The Light shines in the darkness

[verifymyageful]

there would be no light without dark. god is a man made word… if there is a god it is nothing like the western.. "Christian/Jewish/Islamic" god.

[q7spiz]

@Jesusisthelord02 Yeah, I found it. I thought it had quite a broad context.

[q7spiz]

@Jesusisthelord02 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness

[q7spiz]

@Jesusisthelord02 One other thing: I searched the Bible for the word "Bible" and its not in there. I also searched the word "book" and its not in the book of Timothy. Also, the word "book" inside of the specific books in the Bible, is referring to either the specific book that the word "book" is in or it would be referring to another specific book. The Bible is a compilation of several books.

[q7spiz]

@Jesusisthelord02 All the different books were not compiled as what we call the Bible until the council of Nicea. Further more, the new testament wasn't originally written. It was an oral tradition. Jesus was more spiritual than religious and so should the Bible be. It should be referring to real things instead of its self as a bunch of words that are only words. Otherwise, it would all be talk. People should also have a spiritual experience instead of only talk. Can't read your way to heaven.

[q7spiz]

@Jesusisthelord02 All the different books were not compiled as what we call the Bible until the council of Nicea. Further more, the new testament wasn't originally written. It was an oral tradition. Jesus was more spiritual than religious and so should the Bible be. It should be referring to real things instead of its self as a bunch of words that are only words. Otherwise, it would all be talk. People should also have a spiritual experience instead of only talk. Can't read your way to heaven.

[q7spiz]

People confuse what is meant by "word" because someone passed down their added opinion saying that its only all the literal words in the Bible. Maybe thats not the exact meaning of word. What is a word? A spoken communication that is referring to something. What is happening when people speak? Sound vibrations. Vibrations. Frequencies. Non-visible light.

[aldousjove]

wonderfull, thank you. God bless

[Unitedusa2010]

Total Onslaught- The Islam-Catholic Connection Part 1

[WitnessoftheTruth]

I highly recommend this movie "The Gospel of John" made in 2003 by Visual Bible International. The movie runs 3 hours, and costs less than $ 10.

I have watched it at least 20 x. I have even bought extra copies, and handed them out to folks as a witnessing tool.

[WitnessoftheTruth]

Yes, O Lord, you are the Light of the world, and the darkness will NEVER put it out. The Lord, Jesus Christ is the victor.

"In the world, ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have defeated the world' John 16:33

[Philos2006]

Free will is a figment of the christian imagination. Your actions are determined mainly by your genes and your upbinging . You have no say in either of those factors.

[pagancornflake]

As far as we can tell, there is a genetic basis for personality traits, not behavioral determinants. As for your upbringing, the paradigm is that the human physiology is wired for a reciprocal deterministic set of behavioral heuristics and schemata, verified by mono and dyozygotic twin studies. The assertion that free will is exclusivley christian is asinine, so I wont even go into it

[SWORDOFTRUTH9]

No, they speak of The Son of God, Jesus Christ.

[DonutGuard]

lol they're talking about the Sun.

[redwine65]

no, it's talking about the Son

[DonutGuard]

I see what you did there. Let me rephrase... they're talking about the giant ball of flaming gas that we revolve around.

[DonutGuard]

Zeitgeist? No, it's more like victim of facts and historical evidence. Something bible thumpers usually dismiss off hand whenever contradict the bible/it's convenient for them.

To put it bluntly, JESUS IS A FAIRY TALE, HE NEVER EXISTED, THERE IS NO GOD.

(There's no Santa Claus either. So there.)

I believe in the flying spaghetti monster and his awesome, noodly power. You can't prove that he doesn't exist, therefore I must be right. Same logic... err... lack thereof.

[DonutGuard]

Emptiness? The only emptiness I see is in your delusional fantasies. I see an entire universe FULL of interesting things just waiting to be discovered, explored, and cataloged without the taint of religion erring the facts. Logical reasoning bettering mankind through science and discovery. No more dark age of mysticism and superstition. I also made no such claim. However, anybody who is "uneducated" is inherently so. Plus, it's a Metaphor, without the Sun, there would be no life on Earth.

