The Good Friday-Easter Sunday Question

Good News Magazine ^ | March 2000 | Wilber Berg

[Petronski]

...church headed by the pope with it's headquarters at the Vatican...

"Headed by the Pope" being colloquial, as Christ is the head of the Catholic Church.

[DouglasKC]

Our of curiosity would you say that everyone that is a member of the organization known as the Catholic Church has God's spirit and is a member of the body of Christ?
It's not about being on a membership roll, it's about faith and action.

So then am I to understand that not everyone who is a member of the organization known as the Catholic church is truly a member of the body of Christ?

[DouglasKC]

"Headed by the Pope" being colloquial, as Christ is the head of the Catholic Church.

Sorry, I should have worded that differently.

[Petronski]

Again, though, it is the Catholic Church.

[DouglasKC]

Again, though, it is the Catholic Church.

Not to browbeat, but your answer isn't that clear and I want to make sure I understand your position and the position of your church.

Someone may belong to the organization known as the Catholic Church but may not really be a member of the body of Christ?

[vladimir998]

You’re just equivicating.

It is WRONG to wear blends? You say God’s law says so. So, is it WRONG to do so?

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“So... what exactly did you mean by this then?”

I meant exactly what I asked. Notice I NEVER ONCE said my view was that scripture was invalid. You just completely made that up out of thin air.

I questioned someone else’s understanding of the law’s standing TODAY after the coming of Christ and the New Testament. That in no way, in NO WAY, means I question the validity of scripture. To question its validity would be to doubt its inspiration. I do not do that. I was questioning a person in this thread, not saying that scripture was invalid.

“You clearly intended to write those words for a reason. You went to the effort to darken those pages in the OLLLLD Testament.”

What? What are you babbling about here?

“Since I say I am misquoting you, maybe you can say what you MEANT by those words, if not to say that some Scriptures no longer have validity?”

At least you now admit that you were misquoting me. Since you have done that - which means I was right and you were wrong - the rest is unimportant. I did just explain what I was doing - and you missed it the first time around anyway.

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“If it were rape she would have screamed.”

You’re proving my point - screaming proved it was rape. Silenece was taken as consent. We know now that silence does not mean consent. Silence means silence. Silence often meant fear.

[mountn man]

So verse 25 specifically calls it rape, and then absolves the girl because she WAS raped.

[MHGinTN]

‘Not to brow beat’ ... but you are, and I think you know it!

[DouglasKC]

You’re just equivicating.
It is WRONG to wear blends? You say God’s law says so. So, is it WRONG to do so?

Of course it's wrong. But we don't know in what context God considered it wrong. Scripture doesn't record WHY it was wrong or in what circumstances. Some have defined God to mean that it's ALWAYS wrong. As I said, God had a reason for avoiding wool and linen blended clothing. It would be wise to follow what God says even if it's only for a reason of physical comfort, commerce or any other theory that's been advanced.

[safisoft]

LOL. Words mean things, and I have heard words very much like yours for enough years to know precisely where they came from. Funny, it is interesting to note that it does not appear that you are concerned that yours could have conveyed something that you did not intend

There was once a man who presented himself as a pious and careful man. Occassionaly, this man would blurt out profanity when he was angry and did not think anyone was close enough to hear. When he died he stood before the Judge to give an account. When asked about his private profanity, he responded, "Oh, no, you misunderstood what I said. I was calling out Your Name in love!" The wise Judge Who hears and knows the heart said, "That might be, for many callout to me throughout their day, but who is this person 'damn' that you love so much."

[DouglasKC]

‘Not to brow beat’ ... but you are, and I think you know it!

I'm honestly not. I'm genuinely curious about the answer. I would put the same question to an LDS if they were here. Their organizations apparently believe they represent and ARE the only church of God. If so then the question stands...is everyone that is a member of the Catholic church organization automatically a member of body of Christ?

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“LOL. Words mean things, and I have heard words very much like yours for enough years to know precisely where they came from.”

