Case For Faith Documentary - Lee Strobel

After seeing all three Lee Strobel Documentaries, I can at least see how the first two appear convincing on the surface level. This last documentary "case for faith" for me was the least convincing one.

Case For Christ Documentary - Lee Strobel

Case For A Creator Documentary - Lee Strobel

ADDITIONAL documentary on the same subject:

United States of America v. Kristen Douglas Welter

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA


Aissa Al Ghazi is going to jail.


Here is the official summary


Lesson: Be cautious about trusting people online. Seemingly normal/nice people could be ex-cons or terrorists. Not every "nice Muslim" is really just a "friendly nice Muslim".

Analytic Thinking Can Decrease Religious Belief, Study Shows

ScienceDaily (Apr. 26, 2012) — A new University of British Columbia study finds that analytic thinking can decrease religious belief, even in devout believers.

The study, which is published in the April 27 issue of Science, finds that thinking analytically increases disbelief among believers and skeptics alike, shedding important new light on the psychology of religious belief.
“Our goal was to explore the fundamental question of why people believe in a God to different degrees,” says lead author Will Gervais, a PhD student in UBC’s Dept. of Psychology. “A combination of complex factors influence matters of personal spirituality, and these new findings suggest that the cognitive system related to analytic thoughts is one factor that can influence disbelief.”

Researchers used problem-solving tasks and subtle experimental priming – including showing participants Rodin’s sculpture The Thinker or asking participants to complete questionnaires in hard-to-read fonts – to successfully produce “analytic” thinking. The researchers, who assessed participants’ belief levels using a variety of self-reported measures, found that religious belief decreased when participants engaged in analytic tasks, compared to participants who engaged in tasks that did not involve analytic thinking.

The findings, Gervais says, are based on a longstanding human psychology model of two distinct, but related cognitive systems to process information: an “intuitive” system that relies on mental shortcuts to yield fast and efficient responses, and a more “analytic” system that yields more deliberate, reasoned responses.

“Our study builds on previous research that links religious beliefs to ‘intuitive’ thinking,” says study co-author and Associate Prof. Ara Norenzayan, UBC Dept. of Psychology. “Our findings suggest that activating the ‘analytic’ cognitive system in the brain can undermine the ‘intuitive’ support for religious belief, at least temporarily.”

The study involved more than 650 participants in the U.S. and Canada. Gervais says future studies will explore whether the increase in religious disbelief is temporary or long-lasting, and how the findings apply to non-Western cultures.

Recent figures suggest that the majority of the world’s population believes in a God, however atheists and agnostics number in the hundreds of millions, says Norenzayan, a co-director of UBC’s Centre for Human Evolution, Cognition and Culture. Religious convictions are shaped by psychological and cultural factors and fluctuate across time and situations, he says. (source)

Elnise Civil birthday

Special shout out to Mrs. Civil, her birthday will be on April 28 of this month.  Jeremiah and Kiki gets see mommy become older.

ShockOfGod Challenge Exposed In Two Minutes

Atheism is not a world view.

For further clarification:

Saviour of the World: Jesus or the Qur'an?

The self-evident contradiction of the question is obvious. The world hasn't been saved. Therefore neither Jesus or the Quran have saved the world.

However the Muslims and Christians got together to debate the subject and as usual do a great job in pointing out why the other religion is flawed. If both of them were to accept the arguments of the opposition they would end up being Agnostic, the only real honest position.

Without further or do here is the debate:









Sam Shamoun a friend and Christian author has made some excellent responses to Mr Kundi made available here:

1. http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/kunde/impotent.html
2. http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/kunde/distortions1.html
3. http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/kunde/trinity1.html

If you carefully note the first link Shamoun points out that Islam suffers from the same problem that Kundi attacks Christianity as having. Meaning God is bound and obligated to let believers into heaven, meaning he is impotent (not all powerful).

But the objection itself now applies to both religions. If we say that God is bound to granting believers into paradise, then God is forced to fulfill his promise and God is not free to change his mind. However if we say God is not bound to any promises or words, then God can be the greatest deceiver imaginable.

Either way God is either impotent or capricious deceptive God.

Clearly such a God (either way) is not worthy of worship.

One final problem, Sam Shamoun carefully (in the same link above) clearly documents that all these objections that Kundi levels at Christianity also apply to Islam, including the problem of original sin. Unfortunately for Mr Kundi Islam suffers from the same dilemma.

Hence we have two religions that are "illogical" (according to Kundi's words)

“Why do I say these things? Well, as I said, first of all the method of salvation is illogical, absolutely illogical. How’s it logical that somebody should be punished for something that, a) they didn’t do, because we assume that God wasn’t part of the whole original sin thing with Adam; that b) I should be punished for something I didn’t do because I didn’t eat in the garden. And that c) it’s the punishment of an individual who didn’t even commit the sin at all, who created the system in the first place and that sets it all back in motion. If you are kind of lost in what I am saying there, it’s because it doesn’t make sense.”

