From: V
>I read through some of your pages. I like your spice.
>I can see why you are angry.
I am not 'angry', but rather concerned that so many people allow their lives to be ruled by a contradictory and immoral book.
>Much of your arguments were "to the man." For example the
>bit about God destroying people being incompatible with his
>love. Christianity asserts that God loves His people, not everyone.
In contrast to what you assert here, the Bible says:-
'For God so loved the world that he gave his only
Son...' (John 3:16).
And Christ's death is an expiation not only for
the sins of believers but everyone:
'He is the expiation for our sins, and not for
ours only but also for the sins of the whole
world'. (1 John 2:2).
'Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin
of the world' (John 1:29).
And salvation is therefore brought to all people:
'For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall
all be made alive'. (1 Cor 15:22).
These texts state that God does love the world
and acts to redeem/reconcile it: the very opposite of
what you claim above. Of course texts stating the very opposite could
be cited, but this only demonstrates the futility of attempting to
formulate definitive doctrine from the Bible. NB. A number of early
Christian leaders/apologists taught universal salvation, e.g., Clement
of Alexandria, Origen, Gregory of Nyssa; this view was not formally
condemned until 543 CE (Constantinople).
With regard to your comment that 'God loves His people,
not everyone', the activity of 'only loving one's own'
is precisely what Christ is said to have condemned in
Matt 5:46-48.
>Plus, the God of the Bible does what he wants, when he wants,
>with whom he wants. etc.
But the Bible says that God changes his mind -
in which case 'he' cannot be trusted and his
assurances/promises cannot be relied upon. In sum, the
Bible depicts a deity who is unstable
and erratic:-
God is responsible for confusion - Isa 45:7
(Contradicted by 1 Cor 14:33).
God himself lies and/or is responsible for
lies/deliberate deceit- 1 Kings 22:23, 2 Chron 18:22,
2 Thess 2:11 (Contradicted by Num 23:19, Titus 1:2).
God 'repents', i.e., regrets an action/changes his mind/
acknowledges that he has made an error - Gen 6:6-7, Ex 32:14,
1 Sam 15:35, 2 Sam 24:16, 1 Chron 21:15, Jer 18:8,10,
26:3,13,19, 42:10, Joel 2:13, Amos 7:3, Jonah 3:10 (Contradicted by
Num 23:19, 1 Sam 15:29).
>I mean to say is, of the things I read, Christianity
>has a very adequate response.
If you look at other websites, you will see this is certainly not the case. In fact, despite
the instruction of 1 Pet 3:15, Christians seem reluctant to explain their faith in any detail, particularly those aspects which are
actually fundamental.
However, to provide you with the opportunity to do so, and to support your claim that 'Christianity
has a very adequate response', would you please:-
(i)supply a clear exegesis of the events on
easter Sunday, taking into account all the information detailed in
Matthew 28, (and Mark 16:7ff if you accept this as genuinely Markan), Luke 24,
John 20-21, Acts 1:1-12 and 1 Cor 15:3-8.
(ii)explain the nature of the
Triune Godhead, i.e., how one being is able
to be three persons.
(iii)explain the incarnation, i.e.,
how the one person of Jesus Christ was both God and man.
(iv)explain the mechanics of how Christ's
shed blood actually effects salvation.
(v)explain why present-day Christians include writings
in their New Testament which were not used
by the first Christians, and conversely,
why they do not use those writings which
were used by the first Christians?
(vi)How 'eternal life' for those who have died is
possible. If you propose a dualist nature for personhood, please
explain how this occurs; if however it is made possible
by reconstitution, please show how such an event
may be understood as the continuation of the same
person.
(vii)Finally, why so many Christians, and this may even include yourself, fail to comply with Biblical statements. For example, Christ is said to have raised the dead, raised himself from the dead, walked on water, cured all manner of illnesses, fed multitudes with s,all amounts of food, and in John 14;12, he is reported to have said:-
'He who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do...'.
Consequently, Christians should be achieving not only all that Christ is said to have done, but even more than this. And yet, this
is not so. Why not?*
Nothing further was heard from this Christian.....
*
Naturally, Christians try to extricate themselves from the damning statement of John 14:12 by a feeble claim that
the 'works' mentioned here refer to preaching. This of course is not only absurd, but the usage of the term in the same Gospel makes
nonsense of the claim that 'works' only refers to preaching (and not the works of healing, multiplication of drink/food, walking on water,
resurrection, etc), ie., (NIV - my italics).
5:20. "For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be
amazed."
9:1-3. "As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him" (man is then healed of his blindness).
10:31-32. "Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, 'I have shown you many good works from the Father.'”
15:24. "If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen,
and yet they have hated both me and my Father."
