Biblical Questions (Bible, King James) (Jesus Christ, ritual, moral, punishment)

[BalanceFx]

• The bible says many times that Jesus is Gods only son. How am I gods child then?
• The bible says god is 100% benevolent... if he created everything where did evil come from?
• The bible says god is a jealous god... if hes the only god what does he have to be jealous of?
• The bible ages the earth at 6000 or so years. (I don't need to rebut this... if you seriously believe this then you have issues I personally can't resolve.)
• God created light and then many days later created the objects that emit light. Namely the greater light to rule the day and lesser light to rule the night. What exactly did he do when he created light? How is a light emitting fireball at the center of our solar system considered a greater light and a cold rocky mass that emits no light considered the lesser light?
• If adam and eve were the first people on the planet where did every one come from? Leviticus says incest is punishable by death so how did god plan on starting the entire planet with only 2 people? What about after the flood and Noahs family? Whats up with Lot and his daughters? He just had his wife turned to a pillar of a salt he should atleast, drunk or not, be adhering to gods will. (And why did the angels goad him on?) Abraham's wife was his sister? (Half... )
• During the flood everyone died... save noah and his family... most assuredly there were many children and infants that died... were they all wicked?
• Are infants born inheriting sin? Are the evil at birth until they accept Jesus because of adam and eve and a crime they have no knowledge of and did not commit?

[Dunemeister]

Originally Posted by BalanceFx

The bible says many times that Jesus is Gods only son. How am I gods child then?

By adoption, if you're a believer.

The bible says god is 100% benevolent... if he created everything where did evil come from?

The bible doesn't really explain the existence of evil. Apologists usually punt to a free decision from a creature, such as a great angel (Lucifer, who became Satan as a result) or a human (Adam). But the bible itself doesn't dwell on evil's origin. Rather, it tells the story of how the Creator is dealing with it.

The bible says god is a jealous god... if hes the only god what does he have to be jealous of?

There are plenty of rivals for God's affections. Humans will worship just about any darned thing imaginable, including themselves or figments of their imaginations. So, as a legitimate husband experiences jealousy when his lawfully wedded wife plays the harlot, God gets jealous when humans prostitute themselves to other so-called "gods."

The bible ages the earth at 6000 or so years. (I don't need to rebut this... if you seriously believe this then you have issues I personally can't resolve.)

The bible does no such thing. Some bishop, in a classic case of mishandling scripture, concocted a theory according to which the earth came into existence at about 4004 BC. The bible itself doesn't concern itself with the age of the earth. Period.

God created light and then many days later created the objects that emit light. Namely the greater light to rule the day and lesser light to rule the night. What exactly did he do when he created light? How is a light emitting fireball at the center of our solar system considered a greater light and a cold rocky mass that emits no light considered the lesser light?

The first chapter of Genesis is best viewed as poetry, not a journalistic narrative. So we don't have to conceive of God as creating light independently of the sources of that light. Fundagelicals will argue with me tooth and nail on this, but a poetic treatment of Genesis 1 is far superior to a woodenly literal one.

If adam and eve were the first people on the planet where did every one come from? Leviticus says incest is punishable by death so how did god plan on starting the entire planet with only 2 people? What about after the flood and Noahs family? Whats up with Lot and his daughters? He just had his wife turned to a pillar of a salt he should atleast, drunk or not, be adhering to gods will. (And why did the angels goad him on?) Abraham's wife was his sister? (Half... )

Lots of issues going on here. Care to make your question a bit more clear?

During the flood everyone died... save noah and his family... most assuredly there were many children and infants that died... were they all wicked?

No, they weren't.

Are infants born inheriting sin? Are the evil at birth until they accept Jesus because of adam and eve and a crime they have no knowledge of and did not commit?

Yes, infants are born with what the church calls "original sin". They are not thereby evil. Rather, they are born with a deplorable and regrettable tendency to commit sins. People are judged only on the basis of sins actually committed and for which they can be held morally accountable. To be morally accountable for a sin, a person must have a certain intelligence and maturity to be able to perceive and understand their actions in a moral way. We are NOT judged for Adam's sin.

[Sola'lor]

Originally Posted by BalanceFx

The bible says many times that Jesus is Gods only son. How am I gods child then?

Jesus is God's only begotten son. Meaning God is the literal father of the Physical Christ. God is the Father of all of our spirits.

The bible says god is 100% benevolent... if he created everything where did evil come from?

Evil is a natural condition of opposing God. Since all people have the freedom to choose al are free to choose to obey God or not. It's not a matter of creation but the natural condition of the universe.

The bible says god is a jealous god... if hes the only god what does he have to be jealous of?

There are many other gods. If I love taking care of my car that can be a god to me. Video games could be a god. Anything we worship or are more dedicated to than God is a god.

