Posted on 03/10/2006 8:09:38 AM PST by LouAvul
Actually, it is not.
The "warlike" passages you quoted are from the old law. We are no longer under the old law. The old law was abolished at the cross of Christ. Christians are not allowed personal vengeance/spontaneous violence. Yes, under the law of Christ, vengeance is necessary, but only as the arm of government. (Romans 13) But not as a matter of course for the Christian.
During the sermon on the mount, Jesus already, even though still under the law (of Moses), was making the transition.
Matt 5:38-45 38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. KJV
Paul, later, pointed out that we are no longer under the law of Moses. We're under a different law.
Eph 2:13-15 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; KJV
Again,
Gal 5:3-5 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. KJV
There is no confusion in the Bible. For the Christian, other than via the military or police, we are not permitted the violence as is commanded of the Muslims.
I was aware of Pope John Paul II’s published position on evolution; that was the church position I was referencing. I had no idea that JPII was running scared from the whole “Galileo fiasco” but I can sure understand how that would be fresh in his mind as well as the church as a whole. Hopefully JPII had a chance to get Galileo over for tea and scones and patch things up before he passed on.
Frankly, I expect that one would not need to “look it up”. If you are familiar with the general reasoning behind the Catholic position that finds no conflict between scripture and evolutionary theory you should be able to synopsize it. I don’t necessarily have a big problem w/ “my expert says this”, but it weakens your argument – especially since you do describe what influenced his position (ouch!)
There is also no proof that we were not all zapped into existence an hour ago with all of our memories intact. How many angels can dance on the head of a pin anyway?
Do you support the death penalty? Or even incarceration for crime? How can that be? Are you saying that we lock up and execute people based on faith? That 100% thing of yours is a sticky wicket, eh?
Nice try, but it simply isn't nearly that simple.
No, but I would find it unlikely. It's quite an extraordinary possibility which would require extraordinary evidence.
How many angels can dance on the head of a pin anyway?
Who cares?
Do you support the death penalty? Or even incarceration for crime? How can that be? Are you saying that we lock up and execute people based on faith?
There's a concept called "beyond a reasonable doubt" that I feel comfortable with. Evidence is involved from more than one source.
The only reason I use the %100 figure is that I feel some of the Bible might be inspired by God. But that doesn't mean all of it is. The only source for that claim is itself. Not what I'd consider even "preponderance of the evidence."
Are there passages of scripture that I wonder about? No question. But it is a responsibility to dig and learn and compare and think. There are many Christians who hold to a reformed position. My view is dispensational. I don't pretend that there is not disagreement, there is, about this and plenty of other issues. To claim otherwise would be silly. And I also acknowledge that faith is involved, but it is not a faith of ignorance as you imply. My faith is in God and it is based in a number of things, primarily scripture. I do not place my faith in scripture, as in "God said it, I believe it, that settles it!", I hate that statement. Blind faith is what leads to atrocities "in the name of God". We are not told to place our faith there, but to search the scriptures daily, to wrestle with the Angel. I will say, I consider it rather nonsensical to think that that the God who walked among us in human form and allowed us to murder Him in order to rescue us from ourselves would allow the information we depend on to understand Him to be so readily corrupted. And there is plenty of evidence to show it is not corrupted. Are you familiar with the way Hebrew scribes created copies? Do you know how many pens they used and why? Have you considered the comparison of the Dead Sea scroll book of Isaiah with the copy we have translated for us today? What about the overwhelming confirmation of historical OT texts by archeology? Have you visited the city of Tyre lately? Do you even know why I asked?
Your contention that only the bible provides evidence for accuracy and divine inspiration of scripture shows your level of familiarity with the subject. You are free to remain blissful.
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