Bible Topics and Questions

[humanalien]

I just wanted to talk a bit about the relationship
between God and mankind.

Many people in this world, including this forum, know
the bible, backwards, forwards and inside out. That is
all fine and good but i believe the whole idea of becoming
a christian, is to have a personal relationship with God
and Jesus.

Most people can learn the words in any textbook. They can
know these words very well and maybe even understand them
but that doesn't make it true. It's being said that school
kids are not being taught about the truth from our past and
i do believe that, yet it's being taught as truth.

Everyone knows that any bible from any religion, has been
altered to suit the need of those in power, such as kings
and church leaders. God even warned people in the kjv that
changing any word in the bible will have it's consequences.

I question people that are well versed in the bible, all the
time about how can you be sure that everything in the bible
is true. They usually throw a couple of verses at me to explain
how the words are true but that doesn't answer my question.

If the bible has been altered, then how can one be so sure
that their bible is telling the truth?

This is where having a personal relationship with God comes
in. By personal relationship, i mean that one should have a
personal communication with God (i.e) talk directly to God
or Jesus.

I have yet, to meet anyone, that has this ability and i'll be
dead before i ever see this for myself. If the bible is correct
in the beginning, Adam had this gift and so did Moses and a
few others. If one had this gift of having a personal relationship
with God, this very lucky person could question everything about
their bible and ask God if this or that is true, before preaching
it to the world.

People act like having this relationship with God is lost but
i don't believe it is. The same things that Adam, Noah, Moses
and others did with God are still available to anyone now that
believes it.

I don't even believe it involves meditating in order to talk to
God. It's more like bearing your soul to God and become Christ
like. Rid your mind of all evil thoughts and only think of Godly
things.

I wrote about this because the whole world is in a uproar over
who's religion is right or wrong and i personally, don't think
any of them are. All religions and all biblical text have been
perverted, in my opinion and the only way to know for sure what
God expects of mankind is to forget everything that you have
ever learned about religion and the bible and ask God directly.

It's time that mankind had a huge dose of truth and we just aren't
going to see this coming from mankind because we all have our
agenda's and the truth will never see the light of day.

Only through direct communication with God, will mankind finally
know the truth.

[Mark (Star Mariner)]

Posted by kreagle (here)

Hey kreagle, thanks for your continuing words of wisdom my friend, very illuminating as always, and humbling.

The answer to this is really quite simple,....for it happened in the Garden of Eden, precisely at the very moment of that 'fatal bite of disobedience' of our original ancestors, Adam and Eve. Through inheritance we have 'all' become afflicted with this 'wandering eye syndrome', for our 'carnal, fleshly nature' is constantly on the prowl looking for points of interest that individually appeals to our lustful, carnal nature.

The many diversions of life that we have today are constantly vying for our attention, whether they be....sexual,...monetary,...or other 'personal interests', and they will easily consume you if you don't take proper evasive measures against them.

Whereas I view the events of the Garden of Eden as more a mythological root metaphor, than actual history, this is beside the point. We can both understand what is meant by the tale, and draw the same lesson. So that is not what I wish to discuss.

I agree, it is very hard to not get caught up in distraction, and quickly find ourselves veering off along the wrong fork in the road, especially when the Powers that Be delight in trying to entice us into taking that way, along this proverbial 'Las Vegas strip' of Distraction, Materialism, and Consumerism. So I agree totally, that this is a trap. A potentially fatal one.

But let us not forget also that the Earth is beautiful (a veritable Garden of Eden itself) , full of richness and almost endless experience. I submit that it is just as important not to 'isolate' oneself from what life has to offer in the way of simple joyfulness and yes - even base pleasures, and by that I don't necessarily mean those that make us feel guilty, but those that make us feel happy, invigorated, and fulfilled. I don't see anything wrong with that. I don't see anything wrong with what I did two nights ago for instance (a chance to let off steam), spending an evening at a friends house drinking beer ( not to excess), and playing cribbage into the early hours and having many a laugh along the way. In whatever activity one chooses to do, as long as you harm no one, there is no harm. That is my code. Sometimes religion places too much emphasis on guilt trips. In my personal opinion, distraction as in recreation, simple fun, need not be evil, or a distraction at all.

