The rope...

I think it is the way it is. Further I think that no matter who I am talking with or dealing with, whatever I say or do to them will be equated as what I would do or say to Jesus.



Maybe I am wrong--have been before.

alice wrote:

Domenic,

What do you make of the text, "As ye have done to the least of these my brethern so ye have done unto me?"

Matthew 25:40


Is this an original or important part of the Bible?

Just curious.

There are other scriptures that back Matt 25:40. One is 2 Cor 5:20

Thank you.

For those who have studied the history of religion, their take on the Bible is different from those who study religious philosophy.

Man wrote the Bible. To say it is God's word is a bit of a stretch without qualification. To say that it is inspired by God is also a stretch, but more credible.

I agree with what DK wrote as it reflects many of my own beliefs. A connection to a higher power is a personal thing. I don't believe that one requires a third party or a book to tell them how to make that connection, how to worship or how to live their lives. I believe we all have that "still small voice" our conscience that prompts us about right and wrong. I am especially impressed with Ron Kruger's death experience that inspired his book, "A Higher Good." God's Love is all encompassing.
"God is Love" is a short but powerful Bible verse.

Abe F. March wrote:

For those who have studied the history of religion, their take on the Bible is different from those who study religious philosophy.

Man wrote the Bible. To say it is God's word is a bit of a stretch without qualification. To say that it is inspired by God is also a stretch, but more credible.

I agree with what DK wrote as it reflects many of my own beliefs. A connection to a higher power is a personal thing. I don't believe that one requires a third party or a book to tell them how to make that connection, how to worship or how to live their lives. I believe we all have that "still small voice" our conscience that prompts us about right and wrong. I am especially impressed with Ron Kruger's death experience that inspired his book, "A Higher Good." God's Love is all encompassing.
"God is Love" is a short but powerful Bible verse.

I’m not a very smart person Abe…matter of fact I consider myself some what stupid…so please bear with me…I’m confused. You say: "Man wrote the Bible. To say it is God's word is a bit of a stretch without qualification. To say that it is inspired by God is also a stretch, but more credible." Then you say you are impressed with Ron Kruger who says, "God is love," a short but powerful Bible verse."
I'm confused? Are you talking about two different Bibles? One written by men, not God, and a second one this guy Kruger reads from?
Either you are speaking out of bothe sides of your mouth at the same time, or I need a pile. Do you understand what you said? I don't.

Sometimes when the mind is stuck on one belief, the only information that breaks through is what supports that belief. New, challenging information does not make sense because it does not support our own vision.

Different people wrote the Bible. Other sets of people translated it. The Bible's collection of writings is also considered by many as incomplete. Gather a group of people and there will be many interpretations. The Bible was written for a specific time and circumstance. Circumstances have changed. The people for whom the Bible was written previously believed in many gods and had many superstitions and mystical beliefs left over. Because there were many contributors, there are many versions of the same passed down information and many conflicting directions. However, the Bible is still a magnificent document that provides a road map for many people to live positive lives. It does not guarantee that. After all, we are as human as the writers, full of flaws and inconsistencies.

Just as we have inspiration for the words we write, the writers of the Bible surely felt inspired, even though their inspiration produced different stories. Other writers from those times, previous times and present time have also felt inspired and written great documents that have guided people to a positive life.

I believe that all thought is possible because of the life force that dwells within us. We are all capable of greatness and changing the world. Most of us will be participants in this life and leave only a small mark. Others will be revered for their contributions. Some will ignore that small voice within that can become a powerful guide and listen only to the survival instinct that has no conscience, the link to the primeval side of us. Choices are shaped by accidents of birth, parentage and societal experiences.

These are beliefs. Sometimes I admire those who believe differently and are immovable. It would be a comfort to accept a set of ideas and never waver. Thinking about the unknown and not knowing the answers is disconcerting. I wouldn't want to convince another person to share my views; I only want others to consider that many views are possible on this diverse earth - and it's possible that one view might not fit everyone.

If we can focus more on the abstract than the concrete, on recognizing that there is more to reality than what we perceive with our five senses, that there are worlds beyond imagining, we can begin to get a sense of what this Book is really about. We need to think more in terms of symbolic Truth rather than literal truth.

In a symbolic sense, this Book is a work of God, worked through hands of inspired thinkers and observers, who saw with the eyes of their time, but wrote things that still have powerful meaning for us today.

We limit the power of the Work when we read it in a literal way, and see it only as a concrete set of words. It is so much more than that, and the value and power of It becomes more evident once we let go of seeing and using it as a rule book for a single, small group of people.

We call the stories we write fiction, because we make them up. but where does the inspiration for our stories come from? Where do we get our words?
Don't our words come from a place that is deep inside of us? A deep place within that is paradoxically connected to and part of the whole universe (or universes) that make up the totality of Creation? Might they not come from even beyond that creation to its Source?

