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True enough but at least they claim to be believers.Not a myth: Anti religion nutbars love posting jibberish in religious threads
Well to be fair I know a lot of religious nutbars who love to post gibberish on religion threads too.
Can't say I've ever seen someone totally apolitical posting in politics.
A fair point. Perhaps the explanation is that atheism is in a sense a religion of it's own. I have no way to justify that statement. It just popped into my head.
Wins what? Whatever you want it to win, right? I got tired of the meaningless spiritual rhetoric. It's what's wrong with the world, all these people believing whatever they want no matter what the reality of the matter is.The Word of God always win.I was a Christian for 22 years and studied quite a bit. I know the routine probably better than you, spiritually blind, unsaved, etc. The facts are that the Bible was assembled by vote and consensus, based on stories cobbled together from various sources to establish a state religion for a sun worshipping emperor. One can pretend anything with a religion, it needs no facts.A person who's been awakened by the Holy Spirit will NEVER convince folks who haven't been. So the debate rages on! Either a person knows or they don't. Fighting over the various Catholic Councils and Papal Bulls is a meaningless waste of time.
Myth: The Bible is just a hodgepodge of random musings from various men throughout the centuries who's sole purpose was to control people by using fear tactics.
Myth: The Bible is full of contradictions.
I know God will give me answers on things I think about so I do not have to talk out loud all the time. Talking out loud can be inconvenient at times but then again it is hard it enough to watch what you say, try watching what you think. It's like, "Can I have a moment to myself here?" "No." "Well,.... OK then."After reading your explanation I think I like it much better than mine. I did not know that about the word 'elohim'. I was just going to say because God told me so but your explanation sounds much more concrete.Regardless of the name used to identify God, He is Who He is and changes not. I believe that He knows the heart and soul of man so He knows when a human sincerely seeks Him regardless of the name used. In other words, I don't believe that someone who says Jehovah instead of Yaweh will be penalized in some way, shape, or manner. I believe that when I say "Jesus Christ" He knows that I'm referring to Him and nobody else.
I would agree. RandomVariable suggests not using Elohim, for example. My guess is he says that because Elohim is more general where YHWH is quite specific. Elohim can be used to refer to any god and indeed the Old Testament uses Elohim to refer to many different gods as well as the Hebrew God. I tend to imagine, however, that if one were to use Elohim in reference to the Hebrew God that God is probably smart enough to figure that out and won't be offended.
But there are things that get lost when you fail to differentiate sometimes. Most often translators have used "God" for "elohim" regardless of whether the text suggests that what is being referred to is the Hebrew God or another god. Occasionally that has led to some problems in interpretation.
As well I think a strong argument can be made that reading an English translation can cause people to miss some really beautiful concepts and some particularly funny ones as well. The reverent language that has traditionally been used when translating the Bible has caused some great things to be lost. I'll give you a couple examples.
First (and one of my favorites) is the story of Rebekah seeing Isaac for the first time. Usually it's translated that Isaac was in the field meditating, although in reality what it actually says he was doing no one knows. The word in Hebrew has never been found anywhere else so it's a mystery. For whatever reason they decided he was meditating instead of sowing, or reaping, or taking a stroll, or whatever. And usually it's translated that Rebekah saw him and "alit from" or "got off" her camel. Well that's not quite what it says in Hebrew. In Hebrew it says "u'thphl" or literally "fell off". Some later versions say she "fell off her camel onto her ass", the pun there being obvious and would have had people rolling in the aisles over that one. But because that story would have been vulgar by later translators thousands of years later, the language was toned down. But because of that we miss the humor in the story; that whatever it was that Isaac was doing in the field it so shocked and amazed Rebekah (either in a good way or a bad way - it doesn't really say) that she flat out fell off her camel and landed with a thud. Because of that we tend to overlook that these stories sometimes had great humor in how they were written, and perhaps even that humor is a part of faith.
A second example would be in the New testament where Jesus says (paraphrasing because it depends in which version you read) "I have come, repent, and spread the good news". It's the "good news" I want to focus on because it Greek it is written "euangelion". Technically the translation is correct. It literally means "good news", but it was a specific type of good news used in Greek speaking ancient culture. An "euangelion" was the good news of victory over an enemy. So during war, for example, an army would go out to face the enemy from a town and they win the battle and a runner would be sent to race through the streets of the town screaming "EUANGELION! EUANGELION!".....you know...."GOOD NEWS! VICTORY IS OURS! WE HAVE WON!" Today when we hear someone say "oh let me tell you the good news" it sounds kind of corny. We kind of roll our eyes and murmer "yeah, yeah, whatever", but it reality it was a powerful statement Jesus was making. He was saying "because I am here the battle is already won!" WHOA! What a difference!
So I get what you are saying. I get what RandomVariable is saying. I think there is something to be said for trying to stay as true to the original spirit of the stories as possible and that means really getting into the Greek and the Hebrew, and studying history, and ancient cultures in order to understand the context of what all this meant to people in antiquity so we can put it into the proper perspective today.
Well I think whatever is good for the individual in that sense is probably good with God. I agree with DriftingSand that God knows our hearts and our intentions. I don't use elohim myself except when I am studying from a scholarly perspective. What I mean is there is great value in identifying between YHWH and Elohim when trying to identify sources. I won't write a really long thing as I usually do but I encourage you to do some research (if you haven't already) about Genesis (the entire Torah really) on the JPED...that being the "J source" (or YHWH source....J being equivalent to Y in German pronunciation...that's where the "J" comes from instead of "Y"), the "E source" (or elohim source), the "P source" (or priestly source), and the "D source" (or the Deuteronomical source). It's a discussion far too great and lengthy for this thread but it's intensely interesting and really creates a new and far deeper appreciation of Genesis and Torah as a whole.
