Why is it okay for missionaries to lie?

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

So far, I believe I'm the only one.

Then may I suggest that the answer to your OP is "it isn't"?

The previous Pope is going through to Sainthood at a rate of knots with a similar amount of "and he appeared to me in a dream, and now I feel better" as cast-iron evidence of a miracle.

Religion is a product. Missionaries are the sales force. You sell by providing what people want. The Catholic Church has set up new orders of Monks when the existing lot became too rich / corrupt for the poor, they slaughtered opposition and they preach poverty and humility whilst accruing wealth and power.

Constantine whose Christianity as it would forgive him whereas other religions refused. Many were converted in the Dark Ages ashaving a powerful God on one's side was a good idea. One Germanic tribe converted after the Missionary cut down Wodin's sacred tree and nothing happened which apparently was sufficient proof.

The Crusades? Leaving aside the murder and pillaging of whoever was in the way, be they Christian or other, there were more events of relics appearing at convenient times..

On the back of this I am frankly incredulous that you ask the question of whether Missionaries can lie. Why would they stop now?

Rory, where to you get this Bollocks, seriously?

Leaving aside your general point the specifics are - frankly - malicious falshoods at best.

Constantine did not convert to Christianity because "it would forgive him", nor did he abandon other Gods - such a concept as Monotheism was far too Alien too him.

Now, the Crusades are noted for the discrimination with which the Crusaders slew Muslims and sometimes Jews whilst leaving the Christians largely unmolested, especially during the sack of Jerusalem. The same Christian sources which note that the horses (shamefully) had to wade through blood and gore report that the Catholics protected the Orthodox Christians during the sacking.

You could dispute that, of course, but then you'd have to equally dispute the claimed acts of brutality.

[HoreTore]

Then may I suggest that the answer to your OP is "it isn't"

it's obvious that those who manufacture and spread such lies have no problem with it. Nor does the ones reading it, but who remain silent about it, have any problems.

Yet they have a commandment from their god which specifies that such activity is NOT okay. As they do it anyway, I'm interested in knowing why.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

it's obvious that those who manufacture and spread such lies have no problem with it. Nor does the ones reading it, but who remain silent about it, have any problems.

Yet they have a commandment from their god which specifies that such activity is NOT okay. As they do it anyway, I'm interested in knowing why.

The people who read it and have no problem with it most likely believe it.

The people who make it up aren't very good Christians, but as already noted, some of the stories (like the one about the African boy) are probably true, it's just that the boy was never actually dead.

Or... maybe he was.

I mean, come on, we're talking about a religion founded on the belief that you CAN do these things. What sort of Christians would we be if we didn't believe it was possible?

For the record - yes, I believe it is possible for God to raise someone from the dead, it must be if he is Omnipotent - but that's not going to be my first answer to a given question.

[HoreTore]

After reading "maybe he was", I can't be bothered anymore.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

After reading "maybe he was", I can't be bothered anymore.

A closed mind is a little-used one.

[Centurion1]

hore tores inability to accept certain facts, i.e. the possibility of an omnipotent God or even to allow it to be a used base for any sort of argument makes this entire argument moot and a waste of time.

[Major Robert Dump]

The problem with religion is that every time a religious text was written, The Man would step in and edit the hell out of it. How omnipotent is a god if The Man can thwart him? The Bible, the Koran, the Book of Mormon, Dienetics, 101 Tastey Spaghetti Recipes, and Buddhas Big Book of Happy... all of these I am sure were much better, with more tits and more liquor, before The Man came in with his scissors and giant eraser.