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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: Jim Dunne Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Belief in All of Jesus | Mark 10:18 | Jim Dunne | 11402 | ||
I agree with EdB. I don't believe you can really classify Jesus as a prophet in any sense that compares or equates Him with other biblical prophets. He is the Answer and Confirmation of biblical prophecy. And Jesus did not "prophesy" in the classic biblical sense - he had no reason to preface his statements with "Thus saith the Lord". Instead he said, "Truly I say to you." VERY big difference, in my opinion. Yours in Christ, Jim D. |
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2 | father, son, spirit | Mark 10:18 | Jim Dunne | 11401 | ||
This is an interesting question! At the risk of sounding irreverant, I think based on my own observations that it's almost a matter of style and upbringing for some people. I've heard people pray "Dear Heavenly Father", "Father God", "Dear Jesus", "Almighty God", and the list goes on. If you heard your father or Sunday School teacher or pastor pray a certain way, you could have a tendency to pray in a similar way yourself. I have no theological basis on which to say this, but I'm not sure that it really matters very much. We're talking to God when we pray, and He knows both who He is, and who we're trying to talk to. I certainly doubt that you could draw any conclusions whatsoever about someones' belief in the Divinity of Christ or the Trinity just by listening to how they "address" the prayers. Yours in Christ, Jim D. |
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3 | denominations in christianity | Revelation | Jim Dunne | 11383 | ||
Isa - Wow. This is not an easy question to answer, at least not in a short amount of words. However, here's my attempt: The main reasons for different denominations is in fact what you suggested - fundamental disagreement over critical (to some) issues of belief or doctrine. The biggest split is between the Roman Catholic Church, and the Protestant denominations, which covers just about every non-Catholic denomination out there. That split happened back in the 16th (?) century, I believe, and doesn't show any signs of ever being resolved. The reasons are many, but Protestant objections to Roman Catholicism include veneration of Saints, prayers to Mary (the mother of Jesus) or any special status for her, the infallibility of the Pope on issues of doctrine, the belief that Catholic tradition holds an equal status with Holy Scripture, and the doctrine that salvation is achieved through a combination of divine grace and human works. There are also a few more books in the Catholic Bible than there are in the Bibles used by everyone else. If you'd like more details on the Catholic/Protestant split, try doing an Internet search on "The Reformation" or "Martin Luther". You'll be buried in details, but you'll find more than you ever wanted to know. Unfortunately, there are a HUGE number of Protestant denominations (over 20,000 I've heard). Differences between them range from subtle differences in very complex theological areas, to ethnic/geographic differences, to disagreement on very basic issues, like the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus. Some denominations are home to millions, others to just a few thousands. There are a lot of very strange, splinter groups out there that purport to call themselves Christians, but that many/most feel are truly not. (The Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Christian Scientists, and the Church of the Rev. Sun Myung Moom come to mind.) Some folks, like me, believe that throughout history, there has been a true "Christian Church" that existed and exists, made up of all those who believe the the core doctrines of the faith, regardless of the denomination they happen to belong to. We try to differentiate between A Christian Church, and THE Christian Church. That's why when people criticize some of the horrible things that were done by "The Church" during the crusades, for example, you will hear people say that that wasn't really Christianity - it was a misguided and flawed human organization. Hope this helps - I'm sure many other folks on the forum could do a better job in answering this, or perhaps expanding on it. Jim D. |
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4 | muslims - 144,000? | Revelation | Jim Dunne | 10827 | ||
I've had a very interesting, challenging ongoing discussion with a Jehovah's Witness who comes to the house regularly. He's not given up on converting me, and I've not given up on converting him, either! We're able to to be open and cordial in our dialog, which I believe has to be a good thing. Anyway, one day I asked him about the 144,000 issue, because, as has been pointed out elsewhere in the Forum, the Bible says they're going to be male, jewish virgins. I was expecting some kind of obscure explanation to reconcile this with the Witnesses doctrine and membership (they claim over 1,000,000 members worldwide.) What I got stunned me. He was very comfortable with saying he knew he was NOT going to Heaven! I guess almost all the Witnesses believe that they're working to be some of those who remain on "the new Earth " and enjoy life here! They really believe only 144,000 will be allowed to enter Heaven! Amazing - just amazing. Yours in Christ, Jim D. |