Amen to that dear brother, amen to that!

Finally Kundi has also been recorded in the debate as saying:

“We also need to accept that it implies a limited God, a God that cannot hold the attributes of eternalness, being all-powerful, and also a unified God. Why? When we say that God is one in opposition to the Trinity, we don’t mean one in terms of the numerical one, that zero can come before it and two can come after it. We mean it in an absolute unity that is not describable in mathematical terms. And when we consider the Trinity, that actually applies a created aspect to God. You’re saying three; the number three in that two comes before it and four comes after it. There’s no way around this, it’s not a complex number. For those of you doing mathematics or science you’ll know it’s even been in the real number system, three. So you’re applying a created aspect to God, and there can absolutely be no such divine unity in that concept. Even if somebody came to you and said that God is one in the sense of the number one, that zero can come before it and two can come after it, that in itself is not even a proper unity, in terms of a godly unity. It’s very important to understand that point.” (Saviour of the World: Jesus or the Quran?)

Sam Shamoun after pointing out Mr Kundi has blatantly misunderstood his own Islamic sources (indeed Allah is numerically one) has this to say:

It is once again evident that Muhammad was thinking in terms of the actual numerical system. There is simply no way of denying this fact. Muhammad obviously believed that Allah’s attributes could be numbered since he listed them as ninety-nine, and that these could be further divided much like in the case of mercy which Allah broke down into one hundred parts.(1) 

Thus, Muhammad actually thought that Allah’s attributes are numerically ninety-nine in the sense that ninety-eight can come before it and one hundred can come right after it. Since this is what Muhammad clearly believed then, according to Kunde’s logic, there must be a created aspect to the Islamic deity since he is a being composed of real numerical limitations. As such, Allah is neither eternal nor is he omnipotent.

Now even though it's clear Shamoun rejects Kundi's conclusions. I find Kundi's argument to be plausible. Except Shamoun as pointed out, it applies to both Yahweh and Allah.

Hence we have another argument undermining the existence of Yahweh and Allah since they contain a created aspect and they have numerical properties rather than absolute singularity as you would expect an eternal being to be.

Muslim man angry at protesters wearing burqas

Part 1 addressing shock of god

There is a YouTube page called shocked of god, very popular page and the person running the page happens to be a Christian. He has challenged atheist in the past and even now to provide proof and evidence that atheism is true. Atheists have responded to his challenge and shock of god has uploaded their response to his YouTube page pointing what he believes to be flaws in their responses. Derek Adams which is my colleague on this website we have conversed with each other about the shock of god challenge. Derek has decided that he isn't quite yet going to respond to shock of god because his focus is on other topics. So I decided before answering shock of god that I would pose to him a couple of questions and make a couple of statements. If I was to ask shock of god what proofs and evidence does he has that Islam is false, I would assume he would appeal to the bible as his ultimate authority since he is a Christian. Also he would see if the Quran and other Islamic doctrine pass the coherence test, which he would be making a logical argumentation demonstrating why Islam is illogical and an irrational belief system. Shock of god believes that his triune god is the only uncaused being that actually exist and that it is impossible for any other gods to be sovereign over all creation but his. Before certain people claim to be an atheist they approach other belief systems as an agnostic, uncertain if it's true or false. Shock of god has already negated the idea that any other faith is true but his. There are atheists whose disbelief is in a specific deity but they are agnostic about certain deities and beliefs. Shock of god is making the exclusive claim by advocating the impossibility of the contrary, while the atheist is simply addressing the impossibility of a certain deity.

Keith truth sill hasn't produced his video of refuting catholic doctrine

Keithtruth has a YouTube page in which is mainly about Christian apologetics. And last summer Keith claimed that he will be coming out with a video in which he critiques the Catholic doctrine, it's has almost been a full year sense he has made that statement on one of his uploaded YouTube videos. I have spoke to a view people on paltalk which happen to be catholics and and their take is that Keith is overwhelmed by the evidence which they believe point to the church. I my self must admit am a bit curious to why hasn't Keith produced this video he claimed he would be making? It's been about a year now and still no video from Keith.

Part 2 response to Tim regarding Open Theism

Tim states: "Some Open Theist argue that the future can't be known in fixed terms by God or any other being because the future by nature hasn't happened yet" According to Acts 2:23: This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
Which presuppoes that God knew exactly what would take place in the future before the creation of the world that man would sin and need a savior because of sin and also would have known that the cross would be the solution to humanity.

Response to Tim regarding Open Theism

I have been away and I didn’t have time to respond to the rebuttals of several people who have responded to my challenge open theism.  I will begin addressing Tim and analyzing his statements.

This Tim writes in response to Derek Adams, Tim states: “The Bible nowhere says that God is outside time. It says that he is eternal - but that can be defined as everlasting - which is the idea of going on forever in time”.

