Their are not 9,000 religions. (I'll expand on that at the bottom of this post for anyone interested)
That is a BS atheist line.
And of course everybody believes their religion is right... That's the nature of truth. Logically either all religions or false or one is right. Those are the only two possibilities.
But speaking of truth... As an atheist you can't appeal to absolute truth because your worldview simply doesn't have the presuppositions in it to account for absolute truth, laws of logic, the principal of induction, or anything required to make any sort of truth claim or logic without borrowing from the Judeo-Christian worldview.
You're just matter floating through space acted upon by time and chance signifying nothing. Your brain is just a meat machine firing off electrical impulses based off of internal configuration and external stimuli. Basically you have brain fizz and you can't get truth from a chemical reaction.
I used to be a hardcore atheist but I was consistent so I was a nihilist because that's the only intellectually consistent position you can have as an atheist.
Q is not an atheist. Trump is not an atheist. This is good vs evil. 2 things that don't exist in your worldview. What are you doing here?
When focusing on top-level religions and ignoring the different sects and offshoots within each, there are generally considered to be a few primary world religions. These are broad categories that encompass the major religious traditions. Here are the main ones:
1. Christianity
Founded on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Key texts: The Bible.
2. Islam
Based on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.
Key text: The Quran.
3. Hinduism
A diverse set of beliefs and practices that originated in the Indian subcontinent.
Key texts: The Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and others.
4. Buddhism
Founded by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha).
Key texts: The Tripitaka (Pali Canon), Mahayana Sutras.
5. Sikhism
Founded by Guru Nanak and subsequent Gurus in the Punjab region.
Key text: The Guru Granth Sahib.
6. Judaism
The religion of the Jewish people, rooted in the covenant made between God and Abraham.
Key texts: The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), Talmud.
7. Baha'i Faith
Founded by Baha'u'llah in the 19th century.
Key texts: The writings of Baha'u'llah, such as the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
8. Jainism
An ancient Indian religion focused on non-violence and asceticism.
Key texts: Agamas and Siddhantas.
9. Shinto
The traditional religion of Japan focused on kami (spirits) and rituals.
Key texts: Kojiki, Nihon Shoki.
10. Taoism (Daoism)
A philosophical and religious tradition from China emphasizing living in harmony with the Tao.
Key texts: Tao Te Ching, Zhuangzi.
11. Confucianism
A philosophical and ethical system based on the teachings of Confucius.
Key texts: The Analects, Five Classics.
12. Zoroastrianism
One of the world's oldest continuously practiced religions, founded by the prophet Zoroaster in ancient Iran.
Key text: The Avesta.
13. Indigenous Religions
Various traditional belief systems practiced by indigenous peoples around the world. These are diverse and localized.
These top-level religions represent the broadest categories without delving into the various sects, denominations, and movements within each one.
If you get super liberal and creative with your numbers and you're just going for maximum results by counting every new age religion like scientology, different theological positions (like infant baptism) as two different religions, as well as syncretic blends like voodoo and Chinese folk religion You can get that number as high as about 4300.
But that 9000 number is just a lie and I hear it parroted by extremely unintelligent or dishonest people that consider themselves smarter than religious people constantly. It's a sure sign I'm talking to someone that's only looked into reasons to reject Christianity, not in to reasons it's true.
Religion is exactly what Yeshua taught us to fight against. He fought passionately against the religious establishment.
Here is what paul says in Acts 17
22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,[a] 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;[b]
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’[c]
There is only one true God and source of everything and we really don't wan't the deep church/religion to keep trying to fool people that they are the gatekeepers of access to God....
The argument against the claim that Jesus taught Christians to reject religion can be made by examining His teachings and actions within the context of the Gospels. Here are several key points supported by scripture:
1. Jesus' Affirmation of the Law and the Prophets
Matthew 5:17-18 (ESV)
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished."
Jesus emphasizes that He did not come to abolish the Jewish religious law but to fulfill it. This indicates respect and continuity rather than a rejection of religious tradition.
2. Jesus' Participation in Jewish Religious Practices
Luke 4:16 (ESV)
"And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read."
Jesus regularly participated in Jewish religious practices, such as attending synagogue services, indicating His support for organized worship and religious observance.
3. Jesus' Teaching on Worship
John 4:23-24 (ESV)
"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
While Jesus emphasizes the importance of worshiping in spirit and truth, He does not dismiss the importance of worship itself. Instead, He calls for a deeper, more genuine form of religious expression.
4. Jesus' Respect for Religious Authority
Matthew 23:2-3 (ESV)
"The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice."
Jesus acknowledges the authority of religious leaders (scribes and Pharisees) and instructs people to follow their teachings, although He criticizes their hypocrisy. This indicates an endorsement of the role of religious instruction.
