Questions about the Bible , I ask as I read

[Vesayen]

Re: Re: Questions about the Bible , I ask as I read

Originally posted by VJ

Here's an idea: you need to stop reading the Old Testament. It's a collection of Jewish books and different Christian factions can't even agree which one should be included and which one excluded among the collection. It only serves as a way for nerdy European atheists to troll Christians and old self-proclaimed fundamentalist men from Alabama marrying 14-year old girls. Both justify their actions by quoting the wackier and more controversial parts of the Old Testament, which (like I said) aren't Officially accepted as parts of the Old Testament among all Christian factions -- catholics accept parts which aren't accepted by the protestants, orthodox accept parts not accepted by either.

If you want to understand the fundamentals behind Christianity, read the core part of the New Testament, the four different gospels. If you're seeking authority, seek Jesus. There's a reason why George W. Bush constantly referred to Jesus when he was running for president in 2000, he and his speeches unify all the different factions of Christianity.

Isn't tolerance wonderful?

[RGBVideo]

Re: Re: Re: Questions about the Bible , I ask as I read

Originally posted by Vesayen
Isn't tolerance wonderful?

If there's irony here, I can't see it

The point of my post for aneeshm was that Jesus unifies different Christian factions, and thus reading up on Jesus would be the best way to start understanding Christianity. Don't you agree?

[Vesayen]

Re: Re: Re: Questions about the Bible , I ask as I read

[SIZE=1]

I haven't read the "God of the Old Testiment has Issues" thread, but I imagine it has a point. The God who destroyed Sodom and Gamorrah, who tortured Job, who flooded the entire world, etc., etc., etc. certainly seems much more harsh that the God who sacrificed his only Son for the benefit of all mankind.

Flood never happened. Call it cultural osmosis, every society in the region had flood myths.

Sodom and Gamorrah were supposedly cities so evil that it was the custom to rape all travelers who came to the city. Sounds fine to me to destroy it.

Job is a midrash, a story. It never happened. Its not in the Torah. Lots of Jews will dimiss it as a stupid barbaric story-never happened.

Next.

Why do I even waste my breath in one thread to answer peoples questions, where they then ask the SAME questions, after they read the old thread where I answered them before?

Originally posted by VJ

If there's irony here, I can't see it

The point of my post for aneeshm was that Jesus unifies different Christian factions, and thus reading up on Jesus would be the best way to start understanding Christianity. Don't you agree?

The Torah was well established in its final form long before the Romans formed a central dogma for Christians. The intolerance part was the one about slighting Judaism.

It seems to compare Jews to athiests(BAD athiest, the EEEEEEVIIIIL athiests) and insane fundamentalist Christians.


Edit: Re-read your post and I horrificaly misread it the first time. Its not anti Jewish.

[Az]

Originally posted by Sandman


Not seems. Is.

actually he is loving and kind, in a "harsh love" sort of way, to the Israelites - and that makes sense, since at that point, he is their god. Remember - the monotheistic god didn't take the jump to being universal at that time ( although he is already very much all-powerful. )

[Jon Miller]

for what it is worth, I beleive that Esther and Daniel are questionable books in Jewish tradition

JM
(it is easy to understand why the Maccabees are questionable books..)

[Barnabas]

Most christians think men have free will, that passage you quoted of God hardening the hart of the Pharao is one Calvinists (who dont believe men have free will) like to quote, to prove that.

[Barnabas]

The easiest explanation for the flood myth is at the end of the ice age, the levels of the sea rose, submerging many now forever lost pre historic sites, creating islands etc, must have been a great shock for pre historic humans all around the world.

[VetLegion]

You can't really describe an event that took hundreds of years as "shocking".

Some research suggests that the Noah story is related to the creation of the Black Sea which happened when the natural dam burst.

[Barnabas]

But that doesnt explain meso american flood myths

[Vesayen]

Originally posted by Brachy-Pride
The easiest explanation for the flood myth is at the end of the ice age, the levels of the sea rose, submerging many now forever lost pre historic sites, creating islands etc, must have been a great shock for pre historic humans all around the world.

The black sea and the caspian sea used to be ONE SEA...... there was one utterly MASSIVE flood in the region about 8600 yeards ago. Humans almost definatley saw it.

Thats proboably the origin of the flood myths.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

An excellent read-along for your project

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Alex Woehr
A blanket explanation from a fundamentalist perspective:

Does your 14 year old bride have a younger sister?

[Az]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
for what it is worth, I beleive that Esther and Daniel are questionable books in Jewish tradition

JM
(it is easy to understand why the Maccabees are questionable books..)

what's so questionable about them?

[Bosh]

I’m sorry, but God does not have to act according to deontological or humanistic ethics.

Translation: according to any sane definition of evil, the god of the OT is evil.

[Az]

yep. However, you must remember that people before modernity weren't sane. Hell, even today, there are plenty of crazies who act upon "honour" and other bull****.