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Actually it does, simply because it's a matter of respect not to question anything.



Not quite. You can question the establishment, but because its within an honor-shame paradigm you have to do it differently than we would.

For instance, the Hebrews had something called a challenge-riposte system where you would try and say the smartest/wittiest thing or whatever and if your opponent couldn't come back with anything better, then they would be shamed. In this way, you can question, and argue and so forth even in a public square, but you have to make sure it shames your opponent. Jesus was getting into these deals all the time, and He was so educated and intelligent that after a while people were too scared to even try. Mark 12:34

However, you have a problem here. The generally accepted truth was that Jesus was a false teacher. If He was asking people to believe blindly, with no evidence, then why "disrespect" the established opinion, unless one were to believe they had good reason to do so? If you're right, that you shouldn't question things, then that puts Jesus in an awkward position. Not only is He the one questioning things, but He's also asking people to believe His "disrespect" for no good reason. If it were that easy, then their culture probably would have been in trouble many times.

Fact of the matter is, the Hebrews apparently didn't believe in blind faith. They told the early church to give a reason for their faith, and at every possible opportunity they used evidence to give a case for their faith.

Their history with God was based on having reason to believe. Deuteronomy 29:6 says, "You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or similar drink, that you may know that I am the Lord your God." (In other words, God has taken care of their basic human needs which they were not able to take care of because of their circumstances.)

It doesn't say, "You have been told to believe in me that you may know that I am the Lord your God."

Exodus 7:5, "And the Egyptians shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them."

Exodus 7:17, "Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I [am] the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that [is] in mine hand upon the waters which [are] in the river, and they shall be turned to blood."


There are many more verses, but the point is that the bible no where teaches that one is to believe for no good reason.

1 Peter 3:15, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"

If you give the answer, "I believe it because its disrespectful to question faith, and you're just supposed to believe it just because," then that's a pretty useless answer.

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Right, that's exactly what religious people often do.



Yeah, tell me about it. Like Word of Faith preachers and so forth.

Of course, the worst of it always seems to come from skeptics.

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Isn't 'more honorable' equal to 'better person' anyways?



Not quite. Guilt is our social control in this society. There's was shame.

The point is, one was considered to attain honor, or be more honorable for believing, not because they had seen (no one would be able to see after that point), but because they had found other evidence.

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Although perhaps not really synonimous, it's meaning in this context would be the same nonetheless, infact 'blessed' in generally comes very close to 'be or become a better person', so again the interpretation of the statement that seems to reward blind faith is legit. Not just when it's written in English,



That still doesn't address the fact that Jesus was speaking in light of a person who had EVERY reason to believe, even if he hadn't seen Jesus. He had more evidence than everyone in the early church would have, and he still doubted.

In fact, what gets me is the huge amount of evidence he had to believe...Amongst which are the miracles, the empty tomb, etc. These things all were the evidence used by the early church to prove their faith, and they didn't have Jesus' presence. It would make sense that this would be addressed. Blessed are they who believe with the available evidence, and don't ask for the impossible (the presence of Jesus).

"The task force finds that...the unborn child is a whole human being from the moment of fertilization, that all abortions terminate the life of a human being, and that the unborn child is a separate human patient under the care of modern medicine."