@rosemarie443 that's fine. i'm not trying to prove anything, everyone has to look at the evidence and examine it themselves. your conclusion different than mine, which is your choice, God made it that way.
although i'm not sure how u can accept Jesus and disregard the bible.
@MrWhyever well i really do not know. can you be assured of Heaven? or is all of it just a sham, something that was talked about years ago to help the people in bondage to believe in something, now you answer that
@rosemarie443 Hello, is anyone home? You very obviously did not understand my comment. All I was saying was that the title "Can You Be Assured of Heaven" has nothing to do with the content of the video.
Tell you what John, you can have the afterlife. I'll take the only one I KNOW I have. Leave this one to the people that care about what happens in this world and not what happens in the next.
@rosemarie443 Then how did you come to the conclusion dat all religions want to be put upon every body? Hinduism is different. In Hinduism,you need to be near god, no matter who it is, so that he can influence your intuitive mind. If intuitive mind is pure, ur rational mind can make good choices!!
The foremost philosophies of bible I.e. "my way is only way" and "my god is only god" are flawed.Also "god is mercy full" do not make sence at all as it do not help society to get away from bad karma.
It is high time people realize that there is no heaven and hell in the universe as per their locations described by holly books...seventh sky..and third sky.. doesn't make sence!! Whatever is is for you is Iin this life..njoy it within moral responsibilities and be happy!!!
Because BISEXUALS are the ONLY ones that can CHOOSE between the 2 sexes!
Im pretty sure SOME of the HETEROS wouldnt like to hear the truth about their REAL sexuality and the only way to battle that is by becoming Homophobes.
REAL STRAIGHT PEOPLE are OK with gays cause their SECURE with their sexuality and dont feel threatened by gay people.
@gilbert4321 I think Benny Hinn has a heavenly time with the donations of the faithful. Ted Haggard got to snort crystal meth off a teenagers cock whilst being the head ( scuse the pun) of the American Evangelical movement.
You dont seem to be too big on the humble people who help the poor in the States , do you? It seems like you get your spiritual advice from people who line their pockets quite nicely with "donations"
Matthew 7:21 - “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."
Benny Hinn is a false teacher... he teaches blasphemy and uses false miracles to deceive people. If you look up the people that he claimed to heal you will see that they are still sick. It's dangerous because he puts his hands on people and they have seizers. He is demon possessed and does the will of satan not God.
@gilbert4321 No he isn`t . Those things are primitive spirit superstitions. The modern term is con man , and he does very well , because he lives in the United States ,where the secular constitution protects him for the taxman ,and he has a giant supply of gullible idiots who think that his showbiz presentations have something to do with mankind`s search for spiritual meaning.
@ilikezappa The church is severally under attack with false doctrine and heretics teaching unbiblical teachings and at the current rate will fall apart. Jesus said in the end times false prophets will rise deceiving the multitudes.
Sin is unable to reach its full level because the Holy Spirit is holding it back but during the 7 year tribulation the limits will be unblocked and this world will see evil destruction that no generation has ever seen.
@gilbert4321 No ,the church will fall because its foundations are based on falsehood. Unfortunately for the church more people are becoming educated. It is certainly true that evil and destruction may befall humanity,but it won`t be anything to do with something called the "Holy Spirit", it will be because Israel bombs Iran ,causing the global economy to collapse.
@ilikezappa I don't think this is an issue of education, this is an issue of truth and for there to really be truth something must set those parameters.
I wonder if we are becoming educated to the point where we are deceived into thinking we know almost everything.
We've made a lot of discoveries, but the more we find the more we realize its more complicated than we thought.
@matthewRwetter I think most scientists would take the view that our knowledge doesn`t even scratch the surface of what there is to know,certainly. It would take the arrogance of someone like Mr MacArthur ,who claims he knows the mind of God and will happily sweep aside the centuries of research in favour of a storybook ,to make that claim. Which has parameters of objectivity in its favour ,empirical research or biblical dogma?
@ilikezappa I don't think MacArthur is being arrogant, since anyone who studies the bible can know more about the mind of God. Not completely, but with increasing revelation.
And what would be those centuries of research that point in favor of a storybook? The bible has actually withstood intense scrutiny over the centuries. I understand the difficulties of believing the bible, but there is sufficient proof (I believe).
@matthewRwetter There is certainly great disparity between the claims of the Bible and the observed evidence. Noah`s Ark or Biology ? A global flood or the Geological record ? Certainly those people who try to claim that science is reconcilable with a young Earth etc always have to present their evidence dishonestly. Look at the pitiful "Discovery" Institute and the way it behaves.
@ilikezappa i'm definitely no scientist, i'm sure you know way more than I do about the topic. How does Noah's ark conflict with biology? Or the flood with the Geological record?
As far as a old vs young earth there are different beliefs within Christianity. I do side with young earth because of all the carbon dating errors I've heard about and "extinct" animals that we've found that are very much alive. Again, I'm no scientist tho.
@matthewRwetter Hi Matthew. Carbon Dating does have some issues ,it is true ,but these are well known to science. There are many other forms of radiometric dating that are very accurate,and you know what ? They all agree from separate forms of testing that the Earth is billions of years old. The geographical distribution of modern species and the temporal stratification of fossils are two reasons to dismiss Noah`s Ark as ridiculous.
@matthewRwetter For instance, why do you only get Kangaroos in Australia ? Did they all hop there after Noah let them go,while all the Polar Bears set off across the burning desert to the Arctic?? Don`t you think a better explanation is that they developed their unique characteristics over millions of years ,due to the isolation of the Continent ? That is what the world`s scientific community thinks .There is no debate in science that evolution is a fact,in spite of what pillocks like Hovind say
@matthewRwetter Speciation , or "Macro evolution" (which is not a term biologists use) has also been observed and documented. I am no biblical scholar ,but isn`t the Noah`s Ark story supposed to be within the last ten thousand years ? How do you account for fossils being temporaly stratified ,for instance ,you dont find T Rex Fossils with Mammoth fossils. You would find them in rocks of the same age if you were right ?
@ilikezappa I have never heard of one example of "macro" evolution that has been observed. I'd be interested to see what you're referring to if it exists. If they really did exist tho we would see millions of transitional fossils for everything that exists today.
Again, there are actually different thoughts on how long ago the flood occurred, but I do side with about 10,000yrs ago. The aging of the different layers of rocks brings up things like polystrate fossils.
@ilikezappa maybe you misunderstand me or maybe I misunderstand. Doesn't the evolutionary process require millions of years of slow gradual change where one species turns into another?
There is a lack of fossils that show this trend. For example: Ape to human would require tons of small evolutionary changes over a long period of time. This would be true for all species too. But we have don't have these transitional fossils when we should have millions of these in between examples.
@matthewRwetter Hi Matthew I guess you should see if there are any biologists in your neighbourhood who could answer these questions for you ,as they are often posed . Don Exodus has some good stuff on YT. I have been imagining I am Jehovah this week. I made some small plasticine figures ,and judged them harshly. One of them didn`t believe in me ,so I put him in the toaster. Hope you are well.ILZ
@rosemarie443 Hi RoseMarie ! Have you shaken off your stalker yet ? I have been watching the Republican primaries for a chuckle. That guy , is his name Newt Gangreen or something? Did he buy that hair ? If you ever wanted to see a dysfunctional sociopath attempting to engender public support for his crazed ideas ,look no further. The "oops" guy was funny too. "Here are the Nuclear codes,Sir. We all have real confidence in your brain....." How is that Midwest winter going? Got snow?
@ilikezappa NO so far we have not had any snow here, keep your fingers crossed, i do not like to shovel snow. it looks nice but is mean to get rid of. well about the GOP crap i don't know about any of them i only hope that they pick one that will beat Obama. i have told 2 stalklers to go sleep it off, so i don't know how that will go. you take care and have a good day
@ilikezappa I'm sorry to hear that you have such a skewed view of God. As a species we have chosen to rebel against Him and therefore have been separated from Him. So bc of this we are imperfect and we are sinners. So in justice God has to punish sin, but in grace He came and paid the price himself.
Atheists choose to reject this and therefore get what they desire, an eternity void of God. Is it harsh to give someone what they truly want?
@matthewRwetter Well ,as an agnostic atheist I reject all of the creation mythologies so far presented ,because they dont have any compelling evidence. The Christian one has nothing more convincing than the Australian Rainbow Serpent story to suggest that an invisible spirit world exists. (And yes ,I am aware that Jesus may have been a real man. So what ?)
@ilikezappa If u r being honest by saying that there is no more credibility for Christianity than a rainbow serpent you haven't even looked at any evidence. It's no question that Jesus was a man. There are accounts of him & his miracles even by people who didn't think he was legit.
Also, there is good evidence for the existence of the disciples and who they were before & after the resurrection. They went from timid followers to bold evangelists.
@matthewRwetter Eternal punishments for thought crimes? That sounds skewed to me. God needs to learn some forgiveness. I will give him some counselling if He likes ,as I seem to have evolved some more modern ideas than God. He seems so stuck in the Bronze Age warlord thing. I wonder why ? It couldn`t be that Jehovah was a mere invention of a pre scientific age ? Just a thought.........(which will be punished beyond any reasonable level I suppose)
@ilikezappa You don't think that our only crime against God is having doubts towards Him, do you? I know that apart from God, there is nothing good in me. I tell you the truth, God has offered forgiveness, but you have not accepted it.
No disrespect, but you can't 'evolve' more modern ideas. The non-existence of a God does not allow a standard of right and wrong ideas. No bar has been set, everyone can be right in their own eyes then.
@ilikezappa If God does punish, He punishes fairly. I don't believe everyone receives the exact same punishment.
You seem to begrudge God because you reject Him and you know that the consequence is hell. Your life isn't over yet though. God is showing you mercy even though you mock His ways bc you don't understand them. You still have time to accept God, if He is real and He offered you that chance, would you want to take it?
@matthewRwetter I would be disappointed if he was real , because it would mean that Humans were unable to shape their own destiny and would be reduced to the level of mere sheep ,or mere slaves of a totalitarian invigilator of every thought you had. That would be horrible. I would also find it odd that God left massive amounts of evidence that the Biblical account of creation was totally wrong. I might ask him why he felt the need to deceive us.
