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Faith

Hannity Battles With Atheist Over Anti-Christmas ‘Myth’ Billboard & the Big Bang: ‘Rude,’ ‘Narcissistic’ & ‘Mean’

Dec. 21, 2012 11:05am Billy Hallowell

American Atheists (AA) president David Silverman is a frequent guest on Fox News, where he regularly tussles with conservative hosts over a plethora of issues pertaining to the separation of church and state. Last month, Silverman debated Bill O’Reilly about the War on Christmas. And on Thursday night, he returned to battle Sean Hannity over his group’s potentially-offensive, anti-Christmas billboard in New York’s Times Square.

As TheBlaze previously reported, the controversial message, which reads, “Keep the Merry! Dump the Myth!,” is meant to attack the religious sentiments associated with the Christmas season. The sign includes an image of Santa with a photo of Jesus suffering on the cross. The “merry” corresponds to the traditional Christmas mascot, while “myth” (in caps) is presented beneath the Christian savior’s picture.

Sean Hannity & David Silverman Clash Over Atheist Christmas Billboard

Photo Credit: American Atheists

The segment opens with a montage of comments from people who are unhappy to see the ad posted in one of the busiest areas of New York City. The reactions ranged from “horrible” and “disgusting” to “I don’t like it.” Even Santa, himself, rejected the anti-Christian message.

Following these comments, Hannity wasted no time targeting the billboard as offensive and questioning Silverman’s motivations for posting it. The atheist activist doubled down and, instead of focusing upon the negative connotations, he claimed that the billboard is meant to attract the attention of non-believers who go to church to celebrate Christmas because of pressure from their families.

“You want to insult people. You want to attack them. You want to stick it in the ribs on their holiday,” Hannity charged. “And you just want to be rude and narcissistic and mean. Why?”

Silverman obviously rejected these claims, noting that AA is actually looking to help non-believers cope with the religious nature of the holiday season.

“There’s a lot of familial and social pressure that keeps atheists in the closet,” he responded, noting that he and his group are working “to tell the atheists of this country that they are not alone.”

The debate extended into the Big Bang, what happens after people die and other related issues. Watch it unfold, below:

The interview concluded with Hannity throwing a “Merry Christmas” Silverman’s way. In response, the atheist leader poked back, saying, “Happy Holidays, Sean.”

(H/T: Mediaite)

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Comments (181)

KidCavallo
Posted on December 22, 2012 at 8:21am
Let’s see the AA place an anti-muslim billboard in Time’s Square. C’mon lets be fair! Maybe sometime around Ramadan so those athiests being oppressed by thier Islamic neighbors and family will not fear retribution. Get on the ball AA! Dare you place a billboard mocking the prophet muhammad?

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- Pnis
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 8:33am
  They have put up billboards mocking Islam. They do all the time.
  
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BuggiOlleo
Posted on December 22, 2012 at 7:17am
Two things …Is the Atheists.org group a 501c3, and are they actually part of the 99%?

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IslandAtheist
Posted on December 22, 2012 at 3:32am
It’s embarrassing that so many Americans are ignorant of science. Evolution is an observable fact of life.

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- Greenwood
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 8:22am
  Is that why they call it the theory of evolution. Maybe you evolved from an ape. There is a difference between evolution and natural selection within species.
  
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- smv803
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 11:25am
  The key word is observable. The tide comes in….the tide goes out.
  
  Report this comment
universalphilos
Posted on December 22, 2012 at 2:10am
October 2, 1981: “And we say unto thee, take these words that we give you. Take them in such a way, as they are given, as a gift. Take them and use that part; [put] that that you need, and pass them on to another. Take not from them, nor add to, except to explain in such a manner that another may understand. We have come to you, not to take from you of anything; we have come with a gift. And the gift is a Messiah, the fulfillment of God’s promise unto His children of all races, of all colors, of all religions. We have come to prepare the way.
Many shall reject this….”
For in the coveth He made with Jesus, and Moses, He gave you complete and total freedom of choice. But we say unto you, should the whore of Babylon try to swoop up this one, then he shall be raised back into the heavens where he shall be made safe until the time of his deliverance. [See The Revelation, ch. 12.]
You have that choice now before you. Shall you take from him now that he has reached his 13th birthday, now in the time when he knows who he is and shall become, and begin to come and make you aware who he is, and begin his work upon the Earth? Shall you prepare a way, or shall you leave it to the Lord? And shall the Lord have to pick him from your bosom and hold him until his time is full?
Shall you allow those who prepare for the Anti-Christ and his coming, and his rule, rule you? Or shall you know that now is [the] time of the full times.”