5. The Great Commission
Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
In the Great Commission, Jesus commands His followers to teach and baptize, which are inherently religious activities, thus promoting the establishment and continuation of the Christian faith.
6. Establishment of the Church
Matthew 16:18 (ESV)
"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
Jesus explicitly mentions building His church, indicating the formation of a structured religious community. This counters the idea that He advocated for rejecting organized religion.
7. The Institution of the Lord's Supper
Luke 22:19-20 (ESV)
"And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, 'This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.'"
Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper, a central religious ritual in Christianity, suggesting the importance of communal religious practices.
Conclusion
Jesus' teachings and actions, as recorded in the Gospels, demonstrate that He did not advocate for the rejection of religion. Instead, He sought to reform and fulfill existing religious practices, emphasizing genuine faith, sincere worship, and the establishment of a community of believers. His participation in religious customs, respect for religious authority, and instructions to His followers all support the argument that Jesus did not teach Christians to reject religion but to engage with it authentically and faithfully.
That being said I'm wholeheartedly and completely against the Catholic Church because it has an unbiblical structure and tries to put priests that don't even meet the biblical qualifications of a pastor or an elder as mediators between us and God.
But your position is completely undefensible and unbiblical.
"Jesus" fulfilled the law and the prophets so well that the leaders of the religious establishment killed him for it.... They were following the "law" so well that they couldn't see the forest for the trees. Yeshua proved that If you follow his teachings about God you didn't need their establishment hierarchy anymore. most of his teachings resounded with peoples conscience. because forgiveness is a higher moral value than getting even. Which is actually impossible to achieve. One example is this contradiction of "God's" "law"
Exodus 21:24
24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
Matthew 5:38-48
English Standard Version
Retaliation
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic,[a] let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Love Your Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
Here is a simple question do modern day Christians follow OT laws? Do they make sacrifices and offerings? do they have a temple or a tabernacle as described in the OT? Do most of them eat pork? .....The modern day Jews who reject Yeshua literally follow a lot more of those laws than any Christians do. Catholics on the other hand have a bunch of weird rules and rituals though. Some are based on NT and OT concepts but most were just pagan syncretism and rules invented by satanic popes etc etc.
Religion is designed to control peoples emotions and stop rational thought. It is at the core of the "do not question my authority" concept. That's we have seen the left become so insane while following their pedo cult.
No they weren't following the law, they were following their traditions. HUGE DIFFERENCE. They were trying to outwardly appear holy but rejected what God taught.... Kinda like someone I'm talking to.
Listen I already thoroughly refuted your argument.
You're done. You are bleeding on the ground And at this point lashing out with stupidity.
I already said I thoroughly reject Catholicism. The fact that you're bringing it up again shows me that you're being intellectually dishonest and you really have no interest in what I'm saying.
Here is a simple question do modern day Christians follow OT laws? Do they make sacrifices and offerings? do they have a temple or a tabernacle as described in the OT? Do most of them eat pork?
You have no apparent understanding of the difference between Old testament laws and the holiness code. Jesus was the final sacrifice and offering that the Old testament pointed to. The same man that declared all foods clean.
Their are not 9,000 religions. (I'll expand on that at the bottom of this post for anyone interested)
That is a BS atheist line.
And of course everybody believes their religion is right... That's the nature of truth. Logically either all religions or false or one is right. Those are the only two possibilities.
But speaking of truth... As an atheist you can't appeal to absolute truth because your worldview simply doesn't have the presuppositions in it to account for absolute truth, laws of logic, the principal of induction, or anything required to make any sort of truth claim or logic without borrowing from the Judeo-Christian worldview.
You're just matter floating through space acted upon by time and chance signifying nothing. Your brain is just a meat machine firing off electrical impulses based off of internal configuration and external stimuli. Basically you have brain fizz and you can't get truth from a chemical reaction.
I used to be a hardcore atheist but I was consistent so I was a nihilist because that's the only intellectually consistent position you can have as an atheist.
Q is not an atheist. Trump is not an atheist. This is good vs evil. 2 things that don't exist in your worldview. What are you doing here?
When focusing on top-level religions and ignoring the different sects and offshoots within each, there are generally considered to be a few primary world religions. These are broad categories that encompass the major religious traditions. Here are the main ones:
1. Christianity
2. Islam
3. Hinduism
4. Buddhism
5. Sikhism
6. Judaism
7. Baha'i Faith
8. Jainism
9. Shinto
10. Taoism (Daoism)
11. Confucianism
12. Zoroastrianism
13. Indigenous Religions
These top-level religions represent the broadest categories without delving into the various sects, denominations, and movements within each one.
