Eorl, I don't believe you have any understanding of the bible at all. How come the people that really study the bible find that he is a loving God, I think you need to do more research my friend.
My understanding of the bible is at least as good as yours thunder. To start with you think it is the word of some super-genie in the sky rather than a collection of history mixed with fairytales and fortune-tellers. Secondly, nobody is capable of "understanding" such a huge collection of contradictions. Also, I imagine I'm a lot less selective in my "study" than you are.
The only contradictions that come out of it, come from a lack of understanding. Go to any scholar of the bible and you can throw any "contradiction" at them and it is easily explained. There is a difference between contradictions and complementary statements.
Ok, I know I shouldn't but what the hell?
Off the top of my head:
An eye for an eye v turn the other cheek. How is that not contradictory. I don't need you to explain that Jesus changed all that, just tell me it isn't a contradiction by the same god.
thunder_runner32 wrote: Go to any scholar of the bible and you can throw any "contradiction" at them and it is easily explained.
Yeah, the explanation they give is "faith". Whenever a religious person can't argue their point they pull "faith" out of their pocket and they think that is a solid arguement.
thunder_runner32 wrote:The only contradictions that come out of it, come from a lack of understanding. Go to any scholar of the bible and you can throw any "contradiction" at them and it is easily explained. There is a difference between contradictions and complementary statements.
That is a patently false statement. There are many many scholars of the Bible that are not believers. I have seen posts from some very knowledgeable people right here on A2K. There is a great difference between someone that studies the Bible to reinforce there religious beliefs and someone that studies it in terms of language, history, anthropology, archeology, and geology, The former studies with blinders on, the latter with eyes wide open.
I have yet to see you return with one reasonable counter to the arguments that have been presented to you. You just return with more circular dogma referencing the Bible.
Edit: What say ye about
the fig tree?
god and creation
i am jewish, but don't really believe that what happened in the bible is true...i mean, an ocean parting for people to walk through? i honestly don't think that could happen.
but if god did create everything including humans, i think he wants us to learn what is good and what is bad. if god did everything for us, we would never learn anything--we learn from mistakes!
another thing
if a god did exist, that god is the ONE, Adonai!!! baruch ata Adonai eloheinu.....
[please don't take that offensively!]
Deists belief doesn't seem to come up in these type of arguments...
Eorl wrote:An eye for an eye v turn the other cheek. How is that not contradictory. I don't need you to explain that Jesus changed all that, just tell me it isn't a contradiction by the same god.
If you just pull them out, they do appear to be contradictory, but that comes, again, from no understanding of the bible. My personal belief is that God changed it because people started following the rules, just for the sake of the rules, instead of following them because we love God. Plus animal sacrifice would later become 'wrong' and people like PETA would go crazy over it.
Then you are admitting contradictions. If he "changed it" then clearly it was subject to change which means open to interpretation because bits of it are wrong which means you can take or leave whichever bits you like
They are only contradictions if they are intrepreted as coming from the same time period. Jesus's testament is the one we are commanded to follow today.
Thunder wrote
Quote:Go to any scholar of the bible and you can throw any "contradiction" at them and it is easily explained
Eorl wrote
Quote:An eye for an eye v turn the other cheek. How is that not contradictory. I don't need you to explain that Jesus changed all that, just tell me it isn't a contradiction by the same god.
Thunder wrote
Quote:They are only contradictions if they are intrepreted as coming from the same time period. Jesus's testament is the one we are commanded to follow today
You failed that one huh.
Then you agree your god is contradicting himself throughout the course of bible history, yes?
He changes his mind about what is right and wrong?
According to theists something is right by definition because it is in line with their god's wishes. God wants massacre, massacre s good. No contradiction, just heaps of pointlessnes. They justify this by some distorted property rights, "god created you , so you have a moral obligation to fulfill his wishes (because he says so)". Circular, but thats religion for you.
When did he change his mind about what is right/wrong?
When his "word" became "turn the other cheek" rather than "eye for an eye"
This isn't a contradiction. It doesn't take a bible scholar to figure this out.
When reading the passages in context, Exodus 21:24, Lev. 24:20, and Deut. 19:21, it is clear that they are simply pointing out that the punishment should always fit the crime. These laws were given-- not to the people, but to the courts, the assemblies, judges, and priests of a theocracy.
In the New Testament we find Jesus in the role of a civil magistrate. He makes one thing clear just a few verses before: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." (Matt. 5:17).
In verse 38 is when he goes on to say: "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."
This is precisely what is expected of all Christians: to "turn the other cheek", not to take "the Law" into our own hands. It is for the law to punish justly, the punishment always fitting the crime ("eye for an eye"-- also, see Matt. 18:21-22).
Wow, He just layed the smack down.