They came from me, and they still don’t imply anything like you assumed. Clearly the problem is your assumption, not my words. You assumed something based upon your limited experiences and not in any way related to what I actually said.

“Funny, it is interesting to note that it does not appear that you are concerned that yours could have conveyed something that you did not intend.”

My words conveyed NOTHING that you assumed. Clearly the problem is yours and not mine. I do not worry about other person’s assumptions when I am speaking clearly. If someone assumes something so wildly incorrectly as you did, it is clearly a sign about him and says nothing about me.

You were wrong. And you still are.

[MarkBsnr]

***It would be wise to follow what God says even if it’s only for a reason of physical comfort, commerce or any other theory that’s been advanced.***

Let us go through Lev 19 and see what the Lord says there and let us examine ourselves to see if we have paid attention to these edicts:

5
“When you sacrifice your peace offering to the LORD, if you wish it to be acceptable,
6
it must be eaten on the very day of your sacrifice or on the following day. Whatever is left over until the third day shall be burned up in the fire.
7
If any of it is eaten on the third day, the sacrifice will be unacceptable as refuse;
8
whoever eats of it then shall pay the penalty for having profaned what is sacred to the LORD. Such a one shall be cut off from his people.

Freezing doesn’t count, right?

9
“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not be so thorough that you reap the field to its very edge, nor shall you glean the stray ears of grain.
10
Likewise, you shall not pick your vineyard bare, nor gather up the grapes that have fallen. These things you shall leave for the poor and the alien. I, the LORD, am your God.

All you farmers; how much do you leave for the poor and alien as they pass through your fields?

19
“Keep my statutes: do not breed any of your domestic animals with others of a different species; do not sow a field of yours with two different kinds of seed; and do not put on a garment woven with two different kinds of thread.

Whooo. All those who bred mules are gonna die horribly right? Mixing seeds in a field will get you Pharaoh’s fate? And polyester/cotton blends will put you in the lake of fire?

20
2 “If a man has carnal relations with a female slave who has already been living with another man but has not yet been redeemed or given her freedom, they shall be punished but not put to death, because she is not free.

Get out your slaves! Just remember to screw your own slave, and leave the slaves of others alone.

3 “When you come into the land and plant any fruit tree there, first look upon its fruit as if it were uncircumcised. For three years, while its fruit remains uncircumcised, it may not be eaten.
24
In the fourth year, however, all of its fruit shall be sacred to the LORD as a thanksgiving feast to him.
25
Not until the fifth year may you eat its fruit. Thus it will continue its yield for you. I, the LORD, am your God.

Anybody, but anybody practice this? Come on Doug, if you plant a fruit tree, do you let the first three years fall to the ground, sacrifice the fourth year’s fruits to God and then munch down thereafter?

26
“Do not eat meat with the blood still in it. Do not practice divination or soothsaying.

I am going to hell - my steaks are all medium rare. I don’t even read horoscopes though, do you?

27
4 Do not clip your hair at the temples, nor trim the edges of your beard.

I get a regular haircut and wear a goatee. Am I damned?

28
Do not lacerate your bodies for the dead, and do not tattoo yourselves. I am the LORD.

I’m off the hook here. I have no ink and no more holes in me than I was born with. You tattooed in any way?

31
“Do not go to mediums or consult fortune-tellers, for you will be defiled by them. I, the LORD, am your God.

No fortune tellers here - I don’t even have a Magic 8-ball.

32
“Stand up in the presence of the aged, and show respect for the old; thus shall you fear your God. I am the LORD.

You do this all the time?

Here is the context of God. How do you measure up?

[DouglasKC]

I know you've served up a healthy dose of sarcasm in the post. But merely pointing out these things and superficially interpreting them according to your own understanding isn't a prudent way to examine them. For example, many of the items were prohibited because they were common practices of some of the pagan peoples that surrounded the nation of Israel. These included piercings and tattoos to name a couple. God wanted his established nation to be set apart, different, an example, to those nations that surrounded them.