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UseTP2wipe
Posted on December 22, 2012 at 1:51am
This Hannity segment was especially dumb. I wonder how many people the reporter out on the street said they liked/supported the billboard? Probably many, since most Americans believe in the First Amendment.

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ORACLE12389
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 11:19pm
Again, God created the universe, and you want us to explain him to you? Who the hell are are you? Science is man made hence why they are always challenging both theories, and facts. Because over time new evidence is found, and changes what we believe. Science can’t even decide if Pluto is a planet or not. Yet you want us to try to explain what God is or how he came to be? We can’t, not because we don’t have any proof, but because that kind of information is so… immense that our minds cannot process it. Just try sitting down, and think what am I going to do a thousand years from now. I mean really think it’s scary. So go crawl back into your little holes, God is so far beyond your puny intellect that it’s mind boggling to me that you can’t see it.

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Rayblue
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 10:41pm
There is more beside the morning tide
I would curse myself twice if it were not true.
Their most potent spell is a lie dyed white.
They employ magic of the darkest hue.

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elohims_daughter
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 7:14pm
Good job, Hannity. That billboard is hateful of Christ and Christians. It’s insulting and degrading to us. Couldn’t they have sprung for a positive message, like “Happy Solstice,” instead of being mean?

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deadend
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 6:19pm
I feal sorry for Atheists, what a cold existance they live. To know that this is it, no matter what you do it is for nothing this is the end nothing else. Because they are so bitter they are trying to force everyone else to be cold and bitter.

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smv803
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 6:15pm
I find that offensive and derogatory. So as a Christian, I would ask myself, WWJD? Forgive them God, For they know not what they do. They are blind, so therefore can not see; They are deaf, so therefore can not hear; they are dumb, so therefore can not know.
God have mercy on them and bless them for their suffering.

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pntdblack
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 5:50pm
Hannity why would you give this clown a voice and your afraid to have Roy Masters on and let him talk without all the editing. Come on man either you really believe or you dont. Stop being a little girl and get him on for Gods sake!!!

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ASonOfLiberty1776
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 5:38pm
David Silverman lost pretty much all credibility when he got his backside torched in a formal debate with James R. White. If you want to see an atheist look stupid-as-heck, watch that beatdown.

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- Pnis
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 5:42pm
  How about a link?
  
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willie3081
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 5:37pm
There is only ONE God. Allah is Satan. Plain and simple. Christianity is a philosophy in faith. If you follow God’s laws and Holy days, you may call yourself a Christian. Jesus is the only way to God. Here is something else I found out in my search for God and Jesus. The mark of the beast is not what you think. The beast has been revealed to us, and if you didn’t know, it’s Islam, but there are two beasts. Believe it or not our country will not be left out of this equation. As far as the mark of the beast, there will not be an actual mark. God and Satan will know who has this mark. God also has a “seal” which is Gods mark. You must follow ALL commandments but especially the 4th, which is the sabbath. The marks is as follows, if you abide by the church and worship on sunday, which is not holy, and not the sabbath, which is holy, that will be the mark on the forehead. If you don’t follow the sabbath and keep it holy, another words work,.ect, that would siginify the mark on the hand. Think about it. The mark that is placed on your forehead on psalm sunday, that is the mark of the church. The mark on your rt hand, would siginify that we work with our hands. Makes sense.

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- smv803
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 7:52pm
  Could you please show me where in scripture this is found? I can’t recall seeing this in the Bible.
  
  Report this comment
- willie3081
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 9:42pm
  Revelation 7:2-3 …’And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.’ … So, the servants of God receive a ‘seal’ in their foreheads.
  
  Revelation 13:16-17 …’And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.’ … And those who follow the beast, receive a ‘mark’ of the beast.
  
  The true servants of God Keep the Bible Ten Commandments, and they receive a seal, or a sign that they are God’s people. God didn’t want the Israelites to physically write His law on their heads or hands. What the above verses mean, is that God wanted His law INSIDE their minds. He wanted them to think about His Law each day, so that they would not sin against Him … Hebrews 10:16 …’This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.’ … His Commandments would be IN our minds.
  
  1 John 2:3-4 …’And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments,
  
  Report this comment
- willie3081
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 9:46pm
  Revelation 7:2-3 …’And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.’ … So, the servants of God receive a ‘seal’ in their foreheads.
  
  Revelation 13:16-17 …’And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.’ … And those who follow the beast, receive a ‘mark’ of the beast.
  
  The true servants of God Keep the Bible Ten Commandments, and they receive a seal, or a sign that they are God’s people. God didn’t want the Israelites to physically write His law on their heads or hands. What the above verses mean, is that God wanted His law INSIDE their minds. He wanted them to think about His Law each day, so that they would not sin against Him … Hebrews 10:16 …’This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.’ … His Commandments would be IN our minds.
  
