Another question for Christians

[toots]

Re: The rapture

So, why do you suppose you were left behind, too?

[CaptObvious]

Ahh...what another wonderful God thread. :-)

Well, while we're on the topic. Just thought I'd throw this out. Does anyone who researches theology, or believes in christianity, (or not, for that matter), ever look into what's been written about the dead sea scrolls, and the 'Q?'
I think their was a better chance christ existed as a teacher, rather then just the son of god. Although, I don't think this would ever be "proven," merely for the fact I couldn't see the catholic empire, er, conglomeration let that happen... /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[udontknowmickey]

[ QUOTE ]

Well, while we're on the topic. Just thought I'd throw this out. Does anyone who researches theology, or believes in christianity, (or not, for that matter), ever look into what's been written about the dead sea scrolls, and the 'Q?'
I think their was a better chance christ existed as a teacher, rather then just the son of god. Although, I don't think this would ever be "proven," merely for the fact I couldn't see the catholic empire, er, conglomeration let that happen...

[/ QUOTE ]

I know I haven't done as much research on this as I should have, but from what I've been reading, the "Q-document" is only a working hypothesis because the 3 synoptic (did I spell that right?) Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) shared so much in common people think that there might have been a common source. But yet there are parts of each gospel that are not found in the others so they are all somehow unique (and have different perspectives). There is also little evidence of the existence of this mysterious Q source so most people would agree that it's only a working hypothesis and it doesn't detract from the authority and reliability of the Gospels themselves.

With regard to the Dead Sea Scrolls, my pastor studied at a seminary that housed them, and from what I've heard (once again, still something that I should know more about but do not) is that the Dead Sea Scrolls are an extremely ancient collection of manuscripts that contained significant chunks of the Hebrew Bible. These date to thousands of years older than the other surviving manuscripts so they were quite a find. Because of the group of people who orignally preserved them's beliefs, the DSS also contain some parts of books that were then (and are now) rejected as non-cannonical.

With regards to the impact these things have on the Christian community, there really is no controversy within Christian circles unless people start believing the Da Vinci Code as truth. The Jesus Seminar that is referenced in that book (and is now some sort of common "oh look scholars don't believe Christ" group) were all a bunch of people that tried to edit out what they believed Jesus said (and they came in with some heavy assumptions, among them: miracles are impossible, Jesus was not God, anything that the early church said was stuff that they made up, so if the gospels says Jesus said any of the same things, then the early church must have written those things in after the fact). Additionally they worked off of the assumption that the Gospel of Thomas (another non-cannonical book) was more accurate than the other Gospels (for no reason whatsoever). All in all their "research" hasn't really done much to shake the Christian community, except of those who never really believed in it anyways.

Me personally, I have no doubts that Christ rose from the dead and is now sitting at the right and of the throne of God interceeding on my behalf.

Paul even writes the same in 1st Cor. 15:14) And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.