The bible ages the earth at 6000 or so years. (I don't need to rebut this... if you seriously believe this then you have issues I personally can't resolve.)

No it doesn't. Certain interpretations date use the Bible to date the earth at 6000 years. But no where in the Bible does it say 6000 years. I personally believe it took millions of years.

God created light and then many days later created the objects that emit light. Namely the greater light to rule the day and lesser light to rule the night. What exactly did he do when he created light?

??? I don't know the exact process of creation. I figure it is was something along the lines of a gas cloud condensing together of sufficient mass to form a star.

How is a light emitting fireball at the center of our solar system considered a greater light and a cold rocky mass that emits no light considered the lesser light?

When the full moon is out there quite a bit more light then it there's not.

If adam and eve were the first people on the planet where did every one come from?

What do you mean 'everyone else?'

Leviticus says incest is punishable by death so how did god plan on starting the entire planet with only 2 people?

Incest was punishable by death because it was no longer needed.

What about after the flood and Noahs family?

Well try and repopulate the world with one family and not have any incest and see how far you get.

Whats up with Lot and his daughters? He just had his wife turned to a pillar of a salt he should atleast, drunk or not, be adhering to gods will. (And why did the angels goad him on?)

If I remember correctly that situation was considered sinful.

Abraham's wife was his sister? (Half... )

???

During the flood everyone died... save noah and his family... most assuredly there were many children and infants that died... were they all wicked?

Nope. The children were assured salvation. The drowning wasn't the punishment. The punishment will come when they must stand before God and be judged.

Are infants born inheriting sin?

Nope. But all children are born mortal.

Are the evil at birth until they accept Jesus because of adam and eve and a crime they have no knowledge of and did not commit?

Nope.

[BalanceFx]

Originally Posted by Dunemeister

By adoption, if you're a believer.

Adoption? Hmm thats a new one. I think I like Sola'lor's answer better. In either event there is no evidence to support either. There is this field called biology though and they have a theory on whose child I am and how that happened. I guess its all scientific and stuff and back by evidence. Sounds cool. I will ask my mom about it...

I'm not buying the stork story either....

Originally Posted by Dunemeister

The bible doesn't really explain the existence of evil.

Because if god is omnibenovalent and everything came from god then evil can not exist. If evil does exist then god is not omnibenevolent. In the bible it also says god is both satisfied and dissatisfied with his work and his perfect creations Adam and Eve turned out not to be perfect.

Originally Posted by Dunemeister

There are plenty of rivals for God's affections. Humans will worship just about any darned thing imaginable, including themselves or figments of their imaginations. So, as a legitimate husband experiences jealousy when his lawfully wedded wife plays the harlot, God gets jealous when humans prostitute themselves to other so-called "gods."

This breeds intolerance of other people on the planet who do worship other gods. Intolerance leads to Anger. Anger leads to hatred. Hatred is the path to the Dark Side. (There is also no evidence of a single god let along multiple gods.)

Originally Posted by Dunemeister

The bible does no such thing. Some bishop, in a classic case of mishandling scripture, concocted a theory according to which the earth came into existence at about 4004 BC. The bible itself doesn't concern itself with the age of the earth. Period.

I would question the purpose of the so and so begat so and so who begat so so... Young earth creationist are growing every day because they say a book written by god tells them so. A divinely inspired work would leave no room for ambiguity. But it does. Everyone has their own interpretation... You post leaves less room for interpretation then the bible.

Originally Posted by Dunemeister

The first chapter of Genesis is best viewed as poetry, not a journalistic narrative. So we don't have to conceive of God as creating light independently of the sources of that light. Fundagelicals will argue with me tooth and nail on this, but a poetic treatment of Genesis 1 is far superior to a woodenly literal one.

God's poetry doesn't rhyme. A poetic interpretation... Interesting. Perhaps it's encoded... should we read every other verse and then we will truly come to know god?

Originally Posted by Dunemeister

Lots of issues going on here. Care to make your question a bit more clear?

God forbids incest and then brings about events where there could only be incest.

Originally Posted by Dunemeister

Yes, infants are born with what the church calls "original sin".

I like Sola'lor's answer better because then the children get to live. Even if its in a made up afterlife its still more palatial and makes it a happier story.

The entire bible has many contradictions and is subject to interpretation. A divinely inspired work would be much more then that. As a Jehovah's witness we were told that each creation day was 1000 years. Gods days are different then ours. As a series of fables and fictional stories written by a biblical man they make sense. There may even be some truth in the bible but its not gods word, its mans word.

[3.14]

The bible says many times that Jesus is Gods only son. How am I gods child then?

• so im not god or have any idee why but geuss the logical explaination would be that jesus was the only one that got a fysical body from god and the rest just got part of his spirit

The bible says god is 100% benevolent... if he created everything where did evil come from?