 Tim argues that the Bible doesn’t mention God existing outside in response to Derek asking Tim, If God lives in time, how is he God? Well on the contrary Tim makes the claim that God is everlasting in which I don’t disagree with.

 But Tim expands on the concept of everlasting as going on forever in time. Question for Tim since he challenges Derek Adams to demonstrate within the Bible that defines God being timeless and living outside, same question can be asked about his statement where does the Bible define everlasting as going on forever in time? 

Tim concludes on this issue by saying: “Summary: Bible doesn't say that God is outside of time; hence we can't say He is timeless with any assurance”

 If Tim is incapable of showing from the Bible that God being everlasting means going on forever in time then we can’t say with any assurance that God being everlasting means going on forever in time.  .  

Robert Bruce Spencer will be debating David Wood on the topic Did Muhammad Exist

This debate will be interesting to watch, because from my recollection with his debate with  Dinesh D'Souza here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-G-GT2gMoE regarding if Islam is a religion of peace, Robert appealed to the earliest followers of Muhmmmad and Muhmmad himself to demostrate that it isn't a reliogion of peace but of terrorism.
Seem to appear that Robert was appealing to Muhmmad and his followers as actual historical figures each actually existed in history and caused violent acts. Even Robert claims that he  doesn't necessarily believe those sources and events are  historical events but are simply narrated within the sources of Islam.

 Just how does he reconcile saying Muhmmad never existed and appealing to the earliest  stranda of data which includes Muhmmad and his early followers to demostrate to the public the true face of Islam, which presuppoes Muhmmad and his earliest follwers actually existed and caused violent acts?


 

Bassam Zawadi's stumbling block Bukari Vol 6,Book 60, Number 53

Bukhari Volume 6, Book 60, Number 53:

Narrated Ibn Az-Zubair:

I said to 'Uthman bin 'Affan (while he was collecting the Qur'an) regarding the Verse:-- "Those of you who die and leave wives ..." (2.240) "This Verse was abrogated by an other Verse. So why should you write it? (Or leave it in the Qur'an)?" 'Uthman said. "O son of my brother! I will not shift anything of it from its place

For Uthman what was abrogated, wasn't removed altogether, it stayed in it's place.

Another translation reads: He replied, “O my nephew, I will not remove anything from its original place.

Notice what Bassam writes into the text, because he can clearly see this Hadith refutes the notion that Uthman on certian circumstances left out the Quran abrogated verses.

Bassam writes: "The man was basically asking “if it’s ruling is not applicable anymore, why keep it written down then?”, so Uthman basically replied back saying that he won’t move anything from its place (unless there is evidence to do so"). 

 What is interesting the Hadith doesn't narrate Uthman saying he won't move anything from its place unless there is evidence. Bassam simply added this to the narration which was very deceptive of Bassam.

We challenge Bassam to demostrate a Hadith which Uthman claims he won’t move anything from its place unless there is evidence to do so?  

Derek writes:  "Zawadi’s methodology is simple in his debate and in his articles; usually whenever someone points out a verse is missing in the Quran according to certain authentic hadith narrations Zawadi then passes it off as an “abrogation of recitation and ruling” or “abrogation of reciting but not ruling"

Derek also writes:"In the first place it's noteworthy to mention that Uthman the compiler of the Quran himself had not heard of these concepts. For him what was abrogated, wasn't removed altogether, it stayed in it's place"

 Intil Bassam provides evidence to his claim we will not be responding to Bassam. This is Hadith is the stumbling block for Bassam. 

Pamela on Michael Coren Show discussing Jessica Mokdad Human Rights Conference on Honor

Dearborn law enforcement is on the receiving end of a lawsuit alleging a cover up of honor killings. The lawsuit was brought by the Thomas More Law Center. The lawsuit on behalf of Acts 17 Apologetics, Nabeel Qureshi, David Wood, Paul Rezkalla, Negeen Mayel and Joshua Hogg names as defendants the city of Dearborn, Mayor John B. O'Reilly, Police Chief Ronald Haddad and a long list of police officers and Muslim Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Fay Beydoun and Norma Haidous, the special events coordinator for the American Arab chamber. The lawsuit challenges the official cooperation by the city of Dearborn, Mich., which has one of the largest populations of Muslims in the U.S., with Islamic interests: that under the recognized "Shariah" law in the city, there have been "honor killing" murders that have been "covered up."

Australia: Global Atheist Convention 2012 : Muslim & Christian Protests

Presenting New Zealand Eggbrain Paul Henry...



So we as Atheists have an Atheist Convention every year. This year the convention happened to be in Australia.

ex Muslim now Atheist Apostate Ayaan Ali Hirsi happened to be a speaker at the convention no doubt this incited and enraged the Muslims even more.

