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What is God?
- Thread starter blü 2
- Start date
Does the brain state corresponding to 'unicorn' in any way resemble a unicorn?
It doesn't physically form the shape of a unicorn, no, any more than the concept of two physically takes the shape of a 2. The exact relationship between cells and their biochemical and bioelectrical intercommunications to all such questions is a work in progress. (>This< may be of interest.)
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
I think you mean awareness. Even the fetus is self-aware in the womb. Whether in womb or recently born, infants also go by instinct. No thanks to any God.
Who creates or allows them to be created?
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Jesus sacrificed his life for ' us ' so that the Scales of Justice would be balanced.
A sinless Adam proved unfaithful under least of conditions.
A sinless Jesus proved faithful under worst of conditions.
That showed Adam could have remained faithful if Adam wanted to do so.
Because we sin we die, and we can't resurrect oneself or another.
Because Jesus died a faithful death then the Resurrection Power was given to Jesus who stood in place of us.
In 2nd Samuel there was bloodguilt on 'Saul and his house' because of putting the Gibeonites to death 2 Sam.21:1
Under the Constitution of the Mosaic Law it was ' life for life ' for the sake of justice.
At Judges 11:29-39 I notice you did Not include Judges 11:40.
The sacrifice was Not death for her, but we find her alive in verse 40 because annually she would have visitors for four days out of the year. She was dedicated to be devoted to sanctuary service.
Today people make sacrifices to do missionary work, etc. that is not a sacrifice of death.
When Adam sinned he lost his healthy human perfection.
Sinner Adam could then only pass on to us his acquired un-healthy human imperfection.
Jesus to come to bring ' healing ' for earth's nations - Revelation 22:2,20.
That aware new-born does Not mean he does Not have an in-born conscience (moral compass).
Animal instinct is what allows for instinct and does Not go beyond instinct.
An infant does Not remain an infant but his conscience (moral compass) can become a guide for him.
At Luke 21:11 Jesus was Not teaching such conditions were from his God, but merely informing us that such conditions would come to exist on Earth and that God will bring to ruin those ruining the Earth - Revelation 11:18 B
That makes no sense. God is said to be omnipotent, in which case [he] can achieve whatever effect [he] pleases, including, if it's ever relevant, the forgiving of each human for his or her sins, with one snap of those omnipotent fingers.
Instead [he] sends Jesus to Israel (of all places!) on a mission that [he] ordains must end in Jesus' suicide, refusing every opportunity, despite timely forewarning, to escape capture, trial and execution.
How vile, how primitive, a god is that, to require someone to die in long torment before [he] does what [he] could have done at any time without all the grotesquery.
Adam commits no sin in the Garden story. God does not expel them from the Garden because they ate the fruit but for a totally different reason which [he] states unambiguously in Genesis 3:22-23. The words sin, original sin, the fall of man, spiritual death, death entering the world, the need for a redeemer, are never mentioned. And each of Eve and Adam, at the time they ate the fruit, were incapable of sin, because, being kept ignorant of good and evil, they were incapable of forming any intention to do wrong.
And it says very clearly in Ezekiel 18, not least in Ezekiel 18:20 that sin can't be inherited:
20 The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
So it says. however, the seven who were killed by impalement before the Lord were completely guiltless of any wrongdoing.
Barbarous times, barbarous god, barbarous practices.
It adds nothing relevant.
You seem to have completely misunderstood Judges 11.
First, the spirit of the Lord comes upon Jephthah (Judges 11:29).
And Jephthah makes his deal with God
Judges 11:30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If thou wilt give the Ammonites into my hand, 31 then whoever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return victorious from the Ammonites, shall be the LORD’s, and I will offer him up for a burnt offering.”
The Lord keeps [his] side of the bargain and gives the Ammonites into Jephthah's hand (Judges 11:32-33).
The first who comes forth from the doors of Jephthah's house when he returns victorious from the Ammonites is his daughter. (Judges 11:34)
And after an understandable delay, Jephthah "did with her according to his vow which he had made" (Judges 11:39). His vow (as you noted above) was to offer (her) up for a burnt offering.