That being said we all fail horribly at living up to a Godly standard. But as you know Christ died so we could be forgiven our sins. But why NOT let the spirit of Christ live through us and try to live up to these things that you listed? What's the harm in respecting the aged? What's the harm in not getting a tattoo or a piercing? What's the harm in donating food to the poor??

I'm not going to question the wisdom of the Lord.

[MarkBsnr]

***I know you’ve served up a healthy dose of sarcasm in the post. ***

Fair enough.

***For example, many of the items were prohibited because they were common practices of some of the pagan peoples that surrounded the nation of Israel. These included piercings and tattoos to name a couple. God wanted his established nation to be set apart, different, an example, to those nations that surrounded them.***

Unless the reasons are given, who is the individual that can interpret God’s pronouncements? God specifically proscribed tattoos, for example. Period. With no further explanation. Unless the Church can explicitly alter such pronouncement, it stands.

***That being said we all fail horribly at living up to a Godly standard. But as you know Christ died so we could be forgiven our sins. But why NOT let the spirit of Christ live through us and try to live up to these things that you listed? What’s the harm in respecting the aged?***

No harm. I learned much of what I know from my grandparents.

***What’s the harm in not getting a tattoo or a piercing? ***

The absence of something is not something. It is not virtuous to point to the absence of something.

***What’s the harm in donating food to the poor??

I’m not going to question the wisdom of the Lord.***

Sarcasm aside, I notice that you have not answered my questions or statements from the last post.

[DouglasKC]

I’m not going to question the wisdom of the Lord.*** Sarcasm aside, I notice that you have not answered my questions or statements from the last post.

But I did. I said WE all fail miserably to live up to a Godly standard. If you want me to specify how I fail physically and spiritually on that list I'll be glad to. But what is your purpose?

To prove that I'm a sinner? I certainly am, no question there.

To prove that God doesn't know he what was talking about in scripture and that's there's nothing wrong with ignoring these things?

What exactly is your point?

[xzins]

As much as we’d like to think that “Easter” is some ancient worship of teutonic or babylonian gods, it is not.

In all but the germanic languages, it goes by the name of “passover.” It is only in German and English that it goes by “Easter.”

And that is probably because “sun” and “son” are similar in both languages. The Son Rises at Easter is a play on words in both languages. East is the direction of the Rising Son....it is an Easterly direction.

Check it in French, Italian, Spanish, etc. It’s called the same word as is found for “the passover of the Jews.” It’s some variation of “pascha=passover”.

So, there was no Roman Catholic conspiracy about “Easter/Ishtar” and all that garbage. If so, they forgot to mention it to most of Roman Catholic Europe.

[safisoft]

Wow. You have the gall to go through a chapter and insinuate that the instructions given by the Almighty therein are somehow invalid, or too difficult? You need to spend sometime studying. You missed a big one, right there in the middle - one that every "Christian" claims is not only valid... but something they succeed in doing "most of the time" (because they are Christians):

...you shall love your neighbor as yourself... Leviticus 19:18

Now, for freezing sacrifices, if you would read further, you would know that to NOT offer sacrifices without the Temple in Jerusalem is actually obedience - and no freezing would not count.

Guess what, farmers in the Land of Israel do not reap the corners of their fields... just like they are instructed to do.

The corner of your beard? Do you read Hebrew? Do you know what a corner is? No, you won't be damned for shaving (if you read further you would know that NONE of this is about being "damned" - they are about obeying they One that loves you).

Each one of your points is offensive, as so many others on this thread... because you mock the very words of the Creator of the Universe...

For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. Deuteronomy 30:11

For this is the love of G0d, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 1John 5:3

Go read Psalms 119, and read how a man after G0d's own heart speaks about His commandments. Take the time to count each time "commandment, law, statute, ordinance, testimony," etc. is used. Then ask yourself if someone who loves G0d should speak lovingly of His instructions (even those that he does not understand), or use them to mock others.