copenhagen

I can accept it as metaphorical or allegorical, but no, I cannot accept it from a scientific (i.e., realistic) point of view. Unless of course, you or anyone else can provide the evidence. the Bible is unsourced as far as I or anyone else can tell, so this task may prove quite difficult. I consider myself to be a cultural christian but I don't take the events of the Bible literally unless there is strong and overwhelming and independent corroboration from documented, credible sources. If there is evidence that it actually happened (strong historical evidence to that effect), then yes, I would be willing to believe it. The question is, how often is this happening today? If so, how would it happen? How would you, for lack of a better term, re-animate (yeah, schlocky movie ref I know) a dead body? For instance it certainly has happened in instances where a person did not have a pulse for x number of minutes, and then is revived. There are other examples I'm sure. However, I can't think of any scientifically or historically documented examples where this happened after someone was dead and buried for several days. Asphyxiation would prevent this occurrence after x number of minutes, easily proven in any situation. The only such cases are of clearly mythical sun gods or other mythical entities of resurrection myth. For instance, I don't believe that "the dead man" aka "the undertaker" a wwe character, was actually ever dead and came back to life although this has apparently happened on multiple occasions inside of a ring in pre-scripted wwe matches. But that's clearly story-telling which is not meant to be taken as literal fact. It's just entertainment. So, as I have already stated, I don't consider anything to be factually, historically i.e. scientifically correct unless there is sound documentation and evidence to that effect. In other words, the burden of proof is upon christians to prove that Jesus is the son of god and was resurrected from the dead. Can you or anyone else for that matter prove this actually happened? The evidence should not be difficult to find. This historical period and the immediate area in which these events would have occurred were documented in great detail by many well known historians so a miracle worker who impacted many thousands of lives should be thoroughly documented by historians. I respectfully await your evidence. And don't try to claim that scientific evidence is bunk. You have used and continue to use technologies based upon basic and applied scientific research such as computers, keyboards, laptops, the internet, modems, wi-fi, tv's cars, trains, etc. so you clearly understand that scientific research and basic science are based upon reality. Or else you wouldn't have been able to type up and edit what you did and have the rest of the world be able to read it in the form of pixels active and deactivated on an lcd or led display on their computers.

I haven't read the previous 16 pages. You don't have to to understand that science and math are based upon reality. Denying reality is delusion. You are able to read and write comments on the internet because of the work of mathematicians and scientists. Any idiot could figure that out. I'm fine with whatever aspects of the Bible are compatible with the reality of historical evidence and scientific facts, the rest is bunk.

Are you forreal?

God brought corona virus to cleanse the earth. OK then.

Define "miracle." Believing in Jesus does not meet any plausible definition of a miracle. There are billions of believers currently.

Boring sermons?

An opinion and attitude that's all too common among Christians. "I'm better than you because I'm saved, enjoy the rest of eternity in hell." Do you want to spend eternity with someone that revels in the misery and suffering of others? Will God let someone who wishes death upon those with whom they disagree past the pearly gates?

How can you prove to non-believers he actually existed?

Why does it even matter? God is all powerful. Why bother coming back in physical form? Just get it done from heaven.

It's been a couple of thousand years. Don't hold your breath, guys.

Haysoos left a dent in my Mazda 3 when he parked it in the garage and I had to lodge a complaint against the hotel to get reimbursed.

Show me some evidence that water consumption is making people fat. Or that "metabolic issues" make people fat. There're two things that make people fat: eating too much and not moving enough.

No I cannot heed them. Not even if I tried. The megavangelists throw out a melange of word soup which is totally nonsensical. On rare occasions they do make sense it's so unsatisfying it could not ever pass for knowledge much less wisdom. I do find them funny and entertaining occasionally however. I feel bad for all of the naive who fall for their trap donating away their life savings. In reality, we should go after them and put them out of business rather than let them scam people with zero repercussions.

It's not just gluttony related to food. It's also gluttony related to money. The pastors at the large church are constantly goading and pushing for more and more donations. They are becoming desperate and they are starting to embarrass themselves in more ways than one. I can see where this is all headed. They are probably in the red now and don't want to admit it so they just push harder and harder for donations without admitting to it.

I met Haysus (Jesus). He was a valet when I parked my car on vacation.

Great suggestions pv. The reality is however that the pastor is boring and sitting through a sermon is becoming more and more difficult. It's edging from boredom to irritation and frustration. I'm being pushed out, guided out, led out, forced out, it doesn't really matter. I like the pastry and coffee, but I could go anywhere for that and anywhere else I could leave whenever I wanted and not feel guilty about it.

It's always "medical issues" or "a cup of water at night." In reality, 99.999999% of the time, it's because he couldn't put down the XL bag of spicy Cheetos and ranch dip during a 12 hour tv binge watching football.

Well I don't know if we actually went to the moon lol. That's debatable. I don't consider 500 years off to be "very near." Where are you getting those dates from? Pure speculation? As far as knowledge increasing, average IQ's are dropping for the first time in recorded history. Also, a lot fewer people actually run these days. Most drive or take some other form of motorized transportation. So, basically everything you wrote in your post is wrong. What difference does the date of return (if any) matter anyway? God is omnipotent. Why would God need to walk the earth to perform his miracles?

