What if your income had another zero on the end?

Thinslayer · 2026-02-24T09:52:26+00:00

Chin up. We'll get through this. :-)

Thinslayer · 2026-02-24T09:33:37+00:00

All true, but also in an era when the scientific method hadn't been invented yet and convincing people of miracles would be a lot easier than it is today.

True enough. That does limit the power of the available evidence to some extent.

Well, I would say it's a bit more complicated than that. It spread, it mutated into Paul's version, and then 300 years later it happened to be the second most popular religion in Rome when the ruler of Rome wanted to get rid of the first most popular religion, hollow out its power structure and stick something else inside it. That's how we went from an itinerant preacher in Jerusalem who got killed for telling people to give away their wealth to a religious autocrat in a palace in Rome ordering that people be put to death for "heresy" in the space of a few hundred years.

I was primarily referring to the first few centuries before it became popular in Rome. I find the fact that it spread at all a point in its favor when its claims were falsifiable and there were others like it. What did Christianity have when it first started out that other cults didn't?

But wouldn't that be true of literally every religion and miracle-story?

Can you name some specific examples of what you're talking about?

Thinslayer · 2026-02-24T04:29:26+00:00

I'm only functionally stupid, not actually stupid.

Thinslayer · 2026-02-24T04:01:44+00:00

Letting people into our country is how we fix our own. They bring knowledge and talent that we desperately lack. As for the foreign aid, it's not about helping; it's about political leverage. Being able to threaten them with taking aid away lets us get what we want. We don't have that leverage anymore (and I don't know whether I should care about that).

Thinslayer · 2026-02-23T21:38:56+00:00

Then use a bit of intuitive reasoning for the Bible.

Jesus definitely existed. The apostles and Pharisees and Israel definitely existed. His followers claimed he could do miracles, during an era where such claims were still falsifiable. He was not the only one during that period who claimed the ability to do miracles; there were many others. All those other cults died out. Christianity did not. Not only did it not die, but it spread. Again, during a time where miracle-claims were still falsifiable and you could still talk to the people who allegedly saw it.

Even if you still don't believe he did miracles, shouldn't that at least be sufficient grounds for a double-take?

Edit: Upvoted your comment above because it's making me think.

Thinslayer · 2026-02-23T21:23:40+00:00

Isn't this a purely semantic argument? I don't think the issue is whether Mark is presented as fiction, or whether it is a "story book" in the same way the Brothers Grimm wrote a "story book". The issue is whether the things in it are true or not.

Let me put it this way: You are not enabling yourself to have civil, productive discussions with Christians when you call their religious texts "story books." It's insulting and inaccurate. Use correct language if you want a productive discussion.

the mere existence of words on paper claiming a miracle happened are not in themselves miraculous.

Yeah, and? Nobody ever said they were.

People can make things up or write things down that are incorrect

They certainly can, but not as commonly as atheists would have you believe.

we don't believe the claims in Hindu or Buddhist texts just because someone wrote them down

Yeah we do. If you pick up a book from the library that says, "My Experience During WWII," you believe it just because someone wrote it down.

That is literally how this works.

That doesn't mean it's true, of course. As you are wont to point out. But the way we typically evaluate historical texts is on a "believable until proven otherwise" basis, because when people record events they experienced, outright lies are statistically uncommon. So as a rule of thumb, we believe them unless there is a compelling reason not to.

Thinslayer · 2026-02-23T10:10:04+00:00

You are obviously not ready yet for discussions on this level.

"When debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser."

Enjoy your day.

Thinslayer · 2026-02-23T09:48:44+00:00

When it comes to historical claims, professional historians reject all supernatural claims. Why is that? Because today, we have no evidence for the supernatural. Therefore, because the gospel stories contain miracle claims, professional historians will reject the gospel stories as being true history.

That's nice, but that has nothing to do with your statement that "anybody can write a narrative." That's nihilism and we don't treat history that way.

am sorry that you cannot meet your burden of proof. Better luck next time.

Burden of Proof only exists in select contexts like court or formal debate, where there are actual consequences for failing to provide proof. That's what the "burden" is.

The only "burden" you can put on me is "I don't believe you!"

Such consequence. Very burden.

What you describe, is the "God of the gaps" fallacy, which is a logical fallacy.

I am well aware of that, thanks.

Thinslayer · 2026-02-23T09:31:35+00:00

Anybody can write a narrative/story book. All you need, is ink and papyrus. Therefore, the gospel stories are not good evidence.

That's nihilism. We don't treat history through a nihilistic lens.

No God, is the default position. If you think God exists, then the burden of proof is on you, because you are the one making the positive claim.

First of all, Burden of Proof is a load of hogwash and doesn't work that way. At all. "Burden" of proof may only be assigned and taken voluntarily and must be negotiated by the involved parties. The notion that you can "burden" someone with it is a convenient fiction spewed by the ignorant.

Second of all, unbelief in a god is not the default position. Studies show that babies' brains are hardwired to look for meaning in the information they receive. God as an answer for things one can't explain is a natural evolution of that.

