Bible Shockers!

One day in Jerusalem...

2012-01-29T15:24:00.000-08:00

A female CNN journalist heard about a very old Jewish man who had been going to the Western Wall to pray, twice a day, every day, for a long, long time. So she went to check it out. She went to the Western Wall and there he was, walking slowly up to the holy site. She watched him pray and after about 45 minutes, when he turned to leave, using a cane and moving very slowly, she approached him for an interview. "Pardon me, sir, I'm Rebecca Smith from CNN. What's your name?" "Morris Feinberg," he replied. "Sir, how long have you been coming to the Western Wall and praying?""For about 60 years." "60 years! That's amazing! What do you pray for?" "I pray for peace between the Christians, Jews and the Muslims. I pray for all the wars and all the hatred to stop. I pray for all our children to grow up safely as responsible adults, and to love their fellow man." "How do you feel after doing this for 60 years?" "Like I'm talking to a wall."

Feuding monks brawl at Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem - NY Daily News

2012-01-02T07:09:00.000-08:00

Here's one to be added to the annals of "Great Church Fights!"

Feuding monks brawl at Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem - NY Daily News

Serpent Handlers Play With Fire - YouTube

2011-11-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

Serpent Handlers Play With Fire - YouTube

Thomas Jefferson's Bible

2011-11-03T04:35:00.000-07:00

Thomas Jefferson loved the pearls of Jesus' teaching, and decided to publish a collection of his saying, devoid of what he considered to be the inappropriate religious context:"...In extracting the pure principles which he taught, we should have to strip off the artificial vestments in which they have been muffled by priests, who have travestied them into various forms, as instruments of riches and power to themselves. We must dismiss the Platonists and Plotinists, the Stagyrites and Gamalielites, the Eclectics, the Gnostics and Scholastics, their essences and emanations, their logos and demiurges, aeons and daemons, male and female, with a long train of … or, shall I say at once, of nonsense. We must reduce our volume to the simple evangelists, select, even from them, the very words only of Jesus, paring off the amphibologisms into which they have been led, by forgetting often, or not understanding, what had fallen from him, by giving their own misconceptions as his dicta, and expressing unintelligibly for others what they had not understood themselves. There will be found remaining the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man. I have performed this operation for my own use, by cutting verse by verse out of the printed book, and arranging the matter which is evidently his, and which is as easily distinguishable as diamonds in a dunghill. The result is an octavo of forty-six pages, of pure and unsophisticated doctrines..."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_BibleI'd love to have a copy. I'll see if I can't find one. It would be very interesting.

Dexter's Killer Commentary On Science And Religion : 13.7: Cosmos And Culture : NPR

2011-10-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

Dexter's Killer Commentary On Science And Religion : 13.7: Cosmos And Culture : NPR

Urban homesteaders plant seeds of change in KC - KansasCity.com

2011-10-19T05:10:00.000-07:00

Urban homesteaders plant seeds of change in KC - KansasCity.com

Federally Funded Discrimination – Politics – Utne Reader

2011-10-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

Federally Funded Discrimination – Politics – Utne Reader

What happens if you don't pay your Exorcist bill?

2011-10-17T06:09:00.000-07:00

Why, you get reposessed!

Hey, let's bring back the Dark Days!:

Demon Days — Features — Utne Reader

Lord's Resistance Army - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2011-10-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

Lord's Resistance Army - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Utne Reader Illustrated: Keith Greiman - Arts and Culture - Utne Reader

2011-10-14T06:14:00.000-07:00

Utne Reader Illustrated: Keith Greiman - Arts and Culture - Utne Reader

Can computers solve mystery of bible’s ‘ghostwriters’ | SmartPlanet

2011-10-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

Can computers solve mystery of bible’s ‘ghostwriters’ | SmartPlanet

Mullet Man Strikes Again!!!! 3 Amish men accused of cutting hair, beards of others - CNN.com

2011-10-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

3 Amish men accused of cutting hair, beards of others - CNN.com

Iranian pastor faces death for rape, not apostasy - report - CNN.com

2011-10-01T02:05:00.000-07:00

Iranian pastor faces death for rape, not apostasy - report - CNN.com

Is Mount Sinai In The Sinai?

2011-09-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

Is Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia?

Is Mount Sinai In The Sinai?

Cloudline | Blog | Google's Dead Sea Scrolls project: why putting parchment & papyrus in the cloud matters to civilization

2011-09-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

Cloudline | Blog | Google's Dead Sea Scrolls project: why putting parchment & papyrus in the cloud matters to civilization

Look God, No Hands — Features — Utne Reader

2011-09-19T05:53:00.000-07:00

Look God, No Hands — Features — Utne Reader

Ray Stevens - The Mississippi Squirrel Revival - YouTube

2011-09-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

Ray Stevens - The Mississippi Squirrel Revival - YouTube

Perennial question - where did Cain get his wife?

2011-08-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

Where did Cain get his wife? Like so many lonely men, he got his woman from Eastern Europe! She's tall, blonde, drinks lots of Vodka, and beats him regularly... he's finally happy!

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/09/138957812/evangelicals-question-the-existence-of-adam-and-eve&sc=nl&cc=es-20110814

Paul's view of a woman's head

2011-07-31T12:50:00.001-07:00

My view is that what is being discussed by Paul is really the Jewish custom of headcoverings for men:

[URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kippah[/URL]

Paul says that this is not required or even appropriate for the new assembly.

The mention of the covering of women occurs because Paul is appealing to divinely established gender differences to show that it is inappropriate for a man to be covered. In otherwords, he is not setting out to establish a new custom about women, but debunking those who are insisting on a custom of which he disapproves:

[QUOTE]1Co 11:2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. [/QUOTE]

In other words, they are keeping all the customs he delievered. The pressure they are getting to adopt male headcovering is ill-born.

