Devak Argham (thank God?) is clearly a well meaning Catholic in the
traditional mould. In his earlier email (10 Dec), he listed names and
concepts from Church teachings: Original Sin, Adam & Eve, Grace, Jesus,
Baptism. The next email (14 Dec) had more: Christ, Fatherhood of God,
Eucharist, Sacraments and the Bible (Acts of the Apostles, the four
Gospels). Peter was mentioned as 'Bishop of Rome'.
Does Devak accept all the teachings of the Church? Any doubts about the
fundamentals?
For example:
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Q1: IS HE SATISFIED THAT JESUS IS A HISTORICAL FIGURE?
I am no historian myself, so let me quote a reliable source called ALTERNET
- based on the evidence available scholars think that around the start of
the first century a controversial Jewish rabbi named Yeshua ben Yosef
gathered followers and his life and teachings provided the seed that grew
into Christianity.
1. No first century secular evidence whatsoever exists to support the
actuality of Yeshua ben Yosef.
2. The earliest New Testament writers seem ignorant of the details of Jesus’
life, which become more crystalized in later texts.
3. Even the New Testament stories don’t claim to be first-hand accounts.
Read more:
https://www.alternet.org/belief/5-reasons-suspect-jesus-never-existed?akid=12186.239365.-X-3cN&rd=1&src=newsletter1017315&t=3
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Q2: HOW MANY BOOKS ARE THERE IN the BIBLE & WHO WERE THE WRITERS?
The Christian Bible is made up of the Old Testament (39 books but Catholics
claim 7 more) and the New Testament (27 books).
The earliest document to be included into the New Testament is believed to
be Paul’s letter to the Galatians or first letter to the Thessalonians,
written about 48 or 49 CE nearly 20 years after the death of the historic
Jesus. His last letter, possibly to the Colossians, was written about 62 CE.
Paul is believed to have been put to death by the Roman Emperor Nero in 64
CE. Paul's letter to the Romans greets many households and individuals but
Peter is not one of them, suggesting that Peter was not in Rome. Bishop
Irenaeus of Lyon (178-200) stated that THE FIRST BISHOP OF ROME WAS LINUS,
NOT PETER.
The Bible is believed to be the Word of God but it is badly written and by
lots of writers: with mixed messages, repetition, contradictions, unclear
meaning. While the earliest of the Bible’s writers lived and wrote about 800
CE, the most recent lived and wrote around 100 CE. There are many editions
of the Bible reflecting the thousands of Christians denominations.
The first couple was forbidden to eat the fruit of a certain tree but Eve
was tempted to eat and shared with Adam. God was furious over this trivial
offence and cursed Eve: "I will greatly increase your pains in child
bearing... your husband will rule over you."
What a cruel bully the Christian God turns out to be. Later He urges Abraham
to forcibly grab territory inhabited by others.
This advice was seized upon by assorted Europeans who went on to grab vast
territory in the Americas and Australia.
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That will do for now.
Would Devak, Dan Drscoll or the Archbishop like to respond?
Eddie
