"Thats not really the same at all"....
I suppose if it was prophesied that gas prices were going to be outrageously high in the last days of the end of the earth....
...if I was to compare that to prices our fathers and grandfathers paid for gas....when they could fill a tank for a dollar, and now gas is around two dollars a gallon....one would come to the conclusion that the end is near....
If this was a precursor for the end of the world, then what price of gas would signal the definite end? Double what you're paying now? Triple?
Prophesies leave some guesswork involved as to whether a state or condition really exists....
Prophesies are subject to interpretation by the reader of such.
Most of these prophesies about the end of the earth center around the coming of earthquakes, floods, diseases and other natural disasters consuming huge resources and causing grief to millions.....What time in history wasn't this true to mankind? This has been happening on earth for centuries....The black plague practically wiped out entire cities.....
Bottomline talking about this soul stuff and religion in general:
Why should my soul be condemned for not believing some doctrine that gives me little evidence to adhere to? Why is all this based in fear...."believe or you shall burn in hell"
I suppose if it was prophesied that gas prices were going to be outrageously high in the last days of the end of the earth....
...if I was to compare that to prices our fathers and grandfathers paid for gas....when they could fill a tank for a dollar, and now gas is around two dollars a gallon....one would come to the conclusion that the end is near....
If this was a precursor for the end of the world, then what price of gas would signal the definite end? Double what you're paying now? Triple?
Prophesies leave some guesswork involved as to whether a state or condition really exists....
Prophesies are subject to interpretation by the reader of such.
Most of these prophesies about the end of the earth center around the coming of earthquakes, floods, diseases and other natural disasters consuming huge resources and causing grief to millions.....What time in history wasn't this true to mankind? This has been happening on earth for centuries....The black plague practically wiped out entire cities.....
Bottomline talking about this soul stuff and religion in general:
Why should my soul be condemned for not believing some doctrine that gives me little evidence to adhere to? Why is all this based in fear...."believe or you shall burn in hell"
Found this on another forum; SOB.com
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from you, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other specific Biblical laws and how to follow them.
a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
b) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanness (Lev.15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense. If I come into contact with a woman who is menstruating and she doesn't tell me until afterwards, must I kill her immediately or can I just beat her?
d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians? What's Trent Lott's position on this?
e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself? Also, is Sabbath on Saturday as Seventh Day Adventists (Christians, like us...or are they?) or is it on Sunday as Baptists and some other faiths agree? I am beset by not knowing who to kill and when to kill them...please clarify this for me.
f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality (Lev. 18:22). I don't agree. I'm also confused about how homosexuality can be an abomination when Jonathan and David were married in the Bible (1 Samuel 18:1, 3 - 4). Also, Ruth's relationship with Naomi is suspect, (Ruth 1:16-17). Can you settle this? Is gay ok - or should I take a baseball bat to a West Hollywood heathen?
g) I know that it is an abomination for a man to wear a woman's clothes or a woman to wear a man's (Deut. 22:5), so does that mean that since my wife borrowed my boxers once, she's going to hell?
h) Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?
i) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27 and even though 1st Cor. 11:4-6 says that it is a shame upon a man to have long hair. Also, my college buddy once shaved his ass on a bet - how should they die?
j) I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves? Also, since it is strictly forbidden to "eat neither fat nor blood" in Lev. 3:17 & Lev. 19:26, does that mean that I must be a vegetarian and must I smite those who choose to eat meat?
k) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them (Lev.24:10-16)? Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws (Lev. 20:14)?
l) Believe it or not, an unbeliever sent me an email telling me that God is an ABORTIONIST? It says, "In Num. 5:11-31, God commands a husband to get an abortion for his wife if he suspects she has been impregnated by another man. A priest is to make her drink a potion and tell her, "If any man other than your husband has had intercourse with you, may the LORD make an example of you . . . by bringing upon you miscarriage and untimely birth." To deliberately cause a miscarriage is to perform an abortion, right? And who brings about this miscarriage? Who performs this abortion? It is the LORD who does so. God is an abortionist. In Ex. 21:22-25, God tells us what to do if a man who is fighting knocks against a pregnant woman. If the woman dies, the principle of "life for life" is invoked and the man responsible for her death must be killed. If she lives but has a miscarriage, then the death of the fetus is to be compensated for by the payment of a fine, as demanded by the woman's husband. Thus, God has revealed the status of the unborn fetus: it is not an independent, full-fledged human life, whose destruction amounts to murder. It is a thing owned by the woman's husband, a thing whose loss, like that of any other thing, may be compensated for with money." How can this be true? I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help.