[QUOTE]1Co 11:16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. [/QUOTE]

But in the process, he does make clear that he is no feminist, and any appeal to Gal 3:28 to suggest he is, are misguided. This verse has to do with qualification for inheritance from Abraham only:

[QUOTE]Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. [/QUOTE]

But in every other regard, Paul has very little to say to women other than "Shut up, listen and obey."

Paul says that in Genesis 6, when women shaved their heads, God's sons ("angels") so longed after them and the American Dream that they "left their first homestead" and came to earth and started families. (For this they will be tormented endlessly in Tartarus). This was a bad result, so all women from that time forward must cringe when they hear the song "Angels Watching Over Me" or "Angels Around My Bed" and, in the interest of public safety, maintain some kind of covering that not only covers the top, but also wraps around the sexy brain-box like a curtain around a casket. (The box is empty anyway, since she's a silly, not-to-be-trusted-with-authority woman anyway).

[QUOTE]
Jud 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
Jud 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

1Pe 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
1Pe 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

1Co 11:10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. [/QUOTE]

But Paul sees reasons other than the inherent danger that a woman's bare head poses to God's son's; his mind goes back to the fundamental difference of purposes assigned to male and female humans by God when they were designed. Men were designed to be living statues of God. They were to look just like him. The man would have a rod of authority dangling in front of his loins. The man is God's pride and joy. The woman, on the other hand, was designed when it became apparent that not even sheep were similar enough to him for handling many of the mundane chores there were to do on the farm, providing piano music before and after sermon time, cleaning up, etc, and also the man had a vague itch in his power rod. So, he made the spare rib into the "Swiss Knife" of accessories. She was Adam's pride and joy (since it flattered him that she originated from him). So, Paul reasons:

[QUOTE]1Co 11:7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
1Co 11:8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
1Co 11:9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. [/QUOTE]

Finally, Paul also says, under immensely powerful revelatory influence, "A woman looks like crap when she's bald, don't you think?":

[QUOTE]1Co 11:13 Judge in yourselves [guyz]: is it comely [attractive] that a woman pray unto God uncovered? [/QUOTE]

So, women should have their heads covered (and handily, they have long hair to do the trick) and men should be uncovered (and so they must also not let the mop flop).

High Text Texual Analysis

2011-06-01T09:26:00.001-07:00

http://www.tfinney.net/Views/

A taste of the richness that is the gift of Robert Alter...

2011-05-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14476326

May 21

2011-05-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

Idiot watching gets more and more fun every day!

http://www.npr.org/2011/05/07/136053462/is-the-end-nigh-well-know-soon-enough&sc=nl&cc=nh-20110507

Urban Legends, Preacher's Edition

2011-05-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

Great post:

http://trevinwax.com/2011/04/27/urban-legends-the-preachers-edition/

Scar or hole?

2011-05-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

People often refer to Jesus' "scars" but did he have any? Scarring takes time, and doesn't occur in the dead. So if Jesus was dead for 3 days, the hole in his side would not have healed. So does he have a hole?

John 20:27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

What will she do for Father's Day?

2011-05-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/specials/weirdflorida/blog/2011/04/cops_woman_tried_to_buy_her_80.html

Baptism - where did it originate?

2011-04-30T13:17:00.001-07:00

This post gives insight into the origin of the ritual of water baptism:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100516012003AAUKkTl

Thoughts on the passover and the lord's supper...

2011-04-29T18:30:00.001-07:00

Hi, I'm new.

Here are some of my observations...

* the Passover is not observed by modern Jews because it is only to be observed in Jerusalem, and, I think, they believe that a priest must officiate, and it should be killed at the temple (I'm not sure of some of this, as I am not Jewish);

* instead, they celebrate with a symbolic ritual, called a Seder;

* modern Jews celebrate with a lamb and special crackers, but the scriptures called for an adult flock animal - usually a goat - and Pita bread;

* the synoptics indicate that Jesus ate the Passover with his disciples, but the fourth gospel has Jesus dying on the Preparation day;

* Jesus added to the meal the mandate to commemorate his role as "the death brought in" in the new "testament" [sic] that God was making with the houses of Israel and Judah;

* the Passover and the new "testament" [sic] is only relevant to Jews (as was the first covenant, and the "law");

* Paul said that it was better not to partake of the body and blood of Jesus than to do so unworthily. This he wrote in the context of "denominations" - which he considered the "destruction of Christ's body."

The view from here...

When it happens to you...

2011-02-25T05:43:00.000-08:00

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/24/cnnheroes.sawo.hiv/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

NH Parents Object To Book That Calls Jesus Vagrant - Education News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach

2010-12-13T14:55:00.000-08:00

NH Parents Object To Book That Calls Jesus Vagrant - Education News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach: "- Book story"

Deacon Mike: An Itinerant Preacher » Blog Archive » It is only amusing because it could be true!

2010-12-12T12:57:00.000-08:00

Deacon Mike: An Itinerant Preacher » Blog Archive » It is only amusing because it could be true!: "- a funny"

Mexican government: Slain drug lord was 'spiritual leader' of cartel - CNN.com

2010-12-11T18:43:00.000-08:00

Mexican government: Slain drug lord was 'spiritual leader' of cartel - CNN.com

Sanctimonious

2010-12-11T18:22:00.000-08:00

"...The Oxford English Dictionary finds the earliest occurrence of the word in 1604, with the meaning ‘holy in character,’ a sense that is now obsolete. But a mere twelve years later Shakespeare used sanctimonious to signify ‘pretended piety,’ the sense that the word retains today.

