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Looking For A Smart Atheist

Earthling

David Henson
emotion isn't needed for discussion. you made a statement about a christian hippie. what relevance does that have to do any of the subject matter?

You are talking about one thread in another. Obviously you are pissed at me just as I was pissed at you for obfuscating a specific God concept.

the subject matter isn't about the poster. it's about the idea being conveyed, or queried.

Yes.

as explained to you the idea was incorporated from the corpus hermeticum. nothing emotional about that.

But what, I will ask you for the . . . third? time, does that have to do with God?

'el is a semitic word for one and only one god, elohim is it's plural noun for god, or gods.

El is applied to Jehovah, to other gods and to men. You are thinking of the term when used with the definite article ha.
 

Earthling

David Henson
Well, it seems to me that the difference in definition of 'immortal' may be one of the reasons distinguishing your viewpoint from what 'theology' says. Maybe God has the *option* of destroying souls, but doens't in most cases. that would at least be an interpretation that is consistent with the verses you gave.

/E: This would also be consistent with the assumed omnipotence of God: not being able to destroy souls would seem to be a limitation on the power of the deity.

We are kind of getting of track. It was just an example. The soul isn't a being. So what is the soul? If the question is trying to establish an accurate interpretation of the Bible, the position of theology, on souls . . . not necessarily being, are that they all sin. They all die. So the theological position of a soul, being actually a matter of Greek philosophy, i.e. Plato, Socrates, etc. isn't in line with the Bible.

The only important thing is, can a soul be destroyed or not.
 

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
You are talking about one thread in another. Obviously you are pissed at me just as I was pissed at you for obfuscating a specific God concept.
i don't have to be pissed to note you're discussing posters; when posters didn't query you about themselves, or another.






El is applied to Jehovah, to other gods and to men. You are thinking of the term when used with the definite article ha.

the only thing applied to gods and men is the term elohim. el is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man that he should repent.

'el is specifically used in that verse for a reason.


God is not a man that He should lie, nor is He a mortal that He should relent. Would He say and not do, speak and not fulfill?
 

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
We are kind of getting of track. It was just an example. The soul isn't a being. So what is the soul? If the question is trying to establish an accurate interpretation of the Bible, the position of theology, on souls . . . not necessarily being, are that they all sin. They all die. So the theological position of a soul, being actually a matter of Greek philosophy, i.e. Plato, Socrates, etc. isn't in line with the Bible.

The only important thing is, can a soul be destroyed or not.
you're extremely mistaken


spirit in the nt is not a synonym for soul in the nt.

they are two different words.


soul from strong's g5590 = psyche

spirit from strong's g4151 = pneuma


so the soul is associated directly with the body of a person

the spirit isn't neccessarily associated directly with a person
 

Earthling

David Henson
OK, any suggestions for a definition?

Okay, but I don't want to get ahead of ourselves. These have been just for example.

The 'soul' which is an unfortunate translation of apparent necessity, is the life, life experiences of any breathing creature. It's the blood.

“There is no dichotomy [division] of body and soul in the OT. The Israelite saw things concretely, in their totality, and thus he considered men as persons and not as composites. The term nepeš, though translated by our word soul, never means soul as distinct from the body or the individual person. . . . The term [psy·khe′] is the NT word corresponding with nepeš. It can mean the principle of life, life itself, or the living being.” - New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967), Vol. XIII, pp. 449, 450.

“The Hebrew term for ‘soul’ was used by Moses . . . , signifying an ‘animated being’ and applicable equally to nonhuman beings. . . . New Testament usage of psychē (‘soul’) was comparable to nefesh.” - The New Encyclopædia Britannica (1976), Macropædia, Vol. 15, p. 152.

“The belief that the soul continues its existence after the dissolution of the body is a matter of philosophical or theological speculation rather than of simple faith, and is accordingly nowhere expressly taught in Holy Scripture.” - The Jewish Encyclopedia (1910), Vol. VI, p. 564.

“The Christian concept of a spiritual soul created by God and infused into the body at conception to make man a living whole is the fruit of a long development in Christian philosophy. Only with Origen [died c. 254 C.E.] in the East and St. Augustine [died 430 C.E.] in the West was the soul established as a spiritual substance and a philosophical concept formed of its nature. . . . His [Augustine’s] doctrine . . . owed much (including some shortcomings) to Neoplatonism.”—New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967), Vol. XIII, pp. 452, 454.

“The concept of immortality is a product of Greek thinking, whereas the hope of a resurrection belongs to Jewish thought. . . . Following Alexander’s conquests Judaism gradually absorbed Greek concepts.” - Dictionnaire Encyclopédique de la Bible (Valence, France; 1935), edited by Alexandre Westphal, Vol. 2, p. 557.

“Immortality of the soul is a Greek notion formed in ancient mystery cults and elaborated by the philosopher Plato.” - Presbyterian Life, May 1, 1970, p. 35.

“Do we believe that there is such a thing as death? . . . Is it not the separation of soul and body? And to be dead is the completion of this; when the soul exists in herself, and is released from the body and the body is released from the soul, what is this but death? . . . And does the soul admit of death? No. Then the soul is immortal? Yes.” - Plato’s “Phaedo,” Secs. 64, 105, as published in Great Books of the Western World (1952), edited by R. M. Hutchins, Vol. 7, pp. 223, 245, 246.

“The problem of immortality, we have seen, engaged the serious attention of the Babylonian theologians. . . . Neither the people nor the leaders of religious thought ever faced the possibility of the total annihilation of what once was called into existence. Death was a passage to another kind of life.”—The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria (Boston, 1898), M. Jastrow, Jr., p. 556.
 

Earthling

David Henson
i don't have to be pissed to note you're discussing posters; when posters didn't query you about themselves, or another.

