Julio

The Bible is still being interpreted after TWO THOUSAND YEARS!
There is therefore something wrong with it.
Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Charles Russell, Ockenga, Billy Graham and HUNDREDS of other “interpreters” tried to figure out what was it that the Holy Book wanted to say.
None succeeded.
But, humbly, I have found the solution for the quandary.
Finally!
My way to interpret the Holy Book is revolutionary but simple:
What is NEGATIVE, violent and offensive is not of any God, therefore you REJECT it!
What is of a POSITIVE, good and blessing is of a nice & mature God.
There!
That means that you read the Bible and you simply throw away what doesn’t conform to a positive outlook.
It is the best proposition you have in terms of a decent and FINAL interpretation for the Book of the God of the Jews!

Sheshbazzar

I prefer the Faith of Abraham, direct one on one interaction with ones own Deity.
(or not)
Scrolls and books have always been tools of manipulation embraced by politicians, liars, and murderers.
No doubt old Abraham himself would have choked on that crock of swill that latter religious writers have pawned off on the gullible.
I could believe in YHWH, but not in that false god of the stories that the Babble writers made up.
They are that fashioned themselves a god in their own image and after their own likeness;
One that is unjust, immoral, bloodthirsty, greedy, and utterly evil, like unto themselves.

jon-eli

The bible isn't 2000 years old.

And your interpretive framework shares a lot in common with Marcionism. Why reinvent the wheel?

Jayhawker Soule

There's no there in your therefore.

IamJoseph

It also borders on paganism and polytheism, and in contradiction of Monotheism. It infers someone else can 'create', or that another force is at work in a tug o war with the Creator. WONG WAY - GO BACK! The hebrew bible does not condone or mention devils, satan or anti-forces whatsoever, and nothing can occur which is not sanctioned by the creator. This includes accidents and mishaps such as plane crashes, tsunamis, wars, mass murders, holocausts, children born blind or deformed, and old ladies killed while crossing the road - these are all factored into creation.

The manifest fact is, this earthly realm is not made only of positive factors, but operates on a positive/negative duality equation. Otherwise there would be no merit in commandments or moral/ethical premises.

'MAN AND WOMAN CREATED HE THEM'

That verse applies to all things in the universe, down to the smallest particles. Technically, there is no 'ONE' in the universe - namely because an absolute ONE cannot exist without an interacting entity, and it cannot perform any actions by and of itself - that is ex nehilo - a Godlike quality. All emerged out of a duality, aka positive/negative; good/evil; hot/cold; plus/minus; etc.

That we do not know the purpose of creation as yet - while being assured there is one - is the cruelest cut of all. We are in an evil as well as a glorious realm, constituting the lowest arena - which must have fallen from the highest abode. The angelic beings would be astonished at our plight, seeing it as an awe and wonder - knowing clearly that they could not survive here. But that is also why an angelic being is incapable of anything of any merit whatsoever!

Jayhawker Soule

You confuse manifest fact with pretentious drivel.

IamJoseph

Then again, candy coated doll like images of the Creator sounds most far removed from any reality. In contrast, the hebrew bible God fits exactly with the reality we see - the blood thirsty, greedy, utterly evil is around us everywhere we look - deeming the Hebrew bible the only truthful one on the market. :wave:

IamJoseph

It takes two to tango.

Think about it. You inhabit a finite universe - which means everything in it never existed at one time. So how can a ONE sustain itself - when there is nothing else. How can you have a big bang when there is nothing else to bang into. How can the universe expand - when there is yet nowhere to expand to. How can you have a male by himself - then another equivaent female edition suddenly appear - and vallah! - both fit each other exactly like they were taylor made to order. Pretentious drivel - or a legitimate premise?

jon-eli

Judaism began as a polytheistic religion; it's a record of divine one-upmanship, of "my god is better than your god." That's why we have the creation story of Genesis: "Yeah, your god controls the winds and the rain, sure... but my god created the whole universe, and time itself. Beat that."

I don't see that inference.

Lucid argument, Tertullian.

The first part is wrong, per the Book of Job. The second part is correct, per the Book of Job.

The jury is still out on that one.

With imagination.

Justify "suddenly." What's sudden about evolution? From where comes this idea that sexual reproduction has, and continues to be, the norm? What's wrong with good old fashion cell-division?

Apologist trope. Just because something is improbable, it doesn't necessarily follow that it didn't happen that way. And in any case, this isn't improbable within an evolutionary framework.

*cough*

Wooster

Ignorance is never a valid argument.

Educate yourself!