Mark Twain used sanctimonious in a letter to the Daily Alta California in 1867, describing a fellow-passenger on a voyage to the Holy Land who acted morally superior to everyone else as, "a solemn, unsmiling, sanctimonious old iceberg that looked like he was waiting for a vacancy in the trinity."

From: http://illinois.edu/db/view/25/39697?count=1&ACTION=DIALOG

Or as the bumper sticker says:

"Abstinence makes the Church grow fondlers!"

Camel Falls Onto Church Audience - Video - WPBF West Palm Beach

2010-12-10T16:28:00.000-08:00

Camel Falls Onto Church Audience - Video - WPBF West Palm Beach: "- XMas Camel troubles"

Jesus saves a lamb

2010-11-21T12:44:00.001-08:00

Partygoer dressed as Larry the Lamb saved by Jesus after being set alight | Mail Online. As Dave Barry Observes, You'll be shocked to know that alcohol was involved! And as I observe, religion and alcohol don't mix either!

Sorry, folks, no video available at this time...

2010-11-20T12:50:00.001-08:00

Facebook-Banning NJ Pastor Acknowledges Threesome - West Palm Beach News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach

BIBLIA ILUSTRADA » GEN 1

2010-11-19T15:35:00.000-08:00

BIBLIA ILUSTRADA » GEN 1: "- Artist illustrating a verse of the Bible every day"

U.S. motorcycle missionaries attacked in Haiti - CNN.com

2010-11-17T19:03:00.000-08:00

U.S. motorcycle missionaries attacked in Haiti - CNN.com: "- Could this have anything to do with the recent attempt to steal Haitian children by Christian missionaries, perhaps?"

Priest Accused Of Molesting Boy Arrested Again - West Palm Beach News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach

2010-11-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

Priest Accused Of Molesting Boy Arrested Again - West Palm Beach News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach: "- Catholicism, like Islam, should be outlawed."

Catholic Bishops: More Exorcists Needed - Family News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach

2010-11-16T15:52:00.000-08:00

Catholic Bishops: More Exorcists Needed - Family News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach: "- They even tried to exorcise the demons of unbelief from Mother Theresa!"

World's Largest Jesus Statue Complete - West Palm Beach News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach

2010-11-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

World's Largest Jesus Statue Complete - West Palm Beach News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach: "Many local residents and business people in Swiebodzin (shvee-eh-BOHD'-jeen) say they hope it will put their town of 22,000 on the map for Roman Catholic pilgrims and bring in money to their community.

- Many local residents and business people in Swiebodzin (shvee-eh-BOHD'-jeen) say they hope it will put their town of 22,000 on the map for Roman Catholic pilgrims and bring in money to their community."

Priest Raising World's Largest Jesus Statue - West Palm Beach News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach

2010-11-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

Priest Raising World's Largest Jesus Statue - West Palm Beach News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach: "- My Jesus is bigger than your Jesus!"

Gal328.org - “Man and Woman in Genesis,” by Lance Pape

2010-11-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

Gal328.org - “Man and Woman in Genesis,” by Lance Pape: "- Food for though"

Robert Alter on Pen of Iron - Between the Covers - National Review Online

2010-10-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

Robert Alter on Pen of Iron - Between the Covers - National Review Online: "- A radio interview with Bible translator Robert Alter"

Robert Alter is a Hebrew scholar of such note that even though he only has translated a half dozen books of the Hebrew scriptures, has been delighting readers of the scriptures and garnered well deserved praise.

He's writing about the influence of the KJV in the literature of the USA; just in time for the 400th anniversary of the 1611 version of the KJV. Since Trinitarians have so much trouble with numbers (1=3 and all that) I should point out that the anniversary occurs in 2011. 1611+400=2011. If that teach something different in your church, just take my word for it. So have you been gearing up for the wild parties?! Think of all the sermons!! Long readings of "Thus" this and "Thus" that! I can't wait!

Eunuch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2010-10-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

Eunuch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "- Religious Castration"

Apparently this was practiced in the early days of Christianity:

Religious castration

Castration as part of religious practice, and eunuchs occupying religious roles have been established prior to classical antiquity. Archaeological finds at Çatalhöyük in Anatolia indicate worship of a 'Magna Mater' figure, a forerunner of the Cybele goddess found in later Anatolia and other parts of the near East.[17] Later Roman followers of Cybele, were called Galli, who practiced ritual self-castration, known as sanguinaria.[17]

The practice of religious castration continued into the Christian era, with members of the early church castrating themselves for religious purposes,[18] although the extent and even the existence of this practice among Christians is subject to debate.[19] The early theologian Origen found scriptural justification for the practice in Matthew 19:12,[20]. where Jesus says, "For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can." (NRSV)

Tertullian, a 2nd century Church Father, described Jesus himself and Paul of Tarsus as spadones, which is translated as "eunuchs" in some contexts.[21] Quoting from the cited book:[21]"...Tertullian takes 'spado' to mean virgin...". The meaning of spado in late antiquity can be interpreted as a metaphor for celibacy, however Tertullian's specifically refers to St. Paul as being castrated.[21] (?? this seems to misquote the cited book. Quoting the reference directly: "...speaks of Paul as "castrated", a shockingly strong term if what Tertullian meant was a continent[22] lifestyle.")

