Adam and 4000 BC

And yet you cal God's inanimate.

Well that one went right over your head.

 

God's what?

Not at all, did what I said go over yours?

 

No I do not believe that the bible speaks. The bible is a book. The Holy Spirit speaks along side you in your own mind
.

 

The only way?

What about floods, earthquakes, erosion and all the other things that move levels of material around on a earth that is constantly changing.

 

Bugs is my favorite actor.

 

Yes, they were deposited as the substrate was being laid down. It may be true that some fossils may be dislodged from their original substrates, however the vast majority are not being thoroughly embedded in the surrounding rock. The movements of material are accounted for in the over all assay of the planetary surface.

 

Would it be too much of a stretch to say that the Bible does speak when a person
reads and studies the Bible? It doesn't seem too far off from what you are saying.

Your statement reminds me of Stairway to Heaven where it says,

"Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow?
And did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind?"

This whispering wind, how do we know whether or not they are from our own thoughts or the thoughts of God? It could just be the expressions of our desires but not an expression of the desires of God.

 

Bugs is a close second to Daffy Duck

 

If to say someone got raped when they did not get rapped is not to much of a stretch, then no. If you are saying that to say the bible speaks is a characterization of the process of reading and subsequent comprehension, then I would go with that.

If you examine the dialogue in your head, you may see point and counter point. One is a voice for fear, the other a voice for peace. The Holy Spirits answer is always some form of peace. An example might be someone asks me for something and I might immediately think, i can't afford that, {the voice of fear.} The Holy spirit in turn may remind me that the measure I give is the measure I get, that god knows what I need and that thing that I may be reluctant to give or do is not my source, I need not be alarmed, I am safe.

 

Sorry, thinking faster than I type.

And yet you call God's word inanimate.

You still don't get it, as usual, oh well never mind.

 

Or so you say.

 

And God's word doesn't?

 

If you say so.

 

Not I but God's word says so.

 

Not at all waterbrother. I said the bible was a book, an inanimate object. I said God's word is a living word.

 

The Bible is God's word for mankind and you dismiss it as an inanimate object, when it is alive, as you put it the "living word".

It seems that anything that disagrees with your "spirit" needs to be dismissed.

 

Perhaps I misconstrue those words above. What a strange concept for a mature Christian to have - I have not considered in years. It seems you are saying that the pages made of paper, the bindings made of glue and cardboard and the cover made of leather along with the ink on the pages mysteriously turns this book into a living object. I apoligize if I have taken your comments literally if that is not your intent.

The Bible is where God's word is recorded. The thoughts and revelations are then to be followed. Should we physically put the book up on an alter and worship it since it is living and contains God inside it's covers?

The Bible is no more that paper and glue and cardboard. You can burn it, spit on it or shred it and God's Word is not changed or reduced one iota.

If might add:
"Another name for Jesus, the ‘Word’. And note, ‘in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God’. Here we find that this Christ, this Word who was God and who became flesh and dwelt among us, is not only our Saviour but also our Creator. In fact nothing that has been made was made without Him.

Jesus is the living Word - He is not a book.

 

Thank you, Ddoright, for eloquently yet concisely stating what I believe to be true...and
I can arm myself with knowledge of the Word, the Bible, and the living spirit of God which (I ask to) dwell within me.
Though I respect the Bible immensely, it is a BOOK.

 

There would be no way to accurately date anything during recorded history if you're really determined not to believe in anything but your own prejudices, which seem to be rock solid. You dismiss the findings and conclusions of scholars who painstakingly gather and examine historical evidence as readily as you dismiss geology and astronomy. Your posts amply illustrate Bertrand Russell's contention that a determined believer can still accept the Ptolemeic theory that the sun revolves around the earth if he makes enough assumptions. In your determination to preserve the Bronze Age world view you confuse with Christianity, you're willing to jettison a good deal of modern science. How much science did you take in college that gives you the confidence to dismiss findings and methods that most scientists believe are reasonable? I think people reading your posts need to be aware of how extreme your views are.

You seem to think that because scientific knowledge is not 100% certain, that's a big disadvantage in comparison with the "certainty" the Bible has to offer. I disagree. The willingness of scientists to submit refutable hypotheses rigorous empirical testing and peer review is its great strength. The theory of evolution is one Cambrian rabbit away from the scrapheap--but so far, no Cambrian rabbits! In the theory of biblical archaeology, rabbit after rabbit has bit the dust in recent decades, and still no evidence of an Abraham, a Moses, an Exodus, or a glorious empire under David and Solomon that will stand up under scrutiny to corroborate the Biblical accounts. I believe that the Bible is inspired in the same way science is inspired--humans, guided by the Holy Spirit, in a heroic quest for truth which will emerge with increasing clarity through a painful and exhilarating process of trial and error. And I do agree that the Bible is a living document in which our living, evolving God speaks to us over the millenia with increasing richness in response to the insights of critical biblical scholarship.

 

And that's where I think you're dangerously wrong. You've been taught by deceiving preachers to distrust your God-given intellect and are therefore vulnerable to being led astray by any Bible thumping charlatan who gets your attention. I believe in the power of God to convey His profound moral truth in the most effective way available, including metaphor and allegory, accessible through reason. Where in the Bible does it say it must be interpreted literally? The vast majority of Christians throughout the history of the church and the vast majority alive today would say that "true" Christianity is about believing in Jesus and worshiping God Through Him, and that it is not about belief in the Bible. There isn't a word in the Apostle's Creed or the Nicene Creed about the Bible.