Rationality, doubt and faith – tro tvil jesus myter davinci thomasevangeliet treenighetslæren treenighet treenig ånd ånden kirkehistorien løgn død gud livet meninga religion mormonere jehovas vitner islam sannhet døden kosmologi astronomi

← Older posts

Spiritual doubt

Posted on 28. February 2016 17:25 by Jon Arne Karstensen Comment

You are either on the inside or the outside, black or white! If you’re not with us then you are totally against us. Sometimes it can be like that. But often we are more in between. Maybe you do not feel so convinced as those around you? Maybe thoughts or feelings are a bit “gray” or mixed? You doubt. Is it right to do this? Was it a good way to meet her? Is it absolutely true as he said it? Should I invest more in this relationship? Should we wait to have sex? Is what I believe in completely wrong? Am I worth anything whatsoever? Does life really have a meaning?

It is healthy with some skepticism and good to stop and ask critical questions to

ourselves and our surroundings. Otherwise we are like hay that whizzes around

with the wind, shapeless and colorless. I’d say it’s very healthy with a dose

of doubt toward strong authority figures, the tabloid truths and our own

prejudices. But there is also doubt of a kind that might be quite painful. Most

types of doubt pass by rather quickly, but not all. It can drain us until exhaustion.

Doubt may occur gradually and then become completely immersive, or it may be

there as a longlasting “murmur” inside us. Continue reading → Post ID 680

📂This entry was posted in Christian life Life and theology 📎and tagged doubt faith God religous Satan spirituality
Jesus as saviour

Posted on 14. February 2016 13:21 by Jon Arne Karstensen Comment

In an earlier article we looked at Jesus as a man. Here we will look briefly at him as Christ, the saviour of man.

Continue reading → Post ID 680

📂This entry was posted in Faith, doubt, belief 📎and tagged Christ God Jesus saviour way
Jesus

Posted on 30. January 2016 12:28 by Jon Arne Karstensen Comment

Jesus is a name that everyone in Europe, America and Australia has heard about. Whether you come from a christian background or not, we get some associations with that name. Some of us associate with anger or contempt, others with yearning, wonder, trust, joy.

When we go in bookstores and look at alternative literature, we find all sorts of books about Jesus. It’s proclaimed he was a Buddhist, new-ager, the ancestor of the French Merovingians and an extraterrestrial. It’s pherhaps flattering many want to be assosiated with his name, and make him their own. At least it show how much influence he’s had. Though as credible history we find much garbage and wild speculations. It is striking how Jesus is fitting the author’s own philosophy, worldview and mood.

Continue reading → Post ID 680

📂This entry was posted in Faith, doubt, belief
The Da Vinci Code: Myths and facts about Jesus, church meetings, The Bible and Zion Templar

Posted on 16. January 2016 20:22 by Jon Arne Karstensen Comment

In 2004 came a novel who made a big sale and headlines in the newspapers with it’s sensational “revelations”. Many of you may have read or seen The Davinci Code from Dan Brown and most have at least heard of it. Did you know that Jesus was actually married and had children? That a mysterious secret society called the Order of Zion With members like Davinci and Newton had Secret knowledge about Jesus’ descendants? Or that the church itself conspire through systematic silencing of deviant gospels and suspicious church meetings? And not least that Jesus never died on the cross?

This is claimed by Brown. He was lauded in media for having carried out an “amazing research”. But it turns out that the research is to a great extent taken straight from Holy Blood, Holy Grail (a book from 1982). He has also included ideas from 3 other books. What is common for all four books that have been his “great research” is that none of them are written by professionals and their books contain as much facts as an episode of The X-Files. Normally this wouln’t be adressed by this site. But since it got so much attention and many belived in the mythology Brown elaborated upon we’ll look futher into this backstory.

Continue reading → Post ID 680

📂This entry was posted in Davinci code & holy grail Faith, doubt, belief History of religions & apologetics 📎and tagged Brown canonization conspiracy da vinci gnostisism hidden gospels Jesus marriage merovings
What’s believing and faith according to Christianity?

