tell me, if these scriptures are proof enough for you to understands gods intention...what is the purpose of faith then?
here's a paraphrased excerpt of a live blog of the hitchens/dembski debate
Hitchens: "The sheer number of accounts of Jesus' life makes it likely that some such figure existed, though we can't discern his attributes. It does not prove or even suggest that his birth was divine, that his father was God, or that his mother was a virgin. Suppose that they are true. I did not ask for Jesus' torture and human sacrifice, and were I there, I'd have done whatever I could to prevent it. It's not bad for a person to take the punishment for your debts. But it's ridiculous to suggest that they can take away your culpability. It's scapegoating. It's an old, primitive practice from the middle east that doesn't deserve the consideration of modern people. This sacrifice is not being offered - you refuse on pain of death. Is that a threat? 'Well, that means an eternity of torture, you know. You better take that into account.' This is North Korea. This is a celestial dictatorship. This is the sort of worship that it takes a slave to accept."
Bible faith is not credulity [blind faith] in the sense that it uses the same logic and reasoning as Jesus did by reasoning on Scripture to draw his answers or conclusions on matters. So the purpose of faith or trust and confidence in Scripture for me is that I can find nothing wrong with Jesus teachings.
I have never been let down by Scripture. However, I have been let down by clergy. I have found that for the most part the clergy, by putting words in Jesus mouth that never came out of Jesus mouth, shows the clergy actually believe Jesus was wrong in what he taught so they teach the flock what they think the flock wants to hear. Tickle ears so to speak. -2nd Tim 4v3.
The clergy often teach not Christ's agenda but their own, often political.
Jesus demonstrated faith, trust, confidence in doing not his will,
but in doing his Father's will. If we could stop sinning we would not die.
Because of our imperfection we can not stop sinning so we die.
We can not resurrect oneself or another so we need someone that can do that for us. Jesus being humanly perfect as Adam was at creation could balance the scales of justice for us. Equal compensation. Thus Jesus was a corresponding ransom for us. Jesus, in a sense, bought back for us what Adam lost for us: the right to gain everlasting life in human perfection.
The clergy teach either an eternity of heavenly bliss or an eternity of torture.
That idea of eternal torture is of pagan origin and not Scriptural.
The clergy have fused pagan ideas and concepts with Scripture perhaps to use scare tactics to control the flock.
Hell is not even a permanent place according to Rev 20vs13,14.
The Bible hell is the stone-cold common grave of mankind.
That is the hell Jesus was buried in until God resurrected him. Acts 2vs27,31
The Bible hell just has sleep as Jesus described at John 11vs11-14.
Jesus would have learned that from the old Hebrew Scriptures such as:
Psalm 6v5; 13v3; 115v17; 146v4; Ecclesiastes 9vs5,10; Daniel 12v2,13.
According to Scripture [Heb 2v14 B] even Satan is not permanent because Jesus destroys Satan. The Bible hellfire is Gehenna which was a garbage dump of destruction and not eternally keeping something burning.
So 'Gehenna' is a fitting symbol of destruction for wickedness.
For those referred to as Jesus 'brothers' [Matt 25v40; 1st Cor 15v50] there is a heavenly resurrection held out, but for the majority of mankind the Bible holds out an earthly resurrection of having everlasting life in human perfection right here on a paradisaic earth starting with Jesus millennial reign over earth.