@ilikezappa I don'tunderstand ur claim here. As far as shaping our destiny, God doesn't rule over us & every decision in our lives with an iron fist. We have the free will to choose His love. I've seen that His ways are best.
In my study I've seen evidence on both sides on the creation issue. I've seen enough that allows me to make a choice. I believe you're deceived into believing what you want to believe. You said u would be "disappointed" if God is real, so u don't want him to be real.
@matthewRwetter Therefore you look for evidence to support His non-existence, rather than looking at both sides of the issue in fairness. You don't want God bc you don't really know who He is and what He is like.
ILZ, what's ur first name? U know mine, but idk urs.
@matthewRwetter Supposing Thor revealed himself to you and offered you a key to the gates of Asgard ? What would your reaction be Matt ?
I dont "mock God`s ways " really . I mock religious fundamentalism for its arrogant pronouncements that it is privy to the ways of God ,and its spokespeople ,who are generally without critical thinking skills ,or scientific training. John Macarthur believes crops fail because of witchcraft. He would have been the one setting fire to your granny 400 years ago.
@ilikezappa I'd say that'd be pretty sweet to get those keys lol
I'd join right in with ya in mocking arrogance "in the name of God" Some people are crazy and distort the message of God. I can't back everything MacArthur says, we're all flawed humans.
The reason Christianity asserts some difficult things is because there is only one true God and one way to God. I don't think its right for us as people to condemn others with the truth, but there is a need to point to the truth.
@matthewRwetter I am Richard. What would you say is the best way of establishing what is truth ? I like to think that an organised ,systematic and objective way of scrutinising experimental results,and then subjecting those results to peer review and testing them for falsification is probably appropriate. Having "faith" in a book ,which makes claims that cannot withstand this scrutiny, must come second ,if you indeed care about the truth. Take care
@ilikezappa I do indeed care about truth and I believe that the bible stands up against scrutiny and has for many years. There have been scientists who have switched from the view of origins from evolution to creation. There is a foundation for this belief.
I think it takes just as much faith, maybe even more, to believe that everything just happened. It's amazing to me how perfectly orchestrated everything is. Why do u think its so bad that God could be real Richard?
@matthewRwetter I don`t think the foundations for Creation stack up . They seem very silly to me, and those proponents who claim that science supports Biblical Creationism are always trashed resoundingly . Always. The evidence is so against you on that one Matt ,and ,deep down , I believe you have to know that ,as you are a smart guy.
I am not sure I do believe everything "just happened" ,but Jehovah ? I sure hope not , he is hateful.
@ilikezappa I appreciate your acknowledgment of my intelligence, but I honestly do believe it stacks up. I do plan to continue studying the facts as I hope u will too.
I'd like to focus on why u think God is hateful. That's what I'm really interested in. Because I know Him to be extremely loving. Can you explain that to me?
@matthewRwetter Are you talking about the Guy who murdered everybody in a rage ,who invented Childhood brain cancer , who ,worst of all ,allows Michael Bolton to live when he could quite easily send a plague of boils to him ,instead of making us listen to those bloody terrible songs?
@ilikezappa The Michael Bolton comment is pretty funny lol. But I think deeming God as the inventor of brain cancer is a little skewed. We live in a world plagued with sin and brokenness, bad things happen. I believe that God is with those ppl through the awful pain.
And I believe He killed everybody except Noah and his family, so He didn't kill everybody, right? lol But seriously, if you understood the situation I know that you would have wanted God to rid the earth of this ridiculous evil
@matthewRwetter idk if there is something specific that you're referring to by making the statement, that God "murdered everybody in a rage".
But if you think about the situation of people who are going around constantly raping, killing, and stealing from your family I think you would be pretty ok if God wiped them off the earth.
@matthewRwetter Well ,I obviously don`t believe that Jehovah drowned all those wicked two week old babies ,or killed people for stealing etc ,because the whole story to me is just Iron Age mythology that was spread at the point of a sword ,and only survives in its fundamental form today amongst American swamp dwellers. You know ,the kind of folks who have never seen a cup and saucer ,and think monster truck racing is entertainment.
@ilikezappa you're very skilled at sarcasm, I can see that. And I'm not sure if you even have your biblical facts straight since you're being so vague.
Christianity was not spread by a sword, there may have been some of that, but that wasn't the predominant spreading of the Gospel by any means. I'm interested in talking about some specific biblical events. I understand you don't believe them, point received long ago. But I don't think you have the right perspective on them even.
@matthewRwetter Well ,lets take South America for example. The predominant Catholic religion was brought by people called ,"Conquistadors". They didn`t spend much time asking if it was OK with everyone." Buenas Dias everyone ! Are there any meek people here ? You aren`t going to inherit the Earth after all. Any problem with that ?""No ,we are fine with that..."
@ilikezappa I could address this, but we keep wandering away from what I'm trying to ask you.
What are the biblical issues that you have against God? You said you would be disappointed if God is real. And you called him "hateful". I assume you have biblical support for this idea?
@matthewRwetter Well , it does say in the old testament that beating the shit out of your slaves is just fine ,as long as you don`t actually KILL them. That would be immoral. It is also ok ,apparently, to kill almost everyone on the planet because they are sinners ( but God would have known that when he created man ,as He is omniscient ??)
@ilikezappa I need some context for this reference, are you talking about Exodus 21:20-21?
The second point you're making I believe is that God says in one instance not to kill, but God had killed in the past and would kill in the future? So the question is how is this ok (if I'm understanding correctly).
God gives laws to His people not to murder. God is the only one who can look on a man's heart and judge. If God kills, He kills the wicked.
@matthewRwetter not to be impolite, but are you sure of that statement? does god only kill the wicked? how about young people and babies that are to young to have done anything wrong?
@matthewRwetter I find the idea of eternal torture for not believing in him repugnant. ( well , I would if I didn`t find it silly that John M expects me to believe it when everything else he comes up with is cretinism!) The miracles of Jesus are a bit rubbish too. Why did Jesus refrain from telling us about penicillin ,which would have saved countless babies? We got a fish head and some booze instead. What a schmuck.
@ilikezappa All the good things happened to humanity were inspired by the power which has tendency "to do right thing" for every thing/body. Some people call that power as god!! That power resides in you and me and in everybody but very few people realie it that they have it in them!! Penicillin was one of creations of that power!!
@ilikezappa Choices are yours to interpret certain things in certain way. Jesus indeed talked some good things with high morale. This was the Godly nature within him which made him to do that. I will give him credit for that. Calling him with offensive terms will not denigrate that same nature of Jesus. But is the whole bible the “word of god”?..I don’t think so..
@mountaidew Agree with most of that. Jesus the man said some wonderful things. You don`t have to believe all the spiel about him being God ,born from someone who didn`t shag her husband ever without him complaining ,or any of the supernatural guff that something called "The Church" has constructed around him ,or believe that the Book of Genesis is anything more than mythology from the Iron Age for apes like John Macarthur to believe in, to agree that being nice to people is neat.
@ilikezappa Yes, You can refute those things which do not make sence. Also, it becomes a duty to educate others on the dangers of being pulled into these nonsence things. Those things first destroy your sensibility, take away your intuitions and then rule your rational mind...
@ilikezappa Richard, no one goes to hell because they don't believe in God. People go to hell because they are sinners and they reject Him.
I believe you missed the point of Jesus's miracles. Jesus wasn't trying to be a great doctor. He healed the sick because that's how ppl would be able to see that He was from God. Is it better to heal a man temporarily in this life when he spends eternity in torment?
@matthewRwetter Eternity in torment is a loathsome idea ,that was dreamt up to scare peasants into obeying the church. There is no evidence that this evil regime exists. Even Kim Jong Il only tortured you until you were dead . He seems to be a mild and gentle soul compared to the God you have chosen to believe in. God kills the wicked? You think a newborn baby is somehow wicked? Matt ,that is seriously twisted and you should look at this cult more carefully.
@ilikezappa Woah, you're taking what I said and twisting it. We weren't talking about babies when I made that comment. I commented to Rosemarie on this. If you're referring to biblical accounts this is a response towards the wicked.
Richard, your thoughts on Christianity are VERY skewed. And I don't say that to be rude so please don't take it that way.
@ilikezappa I have a hunch that even if I answer all your questions and objections in a satisfactory manner that you probably still wouldn't turn from your ways and accept Jesus. Am I correct?
@matthewRwetter Turn from my ways? Do you mean no longer care about Human intellectual progress or scientific advancement. That is what "accepting Jesus" means to me. "Accepting Jesus" is to believe that an invisible spirit world, which can be petitioned, controls the world and has a moral code based on a middle eastern desert culture from the Bronze Age.There is no evidence for this. Unless you have something new to tell me ,you will struggle Matt. No offence to you though. Cheers R
@ilikezappa Entrusting your life to Christ doesn't mean abandoning all reason. I've applied God's ways to my life and its way better than when I was doing things my own way
I believe that there is sufficient evidence for the bible, the existence of Christ, and the deity of Christ
God says "you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" There must be desire for Him. To know Him truly, turn from sin, & embrace His promise that He loves us and wants us to be reconciled to Him
@matthewRwetter What is is that stops God from conclusively revealing himself to man ,instead of giving us vague clues ,like Benny Hinn pushing you over and charging you 3000 bucks. Why doesn`t he arrive 50 feet above Times square in a chariot ? We would all troop into church then ,and hear the priest telling us DNA doesn`t exist with more patience ,wouldn`t we? He wouldn`t have to torture us for ever then ,which would save some money on Brimstone..God doesn`t think these things through.
@ilikezappa Sure, God could show up at Times Square and just reveal His glory, but I believe that God reveals Himself to those who seek Him. He doesn't want to force Himself on humanity, He has given us free will.
What does Benny Hinn hafta do with anything? Or the an ignorant priest? If you think the message of God is coming thru these guys you're way off.
