Well, let's just review the overall timeline of the writing of the works of the New Testament. The gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) were all written decades after the death of Jesus. The book of John was the last to be written, and it was written in about the year 90 CE. And they were written...
Those are fair points. I would just add that the passages you cited from Colossians and from Corinthians are from the writings of Paul. All of the passages I cited in my original posting were from the mouth of Jesus. Especially where morality is concerned, I think we should begin with the...
Happy to provide. I'll offer the example of Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII. She was executed after she was found guilty of having committed ADULTERY with her cousin while she was the QUEEN OF ENGLAND and therefore had no need of MONEY or of any other MATERIAL COMPENSATION. (See--...
I can accept that. The story of the creation is noble and beautifully told. Same goes for most of the biblical writings. (But Numbers has to be one of the most boring books ever written.) There is much of spiritual value in the Bible, and we should treasure those parts. But there is also much in...
Jesus, in Matthew 6:14-15, said that his followers must forgive the sins of others. He made no mention of a need for the person being forgiven to repent of the sin. And in the story of the adulteress, there is no mention of a need for the woman to find gainful employment. You are reading...
I think you've neglected this passage, from the mouth of Jesus:
If God can forgive the sins of people who committed sins against other persons but not against God or Jesus specifically, then so must his followers.
You:
Really? What was the divine arrangement that allowed southern Whites to...
I think the original frame of mind of the author of the creation story has become more evident with the publication of the New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition in 2019. That version has replaced the use of the obsolete English word "firmament" with the word "dome," which is much closer...
First of all, I don't think the question of whether or not the woman in question was or was not a prostitute is so absolutely critical to the understanding of the New Testament that I would defend it with every ounce of my being. My objection is simply that the word "prostitute" never actually...
Simple, and I've explained it several times before.
You are interpreting the waters above as rain clouds. But the much more natural reading is that the universe began as an ocean of water and that God created the Earth's atmosphere by inserting a dome "in the midst of the waters." The...
Where did the author of the creation story get the idea that the universe began as an ocean of water? I think the most likely source would have been the Babylonian captivity. Psalm 137 says it was written on the banks of the Euphrates river in Babylon by an Israelite captive, so at least some...
The law in Leviticus makes no exceptions for first time offenders. You're reading a lot into the story that isn't explicitly there. The whole point of the story is that the Pharisees were sticklers for following the law to the letter, regardless of what might be considered as extenuating...
The word "charity" appears only one time in the New Testament-- in the book of Acts-- in the NRSVue. I wasn't talking about the use of the word "charity" in the Bible, I was talking about the identification of charity as one of the 7 Christian virtues by the Catholic Catechism.
The example I gave shows that the word "Before" is not required, as you had insisted, so it is apt.
You:
My interpretation has to be nonsense? Why? Most people of the time when this story was written actually believed that the universe was created from a pre-existing chaos, or from an ocean...
?? Huh? Here's what Leviticus says:
Leviticus 20 begins with the following words:
The rest of Leviticus 20 follows that introduction. So the law that says that adulterers must be put to death was given by God directly to Moses. It is therefore every bit as "lawful" as the Ten Commandments...
Thank you for that-- I appreciate it. :)
You:
Just a reminder: Jesus intervened to prevent the law from taking its course in the story of the woman accused of adultery in John 7:53 – 8:11. The law held that she should be stoned to death, but Jesus interfered and managed to dissuade those who...
Hmmmm... If I were to say "When I began to wash my car it was covered in tree pollen," I don't think anyone would interpret that to mean that I first washed my car and then it was covered in tree pollen. Most people would interpret it to mean that my car was covered in tree pollen when I began...
In Matthew 6:14-15 Jesus is reported to have said the following:
That’s very clear. The only way to earn the forgiveness of God is by forgiving the sins of other people. Faith is not required, just forgiveness.
Which sins must be forgiven? Jesus answered that question too:
Every sin except...
Here’s a short summary of the key elements of the creation story as related in Genesis 1:
Item #
Biblical story element
1
The substance of the Earth and the waters both preexisted before God began the act of creation by saying “Let there be light”
2
The universe is an ocean of water...
Alright, let's start with that. Note that Genesis 1:1 above doesn't mention the waters. In fact the entire story never specifically mentions that God created the waters. And don't forget that according to the events of Day 2 the entire universe is filled with water. So the waters are crucially...
Here's my previous response: DSM previous response
The point is that I find it hard to believe that God would decide to starve people just because they don't observe the Festival of Booths. It seems to me that he would be much more concerned that the people of the world would follow the laws...