Eunuch priests have served various goddesses from India for many centuries. Similar phenomena are exemplified by some modern Indian communities of the Hijra type, which are associated with a deity and with certain rituals and festivals – notably the devotees of Yellammadevi, or jogappas, who are not castrated[23] and the Ali of southern India, of whom at least some are.[24]

The 18th-century Russian Skoptzy (скопцы) sect was an example of a castration cult, where its members regarded castration as a way of renouncing the sins of the flesh.[25] Several members of the 20th century Heaven's Gate cult were found to have been castrated, apparently voluntarily and for the same reasons.[26]
[edit] Eunuchs in the Bible

Eunuchs are mentioned many times in the Bible. Although the Ancient Hebrews did not practice castration, eunuchs were common in other cultures featured in the Bible, such as Ancient Egypt, Babylonia, and Ancient Rome. Deuteronomy 23:1 specifically excluded men who had been castrated or suffered genital mutilation from Jewish congregations.

There is some confusion regarding eunuchs in Old Testament passages, since the Hebrew word for eunuch, saris (סריס), could also refer to other servants and officials who had not been castrated but served in similar capacities.[27][28] The Egyptian royal servant Potiphar is described as a saris in Genesis 39:1, although he was married and hence unlikely to have been a eunuch.

The reference to "eunuchs" in Matthew 19:12 has been considered by some Christians as referring to homosexual men, particularly in the case of those eunuchs "so born from their mother's womb".[29][30] Some other Christians oppose this argument and state that the Bible's use of the word "eunuch" refers strictly to men incapable of sexual intercourse or reproduction, through either birth defect or castration.[31][32]

There is no fornication in the LXX

2010-10-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

FORNICATION IN THE SEPTUAGINT: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Zombies!!

2010-10-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

Zombies are all the rage these days. Vampires are so last year. With Halloween and all, I've decided to post my favorite zombie story:

Mat 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost [modern "Christians" believe in ghosts, whereas the scripture here is referring to his breath].
Mat 27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain [you could either rent the left half or the right for about thirty shekels per week] from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent [3 shekels per month - such a deal! But they charge for delivery];
Mat 27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, [Zombies!!!]
Mat 27:53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. [Happy Halloween, Jerusalem!!]

http://www.dnainfo.com/20100517/lower-east-side/walking-dead-zombies-invade-manhattan-promote-movie

Bishop Long talks sex from the pulpit - CNN.com

2010-10-29T19:16:00.000-07:00

Bishop Long talks sex from the pulpit - CNN.com: "- "

'Jesus Does Not Care' Sign Upsets Many - West Palm Beach News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach

2010-10-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

'Jesus Does Not Care' Sign Upsets Many - West Palm Beach News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach: "- Jesus doesn't care website"

Sebastian Seung: I am my connectome | Video on TED.com

2010-10-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

Sebastian Seung: I am my connectome | Video on TED.com

And nobody cares about me...

2010-10-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

Free Middle East: "- True story"

An extremely creepy person...

2010-10-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

http://5ptsalt.com/2010/10/17/paul-washer-childrens-catechism/#comment-5736

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You believe this, don't you?!

2010-10-16T11:36:00.001-07:00

Cross bleeding?

http://www.wpbf.com/news/25400927/detail.html?treets=wpb&tid=26511504518813&tml=wpb_irr&tmi=wpb_irr_1_01300110162010&ts=H

LOL.

Free Middle East

2010-10-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

Free Middle East: "- Free Middle East videos"

9781573093095: The Doctrine of the Trinity : Christianity's Self-Inflicted Wound - AbeBooks - Buzzard, Anthony; Hunting, Charles F.: 1573093092

2010-10-11T08:37:00.000-07:00

9781573093095: The Doctrine of the Trinity : Christianity's Self-Inflicted Wound - AbeBooks - Buzzard, Anthony; Hunting, Charles F.: 1573093092: "- Another book refuting the Trinity dogma"

One God & One Lord : Reconsidering the Cornerstone of the Christian Faith: John W. Schoenheit, Mark H. Graeser, John A. Lynn - AbeBooks - 9780962897146: Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana

2010-10-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

One God & One Lord : Reconsidering the Cornerstone of the Christian Faith: John W. Schoenheit, Mark H. Graeser, John A. Lynn - AbeBooks - 9780962897146: Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana: "- I haven't read this but still recommend it because of its subject matter!"

Humor (Sort of): The Portable Punch & Judy Gospel Show « 5 Point Salt

2010-10-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

Humor (Sort of): The Portable Punch & Judy Gospel Show « 5 Point Salt: "- Calvinist Cartoon"

Ancient tree to help turn Jericho into tourism hub - Yahoo! News

2010-10-03T05:48:00.000-07:00

Ancient tree to help turn Jericho into tourism hub - Yahoo! News: "- New tourist spot: the tree Zaccheus climbed."

The Identity of Mr Sin Revealed!

2010-09-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

I have pointed out in another post that Paul speaks in several places of "sin" (hAMARTIA) as "an evil alien that lives in our muscles."

I've also blogged about how Paul sees a sharp dichotomy between the "flesh" (which is the clay body) and the "breath" (commonly mistranslated as "spirit").

Now I have discovered who "Mr. Sin" is... he is "the mind of the flesh." In Paul's view of things, the body has a mind of its own:

Romans 5:
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because ***the carnal mind*** is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

See? To Paul, the body has its own mind, which is concerned with its own interests. This "flesh-mind" is none other than the evil Dr. Moriarty, Lex Luthor, the Joker and of course, "Mr. Sin!"

My own take on Romans 4

2010-09-26T07:47:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure about the textual issues or the grammar, but I'm dazzled by the allusion to "what Abe found" in Genesis 18:3. He asks the lord [YHVH]:

"And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:"

And, of course, they do not pass away but instead stay, eat and bless him with a son in his old age, implying that he has **found XARIS**.

So the question is, what did he "find"? Did he find "approval" for his "works" or "law keeping" etc? Well, if he did, then he has something to glory about, right? (Though not while he is standing in front of the lord!)

So we are left to understand that what he "found" was "generosity."