Anyway, thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging and also for the reassurance that the Bible is infallible.
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from you, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other specific Biblical laws and how to follow them.
a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
b) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanness (Lev.15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense. If I come into contact with a woman who is menstruating and she doesn't tell me until afterwards, must I kill her immediately or can I just beat her?
d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians? What's Trent Lott's position on this?
e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself? Also, is Sabbath on Saturday as Seventh Day Adventists (Christians, like us...or are they?) or is it on Sunday as Baptists and some other faiths agree? I am beset by not knowing who to kill and when to kill them...please clarify this for me.
f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality (Lev. 18:22). I don't agree. I'm also confused about how homosexuality can be an abomination when Jonathan and David were married in the Bible (1 Samuel 18:1, 3 - 4). Also, Ruth's relationship with Naomi is suspect, (Ruth 1:16-17). Can you settle this? Is gay ok - or should I take a baseball bat to a West Hollywood heathen?
g) I know that it is an abomination for a man to wear a woman's clothes or a woman to wear a man's (Deut. 22:5), so does that mean that since my wife borrowed my boxers once, she's going to hell?
h) Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?
i) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27 and even though 1st Cor. 11:4-6 says that it is a shame upon a man to have long hair. Also, my college buddy once shaved his ass on a bet - how should they die?
j) I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves? Also, since it is strictly forbidden to "eat neither fat nor blood" in Lev. 3:17 & Lev. 19:26, does that mean that I must be a vegetarian and must I smite those who choose to eat meat?
k) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them (Lev.24:10-16)? Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws (Lev. 20:14)?
l) Believe it or not, an unbeliever sent me an email telling me that God is an ABORTIONIST? It says, "In Num. 5:11-31, God commands a husband to get an abortion for his wife if he suspects she has been impregnated by another man. A priest is to make her drink a potion and tell her, "If any man other than your husband has had intercourse with you, may the LORD make an example of you . . . by bringing upon you miscarriage and untimely birth." To deliberately cause a miscarriage is to perform an abortion, right? And who brings about this miscarriage? Who performs this abortion? It is the LORD who does so. God is an abortionist. In Ex. 21:22-25, God tells us what to do if a man who is fighting knocks against a pregnant woman. If the woman dies, the principle of "life for life" is invoked and the man responsible for her death must be killed. If she lives but has a miscarriage, then the death of the fetus is to be compensated for by the payment of a fine, as demanded by the woman's husband. Thus, God has revealed the status of the unborn fetus: it is not an independent, full-fledged human life, whose destruction amounts to murder. It is a thing owned by the woman's husband, a thing whose loss, like that of any other thing, may be compensated for with money." How can this be true? I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help.
Anyway, thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging and also for the reassurance that the Bible is infallible.
Maybe if someone could tell us where the different races came from it would help explain some reasonable questions people have about the Bible. How could Christians, who supposedly understand the Bible, blame anybody for doubting the Bible if you tell them the different races stemmed from Adam and Eve. I don't care if you plant ten trillion tomato seeds, not one going to become a habenero pepper. It's silly, fairy tale type stuff to believe all the different races stemmed from Adam and Eve.
And when Cain split after killing Abel he went to the land of Nod to find a wife. Where did his wife come from? Please don't say Eve.
The obvious questions about the Bible must be answered intelligently to believers and non believers alike.
And when Cain split after killing Abel he went to the land of Nod to find a wife. Where did his wife come from? Please don't say Eve.
The obvious questions about the Bible must be answered intelligently to believers and non believers alike.
the odds against life evolving on earth by accident are staggering to say the least.. It is impossible to believe that the complexity involved in every single living cell evolved by accident or happened over billions of years.. There are over 20 different amino acids that are required to make up every single living cell. Despite scientific experiments where they have tried to create these, they have failed in large part every single time. The protein that make up these living cells are composed of long thin lines of amino acids, about one-millionth the size of a human hair. The smallest living thing contains more than 500 amino acids. All amino acids have side groups called atoms (are you still with me, pay attention). Scientist have found that 50% of the side groups of atoms that are attached to non-living amino acids are on the left side and another 50% are on the right side. When biologist examine proteins within living cells, they discovered that all are on the left side only... In other words, all living cells contain amino acids with their side group of atoms only on the left side. When amino acids are produced in a lab, they have 50% of their atoms on the left and the other on the right side. Yet living cells can only contain those solely on the left side.
