“I love the way you refer to Genesis, how long after this was Jesus supposed to have existed?”

About 1,450 years before Jesus was born. Amazing, isn’t it? This only re-affirms what John says in John 1:1, that “in the beginning was the Word.” (Jesus is often called the Word of God). Not only that, but it also helps show that the Bible is unlike any other book in the history of mankind. It was written (under the inspiration of God) by more than 40 different people from different walks of life, ranging from fishermen, doctors, and prophets (not to mention exiles like John). It was written in 3 languages (Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic) on three continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa). It is one book with one theme (God’s redemption of man for God’s glory) that is contained within 66 independant books. It covers hundreds of topics (most of them contraversial) and yet never contradicts itself. It contains hundred of specific prophecies that have never been proven false. And, it was written over the course of about 1500 years. That is one unique book.

“And as for Peter, please, the guy was a mean and nasty zealot who was annoyed with the way the church was bypassing him.”

What evidence do you have of this? Peter was a very kind man who spread the gospel to the gentiles. Acts 10:34-43. Of course the man had his flaws, but the church certainly was not bypassing him; he was highly respected amongst the other apostles. There was no real hiearchy in the early church, something that Catholics miss very much. No one apostle had more authority over another (or any believer, for that matter). No real Christian will attempt to force our religion down your’s (or anyone else’s) throat.

“Somehow incomplete knowledge leads to knowledge of fine details with religion, whereas the examples you quoted started with the outcome and stated a few facts.”

I presume you’re talking about doctrines like the Trinity and others like it? (Please correct me if I’m wrong) Well, there is direct knowledge of the doctrine of the Trinity and the exclusivity of the Bible and such things; though I will admit they may not be as plain as the doctrine of Original Sin. This direct knowledge comes from God’s directly given Word.

If this is true, then why does Jesus say “the name of”? One name for three persons? That is the distinct nature of the trinity. We can also look at Genesis 1:26, which says “Let us make man in our image.” Or 1 Peter 1:2 which says: “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the santification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ…” WHile there is distinction amongst the persons of the trinity, there is only one God, as can be see clearly in Ephesians 4:4-6.

“Absolutely you are right that most folk cannot answer all the questions that I have, but why if that is the case are US fundamentalist evangelicals so certain that they are right?”

Just because I don’t know everything about a particular doesn’t mean that I’m not right. For instance, I know that the 13 British North American colonies defeated Great Britain in the American Revolution, but I don’t know everything about the war itself. I know that Parliment defeated Charles in the English Civil War, but I don’t know everything about that either. Incomplete knowledge does not mean an incorrect belief.

Absolutely you are right that most folk cannot answer all the questions that I have, but why if that is the case are US fundamentalist evangelicals so certain that they are right? If what you say is really the case then a small amount of modesty would be appropriate.

But no, folk are so certain about what god is and what god desires. Maybe humility and an acceptance that you could be wrong would be a correct attitude to adopt.

“The idea of the trinity had nothing to do with the bible and was a political decision thanks to the church of Rome.”

This is a very false statement. Take Matthew 28:19. Jesus said “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” That is a very prime example of the trinity. Three persons, but one “name”.

“Saints are man-made and are as a result of popularism within the Roman Church. Hence those recently elevated to Sainthood. Like an Oscar for the clergy and those who believed and didn’t question doctrine.”

Originally, every Christian was called a saint. So really, the Roman Catholic Church has abused and deformed the word into something incredibly ugly. No Christian is better than another. All Christians are the saints of God.

“The god of the bible is an evil vicious being with no concept of love or even compassion and as such is to be fought against. If a human being showed the same characteristics then they could expect to be placed in a prison or asylum.”

This is a misunderstanding of God. Of course God has killed people, but these incidents were just. It is no different than today’s death penalty. That is not to say, however, that is God is without love. Would you sacrifice your own son for people who had cursed you, people who had essentially hated from the time they knew you? Would you sacrifice your own child for those kind of people? It takes an unfathomable amount of love to do that.

