BitconnectCarlos

SA doesn't sort homicide victims by race, so I don't think we're going to get objective statistics on this. It's not just the murders. It's the fact t...

Here's one source from 2018: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-8-2018-000476_EN.html "In South Africa, white farmers have for years been...

Since 1994, approximately 4,000, or around 130 per year.

The discussion is about SA, though, not Zimbabwe. I'm not sure why you're deflecting to Zimbabwe. We've talked about genocide before. Remember when yo...

have you apologized for spreading blood libels yet?

Your post is unhinged and unbecoming of a moderator.

Boers are only 5% of the population. Even if only 1 in 6 killed are white, that's still 3x disproportionate. No minority should be persecuted based on...

Members of the SA government lead "kill the boer" chants in large stadiums, and there have been thousands of murders of white farmers. I've never been...

Yes, he surely was linked to specific groups. This is "globalize the intifada" in action.

So 14,000 Palestinian babies did not die in the past 48 hrs. Two Israeli embassy aides were shot and killed. Blood libels and demonization have conseq...

The UN retracted its latest blood libel against the Jewish state. Not that it matters, as the news has already spread like wildfire. Since when has tr...

I know better than to try to convert Banno.

Why what? I agree with you that the primary interpretation lauds Abraham's faith.

We should remember that in this story, God promises Abraham progeny through Isaac. Some commentators reason that if the sacrifice was allowed to take ...

What are the grounds for such an interpretation? Did God step in and condemn it? Did something happen to Abraham? Interpretation isn't endlessly open....

I checked out Cline's 1177. He does not claim that the Israelites were the Sea People. He associates the Sea People with the Philistines.

Was there ever any community of Israelites in Egypt? So no Joseph then? If the Israelites were the Sea People, then why did they need to invent a stor...

So around 1500-1200 BC? The Merneptah Stele mentions Israel in ~1208 BC, but I place the Exodus in the 13th century BC. One could put the Exodus earli...

Which period is he referring to? Plausible. We know that by the time of the Second Temple era, the practice had ceased among the Jews.

This moral question has been resolved, but in Abraham's day (2000 BC?), it wasn't.

This is a political question, but my answer would be no. Admittedly, my perspective is shaped by my theology, and I can understand how others might di...

Would it be ok if Isaac were an adult? What's the issue with an adult consenting to be a human sacrifice?

Yes, killing animals is only acceptable for food, sacrifice, and necessity, as I understand it. Initially, I held Genesis 9:5 as demanding an accounti...

No, I am merely distinguishing between murder and the institution of sacrifice. God lets us know very early on that murder (including the murder of an...

It's not murder, it's ritual sacrifice. Nothing in the text suggests Isaac resisted or didn't cooperate. Many interpretations portray him as a willing...

If you're ever genuinely interested in grappling with the concept of God, the Bible is how you do it. Not internet debates.

I'm not trying to convert an atheist. I'm interested in how you all think, and the differences could lead to an interesting dialogue. For example, if ...

Apparently, "simul iustus et peccator" is originally an Augustinian concept. Anyway, I'm not the one to be asking about the need for Jesus. I enjoy Lu...

I totally get that it's unconfirmed, but perhaps we could say that the sourcebook has some degree of credibility to it?

I'm not claiming this. Let's say we have 12 kings confirmed in chronological order. The question is whether King 13 exists. Do we have reason to belie...

Let me rephrase: We can confirm the list dating back, e.g., 500 years, but the evidence becomes scarce after that. How ought we view claims of kingshi...

We can be more certain of the existence of some historical figures than others.

Wouldn't you agree that there are stronger and weaker forms of evidence? The existence of some biblical figures is established, while for others, the ...

A few questions for the atheists: - Let's say you have a book that contains information on an ancient people. It contains a list of rulers dating back...

How are you finding The Lonely Man of Faith? Would you recommend it?

How are you finding the commentary? Who are the major commentators? I've never read Artscrolls or JPS. My primary source on the Tanakh is Robert Alter...

I have a certain degree of sympathy for Luther's ideas. If one's Christianity consists primarily in going around and doing good deeds to elevate one's...

Sounds interesting. I'd be interested to hear more about these, especially the JPS commentary. I take it that it draws from thinkers like Rashi and Na...

Would you consider other ancient literature as non-authoritative? What makes literature authoritative for you?

The Bible frequently records actual historical events. Much of the Old Testament is true ancient history and is supported by other ancient sources out...

Not sure. I only have a superficial understanding of his work on this topic. I don't think Buber would say that pistis is strictly Christian and emuna...

Martin Buber writes of two types of faith: The Hebrew Emunah, which involves an I-Thou/personal relation between human and the divine. E.g. Abraham ha...

Surely, the US has had blood on its hands since its very inception. All countries have blood on their hands. Perhaps all countries are just tainted to...

Just finished: Cassius Dio - Books 60-70 (Claudius through Hadrian). Currently Reading: Josephus - Against Apion (my final Josephus work in Whiston's ...

It's interesting to me how canons shape religions. The early rabbis excluded texts like I and II Maccabees, but the Church found them acceptable. I ca...

Appearance matters. It reflects how one spends one's time and one's values. If the appearance doesn't match the claim, the claimant is not credible. I...

If a man decides to start using women's spaces, is anyone even allowed to confront him in your view? What is the proper response if he claims to be tr...

No. Trans people should generally strive to act in ways that facilitate social cohesion and integration. A very passable trans woman (e.g., Blaire Whi...

Sure, and I wouldn't support such a law. However, I don't believe that male genitalia belongs in women's locker rooms under any circumstances. I have ...

Trans men get erased from conversations like these because men tend not to care if trans men use their spaces. Nobody will be outraged by Leo Macallan...