To calculate the likelihood of life occurring by chance, the scientist calculated the probality that amino acids would form chains only on the left side. The odds against this happening by chance are 10 to the 123 power. In other words it is absolutely impossible that even a single protein could have been formed by chance alone, let alone the staggering number of awesomely complex proteins that make up the multitude of living creatures in the entire world. The only logical explanation for this situation is the instantaneous creation by God..
This is only a mere explanation concerning the basic building blocks of life. they cant be re-produced in a lab. Later i will tell you a little about the power of the human eye.. No way the human eye could have evolved when all the parts separately are entirely useless and until the whole eye was formed there was not any use for it..
As for the races, there is only one race: the human race, your talking difference in skin color.. Minor difference, why are there black dogs and white dogs,, blue birds and red birds.. I could tell you a little about what happened after the flood of Noah.. Read a little about the son called Ham, where he went after the flood and what happened between Ham and Noah. this could shed a little light on the subject.. just being brief, the blacks and darker skin colors have Ham as an ancestor, the arabs and Jews share Shem, and the white (anglo saxons) have Japeth as an ancestor.. Thats another nice discussion to have..
The People's Champ
To calculate the likelihood of life occurring by chance, the scientist calculated the probality that amino acids would form chains only on the left side. The odds against this happening by chance are 10 to the 123 power. In other words it is absolutely impossible that even a single protein could have been formed by chance alone, let alone the staggering number of awesomely complex proteins that make up the multitude of living creatures in the entire world. The only logical explanation for this situation is the instantaneous creation by God..
This is only a mere explanation concerning the basic building blocks of life. they cant be re-produced in a lab. Later i will tell you a little about the power of the human eye.. No way the human eye could have evolved when all the parts separately are entirely useless and until the whole eye was formed there was not any use for it..
As for the races, there is only one race: the human race, your talking difference in skin color.. Minor difference, why are there black dogs and white dogs,, blue birds and red birds.. I could tell you a little about what happened after the flood of Noah.. Read a little about the son called Ham, where he went after the flood and what happened between Ham and Noah. this could shed a little light on the subject.. just being brief, the blacks and darker skin colors have Ham as an ancestor, the arabs and Jews share Shem, and the white (anglo saxons) have Japeth as an ancestor.. Thats another nice discussion to have..
The People's Champ
If skin color in humans is a minor difference then what are the chances of a white man and white women giving birth to a asian. I would say about 10 to the 123 power as well. Your saying it had to have happened, I'm saying it could not have.
Bible study on the prescription - wow!
Sixth day creation was of the races. Eigth day creation of Adam? That's the way I read it anyway.
Bible study on the prescription - wow!
Sixth day creation was of the races. Eigth day creation of Adam? That's the way I read it anyway.
General: the decision as to whether or not the Bible is the inspired word of God is yours alone, this decision will affect every area of your life. if the Bible is true then we are accountable to Jesus Christ, who will judge each of us at the end of our life. However if the Bible is not the inspired word of God, we can safely ignore its commands and warnings about Heaven and hell. In the absence of the Word of God those who search for ultimate truth are like a man searching in a strange country for a hidden treasure without a map or a guide.
General: many individuals who have rejected God and the Bible have a huge investment in their declared posistion of rejection of the Bible. Many people have avoided thinking about God and eternity by hiding behind their denials of the authority of the Bible and its demands for a decision about Jesus Christ. If the Bible is truly the Word of God then every one of us will stand before Jesus at the end of our life to answer for our sins. On that day, Christians who accepted Christs payment of our debt to God through his sacrifice on the cross, will know that their sins have been forgiven by God. their destiny will be to live in Heaven forever.
General: Many in our society today believe that if a person is sincere, this is enough and that God will allow them to enter Heaven. However, the Word of God declares that sincerity is not enough. If you are sincere in your faith, but have chosen to place your faith in a false religion, then you are sincerely wrong. the decision to accept Christ as your personal savior is the most important decision that you will ever make. It will cost you a great deal to live as a committed Christian. The British writer John Stuart Mill wrote about the importance of our belief in Christ. "One person with a belief is equal to 99 people who only have opinions". While the committment to follow Christ will cost alot, it will cost you everything if you are not a Christian at the moment when you die. Jesus challenges us with these words, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul". but you see ultimately the decision is yours..
The People's Champ
General: many individuals who have rejected God and the Bible have a huge investment in their declared posistion of rejection of the Bible. Many people have avoided thinking about God and eternity by hiding behind their denials of the authority of the Bible and its demands for a decision about Jesus Christ. If the Bible is truly the Word of God then every one of us will stand before Jesus at the end of our life to answer for our sins. On that day, Christians who accepted Christs payment of our debt to God through his sacrifice on the cross, will know that their sins have been forgiven by God. their destiny will be to live in Heaven forever.
