Disclosure Day

[Fau Teixeira]

-Lastly, there is a ton of evidence out there for anyone who is looking for God. That's why some of the most intelligent men in the world went from passionate atheist to Christianity. 

My question is why is it always people where christianity is the dominant religion that switch to christianity?  I would find it much more persuasive if someone who had no real exposure to christian doctrine would spontaneously convert based on divine revelation after growing up in myanmar or nepal.

[Dave Gray]

CF, I read that article, which IMO is a clickbait headline.  There is one quote from Speilberg and that quote is: "Is God our God only on this planet, or is God a God for every system where there's civilization?"

Additionally, I have seen the movie and I disagree that it's even a theme.  It's a sentence that someone says, but they don't really explore those themes in any meaningful way, IMO.  It is one of the failures of the movie.  One character asks the question, another answers "no", basically. 

I think it's an interesting question, but the movie doesn't put any work into addressing it.

[Spider-Dan]

My question is why is it always people where christianity is the dominant religion that switch to christianity?

It is a Glorious Miracle that CF and the vast majority of his fellow Christians were fortunate enough to be born in a blessed land where it was already that case that Christ Is King, instead of some other backward country where the deluded savages worship the sun, or are Jews.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

My question is why is it always people where christianity is the dominant religion that switch to christianity?  I would find it much more persuasive if someone who had no real exposure to christian doctrine would spontaneously convert based on divine revelation after growing up in myanmar or nepal.

It is almost like there exists this infinite money glitch to be had.... 

Step 1. Be raised Christian.

Step 2. For 2-3 years claim to be an atheist.   

Step 3. Convert back to Christianity and write books in which defeat strawman arguments about atheism that are completely disingenuous and sell millions of copies to the incredibly gullible.     

[Pappy13]

CF, I read that article, which IMO is a clickbait headline.  There is one quote from Speilberg and that quote is: "Is God our God only on this planet, or is God a God for every system where there's civilization?"

Additionally, I have seen the movie and I disagree that it's even a theme.  It's a sentence that someone says, but they don't really explore those themes in any meaningful way, IMO.  It is one of the failures of the movie.  One character asks the question, another answers "no", basically.  

I think it's an interesting question, but the movie doesn't put any work into addressing it.

You're really underselling this. Even Speilberg said it was a theme of the movie. It wasn't just some person with 1 throwaway line, it was a former nun talking with another nun. How much more obvious does it need to get? This isn't 2 random folks by the water cooler, this is 2 very religious people talking about the consequences to their belief system. It's a theme Spielberg wanted to address. Ok, maybe it's not the central theme of the movie, but it's there. The central theme is what consequences would this have and for people of faith the religious consequences are important.

[Dave Gray]

You're really underselling this. Even Speilberg said it was a theme of the movie. It wasn't just some person with 1 throwaway line, it was a former nun talking with another nun. How much more obvious does it need to get? This isn't 2 random folks by the water cooler, this is 2 very religious people talking about the consequences to their belief system. It's a theme Spielberg wanted to address. Ok, maybe it's not the central theme of the movie, but it's there. The central theme is what consequences would this have and for people of faith the religious consequences are important.

I understand that he put it in the movie.  I'm saying that as someone evaluating it as art, I don't think it explores the theme effectively.  I think the script fails us on that.  It seems to wish it was about that and they SAY it, but it isn't explored in a meaningful way, in my opinion as a viewer.  It's like one throwaway moment without any exploration.  We don't see anyone question their faith or struggle with that in any way.

[CF DolFan]

It is a Glorious Miracle that CF and the vast majority of his fellow Christians were fortunate enough to be born in a blessed land where it was already that case that Christ Is King, instead of some other backward country where the deluded savages worship the sun, or are Jews.

That's an ignorant talking point from someone who doesn't care to look for the Truth. According to God's Word, God judges those who have not heard the Good News of Jesus based on the moral law written in their hearts and how they respond to the revelation available to them in creation and their conscience. There is a good explanation of this in Romans 2:12-16.

Abraham is one of the biggest names in the Bible and credited as righteous never knowing the sacrifice of Jesus , because he believed God and didn't put himself first.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

That's an ignorant talking point from someone who doesn't care to look for the Truth.

