Christ & Anti-Christ

[gothikchile13]

Why is it that there's always a mention of "the next anti-Christ", but no one ever mentions "the next Christ"? I was just thinking about that last night.

Thanks,

--Jon

[zandore]

.....but no one ever mentions "the next Christ"?

Per Christian belief.

No new Christ just the same Christ (Jesus Christ).

[gothikchile13]

Per Christian belief.

No new Christ just the same Christ (Jesus Christ).

Do you mean "The Second Coming"? And why are Anti-Christs so much more common than...um...regular Christs?

--Jon

[Fluffybunny]

To keep people on their toes...there cannot be a rebirth of jesus all of the time, but if there is an antichrist around, folks feel scared and inspired to be involved with the church.

It is a great marketing plan...a great way to keep control over people. Never in the history of mankind will the church say that things are going peachy...they will say whatever is necessary to keep people glued to the pews and dropping 20's into the plate as it passes by...

[gothikchile13]

To keep people on their toes...there cannot be a rebirth of jesus all of the time, but if there is an antichrist around, folks feel scared and inspired to be involved with the church.

It is a great marketing plan...a great way to keep control over people. Never in the history of mankind will the church say that things are going peachy...they will say whatever is necessary to keep people glued to the pews and dropping 20's into the plate as it passes by...

Hmm. That's an interesting concept. How uncool. Isn't the church going against it's whole ideal philosophy of "doing the right Christian thing" and all that, then? Are they really that corrupt?

--Jon

[Fluffybunny]

It is a business, no more and no less. It may be dressed up with a pretty facade, but it is still designed to keep power and control over people.

"evil is always nipping at your heels, without us you will fall victim to the devil"...that kind of mentality strongarms people into following a religion based soley on fear of retribution form their "loving" god.

There are pockets of people that a well meaning, I have no doubt of that, but christianity as a whole is rather unsavory in my opinion.

[gothikchile13]

It is a business, no more and no less. It may be dressed up with a pretty facade, but it is still designed to keep power and control over people.

"evil is always nipping at your heels, without us you will fall victim to the devil"...that kind of mentality strongarms people into following a religion based soley on fear of retribution form their "loving" god.

There are pockets of people that a well meaning, I have no doubt of that, but christianity as a whole is rather unsavory in my opinion.

Wow. I always thought something was up, but never like that. It does make sense, however. Leave it to humans to turn everything into a money maker.

--Jon

[mako]

I agree with FluffyBunny totally, all you have to do is check out the religion's blood-soaked history.

[Travelling Man]

To offer a slight counterpoint to Fluffybunny here, consider this possibility...

The battle for your immortal soul is the most important battle to be waged in this or any time. To fail, it would mean the eternal damnation of one, some or even ALL souls. Therefore, the best way to keep the ONLY weapon against Evil is to keep the church strong. To do that, you have to keep people faithful. To do that - you have to keep people IN the church.

With that goal in mind, you do whatever you have to do to keep people in the pews.

___________________________

That being said, I just offer that for mind fodder - as I can't really argue Fluffybunny's point... sadly. It makes us out to be nothing but money-grubbing jerks, and I would like to believe that we are above that.

Oh, PLEASE let us be above that...

[RisenPrism]

Oooh... it seems I've stumbled into a nest of lies and blasphemy-what to do? Well I believe I'll set a few things straight. First of all, the explanation is that an Antichrist is a thing and Christ is a person. Second, if you interpret the Bible correctly, there is nothing in Christianity that is ment to scare you- exept the concept of Hell which was never ment to be interpreted as a real place anyway. And Fluffybunny, it seems that you are either a Bhuddist or an Atheist. If you are the first- , if you are the second .

[Pison]

IRONic Metaphor.

[zandore]

First of all, the explanation is that an Antichrist is a thing and Christ is a person.

If I can ask where do you get that the anti-christ is a thing?

