CreateDebate is a social debate community built around ideas, discussion and democracy.
If this is your first time checking out a debate, here are some quick tips to help get you started:
Arguments with the highest score are displayed first.
Argument replies (both in favor and in opposition) are displayed below the original argument.
To follow along, you may find it helpful to show and hide the replies displayed below each argument.
To vote for an argument, use these icons:
You have the power to cast exactly one vote (either up or down) for each argument.
Once you vote, the icon will become grayed out and the argument's score will change.
Yes, you can change your vote.
Debate scores, side scores and tag scores are automatically calculated by an algorithm that primarily takes argument scores into account.
All scores are updated in real-time.
To learn more about the CreateDebate scoring system, check out the FAQ.
When you are ready to voice your opinion, use the Add Argument button to create an argument.
If you would like to address an existing argument, use the Support and Dispute link within that argument to create a new reply.
And this is why your religion will be dead within the next 200 years, people are no longer fooled with ignorant and superstitious teachings like they use to be, a humans brain is evolving to become more reasonable and logically in tune with the universe around us and its due to this form of social and mental evolution that will be the death of all theistic religions.
I promous you this will happen, its been happening as you can clearly see, like all natural selection you need to adapt and evolve or die.
I don't disagree with you. Western society will continue to turn away from Christianity... Ignorance; lol... What is ignorant is how people like you refuse to recognize western civilization has been in decline since the trend towards secularism. The world's body of knowledge may be growing, technology advancing, but the more you reject Christ the more you all behave like animals.
I believe there is more circumstantial evidence for Christianity than for any other religion. Don't get me wrong though, I think many eastern philosophers have stumbled on to truths about humanity through inner reflection and keen observation, but the lives of the apostles of Jesus show that they were convinced to the core that he was the son of God. Something miraculous had to happen to convince them.
Did you know that Roman coins from Jesus' lifetime have an image of Caesar, and on the back it says "son of God"? People being referred to as the "son of God" was not rare during that time period, and many people actually did believe that the Roman emperors were the actual sons of gods. It made the emperors appear even more powerful and important than they already were. Who would question the "son of God"?
I am sure you have heard of the Council of Nicaea. It was held to discuss the divinity of Jesus, and a lot of what took place during that meeting resulted in what became modern day Christianity. Who was it that ultimately decided that Jesus would be regarded as the true son of God? The Roman emperor, Constantine.
Most scholars agree that the apostles didn't even write the Gospels, and early records show that the titles (ex. Gospel of Luke) were not added until much later.
Did you know that Roman coins from Jesus' lifetime have an image of Caesar, and on the back it says "son of God"? People being referred to as the "son of God" was not rare during that time period, and many people actually did believe that the Roman emperors were the actual sons of gods. It made the emperors appear even more powerful and important than they already were. Who would question the "son of God"?
The coins probably wouldn't have said "son of God" the Romans didn't believe in one god. However, you could take this argument a step further and point out the dozens of people who have claimed to be the Messiah. There is still more circumstantial evidence for Jesus.
I am sure you have heard of the Council of Nicaea. It was held to discuss the divinity of Jesus, and a lot of what took place during that meeting resulted in what became modern day Christianity. Who was it that ultimately decided that Jesus would be regarded as the true son of God? The Roman emperor, Constantine.
The early Christian church was scattered and oppressed. The bible was also scattered and there were conflicting accounts of the life of Christ. The Council of Nicaea sought to try to figure out what was true and what was false. To bring all the different writings and gospels together. Every Christian on Earth has to have some degree of faith that the Council of Nicaea had good intentions. Again, for circumstantial evidence, I could look at the conversion of Constantine, which doesn't seem like a natural thing for him to do. Like the conversion of Paul, just about everything he does after could be considered to be "meant to be".
The coins probably wouldn't have said "son of God" the Romans didn't believe in one god.
Divi fillius. It can translate to "son of God" or "son of the god." You can check out this link if you would like to see one of the coins.
However, you could take this argument a step further and point out the dozens of people who have claimed to be the Messiah. There is still more circumstantial evidence for Jesus.
Why? Because the Roman empire converted to Christianity? Because of the Bible? Then why not assume that every other religious text has a strong possibility of being true?
The early Christian church was scattered and oppressed. The bible was also scattered and there were conflicting accounts of the life of Christ. The Council of Nicaea sought to try to figure out what was true and what was false. To bring all the different writings and gospels together.