Pay close attention to the signs on these videos, and feel the PEACE OF ISLAM





Compare this to the Christian Protesters at the same event:

Eric Hovind vs Thunderf00t

Recently Jeremiah(Nitemere6) had posted a debate that many of us wanted to get our hands on for along time. This debate covers the differences between Christian Apologist Methodology. Primarily Evidentialism vs Pressupositionalism.

In the below clip Eric Hovind happens to be using a lay version of a pressupositionalist argument. In short the argument is: "You can't know anything unless God exists".  Thunderf00t who appears slightly more versed in philosophy responds with what he calls are the shared common assumptions all human beings have.

Thunderf00t does a pretty good job, but probably as a scientist hasn't read up on epistemology. What Thunderf00t is attempting to explain to Hovind is simply: Axioms. Hovind without realizing it doesn't understand that he has any, or he believes that God ought to be an axiom to know anything . Unfortunately when Thunderf00t pointed out to Hovind that he could also merely assert himself or the flying spaghetti monster as a universal axiomatic personage (instead of God), Hovind had no response and just repeating himself.

Anyway enjoy the debate, and I will be writing a post on this subject in the future.

An Islamic History of Europe (full documentary; produced by BBC)

Previously I had posted the final documentary (of 3) addressing criticisms of the prophet Muhammad and the Muslim responses to these claims. I had also recently provided a documentary on Islam and Spain.

The same Muslim BBC Correspondent also has made a documentary on Islamic History of Europe. I notice he glimmers over the bad, but primarily focuses on the good, meaning what he believes Islam contributed to the West. And here it is:

re-Establish the Islamic state (caliphate)

Aissa Al Ghazi Update: Neighbors surprised by former Marine’s violent past

CONCORD, N.C. — A former Marine from North Carolina had been living in relative anonymity until the FBI arrested him last month in Concord, his neighbors said.

Kristen Welter lived in a trailer near the Charlotte Motor Speedway for years. In all that time, his neighbors said they never got to know the man they described as a loner.

But this week, they all found out Welter was convicted of trying to murder a state trooper with explosives in 1986, and that the FBI and federal prosecutors considered him a danger to society.

“I can’t believe that, because he’s a pretty quiet, laid-back gentleman,” said Howard Bunger, who had lived across the street from Welter for three years. Bunger said all he knew was that Welter liked to build and fly remote-controlled airplanes.

In federal court in Greensboro Wednesday, FBI Agent Michael Davis outlined Welter’s 1986 conviction, his 2006 conversion to Islam and his 2011 visit to Lebanon, where Welter told U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement agents he may have been contacted by members of Hezbollah.

The U.S. Government considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization.

Welter’s next-door neighbors, Angela Kirby and Don Robinson, said they do not believe Welter is a terrorist. Howard Bunger said the same.

“I wouldn’t think so. I don’t know what a terrorist — just like you and I talking. I don’t know what you are and you don’t know what I am, in that sense,” Bunger said.

In court Wednesday, Asst. U.S. Attorney Graham Green questioned FBI Agent Davis about YouTube videos Welter had posted of his RC airplane flights. The U.S. Attorney’s office would not confirm Welter’s YouTube username, nor confirm which videos he had posted.

However FOX8 discovered multiple RC airplane videos posted by the username KrisW28072.

Kristen Welter’s zip code in Concord, where he lived and flew his planes, is 28072. The videos discovered by FOX8 also match several other characteristics described by Agent Davis in his testimony Wednesday.

Don Robinson said the FBI was back in the neighborhood Thursday morning asking more questions about Welter.

“I told them I didn’t know nothing about him aside from that he was a real loner,” Robinson said.

Kristen Welter is due to stand trial on his gun charge May 14 in Greensboro. He is currently being held in federal custody in the Alamance County Jail.

R. C. Sproul vs. Greg Bahnsen (Apologetical Methodology debate) full

William Lane Craig demonstrates flaws in Sam Harris's arguments

Imam in France marries two gay Muslims

Muslim spiritual leader offers blessing to French-Algerian, his South African partner during ceremony outside Paris.

BERLIN – An imam in France has approved the marriage of two men who had previously married in South Africa, where same-sex marriage is legal, but the French government refuses to recognize it. (more here)

Suicide bomber strikes in western Afghanistan

By AP Published Tuesday, April 10, 2012

"A suicide bomber in a four-wheel-drive vehicle has blown up his cache of explosives in Herat province in western Afghanistan, killing or wounding more than 20 people. 

Nasar Ahmad Popul, the chief of Guzara district, says the explosion occurred Tuesday morning at the entrance to the district headquarters. 

He says there are casualties among civilians and police and damage to the police and district headquarters. 

The attack occurred as people were gathered outside the building waiting to go inside to see government officials about various business matters. 

Raouf Ahmedi, spokesman for the regional police commander, says more than 20 people have been killed or wounded." (source)

Well this time it wasn't an American, so we might not here as much fuss from the Muslim World.

American Government Support Nazis Criminals And Cover It Up

Off subject, but the more I learn about the American Government, the less I like it. 