General: Many in our society today believe that if a person is sincere, this is enough and that God will allow them to enter Heaven. However, the Word of God declares that sincerity is not enough. If you are sincere in your faith, but have chosen to place your faith in a false religion, then you are sincerely wrong. the decision to accept Christ as your personal savior is the most important decision that you will ever make. It will cost you a great deal to live as a committed Christian. The British writer John Stuart Mill wrote about the importance of our belief in Christ. "One person with a belief is equal to 99 people who only have opinions". While the committment to follow Christ will cost alot, it will cost you everything if you are not a Christian at the moment when you die. Jesus challenges us with these words, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul". but you see ultimately the decision is yours..
The People's Champ
JP, the Bible gives the details from Adam to Christ, its the lineage.. every family or race of people were not told about in great detail, the history was from Adam to Christ.. the area your talking about is not crystal clear, neither is evolution by the way... it takes a great faith to believe in evolution... The Bible never states that Adam and Eve were the only ones created..
The People's Champ
The People's Champ
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by SSI:
Xpanda, its either chance (evolution) or its a creator God. something has always been here.. maybe someday we find out, when we die, if im wrong and your right -- then its not going to matter... but if im right and your wrong, well i think you get the picture..
The People's Champ<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
You didn't answer my question. All you've done is say either god created evolution or god just planted us here. I want to know why your version of the universe calls for the existence of god as a necessity as though the universe could not have existed on its own. As improbable as were the series of events that purportedly led to the big bang, what are the odds, in your estimation, of god coming into existence? Would they not be equally as great?
Xpanda, its either chance (evolution) or its a creator God. something has always been here.. maybe someday we find out, when we die, if im wrong and your right -- then its not going to matter... but if im right and your wrong, well i think you get the picture..
The People's Champ<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
You didn't answer my question. All you've done is say either god created evolution or god just planted us here. I want to know why your version of the universe calls for the existence of god as a necessity as though the universe could not have existed on its own. As improbable as were the series of events that purportedly led to the big bang, what are the odds, in your estimation, of god coming into existence? Would they not be equally as great?
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by xpanda:
I want to know why your version of the universe calls for the existence of god as a _necessity_ as though the universe could not have existed on its own. As improbable as were the series of events that purportedly led to the big bang, what are the odds, in your estimation, of god coming into existence? Would they not be equally as great?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
His version calls for a God because the odds of this happening by itself is 10 to the 123 power. Do you know what the probabilty of that happening?
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Pat Buchanan and Bill O'Reilly for the White House
I want to know why your version of the universe calls for the existence of god as a _necessity_ as though the universe could not have existed on its own. As improbable as were the series of events that purportedly led to the big bang, what are the odds, in your estimation, of god coming into existence? Would they not be equally as great?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
His version calls for a God because the odds of this happening by itself is 10 to the 123 power. Do you know what the probabilty of that happening?
------------------------------
Pat Buchanan and Bill O'Reilly for the White House
Right. And my question back is what are the odds of a god existing at all? If the universe's formation is so unlikely that god's intervention is a better explanation than one chance in 10 to the power of 123 scientific model, then I am trying to understand what are the odds of a god coming into being in order to eventually facillitate all of this?
In other words, if a tree just being there without a god having made it is so improbable to you, would it not follow, then, that god, being presumably more complex than a tree, would also require a creator? Using god to explain our existence is only noble if you can use the same 'common sense' to explain the creation of god. (Betcha I can answer the latter question faster than you ....)
In other words, if a tree just being there without a god having made it is so improbable to you, would it not follow, then, that god, being presumably more complex than a tree, would also require a creator? Using god to explain our existence is only noble if you can use the same 'common sense' to explain the creation of god. (Betcha I can answer the latter question faster than you ....)
It's way, way beyond you, xpanda. Can't be figured out. But it's much easier to believe that God did not have a beginning, and has always been. Much easier to believe that, than to believe that there is no God. I won't even try to explain the concept of God never having a beginning, because it's beyond explanation. Science has proven that the world had a beginning, so something had to start it. Either an impossible natural start, or a supernatural one. Not to sound like a little kid, but it's the only thing logical.
It's not just the formation of the universe that is astounding. It's the continuation of life and order for millions of years. There are so many things that would end the world if they were an inch off. The fact that the order and preciseness of it all remains points to a supernatural creator. It's much easier, at least for me and most people I've talked to, to believe in a God. I'd rather believe one thing that I can't explain, than believe in millions of things that are impossible to explain. That all of this "order" is happening by itself.