If you get super liberal and creative with your numbers and you're just going for maximum results by counting every new age religion like scientology, different theological positions (like infant baptism) as two different religions, as well as syncretic blends like voodoo and Chinese folk religion You can get that number as high as about 4300.
But that 9000 number is just a lie and I hear it parroted by extremely unintelligent or dishonest people that consider themselves smarter than religious people constantly. It's a sure sign I'm talking to someone that's only looked into reasons to reject Christianity, not in to reasons it's true.
Religion is exactly what Yeshua taught us to fight against. He fought passionately against the religious establishment.
Here is what paul says in Acts 17
22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,[a] 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;[b]
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’[c]
There is only one true God and source of everything and we really don't wan't the deep church/religion to keep trying to fool people that they are the gatekeepers of access to God....
The argument against the claim that Jesus taught Christians to reject religion can be made by examining His teachings and actions within the context of the Gospels. Here are several key points supported by scripture:
1. Jesus' Affirmation of the Law and the Prophets
Matthew 5:17-18 (ESV)
Jesus emphasizes that He did not come to abolish the Jewish religious law but to fulfill it. This indicates respect and continuity rather than a rejection of religious tradition.
2. Jesus' Participation in Jewish Religious Practices
Luke 4:16 (ESV)
Jesus regularly participated in Jewish religious practices, such as attending synagogue services, indicating His support for organized worship and religious observance.
3. Jesus' Teaching on Worship
John 4:23-24 (ESV)
While Jesus emphasizes the importance of worshiping in spirit and truth, He does not dismiss the importance of worship itself. Instead, He calls for a deeper, more genuine form of religious expression.
4. Jesus' Respect for Religious Authority
Matthew 23:2-3 (ESV)
Jesus acknowledges the authority of religious leaders (scribes and Pharisees) and instructs people to follow their teachings, although He criticizes their hypocrisy. This indicates an endorsement of the role of religious instruction.
5. The Great Commission
Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)
In the Great Commission, Jesus commands His followers to teach and baptize, which are inherently religious activities, thus promoting the establishment and continuation of the Christian faith.
6. Establishment of the Church
Matthew 16:18 (ESV)
Jesus explicitly mentions building His church, indicating the formation of a structured religious community. This counters the idea that He advocated for rejecting organized religion.
7. The Institution of the Lord's Supper
Luke 22:19-20 (ESV)
Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper, a central religious ritual in Christianity, suggesting the importance of communal religious practices.
Conclusion
Jesus' teachings and actions, as recorded in the Gospels, demonstrate that He did not advocate for the rejection of religion. Instead, He sought to reform and fulfill existing religious practices, emphasizing genuine faith, sincere worship, and the establishment of a community of believers. His participation in religious customs, respect for religious authority, and instructions to His followers all support the argument that Jesus did not teach Christians to reject religion but to engage with it authentically and faithfully.
That being said I'm wholeheartedly and completely against the Catholic Church because it has an unbiblical structure and tries to put priests that don't even meet the biblical qualifications of a pastor or an elder as mediators between us and God.
But your position is completely undefensible and unbiblical.
Good day.
"Jesus" fulfilled the law and the prophets so well that the leaders of the religious establishment killed him for it.... They were following the "law" so well that they couldn't see the forest for the trees. Yeshua proved that If you follow his teachings about God you didn't need their establishment hierarchy anymore. most of his teachings resounded with peoples conscience. because forgiveness is a higher moral value than getting even. Which is actually impossible to achieve. One example is this contradiction of "God's" "law"
Exodus 21:24
24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
Matthew 5:38-48 English Standard Version Retaliation
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic,[a] let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. Love Your Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
Here is a simple question do modern day Christians follow OT laws? Do they make sacrifices and offerings? do they have a temple or a tabernacle as described in the OT? Do most of them eat pork? .....The modern day Jews who reject Yeshua literally follow a lot more of those laws than any Christians do. Catholics on the other hand have a bunch of weird rules and rituals though. Some are based on NT and OT concepts but most were just pagan syncretism and rules invented by satanic popes etc etc.
Religion is designed to control peoples emotions and stop rational thought. It is at the core of the "do not question my authority" concept. That's we have seen the left become so insane while following their pedo cult.
No they weren't following the law, they were following their traditions. HUGE DIFFERENCE. They were trying to outwardly appear holy but rejected what God taught.... Kinda like someone I'm talking to.
Listen I already thoroughly refuted your argument.
You're done. You are bleeding on the ground And at this point lashing out with stupidity.
I already said I thoroughly reject Catholicism. The fact that you're bringing it up again shows me that you're being intellectually dishonest and you really have no interest in what I'm saying.
You have no apparent understanding of the difference between Old testament laws and the holiness code. Jesus was the final sacrifice and offering that the Old testament pointed to. The same man that declared all foods clean.
We are done here. Have a great day.