OK, I'll keep the ball rolling....
For some reason I feel drawn to you....must be the Emu.....I am an Aussie after all. Are there emus in Kentucky?
Sorry for the delay. I've become a little ill. I'm not going to be able to refine any previous statements, but I will finish responding.
I'm really sorry to hear that...I hope you recover soon and that you have not been struck down with the dreaded virus.
Abortion is sin. Christ is our sole savior. Baptism for the remission of sins. Confession of sins. That the Gospel should be spread all over the world, to every people. Christ was begotten, not made. The laying of hands for passing of authority. I mean really, I could go on for hours here. The idea that the vast majority of the Catholic Church's doctrines is without Biblical basis is a gross exaggeration.
I guess its not the
what so much, as the
how.....and
why.
Is abortion always a sin or are there circumstances where it may be the only choice? It should definitely NOT be a form of birth control, and once conception has taken place, a life has come into existence that should be precious to its parents.
Christ is our savior....what does that mean? How does he save us? From what does he save us?
Baptism is a necessary step, but is infant baptism something taught in the Bible? Is it a sprinkling with water?
To whom do we confess our sins and with what result? Is all that is necessary the repetition of mindless words to obtain absolution? Is that what God wants from us? Is that what Jesus said to do? Where did the rosary beads come from?
What is the "gospel" that needs to be spread all over the world, and who is doing it as Jesus instructed? I think we touched on a few of these things before....
What does it mean that Christ was "the only begotten son" of God?
The laying on of hands was done by the original apostles, but there is nothing to suggest that it continued after their death.
I could go on for hours too......the details are what matter.
That is true, when Jesus asked Thomas who He was, there was no hesitation. "My Lord and My God".
What did "theos" mean to a Greek speaker in the first century?
The Greeks had no word for a god who had no name. All of their gods had names and collectively they were just called "the gods", but when it came to the one God of the Jews, whose name the Jews had refused to utter, the only way to identify him was the use of the definite article..."the" ("ho" in Greek) So there was "theos" (god) and "ho theos" (THE God).
The basic meaning of the term "theos" is "Mighty One"....(so not necessarily a deity) and since there is no other exclamation of this kind in the scriptures, we have to take into consideration the situation that prompted Thomas to say that. Was he calling Jesus his God? Or was he just shocked? Did the other apostles believe that Jesus was God? Was a shocked and doubting apostle's exclamation a reliable basis for a doctrine?
Matthew 16:13-17...
"Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare′a Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli′jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven."
This speaks for itself IMO....there is not a single mention of "God the Son" or "God the Holy Spirit" in any verse of scripture....but there is mention of "God the Father".
In the Greek Interlinear you can see clearly that two "gods" are spoken about in John 1:1. Only one has the definite article. So "the Word was with the God" but he was not "the God", he was a product of "the God"...a creation as Revelation 3:14 states. Colossians 1:15, also calls Jesus
"The firstborn of all creation".
The immortal Father has always existed, but the son is "begotten" by his Father....one who is begotten needs a begetter who existed first.
John 1:18 also tells us something else that is interesting to those who consider Jesus to be a God/man......
"No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known."
"No one has ever seen God"....that is a pretty definite statement....how many people saw Jesus who was, according to trinitarian belief, supposed to be God in the flesh?
Now where you see the words "only Son" in that verse, it actually says "monogenes theos" which is "only begotten god". Its not correctly translated there in the RSVCE. So in John 1:1, if "theos" is translated "God" then why translate "son" in verse 18? It should also be translated "son" in verse 1, rendering it..."In the beginning was the Word and the word was with God and the Word was the Son". You see...? The Word was the Son who became flesh...a divinely created being...a "Mighty One"? Yes! But not the Almighty God.
Translation has nothing to do with the native Greek speakers of the late 1st and early 2nd century.
Translation has everything to do with understanding all scripture. Context is also important.Original language words are now better understood and easy to research.
That question is the first step on the path that ends at the Trinity.
That path is a blasphemous dead end according to my studies. The First Commandment is breached by placing another "god" in place of the Father. Making him out to be 'one God with three heads' or 'three personalities' doesn't fit with the one God of Abraham.
Jesus did not serve such a God....nor did he ever claim to be part of a 'godhead'. Even after his return to heaven, Jesus still called his Father "my God"......can God worship an equal part of himself in heaven? (Revelation 3:12) Can God pray to an equal part of himself that is somewhere else? Can one part of God know things that the others don't? Please explain....
The Bible says that the saints are "all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" and "those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus".
The Bible says that the "saints" are the "chosen ones"....those with the "heavenly calling".....not all Christians will go to heaven because that is not where God designed us to live. If you read the creation account in the first three chapters of Genesis, can you tell me where you see a natural cause of death? I believe that God created us to live forever on earth....he already had a family of spirit beings in heaven who were all present when God, assisted by his firstborn, created the Universe. (Genesis 1:26)
Do you need a list of the things where the Catholic church fails to keep the commandments of God whilst professing faith in Jesus? Can you tell me why Jesus is either portrayed as a dead man, or a helpless baby in Catholic imagery? Nothing to do with the mighty King he is at present preparing to cleanse the earth of all who teach and act in opposition to what he taught.
I challenge you to produce a single trinity. There are many groups of three, whether modalistic, monistic or plain polytheistic, but I've not seen a trinity before.
A group of three is a trinity. Just because they don't inhabit one body doesn't alter the threesome. Christendom's trinity is rather unique and insanely illogical. It is not formulated on scripture (by the church's own admission) and it took over 300 years for it to become official church doctrine.
If God has multiple personalities and we are created in his image, then when humans display it, why is it called a "disorder"?