We sense something, but don't understand it. We attempt to explain it by saying, well, It's like... and so, we find metaphors, symbols that reach toward that stuff we sense but don't understand and have no little words for: the little words that are our attempt to explain and understand that big, profound Word.

John tried to get us there: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

It is the Word that comes from our Source. There have been times when the Word was expressed by human writers and voices, and as long as we remember that they are written representatives of that Word beyond words, they can be powerful tools for us to see into the reality beyond.

But what sometimes happens is that we start to mistake the words for the Word.

And that's when we get into trouble, for when we do that, we limit the scope of the Word, and lose the essence of It.

Ann

dk, What I posted about the Bible was titled:
To those who believe in the Bible as Gods word;
It was not written for those who don't, nor to change anyones varied belief or whatever gives them comfort. Some of your statements are true, and some are not. Those who wrote the bible did not have many Gods, they only had one. It was not written only for a people of that time, but for all people of all times. Gods laws are not band-aids. They are laws for all times. This many beliefs thing is not new. I am a part of everything, God is in all of us...etc,etc, is not new. I am not on a course to change anyone. Believe what you will.
If I can not agree with a thinking that whatever anyone belives is right, it is because I am a stupid person with a very simple mind. If I can't prove something, I do not believe it. Tell me please, what proof do you follow on your theory? Am I missing something?

alj, I have passed wind that makes more sense than your statement.

Domenic, the world was created forty billion years ago. If God created the world, why did he wait so long to write a bible for his followers? If there is only one God, why are there so many religious texts? The first one was written in 2400-2300 BCE. Did all the sacred texts before the Bible lose their meaning? Why did the Bible become so important compared to anything that went before?

We've all seen what can happen to poularise books among the masses (J K Rowling, Dan Brown etc.). Did the Bible become popular the way that Harry Potter became popular? What's the difference? I'm not asking for an answer that comes from your religious beliefs or faith; I'm asking from the rational part of your brain that tries to make sense of why human beings do anything.

I find that many who follow theories outside the Bible are either homosexual, or living other life styles that are against Gods laws in the Bible. They make up their own beliefs to justify their conduct.
The God of the Bible says, ‘They hire people to tickle their ear. (tell them what they want to hear.)

Answer my question.

Shelagh wrote:

Domenic, the world was created forty billion years ago. If God created the world, why did he wait so long to write a bible for his followers? If there is only one God, why are there so many religious texts? The first one was written in 2400-2300 BCE. Did all the sacred texts before the Bible lose their meaning? Why did the Bible become so important compared to anything that went before?

We've all seen what can happen to poularise books amog the masses (J K Rowling, Dan Brown etc.). Did the Bible become popular the way that Harry Potter became popular? What's the difference? I'm not asking for an answer that comes from your religious beliefs or faith; I'm asking from the rational part of your brain that tries to make sense of why human beings do anything.

Shelagh... there is no proof the earth is any older than 6,000 years. I could write a never ending book on facts to support that. You asked why there are so many religious text? for the same reason there are so many religions. Something is miss leading the people of this earth, and doing a very good job of it. Religion, and all these text, are not from God.
You can not go to any religious leader, in any religion, and get a truthfull answer to what the Bible is about.
The Bible from the first word to the last, is simple. It is not rocket stuff.
Here is an example; brain on this one. Have you ever seen someone in a mixed group have a slip of the tongue? Maybe they let slip the N word, or the C word, or whatever word…they put their hand to their mouth…why? Because that is the part they made the error with.
God gave the first man and women sex organs, and commanded them; "Multipy, and fill the earth." They could only do this by having sex. He told them about two trees. They could take of one, and not of the other. A monkey brain could figure this one out...If they ate of the one they were told not to eat from...why did they cover their sex organs? Why did they not cover their mouth?
The Bible says Satan went into a creature, and beguiled the women. Beguiled also means to have intercourse.
In the bible when Eve had her first child, Cain, she held it up and said, “I have gotten a man from the Lord.” Since the Bible was written from the scrolls, it should read the same… it does not. It is a part of the Bible that has been changed. The scrolls read, “I have gotten a man from the angle of the Lord, Sammual.” This is when Adam stopped calling Eve women, and named her Eve, which means giver of life. Cain was not from Adams seed. He was part animal. When Cain killed Able, God said to Cain, “You are a liar, and murderer like your father the devil.” Cain is not listed in the children of Adam.

That is why they cover their sex organs, and not their mouth. The Bible is not rocket stuff. It is simple. Animals were not designed to live for ever. They always died. Since the human race mixed with animal seed, humans die. Adam, and Eve died from a judgment from God, not from animal seed.

