Protestantism

» Brother_Jones - Is Jesus God?

In response to Is Jesus God? posted by redback:

Is it a deal breaker for the Bible?

As with all threads, there does always seem to be a post that comes along and 'jumps the shark,' so to speak. I do think if Vegas odd makers were to approach the subject of the thread, they would come in with very low odds on the possibility of the Jewish Religion being historical. But the odds would go up pretty significantly if the question became whether five thousand years from today this Jesus would still be making headlines. lol.

The mystery of Jesus is that He appears and disappears at will. He won't stay dead. I think most folks who have never really known Him figure that Evangelicals have a conference room somewhere that houses the tricks of the preaching trade and the brainwashing goes on 24/7. It really doesn't seem to work that way. Nor do people read a paragraph or two like yours or Lee Stroebels and then smack their head and say, 'That Jesus must be for real.' I believe that reality is that folks begin reading the bible the same way a person looks for water in the desert. I know if my own life, I spent four years away at bible college thinking and listening to every event recorded about the life of Jesus Christ. And it totally convinced me that Jesus is God. There is no true comparison to Jesus. It becomes even more proof of His power and might, when so many would eventually move to the position that He was either some crazy nut or just a puffed up poet that history took advantage of.

i'm just an oldtimer for the Lord.

-- posted by Brother_Jones

» pink101 - The Effect of Culture

In response to Is Jesus God? posted by Brother_Jones:
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Brother Jones talks about his confusion regarding his religiosity in his foregoing post.
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There is a term--Concept Construct--that applies to your quandary, Brother Jones. It deals with the idea that different cultures provide their members with pre-constructed concepts with which individuals interact with each other in their separate views of reality.
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For example, think of the culture in which you live as a building--like your home. In it, you are able to move from one room to the other and as long as you don't go outside, you are constrained to the way your home is laid out. If you want to get something out of the refrigerator, you are forced to go a certain way, turn down a hall way, go through a door way, and--tah-dah--there is the refrigerator. If you're at someone else's home, there is a totally different way to do the same task. Some homes don't even have a refrigerator. Some homes are richer than others. The idea is that there is a constructed way in which you are able to move.
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The same idea is true about culture. The Iranian culture is as different from ours as your home is from mine.. Some cultures are richer than others.
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Our culture is put together in such a way that Christianity is a no-brainer. And, the Iranian (Persian) culture is put together so that being a Muslim is a no-brainer.
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In other words, the reason you think the way you do is because certain concept-constructs have been--more or less--injected into your mind. You don't have to figure it out--it's already there as an act of your culture.
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Now, can you imagine what is outside your house if you've never gone out the door or looked out the window?
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It's going to be another beautiful day in Michigan--temps in the 70s. Tomorrow, we're going to hit 80.
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The really great thing about living in our U.S. of A. culture is that we have a concept-construct known as inalienable rights. So, you might say that we have a walkout basement out of which we are able to move freely. Problem now is that certain people on the Religious Right want to constrain our access.
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Does that make any sense to you or are you numb when it comes to thinking outside the box? I mean basement.
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-- posted by pink101

» pink101 - Concept-Constructs

In response to The Effect of Culture posted by pink101:
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These Concept-Constructs are what you use to give meaning to your life.
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Your religiosity can be observed and researched according to scientific principles. A question gets to be if those Concept-Constructs are the means to an end or are they ends in and of themselves?
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But, speaking of the Vegas odds-makers, I'll bet you already knew that.
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-- posted by pink101

» Migisi - Migisi's false teachers

In response to Migisi's false teachers posted by BrianTubbs:

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Migisi, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, the Mormons, et al are all false teachers...
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The way you wrote that, it looks like I'm first on your line up of 'false teachers'.
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Who else would you add to that list? Catholics, Jehovah Witnesses, and...? Just curious.

-- posted by Migisi

» pink101 - Migisi's false teachers

In response to Migisi's false teachers posted by Migisi:
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Ain't we all including everyone that ever has or ever will come here in the future?
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At least to some degree?
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-- posted by pink101

» Migisi - Is Jesus God?

In response to Is Jesus God? posted by redback:
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I'm sure there'll be other verses tucked away in other Books of the Bible that may add insight...or not...depending on what outcome we want the bible to affirm.
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Consider Job, who suffered many assaults, including illness. According to the story, his misery was not a result of sin (he was God's example of righteousness). But the sin issue was indeed introduced by his pious friends. Poor Job was an innocent victim of a cruel contest between God and Satan.
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Interesting book link. Thanks.

-- posted by Migisi

» Migisi - Migisi's false teachers

In response to Migisi's false teachers posted by pink101:
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Heh heh. I think everybody who doesn't agree with a specific faith version makes it somewhere on somebody's 'false teacher' list. I'm proud to be listed as #1 on Brian's. (Though, I don't think he meant me to be. )

-- posted by Migisi

» Migisi - Is Jesus God?

In response to Is Jesus God? posted by redback:
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So, is there evidence of more enlightened approaches around Biblical times, other than Israel?
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Appears so, in Egypt - renown for its medical skills back then. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egy...
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Nonetheless, like Israel, they also believed in supernatural causes for illness and cures: (quote from above site)
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"Magic and religion were part of everyday life in ancient Egypt. Gods and demons were thought to be responsible for many ailments, so often the treatments involved a supernatural element. Often, the first recourse was an appeal to a deity. Often priests and magicians were called on to treat disease instead of, or in addition to, a physician. Physicians themselves often used incantations and magical ingredients as part of treatment, and many medicines apparently lacked active ingredients.
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"The widespread belief in magic and religion may have contributed to a powerful placebo effect; that is, the perceived validity of the cure may have contributed to its effectiveness." (end)

-- posted by Migisi

» Brother_Jones - The Effect of Culture

In response to The Effect of Culture posted by pink101:
Brother Jones talks about his confusion regarding his religiosity in his foregoing post.
No evidence given in your post for my confusion except just the broad idea that I am being driven by my culture. That is your testimony that also paints the life of Jesus. You aren't going to spend much time with the idea of Jesus because it is not your calling in life. Your calling is to provide a cultural reason for the evidence that you have good cause for believing Jesus isn't God, Lord, or anything that can really bring sparks to the mind portal. Yes. Perhaps in your thinking and research on cultural connotes you have come across the notion that men prize themselves on a lavish couch throne at the end of the journey. And that particular thought does not lead to a life of ministry to others. But you already know this.

the oldtimer.

-- posted by Brother_Jones

» Brian Tubbs - Migisi's false teachers

In response to Migisi's false teachers posted by Migisi:

The way you wrote that, it looks like I'm first on your line up of 'false teachers'.

Ha, ha. No, I meant "Migisi, here's what I have to say...". Ha, ha. But, perhaps it was a Freudian slip, you false teacher you.