@matthewRwetter Well ,according to your "Holy Book" , God killed everyone except Noah and his mates. This would clearly include New Born babies ,and an all powerful being could have chosen a more selective method of mass extermination if He had so chosen. I am not sure that the justification for this act of rage is very compelling. Drowning children because they piss you off may be tempting ,but humans try to restrain their animal instincts ,mostly,when it comes to murder. You worship a monster.
@ilikezappa I understand your concern here. The thought of drowning babies seems completely unacceptable. But I believe in the goodness of God and I know that there were factors at work that we don't know about.
For instance, is it possible that God swiftly and peacefully took the babies lives before any drowning or suffering? Following that they would have went to live with the Lord.
Seems a lot more humane then ridding of the parents and letting the babies to fend for themselves.
@matthewRwetter "Humane?" I am going to kill the lot you bastards for not believing in me ,and after you are dead I will torture you unspeakably for ALL ETERNITY ! MRAH HA HA HA. (but don`t worry , I will be humane about it) It seems like you are a lot more forgiving than God, Matt . Maybe you should have his job. It might be fun. You could wait till Jimmy Swaggart begs for forgiveness and send a swarm of killer bees up his trouser leg.
@ilikezappa He didn't take those ppl off the earth for not believing in Him. He took them because every inclination of their hearts were evil. Their evil desires were so great that God had to take action.
@matthewRwetter "God had to take action"? I find that absurd. Is God omniscient ,or not?
Did He not predict this ? Why should this come as a surprise to a being that knows everything.He can see everything and its consequence until the end of time can`t he? Why does anything anger Him? He created men with the predeliction to have wicked desires. Why not change the blueprint? It makes no sense.
@ilikezappa It's true that God was never and is never surprised by the wicked desires of men. While God knows what we're going to choose (whether good or bad) He has left the choice up to us.
I don't know why God hasn't changed everything. I know one day Christ will return and do that very thing, but as for now He tolerates the wickedness in the world. Allowing for opportunities for us to see our need for Him. He saw fit to make a world where ppl have free will to do good or evil
@matthewRwetter He sounds like a crackpot ,creating some people who have primate DNA ,and leaving lots of scientific evidence to fool us that the Earth is billions of years old , then installing in his creation the prediliction to act immorally ,for which the punishment is horrific torture. The funny thing is people try and tell you He is loving with a straight face. ??? weird stuff Matt
@ilikezappa I've never met anyone who has primate DNA, there are similarities between the DNA of humans and primates.
Again though, you continue to wander off point of what we're talking about. Idk if you're trying to talk to too many ppl and getting sidetracked or you're just really caught up on going in circles.
@matthewRwetter Assuming that you are a member of the species Homo Sapiens,that makes you a Primate,just like every other member of the family Homonidae. If I punch you on the nose you will exhibit a Primate threat response by baring your teeth and scowling. Get used to it monkey man ! It could be worse. My friend Simon is a Sloth ,because he has been unemployed since 1981.
@ilikezappa I'm sorry for some reason I was thinking 'ape DNA' and not primate. I know we're primates. I dunno what I was thinking. Im certainly different than a monkey tho.
@matthewRwetter I have no doubt that you are different to a monkey. You are probably crap at climbing trees , and are not as cute. The genes that make a tail are still present in your primate DNA ,but not active. You have fused Chromasomes that correspond to a chimps DNA. I wonder why God would create you with redundant features that would make people believe this was evidence of your evolutionary past? Is he testing your faith there Bro?
@ilikezappa You're right, I'm definitely a horrible tree climber. Evolution is a theory that was made up by men. I understand your point, but just because there are those similarities doesn't mean I would jump to the conclusion that we somehow evolved from apes.
I have no problem believing that God made creatures with these similarities. Common design could be contributed to a common designer.
Anyways, I thought we were talking about the goodness (lack of in your opinion) of God.
@matthewRwetter No ,the designer would have had to deliberately include redundant features . Some design . Evolution explains this perfectly ,without the need for a japester God. Did God`s designer have some issues? He does have one ,right ? An intelligence can`t come into being without a designer ,correct ?
@ilikezappa Yes, I agree that He would have deliberately included the redundant features. Knock it if you'd like, but there is probably a good reason 4 it.
And, no God does not have a designer. This is a common misunderstanding. Everything in our world has to come from something to begin. Everything on earth has some origin. God, as described in the bible, stands outside of these constraints.
Here we understand things like time, space, etc. But God stands outside of that.
@matthewRwetter Ok , So there are things that exist which we cannot explain and which do not require a designer.
If I was a spotty 13 year old , I might write something cheesy like CHECKMATE ,but I will merely puff on my pipe and try and look like Sherlock Holmes. Have a good day Bro .
@ilikezappa It all had to start from something my friend. And whatever that something is had to defy having an origin. You believe the same thing friend.
@ilikezappa I understand that might be difficult to grasp, since all we know is the constraints of this world God has created for us. But time is a created thing.
I hope I'm explaining that well enough to get my point across.
@matthewRwetter No ,I lived in some other countries ,(including the amazing United States of America) but England is home. It`s ok , but we have 60 million people all jammed in together. If you want to find an empty space it is difficult ,you normally have to go sit in a church ! (Couldn`t resist that sorry..) You live in NYC or upstate?
@matthewRwetter Not many people are religious in the UK. We forced them all to go to America because they were annoying. The churches normally have three old ladies in them and someone with a beard bleating on about "God`s great love". My dad was military so we moved around ,and when I was old enough I took off for the States,because I was attracted to the idea that you could have a machine gun ,and kill whoever you liked if they stepped onto your property.
@ilikezappa you're kind of an odd fellow lol. I definitely think the ppl who distort religion are annoying tho.
I don't see why someone would think that the mission of Jesus Christ is annoying by offering hope, helping the needy, and loving your neighbor. Maybe I'm annoying and I don't know it tho lol
@matthewRwetter Offering hope ,helping the needy and loving your neighbour are just dandy,and a belief in invisible spirits that rule over and mandate Human behaviour is not required to think that. Jesus seems cool to me ,but the people who built all the silly supernatural stuff around him deserve some challenging. Being kind and acting morally is one thing ,claiming that the world is a few thousand years old when it isn`t and you know it, is reprehensible.
@ilikezappa I agree that it is possible to still do those things without being a Christian, people might be less motivated by just their own intentions, but none the less obviously possible.
Also, believing the earth is only a few thousand years isn't a necessity to becoming a Christian. There are plenty of ppl who don't see eye to eye on this.
@ilikezappa And I don't think anyone who is claiming the earth is only thousands of years old is trying to pull some sort of a con. You may think that we're misguided, but "reprehensible" is a strong word to use for someone's belief regarding how many birthdays the earth has had.
@matthewRwetter Well ,it is only reprehensible if you are not thick as pigshit. If you live in a trailer with alcoholic abusive parents and you regularly got hit around the head with a 2 by 4 then you could be forgiven for being so messed up that you are unable to assimilate any knowledge. Otherwise ,you have no excuse for your lack of critical thinking skills. The world is billions of years old. The evidence is unassailable.
@matthewRwetter No ,I told you I think you are alright ,but you need to examine the evidence with more objectivity,because you are in the same position as wanting to challenge the consensus that the world is round.
@matthewRwetter can you tell me that God took the 2 boys before their father hit them in the neck with a axe, and then set them on fire? now i am on another blog that demands proof of God, can you give me any news items that prove that there is a God or do we have to do this all on a theory
@rosemarie443 Not sure I know what you're referring to about the father and 2 boys, maybe a recent event? Are you blaming God for what a man did? Do u not think we are responsible for our own actions?
And you're looking for something that was in the news that proves the existence of God? Prove is a difficult word. I believe I can name some that point to his existence, but I don't think there are any news articles that can necessarily prove His existence conclusively.
@matthewRwetter NO i am not blaming God for what happened. but i hope that God will accept the children home to him. please give me all the proof that you can, i am on another blog that demands proof of God. you see there are too many people that only believe in science.
@rosemarie443 I can tell you that God has accepted those children home with Him. There is so much proof that I'm not sure where to start. Would it help if I recommended some resources or do u want me to just start listing stuff off?
@matthewRwetter NO sir, what i would like to have you do is prove to me that the 40 mens that wrote the bible did not add thoughts of there own. you do know that God did not fax his thougt down to moses. i don't need a list, what i want is proof. i have studied religion for the last 50 years, and i have stiudied darwins theory. both are theorys
@rosemarie443 So what you're looking for is evidence that separates the bible from other religious books? Evidence that supports that the bible is the word of God?
@matthewRwetter NO that is not what i am looking for, i have read several bibles from other religions, i know what the bibles are all about and i also know that in the king james bible there are 13 books missing. the bible is not the word of God, it was written by 40 men. science and religion are both theorys
@rosemarie443 Uh, there is only one bible and that's found in the Christian faith. No other religious book is called the bible. Also, the King James isn't missing 13 books.
The Roman Catholic bible has an additional 11 books. For someone who claims to be an expert you don't seem to have your facts straight.
You also don't seem to be asking me anything. You said you wanted proof for something and then you tell me don't and that these things are just theorys. What do u want?
@matthewRwetter yes King James bible is missing 13 books, they are found in some of the catholic bibles. what i want proof of is that the bible is true. can you tell me that the bible was written by God, or is the bible just a book written by 40 men that had ideas of their own. and you are wrong again there are several bibles in the christian faith, you just have never seen them. learn to read about yout faith.
@rosemarie443 Ah, ok, there are several bibles in the Christian faith. They're different translations. I was obviously confused about what you were saying. I think I was tired when I responded, my apologies. Hopefully my thoughts will be more together at this hour.
Yes, the bibles used by the Protestants (me included) have less books than the ones used by the Catholics. We don't consider those scriptures to be God inspired.
@matthewRwetter that OK i hope you are feeling now. well in the missing 13 books were not God inspired then the rest of the bible is not God inspired also. i will tell you in advance that i have studied religion for about 60 years, took 3 courses in college on religion, and have stumped several religious men with my questions, and nobody has been able to answer my question yet. lots of luck, take care
@rosemarie443 I look forward to your questions. And your statement that if the 13 books that are not in the protestant bibles are not God inspired then neither is the books that were kept is a false statement and has no foundation. How do you figure this?