“As for original sin, wow this is a creation of god and an excuse for why a supposedly omnipotent being allows suffering today.”

God had nothing to do with original sin. It was Satan who tempted Adam and Eve, not God. Originally, Satan was an angel. He lusted after the power of God, and for that he was cast out of heaven. When God created the Earth (along with Adam and Eve), Satan tempted them to break the single law God had laid down. Obviously, God allows suffering and sin, but only for His glory. Through salvation, God is glorified magnificiently.

I know I can’t answer everything to your satisfaction, but I can try my hardest, which is what I’m doing. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measures-surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7) I know that I don’t have all the answers, but I know that God is in control. I encourage you to read the Bible yourself, to see what it says. And don’t just read in one place. Try different books. I recommend reading Habbakkuk (it’s only 3 chapters long).

Have a good day (or night, if that’s when you read this!)

As for your interpretation of the bible, it is amazing to me that you do not consider that the book could be an inaccurate statement of history. I mean all other religions of the book claim the same thing. The idea of the trinity had nothing to do with the bible and was a political decision thanks to the church of Rome.
Saints are man-made and are as a result of popularism within the Roman Church. Hence those recently elevated to Sainthood. Like an Oscar for the clergy and those who believed and didn’t question doctrine.
As for original sin, wow this is a creation of god and an excuse for why a supposedly omnipotent being allows suffering today.
Religion is a tautology and its apologetics is a sad exercise in trying to justify the unjustifiable.
To me it is sad that so many young people are being sold this lie and folk are being persecuted because of faerie tales and the need for old men to feel powerful.
The list 1-11 are just faerie tales and wishful thinking, but what truly worries me is that people could wish for all of them to be true.
The god of the bible is an evil vicious being with no concept of love or even compassion and as such is to be fought against. If a human being showed the same characteristics then they could expect to be placed in a prison or asylum. If it lived in the US then the death penalty would be called for.

Please, don’t get defensive, I was just curious. Most people I talk to aren’t as informed as you are, and I was just wondering how you got your news.

“Wow that’s a bold statement.
“If you don’t approve of any statement then the person involved cannot be a bone fide xtian”
What if you come up against somebody with the same mindset, but with a different interpretation of your dogmatic texts?
How would you arrive at common ground. By your “logic” catholics, lutherans etc are all non-xtians.”

Most of the time, if one has the same mindset as me, then we would interpret the Bible (I’m assuming is what you meant) relatively the same. There are, of course, fairly trivial matters. For instance, interpretations of the Book of Revelation. That is not nearly half as important (though still important, with valuable lessons for present day life) as what gospel one preaches. If someone were to tell you that you could earn your own salvation, I would seriously doubt his/her state of soul. That is a very serious topic, one that divided Christians significantly. (I might add here that one cannot be a Christian and say that you can earn salvation. It directly contradicts the Bible (see Ephesians 2:1-10).) I think it’s important enough to mention that I’m not “making up the rules” or anything. I take everything that anyone says, inspect with the microscope of the Word of God, and then judge it (what anyone says) according to His standards. There’s no “one interpretation fits all.” There are hundreds of thousands verses in the Bible that I haven’t a clue as to their meaning. However, there are these doctrines that you must absolutely believe in order to be a true, Bible-believing Christian:

1. God exists
2. God is sovreign
3. God created the world
4. Man sinned (or the Doctrine of Original Sin)
5. Jesus Christ was sent to the earth
6. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully Man
7. God is three in one (the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)
8. Jesus Christ died as a sacrifice for sins
9. Jesus Christ rose from the dead to defeat death
10. Salvation through faith alone
11. Preservation of the Saints

As for current events:
I read the blogs, watch TV, listen to radio, read papers, scan websites from around the world and talk to colleagues, friends and relatives all over this globe. (My brother spent his last two years of service in Iraq and Afghanistan.) Please do not think that I am averse to military service, all the members of my family have worn our country’s uniform even though I’m the only one for 4 generations, who while being mobilised, never went to theatre. I’m not disappointed by the way, the first gulf war was over with a thankfully low small loss of life.