The bible is a bunch of hooey...so is the new testament

[Inkubus]

Did you know ...the theology of Secular Humanism is atheism?

I will give you half a dozen to start you off, including someone you should be quite familiar with:

Robert M. Price, Thomas J. J. Altizer, Hector Avalos, Turan Dursun, William Hamilton, Slavoj Žižek

Half a dozen out of how many thousands?

A bit of "moving the goal posts" there but ...

That's just the self proclaimed atheists. Let's not forget the secular theologians.

The goalposts; aye, probably. Secular theologians? Is Robert price still a theologian?
Anyway fuck the massive derail, fuck the bible and fuck any educated person who takes it seriously.

[Free]

Half a dozen out of how many thousands?

A bit of "moving the goal posts" there but ...

That's just the self proclaimed atheists. Let's not forget the secular theologians.

The goalposts; aye, probably. Secular theologians? Is Robert price still a theologian?
Anyway fuck the massive derail, fuck the bible and fuck any educated person who takes it seriously.

Yep, he is. He always will be. He just doesn't believe that shit in the bible.

Many theologians lose their faith, yet remain theologians. Many stop preaching and start teaching instead.

The Clergy Project gathers them together and helps them. They are now secular.

[Thumpalumpacus]

All I've got to say is that if you're stupid enough to sink tens of thousands of dollars into a theology degree, I'm not sure I'm gonna take your word.

Any idiot spending that kind of money to study the cultural understandings of god(s) clearly doesn't know how to read anyway. It doesn't take a university to smell bullshit, where I come from.

[Free]

All I've got to say is that if you're stupid enough to sink tens of thousands of dollars into a theology degree, I'm not sure I'm gonna take your word.

Any idiot spending that kind of money to study the cultural understandings of god(s) clearly doesn't know how to read anyway. It doesn't take a university to smell bullshit, where I come from.

Some people do it for purely academic reasons. It also doesn't cost tens of thousands.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Some people do it for purely academic reasons. It also doesn't cost tens of thousands.

A masters at Oral Roberts University (a Christian university where one might think charity would start) ran about $27,000 ... eight years ago.

The Grace Academy charged about $14,000 a year in 2016-17. A BA here in America is a four-year degree.

It is, of course, all money thrown down a shithole, because the fleeced sheep are studying the numbers of angels on pinheads, and so forth -- for, yes, tens of thousands of dollars. 

They want to be "academic" about it? Great. Keep in mind that "academic" has a couple of connotations, one of which is "having no practical or useful significance." If that's what you mean, sure, hope they get their money's worth. Otherwise it seems like knocking out their own teeth, hoping the Tooth Fairy can pay their dental bills.

They might as well major in Underwater Basketweaving.

[Minimalist]

 

It also doesn't cost tens of thousands.

And I'm sure it is worth every penny!






Seems like a real dead end.
Maybe go into something with a future.  Like coal mining?

[grympy]

All I've got to say is that if you're stupid enough to sink tens of thousands of dollars into a theology degree, I'm not sure I'm gonna take your word.

Any idiot spending that kind of money to study the cultural understandings of god(s) clearly doesn't know how to read anyway. It doesn't take a university to smell bullshit, where I come from.

Some people do it for purely academic reasons. It also doesn't cost tens of thousands.

 Indeed.

At university I read the Quran as background for a couple of papers I wrote on aspects of Islam.: one on the Sanusi  Bedouin of Cyrenaica and one on Sufi Lodges in the Atlas  Mountains. I already had  some understanding of Islam from having lived in a Muslim country.  However,  that was casual and ad hoc, useless for formal studies. 

There is a considerable difference between say  having a good broad biblical knowledge as a believer or being self taught in biblical studies,  and a formal education in a discipline.   Imo, it is also  difficult  to critically assess theological writings  without some formal training. I've tried it.   .

 Autodidacts are wont to claim the opposite. Unfortunately,  the age of the polymath is long gone, and such claims seldom survive scrutiny --and that's another reason I prefer not to argue with biblical  (or any other formally trained) scholars.   That is not why I spend time on an internet forum. My reason is for a pastime, having casual discussions with more or less like minded people. Not interested in erudite lectures. These days I  simply no longer have the concentration I once had to do all the reading I want to do. This is a physical failing and not due to  lack of interest. 

I try not to use ad hominem attacks and do not respond well when they are aimed at me.  But no one's perfect, I know I can be annoying, just as I can  get annoyed by obviously ignorant  apologists.

Oh, with the education system we had at that time, my degree cost me $0.00 . There were no tuition fees, and work paid the mandatory student union fees. I paid only for books, which were tax deductible . I obtained my degree studying part time, because I was working full time.

[Free]

Some people do it for purely academic reasons. It also doesn't cost tens of thousands.

A masters at Oral Roberts University (a Christian university where one might think charity would start) ran about $27,000 ... eight years ago.

The Grace Academy charged about $14,000 a year in 2016-17. A BA here in America is a four-year degree.

It is, of course, all money thrown down a shithole, because the fleeced sheep are studying the numbers of angels on pinheads, and so forth -- for, yes, tens of thousands of dollars. 

They want to be "academic" about it? Great. Keep in mind that "academic" has a couple of connotations, one of which is "having no practical or useful significance." If that's what you mean, sure, hope they get their money's worth. Otherwise it seems like knocking out their own teeth, hoping the Tooth Fairy can pay their dental bills.

They might as well major in Underwater Basketweaving.

If someone is gullible enough to go to a money-grabbing cultic seminary to get their education, then they deserve to get ripped off.

[Thumpalumpacus]

If someone is gullible enough to go to a money-grabbing cultic seminary to get their education, then they deserve to get ripped off.

No argument here. I'm just pointing out that studying theology here in America usually costs money -- just like most anything about religion.

It's still spending a lot of money studying bullshit.

[Cheerful Charlie]

John Loftus

http://www.debunking-christianity.com/

Loftus, now an atheist, was taught theology by William Craig Lane. John Loftus is somebody WCL will not debate.

Wikipedia
Loftus was a minister and taught apologetics, philosophy, critical thinking, and ethics at several colleges, including The College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL, Lincoln Christian University, Lincoln, IL, and Trine University, Angola, IN. In the late 1990s Loftus had a crisis of faith and rejected Christianity.[3]