Author: David Lawrence Preston
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38,000 Versions of the ‘Truth’?
The first problem in trying to understand what Christianity teaches is to decide which form of Christianity! There are no less than 38,000 different denominations – and that’s a conservative estimate. The exact number is hard to determine; after all, what counts as a denomination? Most coexist harmoniously, but some violently disagree with each other.…
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We know next to nothing about Yeshua
Most religions can be traced back to a wise, knowledgeable and persuasive teacher, usually with great charisma, who claims to have answers to the deeper questions. Often they claim that G-d spoke directly to them. Yeshua certainly held this appeal for his close followers and continues to do so for millions around the world. But…
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‘Jesus’ wasn’t called ‘Jesus’
The first and most obvious historical fact about the main character of the New Testament gospels is that he wasn’t called ‘Jesus’. To some, this is an obvious point, to others it comes as a surprise; some acknowledge it but think it doesn’t matter. But it does, because it illustrates the way in which the…
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Christianity is not about good deeds but blind faith
Does Christianity help or hinder us realising our spirituality? Spirituality is a deep appreciation of our non-physical essence coupled with an enriching process of personal growth and transformation. In contrast, religion is a formalised set of beliefs and rituals presented within a formatted organisational structure. It’s an uncomfortable fact for those who like formality and…
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The Hebrew prophecy of a virgin birth is based on a mistranslation
Two of the New Testament gospels tell us that Yeshua’s mother was a virgin at the time of his conception and that this had been prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures. About a third of the world’s population choose to believe this. But this particular prophecy was a mistranslation of a passage from the Book of…
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To be a Christian is to see the 21st Century world through 1st Century eyes
To be a Christian today is to see the world the same way as a small group of religious mavericks living in a tiny part of the world nearly two thousand years ago. It is like looking at our 21st Century world through 1st Century eyes. Isn’t it better to look at the 21st Century…
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The real Pilate was a ruthless tyrant, not a kindly ditherer
If you’ve seen Michael Palin’s portrayal of Pontius Pilate in Monty Python’s ‘Life of Brian’, you’ll recall the weak and wavering man with a stutter in awe of his friend Bigus Dickus. Does this in any way resemble reality? No. Not at all. The Pilate of history was a vicious and paranoid tyrant who had…
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The Christian gospels repeatedly disagree – with each other!
In my book, 201 Things About Christianity You Probably Don’t Know (But Ought To), I give dozens of examples where the four official Christian gospels disagree with each other. ‘Luke’ even disagrees with himself (since he also wrote Acts of the Apostles). Those who say G_d wrote or inspired the Bible are shooting themselves in…
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Yeshua was wrong!
The writers of the first three (Synoptic) gospels made it perfectly clear – Yeshua/Jesus’ mission was to proclaim the imminent coming of the Kingdom of G_d. Many Christians have never read the gospels in detail. I have, and one fact jumps out at you from almost every page. Once its significance understood, it casts a…
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If we want a rounded picture, we must be look at all available sources
Church theologians say that everything we need to know about Yeshua (‘Jesus’) can be found in the New Testament, and that what is written there is all true. But surely if we want a rounded picture, we must be look at all available sources. That’s not easy; Yeshua barely features in any non-Christian sources from…