Posted on 2. January 2016 18:28 by Jon Arne Karstensen Comment

Many will quickly get negative associations when they hear the word Christian or Christianity: Zealous, condemnation, joylessness and naive. Much of this is the christians own fault. God’s name has been used and abused in many ways throughout history. Some have bad memories after being condemned from Christians, and the warning of Matt 23, 13 is interesting here: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven before men. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” Other have been hurt by the church’s many sins of omission; how it has overlooked some aspect of our life’s hardship or not speaking out loud against injustice or bigotry. Continue reading → Post ID 680

📂This entry was posted in Faith, doubt, belief 📎and tagged christian deeds faith grace James mercy
Is the gospel full of errors about what happened at Christmas?

Posted on 20. December 2015 13:30 by Jon Arne Karstensen Comment

With more or less regular intervals we get reports in the press about “sensational revelations” and “radical new knowledge.” I am very fond of acquiring new knowledge, and who can be against revealing the truth behind myths? The problem is often the quality of this new insight. Examples of this are many as the book “Holy Blood Holy Grail”, the presentation of the Gospel of Judas by National Geographic, the film Zeitgeist, some tabloids annual “do you know what the Gospel of Thomas really says” and the Norwegian Illustrated History of Science 17/2008.

The popular science magazine had rougly the same headline as this article, but not in form of a question. It is both a great example of some usual populist pitfalls and at the same time it touches upon the Christmas story and thus offers an opportunity to shed more light on this part of history now in advent.

Continue reading → Post ID 680

📂This entry was posted in Faith, doubt, belief God History of religions & apologetics Life and theology Theological debate 📎and tagged Bethlehem christmas Gospel historical Jesus myths scientific
Some small thoughts in advent

Posted on 6. December 2015 08:58 by Jon Arne Karstensen Comment

There is light in the darkness. We are now in Advent. The time for waiting. Today is the sixth of December and the first Sunday of Advent. The countdown has started. Excitement and anticipation is in the air. We see in shops and homes lights and candles to shatted the darkness of the winter. Lighted trees are twinkling on porches with colors and candlesticks. Everything change when Christmas approaches, we get pixies, glitter, cake and marzipan pigs. But many are beginning to unwind; things need to be prepared and be planned for Christmas. Continue reading → Post ID 680

📂This entry was posted in Faith, doubt, belief 📎and tagged advent christmas holiday waiting
Doubt

Posted on 21. November 2015 16:52 by Jon Arne Karstensen Comment

You are either on the inside or the outside, black or white! If you’re not with us then you are totally against us. Sometimes it can be like that. But often we are more in between. Maybe you do not feel so convinced as those around you? Maybe thoughts or feelings are a bit “gray” or mixed? You doubt. Is it right to do this? Was it a good way to meet her? Is it absolutely true as he said it? Should I invest more in this relationship? Should we wait to have sex? Is what I believe in completely wrong? Am I worth anything whatsoever? Does life really have a meaning?

It is healthy with some skepticism and good to stop and ask critical questions to ourselves and our surroundings. Otherwise we are

like hay that whizzes around with the wind, shapeless and colorless. I’d say it’s very healthy with a dose of doubt toward strong

authority figures, the tabloid truths and our own prejudices. But there is also doubt of a kind that might be quite painful. Most types

of doubt pass by rather quickly, but not all. It can drain us until exhaustion. Doubt may occur gradually and then become

completely immersive, or it may be there as a longlasting “murmur” inside us. Continue reading → Post ID 680

📂This entry was posted in Faith, doubt, belief 📎and tagged doubt faith sceptisism
Why I belive… and why not

Posted on 7. November 2015 19:54 by Jon Arne Karstensen Comment

There are many reasons why we either believe or not believe in religion. Reasons higly personal, often heavily influenced by emotions and things we’re not able to precicely define. It is very personal why we make the choices we make. Here you get a very brief sketch from some of my own walk between faith, disbelieve and doubt. I think of myself as the rational type, but can see how important emotions are also heavily impactin in my spiritual journey.

Continue reading → Post ID 680

📂This entry was posted in Christian life Faith, doubt, belief Life and theology 📎and tagged apologetics atheism atheist belief believe Christianity crisis doubt faith reason religion sceptic sceptisism theism
Communicating with God?

