THREE PARADOXES OF CHRISTIANITY; why they exist, and how they can be resolved.

1. The Old Testament clearly forbids all images of God. Christians believe that Jesus is God, but most churches have images of Jesus right above the altar, on stained glass, statues, etc. How is it possible to reconcile this imagery with the Old Testament prohibition on such imagery?

2. The Old Testament clearly states that all souls will be resurrected and judged at the end of time (Judgment Day). And yet, most churches teach that the dead go immediately to their reward or punishment. If they are resurrected at Judgment Day, why the second judgment?

3. The Old Testament is rigorously monotheistic (and so is the Qu’ran). However, most Christians believe in a 3-in-1 deity called the “Trinity.” For this reason, most Jews and Muslims do not consider Christians to be true monotheists. Why does Christianity have this Trinity?

Historical origins and resolutions:

It is important to remember that Christianity arose from the intermixing of two very different cultures, Hebrew and Greek. All of the original Christian scriptures were written in Greek, so it is a mistake to ignore the influence of Greek culture and seek precedent only in the Hebrew text.

1. While the OT forbids images of God, the ancient Greeks not only permitted but encouraged such effigies. The combination of a culture which prohibits such iconography with a culture in which it abounds should be expected to produce an uncomfortable hybrid – and indeed it did. While verbally opposing “idols” (the Greek word for “image” is “idola”), most Christian churches turn around and promote images of Jesus. The origin of this paradox (hypocrisy?) is to be found in the blended Hebrew/Greek history of the church.

2. While traditional Jews believe that the dead are dead – they simply disappear until Judgment Day when they are resurrected and judged for the one and only time – the ancient Greeks believed that when the spirit (breath) leaves the body, it travels immediately to the River Styx where it would be ferried by Charon into Hades, the land of shadows.[*] Hence, the belief in the immediacy of the afterlife stems from the Greek view, and the belief in judgment upon resurrection stems from the Hebrew view.

3. During the three centuries when Christianity was an oppressed religion in Rome, groups who had heard the gospel had to meet in small, secret gatherings with little or no communication throughout the Empire. It is not surprising that these groups all interpreted the New Testament with somewhat different spins. After Constantine liberated Christianity within the Empire, it is not surprising that there were clashes between these groups, sometimes outright warfare. The “Trinity” was a compromise developed to bring peace to these groups.

[*]Note that “Hades” should not be confused with “Hell”; Hades is simply “the house of the dead” and, for the ancient Greeks, everyone went to the same place, rich as well as poor, powerful as well as weak, good as well as evil. There is no concept of “punishment” associated with Hades, although the ancient Greeks did seem to consider it a scary place.


http://www.naaija.com/old-testament-rigorously-monotheistic-james-pearce/

Hmm they are not referred to those who went astray for no reason.

EazyMoh:
Hmm they are not referred to those who went astray for no reason.

Na u sabi

New testament/christianity is also rigorously monotheistic as you will never find trinity in the new testament neither is Jesus addressed as God but rather the Son of God. The fact that some Christians confuse the personality of Jesus does not take away the truth about christianity just like the way some modern day muslims claim Islam is a peaceful religion does not take away the fact that it is a religion founded and spread with violence and it's founder was a notorious terrorist.

naaija:

THREE PARADOXES OF CHRISTIANITY; why they exist, and how they can be resolved.

1. The Old Testament clearly forbids all images of God. Christians believe that Jesus is God, but most churches have images of Jesus right above the altar, on stained glass, statues, etc. How is it possible to reconcile this imagery with the Old Testament prohibition on such imagery?

2. The Old Testament clearly states that all souls will be resurrected and judged at the end of time (Judgment Day). And yet, most churches teach that the dead go immediately to their reward or punishment. If they are resurrected at Judgment Day, why the second judgment?

3. The Old Testament is rigorously monotheistic (and so is the Qu’ran). However, most Christians believe in a 3-in-1 deity called the “Trinity.” For this reason, most Jews and Muslims do not consider Christians to be true monotheists. Why does Christianity have this Trinity?

Historical origins and resolutions:

It is important to remember that Christianity arose from the intermixing of two very different cultures, Hebrew and Greek. All of the original Christian scriptures were written in Greek, so it is a mistake to ignore the influence of Greek culture and seek precedent only in the Hebrew text.

1. While the OT forbids images of God, the ancient Greeks not only permitted but encouraged such effigies. The combination of a culture which prohibits such iconography with a culture in which it abounds should be expected to produce an uncomfortable hybrid – and indeed it did. While verbally opposing “idols” (the Greek word for “image” is “idola”), most Christian churches turn around and promote images of Jesus. The origin of this paradox (hypocrisy?) is to be found in the blended Hebrew/Greek history of the church.

2. While traditional Jews believe that the dead are dead – they simply disappear until Judgment Day when they are resurrected and judged for the one and only time – the ancient Greeks believed that when the spirit (breath) leaves the body, it travels immediately to the River Styx where it would be ferried by Charon into Hades, the land of shadows.[*] Hence, the belief in the immediacy of the afterlife stems from the Greek view, and the belief in judgment upon resurrection stems from the Hebrew view.

3. During the three centuries when Christianity was an oppressed religion in Rome, groups who had heard the gospel had to meet in small, secret gatherings with little or no communication throughout the Empire. It is not surprising that these groups all interpreted the New Testament with somewhat different spins. After Constantine liberated Christianity within the Empire, it is not surprising that there were clashes between these groups, sometimes outright warfare. The “Trinity” was a compromise developed to bring peace to these groups.

[*]Note that “Hades” should not be confused with “Hell”; Hades is simply “the house of the dead” and, for the ancient Greeks, everyone went to the same place, rich as well as poor, powerful as well as weak, good as well as evil. There is no concept of “punishment” associated with Hades, although the ancient Greeks did seem to consider it a scary place.


http://www.naaija.com/old-testament-rigorously-monotheistic-james-pearce/

I need you to watch this video carefully.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNt5NKSse0Y

Go and sit down on top shit. Who was Yahweh before Christ was born? and who was allah before muhammed was born?


Do you want to be taught your koran?

Allah was a moon Pagan god Hubal, he had three daughters Al Allat, Al Manat and Al Uzzar. That's how many gods put together? 4. And, muhammed subscribed to all of them.

Muhammad's grand father, and his father where idol worshipers who worshiped this idol allah. Al Mutalab was at the verge of sacrifice Adbdulah, muharmeds father to allah before he was replaced with a ram, the ram all Muslims kill at Ramadan, today muslims lie to say it was the Ram Abraham Sacrificed in Mount Moriah. liars.

Ramadan was, and is still a pagan practice. The circling of the Black demonic stone was done by pagans, you still do it today. The stoning of satan. hahahahahahaha.

You worship the moon and star god.

You are pretenders. Secret Zoroastrians.

What is the symbol of Islam? Is it not Moon and Star? Do you know the origin of that?


And, leave the Jews alone. Try making sense without us. You hate us, but can't do without us.

For once, the muslims should allow Christians and Jews to quote and make reference to them.