I do understand what you're saying, that in extremes, a detour from the straight path (to Jesus, enlightenment, etc) can be a serious problem, so yes I concur. Many people will sadly live their entire lives dedicated completely to self-gratification and materialism. But from the opposite polarity, there is an identical danger for the spiritually inclined, which is to shut themselves out entirely from the wide bounty that the world has to offer. Even to the holiest of holy men, I would say: 'lift your head from prayer once in a while. Don't forget to live!'

[Mark (Star Mariner)]

Posted by kreagle (here)

Psalm 51:1-12 (KJV)

51 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

How,....precisely,.....would you define 'repentance' as you understand it, and it's role in Christianity? Please take a moment to seriously consider this topic and express your views/concerns towards this as you see it.

I will tell briefly what I believe is the core purpose of repentance, and what I 'see' in Psalm 51. By 'see', I mean perceive, 'read between the lines;' in accordance with my own understanding of how this mechanism of repentance works.

'God' as a being, a reality, a nature, whatever you wish to call him, is love. Love can neither judge nor condemn. All are loved, and forgiven. But I see here in this psalm that the speaker is seeking to find the presence of God inside of him, to feel it touch him, and to thus find a personal absolution of sins.

But I do not believe the speaker is looking for God to come down and 'actively' do this, to intervene and 'do all the hard work for him’ as a pro-active force. No, he is seeking God to enter in as a passive agent, so that with His light and His love this speaker can truly 'see' into the dark spaces in his life, and make the changes himself.

This is Repantance – remorse, regret, sorrow at our transgressions. This is necessary as a first step, before we can find forgiveness. And that can only really be achieved by seeing, acknowledging, and forgiving ourselves - not ‘repentance’ to God, but in the presence of God within us. The speaker in this Psalm wants this God-energy, the Holy Ghost, the purity of Spirit, to touch him inwardly, like a healing-salve, so he will be cleansed and purged of his iniquity, like a dry, rusty, seized engine that seeks warm, smooth oil to make it whole, and functional once again. This is that first, and most important step on the path to forgiveness, and the transformation of oneself.

This, my friends, is what it's all about. God will ultimately forgive you, but to truly move forward and not stand still (or worse, regress), you must learn to forgive yourself! Open the door and let him in, then you'll have all that you need to do this.

[Mark (Star Mariner)]

Posted by humanalien (here)
I just wanted to talk a bit about the relationship
between God and mankind.

Many people in this world, including this forum, know
the bible, backwards, forwards and inside out. That is
all fine and good but i believe the whole idea of becoming
a christian, is to have a personal relationship with God
and Jesus.

Most people can learn the words in any textbook. They can
know these words very well and maybe even understand them
but that doesn't make it true. It's being said that school
kids are not being taught about the truth from our past and
i do believe that, yet it's being taught as truth.

Everyone knows that any bible from any religion, has been
altered to suit the need of those in power, such as kings
and church leaders. God even warned people in the kjv that
changing any word in the bible will have it's consequences.

I question people that are well versed in the bible, all the
time about how can you be sure that everything in the bible
is true. They usually throw a couple of verses at me to explain
how the words are true but that doesn't answer my question.

If the bible has been altered, then how can one be so sure
that their bible is telling the truth?

This is where having a personal relationship with God comes
in. By personal relationship, i mean that one should have a
personal communication with God (i.e) talk directly to God
or Jesus.

I have yet, to meet anyone, that has this ability and i'll be
dead before i ever see this for myself. If the bible is correct
in the beginning, Adam had this gift and so did Moses and a
few others. If one had this gift of having a personal relationship
with God, this very lucky person could question everything about
their bible and ask God if this or that is true, before preaching
it to the world.

People act like having this relationship with God is lost but
i don't believe it is. The same things that Adam, Noah, Moses
and others did with God are still available to anyone now that
believes it.

I don't even believe it involves meditating in order to talk to
God. It's more like bearing your soul to God and become Christ
like. Rid your mind of all evil thoughts and only think of Godly
things.

I wrote about this because the whole world is in a uproar over
who's religion is right or wrong and i personally, don't think
any of them are. All religions and all biblical text have been
perverted, in my opinion and the only way to know for sure what
God expects of mankind is to forget everything that you have
ever learned about religion and the bible and ask God directly.

It's time that mankind had a huge dose of truth and we just aren't
going to see this coming from mankind because we all have our
agenda's and the truth will never see the light of day.

Only through direct communication with God, will mankind finally
know the truth.

