(August 16, 2012 at 1:54 am)cato123 Wrote:(August 15, 2012 at 9:37 pm)Lion IRC Wrote: Exactly how many different cities called Ur do you think there were scattered around Mesopotamia in biblical times?
What makes you think running a pastoral agri-business, feeding hungry city dwellers is incompatible with being wealthy?
I suppose you're gonna claim that he could count the number of animals in his flock either.
The bible records Abraham as being very wealthy. The dude hung out with Kings and Pharaohs. Do you really think he had no wealth? No ability to reckon financial matters?
His father Terah had years and years and years (205?) to teach Abraham how to read and write.
Here's some commerce for you - book keeping.
"And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold."(Genesis 13:2)
...so wealthy in fact that Abraham had herdsmen to do his work.
You honestly believe that people at the time lived over 200 years? I suppose you also believe that after God was shown up in Egypt by the fact that Pharoah's court magicians could do the same tricks God then resorted to afflicting the livestock he already slaughtered with boils as a means of intimidation. You jews, my special people, better paint your doors because even though I know everything and your my special people there's a chance that when I come I might confuse you with your oppressors. How again exactly did 70 people multiply into three million in just a few hundred years, while existing as slaves?
Reckon financial matters? Reckon hell, damn near killed him.
Estimates run from 1-3 million over a 400 year period. With the population increasing at 5 times the previous 20 year period then to reach a population in the millions would have been easy. They were not slaves the entire 400 years the first 100 years or so they were free citizens of Egypt.
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.