@matthewRwetter NO it is not a false statement, it is the truth. like i said can you prove to me that the bible is something from God or just the ideas of 40 men. How do you figure that the bible is the word of God and not men
@rosemarie443 You tell me how that is a logical statement. You're basically saying that if 2 ppl told you something and then a 3rd person told you something else they all lied and you can't believe any of them. It doesn't make logical sense to just say, oh there are 13 books in the Catholic bible and not in the Protestant bible so I don't believe any of it.
I understand how maybe the selection of these texts could cause question, but not the absence of them.
@matthewRwetter well i can tell you have never called a bank or other firms for a answer. you call 3 times and talk to different people and you get 3 different answers. yes there were supposed to be 13 books of the original bible that were not put into the king james version. have you ever read them? well i have
@rosemarie443 I actually have not read those other books, might be a good idea for me to do some research on that further.
So its kind of a loss cause to address that with me right now. I'm not defending those books as God's word, so you should address the books that I do with your questions :)
@rosemarie443 I actually have not read those other books, might be a good idea for me to do some research on that further.
So its kind of a loss cause to address that with me right now. I'm not defending those books as God's word, so you should address the books that I do with your questions :)
@rosemarie443 If anything, that means there is less to defend from the Protestant angle. We don't hafta to talk about those 13 books, we can just talk about the 66 that I believe to be God's word.
@matthewRwetter you believe God Wrote, and just how did he do that. did he fax his message to earth. or did he just come down to earth and use a pen and paper? i have a blog going that askes me for proof that God does exist. now can you give me any proof to tell him that God is real. i already know what i think but he will not accept that as a answer
@rosemarie443 well, unfortunately not everyone will accept the testimony about God. I believe He has given us a free will to choose Him or reject Him. Sadly, many are rejecting Him today.
If you don't believe the bible is God's word, you probably will have trouble accepting how God delivered His message and formed the bible. I'll try my best to explain it well tho.
@matthewRwetter what testimony? I believe in God and Jesus and i always will but can you prove to me that the bible is really HIS word, or just the idea that a few men had at that time. you see this is the problelm, the bible has been rewritten so many time and turned into the King James bible that i can not believe in it. Now i know that God did not fax down his ideas to the men. so they had to take it upon themselves to write what they thought he wanted to say
@rosemarie443 I believe that the bible was written thru the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The spirit gave these revelations of God to men. Then these God fearing men wrote them down. The only time God physically wrote anything himself was with the ten commandments which He etched in stone.
Then you have books in the bible, like the gospels, that (while still thru the holy spirit's inspiration) we eye witness accounts of people who saw the ministry of Jesus.
@matthewRwetter well sir do U know who the holiy spirit is. it is you wife, your friend, it is sombody that you can talk to. how do you know that the men that wrote the bible were God fearing? maybe they were men of that time that only took advantage of the people, have you ever stopped to question the men that wrote the bible. yes the pictures that were painted about the commmandments were supposed to be from God, right or wrong?but if Uhave read the bible U know that there are 13 books missing
@rosemarie443 Yeah, the holy spirit in essence is God. Biblically speaking God is triune in nature. Idk why u keep bringing up these 13 books, u seem a bit stuck on this.
I'm trying to express to u that I believe the scriptures r the words of God for many reasons. I've applied them to my life and seen the truth of them, the authors clearly knew things that they couldn't have known themselves, and there is unbelievable agreement between all of these authors writings (most of them never even met)
@rosemarie443 well, now that you've brought up the point, I will research y the books were excluded more. But, to my understanding the books were removed from the Protestant bibles bc they were determined to not be the authoritative word of God.
When putting together the bible there was a certain criteria that was set when evaluating the scriptures and determining their validity. I only know of the 7 excluded, called the Apocrypha.
@matthewRwetter well not of the books in the bible are not authoritative word of God. the entire bible is the word of man. maybe in those 13 books something was said that nobody liked, maybe things were different than the other books? who knows why they are not there. like i keep telling you the bible was written by man not God.
@matthewRwetter NO, i am just hoping that the bible might be correct. you see i have read the missing 13 chapters, they are in the old catholic bible. like i have said jiust how much is missing in the King James verison of the bible. i have studied religion for about 50 years, and i still have a lot of questions that nobody can answer. I have talked to a lot of important people of faith, and they can't answer my questions either. buit maybe you an try, lot of luck
@rosemarie443 Ok, I think I understand more where you're coming from. So I want to reintroduce the first point I was trying to use to answer your question "how do you know that the bible is from God and not just written by men?"
Proof #1: The bible predicted future events that could not have been known or guessed by any mere instance of chance.
@matthewRwetter after reading about 10 bibles i have come to the idea that the men at that time were printing things to help the peoplel in bondage, to give them hope that they would live. now can you tell me different
@rosemarie443 For example, if I said: God told me that you are going to live to be 170 yrs old & on ur 168th birthday 4 countries will go 2 war that very day with exactly 328 casualties total from those wars. That day, the temp high will be 84 in ur hometown & will rain between 2:04-3:07pm & be sunny the rest of the day
The shear odds of me being correct on 1 of those points is probably astronomical! But, if somehow they ALL came true, might you believe what I said actually came from God?
@matthewRwetter No i would not believe that God told you to make those guessses. I do believe in God and Jesus. like i said it is the bible that i do not trust. i have read several different bibles and all have been written by man.
@matthewRwetter Because like i told you the bible was written by man and then translated about 5 times and 13 books were left out of the King James version, (they are still in some of the catholic bibles) how are we to know that the men that wrote the bible were not just trying to take advantage of the people of that time who were slaves and needed to believe in something. were these men trust worthy or where they like Judas. only in it for the money.yes these men all got paid for their thoughts
@rosemarie443 Thanks for your response Rose, but that has nothing to do with what I asked you. It doesn't seem like you actually want me to answer your questions.
And when you say that the bible was just written by men, that's your opinion. That's fine if that is your opinion, but I believe differently and I have reasons for that. I thought you were asking me to explain those reasons, but it seems like you just want to tell me about these 13 books and tell me your opinion.
@matthewRwetter i answered all the questions that you asked me. now can you answer the question that i asked you. stop hedging, you seem to be walking around my question like you have no real proof that the bible was written by God, which it wasn't, and you have no proof that the men that wrote the bible were not writting their own thoughts. you are trying to baffle me with bullsh23t
@rosemarie443 Rose, I'm not sure why you're getting upset. Didn't have a chance this weekend to write back to you.
I think I'm doing anything but dodging your question and I'm certainly not trying to baffle you. I've tried a couple times to explain my first point only for you to disregard what I'm saying.
@rosemarie443 I have seen overwhelming evidence for the credibility of the bible. I believe that the bible is trustworthy based on its historical accuracy, its prophetic accuracy, its origins and response of the original followers
It is clear that Jesus Christ existed, His miracles were recorded not only in the bible, but also recorded by those who opposed Him.
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@rosemarie443 that's fine. i'm not trying to prove anything, everyone has to look at the evidence and examine it themselves. your conclusion different than mine, which is your choice, God made it that way.
although i'm not sure how u can accept Jesus and disregard the bible.
matthewRwetter 2 days ago
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matthewRwetter 2 days ago
How did any of that answer the question "Can You Be Assured of Heaven?"?
MrWhyever 1 week ago
@MrWhyever well i really do not know. can you be assured of Heaven? or is all of it just a sham, something that was talked about years ago to help the people in bondage to believe in something, now you answer that
rosemarie443 1 week ago
@rosemarie443 Hello, is anyone home? You very obviously did not understand my comment. All I was saying was that the title "Can You Be Assured of Heaven" has nothing to do with the content of the video.
MrWhyever 1 week ago
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rosemarie443 1 week ago
Tell you what John, you can have the afterlife. I'll take the only one I KNOW I have. Leave this one to the people that care about what happens in this world and not what happens in the next.
sleach060689 2 weeks ago
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mountaidew 3 weeks ago
@rosemarie443 Looks like you did not study dharmic religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism...there is much more to it than you think
mountaidew 3 weeks ago
@mountaidew sorry sir but when i took the 3 courses on religiions in college we studied all of them
rosemarie443 3 weeks ago
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@rosemarie443 Then how did you come to the conclusion dat all religions want to be put upon every body? Hinduism is different. In Hinduism,you need to be near god, no matter who it is, so that he can influence your intuitive mind. If intuitive mind is pure, ur rational mind can make good choices!!
mountaidew 3 weeks ago
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mountaidew 3 weeks ago
The foremost philosophies of bible I.e. "my way is only way" and "my god is only god" are flawed.Also "god is mercy full" do not make sence at all as it do not help society to get away from bad karma.
mountaidew 3 weeks ago
It is high time people realize that there is no heaven and hell in the universe as per their locations described by holly books...seventh sky..and third sky.. doesn't make sence!! Whatever is is for you is Iin this life..njoy it within moral responsibilities and be happy!!!
mountaidew 3 weeks ago
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JOHN MACARTHUR IS BISEXUAL !!!!!
PEOPLE WHO SAY that being GAY IS A CHOICE
MEANS that THEYRE BISEXUAL!
Because BISEXUALS are the ONLY ones that can CHOOSE between the 2 sexes!
Im pretty sure SOME of the HETEROS wouldnt like to hear the truth about their REAL sexuality and the only way to battle that is by becoming Homophobes.
REAL STRAIGHT PEOPLE are OK with gays cause their SECURE with their sexuality and dont feel threatened by gay people.
NuLaifMusic 2 months ago
Yup ,sound plausible , where do I mail the money?
ilikezappa 4 months ago
@ilikezappa Churches are run by donation. If a religious group forces you to donate they are a cult.
gilbert4321 3 months ago
@gilbert4321 I think Benny Hinn has a heavenly time with the donations of the faithful. Ted Haggard got to snort crystal meth off a teenagers cock whilst being the head ( scuse the pun) of the American Evangelical movement.
You dont seem to be too big on the humble people who help the poor in the States , do you? It seems like you get your spiritual advice from people who line their pockets quite nicely with "donations"
ilikezappa 3 months ago
@ilikezappa
Matthew 7:21 - “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."
