[rhertz]

Originally Posted by BrainSmashr

A marble relief, found in Italy but thought to have been sculpted in Egypt, depicts the apotheosis of Homer. It shows Ptolemy and his wife/sister Arsinoe III standing beside a seated Homer. The poet is shown flanked by figures from the Odyssey and Iliad, with the nine Muses standing above them and a procession of worshippers approaching an altar, believed to represent the Alexandrine Homereion. Apollo, god of music and poetry, also appears, along with a female figure tentatively identified as Mnemosyne, the mother of the Muses. Zeus, the king of the gods, presides over the proceedings. The relief demonstrates vividly how the Greeks considered Homer not just a great poet, but the divinely inspired source of all literature.[2]

My first thought is our society’s (Merian Webster) definition of “literature”.

1archaic : literary culture2: the production of literary work especially as an occupation3 a (1): writings in prose or verse; especially : writings having excellence of form or expression and expressing ideas of permanent or universal interest (2): an example of such writings <what came out, though rarely literature, was always a roaring good story — People> b: the body of written works produced in a particular language, country, or age c: the body of writings on a particular subject <scientific literature> d: printed matter (as leaflets or circulars) <campaign literature>4: the aggregate of a usually specified type of musical compositions

I see no reference whatsoever to religion, spirit, or anything relating to such. Dr. Seuss is literature.

Originally Posted by BrainSmashr

That's from wikipedia.

Wikipedia, LMAO. Did you actually reference Wikipedia in your attempt to prove that Mythology is a legitimate religion (on par with Christianity)? A true sign of the times I suppose.

Originally Posted by BrainSmashr

As you can plainly see, your thoughts are based on opinion alone, not easily accessible and readily verifiable fact....and again, we're talking about 2 parts of 1 story and only 1 author.
C'mon dude, you can't even debunk Homer while not being able to name one author of the Bible.

Mark, Luke, Daniel, John, Mathew, Paul, Jeremiah, Job, Peter, and dozens more. How many names do you want me to name???

Originally Posted by BrainSmashr

As I stated, the difference between Mythology and Religion is the number of current believers.

LOL, yeah a number that’s all. Let me ask you, would you rather work for $1 per year or $1,000,00 a year. After all, the difference is only a number of current dollars. It’s just a number. Numbers are irrelevant right? NOT! Numbers are very important.

Originally Posted by BrainSmashr

2007 years ago, how many people do you think followed a monotheistic religion, much less Christianity? How about 3000 years ago? How about 5000? How about 10,000 years ago in the first recorded histories of man? Heck dude, monotheism didn't even appear until around 1500 BCE.

Not true. Believe it or not, the Great Pyramid of Giza may be interpreted as a timeline and omen to the coming of Christ until recent times. The knowledge of the one God of Abraham and the coming of Christ dates back thousands of years as you describe. (5000 to 10000 years or more) Monotheism is one of the oldest forms of religion and has definitely without a doubt proven to be the most successful in overall history. What percentage of the billions on earth today believe in multiple gods? Jungle tribes maybe.

Originally Posted by BrainSmashr

I hate to call you a zealot, since you don't make a religious reference in every other post, but you are clearly and intentionally overlooking the obvious with on this one. As I stated, religion isn't a Democracy...majority is irrelevant.

Majority is irrelevant. I cannot top that. You are your own best spokesperson on this topic. Just listen to yourself and imagine the consequences of the majority being irrelevant. There is little more that I can say.

Originally Posted by BrainSmashr

I don't pray to any alleged omnipotent being.

Thank you for your honesty in this regard.

Originally Posted by BrainSmashr

Are you implying that any "miracle" you have witnessed doesn't have a scientifically related cause and affect?

Yes, I am not only implying that, but banking on it as part of my faith. If you have never witnessed a miracle, then I invite you to read the bible and experience that possibility of a miracle beyond science to touch your life.

Originally Posted by BrainSmashr

Get real dude.....if ANY woman you know showed up pregnant tomorrow, would you believe it was an immaculate conception? Remember, intercourse doesn't have to happen for a pregnancy to occur, but but a meeting of sperm and egg must.

If a virgin is artificially inseminated, is she still a virgin? Does the name of the donor change that fact?

Originally Posted by BrainSmashr

That is certainly not what I said. However, you cannot deny that the majority has been wrong on some relatively major issues be it a flat-Earth, or in your case, polytheistic beliefs. Heck, I'd go as far as to say you'd consider every non-Christian to be "wrong", regardless of their beliefs, correct?

BC, no, not at all. AD, no, not if they are ill informed. But for someone with every opportunity to know Christ, yet purposely denies himself of that opportunity, well yeah, you got me!

Originally Posted by BrainSmashr

I believe in Science. I assumed that was perfectly clear....please forgive me if it was not.

Yeah me too. I am an engineer working in downtown Shreveport. My Bachelors degree in Science does not preclude me from being a religious person, much less a Christian.

Originally Posted by BrainSmashr

Obviously you and I have very different beliefs in what constitutes evidence.

That may be true. Two lawyers on opposing sides of the same case might interpret the same evidence differently. So I’m not bothered in the least by this suggestion.

Originally Posted by BrainSmashr

The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls are heresay....that is, not first-hand accounts. The majority of theology does not support Christianity....while I will concede it is currently the most popular, it's numbers are easily surpassed by the number 2 and 3 religions combined (Muslim, Hindu), and of course that doesn't even take into account the numerous other religions found throughout the world. Simply put, Christians only make up about 1/3 of the total global population, and that's putting you in the same category as snake handlers, the Amish, Mormons, and Jehovah's Witness...aren't you proud?

The Bible is precisely a series of first hand accounts, however as I mentioned before, it is our own first hard accounts that shape our lives and determine our faith. I do not believe in the Bible without first proving to my own satisfaction that the message is real.

Originally Posted by BrainSmashr

Where's the cross?
Where are the bones?
God saves souls....are you implying only once that he considered removing the body as well? How convenient.

Dude, you totally lost me. Please speak clear English if you really want a thoughtful response.

Originally Posted by BrainSmashr

Or,the more likely case, you could just be another borderline zealot readily willing to overlook the obvious simply because it doesn't support your beliefs while waiting for the image of Mary to appear in another piece of toast.

Dude, I don’t even go to church each Sunday! But believing that Zeus is the God of God’s is just wack by almost anyone’s standards, even a moderate like me. Certainly you know this as you troll the boards.