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  1. J

    Divinity of Jesus

    I believe Jesus is a man, but unique in that he was born without original sin. I don't see him as being God himself, but as he realized God's original hope for Adam and Eve, that they come to fully reflect his image, he himself reflects the divinity of God. Becoming God's first true son, he is...
  2. J

    The Holy Spirit

    I think this is a good answer. However, I believe that the Holy Spirit plays a unique role in relation to Jesus in the process of rebirth. This may sound unusual, but I think that the Holy Spirit stands as a feminine (not masculine) counterpart in relation to Jesus. Believers enter into the...
  3. J

    How will we know Jesus has returned.

    Jesus was not so easy to recognize. A thief comes not only by surprise; he is often already gone when we awake. Further, the Bible suggests that the Lord will come with a new name "His eyes are like blazing fire,and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows...
  4. J

    Was Joseph the Father of Jesus? Prophecy implies this. Why does Christianity say no?

    I think that rather than pointing to Joseph as the father of Jesus, the gospel stories are giving hints that Zacharias was his father.
  5. J

    Determinism and Responsibility

    This is a key question, is how much people can change. If all, including the most hardened criminals, are capable of true reform, then every effort must be made to do that. It is my belief that killing someone for a crime doesn't really solve the problem. They continue to live in the...
  6. J

    Orthodox Christianity Hinges on Original Sin...

    Scriptures such as above have to balanced against others such as Exodus 20:5-6: "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me...
  7. J

    Orthodox Christianity Hinges on Original Sin...

    Personally I believe that one of the main differences that separates humans from other animals is the possession of an eternal spirit. There most likely were human-like animals prior to "Adam" and "Eve", whose bones would appear nearly identical to modern humans, but they couldn't be called...
  8. J

    How can banning a natural act be logical?

    Married couples are capable of having far more children than is necessary to merely maintain the population. The situation in many countries now where the average number of live births per woman is below the replacement level has not been the case for most of human history at all.
  9. J

    Romans 6:23

    I believe the death referred to here is spiritual death-the state of being separated from God's love. I think there a lot of verses that can shed light on that, but think for a moment about Luke 9:60. Jesus tells a disciple who wants to attend the funeral of his father "Let the dead bury...
  10. J

    The 3rd Testament - when?

    Reverend Moon's teachings collectively are called the "Completed Testament", signifying they are meant to fulfill and complete the Old and New Testaments. I believe that to be true, but how to convince other people? It's not so easy. To put it in perspective, although Christians cherish the...
  11. J

    The historicity of the dead rising from the tombs

    There is also the question of where these raised bodies went afterwards-back to the graves? Established businesses in Jerusalem? Are they living on earth eternally? But as a person of faith I think there is a meaning here. I believe these were spiritual visitations in which saints of the...
  12. J

    My God Why have you forsaken me

    I believe there are two possibilities: 1)Because Adam lost faith and abandoned God when he fell, to restore that failure Jesus had to maintain faith in a moment when he was abandoned by God. Being abandoned means for the first time in his life Jesus could not feel God's presence within him...
  13. J

    Does enternal Hell make God a liar?

    The "root" of the sinner is fallen nature and the original sin. The "branch" is the sin itself, which springs out of the root. This is talking about the judgement and destruction of evil, not the sinner himself. That judgement takes place by "fire". IMO, fire doesn't mean a literal fire, whether...
  14. J

    Do innocent children go to Heaven or Hell?

    I think there is an intermediate region of the spiritual world, which is neither heaven nor hell. Most likely that would be the destination of innocent children, as well as righteous people of various faiths.
  15. J

    Adam = all Men's nature becomes sinful; Jesus =/= all Men become sinless?

    No, God did not know, predestine or desire the fall of Adam and Eve. He knew of the possibility, but not the outcome, because it depended on human choice. Adam and Eve were created sinless, not perfect, and I think those terms are often confused. Although the Eden story on face value has been...
  16. J

    Adam = all Men's nature becomes sinful; Jesus =/= all Men become sinless?

    It sounds like you're trying to make a back door argument that either God doesn't exist, or that he isn't a God of love. In that case you're not just condemning Jesus for not solving all human problems 2000 years ago, but by extension condemning God for allowing Adam and Eve to fall in the...
  17. J

    Mary Magdalene

    A book that provides good insight on this subject (in part) is "Secrets of the Holy Family" by Mark Gibbs.
  18. J

    Mary Magdalene

    I don't think so, but her relationship to Jesus was obviously very special. I think she was meant to be the bride to Jesus, if he had had enough foundation of belief among the Jewish people. If you look more deeply at what motivated Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus, it may have been jealously...
  19. J

    Adam = all Men's nature becomes sinful; Jesus =/= all Men become sinless?

    Jesus' sacrifice and victory 2000 years ago brought us spiritual rebirth, but not physical rebirth, IMO. Christians can enter the realm of God's grace spiritually, but the tendency to sin is still alive in the physical body. And Christians, no matter how devout, do pass on the original sin to...
  20. J

    Free Will and the Problem of Evil

    Perhaps our understanding of God isn't really completely correct. Perhaps many montheists (which I am) have to reconsider their beliefs. For example, if God is all powerful, isn't he powerful enough to limit what he can know? Or conversely, if God is all-knowing, doesn't that limit God's...
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