1 John 2:18

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

1 John 2:22

Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

1 John 4:3

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

2 John 1:7

For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

Also look up these verses:

Matthew 24:5,23,24,26

Mark 13:6,21,22

Luke 21:8

2 Thessalonians 2:3

Revelations 19:20;20:10,15

Everything I find it makes it look like the anti-christ is a person.

Second, if you interpret the Bible correctly, there is nothing in Christianity that is ment to scare you- .....

Excuse me.....You are wrong there....What of Gods "LOVE" <A link<

[mako]

Fluffybunny, it seems that you are either a Bhuddist or an Atheist.

I don't know if FB is an Atheist or a Buddhist, but I agree with what he is saying and I am neither. You don't have to be an Atheist to see what mature male bovine manure that the Christian religion has been passing out for the last 2000 years in order to control the masses! Incidentially, it is blasphemy only when you actually believe in the matter being blasphemed. Otherwise it is a personal opinion that just doesn't happen to agree with the believer's opinion!

[Fluffybunny]

And Fluffybunny, it seems that you are either a Buddhist or an Atheist. If you are the first- , if you are the second .

I am not an atheist, but understand those that are. I keep my mind open to possibilities in each religion, but christianity just really makes absolutely no sense to me. It seems to be so incredibly fundamentally flawed, and the more I look into it, the more flawed it seems.

There are parts of the bible that I really like, and parts that I think are beautiful, but the majority just seems so incredibly...odd...angry...controlling...contradictive.... I don't really have one single word for it.

I find that Buddhism is closer to my own personal beliefs, as are the Navajo/native American spiritual beliefs… I think that assigning undesirable personal actions to a devil is a cheap way out. I think that personal development and self discipline are important and generated from inside rather than some omnipotent being that wishes to take control of me...

[ShaunZero]

Some people get motivation to be good via parents, friends family, etc.. Other themselves. Really has nothing to do with religion. You can't say that all Christians have less morals than Atheist [i've seen it said on these forums a few times] because without God they'd be bad people, because if you stop to think about it, without the belief in God, they're an ATHEIST so it all turns around. Lol... Just a thought.

[zandore]

You can't say that all Christians have less morals than Atheist [i've seen it said on these forums a few times] because without God they'd be bad people,

Read this zero: Bible Quotes That We Can Set Our Morals Standards By

It is the link in my SIG.

Edited December 15, 2005 by zandore

[777MileStare]

Do you mean "The Second Coming"? And why are Anti-Christs so much more common than...um...regular Christs?

--Jon

Regular Christs? If you mean one thing like one Christ that is just that, it's Jesus in the "second coming" right?

Do you mean Christians, being not so common as ant-Christians? See some people may see themselves as anti-Christian, but aren't considering themselves that when they could simply be called anti-Christ. If you are pertaining to someone as a Christian it is to say they are seeing themselves as Christians, not Christs.

Another thing is, if you know what it is for someone to be against themselves in a certain way, I'm saying for and against themselves and neutral at the same time. It's 3 in what could be called a 'Trinity' when you control the negative, positive, and neutral.

So if Jesus Christ had some kind of super-power to some extent, he would have to know to resist one part and balance it out with the other counterpart. What I mean, is of course this though- if you had that kind of power to a lower level, and you were purely against Jesus Christ- ( anti-Christian ) - you would most certainly have to be called an anti-Christ. Because there is more 'Anti' in it than what Jesus Christ would have, in the balances.

Edited December 15, 2005 by PFlack

[RisenPrism]

Where do I get that the antichrist is a thing as opposed to a person? Well, if you oppose Christ- you are an antichrist, but even if you absolve people of their sins and get crucified- you are not Christ. And a message to mako- don't come crawling to me in 7 years. You can not believe in what the Bible says- but to say that it is the worst thing ever written is blasphemy beyond that which can be forgiven. And as to the seven years message-if you don't start asking forgiveness now, there is no hope for you.

[zandore]

You did not answer my question.

First of all, the explanation is that an Antichrist is a thing and Christ is a person.

If I can ask where do you get that the anti-christ is a thing?

