challenging_god

10:32 AM 5/17/2011 · While I understand some nutjob in Oakland has been latching onto this recently for popularity's sake, I initially heard about this about 3 years ago. As I've a hobby of tracking end of the world scenarios, I marked the date and kicked back to see what would happen.

I refer to Judegement Day, which is supposedly this coming Saturday.

Nice thing, as religious events go... Saturdays are usually casual!

What is it with '21' anyway? Even the Mayan thing is on a 21st. People can leglally imbibe alcohol, in the United States, when they turn 21...

So May 21st 2011 is Judegement Day. It's based on something or other, I've got a pamphlet on this somewhere (3 separate versions of which were handed to me at Chinese New Years' a couple years ago) or other but I'm not sure where it is now. It quotes a section of the Bible that speaks of Judgement Day (you can probably Google it) and a mathmatical calculation that includes the correctness of the Roman calendar system to get an accurate calculation of...

...well, this coming Saturday.

Here's the thing, a day is all well and good but it doesn't say when. I'm talking what hour. We've got the day but not a time and what with timezones I don't know if it's May the 21st where I live or in the section of the world the Bible was written.

If that confusing, trip this: in 1986 I took a plane from Boston to India and arrived the day before I left. Yeah, plane took off Wednesday and landed Tuesday the previous day.

As if the 21·hour plane ride wasn't traumatic enough!

As to what will supposedly happen... not a clue. There's the Left Behind theory, which that series was based on, that the 'faithful' will be taken to Heaven and leave the rest of us. Realistically they wouldn't just rise to Heaven, paradise will take your souls but not your bodies. So, to recap, just a bunch of people falling over dead all over the planet...

...although, from my understanding, the original interpretation wasn't so much the faithful as just God's Chosen. Basically, not the Christians. The Jews, religious or not, will all be taken to Heaven and the rest of us are left behind.

There's also those that believe Jesus will return, though that's not a great idea given the circumstances. Supposedly Jesus, who left as The Lamb, returns as The Lion and wages war on the Devil; the souls gone to Heaven in all the time prior battling all the evil of Hell as their armies. The fallout of which will annihilate the entire Earth, kill pretty much every living thing on the planet, and then whatever survives (even souls could be killed before that kinda onslaught) goes to Heaven and the Earth is left a burnt out cinder.

If you watch Supernatural you probably have heard the big showdown is actually Michael and Lucifer. I'm not sure if that's just a convenient story the series latched onto or if there's some actual old testament truth to that or not.

Ultimately it probably doesn't matter. I don't know that this is gonna happen, Judgement Day specifically, don't even know that I believe it. I mean there's still the Mayan thing and that equation Sir Isaac Newton came up with...

...if you don't know the latter, apparently other than 'discovering' gravity ol' Isaac shared my fascination with end of the world scenarios. In an intense study of the Bible he divined what he determined to be a Biblical code that led him to believe the world would indeed come to ane end.

Sometimes in the year 2060.

If I manage a semi·health life maybe I'll be around to see it.

If the Mayan thing or Saturday doesn't do me in first.

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
~1 Corinthians 15:17-19

Next Sunday, millions of Christians around the world will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That means millions actually believe a Jewish rabbi who was executed for treason about two thousand years ago physically rose from the dead and is alive today. This belief is so central to the Christian religion that the Apostle Paul (quoted above) considered the entire faith worthless if isn't true.

So here is the challenge to our Christian readers:

1. Do you believe that Jesus Christ physically rose from the dead? If so, why?
2. Why should anybody else believe Jesus rose from the dead?

Among some of the more questionable things Christine ODonnell (O'Donnell?) has said is her more recent statement that "God is praying for me".

Normally when people are well wishing towards others they pray to God for them. Does this seem to imply that God has a God or Gods? Otherwise it means God prays to Itself, which seems redundant to an extreme...as God wanting to wish good will to someone could be simply It just easily could do rather than try to convince Itself it should.

Thoughts?

The "Fly Away" is from the Psalm of Moses, Ps90:10, which also speaks of the TEN which follows the 3-score (60 centuries?).

They chose their Passover Lamb on the 10th day, Ex12:3.

The Day of Atonement was on the 10th day, Lev23:27.

Now the 10th day of the 10th month of the 3rd Millenium (Day) since Calvary is upon us.

Noah "was perfect in his generations", Gen6:9. From father to son he was Tenth.. Then the DOOR was closed on the Ark.,.

Are we Ready? Think I've read it wrong?


..

10:23 AM 9/7/10 · An ongoing sore point for me has been when anyone refers to Jesus as the 'Lord'. It's not I think him undeserving of the title so much as it is that he didn't want any special treatment when he was alive. He seemed to prefer a simple life and no one to treat him any different than anybody else. So being called a Lord would seem to be something he wouldn't be in favor of.

It doesn't happen often but if some random Bible thumper happens upon me and asks if I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I say no and yes.

Always a fun conversation after that!

I've wondered on this and last night I had an epiphany...or just something random pop up just before I started dreaming. Managed to hang onto it until I woke up so here we go.

Did people refer to God, pre·Jesus, as the Lord?

I think they did and this may lend itself to the confusion. Having had numerous chats about this over the years with a host of people, mainly online, I've learned that where Jesus & God are concerned there's a lot of people that hold to 2 different opinions.

Some believe Jesus was the son of God.

Some believe Jesus literally was God made flesh.

There's not a lot of crossover there. Most everyone I've talked to that hold Jesus was not actually God do not see any wiggle room that he might possibly be, ditto vice versa. I come from a more polytheist bend so that even if you allow for the Trinity, Jesus is still not God. He may be A God, enough other children of deities are referred to as Gods at some point or other, but he's definitely not the Big Kahuna.

So, where do you stand on this? Do you think Jesus is God or just the son of? If God was called The Lord before Jesus was born is it possible Jesus is called this by those that believe he literally was God made flesh? Do you think, my 'no special treatment' thought in mind, that Jesus would've wanted to be referred to as Lord if he had a say in the matter?

On a random only vaguely related note, History Channel presented a random notion I'd not heard before a couple days ago. That after Jesus was executed and rose from the dead, he descended into Hell to free all those that had gone before but didn't deserve to be there. Line of thought seems to be in keeping with those that say only through acceptance of Jesus as your savior you are gifted with Heaven, that all those that died before his birth went straight to Hell.

Even Moses.

I've never liked this idea, and still don't, but I'd never heard this particular myth until just recently.

Thoughts?

It's been a while since someone has challenged God in this community, but I don't have much to offer in that respect, so I'll continue in the way it's been going until someone does otherwise.

If you were to tell me you had no reason to believe in God, I would take your word for it. My experience is not your experience, nor could I prove it to you.

But a couple times here I have asked whether proof that Jesus Christ is in fact God would cause you to worship Him. The overwhelming majority said no way. There are various reasons, of course. God is seen as a tyrant, an abusive father, a slumlord, or plainly a jerk. Whatever the case, many have already decided that, even if His existence were an established fact, you would never serve or worship the Christian God.

Let's assume for a minute that God does exist. Why should He bother proving it to you?

Abraham - Isaac - Jacob

Abraham - Isaac - Jacob - Joseph

( ..more.. )

"Understandest what thou readest? Acts8:30

So, have we grasped how the Father and the Son could actually be the same person?? Can we say "Elementary, My Dear Watson"? -- As Ripley said: "Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction". amen?

If a strange man approached you and said he was the son of God, what would your reaction be?