[DonutGuard]

Most stars possess the potential of a life bearing planet, but life doesn't necessarily mean civilization. The longest lasting civilization on Earth was Egypt's lasting nearly 4,000 years... a grain of sand on the timeline of the Universe. The likelihood of finding another civilization in space is almost nill, but finding life, even microbial life on a floating asteroid, means life exists all over the universe, not just on this planet. God is not dead at nighttime because he doesn't exist.

[DonutGuard]

As for being a smart ass half wit... you're half right... I am a smart ass. But that you can blame on my twisted sense of humor, it has nothing to do with any sort of preconceived notions that my intelligence is superior to yours. I merely believe that you are delusional. Any child who believes in Santa Clause suffers from the same problem, it's just cuter with them, and for the most part, harmless.

[pagancornflake]

"anybody who is "uneducated" is inherently so."

Umm, what? :P

[DonutGuard]

Read the rest of it, genius. If you knew passed your reading comprehension classes in grammar school you wouldn't make yourself look like an idiot.

Thanks :)

[DonutGuard]

To be fair to you though, the guy who made the comment the one you quoted was referring to removed his comment... probably because I squashed it so badly. My apologies for not noticing that earlier.

[pagancornflake]

Well I did read the comment before I posted the reply to it, and I can assure you that it was still up when I was formulating the reply. And guess what... it made no sense when it was up and it makes no sense now that it is gone!

[DonutGuard]

Well then, what can I say? Take up some courses in reading comprehension. I know it made sense, and apparently SWORDOFTRUTH9 thought so too, otherwise he would not have retracted his comments.

[pagancornflake]

"Well then, what can I say?"

Nothing, obviously. Your little ad hominem is weak. I dissected and undermined your post, so you resort to "forgetting" what you said to save face. You have also failed to respond to my posts regarding historical sources and empirical frameworks. For one who talks so much in his profile about reading all the sources before making an opinion, you sure seem to be taking your sweet time finding sources about other christ figures :P

[DonutGuard]

You pick out one phrase in six month post, which was something referring back to an earlier, deleted comment, then lead me around in a Monty Python "Yes it does" "No it doesn't" argument, and now you're trying to call out ad hominem on me? Really?

[DonutGuard]

I'll give ya credit for one thing despite that though; you came with your guns loaded. If you read my whole profile description, you can probably figure out why I started trolling here to begin with. I do like to read all the sources, and I did read something about other Christ/Prophet figures around the time of Jesus, I have to find it again. It exists though, and it isn't from Zeitgeist.

However, I still stand by my statements of the Bible being a book of metaphors and symbolism, not real.

[pagancornflake]

"However, I still stand by my statements of the Bible being a book of metaphors and symbolism, not real."

Agreed

[pagancornflake]

The comments before it were all neatly arraged top to bottom for me to look at, and yeah, I'm calling you out with the ad hominem police. BURN :P

[pagancornflake]

I did. Unfortunately the rest of the post does not leave room for the word "inherent" to be a co-referential term, leaving the meaning stuck as follows: being uneducated (an institutional reciprocal deterministic augmentation of intrinsic abilities and/or qualities) is inherently (existing as a permanent, inseperable quality) so. Unless you made a mistake, that comment is asinine.

I reiterate... Umm, what? :P

[DonutGuard]

It was referring to something that was written in the comment made by SWORDOFTRUTH9. Had he not deleted his comment, it would make sense. *shrug* What else can I say?

[pagancornflake]

"HE NEVER EXISTED"

On the basis of roman pagan historical sources, it is safe to say that he did (at least to the standard of historical deliniation used today). Whether or not he had supernatural ability is another story (as non-theist, this is where the points of contention are)

[DonutGuard]

When you have to handicap your statement, it makes it less meaningful. There were several "christ figures" roaming around during that time. Those Roman pagan historical sources could be referring to any one of them.

Just sayin'

[pagancornflake]

Handicap? How? And what jesus figures are you referring to? Give references please, since I have not heard of them once for the entire duration of my classical history degree, and the info might be useful.

[DonutGuard]

Handicap: "At least to the standard of historical delineation used today." You're making the statement dependent on that condition, therefore handicapped.

Also, I did not say "Jesus figures" I said "Christ Figures" since the term "Christ" is a title, not a name. If you want references then google it, as YouTube does not allow for URL's in comments. There were so many, and it was such common knowledge, that it was even parodied in Monty Python's "Life of Brian." (No, that's not a reference.)