Posted on 24. October 2015 17:03 by Jon Arne Karstensen Comment

If we choose to believe that there is a God, and if we think he has created us with a positive purpose, it is certainly interesting to try to make contact with the divine. Don’t it seem a bit strange if God created us, and then don’t want any contact with his creation? Why bother creating it then? But if God want contact, why dontt we all talk with him every day? Does it have something to do with our free will? In our relationships we choose our friends, do we invite or close the door for further contact. Pherhaps it’s the same With God?

Continue reading → Post ID 680

📂This entry was posted in Christian life Faith, doubt, belief Life and theology 📎and tagged Bible communication communion contact God meditation praying
What really happened at the first church meetings?

Posted on 10. October 2015 16:52 by Jon Arne Karstensen Comment

Just as the Bible’s creation process and Jesus life, the councils and early church theology is surrounded by many myths. This short essay will look at what was happening in the synods in the church’s infancy. The first synod was a local one in Jerusalem in the year 49. This is described in Acts in the New Testament. The first larger meeting was in Nicaea in 325. Then there were councils of Constantinople in 381, Ephesus in 431, Chalkedon in 451, Constantinople in 553 and 680-681 and in Nicaea in 787.

We have many good Sources about what was discussed at the early church meetings. Therefore it’s a little bit strange to see all the speculations. Within the new age movement it’s claimed, without shred of historical documentation, that the church where censoring writings supporting transmigration. Others have argued that the church adopted with the smallest majority that the woman had soul, and the existence of the Holy Spirit. So what’s true?

Continue reading → Post ID 680

📂This entry was posted in Faith, doubt, belief History of religions & apologetics 📎and tagged church meetings conspiracy Constantine Constantinople Ghost Nicea Origen soul synod
Is there a God?

Posted on 26. September 2015 16:10 by Jon Arne Karstensen Comment

Are there good reasons to believe in a God? And good reasons not to do it? Is God within our reach at all? If God exists, he is of course quite independent of whether we believe in him or not. Us denying Gods existence does not invalidate the possible reality of it. And a believe in God is not in itself a proof that he is real either.

“The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament announces the work of his hands … There is no speech, it sounds no words and no voice can be heard. But the message goes over all the earth, their words to the end of the world.” Psalm 19, 2-5

Continue reading → Post ID 680

📂This entry was posted in Faith, doubt, belief 📎and tagged allmighty atheist evil faith God godless sorrow
Canonicalization of the Bible – censorship or coincidence?

Posted on 12. September 2015 18:25 by Jon Arne Karstensen Comment

It is a favorite theme for tabloid journalists and some bookwriters to write sensational theories about Jesus. “New and sensasional knowledge” seem to be a good selling point. Likewise, we see speculation in relation to the books that are collected in the Bible. It has been intriguing speculations about writings that did not fit the greater picture that were censored away by the church. Or that there were many gospels which only a few were selected and the rest was destroyed, including gospels about transmigration. At least once a year I read an article in a national newspaper about the sensational Gospel of Thomas or the Q Source.

Continue reading → Post ID 680

📂This entry was posted in Faith, doubt, belief 📎and tagged Bible canonicalization cencorship Church coincidence conspiracy Development lies religion
Future updates and need for translators!

Posted on 29. August 2015 16:49 by Jon Arne Karstensen Comment

Our plans for updates will gradually take us to the deeper articles regarding the nature of God, history of religions and so on. Down the line we’ll also venture into astronomy and have a separate section about death.

But to translate from Norwegian take quite a bit of time, and time is a valuable and limited resource with family and full-time job. So from now on the updates will be every other week. If someone want to help out with translating from Norwegian to English please get in touch with us. It will really help a lot!

📂This entry was posted in Ukategorisert
Religion = suffering and superstition !?

Posted on 21. August 2015 17:31 by Jon Arne Karstensen Comment

When we look at the world history, we find that religions have been involved in many conflicts. We can think of the Crusades, the Muslim caliphate, Jews and Arabs, Hindu militants who use terror and force, the conflict in Northern Ireland, the struggle between Protestant and Catholic princes in Germany and more. Does this mean that in the wake of religion we have war and conflicts? Is religion a bad trait that we must get rid off?

Continue reading → Post ID 680

📂This entry was posted in Faith, doubt, belief 📎and tagged atheism evil fundamentalism God manmade religion superstition superstitious