Thank-you Human Alien this is a great post and sums up so many things I personally believe to be true. You nailed it right here, saying: I don't even believe it involves meditating in order to talk to God. It's more like bearing your soul to God and become Christ like. Rid your mind of all evil thoughts and only think of Godly things.

But I would be wary of 'asking God directly' and seeing what he has to say. Rather, if God is already in you, live your life by the code this 'energy' grants (rather than any voice that speaks) and use it to direct your path, and do good in this world.. and to love.

Unfortunately, however, there are many instances of people claiming that they did this or did that because 'God' told them to do it. Usually this is claimed as an excuse for something bad (re: false messiahs like Jim Jones, the Waco guy, I forget his name, or just the various political dogmas that have perverted Islam). This is at best a fantasy, at worse coercion by dark forces. Those who claim to hear the voice of God or Jesus in their head - as an actual, speaking voice telling them what to feel, how to act, what to do etc - are more than likely under an unwholesome and potentially damaging influence. It's little more than 'Channelling', which definitely can't be trusted.

[humanalien]

John 10:25 - 30

25: Jesus answered them, I told you, and you believed not:
the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

26: But you believe not, because you are not of my sheep, as I
said to you.

27: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

28: And I give to them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

29: My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man
is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

30: I and my Father are one.

Concentrating on line 27, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me:", wouldn't one think that the real people of
God would know his voice and not just assume it was God talking
to them?

[humanalien]

Now, if the kjv bible is correct and everyone thinks
that this is the true word of God, how would one
interpret this line from Genesis 3:16.

This comes right after eve ate the fruit from the tree
of good and evil and then gave it to adam to eat. This
is when God had found out what eve and adam had done and
passes judgement on them.

Because eve was the first one to commit the original sin,
God appoints adam as the ruler over eve.

16: To the woman he said, I will greatly multiply
your sorrow and your conception; in sorrow you shall
bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your
husband, and he shall rule over you.

The question is, does this apply only to adam and eve or
does this mean that all husbands are rulers over their wives,
brothers over sisters?

Question two is that, after Jesus came and went, did the laws
that Jesus laid out, nullify anything that God had previously
commanded man to do?

[thunder24]

Posted by humanalien (here)
Question two is that, after Jesus came and went, did the laws
that Jesus laid out, nullify anything that God had previously
commanded man to do?

no. by walking in the way as Jesus was the way, then u are fullfilling the old commandments. To love your neighbor as yourself and God with all ur heart mind, soul, strenght, etc... would b to fullfill the law of old.

[humanalien]

I realize that i seem to be stuck in the
beginning of the bible but things just are
not adding up.

We are all taught that God created adam and eve
and that they were the father and mother of all
living mankind. Well at least eve was said to be
the mother of all the living and maybe in part,
that may be true.

I found online, a 1611 version of the KJV bible
and i began reading it from Genesis. That is when
i discovered something that i had been overlooking,
in the 1995 version. Since the 1611 version, seems
to be using "U" in place of "V", in that text, i
had trouble reading it, so i was looking and reading
extra careful, when i ran across one word that proves
that God had indeed created mankind before he created
adam and eve.

Take a look at Gen 1:26 1995 version KJV

Genesis 1:26

And God said, Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness: and let them have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of
the air, and over the cattle, and over all the
earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth.

The key word here is them. If God had only
created adam, one man, the bible would read,
let him and not them. Them means more than
one.

This was in the 1611 version as well.

This would certainly explain where cain got his
wife from.

This creation happened on the sixth day and
God rested on the seventh day.

Then in chapter 2, the bible begins telling the
story of adam and eve and the point here is,
how much time had passed between the 7th
day of rest to when God created adam and eve.

It had to have been a long time in order for cain
to have found a wife in a different land.

Another point to bring up is when cain built a
city. Why would cain need to build a city for
only him and his wife? There had to be a lot of
people in that new land that cain occupied, in
order for cain to need to build a city and he
couldn't have built it himself.

In the book of Enoch, It says that adam and eve
were on a mountain and after they had many
children, they began looking over the edge of the
mountain and their were other people living down
their.

There was a path leading from the mountain to
the bottom but the people on the bottom could not
walk up the path to meet with Gods chosen people
because God would not allow it.

Every time adam and eves children looked over the
edge, the people on the bottom would entice them
to come down to them.

Eventually, after adam and eve died, some of them
did go down to meet the others.

So, even though the book is not an official version
of any bible, it does have it's merits.

This is just further proof that there were already people
on the earth before adam and eve.