"Perhaps the report’s most damning disclosures come in assessing the Central Intelligence Agency’s involvement with Nazi émigrés. Scholars and previous government reports had acknowledged the C.I.A.’s use of Nazis for postwar intelligence purposes. But this report goes further in documenting the level of American complicity and deception in such operations. 

The Justice Department report, describing what it calls “the government’s collaboration with persecutors,” says that O.S.I investigators learned that some of the Nazis “were indeed knowingly granted entry” to the United States, even though government officials were aware of their pasts. “America, which prided itself on being a safe haven for the persecuted, became — in some small measure — a safe haven for persecutors as well,” it said. 

The report also documents divisions within the government over the effort and the legal pitfalls in relying on testimony from Holocaust survivors that was decades old. The report also concluded that the number of Nazis who made it into the United States was almost certainly much smaller than 10,000, the figure widely cited by government officials. 

The Justice Department has resisted making the report public since 2006. Under the threat of a lawsuit, it turned over a heavily redacted version last month to a private research group, the National Security Archive, but even then many of the most legally and diplomatically sensitive portions were omitted. A complete version was obtained by The New York Times. 

The Justice Department said the report, the product of six years of work, was never formally completed and did not represent its official findings. It cited “numerous factual errors and omissions,” but declined to say what they were. 

More than 300 Nazi persecutors have been deported, stripped of citizenship or blocked from entering the United States since the creation of the O.S.I., which was merged with another unit this year." (read more here)

Perhaps the most disturbing example for me personally was this one:

"The report also examines the case of Arthur L. Rudolph, a Nazi scientist who ran the Mittelwerk munitions factory. He was brought to the United States in 1945 for his rocket-making expertise under Operation Paperclip, an American program that recruited scientists who had worked in Nazi Germany. (Rudolph has been honored by NASA and is credited as the father of the Saturn V rocket.) 

The report cites a 1949 memo from the Justice Department’s No. 2 official urging immigration officers to let Rudolph back in the country after a stay in Mexico, saying that a failure to do so “would be to the detriment of the national interest.” 

Justice Department investigators later found evidence that Rudolph was much more actively involved in exploiting slave laborers at Mittelwerk than he or American intelligence officials had acknowledged, the report says

Some intelligence officials objected when the Justice Department sought to deport him in 1983, but the O.S.I. considered the deportation of someone of Rudolph’s prominence as an affirmation of “the depth of the government’s commitment to the Nazi prosecution program,” according to internal memos."

I know for a fact his son and descendant is still involved and a top scientist at NASA. But this is a classic example of America putting itself and it's own scientific advancement before justice. Perhaps the Justice Department needs it's own "Nuremberg trial" for it's perpetual deception and cover up and harboring of Nazi War Criminals.

The Gospel Of Barnabas Crucifixion Story

If you didn't already know the Gospel of Barnabas was written by the contemporary and first century Apostle and Disciple Barnabas, whom is also recorded in the Bible. Except that it wasn't. But it's always funny hearing from people who believe that.

What I would like to do is share the passion story contained within this gospel's narrative to share with you how over one billion people on the planet view the ending of Jesus time.

The Gospel Of Barnabas Crucifixion Tale From The Iranian Movie "The Messiah"

Gospel Of Barnabas  

Chapter 214

Having gone forth from the house, Jesus retired into the garden to pray, according as his custom was to pray, bowing his knees an hundred times and prostrating himself upon his face. Judas, accordingly, knowing the place where Jesus was with his disciples, went to the high priest, and said: "If you will give me what was promised, this night will I give into your hand Jesus whom you seek; for he is alone with eleven companions." The high priest answered: "How much do you seek?" Judas said, "Thirty pieces of gold."

Then straightway the high priest counted to him the money, and sent a Pharisee to the governor to fetch soldiers, and to Herod, and they gave a legion of them, because they feared the people; wherefore they took their arms, and with torches and lanterns upon staves went out of Jerusalem. 

Chapter 215

When the soldiers with Judas drew near to the place where Jesus was, Jesus heard the approach of many people, wherefore in fear he withdrew into the house. And the eleven were sleeping. Then God, seeing the danger of his servant, commanded Gabriel;, Michael;, Rafael;, and Uriel;, his ministers, to take Jesus out of the world. The holy angels came and took Jesus out by the window that looks toward the South;. They bare him and placed him in the third heaven in the company of angels blessing God for evermore. 

Chapter 216

Judas entered impetuously before all into the chamber whence Jesus had been taken up. And the disciples were sleeping. Whereupon the wonderful God acted wonderfully, insomuch that Judas was so changed in speech and in face to be like Jesus that we believed him to be Jesus. And he, having awakened us, was seeking where the Master was. Whereupon we marvelled, and answered: 'You, Lord, are our master; have you now forgotten us?'

