Ok, here's the Questionnaire that I was referring to.
I posted this letter here for Christians, Catholics, Jews, Protestants, etc,...
to see if they can answer just SOME of these questions about their own religions.
I have yet to receive a fully completed paper back. Good Luck.
I sent the link to this page to you to save us both some time;
You see, I'm NOT a Christian.
I am NOT a Pagan, a Satanist, nor am I a Wiccan
nor any other form or derivative of Christianity
(Baptist, Pentecostal, Judaism, Hebrew, United Pentecostal, Lutheran, Anglican, Catholic, etc.)
although I USED to be a Catholic/Christian at one time in my life.
Now I am a Theologist/Theologian.
(And YES, I DO know that the term Theologian refers to the Study of GOD)
I study and wholeheartedly respect ALL religions/faiths/beliefs,
as they ALL have their place in life,
BUT... there are some that are so hypocritical that I cannot sit idle by
while people who have no TRUE knowledge about the religion
that they preach, scream and proselytize about to others continue to do so.
For lack of a better term: I am a secular humanist,
as I follow a non-denominational faith.
(I follow my own path in life and believe in my own "God”)
I became one for both logical and emotive reasons.
Since I've been a Christian, I do know quite a bit about the religion.
So... If you want to even begin at attempting to convert me to your beliefs,
you have to settle these problems first and foremost.
Specifically, you just have to attempt to answer all the questions below.
It's not a simple task, but I'm sure it can be done.
One of the reasons I left Christianity is that it was so complex,
and I've found that the simplest answer to a question is usually the right one.
Quotes from scripture count for bonus points
as long as you can refute other quotes from scripture
that contradict the passage that you are quoting.
If you return this back to questionnaire to me
and if I think that your answers justify my return to Christianity,
then I will get in touch with you.
Under NO circumstances will answers like:
"The LORD works in mysterious ways"
or other arguments in that vein be acceptable.
___________________________________________________
The Questionnaire begins below this line:
___________________________________________________
0. Before we start (Bonus Question) -
What is the incredibly important doctrinal difference that Requires/explains
the fighting between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland?
1. If your God wants us to worship him through our own free will,
why does he threaten us with Hell?
If you have someone threatening you with a punishment, it isn't free will.
Clarify your answer.
2. Why would your God deliberately cause sinners to sin
(cf. Romans 9:15-23 and numerous parts of the book of Exodus
where Jehovah says, "I will harden Pharaoh's heart.").
Are these sinners still responsible for the sins
which your God forces them, against their will, to commit?
Justify your answer.
3. If Jesus did have to die, why did someone (specifically, Judas)
have to be damned in order accomplish the death and resurrection of Jesus?
Jesus was at least a volunteer for the cross;
I doubt that your God asked Judas if he was willing to go to Hell
just so that the resurrection could be accomplished.
Explain your thoughts.
4. If Judas was willing to go to Hell for humanity (see #3),
didn't he make more of a sacrifice than Jesus,
who spent only three hours in pain?
Shouldn't we then be worshipping Judas?
5. Do you believe that your God is anti-homosexual?
If so, explain why he would create homosexuals in the first place.
If not, refute or explain away Leviticus 20:13 and Romans 1:26-27.36.
(For the record, I am a straight male, but I think Bi-chicks Rock!)
6. Explain how your God can be "Just and Merciful" in light of Exodus 20:5.52.
Explain why your "Just and Merciful" God sent bears to kill forty-two (42) children
who called his prophet Elisha/Elijah/Elija "baldhead/baldheaded" (See 2 Kings 2:23-24).
7. If prostitution is wrong, why are there so many examples of it in Genesis?
For instance, Genesis 19:8 where Lot offers his daughters to a mob so that
his guests can avoid being gang raped. Explain.
(For the record, I have never been with a prostitute, nor do I intend to.
But, I also see nothing wrong with it.
Statistical Facts prove that locations around with world
where Prostitution is legalized or socially acceptable,
the Sex-Crime rate ratio is EXTREMELY low or almost nil.)