Three hundred years after the life of Jesus, a group of people who had never met him or his apostles, decided on which interpretation was true. Why do you have faith that their interpretation is correct, and not the other interpretations? For example, much of the Gnostic gospels that have been found date back earlier than the texts included in the New Testament.
Again, for circumstantial evidence, I could look at the conversion of Constantine, which doesn't seem like a natural thing for him to do.
Constantine belonged to a sun cult. He did not fully convert to Christianity... He merely tolerated it. The early coins with his image had on them the cross, but also included Sol Invictus and Mars Convervator. This explains why Christmas falls on an ancient sun holiday, and possibly why Sunday is the day of worship, and not Saturday, which is the actual seventh day of the week. The date of Easter was decided on during the Council of Nicaea, we know that... And it falls on a Sunday as well.
So, somebody who was not entirely Christian (I'm not too sure how that works), helped make Christianity as we know it today.
What is ignorant is how people like you refuse to recognize western civilization has been in decline since the trend towards secularism
What is ignorant is how you fail to acknowledge the extremely secular (they still allow religion though) and successful Nordic countries, which are ranked as "the best governed in the world".
"The Nordic countries are top performers in numerous metrics of national performance, including education, economic competitiveness, civil liberties, quality of life, and human development"
The Buddha offers the only way to escape life's sufferings... he wins. Jesus was no different to many other people who offered away to heaven after to death, he is no different and what he taught was no more believable.
I actually think that Jesus may have taught a very similar message. It is just the traditional interpretation of the Bible that makes them seem different. For example, I think that the "kingdom of God," also called the "kingdom of Heaven," is much like the Buddhist concept of enlightenment.
In my opinion, I choose Jesus as a greater religious leader. He helped the poor, cured the blind and the infected but also cured a vast of people spiritually. Actually,Gautama Buddha was actually searching for God himself. When Gautama passed away people then made up that he was God and they started worshiping him.
Thanks for reading and I am grateful for that. My bad, if I am not giving a good enough argument. I am not very good in crafting arguments but somehow I found it fun to make. Thank you for understanding.
People don't worship Buddha as God. Actually, it is taught that others can become Buddhas, as well. The religion most well known for worshiping their teacher as God, is Christianity.
None of the Buddhas are or have ever been worshiped as Gods. Guatama himself seemed skeptical of the existence of Gods, teaching that if they existed, they were simply powerful beings on the same death/rebirth cycle as anyone else. He even argued that they were farther away from achieving enlightenment (due to unrestrained hubris) than humans.
Gautama is revered as a Bodhisattva, a person who has attained enlightenment and able to leave the cycle of death and rebirth, not at all a God.
He isn't being worshiped as a God though. Nobody claims he created the Universe. Nobody says he's watching down on us preparing to punish sinners and reward the worthy.
He was a human. One who purportedly achieved enlightenment and taught the Dharma to many others. He is being revered as a human who, they believe, helped out the entire world through his teachings. He isn't really worshiped, normally, so much as meditated on.
If I had started out disputing rather than clarifying, points would go to the right place. Although this way, Angrygenx is actually earning points for Buddha, and that is adorable.
We don't worship the statues we just keep them to remind us of the Buddha and his teachings and use so that we can gain faith in him and show respect. Nor do we pray to them, I don't know where you got the idea that we did that from.
Buddhists know the Buddha was just an ordinary human like the rest of us just that he attained enlightenment like how we all have the potential to so why would we pray to him?
He taught us to love one another even if it's your enemy, to pray for people even if it's your enemy, and the list goes on. No one else would say such wise things like Jesus Christ did. Jesus Christ also died on the cross for my sins and He rose again.
He taught us to love one another even if it's your enemy, to pray for people even if it's your enemy, and the list goes on. No one else would say such wise things like Jesus Christ did.
Except for Buddha:
“Hatred will not cease by hatred, but by love alone. This is the ancient law.” -Buddha
Judaism is basically Christianity because it's simply holding the Old Testament which predicts the New Testament. So basically Judaism is Christianity they are just under different names.
Judaism is basically Christianity because it's simply holding the Old Testament which predicts the New Testament.
No, Christianity is basically reformed Judaism.
So basically Judaism is Christianity they are just under different names.
Except the Jews, who introduced the concepts of Satan and hell, claim that neither are to be interpreted literally, and most say that the creation myth in Genesis is not supposed to be interpreted as a literal seven days... A concept which they also introduced. Most Christians ignore those claims.
Have you ever thought that maybe Jesus was just a wise spiritual teacher with a message that he needed to put into terms a Jewish audience could understand?