  1 John 2:3-4 …’And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandmen
  
  Report this comment
- willie3081
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 9:48pm
  Revelation 7:2-3 …’And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.’ … So, the servants of God receive a ‘seal’ in their foreheads.
  
  Revelation 13:16-17 …’And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.’ … And those who follow the beast, receive a ‘mark’ of the beast.
  
  Report this comment
- willie3081
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 9:49pm
  The true servants of God Keep the Bible Ten Commandments, and they receive a seal, or a sign that they are God’s people. God didn’t want the Israelites to physically write His law on their heads or hands. What the above verses mean, is that God wanted His law INSIDE their minds. He wanted them to think about His Law each day, so that they would not sin against Him … Hebrews 10:16 …’This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.’ … His Commandments would be IN our minds.
  
  1 John 2:3-4 …’And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.’
  
  1 John 5:3 …’For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.’ … As you can see, the true servants of God obey Him and keep His Commandments. God knows they are His and they receive His seal. Therefore, to receive the Mark of the Beast, you have to go against God and His law. The people at the end who receive God’s seal will be keeping ALL TEN Commandments, including the Sabbath commandment, and the people who receive the mark of the Beast will NOT be keeping His commandments, because the beast has caused them to go against God’s Law and obey man instead.
  
  So at the end, just before the second coming of Christ Jesus, we will have two groups
  
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- willie3081
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 9:51pm
  http://www.theseal-ofgod.com/
  
  Report this comment
toto
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:40pm
What I think is interesting, is the silence of atheists when something like the Conn. massacre happens, how would they comfort a parent or each other? Atheists, how do you handle these situations?

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- chumpThreads
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 3:24pm
  With compassion and understanding and whatever other kind and relevant thing a person can do.
  
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willie3081
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:39pm
I’m gonna catch alot of critism for this, but here it goes. I am a Christian. Christmas and Easter are pegan festivals that people celbrated long before the birth of Jesus. Jesus was never born during the winter season and didn’t rise on a sunday. Nowhere in the Bible does it mention the celebration of Christ’s Birthday. No one knows the birth of Jesus except the fact that it was either in the spring or the fall. Based on the Bible. His death on the cross actually happened on a wed. an he was buried before sunset and rose on the Sabbath, not a sunday, as most would believe. Christmas and the Easter festivals are not holy. God tells us not to fall into this trap. Unfortunitally the whold world has, or at least most of it. I would also remind you of a verse in the Bible, Rev 12:9, and i’m paraprasing, “the devil will fool the whole world”. He has. God has seven holy days and that’s it. These changes were adapted by the romans in the 1st century and later adapted by the church. Neither has authorty to make these holy days, only God can do this.

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labec
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:37pm
Why do they get to Offend Freely and yet are so easily offended by Christians and not other
religions. Wonder why they don’t go after Muslims. Afraid?

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- Pnis
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 8:40pm
  American Atheists, the organization that put up this billboard has put up billboards, in Arabic, criticizing Islam. Atheists criticize Islam all the time. Christians just like to make the story about themselves. They like to cry and get their panties in a bunch because the mean atheists say that their beliefs in people rising from the dead, living in a whale for three days, magically turning water into wine, etc… are not really true.
  
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- smv803
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 11:30am
  @pendejo…….you saying it also doesn’t make it true….see how that works?
  
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KidCavallo
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:07pm
Has the AA ever posted a billboard preaching the ills of islam in Time’s Square or anywhere else? A picture of Muhammad with a “False Prophet” caption perhaps? Do you think they have the stones to pull an act like that?

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- athiest-infedel
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:24pm
  I don’t think new york has the stones for that but mohammad was a pig f***er and child rapist.
  
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athiest-infedel
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:52pm
The reason for the season is axis tilt.

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- athiest-infedel
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:57pm
  were not all that different, we just belive in one less god than you do and when you understand why you don’t belive in any other religions or gods you will understand why athiests don’t belive in yours.
  
  Merry Christmas all!
  
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teapartyconservatism
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:30pm
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – Declaration of Independence

Obama often omits “Creator” when speaking of our “unalienable” rights, reducing rights bestowed by God, to mere privileges permitted by politicians! Dems boisterously booed God three times at their national convention!*

One of their ploys uses atheism to attack America with a false argument of separation of church and state, which is not in the Constitution! Quite the contrary, Judeo-Christian tenets form the foundation of our Constitutional Republic. If there is any valid pretense for separation of church and state at all, it is that government influence on religion is the antithesis of Christian influence on government.

