The Neverending Story (The Christian Chronicles)

AP ^ | 3/24/01

[malakhi]

The Neverending Story
An ongoing debate on Scripture, Tradition, History and Interpretation.

Statesmen may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue. - John Adams

Previous Thread

[Invincibly Ignorant]

I'm sure you're immersered enough so this is lucid to you, but it doesn't explain itself to me, or I'm sure to the bulk of us. If you are trying to do something other than impress us with your jargon, you're going to need to explain.

I've had to use search engines and latin translations on line to figure out your jargon (which you were trying to impress us with) in the past. I expect you to do the same.

[biblewonk]

That's something I'd never do.

[SoothingDave]

Do you believe that Moses parted the Red Sea and led the Hebrews from slavery into freedom?

Did Abraham have a son named "Isaac"?

If you do, and I do, I fail to see how I am supposed to have falsified the "whole" of Jewish history.

So, since your argument is foolish on the very first detail, there is no need to examin it further.

SD

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Do you believe that Moses parted the Red Sea and led the Hebrews from slavery into freedom?

No.

BigMack

[malakhi]

Do you believe that Moses parted the Red Sea and led the Hebrews from slavery into freedom?

No.

Agreed. It was God who did it, not Moses.

[SoothingDave]

Moses was God's instrument. That is to be understood. Let's not pick nits and get off the topic.

Which was: how Gentile Christians have falsified the entire history of the Jewish people.

SD

[CindyDawg]

Moses might disagree with you there. Remember the rock? :')

[OLD REGGIE]

If you do, and I do, I fail to see how I am supposed to have falsified the "whole" of Jewish history.

Are you, of all people, criticizing II for the use of hyperbole?

Mirror mirror on the wall
Oh my oh my. Oh my what gall.

[CindyDawg]

The locals say "un" acceptable but either I'm gender confused or you are right about perezosA :')

[SoothingDave]

Moses might disagree with what? That he was God's instrument?

What rock?

SD

[SoothingDave]

Are you, of all people, criticizing II for the use of hyperbole?

Are you against hyperbole, or are you against me? To be consistent, you should be questioning him, not me.

(And to be honest, I'm not convinced that he is using it as hyperbole yet.)

SD

[CindyDawg]

The rock of living water.

[SoothingDave]

What about it? Does that mean Moses wasn't God's instrument, which is what I said?

Did Moses have to keep his arms held up while the waters were parted?

SD

[OLD REGGIE]

Are you against hyperbole, or are you against me? To be consistent, you should be questioning him, not me.

I don't criticize each and every use of hyperbole. I criticize you because you use it all the time. (verstehen ?) ;-)

(And to be honest, I'm not convinced that he is using it as hyperbole yet.)

Yes you are. Be honest.

[al_c]

Disclaimer: If you want on or off of this ping list, FReepmail me.

Isn't it exciting that God wants to communicate with us so badly that he will use so many different ways to get through to us?
Our job is simply to open our eyes and ears and listen to him!

Monday, March 29, 2004
Lenten Weekday

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41-62 Psalm 23:1-6 John 8:12-20 We therefore grossly deceive ourselves in not allotting more time to the study of divine truths. It is not enough barely to believe them, and let our thoughts now and then glance upon them: that knowledge which shows us heaven, will not bring us to the possession of it, and will deserve punishments, not rewards, if it remain slight, weak, and superficial. By serious and frequent meditation it must be concocted, digested, and turned into the nourishment of our affections, before it can be powerful and operative enough to change them, and produce the necessary fruit in our lives. For this all the saints affected solitude and retreats from the noise and hurry of the world, as much as their circumstances allowed them.  -- St. Apollinaris

The following is, as usual, from The Word Among Us:

If you were a historian and had to research the Book of Daniel, you might be surprised to find that there is a great deal of debate about its historical accuracy. You would learn that even though the book is set during the Babylonian captivity, it was written almost four hundred years later, during the time when Antiochus IV, king of the Seleucids, had captured Palestine. You would discover that there are questions about who Daniel was and whether he wrote the book.

But if that's all you learned from researching Daniel, you would miss the real truth, which goes a lot deeper than the facts. For Daniel wasn't meant to be read like a history book but like a storybook. The Jews who first read Daniel probably knew the facts already. They knew that Antiochus had set up an "appalling abomination," an altar to Zeus in their Temple. They knew that he had declared himself a representative of God on earth, and that he was persecuting and killing their people.

They also knew that they needed inspiring examples, stories that would help them keep faith during a time of great trial. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the story of Susanna--along with the other stories in Daniel--filled that need by portraying characters who refused to deny God even in the face of danger and death. They also showed God's awesome power to deliver those who remained faithful to him. These stories told the Jews something their circumstances didn't tell them: that they could still depend on God, no matter what happened.

The Book of Daniel isn't the only example of a good Old Testament "yarn" that the Holy Spirit used to speak to his people. Tobit, Judith, and Jonah are also magnificent examples of the transforming power of stories to bring God's truth to life. Isn't it exciting that God wants to communicate with us so badly that he will use so many different ways to get through to us: a story, a beautiful sunset, a friend, or whatever he desires? Our job is simply to open our eyes and ears and listen to him!

"Lord, open my heart to the gift of imagination. Let me see you in everything: in your word, in your people, in your creation, and in every situation I meet today."

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God bless.

AC

[CindyDawg]

In a snit aren't you? :') What's the matter?

[SoothingDave]

No, I'm not in a snit. I just don't see why "Moses parted the Red Sea" is a cause for criticism. Especially since it's entirely tangential to the point.

SD

[CindyDawg]

Yes you are. Here. Maybe this will lift your spirit :')http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1107281/posts

[SoothingDave]

Maybe this will lift your spirit

They closed down all the spas around here. Arrested all the Asian women.

SD

[Invincibly Ignorant]

Lol. I guess there was nothing else to do.