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Old 06-08-2011, 08:08 PM   #131
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I am reading the text to be consistent with everything else I find in the Bible.
Huh? Sorry, but that is not possible. Why not simply read the text for what it actually says instead of reading the text to be... [insert predetermined agenda here]?

The 'Bible' isn't consistent.

You can't read it as such without misreading it.

It's that simple.
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Old 06-09-2011, 06:27 AM   #132
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I am reading the text to be consistent with everything else I find in the Bible.
Huh? Sorry, but that is not possible. Why not simply read the text for what it actually says instead of reading the text to be... [insert predetermined agenda here]?

The 'Bible' isn't consistent.

You can't read it as such without misreading it.

It's that simple.
Fine, but that is just your opinion. We read with a mind to context. If you do not maintain context in reading, then it should be much easier to find inconsistencies in the text which probably explains why some people want to isolate verses in the Bible from everything the Bible says for in doing this, it is easier to devise inconsistencies that otherwise would not exist.
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Old 06-09-2011, 06:37 AM   #133
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I thought you were in favor of Moses' resurrection. I am not referring to the resurrection of the elect. The bible does refer to Moses's resurrection in Jude 1:9

.I think this is tne verse Philo was referring to.
The other verse is Mark 9:2-4
I was not talking about the resurrection at the end of time. The Bible appears to be saying Moses was resurrected according to Jude 1:9 and in Mark 9:2-4 where it has Moses and Elijah speaking to Jesus at the transfiguration. it it implying Moses was resurrected at an earlier time.
I don't see that Jude 1:9 says anything about the resurrection of Moses. Can you explain how you get this from the verse?

I am not sure that Moses had to be resurrected to appear with Jesus at the transfiguration. That may depend on your definition of the term, "resurrected." What is your definition?

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[Only if you could substantiate your claim by proper reference to the Scripture. I am not now aware of anything in the Bible that addresses JFK and suggests that he is alive today (except that he could be alive and in heaven).
1. Let me try again lets say A reporter writing for the NY Times wrote this statement According to the word of the LORD, JFK HAS survived his assassination and is still alive today. would you believe that statement?
When the reporter says, "According to the word of the LORD," he is saying that the Bible tells us this. I would not believe this until reading that the Bible actually says this.

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2. If I can prove my claim that there is a prophesy in the bible about JFK surviving his assassination and the still alive today, why would you still believe it despite evidence of the film of his death funeral and burial?
Only if it is clear that the prophesy you cite actually says that which you claim. So, what prophecy do you have in mind?

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3. why is any claim in the bible like Noah 's Ark true?
There is the presumption that the Biblical authors are telling us the truth.
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Old 06-09-2011, 06:57 AM   #134
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What you are reading is a translation that you then understand according to your 21st century mindset. I am reading the text to be consistent with everything else I find in the Bible. We use different methods to understand what the Bible is saying. You are not just reading the text. You are reading the text and then telling what you think it means.
Which is exactly what you are doing. You just think you have more justification for your opinion. You're still ignoring the ages given, you're just assuming it means something else because otherwise you would be wrong.
It is clear that we have a verse that says that Terah was 70 when he begot Abraham and a second verse within the context of the first verse telling us that Abraham was only 75 after the death of Terah who died at age 205. I don't see you disputing that which we read in those verses.

What do we conclude from this? We conclude that, whatever the first verse was telling us, it was not telling us that Abraham was born to Terah when Terah was 70.

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So, that which is "reasonable to conclude" is the test that you think we should apply. How do you think we could determine that which is "reasonable to conclude" over that which is not "reasonable to conclude"?
Oh, I don't know. How about just going by what the text says?
Fine, given what the text says about Terah and Abraham as I noted above, what do you reasonably conclude the text to be telling us regarding the age of Terah when he begot Abraham? Just going by what the text says, what do you conclude from this information?