And Paul uses David's assertion that the forgiveness of sins is a "blessing" and not one's due.

If I am correct, that this is the background and logic, the passage is clear, even in the KJV :

1 ¶ What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath "found"?
2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. [ie: "but he wouldn't glory like that before God"]
3 For what saith the scripture? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace ["generosity"], but of debt ["because it is due"].
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
7 Saying, "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."

This is the immediate argument, but he continues with the passage when he refers to Sarah's conception in their old age:

19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

I think this gives tight cohesion to the whole chapter.

More on NT Wright's perspective on Romans 4:1

2010-09-26T05:27:00.000-07:00

This was discussed at length at B-Greek:

http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/2010-September/054475.html

N.T. Wright discusses Romans 4:1

2010-09-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

NT Wright wrote the commentary on Romans for the New Interpreter’s Bible. Here is his response, with citations below to Hays, at length (reproduced here by permission of Abingdon Press):
4:1. “What then shall we say? Have we found Abraham to be our forefather according to the flesh?” This is not, of course, what any of the commentaries or translations say, but it has a strong claim to represent Paul’s mind.142 Three reasons stand out. First, it introduces the chapter Paul is writing, as opposed to the one that many think he should have written; in other words, a chapter about the scope and nature of Abraham’s family, rather than a chapter about “justification by faith” as a doctrine about how people become Christians. This, as we shall see, results in the straightforward solution of at least one major exegetical problem. Second, it recognizes that when Paul introduces an argument with ti”v ou\n ejrou’men ti oun eroumen, “what then shall we say?” this phrase is frequently complete in itself, requiring a question mark at once. (There is, of course, no punctuation in the earliest mss.)
Obvious examples are 6:1; 7:7; see also tiv ou\n (ti oun) in 3:9. Third, it avoids at a stroke the awkwardness of sense, and hence of translation, in the usual readings (of which the NRSV and the NIV are typical) in which Abraham is the subject of euJrhke”nai heure kenai, “to have found,” rather than the object as in the reading proposed; since it is not clear what “to have found” could possibly mean in this context, the sense of the verb has to be stretched as in the NRSV (“was gained by”) and NIV (“discovered”), neither of which lead in to what Paul is actually going to say.143 The proposal, then, is that Paul raises in v. 1 a possible conclusion that could be drawn from what has been said so far, in order to argue against it.
At this point, however, I diverge from the meaning Hays gives to his own proposed reading. He suggests that Paul wants to say “Have we Jews normally considered Abraham to be our forefather only according to the flesh?” I suggest, rather, that the whole of Romans 4 hinges on the question, whether 3:21-31 means that we Christians, Jews and Gentiles alike, now find that we are to be members of the fleshly family of Abraham (note how the word “find” suddenly makes perfect sense).144 In other words (Paul is proposing this as a hypothetical question), if in Christ God has been true to the covenant with Abraham, might that not mean, as the Galatians had been led to believe, that members of the Christ-family in fact belong to Abraham’s fleshly family? When we read Romans 4 as the answer to this question, it gains in coherence and force.145
4:2. Verses 2-8 are regularly appealed to by those who still argue that Paul was after all attacking a theology of self-help legalism, in which “righteousness” is earned by moral effort. By themselves these verses might indeed bear that sense. But within the present argument they are much better understood as a further metaphorical expansion, rather than the inner substance, of Paul’s point.
Paul’s main argument is that “works” (i.e., of Torah) were not the reason for Abraham’s justification; and the idea of “working” is then expanded metaphorically in vv. 4-5 into the idea of doing a job for which one earns wages. The critical connection is established with “for” at the start of v. 2 (“in fact” in the NIV is a loose way of making the same point) and depends on the link between “works of Torah” and “Jews only” that Paul had established in the immediately preceding verses. It is ethnic Jews who possess Torah; so if Abraham were the forefather of an ethnic family only, this family would be defined by Torah, and hence defined visibly by Torah’s “works.” Thus (v. 2a) if Abraham was reckoned to be in covenant with God (i.e., was justified) on the basis of works of Torah, he and his family would be able to “boast,” in the way that Paul described in 2:17-20 and then firmly excluded in 3:27-30. Verse 2a, in other words, explains the question of v. 1, as follows: If Abraham’s covenant membership was indeed defined in terms of “works of Torah” (v. 2a), then he and his family would be able to sustain an ethnic boast, and so (v. 1) any Gentiles wishing to belong to this family would then have to consider themselves ethnic Jews–would, in other words, need to become proselytes, with the males among them becoming circumcised.
Paul’s response, to be filled out as usual in what follows, is brusque: “but not before (lit., “toward”) God,” i.e., “not as far as God is concerned.” Verse 2b is thus Paul’s initial reaction to the suggestion, rather than part of the “if . . . then” clause of the earlier part of the verse.146 This now forces Paul into saying what is true “before God,” to cut the ground from under any potential ethnic boast, and to establish once and for all the non-ethnic nature of Abraham’s true family, on the basis of the original covenant itself.

Notes
142. See esp. Richard B. Hays, “ ‘Have We Found Abraham to Be Our Forefather According to the Flesh?’ A Reconsideration of Rom 4:1,” NovT 27 (1985) 76-98. See also Richard B. Hays, Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989) 54-55. The suggestion goes back at least to J. A. Bain, “Romans iv. 1,” Expository Times 5 (1893—94) 430. It is not clear that subsequent commentators (e.g. Byrne, Fitzmyer, Moo, Bryan) have recognized the force or point of Hays’s proposal; the same is true of S. K. Stowers, A Rereading of Romans: Justice, Jews, and Gentiles (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994) 234, 242, who unlike them claims to follow it.
143. Abraam is indeclinable in Greek, and hence its grammatical role in the sentence is unclear until defined from elsewhere.
144. R. B. Hays, “Adam, Israel, Christ,” in Pauline Theology Volume III: Romans, ed. D. M. Hay and E. E. Johnson (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1995) 81, has graciously accepted my amendment of his proposal.

