RE: In The Beginning ...
November 8, 2008 at 11:08 am
(This post was last modified: November 8, 2008 at 11:25 am by Daystar.)
EVF, I am not saying that the Bible is fiction, I am saying that in order to learn more about it you are better off approaching it from the perspective that it were fiction because you get all hung up on how the notion of a supernatural god could be nothing but fiction. It seems that it is a conditional threat to what you believe.
You don't absolutely have to read it but understand it more carefully. That is why definitions of words like sin, soul, spirit, hell, heaven, god, and satan are important. Atheist primarily form their opinions on the Bible from the teachings of Xianity which have distorted the true teachings of the Bible through pagan influence such as the immortal soul from Socrates, the trinity from Plato, hellfire from Dante and Milton, the Cross from Constantine and Tammuz, Christmas and Easter from Pagan festivals and the Rapture from John Miller.
I do believe it is important and true.
Lets just consider hell. The majority of Xians teach hell is a place where the immortal soul of the sinner is punished forever in a place underground. A place where the Devil - having horns and a pitchfork runs around making sure everyone pays for not being good Xians.
If I explained to everyone here, and I have, that the Bible actually teaches hell isn't that at all, how would I demonstrate that? I would show where the Bible says straight out that the soul dies and so isn't immortal and so can't be punished forever in hell. I would show that the Bible teaches that God is in hell and that the devil was in heaven and then was sent to earth, and then would be sent to hell and then destroyed along with hell. I would show the roots of the pagan teaching and how Milton and Dante influenced Xian teaching. Greek philosophy of the immortal soul as well.
I would show that the Bible says that when we die that is it. We are just dead, until resurrection. What the spirit is because it doesn't go to hell. How Jehovah God was disgusted at the notion of someone, even a sinner, burning.
Think about what you the atheist or the believer have been taught about hell and what I can show you the Bible actually does teach on hell and how could you wuestion the importance of how your understanding of the Bible is wrong and needs improving.
I know children who know this stuff, it isn't complicated.
I think it tends to be a sort of threat to your thinking though, which is why I don't ask that you believe it to be true until you understand it more acurately.
You don't absolutely have to read it but understand it more carefully. That is why definitions of words like sin, soul, spirit, hell, heaven, god, and satan are important. Atheist primarily form their opinions on the Bible from the teachings of Xianity which have distorted the true teachings of the Bible through pagan influence such as the immortal soul from Socrates, the trinity from Plato, hellfire from Dante and Milton, the Cross from Constantine and Tammuz, Christmas and Easter from Pagan festivals and the Rapture from John Miller.
(November 7, 2008 at 5:16 pm)Tiberius Wrote: I still fail to see why anyone would want to teach me the interpretation of a book that I care little about if they didn't believe it was important / true.
I do believe it is important and true.
(November 7, 2008 at 5:16 pm)Tiberius Wrote: The way I see it, if the "correct" interpretation needs massive amounts of explanation, why do you insist it's the correct explanation? How do you know? Why would a God make it so mindboggling? More to the point, why has it's interpretation been changed sever hundred times since it's writing, and why is it that only 2000 years later we know the "correct" interpretation?
Lets just consider hell. The majority of Xians teach hell is a place where the immortal soul of the sinner is punished forever in a place underground. A place where the Devil - having horns and a pitchfork runs around making sure everyone pays for not being good Xians.
If I explained to everyone here, and I have, that the Bible actually teaches hell isn't that at all, how would I demonstrate that? I would show where the Bible says straight out that the soul dies and so isn't immortal and so can't be punished forever in hell. I would show that the Bible teaches that God is in hell and that the devil was in heaven and then was sent to earth, and then would be sent to hell and then destroyed along with hell. I would show the roots of the pagan teaching and how Milton and Dante influenced Xian teaching. Greek philosophy of the immortal soul as well.
I would show that the Bible says that when we die that is it. We are just dead, until resurrection. What the spirit is because it doesn't go to hell. How Jehovah God was disgusted at the notion of someone, even a sinner, burning.
Think about what you the atheist or the believer have been taught about hell and what I can show you the Bible actually does teach on hell and how could you wuestion the importance of how your understanding of the Bible is wrong and needs improving.
I know children who know this stuff, it isn't complicated.
I think it tends to be a sort of threat to your thinking though, which is why I don't ask that you believe it to be true until you understand it more acurately.
