The Greatest Story Ever Sold

The story of Jesus is the largest myth ever perpetrated on humanity.  Imagine, some 2,000 years ago 30 or so people (no one knows who they were or how many there were) told stories by word of mouth of a man who came back from the dead.  The stories were generally accepted by the superstitious populace who added to the Jesus stories other long believed supernatural sagas such as a virgin giving birth, miracle healings and the resurrection of the dead.
 

It's Time to Remove The Special Tax-Exempt Consideration For Churches

Want to bring down the National Dept level quickly without sacrificing Medicare, Social Security, Education or Healthcare?  What to fix the money crunch that forces States and Local Communities to fire policemen, fireman, teachers, and other essential individuals?  Simple.  Remove the special tax-exempt consideration for churches and other religious organizations.

Who Wrote the New Testament Gospel of Mark?

Here at Table 54 we know that many people hold the Bible to be the inerrant Word of God, authored by Him through others, controlled by Him and given to his people without corruption.  This is a statement made about no other written work in the history of the world.  Is there evidence to back up such a belief?  If not, what does that say about the underlying source of Christian beliefs?  I'd like to take a look at the historical authorship of the four Gospels and Paul's letters to see if history supports this claim.  Since the Gospel of Mark is alleged by Church history to be the oldest of the four Gospels, it seems a good place to start.

The Burning Times

One of the most bloodthirsty of Gods known to mankind issued a decree for Moses to pass on to his chosen people saying, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."  This commandment is found at Exodus 22:18 in the King James Bible.  What has been the consequences of this edict?

An Answer To Chris (Townsend2.Xanga.Com)

This post is in answer to questions and statements  asked/made by Chris (Townsend2.Xanga.Com) both on this blog and on his own.  His questions deserved thoughtful answers and I've tried to be as honest and forthright in replying to them as I could.

The Bible and The Book of Mormon

Are the New Testament and Book of Mormon really that much different?  Not if you're comparing the eyewitness testimony to Jesus' resurrection and the eyewitness testimony to the gold plates Joseph Smith used to translate the Book of Mormon.

The Talking Toilet Paper Fiasco

Like most retirement communities there is no tipping allowed to servers, cooks, maintenance people, the people who clean our apartments, the bus driver, or the entertainment coordinator.  In fact, the rule applies to all hourly personnel  who work at our abode.

There is, however, one time of the year set aside for residents to show their appreciation to our staff for the services they perform for us.  For a period of approximately 30 days, tenants and other interested parties (friends, relatives, etc.) are allowed to give money to a fund that will be divided among the non-management staff after it is collected.  The money is collected and dispersed by a resident committee made up of approximately four people.  This year J and Y from Table 54 volunteered as well as D and M.  J was the nominal head of the committee.