Just so that you know, i was begging and pleading with
God to give me some revelation and understanding about
bible because before that point, i couldn't figure that mess
out.

That is why i believe this to be true. I believe God himself
lead me to this answer. I hope to find out more.

[kreagle]

Posted by humanalien (here)

Only through direct communication with God, will mankind finally
know the truth.

humanalien,

I want to apologize to 'all' for not replying as quickly as I might normally respond, but my work schedule has been very time consuming for me this week, and may also be for the next few days. While I have been able to take an occasional 'peek' at the thread, I haven't been able to respond, but will get caught up as time permits.


Your statement about having a 'personal relationship with God',....also followed up with 'direct communication with God' is certainly correct, my dear friend. This is just another reason, ( out of many), why a person must be 'born of the water and the Spirit', ( as Jesus indicated to Nicodemus in John, chapter 3. My personal infilling of the Holy Ghost, which occurred on February 22, 1981, made that relationship with God 'very' personal, indeed,......enabling me to directly communicate with Him, in Spirit, on a level that I, formerly, never realized was even possible to do to begin with.

John 14:15-21 (KJV)

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Brother, I sincerely hope that the 'colors' that I use to 'highlight', here don't offend, ( or throw you off track), for I simply do so, in an effort to specifically point out something 'special' that is contained within the Scriptures that 'many' normally just skim over without recognizing the importance of what the Spirit is endeavoring to reveal to us at that particular moment we are reading it.


Even though Jesus spoke these words over two thousand years ago, verse 20 particularly 'jumps out to me', when He said,....."At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you." My personal 'that day' was the day that I indicated, earlier,....February 22, 1981,....for it was, literally, on 'that day' that I fully realized that He wasn't just 'with' me,...anymore, but was now 'in' me,....to dwell within my own body from that point onward!


When He filled me with His Spirit,...on 'that day', I miraculously began to 'speak in other tongues',....a language that I had never previously known, or was learned in. It was, no doubt, 'my own tongue' He was using,....and 'my own vocal chords',....but His Spirit had 'taken control' of both of these as His Spirit expressed Himself through me. His Spirit literally moved into my life,....'that day',....and has changed me forevermore!


Let me, further, say this about being filled with the Holy Ghost. Obviously, being a man, I cannot explain what it is like to be filled with 'another life form', ( a child), like a woman can. However, as a father to the three children that my wife and I had, I have personally seen the 'effects' of 'another life form' inside the womb, ( and belly), of my wife as each of my children grew during the pregnancies of each of them. I can vividly remember the amazement that we both had, my wife and I, as we watched our 'children' move about in her belly causing her stomach to 'jump about' as their little elbows, legs, and even their heads, would rub against the inside of her womb and the walls of her stomach. I, as their father, could see on the 'outside' what was happening on the 'inside' of my wife's womb, and I often wondered,....."what must it 'feel like' to have another life form inside of you?"


Brother,.....I 'no longer have to wonder, anymore' what it's like to have 'another Life Form dwelling within me',......for 'now' I know!!!


That, literally, is how real my 'experience' was, ( and 'still' is), when I was filled with His Spirit,....the Holy Ghost, my dear friend! The ensuing months 'after' I was filled with His Spirit, I would often find myself crying with joy and often found myself wondering if I ought to 'go to the hospital' to get a scan, ( or image), of this new Life Form that had took up residence in my life. Of course, I would just warmly smile, to myself, for I already 'knew' what had happened to me.


So brother,.....I can certainly agree with you,....in a resounding, ( and robust), way when you state that one needs a 'personal relationship,.....and direct communication with God'. I can also tell you 'how' to get there, and attain it, too,....my dear friend!


Another few things I'd like to point out to you, brother. Yes, the KJV, is 'still' more than adequate for you, ( or anyone else), to find and obtain His full Truth. There 'are' newer versions that have been craftily, ( and satanically), altered that I would suggest for you to 'stay away from'. Let me say this, here,....that 'all' of the best laid plans of Satan, himself, cannot keep you from finding, ( and obtaining), God's Truth for you life 'if' you are hungry enough and really want to know the Truth,.....pure, plain, and simple!

Posted by humanalien (here)
John 10:25 - 30

25: Jesus answered them, I told you, and you believed not:
the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

26: But you believe not, because you are not of my sheep, as I
said to you.

27: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

28: And I give to them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

29: My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man
is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

30: I and my Father are one.

