PeterS

And here I thought the central message of the bible was love. Damn, no wonder I got it all wrong!

Singularity

I, unlike many, am not lying about having read and studied it, as many do!

I began asking people if they have read the Bible thru and thru about 5 years ago. Surprised me that many ministers and lay "authorities" hem and haw about the fact its not an "easy narrative" and best "studied topically."

Singularity

Thank you.
I certainly appreciate your respectful and on point responses. I'm sure your religion is precious to you. There are more things in the heavens and on Earth than are dreamt of in our philosophies! I offer my observations for the benefit of those searching for the way out of religion induced misery. We who are thoughtfully content with our stuff seem able to join the discussion with passions unfurled but controlled. But as with all emotional topics, one can easily find passions inflamed, as beloved ideas are attacked or deconstructed.

We must allow one another the loving option of withdrawing for further reflection and leave the door open for further discussion once we are once again pressed and tucked.

MsAtta2d Loc: Oregon

Thank you, but I doubt he knows the meaning of 'radiometric' dating. LOL I appreciate your input. He only proves it doesn't pay to talk to someone who has a brain (maybe), but no common sense or real intelligence. Sorry, just had to say that.

Singularity

One further thought. The Catholic Church requires one to believe the bread and water "transubstante", actually, physically, miraculously during every observance of Communion turn into the real body and blood of Jesus. To then eat and drink, faithfully believing, is cannabalism.

MsAtta2d Loc: Oregon

Actually the central message of the Bible is to love "God". Once we do that and obey his commands: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, i.e. the New Law, (no longer those rules and laws as defined in the Old Law i.e. Ten Commandments with all their do's and don't's as they were taken out of the way by the death and resurrection of Christ.), but obeying the New Law which writes them on our hearts and in our minds with our obedience to his Word. And btw, his Word is Jesus. John 1 1-3 I quote the following: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (and vs 14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us".

Singularity

That is "transubstantiate."

Singularity

That is "transubstantiate."

MsAtta2d Loc: Oregon

So what do you think about making it right? If one loves God first, he obeys God's commands to love one another as one's self. Not always and easy task, because people are not very kind to themselves to start with. The Bible says, 2 Tim. 2:15 Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Either you're in or you're out! What's your choice? If you're 'getting it wrong', maybe you should consider getting it right.

Vacaman

This is what the scripture reads;

New International Version
and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."

New Living Translation
and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me."

English Standard Version
and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

This is only a few different translations but no where does it say pretend your eating flesh, it say remember my body that was broken for you with this bread. Symbolic. I have taken communion for many years and never once did I think about bread as flesh. I am not catholic and though I beleive in the catholic" universal" church I don't agree with catholisism as a religion the gets it correct. Nor am I knocking them for being overly ritualistic in many ways for me. I beleive in the saints but I do not pray to man I saint either.
I would agree with you that their are archaic issues with religion but I do beleive in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Really? Flesh? Blood? No wonder you are so grossed out!

MsAtta2d Loc: Oregon

Hmmm - and 1 Timothy 4:1-4 says:

4 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

Singularity

Yup. Really? You never figured this out?

What about Lot, the one sexually righteous man in all of Sodom and Gemmorah, according to Jehovah! How did he treat his two virgin daughters the night before he was awarded this honor? Yuk! Who needs a god that, well, honestly is just plain morally retarded! I knew this when I was in middle school. That I was a better person than this god. You don't kill your own babies in a flood ON PURPOSE! Especially unborn ones! Telling me there were no pregnant women on Earth during the Flood? Don't use Jehovah to champion anti abortion arguments! He does not hold the unborn as innocent! Or he unjustly killed them in the Flood.

Oh dear, the ladies will be upset with my tirade. But my facts are accurate. Check Genesis.The god is an Ogre!

BOHICA

I've said before that you lack understanding. Read this. It's the best explanation of what Lot and his daughters did.

http://www.gotquestions.org/Lots-daughters.html

And as far as the flood goes, the Bible specifically states that everyone on the planet, with the exception of Noah and his family, were just plain evil.

Now think about this. How would any children raised in that evil culture turn out? You guessed it. They'd grow up to be some evil bastards. How could they not, with no one to set a good example for them?

So God was actually sparing these children from eternal suffering. I assume you know what the Bible means about the age of accountability? Well, guess what? Every child under that age went to Heaven. So, how does that make God evil?

Nickolai

There was no technology a the time that would allow Noah to build a wooden ship to the dimensions described it would be thousands of years before men could be able to build a wooden ship that would come within a country mile of a wooden vessel that large

Vacaman

That's funny and in sure Egyptians couldn't really build the pyramids either?