...until you say that person should not exist. No matter what they say, or believe.
Didn’t assume it. I read it Gen 12:2-5. So the God of the Old Testament is different from the one in the New Testament? Ok so you are a cafeteria believer/nonbeliever? You just believe the parts that suit your life style or your idea of who God is.
I’m not understanding what you mean here.
What makes you think, after what 20+ years, I’d be someone who’d argue with that? Lol
You assumed God said it. And you assumed I believed God actually said it. Two separate assumptions there. Just because it is written somewhere that God says something doesn’t mean He actually said it. There are lots of indefensible and problematic passages in holy books (the Bible included), partly due to antiquated beliefs and barbaric views and partly due to edits and redactions as priests transitioned into new eras. Priests tweak their scriptures and theology over time to accommodate present day exigencies in whatever way that keeps them in power. For instance, you might even write into your scriptures that a Persian emperor is your messiah so long as he helps you return to your homeland and help fund your new temple.
The original inheritors of the Old Testament say yes, it’s a different god. On the other hand institutionalized Christianity says it’s the same god from a narrative perspective, but from a functional and operational perspective, it’s a whole different god. You can say it’s the same god all you want, but the New Testament canon goes to great lengths to negate and nullify Old Testament piety and everything unique about being a Jew, to the disapproval of James and Peter mind you. Now, pre-Roman Christianity (ie Gnosticism), had some very interesting takes on the Hebrew god being a different god who should not be worshipped!
That’s similar to what James and Peter probably thought of Paul. And what the Pharisees probably thought of Jesus. If you’re asking do I have a conscience that I occasionally consult and consider before I blindly accept someone else’s revelation, the answer is yes.
Let’s just say I have significant academic training in 2nd temple Judaism, paleo-Christianity, the classics, US history, world history, and economics. As I’ve said before (in this thread I believe), I accept the label of atheist because I don’t believe in an actual supreme deity as the Abrahamic religions describe. I don’t believe in square circles, and I don’t believe in invisible, undetectable stuff. The fact that there’s still much to learn about the cosmos isn’t a proof of the existence of things we can imagine. Having said this, I’m not a moral relativist though, with some exceptions in cases of extreme cultural isolation. I consider myself spiritual and believe truth can be found in lots of ancient wisdom, scriptures, art, literature, etc., without requiring any of it to be inerrant or divinely inspired.
No I think the passage you noted along with other similar Old Test passages is typical of priestly classes encouraging their community to persevere through whatever trials they are experiencing. You see similar passages in the New Test encouraging the poor, meek, and persecuted followers of Jesus to be patient for rewards in heaven and assurances of eternal damnation for the wicked. I think Zionism is to be distinguished from Judaism despite there being some overlap. And where they overlap is exactly where Netanyahu’s radical Likud Party has been nestled for decades now. It’s the biggest threat to Middle East peace, US security, and ironically to Jews themselves.
Preaching to the choir to reach another audience.
What is this? You've lost me. Cafeteria, as it pick and choose?
He's also a protagonist. He often asked people to think, explain, and rationalize.
Yes, you pick and choose the parts you can agree with/live by and do not adhere to the “whole council of God”. Example, Old Testament, God is angry, even destroys Sodom and Gomorrah for their sin. In the New Testament though, as long as 2 people love each other, anything is ok. What used to be wrong is now ok. Did God change? He didn’t and doesn’t and won’t.
Thanks. Dispensations is (should that be are?) a rabbit hole.
Mountain vs mole Hill.
We are being all being had… Hey ya’ll look over here!!.. While the important things are being ignored..
I'll proffer, we're all reacting differently.