[iaapac]

Oooh... it seems I've stumbled into a nest of lies and blasphemy-what to do? Well I believe I'll set a few things straight. First of all, the explanation is that an Antichrist is a thing and Christ is a person. Second, if you interpret the Bible correctly, there is nothing in Christianity that is ment to scare you- exept the concept of Hell which was never ment to be interpreted as a real place anyway. And Fluffybunny, it seems that you are either a Bhuddist or an Atheist. If you are the first- , if you are the second .

He's a fluffy bunny who believes in Easter. That's about as valid as any of the other things I've read here. How can there be an anti-Christ when there is no evidence that Jesus (assuming that this is the Christ you refer to, there were many Christs) even existed?

[mako]

. And a message to mako- don't come crawling to me in 7 years. You can not believe in what the Bible says- but to say that it is the worst thing ever written is blasphemy beyond that which can be forgiven. And as to the seven years message-if you don't start asking forgiveness now, there is no hope for you.

Rest assured that I will not come crawling to you....I have had this prediction given so many times in the past by those that are (in the military jargon) eaten up by religion, none of which came to past, that I take every threat with a grain of salt. My prediction for you is than within the next decade your little superstition will shrink to less than 50% of the population of this country even claiming it as their religion and by the end of the 21st century will be (for all intents and purposes) as extinct as the DoDo bird. So when that happens don't come crawling to me begging me to intercede with the Creator on your behalf. I would do that automatically without begging, something most "elitist" Christians wouldn't do...they would rather gloat over their righteousness!

[zandore]

Well said Mako!

...they would rather gloat over their righteousness!

And that is a major contributing factor in it's downfall.

[777MileStare]

You did not answer my question.

If I can ask where do you get that the anti-christ is a thing?

The anti-Christ is what and who. It is just that it wasn't meant to be just a thing when someone holy concieves of it beyond the body. If it was in some attatching way, holiness is represented as some 'dormant' undiscovered power in a raw matireal that isn't controlled by the body. Unless you are capable of that without being attatched to it.

[+Paranoid Android]

Why is it that there's always a mention of "the next anti-Christ", but no one ever mentions "the next Christ"? I was just thinking about that last night.

Thanks,

--Jon

There are three strands of thought concerning the prophecies in Revelation on the millenium and the anti-Christ (well, four actually, if you include "It's a load of crap" as a fourth strand of thought).

The quickest growing of the three strands is the a-millenialst belief. That is, that we are already living in the End Times, that Jesus' death has already chained the devil, and there will be no specific anti-Christ/mark of beast/7-year war/etc.

Since this is also the most conservative of the three strands of belief, it is the one that gets least sensationalist coverage. When you see something on tv, or hear a guy screaming in the street that the anti-Christ is nigh, think for a moment that it might not be the prevalent belief, only the most noticeable.

In Australia, a-millenialism is the predominant belief. I cannot speak for America.

Therefore, I disagree with you FluffyBunny. From a personal standpoint, your argument makes no sense because I know of no one who has ever been scared into going to church under the threat of the anti-Christ.

And I also agree with zandore for once. In the literal sense of the word, anti-Christ (against/opposed to Christ) would imply that there are many who are against Christ.

But this is just my opinion.

Regards, PA

One more thing, sorry. I could very well be wrong on the whole Revelation thing. As I've said before, it's a very symbolic book filled with numbers, visions, and other assorted imagery. I guess it is possible that there might be one specific anti-Christ (one who sets themselves up as God on Earth before the return of Jesus). I don't think it really matters to me too much. Unless someone does set themselves up as God, it's not really going to affect my life in any significant way.

[Fluffybunny]

Therefore, I disagree with you FluffyBunny. From a personal standpoint, your argument makes no sense because I know of no one who has ever been scared into going to church under the threat of the anti-Christ.

It makes all the sense in the world in that people are afraid of hell. The church is based on the threat of going to hell. The anti-christ represents the threat, a direct, current day threat to lead the world down the wrong path. To hell...

One would like to see a church based on the positive, but for the most part that isn't the situation. Fear is what puts people into the pews...