Taaffe

Thank u for all the quotes. Yes, I’m more than intimately familiar with all those contexts, and not only in English, but also in the original Koine-Greek (which I also had to learn for my Theology-Bachelor’s and Religions-Master’s). And I also spent decades in Christian apologetics defending and defending and defending Christian atrocities and the scriptures they were based upon. But as much as one may wish to believe only the best about one’s own chosen religious path, an unbiased mind eventually has to admit to itself that facts are facts no matter how much one might wish to explain them away. And the facts of history are that Christians have committed more atrocities than ANY other faith-group (including the Islamo-Nazis). There’s just so long that a fair-minded individual can close his eyes to the facts and keep trying and keep trying and keep trying to explain them away. Facts are facts.
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“Jesus was … telling the disciples that they had a rough road ahead of them“

So did Buddha and his disciples, and Nichiren & his disciples -- also “had a rough road ahead of them,” (all new movements do), but what a DRASTIC difference as to how Buddhists, once in power, treated everyone else and different denominations within Buddhism.
By their fruits ye shall know them.
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“they were being protected by the Father despite the hardships they would endure at the hands of other people. “

Hmmmmm?!? And just how did that work-out for them as they burned alive?
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“He was emphasizing that his presence would lead to non peaceful situations and that they would make enemies of their own household.”

So just how is THAT conducive to “PEACE”?
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“you have to understand the culture of Buddhism, the culture of the times during Christ in the middle east needs to be understood.”

Having a 2ndary major in college in history, one might suspect that I just might have some little understanding of
“the culture of Buddhism, and the culture of the times during Christ in the middle east.”
Is it really being objective to keep-on and keep-on and keep-on making excuses for the BLOODIEST religion of all time?
Compare OBJECTIVELY the atrocities of just 1700 years of Constantinian-Christian dominance
and all 2500 years of Buddhism.
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“when God [Allah] would order people to be killed. He had given all of the people plenty of times to repent and [convert to Islam].
Many of these people were not free of sin. They performed malicious sexual crimes.”

Notice that with just 2 slight detail modifications, this statement sounds just like today’s extremist Islamist Nazis?
Should Christians today also go and kill all who are not “free of sin, who performed malicious sexual crimes”?
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“The New Testament is all about Grace and what Christ had done on the cross to atone for the sins of mankind.”

Hate to disillusion u, but this story was not new with the New-Testament.
It was a retelling of a number of ancient pagan myths (with 1 name-change),
of ancient pagan deities who did the exact same thing.
“Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it.”
  Edmund Burke (British Statesman and Philosopher, 1729-1797)

I am not writing-off the awakened—born-again teachings of enlightened Yeshua Ha-Mashiach (Jesus-Christ), or of the saints of the 1st 300 years. I am taking issue with the next 1700 years of Constantinian-Christianity which has been a holocaust.
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“I would actually love to go to a Buddhist get together. It would be interesting to learn more. I will also ask Joe if he would like to come.”

Please do come visit.
The next get-together is the 3rd Mon = 19Sep 7-8:30pm
@ a residence
1794 Harbor Cir W, 33770-4562
Largo
when my wife Smantha will be presenting a topic for discussion.