How are two religions true?
How are both Christianity and Hinduism true in these movies? And also true are the UFO/Roswell/Ancient Astronaut/Crystal Skulls legends. It doesn't make sense to me.
shareI know I'm 2 years too late but the Jewish God and the Christian God are one in the same. It's more that the Jews steadfastly refuse to accept Jesus as the savior of the world because at the time he came they wanted someone who was going to destroy the Roman Empire instead of someone who would die to forgive the sins of everyone in the world. The curtain to the holy of hollies in the temple being torn while Jesus was dying on the cross was a sign to the Jewish people that Jesus was the only way to Heaven. But they refused to accept it because it wasn't what they wanted.
shareThe issue wasn't Judaism vs. Christianity, but Christianity vs. Hinduism. But now that you've opened up this particular can of worms, I have to point out that you are assuming facts not in evidence. The temple curtain, for example - there is no evidence that it was torn as Jesus died on the cross. There is a claim that it did, but no corroboration outside the Bible. Actually, only two of the gospels, Matthew and Mark, mention it. Luke and John did not describe any supernatural occurrance as Jesus died. There is no reason, aside faith (if you're Christian), to assume it is true.
The Jews do not recognise Jesus as their Messiah because he doesn't fulfill messianic prophecies. Kind of an important criteria. Yes, I know, Christians insist that Jesus fulfilled more than 300 prophecies, but you have to be Christian to believe that. Non-Christians checking out these alleged fullfilments tend to be unimpressed.
Also, there are striking differences between Judaism and Christianity. For one, there is no devil in Judaism. The satan you'll find in the OT are angels doing God's bidding. In the NT, however, the satan is suddenly an enemy of God. Actually, that's not really the case in the NT as well, but that's how Christian interpretation has evolved. Essentially, Christianity has been duotheistic since the 4th century AD, with one deity being all-good and one deity all-evil. Yes, you don't call the devil a god, but that's what you treat him like. And then there is also the Catholic veneration of Mary, and the Catholic and Orthodox veneration of saints - a remnant from European polytheism. And then there is also hell, another concept borrowed from pagan beliefs.
Judaism, on the other hand, is entirely monotheistic, and there is no devil, and no hell. Later Judaism did kinda sorta develop an association of gehenna and fire, but even today the whole concept of an afterlife is very ambiguous - and certainly nothing like what is taught in Christianity.
All in all, Jews have little reason to take Christianity seriously. When Christians speak of OT prophecies fulfilled in Jesus, Jews can simply scoff and point out that "that's not how to read the OT". And from a non-partial point of view, they're in the right.
"Also, there are striking differences between Judaism and Christianity. For one, there is no devil in Judaism."
Is Job not part of Judaism? Cause that is an old Testament book that talks about the Devil. Also it's believed by a lot of Christians that the Devil was actually the serpent who tempted Adam and Eve. Also there is the stuff in Isaiah that talks about Jesus. He talks about someone coming that is going to be rejected by his people. Then there is Psalm 22 that David wrote which is quoted by Jesus when he dies on the cross. Jesus also mentioned a lot of Old Testament prophets in his teachings. So it's not like he wasn't as much for Jewish people as he was people who weren't.
No, that is not the devil in Job. It's the satan, an angel who at no point acts without permission from God. And yes, it is believed by Christians that the devil was in the garden of Eden, in the form of the serpent what seduced Eve, but there is nothing in the actual text to suggest it was anything other than a normal snake. It's a fable, fables often have talking animals. Indeed, there is every reason to assume the serpent is just a serpent, because God curses all serpents because of what that one serpent did. Which wouldn't make any sense if the serpent was possessed, and thus innocent. Furthermore, Genesis says that the reason it was the serpent, was because it was craftier than all other beasts. There is simply no room for possession in this story.
The only reason Christians insist that it was Satan (capital S) who seduced Eve, is because of one single passage in Revelations (a passage which is obviously metaphorical): "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Note that he is called both dragon (symbol of evil and insatiable hunger) as well as serpent (symbol of cunning and deceit). So which is it, dragon or serpent? Both at once? That only works if they are metaphors. And "old" does not refer to the time of Eden, but since the oldest time, full stop. He is called "serpent" here because of what serpents symbolise, not because he was an actual serpent at some point. Just like we call people "lying snakes" to this day.
Also, about Psalm 22, I'm afraid you are putting the cart before the horse. Psalm 22 doesn't quote Jesus, but rather it was Jesus who quoted the psalm - which would have been well known to him. Also, this psalm is frequently quote mined as if it were prophesying the crucifixion:
the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
That's two verses. But what about these ones, from the same psalm?
Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
For dogs have compassed me.
And then it continues to the little bit which is so often taken to refer to the crucifixion. What fits is used, and if it doesn't fit... it is neatly swept under the rug.
It should also be noted that Matthew is the only one who says they cast lots over Jesus's robe, and he probably invented that himself precisely with reference to Psalm 22. After all, it wasn't actually Jesus's robe, but one put on him for the occasion. A purple robe would have been very expensive, and whoever put it on him would have wanted it back. Certainly the soldiers would have assumed as much, and it was forbidden for commoners to own purple garments at any rate. Pontius Pilate was the only person there who *could* have given Jesus the Robe, and everybody would have known it. It was purely a status thing: wealth had nothing to do with it. A merchant was not allowed to wear purple, no matter how wealthy. Only the emperor was allowed to wear a fully purple toga, whereas other people of status were allowed to wear togas with a purple stripe - its thickness varying with their position.
As you might understand, if Pilate had really allowed Jesus to wear a purple robe, for any reason, he would have been in trouble had the Emperor found out. There is no reason to assume Jesus was actually given a purple robe, though he might conceivably have been given a blue one. But even in this case, robes aren't cheap, and no one would want to waste a perfectly good robe on a criminal.
Just FYI, I am a Christian. Also you misunderstood my post. I meant Jesus quoted the 22nd Psalm as he was dying. Not that he wrote it. Of course I know the Psalms were written in BC times. Also every translation I have read of Job says it's the Devil who tested God and wanted to make Job turn from God. I don't think it makes any sense to have it be anyone that is a servent of God that turns Job away from God because the story starts off with an enemy of God wanting to defy him and turn Job away from him on a bet. Also even if that was the case the point of the story is that Job trusted God even though his family was killed. I do sense though from the way you talk about this, that you aren't a Christian. In which case, maybe this is a pointless discussion since you are just going to insist that what I belive is wrong.
shareAlso every translation I have read of Job says it's the Devil who tested God and wanted to make Job turn from God.
I don't think you remember that right. Here:
https://www.biblegateway.com/
If you look up the book of Job here, you can select amongst a myriad of Bible translations. I have just checked myself, a small sample of ten translations in four different languages, and it's satan or the satan in all of them. And lest you forget: when Job finally cracks, God comes to him to reproach him, and God makes it very clear that it was he, God, who had placed all these trials and tribulations upon Job. The satan is just the one doing the dirty work, but he needed God's permission. And the beginning of the book makes it clear that God allows the destruction of this righteous man "without reason".
What *doesn't* make sense is for a devil, an enemy of God's, to be able to goad supposedly omnipotent and omniscient God into allowing the destruction of Job. If the devil can do that, that makes him more powerful than God, so what does he need with God's permission anyway? No, instead, it is as I have said: there is no devil in the passage. It is Hasatan, or the satan - the name only means "opposer", as you surely know. But the name does not imply opposition to God, not in this text, as indeed the satan never once opposes God. He is an adversary only to Job.
And you're right, I'm not a Christian - anymore. I am not an anti-theist by any means, and still have a deep fascination with theology - and Christian theology in particular. I lost my faith early on as a result of two realisations: One, Christians can't ever seem to agree on what to believe and two, more importantly, I realised that the only reason I was Christian was that I had been raised such. In other parts of the world there were Muslims and Hindus who were just as convinced that they were right as I had been convinced that I was right. In other words, the degree of certainty one feels cannot be used as any sort of indicator as to the truth of that belief. And that was quite a profound realisation. share
Don't feel like arguing about Job anymore. I am sorry you lost your faith. I have always believed in God and Jesus and feel Jesus is the only way to heaven. Reason why I think that is because nobody is perfect and that's why Jesus came to die on the cross. If you look at the old teastament every God follower broke the ten commandments in some way. Abraham lied to pharoh about his own wife and also on his wife's command from lack of faith committed adultry with his slave. Jacob had multiple wives. Moses got angry with God quite a few times. David committed both adultry and murder. I could go on. Truth be told it was impossible for everyone to follow God's laws and commands. Gotta go now. Gonna be late to work.
shareThe devil in christianity is an angel too. Just one that was ostracized by god. Demons are basically "fallen angels" anyway, in both religions.
Altrough the fleshing out of what devil means and the existence of "hell" is something christian church simply made up in the middle ages. There are no references to hell in the original translations of the bible.