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Well, elsewhere we are told that Terah died at the age of 205 and that Abraham then left to go to Canaan. In addition, Abraham is described as being 75 years old at that time. Thus, we would conclude that Terah was 130 when Abraham was born (Gen 11-12). Should we incorporate this information into out understanding of Gen 11:26 or just go with your gut, 21st century take on the verse? I don't know if this is "clever" but it is a different way of looking at the situation.
Oh, yeah. I'd forgotton about that little contradiction. No wonder you brought up that specific case. Well, my 21st century take is that one contradiction doesn't mean all the other ages must be wrong too. If you saw a hundred clocks, 99 of which said the same time, would you assume the one oddball is right? Seems like that is what you're doing.
The only contradiction I can see is between that which the Bible says and that which you claim the Bible to say. There is no contradiction within the Bible in what it says. At least, you cannot explain it without depending on what you claim the Bible to say which claim is made in order to create the contradiction in the first place.

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How about if we treat each the same. Collect all the information that the Bible offers on an issue and try to understand the issue based on all that information. Similarly, collect all the information that biology offers on an issue and do the same regarding the claims of evolutionists.
Sure. Shall we apply the same standard to the Iliad? How about Beowulf? The Ramayana?
Why not? We read the Iliad in context building on the information that it gives so that it is a whole and we understand what has been written. We don't read every fifth page and expect to understand what the Iliad is all about. Do you normally read books in context with what the book actually says?

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You are assuming the biblical accounts are true when that has not been accepted. Whether the bible says the earth is 6,000 or 15,000 years old has nothing whatsoever to do with the literal mountains of evidence that they are both wrong.
We are not even to the point of determining whether the Bible is true. We are still trying to figure out what the Bible says. Once we figure out what the Bible says, we can then address the issue of its truthfulness.
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Old 06-09-2011, 07:23 AM   #135
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Default The 'Bible' in Context

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Fine, but that is just your opinion. We read with a mind to context. If you do not maintain context in reading, then it should be much easier to find inconsistencies in the text which probably explains why some people want to isolate verses in the Bible from everything the Bible says for in doing this, it is easier to devise inconsistencies that otherwise would not exist.
First, what 'Bible' are you talking about?

Second, how much of it do you consider to be 'context'? Genesis 1 is no more of a context for Genesis 2 than Moby Dick is a context for Huckleberry Fin.

Finally, understanding a story requires context; simply reading the words for what they say doesn't so much.

Jon
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Old 06-09-2011, 07:41 AM   #136
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It is clear that we have a verse that says that Terah was 70 when he begot Abraham and a second verse within the context of the first verse telling us that Abraham was only 75 after the death of Terah who died at age 205. I don't see you disputing that which we read in those verses.
No, I don't.

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What do we conclude from this? We conclude that, whatever the first verse was telling us, it was not telling us that Abraham was born to Terah when Terah was 70.
And this is where you start assuming. You assume that this account had one source, thus the two passages cannot be in conflict. You assume that the text has been faithfully translated and copied. You assume that if the text says something contradictory, there is some way to twist it to solve the problem. Of course there is. The question is whether that makes more sense than a simple error.

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Fine, given what the text says about Terah and Abraham as I noted above, what do you reasonably conclude the text to be telling us regarding the age of Terah when he begot Abraham? Just going by what the text says, what do you conclude from this information?
I wouldn't conclude anything. The two passages appear to contradict. From what I know of these things, when more than one name is mentioned, they are generally listed in order of birth because of the importance of birthright. If anything, I would lean towards a copyist error somewhere along the line, since that seems the simplest explanation.

I certainly wouldn't extrapolate this example into a justification that every age givin in the biblical geneologies can be ignored to inflate the age of the earth to what I want it to be.

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The only contradiction I can see is between that which the Bible says and that which you claim the Bible to say.
Despite the fact that you summarized the contradiction above. You may believe there is an explanation, but that doesn't remove the fact that the two passages contradict each other.

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There is no contradiction within the Bible in what it says. At least, you cannot explain it without depending on what you claim the Bible to say which claim is made in order to create the contradiction in the first place.
You have admitted the contradiction exists. You quoted it above.

