Help with debating a Gnostic?

[Bradthecatholic]

I’m debating a Gnostic right now, he keeps attacking the Gospels saying that the Christians changed Jesus’s sayings and his teachings, and that the Gnostic have preserved his sayings and teachings in their own Gospels. He keeps quoting the Gospel of Thomas too.

Also, he says Constantine created the Catholic Church, and he used it to enforce power.

 

[Reepicheep]

Can he show you actual evidence for his claims that we changed the words of Christ?
Can he show you actual evidence that the “Gospel of Thomas” is a trustworthy source?
Does he claim that Christianity didn’t exist before Constantine?
If he admits it did, then was there a divide between “Catholic” Christianity and some other kind after Constantine?
If not, then how does it make sense to claim that Constantine “created the Catholic Church”?
Can he show you evidence that Constantine brought either Christianity or Catholicism into existence?

 

[josh987654321]

I’m debating a Gnostic right now, he keeps attacking the Gospels saying that the Christians changed Jesus’s sayings and his teachings, and that the Gnostic have preserved his sayings and teachings in their own Gospels. He keeps quoting the Gospel of Thomas too.

Also, he says Constantine created the Catholic Church, and he used it to enforce power.

Hi Brad.

I’ve quoted an extract out of Timothy Keller’s book “Reason for belief” on the Historical Accuracy of the Gospels that I believe will help you -

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

However, I would also like to quote Achbishop Fulton J. Sheen when he said ‘Giving truth to someone who doesn’t want it only gives him more reasons for misinterpretation.’

If your friend was along the lines of *“I believe the Gospels are very good books, but I just can’t trust the accuracy of them because of such and such and hence why I have trouble believing” *then by all means I would share as much with him as I could to help with his doubts, however if he is along the lines of “The gospels are all bs and your such a fool for believing in them because of etc etc” then I would leave it at that, as people like that don’t want evidence to the contrary, they only want things that reaffirm their original assumption that Christianity is false. I believe you should easily be able to tell whether it’s the former or the latter, especially with a few inquiries as to what they are looking for, or trying to achieve with such questions.

“Inquiries about religion do not produce the same results in all hearts. What men ask about divinity is never as important as why they ask it.” - Achbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Life of Christ

Anyway, I hope I have helped.

God Bless

Thank you for reading
Josh

 

[DoGodsBidding]

Hi Brad.

I’ve quoted an extract out of Timothy Keller’s book “Reason for belief” on the Historical Accuracy of the Gospels that I believe will help you -

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

However, I would also like to quote Achbishop Fulton J. Sheen when he said ‘Giving truth to someone who doesn’t want it only gives him more reasons for misinterpretation.’

If your friend was along the lines of *“I believe the Gospels are very good books, but I just can’t trust the accuracy of them because of such and such and hence why I have trouble believing” *then by all means I would share as much with him as I could to help with his doubts, however if he is along the lines of “The gospels are all bs and your such a fool for believing in them because of etc etc” then I would leave it at that, as people like that don’t want evidence to the contrary, they only want things that reaffirm their original assumption that Christianity is false. I believe you should easily be able to tell whether it’s the former or the latter, especially with a few inquiries as to what they are looking for, or trying to achieve with such questions.

“Inquiries about religion do not produce the same results in all hearts. What men ask about divinity is never as important as why they ask it.” - Achbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Life of Christ

Anyway, I hope I have helped.

God Bless

Thank you for reading
Josh

Great post.

 

[josh987654321]

Great post.

Thank you.

 

[thinkandmull]

Is a gnostic similiar to Hindus? A Hindu would say that Jesus was a guru who thru free will never sinned, and thus had magical powers (they claim other gurus have walked thru walls and stuff), and spoke of his impending absorption into the impersonal Divinity in the language of Jews