Re: the stupidest Bible story -- "God's nature" -- THE CHAIR

[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bob Crowley) wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Billy Goat) wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...

> > None of this explains where people get the idea that:
> > 
> > -Satan was God's second-in-command
> > -Angels exist to serve humans, and Satan did not want to
> > -Satan was jealous of God's love for humans
> > -Satan wanted God's love all to himself
> > -Satan wanted to be God
> > -Satan led a rebellion of angels against God
> > 
> > None of this information is in the Bible. Where did people get this information?
> > 
> > --Billy
> 
> When the butler done it, Detective Columbo goes looking for the
> butler's motive.
>
> In other words when theologians, apologists etc. are trying to figure
> out why Satan has it in for the human race and hates it so much, they
> search around the area of morality, personality, sinfulness, and so
> on.  Now most Christians are not Bible College students, and most of
> what they learn they pick up in sermons, from other Christians, from
> books and so on.

"Profiler" might be a better word than "detective". Because let's face
it, unless theologians have psychic powers that let them see the
spirit world and interrogate spirits, there's no actual detecting
going on. It's all speculation. And because it's based more on
personal feelings than any actual detected evidence, different
theologians will reach different conclusions. That's why Christianity
is divided into conflicting sects.

What's worse, the very notion that the butler done it is, in itself,
speculation.

> And so we parrot, in most cases, what we have been taught. 

We have to, because there's nothing else to go by. I gave up on
Christianity because I wanted more.

> There is a
> large element of truth in what we have been taught, but also a lot of
> error.  Other things Christians are sometimes guilty of without giving
> them serious thought are "The Pope is the anti-Christ", "Marianism is
> idol worship", "Catholics are doomed", "You must worship on the
> Sabbath", "The  New Covenant exists under teh umbrella of the Old",
> and any number of guesses about who the Anti-Christ and False Prophet
> are (including my own guesses, educated or otherwise).

It's understandable. Basing one's life on speculation makes one
paranoid.

> So if you want to argue Christian doctrine, strictly speaking, you
> should be arguing with those who are trained in it formally and
> strictly.  I am not, and I am merely on this talk site doing by two
> bob's worth to try to get a Christian witness across.

I have no intention of returning to the despair and paranoia that
faith brings. Why are you trying to spread despair and paranoia?

> It is a pity we don't have more qualified Christians on these sites
> giving more informed views.

Unless ESP exists, there's no such thing as an informed view about
God. I want truth, not doctrine.

--Billy