I always considered myself more conservative and an evangelical Christian. Yet I am upset at and also very suspicious of this blind support for Israel. Like it’s actually getting ridiculous at this point. I even changed the title as it’s literally just a watermelon. Yet all sorts of outlets are reporting on it being “anti semitic” and “erases israel”. It’s like a weird cancel culture is going on.
If you also want to know my opinion as an evangelical, I cannot find any biblical justification for the existence of this “state of israel”.
The article says it is a watermelon shaped like israel. I don’t know why is (or is percieved to be) a pro-palestinian message, and I don’t care enough about a t-shirt to look it up, but the show producers at least thought it was a political statement. I wonder if a shirt with simply a triangular slice of watermelon would be banned.
Thanks for the post. While you’re at your Bible studies may I suggest looking for evidence of hell? I have studied the Bible but I can’t find anything other than souls perishing instead of going to eternal torture.
Plus your god isn’t some random asshole like the other ones right?
[29] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, [30] saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ [31] Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. [32] Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. [33] You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?
Matthew 25:41-46 ESV
[41] “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. [42] For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, [43] I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ [44] Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ [45] Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ [46] And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Revelation 20:12-15 ESV
[12] And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. [13] And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. [14] Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. [15] And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Seems pretty clear, although you have to join the dots between verses to get the full thing. I have looked into other religions and Christianity seems the most probable by a mile.
Those are good examples from the ESV which I haven’t read. Have you considered the difficulty of translation from Aramaic to Greek to Latin to English? The church I belonged to as a child handwaved this away as all the translators were divinely guided to preserve the meaning of god’s word.
That seems improbable at best and honestly silly in general. My church followed the King James translation which has so many problems. Was ESV created to be an easier read of King James or did it go back to an earlier source?
I have no doubt in my mind that the god of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) must be a tremendous asshole. If he exists, then I want nothing to do with him. All the depictions of heaven I’ve been offered are endlessly praising this god while basking in his glory. Sounds like shit to me. Why would a god who created humans need them to worship him? I find the idea perverse and disgusting.
Finally I’ll mention the council of Nicea, the council of Rome, and the council of Florence in determining the Christian canon. There were many writings about Jesus from roughly 300AD and they had to decide which to keep and which to toss. Were they guided by god in this? In the curated canon these councils produced, god promised not to directly meddle in the affairs of humans in the new testament, until judgement day. So if he guided these translations and councils was he not a liar?
I am very curious by what metrics you have found Christianity to be the most probable of all the supernatural explanations of worldly and otherworldly history and current events.
I always considered myself more conservative and an evangelical Christian. Yet I am upset at and also very suspicious of this blind support for Israel. Like it’s actually getting ridiculous at this point. I even changed the title as it’s literally just a watermelon. Yet all sorts of outlets are reporting on it being “anti semitic” and “erases israel”. It’s like a weird cancel culture is going on.
If you also want to know my opinion as an evangelical, I cannot find any biblical justification for the existence of this “state of israel”.
The article says it is a watermelon shaped like israel. I don’t know why is (or is percieved to be) a pro-palestinian message, and I don’t care enough about a t-shirt to look it up, but the show producers at least thought it was a political statement. I wonder if a shirt with simply a triangular slice of watermelon would be banned.
Thanks for the post. While you’re at your Bible studies may I suggest looking for evidence of hell? I have studied the Bible but I can’t find anything other than souls perishing instead of going to eternal torture.
Plus your god isn’t some random asshole like the other ones right?
Matthew 23:29-33 ESV
Matthew 25:41-46 ESV
Revelation 20:12-15 ESV
Seems pretty clear, although you have to join the dots between verses to get the full thing. I have looked into other religions and Christianity seems the most probable by a mile.
Those are good examples from the ESV which I haven’t read. Have you considered the difficulty of translation from Aramaic to Greek to Latin to English? The church I belonged to as a child handwaved this away as all the translators were divinely guided to preserve the meaning of god’s word.
That seems improbable at best and honestly silly in general. My church followed the King James translation which has so many problems. Was ESV created to be an easier read of King James or did it go back to an earlier source?
I have no doubt in my mind that the god of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) must be a tremendous asshole. If he exists, then I want nothing to do with him. All the depictions of heaven I’ve been offered are endlessly praising this god while basking in his glory. Sounds like shit to me. Why would a god who created humans need them to worship him? I find the idea perverse and disgusting.
Finally I’ll mention the council of Nicea, the council of Rome, and the council of Florence in determining the Christian canon. There were many writings about Jesus from roughly 300AD and they had to decide which to keep and which to toss. Were they guided by god in this? In the curated canon these councils produced, god promised not to directly meddle in the affairs of humans in the new testament, until judgement day. So if he guided these translations and councils was he not a liar?
I am very curious by what metrics you have found Christianity to be the most probable of all the supernatural explanations of worldly and otherworldly history and current events.