• evil is just a preseption of good wich you are not sure how it will help in the long run

The bible says god is a jealous god... if hes the only god what does he have to be jealous of?

• not sure but geuss since hes a god he doesn't have a mortal body, so hes kinda stuck with his job

God created light and then many days later created the objects that emit light. Namely the greater light to rule the day and lesser light to rule the night. What exactly did he do when he created light? How is a light emitting fireball at the center of our solar system considered a greater light and a cold rocky mass that emits no light considered the lesser light?

• ofcourse noone knows for sure but i geuss its just his way of discribing things, like a genuis may be a great light but not a fysical one

If adam and eve were the first people on the planet where did every one come from? Leviticus says incest is punishable by death so how did god plan on starting the entire planet with only 2 people? What about after the flood and Noahs family? Whats up with Lot and his daughters? He just had his wife turned to a pillar of a salt he should atleast, drunk or not, be adhering to gods will. (And why did the angels goad him on?) Abraham's wife was his sister? (Half... )

• wel geuss god knows a bit about our dna so he probaly just cloned alot of them

During the flood everyone died... save noah and his family... most assuredly there were many children and infants that died... were they all wicked?

• nah god probaly just wanted to do a sudden death round and worms hadn't come out yet

Are infants born inheriting sin? Are the evil at birth until they accept Jesus because of adam and eve and a crime they have no knowledge of and did not commit?

• can't be sure about it but if they are god is one crancky basterd

[Dunemeister]

Originally Posted by BalanceFx

Adoption? Hmm thats a new one. I think I like Sola'lor's answer better. In either event there is no evidence to support either. There is this field called biology though and they have a theory on whose child I am and how that happened. I guess its all scientific and stuff and back by evidence. Sounds cool. I will ask my mom about it...

Biblical evidence for the adoption relationship between believers and God:

So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:12 - 17, stressing the "already" aspect of our adoption.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:22 - 23, stressing the "not yet" aspect of our adoption.

And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise. My point is this: heirs, as long as they are minors, are no better than slaves, though they are the owners of all the property; but they remain under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. So with us; while we were minors, we were enslaved to the elemental spirits of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. Galatians 3:29 - 4:7, the connection with Romans 8 should be obvious.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3 - 5, and here again Paul emphasizes the "not yet" aspect of our adoption.

And these are only the passages that speak of the concept by using the word "adoption." There are plenty of parables and other didactic passages which speak of the topic but don't use the word. However, these should suffice.

Because if god is omnibenovalent and everything came from god then evil can not exist. If evil does exist then god is not omnibenevolent. In the bible it also says god is both satisfied and dissatisfied with his work and his perfect creations Adam and Eve turned out not to be perfect.

That's a possible claim you can make, but it's nothing like logically necessary. In fact, Alvin Plantinga put the logical problem of evil to bed in the 1970s and few serious philosophers continue to advance it. The problem of evil still retains some force, all right, but not the force of pure logic. It's logically possible for there to exist a good God who permits the existence of evil. The question then is how evil can fit into the plans of a good god.

This breeds intolerance of other people on the planet who do worship other gods. Intolerance leads to Anger. Anger leads to hatred. Hatred is the path to the Dark Side. (There is also no evidence of a single god let along multiple gods.)

It may but need not, and in my case doesn't. The lack of evidence point is certainly disputable.

I would question the purpose of the so and so begat so and so who begat so so... Young earth creationist are growing every day because they say a book written by god tells them so. A divinely inspired work would leave no room for ambiguity. But it does. Everyone has their own interpretation... You post leaves less room for interpretation then the bible.

Why would a divinely inspired work leave no room for ambiguity? I don't get it. You're presuming a lot. And my post leaves plenty of options, indeed more options than the woodenly literal approach.

God's poetry doesn't rhyme. A poetic interpretation... Interesting. Perhaps it's encoded... should we read every other verse and then we will truly come to know god?

The original text is Hebrew, and Hebrew poetry doesn't use rhythm and rhyme like English does. Pick up a good commentary on Genesis, and the author will explain it to you.

God forbids incest and then brings about events where there could only be incest.

If you take a woodenly literal approach to the text, then yes. And then there's the moral problem you point out.

I like Sola'lor's answer better because then the children get to live. Even if its in a made up afterlife its still more palatial and makes it a happier story.

On the Christian view, the children still get to live. Why would you think otherwise?

The entire bible has many contradictions and is subject to interpretation. A divinely inspired work would be much more then that. As a Jehovah's witness we were told that each creation day was 1000 years. Gods days are different then ours. As a series of fables and fictional stories written by a biblical man they make sense. There may even be some truth in the bible but its not gods word, its mans word.

Why would a divinely inspired work be much more than that, especially in the hands of angry and confused sinners who bring their own agendas and biases to the text? And why do we have to choose between "God's word" and "Man's word"? What if it's both?

[ChristineES]