Bible Haikus « כל־האדם

2010-09-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

Bible Haikus « כל־האדם: "- Bible Haikus!"

Exploring Our Matrix: Does the Bible "Teach" Geocentrism?

2010-09-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

Christian science fair winner:

http://www.personal.psu.edu/staff/d/r/drs18/BiSciCreation/geocentricLg.jpg

Book Giveaway: Holy Writings, Sacred Text: The Canon of Early Christianity « Diglotting

2010-09-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

Book Giveaway: Holy Writings, Sacred Text: The Canon of Early Christianity « Diglotting: "- Book Giveaway"

SARX vs PNEUMA

2010-09-17T14:45:00.001-07:00

Let's talk about SARX vs PNEUMA.

Paul penned:

Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

"flesh" (SARX) v "Spirit" (PNEUMA). Is this an accurate rendering?

What about these?

New International Version (©1984)
For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

New Living Translation (©2007)
The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

Is Paul discussing "flesh" or "sinful nature"?

"sinful nature" is ostensibly an attempt to more accurately render SARX, which, we are to understand, is actually a technical term which is more properly rendered "sinful nature."

I consider this a case where the translators were not correct. (I also hold that PNEUMA is "breath" not "Spirit").

I consider this modern practice sooooo far off that it masks a profound lack of insight into Paul's views. What is the correct view?

Paul's writings hinge almost entirely on Genesis 2:7:

Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Man is dirt+breath. Paul refers to man as "flesh+breath" (mistranslated as "sinful nature...Spirit").

His perspective is that the clay/flesh of a person is where sin lives. He calls the body "this body of death."

The unbeliever breathes and is motivated by the air that is from the ruler of this world:

Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [of] the spirit [air] that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

So the sinner is "bad air" in "bad clay [flesh]" while the believer has "holy breath" in "bad clay [flesh]."

This should serve as a cautionary tale for those who want to disconnect too far from scriptural terms.

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com - U.S. military burning Bibles?

2010-09-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com - U.S. military burning Bibles?: "- US Military burning Bibles"

For the Facebook crowd

2010-09-11T16:27:00.001-07:00

Larsen's vision of the divine:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Mcz5hdLDEdw/TIFwEB-CIII/AAAAAAAABCg/4p86vPC_JIg/s1600/god+on+facebook.jpg

Hip Church Banners

2010-09-11T16:23:00.000-07:00

In order to reach a younger generation, Churches often employ modern graphics and such to show, "Hey, we HAVE a clue!"

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZFwJnchVB60/TIRWjLaV5MI/AAAAAAAACDY/fV0U57gvT9Q/s400/tumblr_l8a5uw0D1Q1qzpwi0o1_500.jpg

Word Designs | Jim LePage

2010-09-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

Word Designs | Jim LePage: "- Awesome graphic artist"

Love Your Neighbor

2010-09-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/all/play_music/play_full.php?play=184

Revelation in a nutshell...

2010-09-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

I avoided Revelation for many, many years. Then one day when reading Paul, I realized that he was giving a synopsis of the book, and now I see what it is talking about:

1 Cor 15:
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

The acts of terrorism from the sky are identical in design as Muslim terrorism. That is, the plan is for Jesus to be a "heavenly Bin Laden" to bring about the subjection of the nations to God by broad brush actions of terror and destruction. You see biological and environmental attacks, war, famine, pestilence... all to reduce the nations to subjection. Once completed, Jesus sweeps down with an army and kills all of the muslims in the middle east and sets up the kingdom of God. After a thousand years, Jesus steps down and God himself comes down to live in the new Jerusalem forever. Jesus is demoted from lord to being just another son of man and God is "all in all."

Death and Hades are destroyed and trinitarians are tormented before God day and night foreve

The history, names and ancient persecution of the Roma (a.k.a. Gypsies)

2010-09-04T05:54:00.000-07:00

Be sure to read the horrific section on the persecution of Gypsys (Roma). Apparently, persecution of Roma was justified on the grounds that they forged the nails that killed "Christ":

The history, names and ancient persecution of the Roma (a.k.a. Gypsies): ""

Roma continue to be persecuted to this day.

Stewardship

2010-09-04T05:33:00.001-07:00

"Stewardship" is not a synonym for "offerings."

1 Cor 16:2 was not about buying the Lutheran Synod a new building but rather a collection for the poor in Jerusalem.

Churches are in the real estate business, ever acquiring more land, more buildings, more goods, more vacation time...

A wise steward knows that this is a bad investment and doesn't give them a dime.

Anyone who lives off the backs of poor working people in order to prepare a weekly sermon (often about "the religious duty of giving") doesn't have a clue about the ministry as taught and patterned by Paul.

Is Believing In God Evolutionarily Advantageous? : NPR

2010-09-04T04:53:00.000-07:00

Is Believing In God Evolutionarily Advantageous? : NPR: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Thales

2010-09-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

I often mention Thales, so I thought I would post a link to information about his water-based view:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thales#Water_as_a_first_principle

I posted this about the Genesis account of the making of the sky and land, etc...

2010-09-03T18:38:00.001-07:00

The primary feature of the Genesis account is a pre-existent bottomless sea (ala Thales).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thales

The second most prominent feature is the causure of the land emerging from that sea and being placed on mysterious foundations:

Job 38:4 Where wast thou when I laid the **foundations of the earth** [dry land]? declare, if thou hast understanding.