Concentrating on line 27, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me:", wouldn't one think that the real people of
God would know his voice and not just assume it was God talking
to them?

Yes, my dear friend,.....I 'know' when I'm hearing His voice,....courtesy to His Spirit that 'dwells within', and giving His constant guidance to me.

John 16:13-14 (KJV)

13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

And for your 'latest' post

Posted by humanalien (here)
Now, if the kjv bible is correct and everyone thinks
that this is the true word of God, how would one
interpret this line from Genesis 3:16.

This comes right after eve ate the fruit from the tree
of good and evil and then gave it to adam to eat. This
is when God had found out what eve and adam had done and
passes judgement on them.

Because eve was the first one to commit the original sin,
God appoints adam as the ruler over eve.

16: To the woman he said, I will greatly multiply
your sorrow and your conception; in sorrow you shall
bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your
husband, and he shall rule over you.

The question is, does this apply only to adam and eve or
does this mean that all husbands are rulers over their wives,
brothers over sisters?

Question two is that, after Jesus came and went, did the laws
that Jesus laid out, nullify anything that God had previously
commanded man to do?

Question #1
Notice your words,....'all husbands', brother. Now take a look at these passages from Ephesians.

Ephesians 5:21-23 (KJV)

21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Yes, the directive given by God, in Genesis 3:16, still applies today, as long as a 'husband' uses this divine authority 'as unto the Lord' and doesn't try to persuade, ( or force), his wife to do something that was specifically contrary to the Word of the Lord. For example,.....a wife who was being instructed to 'help' her husband rob a bank would certainly not be obligated, in God's eyes, to go along with him, for this would be in violation to the Ten Commandments,....."Thou shalt not steal",.....


Question #2
....after Jesus came and went, did the laws
that Jesus laid out, nullify anything that God had previously
commanded man to do?


Remember, brother, that Jesus was 'God manifest in the flesh', ( 1 Timothy 3:16),....and to 'nullify' anything that God had previously commanded man to do,.....would have simply been tantamount to 'nullifying Himself'.

Also,....notice this passage for further clarification.

Matthew 5:16-18 (KJV)

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

I hope you are blessed, and that this helps out, brother!


Your brother, friend, and servant,......kreagle

[Mark (Star Mariner)]

Posted by humanalien (here)

Genesis 1:26

And God said, Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness: and let them have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of
the air, and over the cattle, and over all the
earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth.

The key word here is them. If God had only
created adam, one man, the bible would read,
let him and not them. Them means more than
one.

It's interesting that you highlight the phrase let them here, for it is certainly of interest, but you seemed not so equally interested in the phrases of a (singular) God which reads: Let us, and our likeness etc. Curious, isn't it, well it is to me anyway...

If you analyse too deeply every word of the Bible, no matter how well meaning the exercise or what truths great or subtle that you find, you will invariably uncover a whole host of problems and contradictions, and they often require quite creative 'interpretations' to fall in line with the established ‘doctrine’. It is a highly error-prone document, and such 'interpretations' will still - always - be just a ‘guess’. This is all well and good if you are looking to increase your scholarly understanding of Christianity, and History. But if you are trying to enhance your understanding of God, and further enrich your Christian faith, my advice would be not to attempt this exercise, or to worry about such questions. Just concentrate on the good stuff!

[kreagle]

Posted by Star Mariner (here)

Posted by kreagle (here)

How,....precisely,.....would you define 'repentance' as you understand it, and it's role in Christianity? Please take a moment to seriously consider this topic and express your views/concerns towards this as you see it.

I will tell briefly what I believe is the core purpose of repentance, and what I 'see' in Psalm 51. By 'see', I mean perceive, 'read between the lines;' in accordance with my own understanding of how this mechanism of repentance works.

'God' as a being, a reality, a nature, whatever you wish to call him, is love. Love can neither judge nor condemn. All are loved, and forgiven. But I see here in this psalm that the speaker is seeking to find the presence of God inside of him, to feel it touch him, and to thus find a personal absolution of sins.

But I do not believe the speaker is looking for God to come down and 'actively' do this, to intervene and 'do all the hard work for him’ as a pro-active force. No, he is seeking God to enter in as a passive agent, so that with His light and His love this speaker can truly 'see' into the dark spaces in his life, and make the changes himself.

