and yet have believed"? Or do you believe, like I do, that those who believe without having seen are deluded.
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2007-10-07 18:48:11 · 13 answers · asked by Weird Darryl 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
To Outlaw393 - The word translated as "blessed" is MAKARION, and can mean either "happy" or "blessed".
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2007-10-07 18:59:03 · update #1
To wordman - We have living eyewitnesses to the accounts you mentioned. Also, we have contemporary accounts of earlier events for which we have no living witnesses. Do you have any contemporary accounts, other than Christian writings) that indicate that the resurrection occured?
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2007-10-07 19:27:29 · update #2
All too often, those who believe without seeing can enjoy a fraudulent happiness, the happiness of ignorance. I'd rather enjoy the fruit of the tree of knowledge any day, even if it means facing the uncomfortable unhappy facts of life on occasion.
2007-10-07 18:52:59 · answer #1 · answered by kwxilvr 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What would you call those who deny Holocaust, man landing on the moon, 9/11 being caused by terrorists etc. etc.?
Deluded? Why? Just because they don't agree with you? I tell you, you should have known better!
Edit - Weird, you mention "living witnesses". The very fact that there are people who believe otherwise means that people accept only that which they want to accept. As to the "contemporary accounts" of Jesus I'm quoting from one of my previous answers:
[There is mention of Jesus by the historians in that period namely Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius, and Pliny the Younger. But none of them had seen Jesus as they were born after His death. Their sources were other people. As respectable historians they could not have written what they themselves could not be sure of like the miracles. Even today we keep hearing of godmen performing 'miracles' and we hardly give any importance to them. The same was true those days. Majority of the historians agree that Jesus did live.
"Overall, the unhistoricity theory is regarded as effectively refuted by almost all Biblical scholars and historians".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus ]
The main reason Christians believe in Jesus is because His whole life - virgin birth, place of birth, place of residence, 31/2 years of ministry, years of His baptism (27 AD) and crucifixion (31 AD), resurrection - was prophesied in the Scriptures (Old Testament) centuries before He came. He fulfilled the purpose for which He was supposed to come and went back to heaven. You have to look at the full picture in order to understand the life of Jesus. Of course, it is a matter of belief so not everyone would be convinced just like the incidents I have mentioned.
2007-10-07 19:04:15 · answer #2 · answered by Andy Roberts 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes Jesus Christ was right in saying that happy are who have not seen but believe because in this present dispensation we are in since Jesus Christ went back to heaven to prepare a place for His believers, He has not shown Himself for almost 2,000 years already but Christianity is spreading throughout the whole world believing what they had not seen for many generations. Only the completed canon of the Bible are the one giving them the assurance and yet they sincerely believe and recieved the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord God and SAVIOUR that could give them that promised eternal life. (John 3:16)
2007-10-07 18:57:15 · answer #3 · answered by periclesundag 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
... If he said it, it MUST be true, since in context it was a week AFTER his resurrection.
John 20:26 A week later, Jesus’ disciples were in the house again. Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came in and stood among them.
He said, “May peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. See my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen me but still have believed.”
2007-10-07 18:53:30 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes
2007-10-07 19:23:03 · answer #5 · answered by just a man 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on how you interpret it. If you are talking about a blind faith in an imaginary being then no. If you are talking about, say... believing meth addiction is bad without needing to become addicted first, I'd say yes.
2007-10-07 18:53:44 · answer #6 · answered by thewolfskoll 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He didn't say "happy" He said "Blessed are those who believe and who have yet not seen."
2007-10-07 18:52:36 · answer #7 · answered by Meatwad 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Weird.
2007-10-07 18:52:31 · answer #8 · answered by God is love. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Of course. :)
Religion is Man reaching for God.
Christianity is God reaching for Man.
God found me when I was 12. :)
Click the links for The Good News. :)
2007-10-07 19:00:56 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I'm with you on this one.
2007-10-07 18:50:34 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