101. Is Jesus's three days in Hell really an
ultimate sacrifice, when more than half of humanity going to spend eternity
there (see question #11)?
102. If your sect considers the King James Bible to
be the official and/or authoritative translation, justify this in light of the
fact that when King James commissioned his translation to be poetic rather than
accurate. How can you possibly use an inaccurate translation as your reference
for what is/is not the word of your god? If your sect does not use the King
James Bible, what translation do they use? Justify the use of that particular
translation.
103. Assume that I do not believe that Jesus died
for my sins, or that if he did, that necessarily means I will go to your heaven.
Name one thing that Jesus ever did for me.
104. Before Mary was knocked up by the Holy
Spirit/Ghost, she was never asked for her consent. (She was warned; see Luke
1:31). Mary was also asleep when your god knocked her up; this strongly suggests
that he didn't want her to protest. Does this mean that Mary was raped by your
god? Do you think rape is wrong? Explain.
105 According to Luke, Mary knew that she was
pregnant with the Messiah. Living in the times she lived in, she must have known
the scripture; therefore, she must have known that he would have to suffer
horribly during his life. Was it moral for Mary to carry her baby to term, or
would it have been more humane for her to have an abortion? Explain.
106. If it was foretold that Jesus was to be
crucified, and if he knew this, and if he was the son of your god, why did he do
everything he could to avoid being crucified? (See, for instance, Matthew
26:39).
107. If the Holy Spirit/Ghost is the father of
Jesus (Luke 1:35), then why is the central figure of your trinity called God the
Father?
108. Mary and Jehovah were never joined in wedlock.
Does it bother you that Jesus is technically a bastard?
109. The original Hebrew word for the Holy
Ghost/Spirit includes the idea that the Holy Spirit/Ghost is female in gender.
Isn't this rather silly when you consider the fact that the Holy Ghost/Spirit is
actually the father of Jesus (Luke 1:35)?
110. Matthew 28:11-15 contains an account of a
conspiracy between the Jews and the Roman soldiers to spread the story that the
disciples stole the body of Christ. How could Matthew have known about this,
since no Jews or Romans would have admitted to it? If it was such a transparent
conspiracy that an outsider could have seen it, why didn't the other three
gospels mention it? Why didn't the Roman soldiers get into trouble?
111. Jews believe that people are basically good
people and can work to overcome their sinful tendencies. Most Christian sects,
following the teaching of Psalm 51:5, 1 Kings 8:46, Ezekiel 18:4, Isaiah 59:2,
and Psalm 143:2, believe that people are completely debased and hopelessly lost
in sin, and that only your god can lift us out of this state if he decides to
bestow his gift of grace on us? Isn't this an incredibly negative view of
people? Isn't Judaism a more mature faith just for this reason?
112. How do you, as an individual, feel about Psalm
51:5?
113. What does your sect teach about Psalm 51:5
(and 1 Kings 8:46, etc.), predestination, and similar matters?
114. Don't you think that the idea that no matter
what we do, we can never be good and righteous without help from your god
(Isaiah 64:6) fosters an unnatural and unhealthy dependency on him?
115. Revelation 22:16 says that Jesus is the
"offspring of David." Mary was not descended from David, but Joseph was. Doesn't
this mean that Jesus wasn't the son of your god at all, but the (mortal and not
divine) son of Joseph?
116. What would the correct thing to do be if your
god gave you a command that was harmful and/or destructive to you? A common
argument, which comes from Paul, states that because clay pots don't complain
about what the potter does with them, people shouldn't complain about what their
maker (supposedly, your god) does with them, but this completely ignores the
vitally important argument that clay pots have no sense of self-awareness and
cannot think or feel love, pain, anger, etc. If you want to make this argument,
you have to deal with this difference.
117. What (or who) does your sect believe the
number 666 represents? Justify your answer.
118. If your god is "just and merciful," why would
he take Solomon's kingdom away from Solomon's son while not punishing Solomon,
when it was Solomon himself who committed the sin of idolatry? What did
Solomon's son do to deserve punishment? (See 1 Kings 11:12).
119. Why is Solomon commonly considered to be the
paragon of wisdom by many Christians, when he constantly sinned against your god
(1 Kings 11:4-10, etc.)? Personally, if I had a god talking to me, I'd do what
he said.
120. Don't you think that an anti-sex position (see
question #22) is a rather silly position for your sect to take when the biblical
book "Song of Solomon" is a piece of erotic poetry? (For instance, in Song of
Solomon 8:2, the bridegroom proposes to "drink of spiced wine of the juice of
the pomegranate." The pomegranate was a symbol of the female genitalia, and the
"spiced wine" represented menstrual blood).
121. Does it bother you that the cross, supposedly
a Christian symbol, was actually stolen from the Egyptians? Why or why not? (The
Egyptian cross, the ankh, was a male-female symbol similar in concept to the
yin-yang. When the Christians stole the ankh from the Egyptians, they removed
the female symbol, or yoni, leaving only the masculine symbol-- a subtle way of
reinforcing the idea that women are lesser beings).
122. How do you explain that Christians are twice
as likely to have sadomasochistic tendencies as non-christians?
123. What is the incredibly important doctrinal
difference that requires the fighting between Catholics and Protestants in
Ireland?
124. Even if your god did create the universe, why
does he want to be worshipped? Is your god an egomaniac?
125. What are your beliefs concerning Wicca?
("white witchcraft"). How much do you know about Wicca?
126. What do you think the word "Satanist" means?
127. How do you explain the fact that the word
"blood" occurs over 400 times in the Bible? Isn't this a rather savage way to
write a book that is supposed to be at the center of an ethical system?