This is Repantance – remorse, regret, sorrow at our transgressions. This is necessary as a first step, before we can find forgiveness. And that can only really be achieved by seeing, acknowledging, and forgiving ourselves - not ‘repentance’ to God, but in the presence of God within us. The speaker in this Psalm wants this God-energy, the Holy Ghost, the purity of Spirit, to touch him inwardly, like a healing-salve, so he will be cleansed and purged of his iniquity, like a dry, rusty, seized engine that seeks warm, smooth oil to make it whole, and functional once again. This is that first, and most important step on the path to forgiveness, and the transformation of oneself.

This, my friends, is what it's all about. God will ultimately forgive you, but to truly move forward and not stand still (or worse, regress), you must learn to forgive yourself! Open the door and let him in, then you'll have all that you need to do this.

Star Mariner,

You are, indeed, hitting upon an aspect of repentance that is often fundamental in actually achieving 'total' repentance, and that's 'forgiving yourself', also. I personally know a man, right now, who continues to have great difficulty getting over things in his past, things that he did to 'others', and I am convinced that he is plagued by not 'forgiving himself' which is causing him to, currently, not be able to progress fully in his walk with God.

Another vital component to repentance equally deals with our 'inward' self, and that's whenever we finally 'wake-up' and come to our senses, realizing that we've 'gone far enough' and that we desperately need to 'stop the madness',....put on the brakes, ( so-to-speak),....and be willing to make a complete 180 degree turn from the direction we have been going in. This is 'exactly' what the Prodigal Son did, as he finally came to the realization that he needed to 'go back home'. Most people fail to recognize that in order to 'come to God',....one needs to 'come to themselves',....FIRST,.....before you will be able to 'successfully' make your way to Him!

Luke 15:11-20 (KJV)

11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:

12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

Repentance has often been sullied, in reputation, ( especially by Catholicism), as they have exercised their 'self-righteousness' by placing extreme 'guiltiness' on individuals in their quest for God. I am, equally, persuaded that this type of satanically misplaced guidance has severely damaged, ( and bruised), many potential believers, running many of them off, and scaring the rest of them from ever returning! No wonder Jesus 'coined this phrase' in the Book of Mark.

Mark 9:42 (KJV)

42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

I agree with you completely, brother, where repentance involves,..."remorse, regret, sorrow at our transgressions,".....as you have accurately pointed out, but to badger someone with 'guilt' is a despicable act that I've seen deployed by many over zealous, ( and grossly untrained), Christians with disastrous results, I might add.

Simply stated,.....to 'properly' repent of one's sins,....one would be especially wise to take the advise, ( and example), of the remorseful, regretful, and sorrowful, Prodigal Son. First,....'come to yourself' and realize that you've got to 'stop the madness' of going in the 'wrong direction' and be willing, ( and determined), to come to a complete halt. Dig your 'spiritual' heals in right then,....and now! Don't allow yourself to go another 'inch' in the direction that you've been going in,....and THEN be willing, ( and determined), to make a 180 degree turn, for it's in 'that direction' where you will find the 'open arms of your awaiting Father',....my dear, dear, friends!


By the way, Star Mariner, I absolutely love your analogy of the 'rusty seized engine!'

like a dry, rusty, seized engine that seeks warm, smooth oil to make it whole, and functional once again. ]

Did you know that the Holy Ghost experience is Scripturally compared to the 'anointing oil' of our spirit? I can 'certainly' relate, ( and appreciate), that!!!



May God Bless,.....your brother, friend, and servant,......kreagle

[humanalien]

Posted by Star Mariner (here)

Posted by humanalien (here)

Genesis 1:26

And God said, Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness: and let them have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of
the air, and over the cattle, and over all the
earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth.

The key word here is them. If God had only
created adam, one man, the bible would read,
let him and not them. Them means more than
one.

It's interesting that you highlight the phrase let them here, for it is certainly of interest, but you seemed not so equally interested in the phrases of a (singular) God which reads: Let us, and our likeness etc. Curious, isn't it, well it is to me anyway...

If you analyse too deeply every word of the Bible, no matter how well meaning the exercise or what truths great or subtle that you find, you will invariably uncover a whole host of problems and contradictions, and they often require quite creative 'interpretations' to fall in line with the established ‘doctrine’. It is a highly error-prone document, and such 'interpretations' will still - always - be just a ‘guess’. This is all well and good if you are looking to increase your scholarly understanding of Christianity, and History. But if you are trying to enhance your understanding of God, and further enrich your Christian faith, my advice would be not to attempt this exercise, or to worry about such questions. Just concentrate on the good stuff!

