Another Question For Christians

[NotReady]

All this is highly speculative.

I would never try to limit God, and if He has more to tell us, He will, but it would seem the canon is closed. The purpose of the Bible is primarily to tell us Who God is and who we are, to reveal what is necessary for salvation and why salvation is necessary. I don't see how further revelation would add to this, but if it is needed, God will do so.

As for immortality, we already have it. "The free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord". But "It is appointed to men once to die and after that comes judgment". I don't think someone could prove they had achieved immortality in this life anyway, because it would take eternity to prove it. Even if all diseases were cured, there are many other ways to die. Again, this is very speculative and I don't believe mankind will even come close to eliminating death, but I'm all for science and medicine doing all they can towards that goal.

I don't know specifically how further communication would come, but I believe it would be clearly identifiable. It would not contradict what God has already said. This is why I think the Koran (that part of it not directly lifted from Scripture) and the Book of Morman are not God's Word. I suppose it would also tell us something important not already revealed, and I just don't have any idea what that would be.

There is a parable in the New Testament usually refered to as Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man has died and is in a place of suffering. He speaks to Abraham and asks him to warn his brothers of what he is experiencing. Abraham replies that they have Moses and the prophets and that is sufficient. That seems to indicate that in Old Testament times, nothing beyond what is written was necessary. The New Testament is obviously to identify Christ as the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament, to end the dispensation of Israel, and give some guidance concerning the new age.

I'm not well versed in eschatology, but I believe the prophecies of both Old and New Testament concerning the next age include direct communication rather than written. Until then, I suspect God's Word for us will be the Bible, period. Even during the time of the apostles false gospels were being preached and mention was made of false prophets. This is also mentioned as something that will continue to happen up until the Second Coming. I see many "preachers" who claim to have visual revelations from Jesus, that Jesus audibly speaks to them, etc. I frankly dismiss all this because they invariably preach something contrary to Scripture. Cults are based on this kind of "revelation". Jim Jones and David Koresh come to mind.

[Matt R.]

And to base the level of respect you have for someone solely on their belief system, while at the same time not knowing the reasoning or logic behind those beliefs, is perhaps the least respectable position of all.

Claiming to know what comprises the entire belief system of an individual simply because they are deemed a "christian" is another issue entirely.

[LuvDemNutz]

[ QUOTE ]
For all of you math people. I recommend the book "Beyond the Cosmos".

It is written by a brillant mathmatican who explains through math the possiblity of God. He explains alot of "ideas" and concepts that he came up with that help him to understand how the possiblity of one God doing all the things he is claimed might be possible. Basically he describes the idea the while we live in 4 diminsions (you know 3d plus time. God could actually exist in up to 12 diminsions. This would enable Him to do things like hear every person's prayers in the whole world instantly at the same point in time because he exists on multiple time diminsions.

Anyways he explains things alot better. Plus he was agnostic for most of his life and then came to Christianity.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well I ordered this book. I have always been curious about "other dimensions".

I think I paid $11 on Amazon. Not sure if that's a good thing or not. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[TomBrooks]

[ QUOTE ]
...orthodox Christians accept the Bible as God's word...and why it is essentially inerrant or infallible, and it's also why the primary attack on Christianity is against the Bible. Obviously, prove error in the Bible and it's reliability collapses and along with it, logically, Christianity. ...for thousands of years it has survived every attack from every side. That alone is impressive.

[/ QUOTE ]
The Bible, like other scriptures, is metaphorical. However, many people have been taught and/or believe that it should be interpreted literally to one degree or another. Oftentimes, this kind of misreading inhibits rather than enhances a person's ability to increase their sense of spirituality and connectedness to life and the world.

With the exponential increase in the knowledge of the natural world in the last 150 years that shows no sign of slowing down, I expect the ancient scriptures will more and more tend to be seen for what they really are, and the number of people that buy into the whacky beliefs that stem from a literal reading will steadily decrease. This trend is already strongly evident in advanced western societies, while Christianity continues to gain converts in poor, undereducated, and technologically backward third world locations.

[NotReady]

[ QUOTE ]

The Bible, like other scriptures, is metaphorical.


[/ QUOTE ]

All verbal communication is metaphorical to some extent. If I say I'm wearing a hat do you think I mean I'm literally wearing the three letters h - a - t?

An example from the Bible. It says that Jesus was the Lamb of God. Not even the most literal fundamentalist from Alabama would take that to mean he was a four-legged creature with a wool coat.

But I'm also literally wearing a hat and Jesus was literally the Lamb of God.

If you think it's all metaphorical, whatever you mean by that, do think it's the Word of God? If not, what difference whether it's metaphorical or not? If so, what do the metaphors stand for.

Maybe you're trying to say fable or fairy tale. In which case you're simply denying it's God's Word. Much simpler to say that than make an unintelligible charge like "metaphorical".

[ QUOTE ]

With the exponential increase in the knowledge of the natural world in the last 150 years that shows no sign of slowing down,

[/ QUOTE ]

Please let me know when the great god man has all the answers, I'm truly interested in hearing them.

[Carl_William]

"David, I love your books, but this is the psychology forum. Everything useful here is going to get drowned out again by a whole new wave of God posts."

”God, rushes, it’s all the same thing. “

I agree that the compliments that most all poker players send your way because of your poker writings and poker lectures are very deserving. But….

David you have demonstrated that you are a duck out of water or still in the first grade when you use metaphors or maybe allegories to demonstrate your feelings concerning God, gods, and religions. The sentence:

”God, rushes, it’s all the same thing. “

Demonstrates your ignorance when discussing God. I guess your hope is that if you died and went to poker heaven – that you would experience an eternal, perpetual rush not unlike winning every poker hand….

[purnell]

Perhaps I am showing my ignorance here, but "God, rushes, it's all the same thing" made me laugh so hard
I cried. If I may presume, I think David was equating God with superstition, which in my humble opinion is no stretch at all.

[sandsmarc]

I really think the idea that there is a God is so self-evidently silly.

And offering any part of the Bible as proof is self-negating. Claiming that the Bible is "inspired by God" is as arbitrary and intellectually indefensible as simply postulating God's existence in the first place. What's the difference. "Inspired by God" presupposes his existence.

God is a temporary crutch concept. We created God as a way of filling in the blanks for everything we don't yet know.
It was, and is, a terrible idea.

If we don't self-destruct first as one mass of god proponents seeks to annihlate another, we will evolve to the point where we realize the dopeyness of this terrible construct.

[Aytumious]

[ QUOTE ]
And to base the level of respect you have for someone solely on their belief system, while at the same time not knowing the reasoning or logic behind those beliefs, is perhaps the least respectable position of all.

Claiming to know what comprises the entire belief system of an individual simply because they are deemed a "christian" is another issue entirely.

[/ QUOTE ]

Whatever the underlying logic of the belief system of your hypothetical person, it is at its base highly flawed if it entails believing in basic christian principles. There are people who still believe the earth is flat, just as there are still people who believe in antiquated and ridiculous notions such as christianity. I would take neither group very seriously, except christianity still has a massive following, and therefore still deserves attack because of its pervasive effect on humanity. It is a belief system for those with a slave mentality.

[NotReady]

[ QUOTE ]

The unseen and is not accessible to the dogmatic and obedient.

[/ QUOTE ]

Atheism does not relieve from dogmatism and obedience. Their minds are just as closed as anyone's.