8. Explain why your God created humans as imperfect,
then set his standards so high that no one could possibly live up to them,
then punishes us for not living up to his standards.
Doesn't this also constitute as "entrapment”?
If you wish to dispute that we are or are not imperfect, explain:
Tonsils Removal/Tonsilectomy, Appendix Removal/Appendicitis, Foreskin Removal
(This is no longer just religious based, as it's become a cleanliness issue as well),
Common Colds/Influenza, Cancer, AIDS, etc. (See Question # 26)
9. Why was it OK for the ancient Israelites to sacrifice animals to their God,
while it is wrong for modern religions to sacrifice animals to their God(s)?
Justify your answer.
(For the record, I do not believe in sacrificing animals,
as this is just inhumane and a waste.
I am not a Vegetarian or a Vegan, as I do in fact eat meat,
but the outright killing of animals for worship is just wrong.
It's one thing to kill an animal to eat and survive,
but it's another thing to kill it just for worshipping purposes.)
10. Why would your God want to damn people by making them believe false things?
(See 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12).
11. Would it be good for men to castrate themselves?
Justify your answer, taking Matthew 19:12 into account.
(For the record, there is NO way in HELL I would ever castrate myself!)
12. In view of Matthew 6:5-6,
shouldn't prayer in public schools be discouraged/encouraged?
Support your answer with scripture quotes.
13. Do you feel that the last words of Christ were significant?
If so, why do the four gospels attribute three different sentences to Christ as his last?
(Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34: "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?";
Luke 23:46: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit"; John 19:30: "It is finished").
(Let's also keep in mind that 3 of these four books
were written WELL after Christ had died/was killed
and also that 3 of those men who wrote those books
weren't even alive when Christ was alive/killed.)
14. If your God is everywhere at the same time,
and hell is the absence of (or separation from) your God,
how can he be Omnipotent?
This is clearly a contradiction in terms, is it not?
15. Have you read the ENTIRE Bible?
If not, how can you be devoted enough to try and convert me to a religion
that you don't know that much about?
Isn't knowing as much as possible about something necessary to understanding it?
Isn't understanding something necessary to being completely devoted to it?
(For the record, I HAVE read the ENTIRE Roman Catholic Bible,
as well as the King James Version, the Satanic Bible, the Koran,
the Torah, the Transformer, the Mormon Book of Faith, etc.
I collect religious tomes, it's a hobby of mine.)
16. Explain why, if your God loves us ALL,
more than half of us are going to Hell after we die.
(According to the Catholic and King James Bibles)
Specifically, refute or explain the following words of Christ,
as presented in the New Testament:
"Many are called but few are chosen,"
and
"Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth unto salvation, and few there be that find it."
If your God loves ALL of us,
couldn't he find a better way to allow us ALL into heaven?
17. Was Jesus' three (3) days in Hell really an ultimate sacrifice,
when according to the Bible
more than half of humanity are going to spend Eternity there? (see question #16)
18. If it was foretold that Jesus was to be crucified,
and if he knew this beforehand,
and if he was the true Son of your God,
why did he do everything he could to avoid being crucified?
(See, for instance, Matthew 26:39).
19. As a Roman Catholic, please justify the reason for:
The Spanish Inquisition, The Crusades, the Templars,
and other persecutions of “Heretics" throughout the centuries,
concentrating on why the Pelagianists, the Priscillianists,
and the Manichaeans were so persecuted.
20. Explain why Roman Catholics/Christians pursued, tortured,
and killed people who were not Christian for hundred of years,
based solely on orders from religious zealots and their "faith".
(See Question # 19)
21. Explain why I should believe that your God
is ALL-GOOD when the only real information we have about him is in the Bible,
(a book handwritten by men, normal everyday men) which clearly describes him
as both good and evil.