* Democrats Boo Inclusion of God, Jerusalem as Capital …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUJE9YfsbNQ

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dkcsavage
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:29pm
I don’t know if this has been mentioned yet but it is so funny. At the end of the clip the atheist says happy holiday. Holiday comes from the word Holy Day. Divine Poetic justice, Ha Ha. Add to that every time they say what day it is or what month it is they are using a word that has connection to a religious term. You can run atheists but you cannot hide. Jesus is the reason for the season. There is no other name given among people whereby you must be saved. Merry Christmas.

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- chumpThreads
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:35pm
  Every time you say “Thursday” you’re acknowledging Thor.
  Okay, your turn.
  
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- Pnis
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:36pm
  The jokes on you! Every time you say Thursday, you are referring to the Norse god Thor. And Saturday, you are referring to the god Saturn! And every other day of the week for that matter. And every time you drag a tree into the house and decorate it, you are celebrating pagan rituals!
  
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- dkcsavage
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 5:06pm
  It is not actually acknowledging any god, when I say Thursday I am talking about Thursday. A lot of words come down to us based on different things but have no present connection. Even an atheist can use the term christmas and not have any connection with the birth of Christ. As a Christian I do. Also even if pagans celebrated at this time of year and the church changed their holidays into what we celebrate now I don’t celebrate the date, I rejoice in December and all through the year that Jesus came into the world to save sinners like me. Words are words, days are days, Jesus is God, Savior and King.
  
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- chumpThreads
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 3:17pm
  @dkcsavage
  Well if you acknowledge that “Thursday” and “holiday” and even “Christmas” are just words, what was the point of your post? You thought it was funny that Silverman said “Happy Holidays” because of the root meaning of “holy days”. Pnis and I simply administered a healthy dollop of your own “divine, poetic justice ha ha ha!”
  
  Feel free to revise and extend your remarks.
  
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athiest-infedel
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:21pm
Faith is beliving when common sence tells you not to, just can’t do it, Religion teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the universe, god made it move on is not working for me. I want to know not belive.

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- smv803
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 7:59pm
  Science hasn’t caught up to the Bible…..it will and soon.
  
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AmericaMustBeFree
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:08pm
Pinhead!! Nothing more, nothing less. Pinhead!! And thats not Sean.. but his so called guest!

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chumpThreads
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 2:56pm
So can somebody tell me where Jesus instructed his followers to celebrate his birth, let alone celebrate it in the manner of pagans, by bringing a tree into the house and decorating it?

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- searching for the Truth
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:22pm
  The ” Menorah. ” Christ is at the center. MerryMenorah Day blaze.
  
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- chumpThreads
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:37pm
  @Searching for the truth:
  Non-responsive. Try again.
  
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- Greenwood
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:37pm
  @CHUMPTHREADS……”tell me where Jesus instructed his followers to celebrate his birth”
  
  Nowhere you are right. The only event that Jesus commanded his disciples to memorialize was his death on Nisan 14 the date of the passover.
  
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athiest-infedel
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 2:44pm
Just don’t play video games with jesus, it took him 3 days to respawn……

Merry Christmas all.

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- athiest-infedel
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 2:46pm
  And telling an athiests he is going to hell is like telling a christian he’s going to Mordor.
  
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bruce_baker
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 2:15pm
It’s a free country. David Silverman can go to hell, since he obviously wants to. I just hope he doesn’t drag any innocents there with him. Frankly, I’m more concerned with the so-called Christian sects (rapidly becoming the majority) that teach and preach “Jesus, the philosopher”, who has nothing to do with Our Lord and Savior, the Son of God. Since they have nothing of value to offer to their congregations, their flocks are leaving in droves. Sadly, only a few leave to search out true Christianity, while far too many get “soured on religion”. The devil works in many ways, especially with the help of communists. Read the Communist Manifesto some time. It’s a real eye-opener! Those principles served the U.S.S.R. so well, too! None is so blind as he who will not see. God help us!

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- jman-6
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 2:48pm
  While I agree 100% with most of what you said, however, in the context of an intellectual debate Christianity is the Philosophy of JESUS CHRIST and not a religion! You can’t split hairs and get into symantecs or you will lose the debate! I do agree with you that many New Agers teach that JESUS was a philosopher and radical in HIS time. I chalk this up to their “itching ears”!! Hope you see the difference I’m talking about! Merry Christmas and GOD SPEED!!
  
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- Greenwood
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 6:32pm
  JMAN…..”Christianity is the Philosophy of JESUS CHRIST and not a religion! ”
  
  Philosophy is not built on acceptance of belief in God, but they come from people who have limitations. “All scripture is inspired of God” 2 Timothy 3:16 “[Jesus said to his heavenly Father] Your word is truth.” John 17:17
  
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