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Why not? We read the Iliad in context building on the information that it gives so that it is a whole and we understand what has been written. We don't read every fifth page and expect to understand what the Iliad is all about. Do you normally read books in context with what the book actually says?
Mo, but I don't read them as literal truth either. Yet you seem to grant the bible special dispensation. You assume itd right, even when it appears to contradict. You assume that somehow its right after all.

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We are not even to the point of determining whether the Bible is true. We are still trying to figure out what the Bible says. Once we figure out what the Bible says, we can then address the issue of its truthfulness.
It says that Abram was 75 and 135 at the same points in his life in two different passages. You are the one assuming that somehow it doesn't mean what it says and is right after all. All I'm asking for is some evidence for that claim. So far, all you've put forth is might-be's and could-have-been's.
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Old 06-09-2011, 08:02 AM   #137
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Default Gen. 1 & 2 and Abraham

I looked Genesis 1 and 2 over; up and down. I cannot find mention of this Abraham fella folk keep going on about.

Where is he and what does he have to do with the creation accounts given in the first two chapters of Genesis?

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Old 06-09-2011, 04:35 PM   #138
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I was not talking about the resurrection at the end of time. The Bible appears to be saying Moses was resurrected according to Jude 1:9 and in Mark 9:2-4 where it has Moses and Elijah speaking to Jesus at the transfiguration. it it implying Moses was resurrected at an earlier time.
I don't see that Jude 1:9 says anything about the resurrection of Moses. Can you explain how you get this from the verse?.
Jude 1:9 has Michael the archangel fighting with Satan over the body of Moses. His resurrection is must be the reason for the fight. I see this verse is vague so I take it off the table.

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I am not sure that Moses had to be resurrected to appear with Jesus at the transfiguration. That may depend on your definition orm, "resurrected." What is your definition??.
My definition is the state of being dead and returning to life. I think it hard for jesus to talk to a dead person. Why does he not have to be resurrected to appear with Jesus? Is this because of the verse that the dead are face to face with the Lord. Acorrding to Eccesiastes 9:5-6 the dead have no reward or know anything. Eccesiastes 9:5-6
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For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even their name is forgotten.
6 Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun
So this verse and your view of the state of the dead differs.

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[When the reporter says, "According to the word of the LORD," he is saying that the Bible tells us this. I would not believe this until reading that the Bible actually says
this.Anybody can say those words, just because somebody made that claim does not mean it 's true. So desite evidence to the contray why do you think it still true?



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Only if it is clear that the prophesy you cite actually says that which you claim. So, what prophecy do you have in mind?
That not an prophecy I was wondering if the bible said JFK still lives on earth why you would think it was true.
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3. why is any claim in the bible like Noah 's Ark true?
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Originally Posted by rhutchin View Post
There is the presumption that the Biblical authors are telling us the truth.
Why, even what it claims are not true? Like a body of water over the sky according to Genesis 1:6. Just these writing make a claim does not mean it's true
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Old 06-09-2011, 06:53 PM   #139
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There is the presumption that the Biblical authors are telling us the truth.
This is funny. rhutchin told me that "We are not even to the point of determining whether the Bible is true." Yet here he is stating his presumption that the biblical authors are telling the truth.

That is exactly my point, rhutchin. You are presuming that the bible is true, so therefore any contradictions must have an explanation that removes the problem. You aren't even considering the possibility of errors, embellishments, mistakes, legends, or just plain myths.

I'm not making that presumption, so I'm sure you can see how your arguments are less than persuasive. I am looking at what the text says, without any preconceptions and without ruling out any explanations. You are the one looking at it from a specific standpoint, dismissing many explanations out of hand simply because you assume the writers are telling the truth.

See the difference?
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Old 06-09-2011, 06:58 PM   #140
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I think it hard for jesus to talk to a dead person.
Hmmm, King Saul was able to talk to a dead Samuel, was he not?
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