atechnie

So I presume you have faith in the entire Bible? aka, you have faith that the Bible is true.

If you agree with the above statement, then can you tell me why you don't have faith in other gods? (aka, how do you "get" faith? Why do you have faith only in the bible and not other religious texts?)

-atechnie

_Naturalist_

So are you saying that we should believe everyone who claim to be god in the flesh? I mean, if we should believe one of them simply for the reasons that he said so, there should be no difference believing others are god as well. Are you also saying that to not take those people seriously takes faith?

lpetrich

Incorrect. That's what his followers said about him; they could have been putting words in his mouth.

They could have thought that to be a legitimate instructional technique, something like Plato's Dialogues, where Plato put numerous words into the mouth of his teacher Socrates.

Furthermore, there are big variations between the Gospels. Where Mark and Luke refer to the "Kingdom of God", Matthew refers to the "Kingdom of Heaven", following the Jewish custom of avoiding direct references to "God". In effect, Matthew's version is something like "Kingdom of G-d", using a present-day version of that custom. So which one did Jesus Christ originally say?

Likewise, while Jesus Christ forbids divorce entirely in Mark, he makes an exception in Matthew.

And the Gospel of John is very different from the other three Gospels, contradicting them on how long JC stayed in Jerusalem (one year vs. a few weeks), what reaction his Temple temper tantrum provoked (none vs. displeasing the authorities), what he talked about, etc.

Dr. Isaac Asimov in his Asimov's Guide to the Bible compares that gospel to a Platonic dialogue, something intended to explore theological ideas rather than be literal history.

Beetle

That can't be true. He wasn't listed in Deities & Demigods. (Hmmm, how many hit points did Jesus have?)

Gospelog2

Jesus said He was God in the Bible. That is not the problem. The problem is you can't find the many verses that prove this, even from Jesus own words recorded. But there are many of them. Lots.

The Bible is historical fact. Yes, there really was a flood. Yes, the sea really did split. Yes the firstborns did die in Exodus. So on and so forth.

For the proof of these things, read Colin J. Humphrey's, Miracle of Exodus.

There is even an explanation of how the cane turned into a snake when Moses threw it down to the ground, and back again, when he picked it up.

The darkened mind can't see though, this much is readily apparent. They have yet to receive the life of Christ in their lives so their spirit is quickened and given a new spirit and new life, and a renewed mind.

http://christianity.3.forumer.com/

Starboy

If there is a darkened mind it would be yours. Darkened by a double standard. If you have faith then proofs and explanations are not needed. You act as if faith can be proved. You don't get your own delusion.

Starboy

lpetrich

Why don't you list them for us? I've read that part of the Bible, and most of the time, it refers to Jesus Christ as being distinct from God.

So when he said, "My God, My God, why did you abandon me?", was he talking to himself?

Noah's Flood never happened, except perhaps as some local flood.

The Exodus miracles never happened either. Why is there no record of it in Egyptian records? Though I'm sure that it would have been given some Baghdad-Bob spin like "we expelled those evil, disease-ridden slaves and drove them into the sea."

Some of the Bible is, indeed, legitimate history, like the dual-monarchy part. That part correlates rather well with the history of Israel's neighbors. However, all sides often apply Baghdad-Bob-style spins to their accounts, sometimes making them difficult to untangle. Check what both sides have to say about Sennacherib vs. Hezekiah, for instance.

It was a miracle, right?

Translation:

Believe! Believe! Believe! Believe! Believe! Believe! Believe! Believe! Believe! Believe! Believe! Believe! Believe!

Gospelog2

Faith is provable and has already been proven. A darkened mind can't see these proofs. Yet the faith of refusing Christ is a faith unsubstantiated. Praise God!

Egyptians are incredibly embarrassed by the splitting of the waters and turning back on them in their pride, which caused them to stricken this from their records, something they were very apt to do in this prideful nation. Even, so if you read Miracles of Exodus, you will find some most profound evidences within even the Egyptian nation alone that show they recalled these miracles. They were not miracles in the sence of their natural explanations, but in terms of their timing, they were most miraculous.

Starboy

Faith is belief without questions, such a belief doesn't need proofs. Get a grip man and learn about your own religion.

Starboy

Valdemar

Wow. Where to start?

Jesus alluded to being god in the Bible. So what? He may have been a fictional character as well. David Koresh said he was God. Does that, in your opinion, make him God? Does merely making the claim mean it's true in your opinion?

Okay, that's a fine claim, now give me evidence from your holy book. Give me chapter and verse of the "lots."

No, the Bible is fiction. There was no universal flood, seas don't split, firstborns die from SIDS. So on and so forth. If you have evidence of this "fact" outside of the Bible, please present it.

Why, was he there? Or is he a scientist? If he is, he wouldn't be talking about "proof(s) of these things."

Sure, it's the same explanation you find in the Bible: God did it.

I don't know what you mean by a "darkened mind." If it's so apparent, you might point that out to us. Is a darkened mind one that doesn't agree with your viewpoint? If so, be prepared to be disappointed in life because people will disagree with you on just about everything, even people of your own faith! Many of us on this board DID receive Christ at one point in our lives, but after much time, energy and a quest for intellectual discovery, soon realized that we had been brainwashed.

Ask yourself why you aren't a Muslim or a Hindu. Could it be because you weren't born in areas that were predominantly Muslim or Hindu?