And he, smiling, said: 'Now are you foolish, that know not me to be Judas Iscariot!' And as he was saying this the soldiery entered, and laid their hands upon Judas, because he was in every way like to Jesus. We having heard Judas' saying, and seeing the multitude of soldiers, fled as beside ourselves. And John, who was wrapped in a linen cloth, awoke and fled, and when a soldier seized him by the linen cloth he left the linen cloth and fled naked. For God heard the prayer of Jesus, and saved the eleven from evil. 

Chapter 217

The soldiers took Judas ;and bound him, not without derision. For he truthfully denied that he was Jesus; and the soldiers, mocking him, said: 'Sir, fear not, for we are come to make you king of Israel, and we have bound you because we know that you do refuse the kingdom.' Judas answered: 'Now have you lost your senses! You are come to take Jesus of Nazareth;, with arms and lanterns as [against] a robber; and you have bound me that have guided you, to make me king!' 

...

And the soldiers came before him, bowing down in mockery, saluting him as King of the Jews. And they held out their hands to receive gifts, such as new kings are accustomed to give; and receiving nothing they smote Judas, saying: 'Now, how are you crowned, foolish king, if you will not pay your soldiers and servants?' *The chief priests with the scribes and Pharisees, seeing that Judas died not by the scourges, and fearing lest Pilate should set him at liberty, made a gift of money to the governor, who having received it gave Judas to the scribes and Pharisees as guilty to death. Whereupon they condemned two robbers with him to the death of the cross.

So they led him to Mount Calvary, where they used to hang malefactors, and there they crucified him naked;, for the greater ignominy. *Judas truly did nothing else but cry out: 'God, why have you forsaken me, seeing the malefactor has escaped and I die unjustly?' *Truly I say that the voice, the face, and the person of Judas were so like to Jesus, that his disciples and believers entirely believed that he was Jesus; wherefore some departed from the doctrine of Jesus, believing that Jesus had been a false prophet, and that by art magic he had done the miracles which he did: for Jesus had said that he should not die till near the end of the world; for that at that time he should be taken away from the world.

But they that stood firm in the doctrine of Jesus were so encompassed with sorrow, seeing him die who was entirely like to Jesus, that they remembered not what Jesus had said. And so in company with the mother of Jesus they went to Mount Calvary, and were not only present at the death of Judas, weeping continually, but by means of Nicodemus and Joseph of Abarimathia; they obtained from the governor the body of Judas to bury it. Whereupon, they took him down from the cross with such weeping as assuredly no one would believe, and buried him in the new sepulchre of Joseph; having wrapped him up in an hundred pounds of precious ointments. 

Chapter 218   

Then returned each man to his house. He who writes, with John and James his brother, went with the mother of Jesus; to Nazareth;. Those disciples who did not fear God went by night [and] stole the body of Judas and hid it, spreading a report that Jesus was risen again; whence great confusion arose. The high priest then commanded, under pain of anathema;, that no one should talk of Jesus of Nazareth;. And so there arose a great persecution, and many were stoned and many beaten, and many banished from the land, because they could not hold their peace on such a matter.  

The news reached Nazareth how that Jesus, their fellow citizen, having died on the cross was risen again. Whereupon, he that writes; prayed the mother of Jesus; that she would be pleased to leave off weeping, because her son was risen again. Hearing this, the Virgin Mary, weeping, said: 'Let us go to Jerusalem to find my son. I shall die content when I have seen him. 

Chapter 222 

Jesus answered: 'Believe me, Barnabas, that every sin, however small it be, God punishes with great punishment, seeing that God is offended at sin. Wherefore, since my mother and my faithful disciples that were with me loved me a little with earthly love, the righteous God has willed to punish this love with the present grief, in order that it may not be punished in the flames of hell. And though I have been innocent in the world, since men have called me "God," and "Son of God," God, in order that I be not mocked of the demons on the day of judgment, has willed that I be mocked of men in this world by the death of Judas;, making all men to believe that I died upon the cross. And this mocking shall continue until the advent of Muhammad;, the Messenger ;of God, who, when he shall come, shall reveal this deception to those who believe in God's Law. Having thus spoken, Jesus said: 'You are just, O Lord our God, because to you only belongs honour and glory without end.' 

(Note, this is not all of the tale, you will have to read the rest for yourself here)

Well I don't know about you, but i'm completely convinced it went down like this. Clearly Barnabas who knew Jesus got the real story from the lips of Jesus and then this tale mysteriously preserved and transmitted itself all through time so we could read the truth today online.

If only the real world were like this!

Now apart from this story making God out to be a deceiver for about 600 years and there being absolutely no historical evidence for the story whatsoever.  I do wonder how the Gospel of Barnabas which is not the word of Allah has made such a vivid description and detailed account of these events in contrast to the Quran that only mentions this event in about 40 Arabic words (4:157-159). While the Quran claims to be "fully detailed" and the "best explanation of itself" in comparison to the four course dinner offered by the Gospel of Barnabas, The Quran then is not even a snack. So much for that claim.