Benny Hinn is a false teacher... he teaches blasphemy and uses false miracles to deceive people. If you look up the people that he claimed to heal you will see that they are still sick. It's dangerous because he puts his hands on people and they have seizers. He is demon possessed and does the will of satan not God.
gilbert4321 3 months ago
@gilbert4321 No he isn`t . Those things are primitive spirit superstitions. The modern term is con man , and he does very well , because he lives in the United States ,where the secular constitution protects him for the taxman ,and he has a giant supply of gullible idiots who think that his showbiz presentations have something to do with mankind`s search for spiritual meaning.
ilikezappa 3 months ago
@ilikezappa The church is severally under attack with false doctrine and heretics teaching unbiblical teachings and at the current rate will fall apart. Jesus said in the end times false prophets will rise deceiving the multitudes.
Sin is unable to reach its full level because the Holy Spirit is holding it back but during the 7 year tribulation the limits will be unblocked and this world will see evil destruction that no generation has ever seen.
gilbert4321 3 months ago
@gilbert4321 No ,the church will fall because its foundations are based on falsehood. Unfortunately for the church more people are becoming educated. It is certainly true that evil and destruction may befall humanity,but it won`t be anything to do with something called the "Holy Spirit", it will be because Israel bombs Iran ,causing the global economy to collapse.
ilikezappa 3 months ago
@ilikezappa I don't think this is an issue of education, this is an issue of truth and for there to really be truth something must set those parameters.
I wonder if we are becoming educated to the point where we are deceived into thinking we know almost everything.
We've made a lot of discoveries, but the more we find the more we realize its more complicated than we thought.
matthewRwetter 2 months ago
@matthewRwetter I think most scientists would take the view that our knowledge doesn`t even scratch the surface of what there is to know,certainly. It would take the arrogance of someone like Mr MacArthur ,who claims he knows the mind of God and will happily sweep aside the centuries of research in favour of a storybook ,to make that claim. Which has parameters of objectivity in its favour ,empirical research or biblical dogma?
ilikezappa 1 month ago
@ilikezappa I don't think MacArthur is being arrogant, since anyone who studies the bible can know more about the mind of God. Not completely, but with increasing revelation.
And what would be those centuries of research that point in favor of a storybook? The bible has actually withstood intense scrutiny over the centuries. I understand the difficulties of believing the bible, but there is sufficient proof (I believe).
matthewRwetter 1 month ago
@matthewRwetter There is certainly great disparity between the claims of the Bible and the observed evidence. Noah`s Ark or Biology ? A global flood or the Geological record ? Certainly those people who try to claim that science is reconcilable with a young Earth etc always have to present their evidence dishonestly. Look at the pitiful "Discovery" Institute and the way it behaves.
ilikezappa 1 month ago
@ilikezappa i'm definitely no scientist, i'm sure you know way more than I do about the topic. How does Noah's ark conflict with biology? Or the flood with the Geological record?
As far as a old vs young earth there are different beliefs within Christianity. I do side with young earth because of all the carbon dating errors I've heard about and "extinct" animals that we've found that are very much alive. Again, I'm no scientist tho.
matthewRwetter 1 month ago
@matthewRwetter Hi Matthew. Carbon Dating does have some issues ,it is true ,but these are well known to science. There are many other forms of radiometric dating that are very accurate,and you know what ? They all agree from separate forms of testing that the Earth is billions of years old. The geographical distribution of modern species and the temporal stratification of fossils are two reasons to dismiss Noah`s Ark as ridiculous.
ilikezappa 1 month ago
@matthewRwetter For instance, why do you only get Kangaroos in Australia ? Did they all hop there after Noah let them go,while all the Polar Bears set off across the burning desert to the Arctic?? Don`t you think a better explanation is that they developed their unique characteristics over millions of years ,due to the isolation of the Continent ? That is what the world`s scientific community thinks .There is no debate in science that evolution is a fact,in spite of what pillocks like Hovind say
ilikezappa 1 month ago
@ilikezappa Again, I'm no scientist. I do know evolution is a fact, but I only know it as a fact from what some deem as 'micro evolution'.
So isn't it possible that these original animals evolved as they spread out and encountered their surroundings?
matthewRwetter 1 month ago
@matthewRwetter Speciation , or "Macro evolution" (which is not a term biologists use) has also been observed and documented. I am no biblical scholar ,but isn`t the Noah`s Ark story supposed to be within the last ten thousand years ? How do you account for fossils being temporaly stratified ,for instance ,you dont find T Rex Fossils with Mammoth fossils. You would find them in rocks of the same age if you were right ?
ilikezappa 1 month ago
@ilikezappa I have never heard of one example of "macro" evolution that has been observed. I'd be interested to see what you're referring to if it exists. If they really did exist tho we would see millions of transitional fossils for everything that exists today.
Again, there are actually different thoughts on how long ago the flood occurred, but I do side with about 10,000yrs ago. The aging of the different layers of rocks brings up things like polystrate fossils.
matthewRwetter 1 month ago
@matthewRwetter PS ALL fossils are transitional
ilikezappa 1 month ago
@ilikezappa maybe you misunderstand me or maybe I misunderstand. Doesn't the evolutionary process require millions of years of slow gradual change where one species turns into another?
There is a lack of fossils that show this trend. For example: Ape to human would require tons of small evolutionary changes over a long period of time. This would be true for all species too. But we have don't have these transitional fossils when we should have millions of these in between examples.
matthewRwetter 1 month ago
@matthewRwetter Hi Matthew I guess you should see if there are any biologists in your neighbourhood who could answer these questions for you ,as they are often posed . Don Exodus has some good stuff on YT. I have been imagining I am Jehovah this week. I made some small plasticine figures ,and judged them harshly. One of them didn`t believe in me ,so I put him in the toaster. Hope you are well.ILZ
ilikezappa 1 month ago
@ilikezappa HI young man, now how could you treat your toaster that way?? take care
rosemarie443 1 month ago
@rosemarie443 Hi RoseMarie ! Have you shaken off your stalker yet ? I have been watching the Republican primaries for a chuckle. That guy , is his name Newt Gangreen or something? Did he buy that hair ? If you ever wanted to see a dysfunctional sociopath attempting to engender public support for his crazed ideas ,look no further. The "oops" guy was funny too. "Here are the Nuclear codes,Sir. We all have real confidence in your brain....." How is that Midwest winter going? Got snow?
ilikezappa 1 month ago
@ilikezappa NO so far we have not had any snow here, keep your fingers crossed, i do not like to shovel snow. it looks nice but is mean to get rid of. well about the GOP crap i don't know about any of them i only hope that they pick one that will beat Obama. i have told 2 stalklers to go sleep it off, so i don't know how that will go. you take care and have a good day
rosemarie443 1 month ago
@ilikezappa I'm sorry to hear that you have such a skewed view of God. As a species we have chosen to rebel against Him and therefore have been separated from Him. So bc of this we are imperfect and we are sinners. So in justice God has to punish sin, but in grace He came and paid the price himself.
Atheists choose to reject this and therefore get what they desire, an eternity void of God. Is it harsh to give someone what they truly want?
matthewRwetter 1 month ago
@matthewRwetter Well ,as an agnostic atheist I reject all of the creation mythologies so far presented ,because they dont have any compelling evidence. The Christian one has nothing more convincing than the Australian Rainbow Serpent story to suggest that an invisible spirit world exists. (And yes ,I am aware that Jesus may have been a real man. So what ?)
ilikezappa 1 month ago
@ilikezappa If u r being honest by saying that there is no more credibility for Christianity than a rainbow serpent you haven't even looked at any evidence. It's no question that Jesus was a man. There are accounts of him & his miracles even by people who didn't think he was legit.
Also, there is good evidence for the existence of the disciples and who they were before & after the resurrection. They went from timid followers to bold evangelists.
matthewRwetter 1 month ago
@matthewRwetter Eternal punishments for thought crimes? That sounds skewed to me. God needs to learn some forgiveness. I will give him some counselling if He likes ,as I seem to have evolved some more modern ideas than God. He seems so stuck in the Bronze Age warlord thing. I wonder why ? It couldn`t be that Jehovah was a mere invention of a pre scientific age ? Just a thought.........(which will be punished beyond any reasonable level I suppose)
ilikezappa 1 month ago
@ilikezappa You don't think that our only crime against God is having doubts towards Him, do you? I know that apart from God, there is nothing good in me. I tell you the truth, God has offered forgiveness, but you have not accepted it.
No disrespect, but you can't 'evolve' more modern ideas. The non-existence of a God does not allow a standard of right and wrong ideas. No bar has been set, everyone can be right in their own eyes then.
matthewRwetter 1 month ago
@ilikezappa If God does punish, He punishes fairly. I don't believe everyone receives the exact same punishment.
You seem to begrudge God because you reject Him and you know that the consequence is hell. Your life isn't over yet though. God is showing you mercy even though you mock His ways bc you don't understand them. You still have time to accept God, if He is real and He offered you that chance, would you want to take it?
matthewRwetter 1 month ago
@matthewRwetter I would be disappointed if he was real , because it would mean that Humans were unable to shape their own destiny and would be reduced to the level of mere sheep ,or mere slaves of a totalitarian invigilator of every thought you had. That would be horrible. I would also find it odd that God left massive amounts of evidence that the Biblical account of creation was totally wrong. I might ask him why he felt the need to deceive us.
ilikezappa 1 month ago
@ilikezappa I don'tunderstand ur claim here. As far as shaping our destiny, God doesn't rule over us & every decision in our lives with an iron fist. We have the free will to choose His love. I've seen that His ways are best.
In my study I've seen evidence on both sides on the creation issue. I've seen enough that allows me to make a choice. I believe you're deceived into believing what you want to believe. You said u would be "disappointed" if God is real, so u don't want him to be real.
matthewRwetter 1 month ago
@matthewRwetter Therefore you look for evidence to support His non-existence, rather than looking at both sides of the issue in fairness. You don't want God bc you don't really know who He is and what He is like.