(See Isaiah 30:32, Luke 14:26, Numbers 31:17-18, Matthew 10:34,
Amos 3:6, Deuteronomy 18:8, Deuteronomy 20:16, Exodus 20:5,
Exodus 32:27, Isaiah 45:7, Psalms 52:5, Luke 22:36,
and Jeremiah 18:11 for just a small sample of Biblical Passages
which describe Jehovah as having an evil morality at times).
Please explain Isaiah 45:7 in the light of God's severe punishment for sin.
22. Explain why, when discrimination against women is clearly wrong,
the Bible clearly supports the oppression of women.
Answering this question entails refuting 1 Corinthians 11 and 1 Tim 2:11-15
NOTE: Under NO circumstances will I believe that discrimination against women
solely on the basis of their sex/gender is morally acceptable.
(Also, why are only men allowed to be priests in the Roman Catholic Religion?
(For the record: I am a Man, not a Woman.)
23. Explain why, when slavery is clearly wrong, the Bible clearly supports slavery.
Answering this question entails refuting 1 Peter 2:18.
NOTE: Under NO circumstances will I believe that slavery
is an acceptable way to run a society.
(For the record: I am a White Male and I've never been a slave.)
24. Explain why, if Jesus was perfect,
he thought that the end of the world was coming soon,
when it has clearly not come yet.
See Matthew 16:27-28.28.
25. If your God is kind and gentle, why did he create parasites?
Or for that matter, why create ANY form of Disease?
IE: Aids, Cancer, Tumors, Cysts, etc.
Does your God truly believe in Population Control?
If so, why?
(See Question # 8)
26. Why should we accept the words of the gospel writers as truth
when they are clearly known to be liars?
(See Romans 3:7).
27. According to the Gospels, from the Christian standpoint,
Jesus was the MOST important person to have ever lived.
From the Roman standpoint, Jesus was a huge pain in the ass
because of his political activities.
Explain why nothing was written about his life for over thirty years after his death,
and nothing except the Gospels was written until the Third Century CE.
29. In light of Matthew 10:34, explain why Jesus is called the Prince of Peace.
28. The name "Jesus" has been anglicized.
What was the original (Hebrew) name of Jesus?
Where did you get this information?
This IS a Bonus question.
29. Explain why spreading "The Truth of Christ"
requires you to spread lies about other religions,
such as the idea that Wiccans (so-called "White Witches")
worship the Christian devil.
Incidentally, they don't, and this rumor has been
persistently spread by Christians since the second century CE).
30. At no point in the four Gospels did Jesus claim to be the son of your God.
(He said "Son of Man" quite frequently, and at one point referred to himself
as "A Son of God," but that was a common Hebrew expression at the time.
Someone who was "a Son of God" was a Jew/of Jewish Descent.
This reflected the Israelites' belief that they were the chosen people of your God.
(See Job 1:6).
Why then, do you believe that Jesus was divine?
If you don't believe that Jesus was truly divine,
then why do you call yourself a Christian?
31. When Jesus said,
"Resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek,
turn to him the other also,"
why do you suppose that most Christians fight for their rights?
To put it another way, why do we,
a country made up of almost 85% Christians, let the government abuse us?
32. Why are so many Christian holidays on the same day as Pagan holidays?
Also explain the significance of the relationship between Christian Holidays
as opposed to the Pagan Holidays, which occur on the same days of the year.
Bonus points for using examples with Constantinople.
(Hint - Think 14th Century)
33. Couldn't the early Church fathers have converted pagans only by appealing
to their reason and/or faith if Christianity is really the TRUE religion?
It is a KNOWN Fact, as the Roman Catholic church has recently released information
that in the 14 Century, Constantinople converted all Pagan holidays
into Christian and Catholic holidays purposedly.
"Christmas" was originally celebrated by Catholics in July,
as Jesus was born during a Summer month, not a winter month.
Justify your answer carefully, as this can be proven.
34. What is sin, exactly?
Think carefully about this answer.