Psalms 104:5 Who laid the **foundations of the earth** [dry land], that it should not be removed for ever.

Isaiah 51:13 And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth [dry lnad]; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?

The third feature is the stretching out of a solid structure called "the sky" to support the waters above the dry land:

Genesis 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
Genesis 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
Genesis 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

And then we see that God would dwell in the sky, because he made it for a habitation for himself (and his deputies, "angels"):

Isaiah 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth [dry land, not the planet!], and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, **and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in**:

My take on some of the key themes of prophecy

2010-09-03T15:52:00.001-07:00

Re: antichrist:

This is easy. "anti" in Greek means "in the stead of." The antichrist is a false representation of Jesus. It is, in fact, the worshiped Jesus. It is your Jesus. Your god. It sits in the "temple" and professes to be God.

Re: 666

Easy. This is a man-made number - the representation of "Trinity." The worshiped Jesus wears it on his forehead in the place where the real Jesus bears his father's name.

Re: Rapture

Rapture is the most ludicrous of all fallacies. The "meeting in the air" is, according to the Greek, to greet the arriving dignitary and to accompany him to his violent conquest of the middle east. It is the beginning of the Final Crusade, when Jesus kicks the muslims out of Israel and sets up his kingdom for 1000 years.

Re: New Jerusalem

The new Jerusalem is when God's kingdom comes. Jesus will step down and become a plain old citizen just like everyone else, and the dwelling place of God will be with men. God will rule forever. He will rule over all, and rule all alone. See 1 Cor 15, around verse 35.

Re: Ezekiel's temple

That was aborted, never to happen.

The arc of the Revelation is a series of acts of terrorism from the sky in order to reduce the kingdoms of the world into subservient vassal states. They will bring their tribute to the great God but will never be permitted to enter the holy city. They are the "dogs without."

Re: Everlasting torment

Most of the people of the middle east are just destroyed when death and hades are cast into the lake of fire. But Trinitarians will be tormented day and night forever before God.

Sleep tight.

GhostLuke24.pdf (application/pdf Object)

2010-08-29T12:34:00.000-07:00

GhostLuke24.pdf (application/pdf Object): "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

The Naked Bible » Two editorial notes on the last Baptism Post

2010-08-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

The Naked Bible » Two editorial notes on the last Baptism Post:

My response to the above post:

"Much, much ado about nothing.

Colossians 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

Do you think that Jewish circumcision had *anything* whatsoever to do with slicing sin off of the body? Paul is just desperate to have “Christ” be the end-all of the Jewish religion. He wants “Christ” to be seen in every Jewish figure. So here he creates an elaborate analogy. “As circumcision lops off some flesh, so God performed a lopping off of sins from your flesh, by your faith in Christ.” Or something like that. The elaborate “Reformed” notions of baptism being the new symbol of the new covenant are twisted and bizarre perversions of thought, as is easily demonstrated:

* the putting off of the flesh is not done by baptism but by faith, because it is done “without hands.” This is a way of saying “God does it” (as in Hebrews, where the temple is made without hands).

* Paul makes no mention of covenant, but rather of putting off sins from the flesh by faith.

* It is heinous to take a verse that says nothing about covenant and then to build a 60 foot structure on it, claiming that it is all **implied** by an unrelated verse. Such constructs are nauseating;

* You gentiles have **no interest** in the new covenant, as it was only made with the houses of Israel and Judah. See Jeremiah 1. (And by the way, all of the wranglings of preachers about how believers are “freed from the law” are the height of ignorance also, because the nations were never UNDER the law in the first place!

It is unwise to attempt to harmonize the 66 books of the Protestant canon (let alone the historic canon, which has 73 books) as if Paul and Matthew have the same things in mind. I mean, did passing through the red sea on dry land really baptize the Jews unto Moses? Was Jesus a rock following Moses? Did circumcision lob off sins from the flesh?

There were religious ideas and practices in Hellenistic Judaism that Paul et all appropriated to Christ in various ways. If you’re going down the “Reformed – baptism is the new covenant” path, then you are sitting hopelessly in the dark in a thick wood.

Sorry I’m not as nice a guy as you apparently are. I don’t know any other way to say it but straight out."

The Naked Bible » The Biblical Teaching on Baptism, Part 1

2010-08-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

The Naked Bible » The Biblical Teaching on Baptism, Part 1: ""

My comments, inspired by the discussion above:

One of the earliest practices established for the Jews was washing:

Exodus 30:
17 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.
19 For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:
20 When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD:
21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

The priests did not approach God without washing. There are various ordinances, and various practices developed in the intertestamental years under rabbinic Judaism:

Mark 7:
1 ¶ Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

John's Mikveh (and you should read this if you are not familiar with this):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikveh

John's Mikveh had a new but apparently frequently adopted feature in that participation in the ritual cleansing was a rite of passage into a cult. People who were baptized became followers of the cult leader:

Acts 19:3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.
Acts 19:4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

Matthew then says that the name that believers should be baptized into is the name of the father (God), the son (the cult leader) and the holy breath. Here is where their allegiance would be.

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in [EIS=into] the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Paul was sensitive to the issue:

1 Cor 1:
13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in [EIS=into] the name of Paul?
14 ¶ I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;
15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

1 Corinthians 10:2 And were all baptized **unto Moses** in the cloud and in the sea;

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all **baptized into one body**, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

If Jesus were not resurrected, then to be baptized into him would be to be baptized into a dead person, never to rise again.

1 Corinthians 15:29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Now, I am of the opinion that the NT authors consciously commandeered as many Jewish themes as they could possibly think of for the new cult. In other words, Paul was of the mindset that if Jews had an intertestamental interest in joining a cult by identification with the person who baptized them, or into a cult, then by golly Christ will be the one in who's name, person and cult that the believers should be baptized.

