NFLP

"If you torture your data long enough, you can get it to confess to anything." If Mark Twain knows that, then God knows that.

Free Will implies Informed Consent, which requires being supplied with the relevant data both pro and con. (It is doubtful Adam would've been queered by the apple-eating lady if he knew what lay in store.)

If Scripture is the work of an all-loving, all-knowing, all-just deity intent on edifying his precious creations, why do you suppose he made it all so esoteric?

Could he have made it "perfectly clear" so that every human instantly understood its every nuance and permutation?

Could he have avoided the ancient ignorance? Ex: Many Christians will say that Scripture is "God's Owner Manual for Humans". Scripture indicates that some women were persecuted to varying degrees solely for producing female offspring. A single sentence informing us that it is the male gamete which determines fetal gender, could've avoided milennia of needless unfair suffering for women. Does that omission trouble you?

And finally a moral scenario. A group of tourists have entrusted you as their guide at your offering. They think you have told them to go down a dark stairway which you know contains steps which will break away and lead to serious injury. You are well aware that they have misinterpreted your message yet you smile benevolently as they make their descent. Are you culpable for their injuries?

To Moderators: I hope this is an appropriate message in the appropriate place. As with Benny Hinn, God didn't inform me otherwise so I assume it is fine and dandy.

Layman

Was this directed at me? And if so, why?

Kosh

I thought it was this part directed to Layman.

NFLP

Yes [actually it was directed "to" you]; because it seems you're smarter than me. [The object of the preposition takes the objective case. Though the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary begrudgingly allows "smarter than I", I prefer to stay with the rule when it's not too pedantic.]

[ August 01, 2002: Message edited by: NFLP ]</p>

Layman

I do not know what gave you the impression that I am smarter than you. I never made such a claim. Nor could I. I have no idea who you are.

I'm responding point by point to an article written by Kirby. How else should a substantive article be responded to except with a substantive response?

And what prompted the rest of your diatribe?

NFLP

Not to worry, goodfellow; no diatribe here. I was hopeful you would respond with straightforward answers to my post. Please finish your straigtforward substantive response to Kirby's article before being distracted by my questions.

Layman

I really have no interest in your questions. They are largely unrelated to Biblical Criticism and Archeology. Perhaps you could post them on a Christian site or in the "Does God Exist" or "Misc." forums and expect to get an answer there.

CX

Could you provide a reference for this (i.e. the correct phrasing being "smarter than me"?) I'd be very curious to see solid evidence for your assertion. Most of my life I have been told this was a mistake. The usual argument is that one would not say "smarter than me am." I'd love to have proof to the contrary.

Toto

Layman is too smart to try to answer paragraphs 2 - 5. He'd rather torture the data until it screams for mercy.

Kosh

But is it really torturing the data? It's more the lawyer tactics of flooding the jury with large volumes of data until their eyes gloss over and they're unable to follow the arguments.