35. If Jesus is perfect, justify the parable of the fig tree (Matthew 21:17-19, Mark 11:14-20).
36. Explain why Christians have harassed Wiccans ("White Witches")
for almost two thousand years now,
(For the record, I am NOT Wiccan or Pagan,
but I am very familiar with them.)
when the central rule of the Wiccan ethical system is “
'an it harm none, do what thou wilt".
Pagans & Wiccans, for the most part, are peaceful people
who intend no harm to anyone, as they believe that the harm
would be returned to themselves in (3) threefold/The Rule Of Three.
(IE: A form of Karma/Fate/Bad Luck if you will.)
37. Explain why Christians (yes, that includes all branches of Christianity)
have spread the lie that Jews put Jesus to death when, in actuality,
it was the Romans who put Jesus to death.
(For a good example of New Testament anti-Semitism, see 1 Thessalonians 2:15).
(For the record, I am NOT Jewish or of any Jewish decent.)
38. Why would your God confuse people?
(See 1 Sam 7:10 and Gen 11:9).
Isn't life confusing enough already to have a deity trying to confuse us as well?
39. Why would your God cause blindness, deafness, and dumbness?
(See Ex 4:11)
Why would a caring loving God allow children to be born with the following maladies:
deformation, blindness, deafness, crippling, paraplegia, life-threatening diseases, etc.?
Why would a loving caring God allow INNOCENT Children to be murdered?
Justify your answer carefully.
40. All of the various Christian sects ignore various parts of the Bible,
usually because those parts of the Bible are inconvenient.
Explain which parts of the Bible your sect ignores,
and then explain why it is OK to ignore those parts of the Bible.
41. Why did your God allow Lucifer/Satan to do evil things to Job
(Job 2:7 etc.)?
Wouldn't your God have better spent his time punishing unbelievers?
Why punish anyone at all, if we supposedly have free will?
Choose your answers carefully.
42. If Jesus and his father are in fact ONE
(John 10:30),
then why does Jesus have to pray
(IE: Matthew 26:39)?
43. In the Genesis story, your God tells Adam and Eve that
the day they eat from the tree of knowledge they will surely die
(Gen 2:17)
The Devil tells them that they will not die, but that their eyes would be opened
and that they would then know the difference between good and evil
(Gen 3:5).
Wasn't Satan really telling the truth here?
Is your God a liar?
Justify your answer in light of Jeremiah 20:7 and Ezekiel 14:9.
44. Before Mary was knocked up
(I use the term knocked up because she was not married
or in any form of relationship when she was impregnated)
by the "Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost",
she was never once asked for her consent.
(She was only 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.
(For the record, I think Rape is unforgiveable
and the punishment should be public execution/death.)
45. How do you, as an individual, feel about Psalm 51:5?
46. 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?
47. 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 such punishment?
(See 1 Kings 11:12).
Speaking of Idolatry;
Doesn't praying to Mary, wearing a Crucifix, etc., justify as Idolatry?
Isn't the “Hail Mary” prayer a form of worship?
And did not your God state that “you shall have NO other Gods before him”?
Explain your answers thoroughly and carefully.
48. 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.
Why did Solomon not?
Did he have his doubts in "God's word"?
49. Even if your God did create the universe,
why does he want to be worshipped?
Wouldn't having that much power be its own reward?
Is your God an egomaniac?
50. What are your beliefs concerning Wicca/Wiccan? ("White Witchcraft").
How much do you know about Wicca?
After reading this questionnaire, will you now look at Wicca/Wiccans
in a new and different light with more acceptance in your heart?
(As stated before, I am NOT a Wiccan or a White Witch.)
51. What do you think the word "Satanist" means?
52. 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”?
53. 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
(Numbers 11:1),
sent a plague against them for eating the meat he had given them
(Numbers 11:33),
why he burned people for using incense
(Numbers 16:35),
why he sent a plague against the Israelites who accused Moses of wrongdoing
(Numbers 16:44-49),
and why he sent fiery snakes among the Israelites
(Numbers 21:5).
