quote:

Originally posted by Nico:

My meaning: Must he verbally acknowledge Christ, or will spiritually suffice?

Should a Christian be able to describe God? That's the question, right?

As a Christian, it is understood that Jesus did not merely display good qualities, he was the 'author' of them: of hope, peace, of faith, for instance. He did not merely display Love, He IS Love! And tho these are inherent in the human psyche as God-given, it's easiest to describe these human and super-human traits as simply the fundamental engine that makes a human truly human. True. But certainly much more!

To understand that without God and we are absolutely nothing, for some, that may seem impossible. The genuine human problem for many is that God is God and we are 'not'. We did not create ourselves. We did not create the ability to reproduce. We did not create our minds. We did not create our spirit. We did not create our beginnings as a person or the beginning of the universe. It is God who gave himself to us. One day God will ask what we've done with his 'presence'. The old saying goes something like this: the Father will ask us after we die: 'What did you do with my Son?'

At this time, does Ray genuinely recognize Jesus Christ in his writings? If so, show me. The character of Christ is intwined in his writings, but is the acknowledgement there? Ray refers to those things that simply 'mirror' the image of Christ ...as gifts God has given to the psyche that makes us human: sincerity, moral passion, sensitivity, caring, family. That's fine. Is not all these things embodied in the aunts and uncles and father and mother on that far away summer porch in fabled Green Town, Illinois? In the turns and upturns and movement of prose in Ray's hands? Yes! He writes well about them! But not about 'Him'! And in a society that has lost its way, it is important, is it not, to describe with complete accuracy exactly what we are talking about? Fundamentally, that all important presence that scripture describes.

If you are going to quote scripture and make references to it, like Ray has done in plays and poems and stories, does one skip stones forever over the water of understanding about what is actually being written about? And about whom?

quote:

Certainly nothing offends us more rudely than this doctrine of original sin.

"The biblical story of the perfect and finished creation from which human beings fell into sin is pre-Darwinian mythology and post-Darwinian nonsense."

- (guess who?)

quote:

Originally posted by Doug Spaulding:

quote:

Certainly nothing offends us more rudely than this doctrine of original sin.

"The biblical story of the perfect and finished creation from which human beings fell into sin is pre-Darwinian mythology and post-Darwinian nonsense."

- (guess who?)

Doug Spaulding:

How far are you going to go with this?

You reject nearly everything that is fundamental in scripture. It would be even different if you were improving on anything. But Spong and your agreement with Spong are directed on tearing everything down a notch or apart where possible. This does not make for anything new. A cat that shreds a cottage style paper house apart does not in its tearing create a beautiful Cinderella castle as paper flies and falls at will.

What is the purpose of Christ in scripture? To restore man back to his original state? You better believe that or you believe in another Gospel.

If you don't like the termonology or some sort of words that are used in describing things, say that, but don't go around totally changing the facts. Are you into Biblical revisionism? I thought there were enough of revisionists in our History books. The Holy Spirit, intutively, or whatever word you want to use, directs the heart and mind to behave and be what matters most in bringing back a person, his Spirit and soul, into that person originally designed by God. God, thru the character of Christ's mind forming in another person's mind and heart, thereby infuses Himself with that person.

Now I may not like many of the words I used to describe the above desired matter, but the truth is there. I may not like the words or phrases to describe the activity of the Holy Spirit, and may not even like the term Holy Spirit because it means nothing to an unbeliever.

But you are changing the meanings as well. You are changing the fabric of truth. That's a worse case scenario.

quote:

Originally posted by Nard Kordell:
How far are you going to go with this?

To the ends of the Earth, to use a metaphor.

quote:

You reject nearly everything that is fundamental in scripture.

No - I reject nearly everything which is fundamentalist in scripture.

Can't spell fundamentalist without mental!

What translations of the tanakh and the gospels do you use, Douglas? Or do you study, in part, the original languages?

I'm always curious.

I think Doug should spell out exactly what he means by the term fundamentalism. Is he exchanging the word for legalism? Who is for that?

quote:

Originally posted by Nico:
What translations of the tanakh and the gospels do you use, Douglas? Or do you study, in part, the original languages?

The originals.

The originals?

Gee, Doug, where and when did you learn ancient Greek and Hebrew? Do you speak the languages or only read it?

Impressive. What about Aramaic? Although that wouldn't be written unless you were using a version translated from greek to aramaic.

Doug wants to be a provocateur.

What forum is this?

Braling II ~ I had to laugh with your Doug description.

This whole thing is nonsense. If Doug has been studying the original languages that scripture was written in and comes up with the things he comes up with nowadays, certainly someone must have passed him one of those ancient Japanese books on herbs and giant goldfish by purpose or mistake. How else can you explain his ideas. Troubling is he'll say the car is red, and ten minutes later say there ain't no car, but whatever it is it's red, and later still, say yep, it's a cow, but it's green. Confused enough?

What forum is this?

I think we used to know...

Doug is a liberal. End of story.

Back to holding up a prayer for Ray.

quote:

Originally posted by embroiderer:
... where and when did you learn ancient Greek and Hebrew? Do you speak the languages or only read it?

Where: In my home.
When: Over several years.
Speak or read: No. I translate.
You too can do it with the tools. Problem is nobody wants to bother with the tools ("if the King's English was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me!")

I think this is a good place to insert a *sigh*.

quote:

Originally posted by embroiderer:
Back to holding up a prayer for Ray.

Oh - sorry. I just noticed I accidentally posted in the wrong thread. Wasn't paying attention. Don't want to intrude on Mr K's prayer thread.

Carry on.

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