Figuring Out Religion

[Mountaineer]

From Vinny’s Found Phone thread:

You guys are honest (by the Lord’s standards). Kudos!

If only all were so this would be a far better country.

Still gonna burn, though.
But, I thought this would be an opportune time, Mountaineer, to mention that I’m reading Bart Ehrman’s ‘Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife.’ I really like it. Was lucky enough to find it for $4 (ebook version), and I see that is still the price right now.

Beware of false prophets! Those who twist Scripture are wolves in sheep’s clothing. I too was once sucked in by Ehrman. Hang in there and stay the course.

[dualstow]

Beware of false prophets! Those who twist Scripture are wolves in sheep’s clothing. I too was once sucked in by Ehrman. Hang in there and stay the course.

Sucked in? I know he's a nonbeliever who was once a born again Christian. You read his book(s) at one time?

[Mountaineer]

Yes. And a video or two.

[Mountaineer]

35. How do we know there is a God?

Reason, nature, and experience all testify to the existence of God.

A. We live in a world that we did not make.

B. All people trust in something to organize their life, seeking meaning and purpose.

C. The universe and all of life is orderly, governed by laws---the "laws of nature."

D. Humanity shares many common moral ideas.

E. Scientific discoveries increase life's deepest mysteries; they do not resolve them.

These universal truths and observations are all best explained when we accept that God exists and is the Creator of all things. Yet, they do not tell us about the gracious nature and character of the true God.

… SC

[Mountaineer]

"Any country grounded in Judaeo-Christian values can't be overthrown until those roots are cut ... Socialism is precisely the religion that must overwhelm Christianity... in the new order, Socialism will triumph by first capturing the culture via infiltration of schools, universities, churches and the media by transforming the consciousness of society." (Antonio Gramsci in his prison notebooks)

From Wikipedia:
Antonio Francesco Gramsci was an Italian Marxist philosopher, journalist, linguist, writer, and politician. He wrote on philosophy, political theory, sociology, history, and linguistics. He was a founding member and one-time leader of the Italian Communist Party. A vocal critic of Benito Mussolini and fascism, he was imprisoned in 1926 where he remained until his death in 1937. During his imprisonment, Gramsci wrote more than 30 notebooks and 3,000 pages of history and analysis. Wikipedia

It's more than a little creepy that Gramsci described what is happening in the United States today. YMMV

[dualstow]

Socialism is precisely the religion that must overwhelm Christianity...

I’m reading a weighty tome on North Korea. It’s very interesting to learn that Kim Il-sung, Dear Leader #1 and grandpa of the current Dear Leader, had a Christian background. Both he and his wife came from observant Christian families. He even played the organ for his church.

Most of this info is swept under the rug for the sake of propaganda and K.I.S. downplayed it in his own memoirs, but enough credible documentation survives. Before the cult of the Kim’s, Christianity was popular, as it remains in South Korea to this day.

In the U.S. we have separation of Church and State. In totalitarian regimes states, there is of course no room for both.

[Mountaineer]

Socialism is precisely the religion that must overwhelm Christianity...

I’m reading a weighty tome on North Korea. It’s very interesting to learn that Kim Il-sung, Dear Leader #1 and grandpa of the current Dear Leader, had a Christian background. Both he and his wife came from observant Christian families. He even played the organ for his church.

Most of this info is swept under the rug for the sake of propaganda and K.I.S. downplayed it in his own memoirs, but enough credible documentation survives. Before the cult of the Kim’s, Christianity was popular, as it remains in South Korea to this day.

In the U.S. we have separation of Church and State. In totalitarian regimes, there is of course no room for both.

Very interesting, I did not know that about Dear Leader #1. We have a healthy South Korean Christian presence in our area; our last two church organists were South Korean, and quite talented. FWIW, my wife helps teach Sunday School to little kids. A 7 year old South Korean boy is in her class; he recently came to the US from South Korea. He is extremely smart, reads and speaks English fluently, and knows math and his Bible.

[dualstow]

David Suchet has the perfect voice for the New Testament
https://youtu.be/PKiAXVxOm6o

[Mountaineer]

David Suchet has the perfect voice for the New Testament
https://youtu.be/PKiAXVxOm6o

Indeed he does. Thanks for sharing.