"There is only on God of the Bible, who is served by Angels, and Jesus was the Son of God. What you call the Holy Ghost, is more often referred to as the Holy Spirit these days. That is one of the things clarified by better translation techniques.I believe in all of these entities. Satan is alive and well on planet Earth"
Only one God???? According to your beliefs there are many; God (the big guy), Angels (maybe hundreds or thousands), Jesus (not the same as the big guy but is a god), the Holy Spirit (whatever type of god that is), and Satan (a bad god who still lives on Earth). Does Satan also have residence in Hell or maybe there isn't a Hell? This one of the main things that bother me about you "one True God" types. You worship or fear all kinds of supernatural beings but say there is only one god. What you are really saying is that there is a main god and a whole bunch of lesser gods. The lesser gods must be gods because you pray to them or against them and they are capable of miracles and all sorts of things that humans can't do. You also say Satan is alive and well on planet Earth. It boggles my mind as to how you know that, what evidence can you cite? May I ask what in your mind Satan looks like?
"I am a literalist as far as the New Testament is concerned."
I'm curious why you take the New Testament literally but not the Old? Is it because your reasoning power says that too many things in the Old Testament are not believable?? Like the Flood perhaps? And the Ark?
"The first scriptures were written down by people that knew Him personally, did hear Him preach, and recorded His words."
I also asked how long he preached which according to Thomas Jefferson was 3 years. His words were not recorded by learned men and they were written a long time after he spoke them.
Here is what Thomas Jefferson said about that in a letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush, April 21, 1803:
lonestar.texas.net
III. JESUS. In this state of things among the Jews, Jesus
appeared. His parentage was obscure; his condition poor; his
education null; his natural endowments great; his life correct and
innocent: he was meek, benevolent, patient, firm, disinterested, & of
the sublimest eloquence.
The disadvantages under which his doctrines appear are
remarkable.
1. Like Socrates & Epictetus, he wrote nothing himself.
2. But he had not, like them, a Xenophon or an Arrian to write
for him. On the contrary, all the learned of his country, entrenched
in its power and riches, were opposed to him, lest his labors should
undermine their advantages; and the committing to writing his life &
doctrines fell on the most unlettered & ignorant men; who wrote, too,
from memory, & not till long after the transactions had passed.
3. According to the ordinary fate of those who attempt to
enlighten and reform mankind, he fell an early victim to the jealousy
& combination of the altar and the throne, at about 33. years of age,
his reason having not yet attained the _maximum_ of its energy, nor
the course of his preaching, which was but of 3. years at most,
presented occasions for developing a complete system of morals.
4. Hence the doctrines which he really delivered were defective
as a whole, and fragments only of what he did deliver have come to us
mutilated, misstated, & often unintelligible.
5. They have been still more disfigured by the corruptions of
schismatising followers, who have found an interest in sophisticating
& perverting the simple doctrines he taught by engrafting on them the
mysticisms of a Grecian sophist, frittering them into subtleties, &
obscuring them with jargon, until they have caused good men to reject
the whole in disgust, & to view Jesus himself as an impostor.
"There have been some problems with translations because of the interference of some humans with the intent of skewing the message to fit their agendas."
When the bible was translated to English from Greek and the printing press was invented, it caused a lot of concern among the church hierarchy because they feared the masses might read and think for themselves....They therefore tried to prevent such reading since the translations didn't say what they wanted. The first editions were ordered burned and forbidden to be read. Translations continued until they met with church approval.
"I don't hate you, or your cohorts."
That's so nice of you, I'm delirious with joy!......but if you did hate us, you couldn't be a "True Believer".... |