I agree, and it's setting a poor example for the congregation. I see so many people at the church and especially church leaders, who are in very poor shape. Some of them look like they're wearing prosthetic fat suits you see actors wearing in movies. Someone mentioned shallow Hal and yes, there are people who do actually look like Gwyneth Paltrow in a fat suit. With a pastor so obese, and with a large percentage of church leaders following suit, the congregation is getting the false impression that a gluttonous lifestyle is ok. It's not ok. We need leaders who are healthy and strong and who have the discipline to avoid addictions, whether with food or with other substances. I will pray for him.

It's to a point where it's almost certainly affecting his work. Even just a year ago, he seemed to be more clear of mind, with his sermons focused and interesting. Over the past year, the quality of his work has clearly declined. He rambles more, his sermons are often confusing or they are just plain dull. He is also complaining more and more about how difficult life is as a pastor. He is gradually losing his talents and the pews are starting to empty. This past weekend the church was as empty as I've ever seen it and I've been attending for 8+ years. He's not quite at the "Elvis has just left the building stage," but he's getting there. There is no way his staff and nearly as unlikely that his colleagues will call him out. It's really becoming laughable. I don't want to laugh at him, but I just can't help it. His weight problem has careened out of control. He loves Italian food, all kinds. I think the mediterranean program or whatever it's called is supposed to be very healthy. I'm afraid he's adopted the unhealthy version very high in carbs most likely and heavy on the portions, too. He has mentioned that the church has always struggled with it's finances. Now with the pews more empty than ever, his stress is likely going to increase as well. There's only one way out of this for him and that is to stop sinning. I wonder if he can do it?

The pastor at my church is now 61. He has steadily gained weight over the years, starting with a DadBod and he is now at the point where you could not describe him as anything but obese. He is clearly in bad shape. I can recognize that he works hard putting sermons together but his weight has gotten so out of hand it is clearly endangering his health and maybe his life. Oddly, he talks frequently about going on long walks and hikes and how that helps to clear his mind and even serve to provide inspiration. He says he does this several times a week yet he is probably around 100 pounds overweight. My guess is that he is somewhere around 5'8" and well over 250 pounds. He has admonished members of the congregation for over-indulging in pornography and media in general, but it's altogether obvious he over-indulges in food, to a gross degree. I almost am starting to find his appearance comical. He's taking on the appearance of one of those circus clowns with huge shoes and pants the size of a tent. Sometimes, he becomes very animated, striding across the stage back and forth, and he becomes short of breath and beads of sweat start to form on his forehead and above his mouth. I feel badly for him, but I'm also starting to lose some degree of respect for him. Is he a sinner in this regard?

Sleep in, or get chores done, or get a workout in.

I've watched portions of sermons by several megachurch pastors by now. I've read about all of their scandals, their exploitation of gospel for their own financial gain, and their wanton license when it comes to quoting and interpreting scripture. Their reputations precede them. Nearly all of them have been exposed for unscrupulous behavior totally antithetical to actual Christian teachings. Yet, I still feel "entertained" by these pastors to a degree that almost never happens with local church pastors. With local pastors, I am often bored to the point that I check the clock with some frequency, or even begin to doze off. On more than a few occasions, I've become irritated because much of their sermon was so insubstantial or irrelevant that it could've been left out altogether as so much refuse. Yet, these local pastors are trying in their own awkward and bumbling way, to do the right thing and speak directly from scripture. I've searched far and wide for teachings which preach substance of Christianity in a compelling and I dare say entertaining or at least engaging manner and I rarely if ever find it. Should I just resign myself to slogging through sermons in this way? Sometimes I see fellow worshipers waving their hands about, even dancing, moved emotionally while I struggle to stay awake. Typically these are just a few in the front row, some of whom I know for a fact enjoy making a spectacle of themselves. Anyway, I will keep searching.

I've watched portions of sermons by several megachurch pastors by now, and even though I've read about all of their scandals, their exploitation of gospel for their own financial gain, and their wanton license when it comes to quoting and interpreting scripture. Their reputations precede them. Nearly all of them have been exposed for unscrupulous behavior totally antithetical to actual Christian teachings. Yet, I still feel "entertained" by these pastors to a degree that almost never happens with local church pastors. With local pastors, I am often bored to the point that I check the clock with some frequency, or even begin to doze off. On more than a few occasions, I've become irritated because much of their sermon was so insubstantial or irrelevant that it could've been left out altogether as so much refuse. Yet, these local pastors are trying in their own awkward and bumbling way, to do the right thing and speak directly from scripture. I've searched far and wide for teachings which preach substance of Christianity in a compelling and I dare say entertaining or at least engaging manner and I rarely if ever find it. Should I just resign myself to slogging through sermons in this way? Sometimes I see fellow worshipers waving their hands about, even dancing, moved emotionally while I struggle to stay awake. Typically these are just a few in the front row who at least some, enjoy making a spectacle of themselves. Anyway, I will keep searching.

Oh yeah, several of the local churches do that. There's plenty of volunteer activity. I have no idea how it's impacting church attendance in the local area. At the church I've attended regularly (or semi-regularly), attendance is down. Outreach is not impacting attendance positively. At best, it's slowing the decrease in attendance. This is a problem nationally however, it's not something specific to this one church obviously. Every time this church has attempted to expand operations in some way, even in areas which appear to fill a glaring need, the new program or service shuts down within months. The will is there, but not the market.