RE: A question about the love of god
August 7, 2014 at 10:37 am
(This post was last modified: August 7, 2014 at 10:41 am by The Grand Nudger.)
(August 7, 2014 at 8:07 am)alpha male Wrote: The contention is that they believed one caused the other, and the facts show otherwise:
- there are instances in which a demon is cast out, but the posessed person is not otherwise described as being diseased.
- there are instances in which a person is cured of disease, with no mention of a demon.
- there are lists of things that Jesus did, or tasked his followers with, which include healing disease and casting out demons as separate items
- one instance has been given in which a boy had a demon cast out of him. Two translations said the boy was ill, but the other 28 make no mention of illness or disease.
-and there are instances in which a demon is cast out and the symptoms of disease entirely dissipate.
That can't be omitted from the list with any amount of intellectual honesty or rigor, nor can the fact that there was no distinction in this cultures mind between "disease" and "spirit" (and no textual distinction between spirit and demon, for that matter), and no reason for them to make such a distinction based upon the knowledge available to them. Personally, I don't think that this has actually escaped you at all - as you seem intent on defending a sacred cow rather than discussing the culture and beliefs of these people. Clearly, something about this seems idiotic to you - and so it simply must not be true! Well tough titties, what you or I believe to be true is irrelevant with regards to what -they- believed to be true.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