I understand what you are saying but to concentrate only
on the good stuff means that we are not trying to learn
everything the bible has to offer.

The way you worded your post, although i don't believe it was
intentional, is to say only learn parts of the bible and scrap the
rest because it doesn't make sense or it's not that important.

Every word in the bible is important and it was put there for us
to learn. Not just part of it but all of it.

I had posted more here about how i believed God and Jesus were
two different entities, sharing the same spirit but as kreagle pointed
out, 1 Timothy 3:16 does say that "God was manifest in the flesh".

I was trying to respond to you talking about "Let us and In our".

I always assumed that God was talking to Jesus, so now i'm confused.

God/Jesus being the same entity makes no sense. Was God talking
to himself when saying "Let us and In our"?

After Jesus ascended to heaven, we were told that we had to pray
to God in Jesus name. Makes no sense if both are the same entity.

Maybe i'm not ready for this forum yet. I don't want to mislead
anyone.....

[kreagle]

Posted by humanalien (here)

Posted by Star Mariner (here)

Posted by humanalien (here)

Genesis 1:26

And God said, Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness: and let them have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of
the air, and over the cattle, and over all the
earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth.

The key word here is them. If God had only
created adam, one man, the bible would read,
let him and not them. Them means more than
one.

It's interesting that you highlight the phrase let them here, for it is certainly of interest, but you seemed not so equally interested in the phrases of a (singular) God which reads: Let us, and our likeness etc. Curious, isn't it, well it is to me anyway...

If you analyse too deeply every word of the Bible, no matter how well meaning the exercise or what truths great or subtle that you find, you will invariably uncover a whole host of problems and contradictions, and they often require quite creative 'interpretations' to fall in line with the established ‘doctrine’. It is a highly error-prone document, and such 'interpretations' will still - always - be just a ‘guess’. This is all well and good if you are looking to increase your scholarly understanding of Christianity, and History. But if you are trying to enhance your understanding of God, and further enrich your Christian faith, my advice would be not to attempt this exercise, or to worry about such questions. Just concentrate on the good stuff!

I understand what you are saying but to concentrate only
on the good stuff means that we are not trying to learn
everything the bible has to offer.

The way you worded your post, although i don't believe it was
intentional, is to say only learn parts of the bible and scrap the
rest because it doesn't make sense or it's not that important.

Every word in the bible is important and it was put there for us
to learn. Not just part of it but all of it.

I had posted more here about how i believed God and Jesus were
two different entities, sharing the same spirit but as kreagle pointed
out, 1 Timothy 3:16 does say that "God was manifest in the flesh".

I was trying to respond to you talking about "Let us and In our".

I always assumed that God was talking to Jesus, so now i'm confused.

God/Jesus being the same entity makes no sense. Was God talking
to himself when saying "Let us and In our"?

After Jesus ascended to heaven, we were told that we had to pray
to God in Jesus name. Makes no sense if both are the same entity.

Maybe i'm not ready for this forum yet. I don't want to mislead
anyone.....

humanalien,


Brother, have you ever heard of anyone making the statement,......"What shall 'we' do today,....or.....how shall 'we' approach this situation,....or.....what does this teach 'us'?,.... in the midst of a problem/condition that they were trying to figure out by their self? What they are doing is simply 'counseling with themselves' as they endeavor to come up with a solution to whatever they are being faced with. God, in no wise, was discussing this creative process of mankind with any other deity, but he was simply 'counseling with His own will', here.


Notice the following scripture, brother, in Ephesians 1:11.

Ephesians 1:8-12 (KJV)

8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Furthermore, we see that there was no actual 'us', ( in a plurality sense), of Deity's that took part in the creation of mankind,.....but 'only One', my dear friend.

Genesis 1:27 (KJV)

27 So God created man in his, (singular), own image, in the image of God created he, (singular), him; male and female created he, (singular), them.

Also,....


Malachi 2:10 (KJV)

10 Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

As far as the 'them' factor, as you can see this would have also included Eve,....making a 'plurality of persons' and not just one,.....not to mention all the 'other' humans that would succeed them down the road,....certainly making mankind a 'plurality', or 'them'.


humanalien, 1 Timothy 3:16 is just the 'beginning' of many passages that begin to reveal who Jesus actually was. As stated, indeed,....'God was manifest, ( made known, or revealed), in the flesh'. Notice this passage in John, chapter one. ( note: I eliminated verses 6-9, here, for they dealt specifically with the introduction of John the Baptist, and I didn't want to confuse, or side-track you from the point I am endeavoring to show here).