ILZ, what's ur first name? U know mine, but idk urs.
matthewRwetter 1 month ago
@matthewRwetter Supposing Thor revealed himself to you and offered you a key to the gates of Asgard ? What would your reaction be Matt ?
I dont "mock God`s ways " really . I mock religious fundamentalism for its arrogant pronouncements that it is privy to the ways of God ,and its spokespeople ,who are generally without critical thinking skills ,or scientific training. John Macarthur believes crops fail because of witchcraft. He would have been the one setting fire to your granny 400 years ago.
ilikezappa 1 month ago
@ilikezappa I'd say that'd be pretty sweet to get those keys lol
I'd join right in with ya in mocking arrogance "in the name of God" Some people are crazy and distort the message of God. I can't back everything MacArthur says, we're all flawed humans.
The reason Christianity asserts some difficult things is because there is only one true God and one way to God. I don't think its right for us as people to condemn others with the truth, but there is a need to point to the truth.
matthewRwetter 1 month ago
@matthewRwetter I am Richard. What would you say is the best way of establishing what is truth ? I like to think that an organised ,systematic and objective way of scrutinising experimental results,and then subjecting those results to peer review and testing them for falsification is probably appropriate. Having "faith" in a book ,which makes claims that cannot withstand this scrutiny, must come second ,if you indeed care about the truth. Take care
ilikezappa 1 month ago
@ilikezappa I do indeed care about truth and I believe that the bible stands up against scrutiny and has for many years. There have been scientists who have switched from the view of origins from evolution to creation. There is a foundation for this belief.
I think it takes just as much faith, maybe even more, to believe that everything just happened. It's amazing to me how perfectly orchestrated everything is. Why do u think its so bad that God could be real Richard?
matthewRwetter 4 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter I don`t think the foundations for Creation stack up . They seem very silly to me, and those proponents who claim that science supports Biblical Creationism are always trashed resoundingly . Always. The evidence is so against you on that one Matt ,and ,deep down , I believe you have to know that ,as you are a smart guy.
I am not sure I do believe everything "just happened" ,but Jehovah ? I sure hope not , he is hateful.
ilikezappa 4 weeks ago
@ilikezappa I appreciate your acknowledgment of my intelligence, but I honestly do believe it stacks up. I do plan to continue studying the facts as I hope u will too.
I'd like to focus on why u think God is hateful. That's what I'm really interested in. Because I know Him to be extremely loving. Can you explain that to me?
matthewRwetter 4 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter Are you talking about the Guy who murdered everybody in a rage ,who invented Childhood brain cancer , who ,worst of all ,allows Michael Bolton to live when he could quite easily send a plague of boils to him ,instead of making us listen to those bloody terrible songs?
ilikezappa 4 weeks ago
@ilikezappa The Michael Bolton comment is pretty funny lol. But I think deeming God as the inventor of brain cancer is a little skewed. We live in a world plagued with sin and brokenness, bad things happen. I believe that God is with those ppl through the awful pain.
And I believe He killed everybody except Noah and his family, so He didn't kill everybody, right? lol But seriously, if you understood the situation I know that you would have wanted God to rid the earth of this ridiculous evil
matthewRwetter 4 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter idk if there is something specific that you're referring to by making the statement, that God "murdered everybody in a rage".
But if you think about the situation of people who are going around constantly raping, killing, and stealing from your family I think you would be pretty ok if God wiped them off the earth.
matthewRwetter 4 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter Well ,I obviously don`t believe that Jehovah drowned all those wicked two week old babies ,or killed people for stealing etc ,because the whole story to me is just Iron Age mythology that was spread at the point of a sword ,and only survives in its fundamental form today amongst American swamp dwellers. You know ,the kind of folks who have never seen a cup and saucer ,and think monster truck racing is entertainment.
They eat something called "Pork rinds" I believe.
ilikezappa 3 weeks ago
@ilikezappa you're very skilled at sarcasm, I can see that. And I'm not sure if you even have your biblical facts straight since you're being so vague.
Christianity was not spread by a sword, there may have been some of that, but that wasn't the predominant spreading of the Gospel by any means. I'm interested in talking about some specific biblical events. I understand you don't believe them, point received long ago. But I don't think you have the right perspective on them even.
matthewRwetter 3 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter Well ,lets take South America for example. The predominant Catholic religion was brought by people called ,"Conquistadors". They didn`t spend much time asking if it was OK with everyone." Buenas Dias everyone ! Are there any meek people here ? You aren`t going to inherit the Earth after all. Any problem with that ?""No ,we are fine with that..."
ilikezappa 3 weeks ago
@ilikezappa I could address this, but we keep wandering away from what I'm trying to ask you.
What are the biblical issues that you have against God? You said you would be disappointed if God is real. And you called him "hateful". I assume you have biblical support for this idea?
I'd like to know what that is.
matthewRwetter 3 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter Well , it does say in the old testament that beating the shit out of your slaves is just fine ,as long as you don`t actually KILL them. That would be immoral. It is also ok ,apparently, to kill almost everyone on the planet because they are sinners ( but God would have known that when he created man ,as He is omniscient ??)
ilikezappa 3 weeks ago
@ilikezappa I need some context for this reference, are you talking about Exodus 21:20-21?
The second point you're making I believe is that God says in one instance not to kill, but God had killed in the past and would kill in the future? So the question is how is this ok (if I'm understanding correctly).
God gives laws to His people not to murder. God is the only one who can look on a man's heart and judge. If God kills, He kills the wicked.
matthewRwetter 3 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter not to be impolite, but are you sure of that statement? does god only kill the wicked? how about young people and babies that are to young to have done anything wrong?
rosemarie443 3 weeks ago
@rosemarie443 Well if you're talking about the biblical accounts, they were in response to wickedness.
matthewRwetter 3 weeks ago
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rosemarie443 3 weeks ago
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rosemarie443 3 weeks ago
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rosemarie443 3 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter I find the idea of eternal torture for not believing in him repugnant. ( well , I would if I didn`t find it silly that John M expects me to believe it when everything else he comes up with is cretinism!) The miracles of Jesus are a bit rubbish too. Why did Jesus refrain from telling us about penicillin ,which would have saved countless babies? We got a fish head and some booze instead. What a schmuck.
ilikezappa 3 weeks ago
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rosemarie443 3 weeks ago
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mountaidew 3 weeks ago
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@ilikezappa All the good things happened to humanity were inspired by the power which has tendency "to do right thing" for every thing/body. Some people call that power as god!! That power resides in you and me and in everybody but very few people realie it that they have it in them!! Penicillin was one of creations of that power!!
mountaidew 3 weeks ago
@ilikezappa Choices are yours to interpret certain things in certain way. Jesus indeed talked some good things with high morale. This was the Godly nature within him which made him to do that. I will give him credit for that. Calling him with offensive terms will not denigrate that same nature of Jesus. But is the whole bible the “word of god”?..I don’t think so..
mountaidew 3 weeks ago
@mountaidew Agree with most of that. Jesus the man said some wonderful things. You don`t have to believe all the spiel about him being God ,born from someone who didn`t shag her husband ever without him complaining ,or any of the supernatural guff that something called "The Church" has constructed around him ,or believe that the Book of Genesis is anything more than mythology from the Iron Age for apes like John Macarthur to believe in, to agree that being nice to people is neat.
ilikezappa 3 weeks ago
@ilikezappa Yes, You can refute those things which do not make sence. Also, it becomes a duty to educate others on the dangers of being pulled into these nonsence things. Those things first destroy your sensibility, take away your intuitions and then rule your rational mind...
mountaidew 3 weeks ago
@ilikezappa Richard, no one goes to hell because they don't believe in God. People go to hell because they are sinners and they reject Him.
I believe you missed the point of Jesus's miracles. Jesus wasn't trying to be a great doctor. He healed the sick because that's how ppl would be able to see that He was from God. Is it better to heal a man temporarily in this life when he spends eternity in torment?
matthewRwetter 3 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter Eternity in torment is a loathsome idea ,that was dreamt up to scare peasants into obeying the church. There is no evidence that this evil regime exists. Even Kim Jong Il only tortured you until you were dead . He seems to be a mild and gentle soul compared to the God you have chosen to believe in. God kills the wicked? You think a newborn baby is somehow wicked? Matt ,that is seriously twisted and you should look at this cult more carefully.
ilikezappa 3 weeks ago
@ilikezappa Woah, you're taking what I said and twisting it. We weren't talking about babies when I made that comment. I commented to Rosemarie on this. If you're referring to biblical accounts this is a response towards the wicked.
Richard, your thoughts on Christianity are VERY skewed. And I don't say that to be rude so please don't take it that way.
matthewRwetter 3 weeks ago
@ilikezappa I have a hunch that even if I answer all your questions and objections in a satisfactory manner that you probably still wouldn't turn from your ways and accept Jesus. Am I correct?
matthewRwetter 3 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter Turn from my ways? Do you mean no longer care about Human intellectual progress or scientific advancement. That is what "accepting Jesus" means to me. "Accepting Jesus" is to believe that an invisible spirit world, which can be petitioned, controls the world and has a moral code based on a middle eastern desert culture from the Bronze Age.There is no evidence for this. Unless you have something new to tell me ,you will struggle Matt. No offence to you though. Cheers R
ilikezappa 3 weeks ago
@ilikezappa Entrusting your life to Christ doesn't mean abandoning all reason. I've applied God's ways to my life and its way better than when I was doing things my own way
I believe that there is sufficient evidence for the bible, the existence of Christ, and the deity of Christ
God says "you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" There must be desire for Him. To know Him truly, turn from sin, & embrace His promise that He loves us and wants us to be reconciled to Him
matthewRwetter 3 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter What is is that stops God from conclusively revealing himself to man ,instead of giving us vague clues ,like Benny Hinn pushing you over and charging you 3000 bucks. Why doesn`t he arrive 50 feet above Times square in a chariot ? We would all troop into church then ,and hear the priest telling us DNA doesn`t exist with more patience ,wouldn`t we? He wouldn`t have to torture us for ever then ,which would save some money on Brimstone..God doesn`t think these things through.
ilikezappa 3 weeks ago
@ilikezappa Sure, God could show up at Times Square and just reveal His glory, but I believe that God reveals Himself to those who seek Him. He doesn't want to force Himself on humanity, He has given us free will.