[pagancornflake]

Every statement of knowledge is contingent on a requisite framework or standard for discerning knowledge

[pagancornflake]

Also, you might specify what you mean by such an airy-fairy term like "meaningful",YouTube does not allow for URL's in comments:Send via a PM then, or simply name them and give some information about them so I can go and have a look

[bellaXstar]

lol

[coacaz]

I agree, Redwine.

[Swordoftruth12]

They are talking about The Son, Jesus Christ, The Sun, The Lion. The King, all symbols. The Sun is a symbol of his life giving light, all of creation reflects and symbolizes his majesty, the sun also. Zeitgeisted people stop there, not realizing these symbols for what they are, but worshiping creation rather than creator. Darkness, and night also symbolize a deeper, profoundly evil threat and spiritual condition. These are outward manifestations of inner truths.

[Philos2006]

Not one thing in all creation was made without him. Thank you lord for all EVIL,you created it. Thank you for 2.000.000 illnesses. Thanks for all the natural desastres. For religious strife,bigotry,ignorance,racis­m. YOU CREATED IT ALL. Thanks a lot.

[ILBI86]

Monty Python already did a sketch on that, and better than your comment.

BTW, it's dIsasters.

[Philos2006]

ILBI86:Why not try to refute my argument, IF YOU CAN.Would be more to the point. Peace !!

[TheGreatWhiteNorthEx]

God didn't create evil, but he allowed free will, for only in free will is true love found.

[Philos2006]

TheGreatWhiteNorthEx:Great Idea, except that the bible says explicitly that" god created everything, without exception" Secondly;Isaiah 45:"7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create EVIL: I the LORD do all these things" Peace !!

[TheGreatWhiteNorthEx]

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

[Philos2006]

TheGreatWhiteNorthEx: Great philosphical thinking. Any practical application ? Peace !!

[DonutGuard]

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?

Then he is not omnipotent.

Is he able, but not willing?

Then he is malevolent.

Is he both able and willing?

Then whence cometh evil?

Is he neither able nor willing?

Then why call him God?

- Epicurus

[RainhadoCanto2]

My goodness!! You propose in your profile, that one should "think critically"! Just how do you intend to do this without learning from a book?

The BOOK in question here is THE BIBLE!!

IT IS QUITE OBVIOUS, YOU HAVE NOT READ IT!!

Had you done so, you would have read that God gave ALL OF HIS CREATION FREE WILL!

Lucifer, who thought he knew better, something like you presume to do here, rebelled, and was kicked out of Heaven!

We, OUT OF FREE WILL, choose to follow the Devil! We pay the price!

[DonutGuard]

You assume too much, and take a book of fairy tales far too literally.

Lucifer (A Latin word translated as "The Lightbringer" or "Morning Star") was a metaphor for Venus, which shines brightly in the morning sky until the Sun, God arises, and then falls below the horizon. Challenging God, and then being cast into hell.

Others also believe that this is a good metaphor for something else... the Lightbringer being a metaphor for Logic and Reason being cast away by God and the Church.

[RainhadoCanto2]

WE HAVE FREE WILL!! EXACTLY THAT WHICH EVERY HUMAN BEING ASPIRES TO HAVE!!

OUR MISGIVING ARE OF OUR OWN CHOOSING!!

READ THE BIBLE!! IT DOES HAVE A HAPPY ENDING FOR THOSE WHO WILL FOLLOW HIS COMMANDMENTS!!

Read my answer to DonutGuard .

Matthew 11:

28 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

[DonutGuard]

Free will is merely a perception. We do what we do in order to survive and prosper as best we can. It's instinct that ultimately drives us to our ends. Some people have better control over their instincts than others, and those who lack control often do stupid things.

It could be contended that those with mental and emotional handicaps never truly have free will as they depends so heavily on others to survive. What of them? Are they damned from the start?

[pagancornflake]

The perception that free will is a perception is merely a perception. As far as instinct goes, there is a genetic basis for personality traits, but no other aspect of behavior. Reciprocal learning is the only other answer to how we develop faculties which exert control over our instinctive impulses. If you are talking about causal determinism, determinism is compatible with free will since a person acts freely if the person willed the act and the person could have done otherwise

[Manny535]

Great Narration by Christopher Plummer. Looking forward to the Gospel of Mark.