All that happens in Judges 11:40 is that the "daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah".
And Jephthah's conduct pleases God, so that [he] elevates Jephthah to be Judge (boss man) of Israel.
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Heyo
Veteran Member
"God will bring to ruin those ruining the world" - can you please explain to us how it is going to do that?
Will it be in a physical way or in a spiritual way (that won't be detectable by scientific methods)?
Do you think any of the stories in the bible really happened? It talks of the gods as being real thus contradicting your belief that they are purely spiritual. So, to consolidate your scripture with your belief, you have to see the scripture as allegorical and nothing as having really happened. And you can't believe in any prophecy if the truth of that prophecy can be linked to the working of any gods.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
Conscience develops by training, education and environment - 'Samskaras' in Sanskrit. Any God is not a factor.
Who said the God of the Bible is omnipotent ? - God can Not lie - Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18.
I forgot the wording is different in the KJV than found in the Hebrew at Judges 11:40
the daughters would go to lament " with the daughter " .... four days of the year.
" with the daughter " shows her to be alive and living at a specific location.
Notice at verse 37 she grieved with her friends because the 'sacrifice' would mean she'd never marry.
Yes, the already in-born conscience is developed by training, education and environment.
The Bible does instruct to train a child - Proverbs 22:6
Train to distinguish between right and wrong - Hebrews 5:14; Hebrews 12:11
Science nor evolution theory is Not the teacher of morality, to me God's applied moral values is a factor.
How? God will end wars as per Psalms 46:9 because God will have Jesus step in. Please notice Isaiah 11:3-4; Revelation 19:14-15.
The ' sword-like executional words from Jesus' mouth' will rid the world of the wicked - Psalms 92:7; Psalms 104:35; Proverbs 2:21-22
Please also notice Jeremiah 25:31-33. An action necessary to cleanse the Earth of the wicked before Jesus ushers in the paradisical Earth of God's promise for righteous humanity, the humble meek who inherit the Earth - Psalms 37:9-11.
So the Christian god is NOT omnipotent? And not benevolent? Then as Epicurus is said to have said, Why call [him] God? [He]'s just another cab on the religion rank.
But the bible states plainly that God tells lies ─ as I may have mentioned before:
1 Kings 22:23 Now, therefore, behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has spoken evil concerning you.
2 Chronicles 18:22 Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets; the Lord has spoken evil concerning you.
Jeremiah 4:10 ... “Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem ...”
Jeremiah 20: 7 O Lord, thou hast deceived me, / and I was deceived;
Ezekiel 14:9 And if the prophet be deceived and speak a word, I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet
2 Thessalonians 2:11 Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false.
2 Chronicles 18:22 Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets; the Lord has spoken evil concerning you.
Jeremiah 4:10 ... “Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem ...”
Jeremiah 20: 7 O Lord, thou hast deceived me, / and I was deceived;
Ezekiel 14:9 And if the prophet be deceived and speak a word, I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet
2 Thessalonians 2:11 Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false.
It is unambiguous that the Lord set the deal up. That the deal was military victory in return for human sacrifice. That Jephthah's daughter was the one. That Jephthah did with her accordingly to the vow that he had made, that is, he made her a burnt offering to God.
Nor am I quoting just the KJV. My standard text is the RSV, whose scholarship is undoubted.
My own view is that ancient documents are to be read and understood for what they tell us about ancient peoples, and the sacrifice of Jephthah's daughter is one example. However, if you want to pretend the Tanakh says something else, I acknowledge that's something Christians have done to the Tanakh right from gospel times.
We are however getting right off topic.
Namely, if God is real, has objective existence, is not purely conceptual / imaginary, then what real entity is God? What is the seeker after the real God actually looking for in nature? How can we determine whether any real candidate is God or not?
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
Yeah, Christians and Muslims have done the brain-wash very well, for theirs and even others who happen to fall in their hands (graves in Canadian missionary schools).