Other than man’s tradition expressed in some of Christianity who says the Bible is an attempt at a physical copy of the Word? What about other writings in other religions that are perceived as holy or inspired? Couldn’t those be used in good faith as well and be a tool for spiritual growth?
It isn’t simply a question of the men who wrote the original text of the books of the Bible. It’s many many transcribers and the men who selected which books would be in the Bible and which would be left out. It’s the fact that there is no type of prophecy indicating there was any intention of one final compilation of scripture. It’s all the men and women over the years that have assured us they know what God wants of us according to their personal interpretation of the Bible, even though they can’t agree with each other.
I’ve had a thought. What would happen to me were I to be killed before I God decides the time is right for me to know him? To put it another way, what if I am brought before him before i’m brought before him?
But if i’m reading this correctly, the Bible is not the Word; merely a physical representation of it. Even the form it takes, runes on a page, are that which is understood and created by man. OTOH, if the Bible is the Word, then we likewise shouldn’t be able to gainsay the automatic prioritised place it has above other works of God, at least on the grounds that these other works are likewise of man.
My argument is not the one that man is responsible for the Bible, and therefore it may be incorrectly transcribed, but that the very form it takes is of man. Likewise, speaking to people and going to places are things that are of man and not of God. If it is reasonable to say that a person may be a tool through which God works, then it is surely likewise reasonable to say that many things can likewise be tools, their imperfectness rendered perfect by his use of them? If you can be a perfect tool for God, then surely so can be the very fabric of creation itself - especially since stars and the like cannot choose not to do God’s will, or interject their own imperfectness at all.
Is it possible that God exists, but no human religion has even come close to describing his/her/its true nature, motivation and degree of involvement in human development?
Do they make any sense to recognize them as such? The one that is often sighted is the Quran. The initial premise of it totally and completely fails IMHO. That Allah is so dam incompetent that he is unable to preserve his word through men and has to send a revision. It can not stand on it’s own.
They can be used in good faith and can be used in enemy spiritual growth, but God can turn even that around for the good.
To make this claim you have to assume that the God who created heaven and earth, holds the whole world together, knew each and every person before the foundations of the earth were laid could be upset in man’s efforts. That such a powerful God who controls each atom at the quantum level at all times in perfect knowleage would be unable to get us His Word how He wants.
The Word is God and God is one.
God has a answer for this, but it comes on a personal level. Seek the Lord and He will reveal what is His Word to you. If the apocrypha should be included, if Revelation really should be in there. He is willing to convince anyone who seeks, and He is the only one who can
This is not something that I sought out specifically, but know the creation story is true. From the time of the fall of man to the flood is about 1000 years based on the age of Adam.
This is the aspect I have sought out, which may or may not be of any use to you. When A&E fell, we separated ourselves from God. God’s plan for the salvation of humanity seems to be the separation for a time to be brought back together under Lord Jesus. In Genesis we have:
Gen 2 man and women divided into physical 2 beings
Gen 3 Man and woman divided spiritually (in 2 different kingdoms)
Gen 3 Man and God divided
Gen 4,5 Living and dead divided (Cane and Able 1st murder/death)
Gen 6-9 Man and angels divided (Nephilum line ended)
Gen 10-11 Man and man divided through confusion of language (Tower of Babel)
And later Israel split into 12 tribes
Divided kingdom Judah and Israel
Jesus separated from the Father
As part of this separation things grow more distant, could this mean that stars are further away, our space-time is stretched out so we are more alone and disconnected from creation as well? I believe it shows how far we really are separated, how far we have fallen. So something, like the edge of the Milky Way should be reachable but is 1000’s of lightyears away.
God is in total control, this can not happen outside His will. Again no plan of man can succeed against the Lord.
The Bible, or scriptures are a physical representation of the Word. The Word is spiritual and speaks to our heart by God’s Spirit, when the scriptures are read and we hear with our ears. God weight the heart of man, not the works of man. As long as the attempt of the translation of His Word is honest He can use it to speak to our heart.
Stars are angels and some angels are fallen, so stars can go their own way, but God is above all that and can even use their rebellion to His glory. God allows free will and knows that will be used by some for evil, and evil will cause pain. Not allowing the pain would circumvent freewill as evil has consequences. This is why we can rejoice that God is above it all, in perfect knowledge is limiting certain actions and making a way for all.
IMHO what kind of god would this be? Would it be a god that wants to personally know you if you can’t personally know him? Is this the type of god you want? I’m not saying we know everything about Jesus, but as we seek Him He reveals Himself to us on a very personal level. It is compared to a courtship where we get to know him over time, and a eventual marriage of Jesus and the Church to become one body. It is a very intimate relationship.
A place I believe is a very cold icy place, an entire universe with nothing, no light, no warmth, no love, filled with a constant presents of evil, very harsh loud mechanical sound, no sense of direction and very very lonely.
Exactly. Is it possible that all human religions are incorrect in their interpretations of God? After all, these religions frequently contradict each other (and even themselves), and without an objective standard of truth, how could we know if any religion was true (or even close to true).
I would just like to point out that that is exactly why those two comments are squared, just a few more verses down in the same context Jesus says this:
Mark 10:27 (ESV) "27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
That’s the whole point, of course a camel fitting through the eye of a needle is impossible, thus by his own power a rich man cannot gain eternal life. Only through the power and actions of God can any man gain eternal life.
I think it’s very possible. We {mankind} reduced God to the bearded ruler of the Universe so we could wrap our minds around it. There’s a lot of that kind of thing still going on. Try explaining quantum physics to a two year {or me for that matter} and see how much they are able to grasp and then explain to others in any meaningful way.
IMHO it’s important for religions to realize that they’re only making their best guess based on current information and a lot of long held traditions. Mankind still functions and moves forward without having all the answers just as we always have. Holding to certain beliefs and traditions as absolutes isn’t necessary and usually aides in separating us. Holding beliefs provisionally is a wiser choice and promotes better growth.
I don’t know. Outer darkness is a very interesting form of a Hell, and quite different, I don’t suspect too many people will go there. At the end Hell itself will be thrown onto the Lake of Fire, I don’t know how it will effect those in Outer Darkness, or which is worse, tormented by demons in a inferno or totally alone in icy coldness.