I would really love to have the opportunity to get some scholarly background on all this but at the moment I just have God, the KJV, and kickin' around some laughs on the ole USMB. It's all good.
As a side note: I own around 25 different versions of the Bible and have read a little or a lot from each of them in my search for the truth but have come to accept only one as a personal favorite: The KJV.
While this is a common conception it does not fit reality at all. While people might use or have used the bible to control people and steal their money the bible itself is actually a terrible tool for doing so.Myth: The Bible is just a hodgepodge of random musings from various men throughout the centuries who's sole purpose was to control people by using fear tactics.
Myth: The Bible is full of contradictions.
The Bible is just a hodgepodge of random musings from various men throughout the centuries who's sole purpose was to control people by using fear tactics and relieve them of their money.
While this is a common conception it does not fit reality at all. While people might use or have used the bible to control people and steal their money the bible itself is actually a terrible tool for doing so.Myth: The Bible is just a hodgepodge of random musings from various men throughout the centuries who's sole purpose was to control people by using fear tactics.
Myth: The Bible is full of contradictions.
The Bible is just a hodgepodge of random musings from various men throughout the centuries who's sole purpose was to control people by using fear tactics and relieve them of their money.
While this is a common conception it does not fit reality at all. While people might use or have used the bible to control people and steal their money the bible itself is actually a terrible tool for doing so.Myth: The Bible is just a hodgepodge of random musings from various men throughout the centuries who's sole purpose was to control people by using fear tactics.
Myth: The Bible is full of contradictions.
The Bible is just a hodgepodge of random musings from various men throughout the centuries who's sole purpose was to control people by using fear tactics and relieve them of their money.
Oh Christians have done far worse than steal people's money. LOL. But the Bible has nothing to do with that actually. That's religion in general. Islamic terrorists do the same thing when they twist the message of the Quran to justify their political agenda. Religious texts (and the Bible in particular) are like torturing someone...if you twist it up and beat on it enough you can get it to say pretty much whatever you want.
And that proves what? The Jesus character quotes an OT verse, he doesn't claim to be God.Matthew 4
English Standard Version (ESV)
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’”
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
While this is a common conception it does not fit reality at all. While people might use or have used the bible to control people and steal their money the bible itself is actually a terrible tool for doing so.Myth: The Bible is just a hodgepodge of random musings from various men throughout the centuries who's sole purpose was to control people by using fear tactics.
Myth: The Bible is full of contradictions.
The Bible is just a hodgepodge of random musings from various men throughout the centuries who's sole purpose was to control people by using fear tactics and relieve them of their money.
Oh Christians have done far worse than steal people's money. LOL. But the Bible has nothing to do with that actually. That's religion in general. Islamic terrorists do the same thing when they twist the message of the Quran to justify their political agenda. Religious texts (and the Bible in particular) are like torturing someone...if you twist it up and beat on it enough you can get it to say pretty much whatever you want.
Unfortunately, many folks DO twist the Bible to validate their own, personal worldviews but that isn't the Bible's fault. The Bible is simply a history of God's relationship with His creation and a blueprint for ultimate salvation. When a person approaches it prayerfully and with a desire to connect with the Holy Spirit he/she does well. If a person approaches it and uses it for their own purposes or as a control mechanism then that person isn't a Christian but, rather, a false prophet.
While this is a common conception it does not fit reality at all. While people might use or have used the bible to control people and steal their money the bible itself is actually a terrible tool for doing so.Myth: The Bible is just a hodgepodge of random musings from various men throughout the centuries who's sole purpose was to control people by using fear tactics.
Myth: The Bible is full of contradictions.
The Bible is just a hodgepodge of random musings from various men throughout the centuries who's sole purpose was to control people by using fear tactics and relieve them of their money.
Oh Christians have done far worse than steal people's money. LOL. But the Bible has nothing to do with that actually. That's religion in general. Islamic terrorists do the same thing when they twist the message of the Quran to justify their political agenda. Religious texts (and the Bible in particular) are like torturing someone...if you twist it up and beat on it enough you can get it to say pretty much whatever you want.
Unfortunately, many folks DO twist the Bible to validate their own, personal worldviews but that isn't the Bible's fault. The Bible is simply a history of God's relationship with His creation and a blueprint for ultimate salvation. When a person approaches it prayerfully and with a desire to connect with the Holy Spirit he/she does well. If a person approaches it and uses it for their own purposes or as a control mechanism then that person isn't a Christian but, rather, a false prophet.
Just like the Quran
While this is a common conception it does not fit reality at all. While people might use or have used the bible to control people and steal their money the bible itself is actually a terrible tool for doing so.The Bible is just a hodgepodge of random musings from various men throughout the centuries who's sole purpose was to control people by using fear tactics and relieve them of their money.
Oh Christians have done far worse than steal people's money. LOL. But the Bible has nothing to do with that actually. That's religion in general. Islamic terrorists do the same thing when they twist the message of the Quran to justify their political agenda. Religious texts (and the Bible in particular) are like torturing someone...if you twist it up and beat on it enough you can get it to say pretty much whatever you want.
Unfortunately, many folks DO twist the Bible to validate their own, personal worldviews but that isn't the Bible's fault. The Bible is simply a history of God's relationship with His creation and a blueprint for ultimate salvation. When a person approaches it prayerfully and with a desire to connect with the Holy Spirit he/she does well. If a person approaches it and uses it for their own purposes or as a control mechanism then that person isn't a Christian but, rather, a false prophet.
Just like the Quran
Huge differences between the Bible and the Quran.