128. Throughout the Bible, your god commands his
followers to wage merciless war on unbelievers (Luke 22:36, Deuteronomy 13:8,
Exodus 20:23-25, Deuteronomy 20:16, Matthew 10:34, Numbers 31:17-18, etc). If
you are one of his followers, why aren't you out waging merciless war on
unbelievers?
129. Numbers 23:21 says that your god "has not seen
wickedness in Israel." If this is so, explain why your god burned Israelites for
complaining (Num 11:1), sent a plague against them for eating the meat he had
given them (Num 11:33), why he burned people for using incense (Num 16:35), why
he sent a plague against the Israelites who accused Moses of wrongdoing (Num
16:44-49), and why he sent fiery snakes among the Israelites (Num 21:5). Is your
god a liar, or was it just more convenient for him to lie at that particular
place and time, or what?
130. What was it that was so bad about eating an
apple that death had to result from that act?
131. What was it about humanity's torturing and
killing of your god's only son that made your god so happy that he again
promised eternal life to everyone who believed in him.
132. How do you explain that Matthew and Luke give
different genealogies for Jesus?
133. Matthew says that the prophecy given in
Matthew 27:9 was given by Jeremiah. How do you explain that this prophecy was
not given by Jeremiah at all, but by Zechariah (in Zech 11:12)?
134. Matthew says (in Matt 2:21) that Jesus dealt
in Nazareth so that he could fulfill a prophecy stating that the Messiah would
be called a Nazarene. Where is this prophecy in the Old Testament?
135. Matthew says that on the triumphant entry into
Jerusalem, Jesus was riding on an ass and a colt (Matt 21:7). How do you explain
that the original prophecy (Zech 9:9) stated that Jesus would be riding on only
one ass, and the other gospel writers place Jesus only on one ass (Mark 11:7,
Luke 19:35, and John 12:15)?
136. In Matthew 1:23, Matthew has the angel say
that Jesus would be born of a virgin. However, the prophecy that Matthew is
referring to, Isaiah 7:14, uses the Hebrew word almah, which simply means a
young woman. It has nothing to do with sexual purity; the Hebrew word for virgin
is bethulah. How do you explain this?
137. Isaiah 7:16 seems to say that before Jesus had
reached the age of maturity, both of the Jewish countries would be destroyed.
Where is the fulfillment of this prophecy in the New Testament?
138. Matthew 1:23 says that Jesus would be called
Immanuel, which means "God with us." Why does no one (not even his parents) call
him Immanuel at any point in the New Testament?
139. How many inconsistencies in the Bible, other
than those mentioned in this paper, do you know of? Cite chapter and verse for
as many as you have room for.
140. If even the contemplation of sinning is a sin
(i.e. "sinning in your heart"; see, for example, Matthew 5:28) and if Jesus was
tempted by Satan in the desert (Matthew 4:5-8, Luke 4:5-9), how can you say that
Jesus was without sin?
141. Does your sect believe that the existence of
your god can be established through a formal proof? Why or why not?
142. Pick a famous argument for the existence of
your god, then criticize that argument. (Assume I mean for you to use the
academic definition of criticize).
143. Pick an argument against the existence of your
god. If it is not a famous argument, copy it down here. Criticize this argument.
(Assume I mean for you to use the academic definition of the word criticize).
144. What does your sect think of the government?
Read Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 13. Now what do you think of the
government? If necessary, reconcile the two views.
145. What is your definition of the word Christian?
146. Why do you think it is that the ancient
Greeks, who had a very liberal sexual morality, had many fewer sex crimes
(compared to the population) than the United States, which is 85% Christian?
147. If someone accepts Jesus, and is "saved," but
then turns away from Jesus, is that person still saved?
148. Where did your god come from?
149. What are the requirements for being saved?
Some sects says that faith alone is enough; others say that faith without works
is dead. The Bible supports both these viewpoints. What does your sect think?
150. If I decide I like the answers to the above
questions, where can I get in touch with you? (Give name, address, phone and
email if available).
151. What is the name of your sect?
152. How is your sect organized?
153. How can I get in touch with a priest
(minister, etc.) of your sect?
The priestly type... of man has a life interest
in making mankind sick and in so twisting the concepts of good and evil, true
and false, as to imperil life and slander the world. -Fredrich Nietzsche,
The Antichrist
You, bursting with holiness,
And yet you never preach! Astonishing
I call it... -Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de
Bergerac
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do, Show me
the steep and thorny way to heaven, Whiles, like a puffed and reckless
libertine, Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads And recks not his own
rede. -William Shakespeare, Hamlet
There were people out there tonight telling you
that [God and] they love you. If they love you so much, where have they been
all your lives? Thank you for coming to our church tonight. -Marilyn
Manson, concert in Salem, OR 1/19/97
Eternal damnation. What a cruel hoax your priests
have inflicted on your people. Souls change. Only God is eternal-- and what
kind of God would damn any created thing eternally? What sin could possibly be
so great? -A. A. Attanasio, The Dragon and the
Unicorn
I'm going to rub your faces in things you try to
avoid. I don't find it strange that all you want to believe in is only that
which comforts you. How else do humans invent the traps which betray us into
mediocrity? How else do we define cowardice? -Frank Herbert, Children of
Dune Return your answers to these questions to: Name: _________________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________ City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________ Email: _________________________________________________________
After you finish filling out this form, please send it to me at
DrPrometheus@freethought.freeservers.com
This document (c) 1997 by the Heirophant. It may be
reproduced in any non-profit form without permission by the author; however,
for-profit reproduction requires *written* permission. Last modification on
3/11/97
Actually, "heirophant" is spelled correctly here.
There are two spellings: "hierophant" is the common English spelling,
"heirophant" is the common spelling among those knowledgeable of the occult and
is the spelling used by Arthur Waite.
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