.............can't provide evidence of a negative or non-happening.......................
OK believers, time to put up or shut up...
by Gregor 238 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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BizzyBee
.........but I take it on faith.....................
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Scully
Ok, here's the deal... Dammit!, I was about to post something brilliant, brilliant I tell you! But the Sopranos starts in 11 minutes and I still have to get a slice of pie and a glass of milk.
At least you have your priorities in order.
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AuldSoul
BizzyBee,
??? What? Sorry, was that in response to my reply or the initial post?
If mine, I don't understand what negative or non-happening you are referring to. Stating that I am glad there are horses and cattles that don't like apples indicates that I have personal knowledge of horses and cattle that don't like apples, otherwise it is a senseless statement and my "glad" state is based on imagination as opposed to reality. I should be able to cite examples if I make such a positive assertion.
That's why I don't positively assert the existence of God. If you are responding to the initial post...I didn't really understand how it applied.
Respectfully,
AuldSoul -
lovelylil
Tacitus on Jesus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Roman historian Tacitus wrote concerning the Great Fire of Rome, in book 15, chapter 44 of his Annals (c. 116):- But not all the relief that could come from man, not all the bounties that the prince could bestow, nor all the atonements which could be presented to the gods, availed to relieve Nero from the infamy of being believed to have ordered the conflagration, the fire of Rome. Hence to suppress the rumor, he falsely charged with the guilt, and punished Christians, who were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius: but the pernicious superstition, repressed for a time broke out again, not only through Judea, where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind.
Here is even the information that is not very flattering, just so you don't say I am biased.
Some scholars, such as Gordon Stein, have suggested that this passage could be a later textual interpolation by Christian scribes[1]; others, such as Georges Ory, that the name was originally Chrestus, with Christus being a later substitution[2]. The 19th-century scholar John Wilson Ross suggested that the Annals themselves had been forged by the Renaissance humanist Poggio Bracciolini, but his thesis has found no support among classicists and palaeographers.[3] Unlike the case with Josephus on Jesus, however, there is less clear evidence for doubting the authenticity of this text; debate focuses rather on the nature of Tacitus's sources[4].
Tacitus is considered the most reliable scholar of his time. He had access to Roman archives, and his only mistakes arose from occasional reliance on secondary sources. In this case he could have been using either Christian sources or Roman archives. It is argued that if he had been using Roman archives, he should have identified Pontius Pilate as a "prefect" rather than a "procurator," since Pilate is known from a surviving inscription to have been prefect (i.e. governor), as is also stated in the Gospels. The more serious criticism is that the records would have identified Jesus by his given name rather than "Christus." In addition, Christian accounts were readily available while centuries of inquiry have turned up no authentic contemporaneous Roman documents related to a historical Jesus
I think you have to take the information for what you want to believe
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lovelylil
Here is a link that has quotes from many other secular historians about Jesus;
http://www.myfortress.org/historians.html
Hope this helps.
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BizzyBee
Sorry, Auld - sometimes I forget to reference -
There is no evidence of which I am aware of any scientist curtailing research because they believe "God will take care of it." Nor am I aware of any instance where a scientist was unable to take the path (or was even tempted to take the path) that "God will take care of it" and was therefore led to any great discovery...or mediocre discovery.
The fact or knowledge of a scientific discovery or pursuit that does not happen obviously cannot be substantiated. But, IMO, there have been paths of scientific inquiry in the past 1,000 years not pursued because of religious beliefs - either on the part of the inidividual scientist or imposed by a religious taboo.
Sometimes these discussions just have to be taken with a grain of salt - no matter how much evidence or lack thereof, we will not reach agreement. I'm good with that.
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AuldSoul
But, IMO, there have been paths of scientific inquiry in the past 1,000 years not pursued because of religious beliefs - either on the part of the inidividual scientist or imposed by a religious taboo.
BizzyBee,
I am fine with your approach, because you admit up front that your opinion has no basis beyond conjecture. You don't imply that you know of cases where the only reason certain advances were made (particularly in the field of medicine—a hard science) is because the scientists and researchers involved were unable to "let go and let God."
But as many things as have been recorded that have been either done because of religious beliefs or avoided because of religious beliefs, I am surprised that none of the ones I've seen relate to a concept of "let God take care" of it in any way.
Respectfully,
AuldSoul -
BizzyBee
But as many things as have been recorded that have been either done because of religious beliefs or avoided because of religious beliefs, I am surprised that none of the ones I've seen relate to a concept of "let God take care" of it in any way.
As "let God take care of it" is a very fluid concept - indeed, simply being a hypothetical, unvoiced, undocumented, thought - I'm still good with it.
Going to work out my body now - my brain is tired!
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beksbks
Auld,
Soooo if I sink, I'm innocent. If I float I'm guilty........................ Stop the inquisition! I confess! I'm guilty of being a casual poster! You can relax, I'm sure your place in heaven has been assured, you have soundly beaten me into submission.
Please give my deepest sympathy to your wife. If you don't have one, then I thank you for not contributing to the pain, and suffering in the world.
By the way, feel free NOT to PM me anymore. You may have the last word.