What does Benny Hinn hafta do with anything? Or the an ignorant priest? If you think the message of God is coming thru these guys you're way off.
matthewRwetter 3 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter Well ,according to your "Holy Book" , God killed everyone except Noah and his mates. This would clearly include New Born babies ,and an all powerful being could have chosen a more selective method of mass extermination if He had so chosen. I am not sure that the justification for this act of rage is very compelling. Drowning children because they piss you off may be tempting ,but humans try to restrain their animal instincts ,mostly,when it comes to murder. You worship a monster.
ilikezappa 3 weeks ago
@ilikezappa I understand your concern here. The thought of drowning babies seems completely unacceptable. But I believe in the goodness of God and I know that there were factors at work that we don't know about.
For instance, is it possible that God swiftly and peacefully took the babies lives before any drowning or suffering? Following that they would have went to live with the Lord.
Seems a lot more humane then ridding of the parents and letting the babies to fend for themselves.
matthewRwetter 3 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter "Humane?" I am going to kill the lot you bastards for not believing in me ,and after you are dead I will torture you unspeakably for ALL ETERNITY ! MRAH HA HA HA. (but don`t worry , I will be humane about it) It seems like you are a lot more forgiving than God, Matt . Maybe you should have his job. It might be fun. You could wait till Jimmy Swaggart begs for forgiveness and send a swarm of killer bees up his trouser leg.
ilikezappa 2 weeks ago
@ilikezappa He didn't take those ppl off the earth for not believing in Him. He took them because every inclination of their hearts were evil. Their evil desires were so great that God had to take action.
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter "God had to take action"? I find that absurd. Is God omniscient ,or not?
Did He not predict this ? Why should this come as a surprise to a being that knows everything.He can see everything and its consequence until the end of time can`t he? Why does anything anger Him? He created men with the predeliction to have wicked desires. Why not change the blueprint? It makes no sense.
ilikezappa 2 weeks ago
@ilikezappa It's true that God was never and is never surprised by the wicked desires of men. While God knows what we're going to choose (whether good or bad) He has left the choice up to us.
I don't know why God hasn't changed everything. I know one day Christ will return and do that very thing, but as for now He tolerates the wickedness in the world. Allowing for opportunities for us to see our need for Him. He saw fit to make a world where ppl have free will to do good or evil
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter He sounds like a crackpot ,creating some people who have primate DNA ,and leaving lots of scientific evidence to fool us that the Earth is billions of years old , then installing in his creation the prediliction to act immorally ,for which the punishment is horrific torture. The funny thing is people try and tell you He is loving with a straight face. ??? weird stuff Matt
ilikezappa 2 weeks ago
@ilikezappa I've never met anyone who has primate DNA, there are similarities between the DNA of humans and primates.
Again though, you continue to wander off point of what we're talking about. Idk if you're trying to talk to too many ppl and getting sidetracked or you're just really caught up on going in circles.
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter Assuming that you are a member of the species Homo Sapiens,that makes you a Primate,just like every other member of the family Homonidae. If I punch you on the nose you will exhibit a Primate threat response by baring your teeth and scowling. Get used to it monkey man ! It could be worse. My friend Simon is a Sloth ,because he has been unemployed since 1981.
ilikezappa 2 weeks ago
@ilikezappa I'm sorry for some reason I was thinking 'ape DNA' and not primate. I know we're primates. I dunno what I was thinking. Im certainly different than a monkey tho.
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter I have no doubt that you are different to a monkey. You are probably crap at climbing trees , and are not as cute. The genes that make a tail are still present in your primate DNA ,but not active. You have fused Chromasomes that correspond to a chimps DNA. I wonder why God would create you with redundant features that would make people believe this was evidence of your evolutionary past? Is he testing your faith there Bro?
ilikezappa 2 weeks ago
@ilikezappa You're right, I'm definitely a horrible tree climber. Evolution is a theory that was made up by men. I understand your point, but just because there are those similarities doesn't mean I would jump to the conclusion that we somehow evolved from apes.
I have no problem believing that God made creatures with these similarities. Common design could be contributed to a common designer.
Anyways, I thought we were talking about the goodness (lack of in your opinion) of God.
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter No ,the designer would have had to deliberately include redundant features . Some design . Evolution explains this perfectly ,without the need for a japester God. Did God`s designer have some issues? He does have one ,right ? An intelligence can`t come into being without a designer ,correct ?
ilikezappa 2 weeks ago
@ilikezappa Yes, I agree that He would have deliberately included the redundant features. Knock it if you'd like, but there is probably a good reason 4 it.
And, no God does not have a designer. This is a common misunderstanding. Everything in our world has to come from something to begin. Everything on earth has some origin. God, as described in the bible, stands outside of these constraints.
Here we understand things like time, space, etc. But God stands outside of that.
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter Ok , So there are things that exist which we cannot explain and which do not require a designer.
If I was a spotty 13 year old , I might write something cheesy like CHECKMATE ,but I will merely puff on my pipe and try and look like Sherlock Holmes. Have a good day Bro .
ilikezappa 2 weeks ago
@ilikezappa It all had to start from something my friend. And whatever that something is had to defy having an origin. You believe the same thing friend.
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@ilikezappa I understand that might be difficult to grasp, since all we know is the constraints of this world God has created for us. But time is a created thing.
I hope I'm explaining that well enough to get my point across.
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter If I "were". Subjunctive here , I think.
Is being a smartass sinful ?
ilikezappa 2 weeks ago
@ilikezappa not sure I know what you're saying.
i'm not here to judge you man.
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter cool . Which state are you from Matt?
ilikezappa 2 weeks ago
@ilikezappa NY, hbu you Richard?
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter Wiltshire England
ilikezappa 2 weeks ago
@ilikezappa cool. born and raised?
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter No ,I lived in some other countries ,(including the amazing United States of America) but England is home. It`s ok , but we have 60 million people all jammed in together. If you want to find an empty space it is difficult ,you normally have to go sit in a church ! (Couldn`t resist that sorry..) You live in NYC or upstate?
ilikezappa 2 weeks ago
@ilikezappa Upstate. Do not many ppl really go to church over there or was that just a joke?
How come u moved around a lot?
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter Not many people are religious in the UK. We forced them all to go to America because they were annoying. The churches normally have three old ladies in them and someone with a beard bleating on about "God`s great love". My dad was military so we moved around ,and when I was old enough I took off for the States,because I was attracted to the idea that you could have a machine gun ,and kill whoever you liked if they stepped onto your property.
ilikezappa 2 weeks ago
@ilikezappa you're kind of an odd fellow lol. I definitely think the ppl who distort religion are annoying tho.
I don't see why someone would think that the mission of Jesus Christ is annoying by offering hope, helping the needy, and loving your neighbor. Maybe I'm annoying and I don't know it tho lol
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter Offering hope ,helping the needy and loving your neighbour are just dandy,and a belief in invisible spirits that rule over and mandate Human behaviour is not required to think that. Jesus seems cool to me ,but the people who built all the silly supernatural stuff around him deserve some challenging. Being kind and acting morally is one thing ,claiming that the world is a few thousand years old when it isn`t and you know it, is reprehensible.
ilikezappa 2 weeks ago
@ilikezappa I agree that it is possible to still do those things without being a Christian, people might be less motivated by just their own intentions, but none the less obviously possible.
Also, believing the earth is only a few thousand years isn't a necessity to becoming a Christian. There are plenty of ppl who don't see eye to eye on this.
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@ilikezappa And I don't think anyone who is claiming the earth is only thousands of years old is trying to pull some sort of a con. You may think that we're misguided, but "reprehensible" is a strong word to use for someone's belief regarding how many birthdays the earth has had.
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter Well ,it is only reprehensible if you are not thick as pigshit. If you live in a trailer with alcoholic abusive parents and you regularly got hit around the head with a 2 by 4 then you could be forgiven for being so messed up that you are unable to assimilate any knowledge. Otherwise ,you have no excuse for your lack of critical thinking skills. The world is billions of years old. The evidence is unassailable.
ilikezappa 1 week ago
@ilikezappa So you think I'm an idiot then Richard?
I don't think anything is above challenge, even the age of the earth. I think questioning what people pose as fact needs to be challenged always.
matthewRwetter 1 week ago
@matthewRwetter No ,I told you I think you are alright ,but you need to examine the evidence with more objectivity,because you are in the same position as wanting to challenge the consensus that the world is round.
ilikezappa 1 week ago
@ilikezappa hey young man i asked you if we could send them back, but you never answered.
rosemarie443 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter can you tell me that God took the 2 boys before their father hit them in the neck with a axe, and then set them on fire? now i am on another blog that demands proof of God, can you give me any news items that prove that there is a God or do we have to do this all on a theory
rosemarie443 2 weeks ago
@rosemarie443 Not sure I know what you're referring to about the father and 2 boys, maybe a recent event? Are you blaming God for what a man did? Do u not think we are responsible for our own actions?
And you're looking for something that was in the news that proves the existence of God? Prove is a difficult word. I believe I can name some that point to his existence, but I don't think there are any news articles that can necessarily prove His existence conclusively.
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter NO i am not blaming God for what happened. but i hope that God will accept the children home to him. please give me all the proof that you can, i am on another blog that demands proof of God. you see there are too many people that only believe in science.
rosemarie443 2 weeks ago
@rosemarie443 I can tell you that God has accepted those children home with Him. There is so much proof that I'm not sure where to start. Would it help if I recommended some resources or do u want me to just start listing stuff off?
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter NO sir, what i would like to have you do is prove to me that the 40 mens that wrote the bible did not add thoughts of there own. you do know that God did not fax his thougt down to moses. i don't need a list, what i want is proof. i have studied religion for the last 50 years, and i have stiudied darwins theory. both are theorys
rosemarie443 2 weeks ago
@rosemarie443 So what you're looking for is evidence that separates the bible from other religious books? Evidence that supports that the bible is the word of God?
