ok, I'll buy that.   But just to clarify........remember when Christ said to those who were doing things in his name...."get away I don't know you?"  Their works were seemingly good but in fact, as you say, were evil.   So they looked like, felt like, and sounded like good works to their mind.  Reminds me of that proverb that says "there is a way that seems right to a man but in the end only bring destruction. 

So when Ock talks about works that's what I'm referring to.  He certainly wouldn't classify them as evil....he's speaking about doing good things.  While these might look like good works they are in fact, evil in the sight of God.  Motivation is the key.  Who are we doing them for?  God evaluates all in the end.  We can't fool him. 

Right thinking biblically comes right from the garden of Eden.  Satan went right after their thinking.  He changed their thinking about God.  First step.  Their actions followed. 

So it has nothing to do with Chrisitianity making this up.  And no I don't reconginze those that you put up.  Also, worth noting, is the diff between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of man.  The two are not comparable. 

However, entertain this notion; how high must one lift one's own faculties to presume they couldn't be deceived by an ultimate deceiver? To put it simply, how do you know the bible isn't the work of the devil trying to give a "good" enough alternative to keep people like yourself from following the "True" way? (Without using the bible as evidence for itself. After all, wouldn't trapping people in a circular argument like that be right up the devil's alley?)

You test it like you do anything else.  Since the bible claims to be the very word of God we would expect that it would be flawless, accurate, timely and verifiable.  It is.  Many skeptics over the years went to test the accuracy of the bible to see if its claims were true and came away believers in the process.  One, a few years ago, put it all down in a book "Case For Christ."  He was an honest skeptic (in contrast to a dishonest one) and went on a quest to find some dirt on the bible so he could verify that it's not what it claims to be.  He came away cleansed and a believer in the process.   He grilled experts in their known fields playing devil's advocate.  It's a good read.  You can get it at Walmart.  Check it out. 

You test the claims of a psychic by his/her prophecies right?  If they are right and what they say comes to pass then they are genuine.  If they are right some of the time and wrong some of the time then it's no more than an educated guess and they are found to be not credible. 

The bible's claims are credible and have been for generations.  The more one searches this out the more they come away amazed.  That's why this book has stood the test of time and continues to be a best seller and has been for generations. 

It's ok to be a skeptic.  But you have to be honest.  Are you an honest skeptic or a dishonest one? 

Are you an open believer, or a not open believer? The same principle can be applied to you, so I really think the question is pointless.

No comment on the eightfold path?  It lines up with Christianity nicely...or at least, the "Message" of Christianity.  Predates it nicely, as well.  No comment?

I did comment Ock......read #257! 

It doesn't predate Chrisitianity in that Christianity came out of Judaism and Judaism had this all along right in the Torah.  Christianity is an extension of Judaism more or less. 

Wow...dunno how I missed that :/  My bad.

What you say is true in a way, and not true in another.  Christianity did not and could not exist before Christ.  The model I posted did.  Something else about the model I posted, is that its origin suggests that there are many paths to the same destination.  This is something you can not abide, I am guessing.  For you, there is only ONE path.  For Lula, there is only ONE path.  For many other religions, there is only ONE path.

I think there are many.  And it's all based on exactly what you're talking about.  Right Thinking leads to Right Action.

I'm talking about helping an old lady back to her feet when you see her fall down as opposed to just looking away - as an example.  Hopefully that concept isn't Satanic to you just because I would do it in the name of kindness and not in the name of God.

Christ predates it all.  He was the God of the OT and the God of the NT.  Like I said, right living came from the Torah and onward.....so since the beginning of time.  Can't get earlier than that. 

How does it suggest that there are many paths to the same destination?  While I agree we are all coming from diff paths sooner or later we have to converge on the same one path to reach that destination because as Christ said, there is only one way and that was thru him.  I don't even know if anyone else has made such a bold claim as that. 

In the OT the Jews were to put lambs blood around the doorpost to be saved from death before that original Passover.  Right then that was speaking of the future Christ.  1500 years later Christ showed up and said not only that he was that door but that door was the only entrance to eternal life.  The only way to get thru that door was to go thru and under the blood of the cross.  He said that he was the way, truth and life.  Everything about his life, proved this to be true.  No one else could lay such a claim down seriously.  The crown of thorns represented the earth right from Adam and the blood trickled down and around that cross. 

But many are trying to get around the cross and go another way.  They want the kingdom, but not the King.  It can't happen. 

Good people and even evil people can help others on occasion.  Also, good people may not help that old lady because they are in a hurry so they may rush by.  An evil person standing there, however, may help. 

Helping another person doesn't gain us entrance into eternity.   It's the right thing to do but not everyone good does it all the time. 

There's been times when I've been in a rush and didn't stop on occasion when I could have helped someone.  Well not the lady who fell down, I think I would always do that, but other times when it wasn't so serious but still I could have helped but hurried on instead. 

Wow... black and white much?

There is no such thing as a "good" or "evil" person.  There are people have many good tendancies, and beliefs, and people with many bad tendencies and beliefs, however no one person can be only good or only evil through and through.

it depends on how you're looking at it.  I'm just saying this in a very loose general sense.  In other words, what we might think of as an evil person......a criminal, rapist, thief, murderer etc.......in comparison to the sweet, timid "good" person next door.

So a "bad"person such as that can help another (like the lady falling down)  just as much as the boy scout next door who is the sweetest and kindest soul and seems to do everything right. 

On the news lately there have been quite a few elderly purse snatchings.  They knock little old ladies over leaving them on the ground and they sprint off with their pocketbooks.  They wouldn't be considered "good" by doing such a thing. 

According to God we are all evil in the sense that we are tainted with sin.  He says even our good deeds are as filthy rags because of sin.  To others we are all basically good and just occassionally do bad things. 

So it really depends on where you're going with this......but I do think people can be evil through and through so I would have to disagree with you on that.  A good tree gives good fruit, with an occasional bad fruit.  A bad tree gives rotton fruit with an occasional good fruit if you're lucky.  So the question is what kind of tree are we known to be?  What are we habitually?  And whose view are we taking?