Shelagh wrote:

Answer my question.

It's morning here. I have only had one cup of coffee...my fingers, and brain need to connect...lol. Are you a give it to me now kind of girl?

Here is a question for you Shelagh..."Why do you think Satan did that?" I do not expect you to have an answer for that question...but think about the question. It is the key to understanding the Bble.

When backed into a corner, the instinct is to strike. There are two conversations in this post. One is a conversation about the Bible as literal, God's truth. The other conversation is about the possibilities of other ways of thinking.

If a person believes the Bible is literal, God's truth and the only way, it is difficult for that person to comprehend any other thought process. In order to justify the belief, it is necessary to attack non-believers or those with questions. .

That's the way it is. One way to validate a premise is to negate all others who think differently; one way is to label them as enemies. Remove their humanity so their thoughts can be discounted. In some religions, non-believers are called "Infidels" so they can be destroyed. Christians destroyed Indian nations because they could call them "savages;" thus, the beauty of their culture is mostly lost to us. Soldiers are brainwashed into believing their enemy has no humanity so they can murder them.

Personally, I want no part of any religious or political dogma that turns me against any other person on this earth. My Creator did not create one human as distinct in entitlements from another. My Creator included in my very DNA a drive to connect, a need to "know," and an appreciation for for the infinite variety in the Universe and beyond, complete with all its mysteries.

I have no proof that my thought process has any more validity than those with a fixed belief. I admit that my thought process is not comfortable. Proof would make it more so. I do have a collection of experiences that lead me to my way of thinking that include elements similar to those mentioned by Shelagh.

Domenic Pappalardo wrote:

alj, I have passed wind that makes more sense than your statement.

Remember Matthew 25:40.

Is this the way you would address Jesus?

I hope not.

alice wrote:

Domenic Pappalardo wrote:

alj, I have passed wind that makes more sense than your statement.

Is this the way you would address Jesus?

I hope not.

Truth is truth Alice...rather than defend agaist God, you might find it more beneficial to study Gods word before you make a stand. You can't plant a foot on both sides of the fence.

I am not on both sides of the fence. You are.

You have stated the Bible is true, admitted this text is original and important and continue on your merry way of putting Ann down. I call that having a form of godliness. but denying the power there of.



Furthermore, I find you to be totally obsessed with sex. I have never heard of such an explanation. You must have imagined it.



All of this trouble began with a discussion of sex which embarrassed Ann. You enjoy discussing sex, we do not. There is a name for your behavour-- sexual harrassment.



There are laws against it.



Just so you will know.

Ah, Alice, you have said it so well with such brevity. There's a song I love with the line, "every thought is a prayer." As a person raised in the West, many of my moral concepts came from the teachings of the Bible; yet, I also use thoughts from the East.

Dominic is right in the potential simplicity of life. If one believes in God and even in Jesus Christ as Savior and follows their teachings, then the words spoken and the thoughts regarding life itself will be those which contribute to a quality life for all people. We will fail perfection; but we have the opportunity to start over every minute of every day.

Fortunately, many people follow teachings, profits and a God that leads them to the same simplistic conclusion. Think a little about how we wish to be treated, spoken to and respected and follow through in our treatment of others. It is an ancient philosophy that has been repeated in one form or another in many religious documents, East, West and Middle. Words are powerful, both in their meaning and in their impact. As we govern our thoughts, we need to govern our expression of those thoughts also.

323 people have viewed this thread...only a few have made comment. I do understand why.

Religious discussions are always emotionally difficult. They revolve around our very essence. To participate in a discussion generally is too revealing. These discussions also lead to bias, prejudice and hate rearing their ugly heads. People hold strong opinions in this arena, and when those opinions are challenged, they sometimes attack as they defend.

People can also look foolish in their discussion since so much is based on nebulous understandings that come from wrote memory along the way that sinks into our psyche as "truth" even though it might have been someone else's truth passed to us, but not our own.

We are often better people in general than what our words might indicate as we defend a position on line.

I learn a lot from these discussions. Knowing a person's philosophy of life helps in understanding their words and behaviors, their responses to life's challenges. They prepare one for communicating with strangers whose beliefs may be many degrees different.

DK and Ann. I think we're on the same or similar wave band.

Alice, dkc, as Rhett Butler said in the book, Gone with the Wind, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." Think what you will. Should I pass more wind?

Abe F. March wrote:

DK and Ann. I think we're on the same or similar wave band.

The guy who sits in germany, and throws little stones at America...and tells us what a bad job we are doing. Your position with God has been clear for some time Abe...I think he heard you fifty million times ago. Why don't you just come out and say it clear? Maybe don't understand your talking around the corner.