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter NO that is not what i am looking for, i have read several bibles from other religions, i know what the bibles are all about and i also know that in the king james bible there are 13 books missing. the bible is not the word of God, it was written by 40 men. science and religion are both theorys
rosemarie443 2 weeks ago
@rosemarie443 Uh, there is only one bible and that's found in the Christian faith. No other religious book is called the bible. Also, the King James isn't missing 13 books.
The Roman Catholic bible has an additional 11 books. For someone who claims to be an expert you don't seem to have your facts straight.
You also don't seem to be asking me anything. You said you wanted proof for something and then you tell me don't and that these things are just theorys. What do u want?
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter yes King James bible is missing 13 books, they are found in some of the catholic bibles. what i want proof of is that the bible is true. can you tell me that the bible was written by God, or is the bible just a book written by 40 men that had ideas of their own. and you are wrong again there are several bibles in the christian faith, you just have never seen them. learn to read about yout faith.
rosemarie443 2 weeks ago
@rosemarie443 Ah, ok, there are several bibles in the Christian faith. They're different translations. I was obviously confused about what you were saying. I think I was tired when I responded, my apologies. Hopefully my thoughts will be more together at this hour.
Yes, the bibles used by the Protestants (me included) have less books than the ones used by the Catholics. We don't consider those scriptures to be God inspired.
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter that OK i hope you are feeling now. well in the missing 13 books were not God inspired then the rest of the bible is not God inspired also. i will tell you in advance that i have studied religion for about 60 years, took 3 courses in college on religion, and have stumped several religious men with my questions, and nobody has been able to answer my question yet. lots of luck, take care
rosemarie443 2 weeks ago
@rosemarie443 I look forward to your questions. And your statement that if the 13 books that are not in the protestant bibles are not God inspired then neither is the books that were kept is a false statement and has no foundation. How do you figure this?
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter NO it is not a false statement, it is the truth. like i said can you prove to me that the bible is something from God or just the ideas of 40 men. How do you figure that the bible is the word of God and not men
rosemarie443 2 weeks ago
@rosemarie443 You tell me how that is a logical statement. You're basically saying that if 2 ppl told you something and then a 3rd person told you something else they all lied and you can't believe any of them. It doesn't make logical sense to just say, oh there are 13 books in the Catholic bible and not in the Protestant bible so I don't believe any of it.
I understand how maybe the selection of these texts could cause question, but not the absence of them.
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter well i can tell you have never called a bank or other firms for a answer. you call 3 times and talk to different people and you get 3 different answers. yes there were supposed to be 13 books of the original bible that were not put into the king james version. have you ever read them? well i have
rosemarie443 1 week ago
@rosemarie443 I actually have not read those other books, might be a good idea for me to do some research on that further.
So its kind of a loss cause to address that with me right now. I'm not defending those books as God's word, so you should address the books that I do with your questions :)
matthewRwetter 1 week ago
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rosemarie443 1 week ago
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@rosemarie443 I actually have not read those other books, might be a good idea for me to do some research on that further.
So its kind of a loss cause to address that with me right now. I'm not defending those books as God's word, so you should address the books that I do with your questions :)
matthewRwetter 1 week ago
@rosemarie443 If anything, that means there is less to defend from the Protestant angle. We don't hafta to talk about those 13 books, we can just talk about the 66 that I believe to be God's word.
matthewRwetter 2 weeks ago
@matthewRwetter you believe God Wrote, and just how did he do that. did he fax his message to earth. or did he just come down to earth and use a pen and paper? i have a blog going that askes me for proof that God does exist. now can you give me any proof to tell him that God is real. i already know what i think but he will not accept that as a answer
rosemarie443 1 week ago
@rosemarie443 well, unfortunately not everyone will accept the testimony about God. I believe He has given us a free will to choose Him or reject Him. Sadly, many are rejecting Him today.
If you don't believe the bible is God's word, you probably will have trouble accepting how God delivered His message and formed the bible. I'll try my best to explain it well tho.
matthewRwetter 1 week ago
@matthewRwetter what testimony? I believe in God and Jesus and i always will but can you prove to me that the bible is really HIS word, or just the idea that a few men had at that time. you see this is the problelm, the bible has been rewritten so many time and turned into the King James bible that i can not believe in it. Now i know that God did not fax down his ideas to the men. so they had to take it upon themselves to write what they thought he wanted to say
rosemarie443 1 week ago
@rosemarie443 I believe that the bible was written thru the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The spirit gave these revelations of God to men. Then these God fearing men wrote them down. The only time God physically wrote anything himself was with the ten commandments which He etched in stone.
Then you have books in the bible, like the gospels, that (while still thru the holy spirit's inspiration) we eye witness accounts of people who saw the ministry of Jesus.
matthewRwetter 1 week ago
@matthewRwetter well sir do U know who the holiy spirit is. it is you wife, your friend, it is sombody that you can talk to. how do you know that the men that wrote the bible were God fearing? maybe they were men of that time that only took advantage of the people, have you ever stopped to question the men that wrote the bible. yes the pictures that were painted about the commmandments were supposed to be from God, right or wrong?but if Uhave read the bible U know that there are 13 books missing
rosemarie443 1 week ago
@rosemarie443 Yeah, the holy spirit in essence is God. Biblically speaking God is triune in nature. Idk why u keep bringing up these 13 books, u seem a bit stuck on this.
I'm trying to express to u that I believe the scriptures r the words of God for many reasons. I've applied them to my life and seen the truth of them, the authors clearly knew things that they couldn't have known themselves, and there is unbelievable agreement between all of these authors writings (most of them never even met)
matthewRwetter 1 week ago
@matthewRwetter the reason that i keep mentioning the 13 books, because if they are left out of our bible, then what else has been left out?
rosemarie443 1 week ago
@rosemarie443 well, now that you've brought up the point, I will research y the books were excluded more. But, to my understanding the books were removed from the Protestant bibles bc they were determined to not be the authoritative word of God.
When putting together the bible there was a certain criteria that was set when evaluating the scriptures and determining their validity. I only know of the 7 excluded, called the Apocrypha.
matthewRwetter 1 week ago
@matthewRwetter well not of the books in the bible are not authoritative word of God. the entire bible is the word of man. maybe in those 13 books something was said that nobody liked, maybe things were different than the other books? who knows why they are not there. like i keep telling you the bible was written by man not God.
rosemarie443 1 week ago
@rosemarie443 You believe in Jesus, correct? Do you believe Jesus was the Son of God?
matthewRwetter 1 week ago
@matthewRwetter Yes
rosemarie443 1 week ago
@rosemarie443 Do you believe when Jesus was quoted in the bible that those things were actually said by Jesus?
matthewRwetter 1 week ago
@matthewRwetter NO, i am just hoping that the bible might be correct. you see i have read the missing 13 chapters, they are in the old catholic bible. like i have said jiust how much is missing in the King James verison of the bible. i have studied religion for about 50 years, and i still have a lot of questions that nobody can answer. I have talked to a lot of important people of faith, and they can't answer my questions either. buit maybe you an try, lot of luck
rosemarie443 1 week ago
@rosemarie443 Ok, I think I understand more where you're coming from. So I want to reintroduce the first point I was trying to use to answer your question "how do you know that the bible is from God and not just written by men?"
Proof #1: The bible predicted future events that could not have been known or guessed by any mere instance of chance.
matthewRwetter 1 week ago
@matthewRwetter there have been a few other people that have predicted events that have come true.
rosemarie443 1 week ago
@matthewRwetter after reading about 10 bibles i have come to the idea that the men at that time were printing things to help the peoplel in bondage, to give them hope that they would live. now can you tell me different
rosemarie443 5 days ago
@rosemarie443 For example, if I said: God told me that you are going to live to be 170 yrs old & on ur 168th birthday 4 countries will go 2 war that very day with exactly 328 casualties total from those wars. That day, the temp high will be 84 in ur hometown & will rain between 2:04-3:07pm & be sunny the rest of the day
The shear odds of me being correct on 1 of those points is probably astronomical! But, if somehow they ALL came true, might you believe what I said actually came from God?
matthewRwetter 1 week ago
@matthewRwetter No i would not believe that God told you to make those guessses. I do believe in God and Jesus. like i said it is the bible that i do not trust. i have read several different bibles and all have been written by man.
rosemarie443 1 week ago
@rosemarie443 Why would you not believe that information was from God if all those things came true (extremely improbable as they are).
matthewRwetter 1 week ago
@matthewRwetter Because like i told you the bible was written by man and then translated about 5 times and 13 books were left out of the King James version, (they are still in some of the catholic bibles) how are we to know that the men that wrote the bible were not just trying to take advantage of the people of that time who were slaves and needed to believe in something. were these men trust worthy or where they like Judas. only in it for the money.yes these men all got paid for their thoughts
rosemarie443 6 days ago
@rosemarie443 Thanks for your response Rose, but that has nothing to do with what I asked you. It doesn't seem like you actually want me to answer your questions.
And when you say that the bible was just written by men, that's your opinion. That's fine if that is your opinion, but I believe differently and I have reasons for that. I thought you were asking me to explain those reasons, but it seems like you just want to tell me about these 13 books and tell me your opinion.
matthewRwetter 6 days ago
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rosemarie443 5 days ago
@matthewRwetter i answered all the questions that you asked me. now can you answer the question that i asked you. stop hedging, you seem to be walking around my question like you have no real proof that the bible was written by God, which it wasn't, and you have no proof that the men that wrote the bible were not writting their own thoughts. you are trying to baffle me with bullsh23t
rosemarie443 3 days ago
@rosemarie443 Rose, I'm not sure why you're getting upset. Didn't have a chance this weekend to write back to you.
I think I'm doing anything but dodging your question and I'm certainly not trying to baffle you. I've tried a couple times to explain my first point only for you to disregard what I'm saying.
matthewRwetter 3 days ago
@rosemarie443 I have seen overwhelming evidence for the credibility of the bible. I believe that the bible is trustworthy based on its historical accuracy, its prophetic accuracy, its origins and response of the original followers
It is clear that Jesus Christ existed, His miracles were recorded not only in the bible, but also recorded by those who opposed Him.
matthewRwetter 3 days ago