TheologyLeave a comment

GOD (Voltaire)

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Source: Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary [Pg 151] GOD During the reign of Arcadius, Logomacos, lecturer in theology ofConstantinople, went to Scythia and halted at the foot of the Caucasus,in the fertile plains of Zephirim, on the frontier of Colchis. That goodold man Dondindac was in his great lower hall, between his sheepfold andhis vast barn; he was kneeling with his wife, his five sons and fivedaughters, his kindred and his servants, and after a light meal theywere all singing God’s praises. “What do you there, idolator?” saidLogomacos to him. “I am not an idolator,” answered Dondindac. “You must be an idolator,” … Continue reading GOD (Voltaire)

ChristianityLeave a comment

Galatians 3

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Galatians 3 New International Version Faith or Works of the Law 3 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?[a] 4 Have you experienced[b] so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit … Continue reading Galatians 3

Christianity, MarxismLeave a comment

Ο Ιησούς Χριστός και το Εβραϊκό Προλεταριάτο της εποχής του

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Ο Καρλ Κάουτσκι εφαρμόζοντας τη μαρξιστική μέθοδο του διαλεκτικού υλισμού αναλύει το πώς εμφανίστηκε ο χριστιανισμός ως θρησκευτικό κίνημα των υποτελών τάξεων. Απόσπασμα από το ομώνυμο, αριστουργηματικό του έργο. «Μη νομίσητε ότι ήλθον να βάλω ειρήνην επί την γην, δεν ήλθον να βάλω ειρήνην, αλλά μάχαιραν» – Ιησούς, Κατά Ματθαίον Ευαγγέλιο, 10, στιχ. 34 ΠΡΩΤΟ: Δεν υπήρχε μεγάλη πόλη την εποχή του Χριστού, που να μην είχε ένα πολυάριθμο εξαθλιωμένο προλεταριάτο. Ύστερα από τη Ρώμη, ερχόταν η Ιερουσαλήμ, που σχετικά, είχε τον μεγαλύτερο αριθμό τέτοιων προλετάριων. Κι αυτό, γιατί οι δυο αυτές πόλεις, ήταν οι μεγαλύτερες σ’ όλη την Αυτοκρατορία. … Continue reading Ο Ιησούς Χριστός και το Εβραϊκό Προλεταριάτο της εποχής του

JudaismLeave a comment

Deuteronomy 13:6-10

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[6 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, 7 gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), 8 do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. 9 You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, … Continue reading Deuteronomy 13:6-10

TheologyLeave a comment

If ignorance of nature gave birth to gods, knowledge of nature is made for their destruction

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If ignorance of nature gave birth to gods, knowledge of nature is madefor their destruction. In proportion as man taught himself, his strengthand his resources augmented with his knowledge; science, the arts,industry, furnished him assistance; experience reassured him or procuredfor him means of resistance to the efforts of many causes which ceasedto alarm as soon as they became understood. In a word, his terrorsdissipated in the same proportion as his mind became enlightened. Theeducated man ceases to be superstitious. Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Necessity of Atheism Continue reading If ignorance of nature gave birth to gods, knowledge of nature is made for their destruction

TheologyLeave a comment

If we wish to explain our ideas of the Divinity

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If we wish to explain our ideas of the Divinity we shall be obliged toadmit that, by the word God, man has never been able to designate butthe most hidden, the most distant and the most unknown cause of theeffects which he saw; he has made use of his word only when the play ofnatural and known causes ceased to be visible to him; as soon as he lostthe thread of these causes, or when his mind could no longer follow thechain, he cut the difficulty and ended his researches by calling God thelast of the causes, that is to … Continue reading If we wish to explain our ideas of the Divinity

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omnipotence (Paradox of the Stone)

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Related to the classic paradoxes of logic and set theory is the Paradoxof the Stone. One begins by granting the basic dilemma, as an evidentinstance of LEM: either God is omnipotent or God is not omnipotent. Withomnipotence, He can do anything, and in particular He can create astone, call it /s/, that is so heavy even He cannot lift it. But thenthere is something He cannot do, viz. (ex hypothesi) lift /s/. But thisis a violation of LNC: God can lift /s/ and God cannot lift /s/. Thisparadox, and the potential challenge it offers to either LNC or thepossibility of … Continue reading omnipotence (Paradox of the Stone)

TheologyLeave a comment

Pan-entheism

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Pan-entheism: (Gr. pan, all; en, in, theos, god) The term for the view that God interpenetrates everything without cancelling the relative independent existence of the world of entities, moreover, while God is immanent, this immanence is not absolute (as in pantheism), God is more than the world, transcendent, in the sense that though the created is dependent upon the Creator the Creator is not dependent upon the created. God thus is held to be the highest type of Unity, viz., a Unity in Multiplicity. The term is employed to cover a mediating position between pantheism with its extreme immanence and … Continue reading Pan-entheism

Judaism, TheologyLeave a comment

does God know beforehand what man will do or not

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There is, however, greater difficulty in making freedom of the will compatible with divine prescience of human action. The question arises, does God know beforehand what man will do or not? If he does, it follows that the action is determined, or if man can choose, His knowledge is not true. Various answers were proposed by Jewish philosophers to this difficult problem. Saadia says that God’s knowledge is like gazing in a mirror of the future which does not influence human action. He knows the ultimate result. Maimonides says that God’s knowledge is so totally different from human that it … Continue reading does God know beforehand what man will do or not