Is your God a liar, or was it just more convenient for him
to lie at that particular place and time, or both, or… ?
Explain this question carefully.
54. What was it that was so bad about eating an apple that death had to result from that act?
55. 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?
Think carefully before answering please.
56. What does your sect think of the government?
Ok, now read Paul's letter to the Romans, Chapter 13.
Now what do you think of the government?
If necessary, reconcile the two views.
57. Why do you think it is that the ancient Greeks,
who had a very liberal and open-minded sexual morality,
had many fewer sex crimes (compared to the population) than the United States,
which is currently 85% Christian who state that masturbation, anal sex, oral sex,
multiple partner relationships, etc., are wrong and Sins against God?
(For the record, I like sex, a LOT. I mean, seriously, who doesn't?)
58. What are the requirements for being “Saved”?
Some sects/religions state that faith alone is enough;
others say that faith without works is dead.
The Bible supports both these viewpoints.
What are your requirements?
Explain.
59. 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).
60. Christ giving himself up on the cross was a great gesture, True.
But wouldn't it have been MORE sensible and a better gesture for him
to continue spreading his message until he died a natural death?
Answer this question in light of your answer to question #1.
61. According to recent articles released from various religious organizations,
the Roman Catholic Church has hidden the fact that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene
and that he and she had children together.
Is this true?
Are you sure it is?
Are you sure it isn't??
If so, does that mean that we have direct descendants of Jesus in today's society?
If so, where are they?
Who are they?
Would they be considered “holier” than most people?
62. How do you feel about Canonization of people who have become “Saints”?
Think carefully about this answer, as a lot of the “Saints” are prayed to on a daily basis,
and does this not promote a Sin against your God's wishes/commandments, as being both a form
of Idolatry and also having False Gods before your God?
63. Explain the significance and symbolism of wearing a Cross/Crucifix.
Does this not promote Idolatry?
Isn't this also a form of a Sadistic Fetish?
Let's be honest here, a crucifix is a symbol for torture and death, is it not?
If not, explain your answer carefully as millions of people
wear a crucifix on a daily basis throughout their entire lives.
64. Do you feel that the Pope is a holier person, than say, the homeless person
who lives on the street, who prays to your God everyday and lives his life
to the fullest preaching the word of your God?
Think carefully about this answer, as the Pope is still JUST a man.
___________________________________________________
Well, that's all of the questions. Think you can answer them all?
If so, send your fully completed questionnaire to me at this email address: RoninDH
Please make sure you take out the _NOSPAM_ before trying to contact me. Thanks.
_____________________________________________________________________
If you take a Bible and put it out in the Wind and Rain,
soon the paper on which the words are printed will disintegrate and the words will be gone.
My Bible IS the Wind and the Rain. -- Unknown
The priestly type of man has a life interested 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 wrecks
not his own rede. -- William Shakespeare, Hamlet.
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
Trust your own instincts. Your mistakes might as well be your own, instead of someone else's. -- Billy Wilder
Love all, trust a few and do wrong to none -- William Shakespeare
How can you be certain that your whole life is not a dream? -- Rene Descartes.
French mathematician, scientist, and philosopher, 1596-1650.
No man, for any considerable period,
can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude,
without finally getting bewildered as to which one is true. --Nathaniel Hawthorne
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 of your lives?
Thank you for coming to our church tonight. -- Marilyn Manson, concert in Salem, OR 1/19/97
These are just some links to various religious informational sites
on the internet that I found to be very useful:
World Religions And Scriptures
The Major World Religions
History Link 101
World Religions Page
Ancient Religions - The World Wide Web Virtual Library on Religions
HistoryWiz's Page on World Religions
World Religions
Mysticism in World Religions
Religions of the World and Ecology
Guide To The Religions Of The World (BBC)
A Comparative Analysis Of The Major World Religions From A Christian Perspective
The World Of Religions
The World's Major Religions and Belief Systems
Summaries of World Religions
The Museum of World Religions
An Introduction to the Study of World Religions
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