I believe that Jesus was fully human, like any other man, but he was possessed of the spirit of Christ. To be fair, though, this was simply the luck of the draw- the Christ spirit could have just as easily appeared in his mother, Mary, or Stalin, or Napoleon Bonaparte.
If one reads these verses from Romans 1 in context with the previous verses, it become clear that the citizens of this apocryphal town were not necessarily sodomites or engaged in weird sex- whatever they were doing in that respect was obviously just fine by God. What they were punished for was...
In the first place, I don't believe there was any 'opening of the Red Sea'- if one traces the route of the Hebrews as given in the bible, one finds the crossing actually taking place some distance north of the Red Sea proper, at a place called the 'Sea of Reeds'. At this part of the waterway it...
I did use the KJV for reference; if there is another version of the Bible you had in mind I was not aware of it.
Luke 12:4-5 King James Version (KJV)
4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
5 But I will forewarn...
From my Deist background, the name "God" is not necessarily used in the Jewish/Christian/Muslim sense; rather "God" represents 'whatever/whoever it is that caused us to come into being'. "God" can be some spiritual cosmic consciousness, "God" could be some Azathoth-like creature creating...
Luke 12:4 appears to be in reference to worldly oppressors, ie, those who would oppose Jesus' followers. Once you're dead- by hook or crook- they are powerless to do anything else to you, so they can go bite a big one. Sure, they may have your body, but it's just meat and bone- *you* are already...
I think the message in my posts that is getting lost is that I don't believe it's God doing those horrible things to Man recounted in Genesis- or in the OT overall. I believe the story was written to APPEAR as if God was visiting all sorts of evil upon Man, but in reality it was Satan...
If Noah had been successful in bringing others to God, wouldn't there have more people on the Ark in addition to Noah's family? As there were no others listed, he must not have convinced anyone else. One doesn't need to have it spelled out- one only need to apply a littel deduction and critical...
Okay, so God gives us Free Will to do as we choose- so explain why God would punish Man for exercising his Free Will and choosing to turn away from God? Why even pretend Man has a real choice if his only choices are A) obey God in all things and do exactly as he commands, or B) Do you own thing-...
Given Noah's age and the lack of a proper workforce (not to mention material and heavy-lift machines) I don't expect he had a lot of free time in which to preach to anyone while the Ark was allegedly being built. Certainly not on a global scale where he could reach everyone and give them a...
From the Baha'i point of view, what is to be done with those who 'attach themselves to the things of the world instead of to God'? Are they doomed to some sort of everlasting punishment, or do they simply die, or do they 'come back' for another chance at the Great Game of Life?
The situation is the same, if you see God as visiting these horrors on people 'because he loves them'. Ask a battered housewife or kid and add up how many times they tell you 'yeah it's bad but he loves me'. If you tolerate a god who does all these thing- and even promise your soul to him!-...
I don't think this world- the physical universe- is God's creation at all. I believe it's all Satan's work, created as a (temporary) escape following a war he waged on God in the spiritual realm and was defeated. He took on God wanting to be King, but God wasn't having it, so in Satan's fall he...
Okay, let's look at the Flood.
Man is all wicked- wickedness everywhere you look. Except for Noah- a WINE MAKER- who is, with his family, allegedly the only decent man around. So- the highly improbable story of the Ark notwithstanding- God decides, in his infinite Love and Mercy, to kill...
The Waffle House in Gulf Shores is decent enough, but you want to stay away from the one on 1st Ave in the East Lake area of Birmingham- food's good but way too many bullets flying around to really enjoy it.
As for suicide, in my belief a suicide out of despair isn't exactly cool- the result...
I used those to illustrate how Christians who believe the "God" of the OT is the True God (the same one as described in the NT) are forced to make excuses for OT "God's" behavior. "God is flooding the world to kill wicked people, so it must be their own fault- he's just doing it for their own...
Why not? Could it not have been a writing 'inspired by God' as are so many other religious writings?
If this telling of events were known in the Early Church, would it have been included- or at least considered for inclusion- in Biblical canon by the time of Nicea? Doesn't it seem to support...