That is funny coming from someone who completely rejects the scientific method and rather relies on a two thousand year old myth.

According to God's Word,

Nope.  According to your fictional book.

There is a good explanation of this in Romans 2:12-16.

Do you have anything external to your self-referencing fictional book that proves it is anything by pure myth?

[Spider-Dan]

That's an ignorant talking point from someone who doesn't care to look for the Truth. According to God's Word, God judges those who have not heard the Good News of Jesus based on the moral law written in their hearts and how they respond to the revelation available to them in creation and their conscience. There is a good explanation of this in Romans 2:12-16.

Abraham is one of the biggest names in the Bible and credited as righteous never knowing the sacrifice of Jesus , because he believed God and didn't put himself first.

Abraham lived his entire life before the salvation of Jesus was available to man.

Are you claiming that it is possible to receive the eternal reward of Heaven without first accepting Jesus as your savior?

[CF DolFan]

That is funny coming from someone who completely rejects the scientific method and rather relies on a two thousand year old myth.
 That's funny because the theory of evolution continues to dissolve. Christianity has been

Nope.  According to your fictional book.

Do you have anything external to your self-referencing fictional book that proves it is anything by pure myth?

That's funny because the theory of evolution has so many holes there is no way to look at the evidence and not believe in a creator. People have been trying to disprove Christianity for 2000 years and have not been able to. Unlike Jesus who has over 25,000 ancient references about him, the others have like Julius Caesar has only about 250 and Genghis Khan doesn't even have 100 but no one questions their existence and story. The evidence is definitely out there. Unfortunately most people like you don't want it to be true, so they make excuses to not look for it.

[Dave Gray]

People have been trying to disprove Christianity for 2000 years and have not been able to.

It isn't a claim that is disprovable.  It is based on faith.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

That's funny because the theory of evolution has so many holes there is no way to look at the evidence and not believe in a creator. People have been trying to disprove Christianity for 2000 years and have not been able to. Unlike Jesus who has over 25,000 ancient references about him, the others have like Julius Caesar has only about 250 and Genghis Khan doesn't even have 100 but no one questions their existence and story. The evidence is definitely out there. Unfortunately most people like you don't want it to be true, so they make excuses to not look for it.

I am aware of the claims about "holes" in evolution.  They are always made by people whose "knowledge" of evolution is non-existent and such claims are easily refuted as they almost always rely on the claimer not understanding evolution.

There are dozens not thousands of references to Jesus that are contemporaneous with Jesus.  There are none that prove miracles, him rising from the dead or Mary being a virgin.  But I don't doubt that a person lived named Jesus who advocated that we should be kind to immigrants and the poor.  And who like Alex Pretti he was murdered by government authorities for advocating strangers be treated with kindness.  

    

[Spider-Dan]

That's funny because the theory of evolution has so many holes there is no way to look at the evidence and not believe in a creator.

Many people do not see "God did it by using magic" as the compelling evidence that you do.

[CF DolFan]

Many people do not see "God did it by using magic" as the compelling evidence that you do.

Historians rely primarily on two things ... the vast collection of early written sources, and the dramatic, verifiable actions of his earliest followers. There should have been people alive who could refute these stories but they did not.

On top of that, every single Apostle except for John (who was the only one at the cross with Jesus) spent upwards of 30 years of being beaten, imprisoned, boiled in oil, and killed. All they had to say is that Jesus did not rise from the dead but they could not as they had seen the the truth with their own eyes. They got nothing for claiming this but not one single person recanted their testimony. There is a ton of proof outside of the Bible that correlates this. 

On top of all that, archeology continues to prove things. It hasn't prove the Bible is wrong but has proven the Bible accurate.

[Spider-Dan]

Think of the most trustworthy person you know; a person you would trust with your life.
If this person tried to tell you that their partner got pregnant But They Totally Did Not Have Sex (and she didn't cheat), you would laugh in their face.

But we're supposed to believe 2000-year-old third-hand accounts, relayed by people decades after the fact, as "evidence" of this miracle.  And the same goes for talking burning bushes, and parting seas, and people turning into salt pillars... all things that you would categorically deny from anyone trying to claim as real today.

Give me a break.