I'm sure the Christians won't view this next question as a contradiction seeing that Jesus is God in their belief, But surely Jesus can't be God according to the Muslim Barnabas version and hence the contradiction remains.

Who Transformed Judas? Jesus or God?

Chapter 216 

Judas entered impetuously before all into the chamber whence Jesus had been taken up. And the disciples were sleeping. Whereupon the wonderful God acted wonderfully, insomuch that Judas was so changed in speech and in face to be like Jesus that we believed him to be Jesus.   

Chapter 217 

The governor answered (thinking that he wished to speak concerning the Law): 'Now know you not that I am not a Jew? but the (chief) priests and the elders of your people have given you into my hand; wherefore tell us the truth, wherefore I may do what is just. For I have power to set you free and to put you to death.' Judas answered: 'Sir, believe me, if you put me to death, you shall do a great wrong, for you shall slay an innocent person; seeing that I am Judas ;Iscariot, and not Jesus, who is a magician, and by his ARE HAS SO TRANSFORMED ME.' 

Or from this translation:

Judas answered: 'Sir, believe me, if thou put me to death, thou shalt do a great wrong, for thou shalt slay an innocent person; seeing that I am Judas Iscariot, and not Jesus, who is a magician, and by his art hath so transformed me.' (source)

Stay tuned for coming soon is a critical examination of this gospel which is offered for as "evidence" for Muhammad by Muslims.

- Dk out.

Debate: Chris Hedges vs. Sam Harris - Religion, Politics and the End of the World

Aissa Al Ghazi Arrested - Former Marine in federal custody in Piedmont

Many of us knew the following individual as "Aissa Al Ghazi", a harmless Muslim chatter/debater, who we debated with for years.  Aissa ended up red dotting me almost every time we talked, but still he seemed fairly normal. To all of our surprise Aissa (kristen) is a terrorist.

The whole general in attitude of any Muslim you know as "but he's such a friendly, nice, kind Muslim!". Simply means nothing. The cab driver might be a nice guy, the convenience store checkout man, might be friendly, they all maybe nice guys. But who the f**k is behind the counter?

But what is the precise proof Aissa is Kristen? Watch this:



GREENSBORO, N.C. — U.S. District Judge Patrick Auld decided to keep Kristen Douglas Welter, 54, in federal custody Wednesday for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. But Welter’s story goes far deeper than that one charge.

In 1986, Welter was convicted of trying to kill a state trooper in Beaufort, N.C., using pipe bombs. According to Asst. U.S. Attorney Graham Green, Welter rigged six pipe bombs surrounding the trooper’s car to explode when the car moved. The pipe bombs exploded, but the trooper survived.

Welter was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He served nine years and was paroled in 1995. He stayed out of trouble until just last month, when the FBI found out he had a .22 revolver in his home in Concord. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.

The FBI was already interested in Kristen Welter because of his expertise in explosives and his interest in remote control airplanes.

Welter served as an avionics specialist in the US Marine Corps. FBI agent Michael Davis said others had described him as a “mechanical genius, a MacGyver type” from the witness stand. Welter joined an RC airplane group in Concord called the Flying Aces.

The government presented evidence, claiming the planes Welter built and flew were extremely advanced. According to Davis, the planes had wingspans of 7-9 feet, flew as high as 4,000 feet, traveled at speeds of up to 100 mph and could carry a payload of up to 35 pounds.

Also, the government said Welter tested the planes by flying them over Charlotte Motor Speedway and J.B. Robinson High School. Davis testified that Welter had programmed one plane to swoop low over the school and announce “Primary objective reached” once it did so.

Davis told the court the FBI first began its investigation of Welter after he visited Lebanon in 2011 and told U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement agents that he may have had contact with members of Hezbollah. The U.S. government considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization.

Welter converted to Islam in 2006 and was active on a Muslim chat website called PalTalk.

Welter’s attorney, Ames Chamberlain, argued that Welter has not been in trouble since his 1986 conviction and has neither the means nor the ability to flee the country ahead of his court date. He argued for a form of supervised release, but Judge Auld said public safety would be at risk if Welter went free.

According to Chamberlain, Welter was charged with assault on a female in 2001, but the charge was dismissed.

Both sides said Welter received the revolver from a neighbor, and that he was worried about protecting himself in his vulnerable state. Welter had his knee replaced weeks ago and needed a cane to enter and exit the courtroom.

Judge Auld said the combination of Kristen Douglas Welter’s 1986 conviction, several inconsistent statements to FBI agents regarding his conversion to Islam and his visit to Lebanon made him a danger to the public and a flight risk.

Welter is currently housed in the Alamance County Jail.

From Jesus Christ To The First Christians

The Dark Ages

"Needless Endless Suffering" one of the most powerful arguments against God's existence.