In other words, Paul would co-opt this new-fangled, extra-biblical practice of his contemporaries because it was one more expedient way to harness Judaism's appeal and structure for the new religion. It was such a popular element of the Hellenistic Jewish landscape that you see all of the writers of the NT appropriating it in various ways.

But Paul was ignorant of Matthew's command to baptize. For him, like other religious practices of the Jews, he just wanted what he considered the nectar - he wanted them as symbols to describe "Christ." He said:

1 Cor 1:
16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.
17 ¶ For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

Matthew wanted to make "disciples" but Paul wanted to make "believers."

HaselGen1ANE.pdf (application/pdf Object)

2010-08-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

A study contrasting Israeli creation mythology with its neighbors.

HaselGen1ANE.pdf (application/pdf Object): "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Is genetically grafted produce kosher? - Kosher Q&A

2010-08-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Is genetically grafted produce kosher? - Kosher Q&A: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Created by Camtasia Studio 6

2010-08-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Created by Camtasia Studio 6: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

OT covenant ANE covenants Pt1.pdf (application/pdf Object)

2010-08-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

OT covenant ANE covenants Pt1.pdf (application/pdf Object): "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Author: More teens becoming 'fake' Christians - CNN.com

2010-08-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

Author: More teens becoming 'fake' Christians - CNN.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

The Magnitude of Muslim Atrocities

2010-08-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

"...Sacrifice of honor for victory or material gain was deemed as worse than death..."

The Magnitude of Muslim Atrocities: "Sacrifice of honor for victory or material gain was deemed as worse than death."

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: The Reformation

2010-08-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

How the Catholic Church describes the Reformation!:

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: The Reformation: ""

Earliest reference describes Christ as 'magician' - Technology & science - Science - DiscoveryNews.com - msnbc.com

2010-08-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

Earliest reference describes Christ as 'magician' - Technology & science - Science - DiscoveryNews.com - msnbc.com: ""

Odd.

God's Value System

2010-08-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

Today I stumbled across a very interesting young man on his website.

God's Value System: ""

I like this guy. I like what he has to say.

But, alas, in the final analysis, it is all donkey dust.

What he says is that we can be successful in our relationships with others if we adopt God's value system. All well in good, I say, but the fact of the matter is that in the scriptures, **God can't get along with anyone!!!**

This is a well-intentioned presentation. I think the guy is probably sincere, and as wholesome as apple pie. But deluded.

Religion is not about successful relationships. It is about "weeding out" those who are not "to spec." Scripture compares the sinners to "chaff" that the wind drives away, and to dead branches to be burned.

God is, in the scriptures, **seething** with loathing, anger, hatred and violence.

So, enjoy his speech, but know this: God loathes you and will ultimately crush you under his heel, if the scriptures are to be believed.

This anecdote is actually taken straight from a Catholic Catechism by Joseph Baxter.

2010-08-21T13:50:00.001-07:00

A certain monarch caused the figure of an angel to be carved in white marble. From the left hand of this statue hung a silver ring attached to a thin silken cord, while the right hand held a golden ring suspended from a diamond chain. The king's son and daughter asked their father what these two rings were intended to signify. He answered : "I will give the rings to whichever of you can guess their meaning aright." Then the prince said : " The rings are doubtless emblems of friendship and love." The king replied : " That is quite right. But why is one ring made of gold and the other of silver?" The princess answered: "The silver ring signifies human friendship and affection. That friendship, that affection, cannot be relied upon; it hangs, as it were, by a slight cord which is easily broken. The gold ring signifies the love of God for man ; that is firm and unchangeable ; it cannot be broken." The king praised his children for the good answers they had given ; he gave the silver ring with the silken cord to the prince, and the gold ring with the chain of diamonds to the princess.

Modern student struggles to explain the Reformation

2010-08-21T13:40:00.001-07:00

"...The Catholic church sold indulgences as a form of remission control. Luthar was into reorientation mutation. An angry Martin Luther nailed ninety-fve theocrats to a church door. The Pope's response was to declare Luther hereditary..."

The brilliant painter, Raphael...

2010-08-21T13:35:00.001-07:00

Once while working on a frescoe in the Vatican, Raphael became irritated by the constant criticism coming from a couple of observing cardinals. One complained that, "The face of the apostle Paul is far too red". Raphael answered back, "He blushes to see into whose hands the church has fallen".

Mark Twain's advice

2010-08-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

Once a notoriously tough businessman told Mark Twain, "Before I die I mean to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I will climb Mount Sinai and read the Ten Commandments aloud at the top." Disgusted, Twain replied, "I have a better idea. You could stay at home in Boston and keep them."

Mischief in Manhattan

2010-08-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

Muslim Mischief in Manhattan:

Mischief in Manhattan: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

YouTube - Extreme vegetables - Butternut Squash

2010-08-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Extreme vegetables - Butternut Squash

YouTube - delilah skit by tim hawkins

2010-08-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

Tim Hawkins' take on Delilah:

YouTube - delilah skit by tim hawkins: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

YouTube - Calvinist Witnessing

2010-08-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

This is a hoot, and insightful!

YouTube - Calvinist Witnessing

YouTube - A Literal Interpretation of Genesis 1 Cosmology

2010-08-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

This very young man truly gets what I've been trying to say...

YouTube - A Literal Interpretation of Genesis 1 Cosmology

Have You Seen the Cover of the Latest Time?! « Biblicus Semitae

2010-08-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

Have You Seen the Cover of the Latest Time?! « Biblicus Semitae

Faith and Theology: George Herbert: prayer, language, silence

2010-08-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

Faith and Theology: George Herbert: prayer, language, silence