth century. Most people I have talked to seemed to think it was irrelevant to the cult of the pursuit of happiness or very real need to pay the man and being one paycheck from being broke. Roman history was just not important to all but a rare few. On the other hand it was not a stretch for most who knew that there were two criminals equally crucified with Jesus. I think it would have registered that crucifixion was not an uncommon form of punishment for some crimes.
I like history in its entirety. I’ve read a great deal of history all my life. As I’ve traveled globe for my job I’ve tried to visit historical places to put things I’ve read about in context. Some scriptures describing some person walking between two cities is meaningless until you see the barren desert and the distance traveled.
Personal experience? Realistically you know that your own experience isn't folklore or poetic license or whatever, so it's more reliable than what others have written. But with all due respect, followers of nearly every religion have personal experiences that can confirm their belief in their religion. In other words, it's a very common facet of religion in general. It seems to me that if all religions have these, then either all religions are real/true, no religions are real/true, or there is one true god, but it reveals itself differently depending on the religion (or every human who can conceive the concept of religion). In the third situation, that would mean that no single religion is any better than any other religion. Something to think about!
I would say that it's only "a huge problem" when any religion gets powerful enough to enforce their beliefs on secular society. In other words, the very second that separation of church and state is threatened and a theocracy can get going, that's bad, bad news.
I totally disagree with you. Seperation of church and state has absolutely nothing to do with the practice of religion. The founders escaped a state where church and state were intwined with church able to hold lands and tax. The practice had actually taken root in a few places in the colonies. The abandonment of Juedo Christian practices in public is part of the rot of this nation.I would say that it's only "a huge problem" when any religion gets powerful enough to enforce their beliefs on secular society. In other words, the very second that separation of church and state is threatened and a theocracy can get going, that's bad, bad news.
I agree to a point: we need to teach our kids (or demonstrate) good morals
If you want to discuss that start another thread. I don’t to derail this topic. We differ greatly, which is ok. Demonstrates the libertaw thing is functioning.I agree to a point: we need to teach our kids (or demonstrate) good morals
ourselves at home. As for intellectual education, unless we can adequately teach our children all the subjects they need to know to a high degree of competency, then we need to send them to public schools, ideally the best we can afford. Nothing wrong with home schooling IF our home-schooling education standards meet or exceed what the kids will get in a public school. Not all public schools are bad - it depends on the neighborhood/county/state you live in. The media only shows us the "woke" maniac schools or the inner-city violent schools, not the normal schools.
Agree! I just posted something that really warrants its own thread - I'll delete it (after I save it) in case the subject comes up in another thread.
A family member of mine teaches at a Catholic school. No more ruler-toting nuns teaching these days, or at least at their school.
You don't have to be Catholic to teach there or attend. Teachers & students can "opt out" of the religious stuff. Most of the kids are fairly well behaved because their parents are paying out of their own pocket, and they are involved in their kids' progress and behavior and whatnot. But the kids do get a quality education if only because if the kids are running amuck, they cannot learn.
A pretty grusome way to go for sure. We've made it much more palatable these days.
No more ruler toting nuns?????A family member of mine teaches at a Catholic school. No more ruler-toting nuns teaching these days, or at least at their school.
Teachers have to have some control over their class.
Its a bit odd to me they didnt worry about him miracling himself off the cross and turn them all into lepers or something.
Not sure I completely agree with sending them to a Christian school as "passing the buck". Can also be just an attempt to change their surroundings and hope that helps where everything else has failed.