None of this changes the fact that Jesus was active over 2000 years ago, Buddha was around 500 years earlier. So words that came out of his mouth are older than words that came out of Jesus' mouth.
What we are save from is eternal damnation. if we epent of our sins and accept jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we are saved. We then epxress our gratitude by good works. Good works are the result of not the cause of salvation according to Ephesians 2:8-10
The Buddha never taught people what to believe or how to think but to think and find things out for themselves unlike Jesus. Also what Jesus offers is not really any different to other Religions.
Jesus was only ever supposed to have offered help for other peoples sufferings in life when he was still alive, since he went back up to heaven he is no longer going round helping people's hardships but the Buddha's teachings still help people with day to day suffering now.
I also feel Christianity encourages people to unhealthily bottle up emotions and negativeness without actually dealing with them.
I don't think Jesus failed as a teacher. I think that they just gave the messages to the wrong guys and they took it and twisted it to fit their sadistic agendas. I mean really. Paul = Saul, who tried to destroy Christianity. Then Romans persecute the Christians for YEARS and then some time after Constantine, the Romans made it a state religion. I'm not 100% but I think that'd piss off hundreds of Polytheistic Romans or Christian persecutors. Roman Catholics and Middle Ages. Yeeeeeaaaaaaahhh. No comment.
I will bet money that when Jesus comes back, if he comes back in physical form, he's going to take one look at modern Christianity and facepalm. "Did y'all even listen to me?"
I saw the link you posted in the other debate and Paul did a lot of improper tings. If Paul was actually bad, it is really funny when Christians say people ignore the truth. It sucks that Paul screwed everything up.
Jesus was faced with a more difficult task, so maybe he did the best he could.
Jesus was only ever supposed to have offered help for other peoples sufferings in life when he was still alive, since he went back up to heaven he is no longer going round helping people's hardships but the Buddha's teachings still help people with day to day suffering now.
Wait... How are Jesus' teachings no longer useful? Several of the gospels not included in the Bible are actually pretty similar to Buddhist teachings, and depending on your interpretation, several of his teachings that were included in the Bible are somewhat similar to Buddhism, as well.
I also feel Christianity encourages people to unhealthily bottle up emotions and negativeness without actually dealing with them.
I kind of agree, but I think that has more to do with the traditional Christian interpretations.
Wait... How are Jesus' teachings no longer useful?
I wasn't really referring to his teachings, but to the miracles he would perform to help people and how he no longer does this. But looking back on it I don't think it was really relevant to who was a greater religious teacher so my apologies
I wasn't really referring to his teachings, but to the miracles he would perform to help people and how he no longer does this.
It seems to me that those were later additions. People tend to focus more on the miracles and fables, and ignore Jesus' teachings. What he actually said should be revered much more than him walking on water.
But looking back on it I don't think it was really relevant to who was a greater religious teacher so my apologies
Eh, it's no big deal. I'm not picky about people going a little off topic.
I think people jump to conclusions too quickly when reading the Bible, especially Christians. My interpretation of much of the Bible is different than others, so that is a result of the Bible's ambiguity, I suppose. I think the context becomes more clear with a little bit of deeper examination of historical and religious background, and some spiritual understanding.... Like Jesus said, "he who has ears to hear, let him hear!" In other words, "my teachings are for the thinking man."
I agree. There are hundreds of books that were not included in the Bible. Jesus shares a much different message in many of them. A lot of them are actually older than New Testament, at least as far as we know. I think Old Testament has plenty of problems, and maybe some of New Testament, but I think that overall, Jesus had a good message that he had to explain in terms that the Jews of the time would understand.
I like how in the bible it says that their is neither male nor female and that everyone is equal in Jesus but then it says that women have to remain quiet and submissive and should not be allowed to teach or have authority over a man.
Jesus' teachings don't contradict themselves. The Bible does, though... Depending on your interpretation.
I like how in the bible it says that their is neither male nor female and that everyone is equal in Jesus but then it says that women have to remain quiet and submissive and should not be allowed to teach or have authority over a man.
That's because the Bible was written by several different people with slightly different views. You should look at the books that were not included in the Bible. There's about a hundred of them.
That's what you get when you compare a phenomenologist with a philosopher moving within the sphere of ideologue. Obviously the one making a careful analysis of experience will have a more accurate picture of the world than someone who merely extrapolates from religious beliefs. Buddha relates to everyone with a mind. Jesus compels only those already part of the Judeo-Christian culture.
