Must religion be logical?

Like that guy Saul from Tarsus did you mean?Brian.

Apart from the chicks, Paul fits in really well here!We only have Paul's word that anything happened on the Damascus road, and Israel was a ripe place to find a gullible audience. Just think, they had that guy withthe beard who said he would die and return very very soon to save them, but when that guy obviously lied, there was an opening for another charasmatic dude, Paul probably couldn't believe his luck. So, what you mean is the more absurd the religion the more chance of success?However, you raise a good point because what fundies are trying to do, and this includes our resident fundies, is to actually make Christianity 'neat and tidy'. To do this they see the need to provide rational explanations for many biblical events, which is only succeeding in acheiving the opposite of that they think they are doing.The attempts by many here to achieve what you say only succeeds in making their faith appear even more absurd.Brian.

All religions are logical.Brian.

And equally likely that both are wrong! But, regarding Jesus' divinity, He either is or isn't God, there is no 'partial' ground on that issue.Brian.

I think it is safe to conclude that the Trinity is illogical.Brian.

But the Nicene Creed claims that Jesus was God, "true God from true God," it doesn't say he gave up his divinity. Someone who can bring themselves back to life after three days, and then make himself a God has to be more than totally human!Did He set a timer or something before He became a man so that after a certain amount of time He reverted back to being a God?Brian.

But this just says he was made man, it doesn't say he was changed from God into a human. It could be that He was made to look like a man.Brian says: Someone who can bring themselves back to life after three days, and then make himself a God has to be more than totally human!
Did He set a timer or something before He became a man so that after a certain amount of time He reverted back to being a God?Jar replies: No, Jesus did not do that, GOD did. GOD raised Him from the dead. But you said that God (Jesus) had become a man, so since there is only one God, who was the God that turned Jesus back into God again and who was the God that raised Jesus from the dead?Brian.

You have a point?Brian.

Oh right I never made the connection so I should apologise.I always believed that Jesus resurrection was unique because He raised Himself. There are other resurrections in the Bible but the raising was done by others such as Paul.Cheers.Brian.

I think there is a vast difference between the writers of the ancient Hebrew world and the world of 4th century Rome!The creed cannot be compared to the Old testament jar, the creed is just a list of beliefs. Not at all, in fact I find it rather silly for an omnipotent being to HAVE to become a human in order to understand humans.Anyway, it wasn’t really a sacrifice at all. Three days in the earth and Jesus Knew that he was going to rise again.It’s not as if He believed that he was going to die and that would be it, he knew what was coming next, it can hardly be called a sacrifice. I don’t think it makes sense at all, no matter whose interpretation we take. You said So as a Christian I believe that before His birth, and after His Ascension, Jesus is totally divine How else can I read this?I’ll give you my understanding of what you have posted and maybe you can show me where I misunderstand.Before his birth Jesus was God (divine), therefore Jesus is God. The when he was born as a human from Mary’s womb, he was a human and therefore not a God anymore, thus God ceased to exist because He became totally human. Then Jesus ascended and became God again. Hence we have Jesus the God becoming human, dying and then becoming a God again. A human who can turn Himself into God is quite a trick.If Jesus was divine before His birth then He must be one and the same as Yahweh since the Bible teaches that Yahweh is the only God there is. If God becomes man, then God ceases to exist since there is only one God. Like Gene Scott’s ”smoke and mirrors’? Don’t think so either. Which could suggest that Jesus isn’t God There are different opinions about why Jesus prayed to God.Brian.

It only works if you really want it too.At face value it is a mess and really looks like an apologetic for an unwanted explicit polytheism.Brian.

In 1997 I had toyed with the idea of researching the Trinity for my honours dissertation.After discussing it with my advisor John Drane, and the dissertation being limited to 20 000 words, I decided against it! Brian.

It may well be a hangover from my Christian days but anyone who wasn't convinced 100% that Jesus is God, that is convinced in their heart, then they weren't considered to be a Christian at all.If I really thought I could be wrong about my atheism I would be an agnostic.Brian.

More than likely yes.Why don't you ask Jaywill, he might know? Brian.

They were just people who wanted to be Christians but weren't fully convinced. Atheism is a belief. I believe 100% that there isn't a God, fully convinced beyond all doubt.Brian.