What are you talking about?! All I'm asking you is do you have to mix vague, nonsensical poetic or philosophical expressions with a God concept to make them appear to have some sort of merit? I don't care if they come from from the Essene's or Patrick on Sponge Bob Square Pants.

the only thing applied to gods and men is the term elohim. el is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man that he should repent.

'el is specifically used in that verse for a reason.

God is not a man that He should lie, nor is He a mortal that He should relent. Would He say and not do, speak and not fulfill?

Why are we having this discussion here? It's off topic.
 

Earthling

David Henson
you're extremely mistaken


spirit in the nt is not a synonym for soul in the nt.

they are two different words.


soul from strong's g5590 = psyche

spirit from strong's g4151 = pneuma


so the soul is associated directly with the body of a person

the spirit isn't neccessarily associated directly with a person

[Looks around to see if Fool is talking to someone else]

I never said the two were the same. And I don't necessarily agree with your conclusion on the spirit, as it would depend upon the context, but again . . . this is off topic.

You aren't going to turn into a stalker are you? I haven't had one for a while and I've kind of gotten used to it. Not having one, I mean.
 

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
[Looks around to see if Fool is talking to someone else]

I never said the two were the same. And I don't necessarily agree with your conclusion on the spirit, as it would depend upon the context, but again . . . this is off topic.

You aren't going to turn into a stalker are you? I haven't had one for a while and I've kind of gotten used to it. Not having one, I mean.

you made a mistake.

the soul is a being.

the soul dies and only the spirit remains. you're misleading the person you replied to. the same idea is conveyed in the OT.

ruach is a spirit
nephesh is a soul

the nephesh has a form
the ruach doesn't

the psyche has a form, an earthly body.
the pneuma doesn't have a form, an earthly body
 

Earthling

David Henson
you made a mistake.

the soul is a being.

the soul dies and only the spirit remains. you're misleading the person you replied to

Off topic. But where does the spirit remain. I thought that it returned to God. In other words, the spirit, which is breath, returns to from where it came, per chance, for God to resurrect at some later date.
 

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
Off topic. But where does the spirit remain. I thought that it returned to God. In other words, the spirit, which is breath, returns to from where it came, per chance, for God to resurrect at some later date.
god doesn't resurrect a soul, he regenerates a soul, creates a soul.

the spirit is eternal and resurrected from the body, separated from the body. this is why he refers to the dead bury the dead because the spirit was never resurrected before their death. they did not spiritually awaken but assigned themselves to the soul, the ego, the earthly.


when the spirit enters into the earthly, it is entombed, encased, in the body temple, imprisoned as it were.

jesus said unless you are born again of spirit and water you cannot in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven.
 

charlie sc

Well-Known Member
So, uh . . . as it turns out, I'm looking for a smart open minded atheist to devote . . . probably a few minutes a day, to a consideration - a test of sorts - of the Bible.

Difficult. Very difficult. Because what I mean by open minded is that the atheist has to be able to see the Bible without their preconceived notions. As a part of this team of Biblical examiners I would have to do the same.

Can it be done?

I tried a few times, but there was so much praising going on. It kinda put me off.
 

Earthling

David Henson
I tried a few times, but there was so much praising going on. It kinda put me off.

The last thing I want here is praising. No praising of anyone or anything except for possibly a job well done or point well made, and praising would be an extreme reaction, I think.
 

charlie sc

Well-Known Member
The last thing I want here is praising. No praising of anyone or anything except for possibly a job well done or point well made, and praising would be an extreme reaction, I think.

What I meant was, there are many passages that praise God, literally. There's praising going on in the Bible.
 

charlie sc

Well-Known Member
Oh, I see. Well, I don't think those passages need much examination, they are pretty clear in their meaning and application.

I'm not sure. it seems like subliminal messages and unnecessary unless convincing through repetition. For instance, if someone you met continuously says they are brave, you'd probably find that odd. In fact, it may mean they're trying to convince you and themselves because they're insecure. However, some people may not notice this and assume they are brave because of repetition.
Another analogy would be to read a science article where it continuously says, "this is right." The brave person doesn't need to convince other people they're brave and the science article does not need to say they're right. Yet, the Bible, or God, needs continual praise.
 

Earthling

David Henson
I'm not sure. it seems like subliminal messages and unnecessary unless convincing through repetition. For instance, if someone you met continuously says they are brave, you'd probably find that odd. In fact, it may mean they're trying to convince you and themselves because they're insecure. However, some people may not notice this and assume they are brave because of repetition.
Another analogy would be to read a science article where it continuously says, "this is right." The brave person doesn't need to convince other people they're brave and the science article does not need to say they're right. Yet, the Bible, or God, needs continual praise.

Needs continual praise?

That might be something that would have to be discussed.
 

Earthling

David Henson
Okay @Polymath257 is the one.

Coming Soon . . . The Universal Man's Annotated Bible. I think . . . it may take me a week or so to set it up. And we may not make it past the first Chapter of Genesis. We'll see.
 

charlie sc

Well-Known Member
Needs continual praise?

That might be something that would have to be discussed.

Yes, I think so too. I did a search here BibleGateway.com - Keyword Search and there are 363 results. This is only for the word praise and there are other synonyms.

This is the first extract that came up

Psalm 150
Praise the LORD. [1] Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,
praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

Doesn't that seem odd to you?
 

Earthling

David Henson
Yes, I think so too. I did a search here BibleGateway.com - Keyword Search and there are 363 results. This is only for the word praise and there are other synonyms.

This is the first extract that came up

Psalm 150
Praise the LORD. [1] Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,
praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

Doesn't that seem odd to you?

No. Not really, why?
 
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