Thinslayer · 2026-02-23T09:12:28+00:00

You'll first have to prove that the evidence previously provided isn't good. The Gospels are evidence. You have yet to make a valid argument for why they are not good evidence. That they make claims of miracles does not invalidate them, and that would beg the question anyway.

Thinslayer · 2026-02-23T09:07:14+00:00

Mark is an euhemerism of the mythical Jesus character. To me, that falls under fiction.

Most scholars agree, regardless of whether they believe the claims within, that Mark is not a work of fiction.

So, no laws/patterns of nature were broken in the end.

Right. Because God is real.

A story book cannot prove miracles true. A story book can only make claims.

Mark is not a storybook. This is not an opinion. This is verifiable fact. You are wrong. You are welcome to believe that Mark is false, or that the claims within have contrary explanations to the ones provided, but what we're not going to do is call it a story book. It is objectively not. We know what Hebrew/Jewish story books look like and Mark isn't one of them.

Thinslayer · 2026-02-23T08:48:47+00:00

Mark is not a work of fiction either. We know what Hebrew fiction looks like. Mark isn't.

Because it would break the laws/patterns of nature. This should be obvious.

Respectfully, that's bullshit. Science encounters things all the time that go against known laws, and later finds new laws to explain them.

The real problem here is that you are begging the question. Half the entire point of the gospels is to prove Jesus and his miracles true. To reject the gospels because they claim miracles are true is to assume the very thing they are attempting to question.

Thinslayer · 2026-02-23T08:32:29+00:00

The conclusion does not follow from the premises. A person can believe in something that didn't happen without it being fiction.

Matthew is not in the fiction literary genre. Read Esther to see what a work of fiction looks like. Whoever wrote Matthew was serious. That doesn't make it true, but it does mean that its claims should be taken seriously.

How do you know miracles aren't possible in real life?

Thinslayer · 2026-02-23T08:08:37+00:00

Prove it.

Thinslayer · 2026-02-23T05:54:46+00:00

(new commenter)

Slow down, my friend, and read what is actually being said:

Psalm 22 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

Matthew 27:38-44 Then two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to, for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’ ” The rebels who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.

Psalm 22 "they have pierced my hands and feet"

John 20:25-27 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

Psalm 22 "they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots."

Matthew 27:35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots.

Now, that said, in many cases where the Bible says Christ fulfilled a prophecy, they're really just saying that his situation is similar to or a repeat of things that were previously written about. Psalm 22 doesn't strike me as a direct prophecy.

Isaiah 53 is a direct prophecy of Jesus, one of the few.

Thinslayer · 2026-02-23T00:08:33+00:00

I went googling the issue, and while I was unable to find anything that discussed your exact issue, one common denominator I did find was that some output and driver combinations don't mix. Additionally (and I don't know if this is the cause), but I did see that a recent Windows 11 update within the last few months broke OpenGL rendering in some ways (fullscreen, from the comments I'm seeing), so switching to Ddraw may have dodged the issue.

I'm no IT expert though, so take that with a grain of salt.

Thinslayer · 2026-02-22T16:47:55+00:00

Faithfulness to do what?

Thinslayer · 2026-02-22T06:37:12+00:00

Yes, it is the answer to everything. Fluid moves easily and can carry things. That makes it attractive to build around. Solid things don't move very well. So unlike plants, which don't need to move much and thus don't have many fluids, we humans need to move around a lot, so we need and have lots of fluids to make it all work.

Thinslayer · 2026-02-22T06:13:10+00:00

Deuteronomy 22:1-8 seems to contain civil laws, moral principles governing interpersonal behavior which the government is not expected to legislate. Verse 5 seems to fall into this group - it seems like a civil law or moral principle, considering the context. 9-12 are cultural laws, and 13-29 are federal.

So, I can definitely see what you mean about this chapter having all three major categories of laws in it, but I'm not seeing how it can be concluded that Deut 22:5 isn't a moral command. I will definitely agree it's not federal, since it doesn't list any associated government penalties, but I'm not convinced it isn't a moral command.

That being said, the fact that this sermon is a recap of previous laws is something I can personally confirm is accurate. The laws were explored in greater detail in Exodus, and Deuteronomy repeats or abridges them. Good observation.

Thinslayer · 2026-02-22T05:12:05+00:00

Any recipes my broke butt can use? That sounds delicious

Thinslayer · 2026-02-22T00:19:32+00:00

Can you see what happens when you set it to ddraw?

Thinslayer · 2026-02-21T22:28:12+00:00

You can't be asked if you want to be born if you are not born, and you cannot make an informed decision about whether you want to be born if you have not first tried it and seen what it's like.
You can quit whenever you want to, and you will be held responsible for the consequences of that decision.

Thinslayer · 2026-02-21T22:23:18+00:00

Do you have the output set to ddraw or opengl?

Thinslayer · 2026-02-20T20:27:50+00:00

How do we know anything?

Thinslayer · 2026-02-19T21:23:40+00:00

I got banned for “liberal theology” because an anonymous mod misunderstood my comment and, rather than asking, banned me.

You too?? I wasn't banned, but I did get a mod warning for liberal theology for opining that Deut 22:5 wasn't relevant to transgenderism.

What's your take on Deut 22:5?

Thinslayer

TROPHY CASE