Posted on 07/09/2003 12:08:32 PM PDT by PatrickHenry
"Enter" from where? Did God made Satan? In any event, where does this God chap come from?
I don't expect you to know, of course. I'm just hoping you realize that keeping everything anthropic doesn't really answer any more questions than any other approach.
But I appreciate your sharing of your thoughts (and your generally calming influence). Hugs!
Most scripture has plain meaning and obvious interpretation - it's not rocket science. The bible clearly says Jesus Christ is the creator. It's not ambiguous, unless you are Clintonesque in your confusion over the meaning of "is".
Did Vade write bad?
I think we have to convince people that it's too late to barf up the apple.
That is the answer I always get.
What if the book is wrong? Is it right just because "it" says it's right?
So again I would be curious how you discern that it is correct as apposed to say; Norse mythology?
That was joke in the South Park movie & show where the tour guide/welcome host in Hell reveals that all religions got it wrong except the Mormons and everybody else is in Hell.
That is, of course, why there is only one church, why there is no such thing as Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Protestant sects, Mormonism, Adventism, Islam; the Inquisition never happened, Galileo published in peace, and so forth.
So when people shoplifted Steal this Book the author and publisher were happy. Right?
Eric the Red placemarker
By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. – Ezekiel 28:14-18
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; - John 5:25-26
I wonder if this is an honest question or if you are just being argumentative. If the latter, then there is no point in discussing the topic with you as it is a waste of my time. For this initial question, however, I will assume you are an objective truth seeker and answer your question.
The bible is reliable for the following reasons:
1. Manuscript evidence: There are over 15,000 manuscripts of the OT and NT which prove that the bible has been preserved over the centuries (compare that to manuscripts for any other ancient work, yet the veracity and historicity of these works is not in doubt). Some fragments of the gospels date back to within 1 generation of the events described; Paul's epistles are undisputable dated to the early 50s A.D. The Isaiah scroll from Dead Sea Scrolls matches almost precisely the book of Isaiah from the masoretic text (1000 A.D.)
2. Archeology: Over 5,000 artifacts and finds have confirmed the truth of biblical passages but not one find has conclusively controverted any bible passage. The true Mt. Sinai (Mt. Jabal Al-Waz) was found in Saudi Arabia recently (interestingly, the top 3rd of the mtn is scorched black).
3. Prophecy: Hundreds of prophecies written before the birth of Christ (e.g. Isaiah, Micah, Psalms) were 100% literally fulfilled in Christ (e.g. place of birth, virgin birth, manner of death, atonement, resurrection, etc.). In fact, Paul and the other apostles preached Christ from the Scriptures BEFORE there was a New Testament. He preached Christ from the Old Testament - the jewish scriptures which foretold of the events.
4. The life of Jesus Christ Himself: Jesus Christ claimed He was the Son of God come to take away the sins of the world and rise again from the dead. He made the wildest claims possible, yet is considered to be a "good man and wise teacher" even by skeptics. No one who makes the claims He made can be considered a good man or wise teacher. He was either who He claimed to be, or he was a liar, or he was a lunatic. Those are the only options.
5. Witnesses to the Ressurrection: The disciples were cowards one day (they ran when Jesus was arrested) and lions of faith the very next (after seeing the risen Savior) and all died for their faith. Who would die for a lie knowing it is a lie? One might die for a lie believing it is the truth but no one would die for a lie knowing it is a lie. One day Paul was the chief persecutor of Christians, the next day he became perhaps the most notable Christian in history. The disciples are exposed for their mistakes and fallibility which also lends to the veracity of the passages. How to adequately explain these things if the Resurrection isn't true?
Can you name any other religious text that can make any of these claims?
Yes, I believe you have analyzed it correctly as a component of free will. The reference from Isaiah also gives the reason.
That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that [there is] none beside me. I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else.
I rejoice if we are closing in on the issue which divides us!!!
Indeed, the question of why God created evil along with good may be troubling to many others as well. It gave me pause long ago.
But after a great deal of prayerful meditation and reading the Word - for me - it clarified why His kingdom is yet to come - and the meaning and purpose of our existence.
Most times, there's nothing about the approach that strikes me as either likely or intellectually satisfying as an answer to the real origin of the universe. This doesn't mean that I can prove it wrong or that I'm sure it is. Thus, I call myself an agnostic. I marvel that people not only think they know absurd details of the God story, but that they imagine the answers as obvious.
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