I guess to further explain myself without upsetting anyone I'll say that I have a hard time believing something penned by man was the "inspired word of God".
How God Punishes Arrogance
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Whenever anything in the bible is referenced, it tends to have a polarizing effect. Most people seem to think they either have to believe it to be the absolute word of God, or else dismiss it altogether and pay it no heed. It is possible to simply consider what it has to say as one would any other writing.
Note, I am not saying what my own opinion is in this regard, but I will say that I do not necessarily consider divine inspiration and the Word of God to be precisely the same thing.
Note, I am not saying what my own opinion is in this regard, but I will say that I do not necessarily consider divine inspiration and the Word of God to be precisely the same thing.
I, for one will have no further things to say about this online, lest some group uses it to fire up hatred. But it has been enjoyable. It can get pretty boring to just talk about pipes. There really are more important things.
For the longest time I wasn't sure there was a higher power. And then, one day I was eating a snack with my kids and . . .
After studying the bible in its original languages and with out the filter of religion I found no contradictions. I found it full of rich history, profound parables, and and deep wisdom. I have found it to be the most intriguing books ever compiled.
I could never be an atheist because I could never presume to know more than so many great minds. From Socrates to C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien along with many modern day physicists who claim things like order and information are found through out all the Universe points to an intellegent energy source controlling or at least affecting everything.
I was an agnostic for most of my life. The reason I wasn't an "atheist" (i.e. meaning that I didn't believe in a god, rather than saying I just don't know) was solely due to a simple argument, which goes like this:
When did "creation" occur? If the material universe always existed, then there was no beginning. If so, this goes beyond our natural experience since everything we see has both a beginning and an end, and is thus "supernatural". Doesn't mean it proves there's a god, but it goes beyond our natural understanding of the world and means there might be a "god" or as it's taught in eastern religions, "consciousness" or some other worldy explanation.
On the other hand if there was at one time a beginning, there there was also a time when there was nothing, i.e., no dust, no light, no dark, no atoms, no electrons, etc - i.e. absolutely *nothing* - then we have to ask what sparked "creation" - all that we see? As we all know, you can't get something from nothing. So this too implies a supernatural explanation. Once again, doesn't necessarily mean there's a god, but it also implies that there's a supernatural element at play.
As for the Bible, I will admit I see contradictions, but I also have discovered what might be termed "secret" meanings behind some of the seemingly contradictory teachings. I actually think the OT is filled with parables rather than literal truth.
I hope I didn't step out of bounds with these comments. :
:
When did "creation" occur? If the material universe always existed, then there was no beginning. If so, this goes beyond our natural experience since everything we see has both a beginning and an end, and is thus "supernatural". Doesn't mean it proves there's a god, but it goes beyond our natural understanding of the world and means there might be a "god" or as it's taught in eastern religions, "consciousness" or some other worldy explanation.
On the other hand if there was at one time a beginning, there there was also a time when there was nothing, i.e., no dust, no light, no dark, no atoms, no electrons, etc - i.e. absolutely *nothing* - then we have to ask what sparked "creation" - all that we see? As we all know, you can't get something from nothing. So this too implies a supernatural explanation. Once again, doesn't necessarily mean there's a god, but it also implies that there's a supernatural element at play.
As for the Bible, I will admit I see contradictions, but I also have discovered what might be termed "secret" meanings behind some of the seemingly contradictory teachings. I actually think the OT is filled with parables rather than literal truth.
I hope I didn't step out of bounds with these comments. :
:
No Number six, I think your questions and statements are very important and valuable to any conversation in theology or philosophy.
The English language does not translate well from Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek. For example Greek has three words we translate to English as love and all three words are quite specific in meaning. They also have a word that we translate as fear that literally meansa combination of love and respect which would cause us to fear loss as in to lose contact or fear separation from the one respected and loved.
The English language does not translate well from Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek. For example Greek has three words we translate to English as love and all three words are quite specific in meaning. They also have a word that we translate as fear that literally meansa combination of love and respect which would cause us to fear loss as in to lose contact or fear separation from the one respected and loved.
@numbersix: I agree. As I’ve commented in the past, I believe matter is an artifact of consciousness, not the other way around. A few related books you may find of interest if you’re not already familiar with them are:
Genesis of the Cosmos by Paul A. LaViolette
http://www.amazon.com/Genesis-Cosmos-Ancient-Continuous-Creation/dp/1591430348/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372622119&sr=1-1&keywords=genesis+of+the+cosmos
The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot
http://www.amazon.com/Holographic-Universe-Revolutionary-Theory-Reality/dp/0062014102/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372622164&sr=1-1&keywords=the+holographic+universe
Human Devolution by Michael Cremo
http://www.amazon.com/Human-Devolution-Alternative-Darwins-Theory/dp/0892133341/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372622984&sr=1-1&keywords=human+devolution
@locopony: I agree. The various standard English versions are really interpretations, not translations. A true word-for-word translation is published by Concordant Publishing:
http://concordant.org/
Other material you may find of interest which delves deeper into the esoteric side of the Hebrew alphabet is here:
Meru Foundation Research
http://meru.org/
Genesis of the Cosmos by Paul A. LaViolette
http://www.amazon.com/Genesis-Cosmos-Ancient-Continuous-Creation/dp/1591430348/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372622119&sr=1-1&keywords=genesis+of+the+cosmos
The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot
http://www.amazon.com/Holographic-Universe-Revolutionary-Theory-Reality/dp/0062014102/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372622164&sr=1-1&keywords=the+holographic+universe
Human Devolution by Michael Cremo
http://www.amazon.com/Human-Devolution-Alternative-Darwins-Theory/dp/0892133341/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372622984&sr=1-1&keywords=human+devolution
@locopony: I agree. The various standard English versions are really interpretations, not translations. A true word-for-word translation is published by Concordant Publishing:
http://concordant.org/
Other material you may find of interest which delves deeper into the esoteric side of the Hebrew alphabet is here:
Meru Foundation Research
http://meru.org/
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