Before you watch the following documentary, you might want to ask yourself this:

Tell me straight out, I call on you - answer me: imagine that you yourself are building the edifice of human destiny with the object of making people happy in the finale, of giving them peace and rest at last, but for that you must inevitably and unavoidably torture just one tiny creature, that same child who was beating her chest with her little fist, and raise your edifice on the foundation of her unrequited tears - would you agree to be the architect on such condition? Tell me the truth – from The Brothers Karamazov

Until next time,
-Dk

Decoding the Ancients-The Messiah Before Jesus

Back in 2007 a common thief in Jordan went robbing and discovered what is now known as the "The Gabriel Revelation Tablet", he sold this on the black market. The tablet is dated before the death of Jesus, closer to his birth. This tablet has interesting historical and theological implications. It is both good and bad for Christianity.

It is good for believing apologetics in the sense that it demonstrates second temple era Jewish beliefs had already contained the idea of a single resurrected individual, this is not a pagan or foreign concept adopted from the Greco/Roman World. It establishes the idea of a Jewish resurrected Messiah is part of the Jewish tradition of that era. In the past many authors have been perplexed as to why a Jewish Sect would be advocating the solely pagan idea of a dying and rising god and hence many concluding the new testament is largely a product of greek paganistic ideas.


Without further or do, here is the the story of this new evidence and the interesting detail of what the tablet says and entails.



I mentioned the good, and now the possible bad. There are two senses in which this new revelation makes the new testament a product of it's era and makes the end of the passion story less historically plausible in my view.

First the precise specification of the Messiah mentioned dying and rising in three days, confirms this was a more common idea floating around Palestine and Jordan. This means the authors of the New Testament documents could easily have adopted and edited this idea into the passion story, after the very devastating loss of Jesus, and the monumental expectation that Jesus the man right in front of them was the true and living Messiah. For more on the reaction of the disciples heart breaking loss of the crucified Jesus click here

So it certainly makes sense each gospel author would come up with a various role Jesus played during his earthly life and then add the specific inclusion of a known legend, which results in a failed, defeated Messiah triumphantly having defeated death and combing this with the glorious resurrected divine man returning to judge Jerusalem and all those who oppose the living kingdom of God.

However the tablet also undermines a very specific teaching of Jesus, the very mystery of the scripture itself. Jesus is reported to have said at the ending of the passion in the Gospel of Luke:

As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther.  But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were OPENED and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and OPENED the Scriptures to us?”  NIV Luke 24:28-32

The greek word translated as "opened" in both instances here is Dianoigo. Dianogio is a verb, an action, Jesus is the agent causing something to occur here. But what is Jesus doing to them? Here are the possible meanings of Dianogio listed in Strongs Lexicon:

• to open by dividing or drawing asunder, to open thoroughly (what had been closed)
• a male opening the womb (the closed matrix), i.e. the first-born
• of the eyes and the ears
• to open the mind of one, i.e. to cause to understand a thing
• to open one's soul, i.e. to rouse in one the faculty of understanding or the desire of learning (source)

What this means then is these men were blind in both cases. Firstly they could not tell Jesus was breaking bread with them until he caused them to see who he was, Jesus being the agent who causes them to see him and recognize him. And second they could not tell what the Scripture taught about him, until Jesus caused them to read with open eyes.

Of course the same process is mentioned further down in the chapter:

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” NIV Luke 24: 44-49

Now the question that comes up to mind is if the divine mystery of the suffering and resurrected Messiah required a divine spiritual life giving opening of the scripture, then how could a false Jewish sect before the new testament era have known about this divine mystery? Did God give divine revelation and spiritual license to those self proclaimed false Messiahs and the ones who followed them? How could belief in a dead and rising Messiah be common knowledge before Jesus?

Of course the second issue is how could the passages inferring a suffering and resurrected Messiah been a divine mystery in the first place if just as Jesus had explicitly said: "This is what is written about me in the Law, Prophets and Psalms" and "This is what is written the Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day". Clearly either 1) the Scriptures Jesus had were different to our currently known conception of Scripture in the first century or 2) The proclaimed statement of scripture must be inferred through a divine life giving spiritual opening.


However the final difficulty recorded in the very same chapter is the exact opposite of the current problem. The gospel of Luke also teaches the common knowledge of such a belief:

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” He (Jesus) said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. NIV Luke 24: 19-27

According to verse 15 of the same chapter, Jesus is speaking and rebuking them for not knowing, he even is expecting and requiring them to know that the Messiah had to go through all these things, he then proceeds to personally show them what the scripture have said vindicating his claim that they ought to have known this already! Hence the purpose of the rhetorical question: "Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" Of course this also presupposes the common knowledge of the suffering Messiah, this is not something Jews would have been clueless about.

Either this was common knowledge, or this was divine council removing the blinkers. I can't tell because the gospel doesn't give a consistent version of the story.

History Channel Jesus The Lost 40 Days