(July 3, 2010 at 11:02 pm)Shell B Wrote: Do you always speak gibberish when you argue? What does the inclusion of more verses than superstarr have to do with the validity of your argument? Anyone can copy and paste verses of the bible and not understand them. Shit, I don't understand a single verse of the bible. Anyway, how do you decide which verses to take literally and which to interpret however you see fit?
I'm not sure what you are calling gibberish Shell B. The verses I included are part of the subject at hand. When one pulls out one or two verses to try and make a point that can be cherry picking you need to know what the subject is so that you can know the truth of a verse within that subject.
Let's take Matthew 18:7-9 this should be easy enough to see it is a teaching verse that is not literal.
First, why would Jesus tell a person to cut off a hand or foot during His day when He knew as everyone did in those days that the survival rate from an amputation was very slim at best. Second, why would Jesus tell a person to pluck out one eye when both eyes are seeing the same thing so both eyes would be guilty so to speak, this would leave the verse confusing if it were meant literally. Now verse 7 gives us the subject at hand (no pun intended). Temptation and its reality in a persons life is the subject. Jesus is explaining to the people that the things that tempt them should be left alone, do not get physically involved with them because they can lead to nothing good.
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.