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5 | Don't sweat..............continued | NT general Archive 1 | Jim Dunne | 10006 | ||
Hi Lionstrong! I'm getting a little cross-eyed trying to read the replies to replies to replies (g), but I think you're referring to a message you posted before where you said "Some unimportant historical details in the Bible are false, but the important stuff is true. The false stuff is unimportant, so don't sweat it." That's not really what I was trying to say, although I can see now why you might have inadvertently drawn that conclusion. Rather than restate what I've posted before, can I suggest that you read the responses I posed to Morant61's questions? I think you'll find my answer in there. If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know. Yours in Christ, Jim D. |
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6 | Who is the Source of Inspiration? | NT general Archive 1 | Jim Dunne | 9928 | ||
Tim - I think some of this I've covered in another response to one of your posts, but I want to flesh out answers to a couple of the questions you asked. As I say elsewhere, we appear to be very much in agreement on all of this. Interpreting Scripture as it was written is exactly what I'm talking about. In reviewing everything that's been posted, I have come to believe that what I've managed to get everyone upset about is something I NEVER said. People seem to be insisting that I'm saying that because I believe, for example, that the Creation story isn't "literally" true - I don't believe that it necessarily happened day by day, blow by blow the way it's written in Genesis - that I'm therefore saying that the Bible is in error. That's simply not true! The Bible can't be in error - it is Inspired. But it can be something other than "factual" - not in message, but in method. The Bible isn't a dry recitation of "facts", it's story and song and poetry and beauty and glorious tales - all of it god-breathed and suitable for teaching and instruction. That doesn't make it flawed or full of errors - that makes it what it is - unique, holy and beautiful. I'm a little bit uncomfortable with your definition of "literal", only because it's kind of the opposite of what I've heard before. I thought that to take something "literally" is to take it exactly as it's written. To interpret it, on the other hand, is to take into account the authors' intent when it was written. So, for example, to say "he has the manners of a dragon" would mean literally that someone does in fact have draconian manners (g), while the interpretation of that sentence would perhaps be "he is a crude and voracious person." I hope this helps you and everyone else understand what I'm trying to say. Thanks again for being willing to take the time to ask reasonable questions, and provide helpful insight. Yours in Christ, Jim Dunne |
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7 | What are our options? | NT general Archive 1 | Jim Dunne | 9704 | ||
I suppose you could add legend to that list. And I'm not for a minute suggesting that God's creation of the world is anything other than fact. It is just that - fact. All I'm trying to say is that it (the creation recounting in Genesis) COULD be a summary of verbal recountings passed down over generations until the point where there was a written language to record them in. And I don't see that it effects the veracity of the Bible at all. In a like vein, there are discussions amongst scholars on whether Jesus actually delivered the Sermon on the Mount as a sermon at all. Rather, some believe that it is a compilation of many things he said on multiple occassions, combined and summarized by the narrator for the convenience and education of his readers. Does that mean it's not factual? Not at all, I think. Look at it this way. If you jump into your car in California, and drive to New York City by yourself, there are 3 things that are self-evident: 1. You were in California. 2. You are in New York City. 3. You drove. If 100 years from now, someone were to publish the "definitive" route that you took, would they be correct in every detail? Most likely not - you were alone, so no one really knows what route you took. Does that change any of the facts listed above, as long as they have you starting in California and driving to New York City? Nope. I hope this helps clarify what I was trying to say. Yours in Christ, Jim D. |
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8 | May I Ask Again... Bible Software? | Bible general Archive 1 | Jim Dunne | 1643 | ||
I use Kirkbride's Thompson Chain Reference Library STEP 2, which is built on WordSearch. It's pretty good, although Kirkbride doesn't seem to have a clue on how to expand the software, or improve it. I also use the NIV Study Bible Complete Library, with the Expositor's Commentary add-on. I really like this better, in terms of ease of use, and the tools that come with it. DEFINITELY pick something that's STEP-compatible; it seems to be the way that all the mainstream software is going. Even Logos is finally coming along. You don't have to spend a lot of money - the NIV Study Bible Complete Library is less than 100 dollars, and a wonderful tool. | ||||||