John 1:1-5,....10-14 (KJV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.






10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. ( ie. His people, Israel,...that rejected Him)

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

As I said, brother, these passages are just the 'beginning',.....the 'tip of the iceberg' that begins to reveal who this Jesus 'actually was,....and IS!',....my dear brother!


Don't you 'EVER' forget these words that came 'expressly' from you!,....humanalien!

Posted by humanalien (here)
Every word in the bible is important and it was put there for us
to learn. Not just part of it but all of it.

Amen, brother,.....and again, amen!

John 5:39 (KJV)

39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Jesus Christ,.....The Word,......God manifest in the flesh,.....( ie. the more you look into this,....the more you will 'see', my dear friend. These are not 'typos', brother,....but 'rays of revelation' for those who wish to really see and understand!)

More 'rays' are coming your way, brother!


Your brother, friend, and servant,.....kreagle

[Mark (Star Mariner)]

Posted by humanalien (here)
I understand what you are saying but to concentrate only
on the good stuff means that we are not trying to learn
everything the bible has to offer.

The way you worded your post, although i don't believe it was
intentional, is to say only learn parts of the bible and scrap the
rest because it doesn't make sense or it's not that important.

Every word in the bible is important and it was put there for us
to learn. Not just part of it but all of it.

Hey Human Alien. When I said concentrate on the good stuff I didn't mean at the expense of all other material, I meant merely to suggest that if one over-analyses the 'discrepancies' in a scholastic sense, your Bible study will become nothing more than a clinical and academic exercise, potentially drawing you away from important truths.

I totally agree that every word is important - important for the Christian doctrine, and all who follow it. I do... for the most part. I don't think it would be good to again 'grapple' over scriptural inconsistencies/semantics etc, with you or kreagle, it would not be a productive debate, and besides, we've already been there, (kreagle and I had some very deep discussions about this on previous pages).

I've talked (In various places) about what I believe to be the case regarding the Old Testament story elsewhere in this thread (briefly summed up half-way down this post surrounding Yahweh).

This will probably not align with your own thought, but it may at least inform you as to why I, personally, feel the way I do about this topic, and why I adhere to the New Testament messages of Jesus Christ - and that it is the most important matter, rather than the ancient Jewish creation myth of the Old Testament.

[humanalien]

Posted by Star Mariner (here)

Posted by humanalien (here)
I understand what you are saying but to concentrate only
on the good stuff means that we are not trying to learn
everything the bible has to offer.

The way you worded your post, although i don't believe it was
intentional, is to say only learn parts of the bible and scrap the
rest because it doesn't make sense or it's not that important.

Every word in the bible is important and it was put there for us
to learn. Not just part of it but all of it.

Hey Human Alien. When I said concentrate on the good stuff I didn't mean at the expense of all other material, I meant merely to suggest that if one over-analyses the 'discrepancies' in a scholastic sense, your Bible study will become nothing more than a clinical and academic exercise, potentially drawing you away from important truths.

I totally agree that every word is important - important for the Christian doctrine, and all who follow it. I do... for the most part. I don't think it would be good to again 'grapple' over scriptural inconsistencies/semantics etc, with you or kreagle, it would not be a productive debate, and besides, we've already been there, (kreagle and I had some very deep discussions about this on previous pages).

I've talked (In various places) about what I believe to be the case regarding the Old Testament story elsewhere in this thread (briefly summed up half-way down this post surrounding Yahweh).

This will probably not align with your own thought, but it may at least inform you as to why I, personally, feel the way I do about this topic, and why I adhere to the New Testament messages of Jesus Christ - and that it is the most important matter, rather than the ancient Jewish creation myth of the Old Testament.

I figured that i had misinterpreted your post wrong
and i do apologize.

[humanalien]

Kreagle

There's a lot of stuff that doesn't make sense.

In Matthew 3:17, after john the baptist, baptizes
Jesus, Gos said "This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased".

How can God have a son(Jesus) and still be the
same entity?

I should have said:

How can God be his own son and still be God
at the same time?

That would be like you, going to a lake to be baptized
and as soon as that is done, you rush off to get a helicopter,
fly over the area where you were baptized and got on the
bull horn and said "This is my beloved son".

Obviously, you are not your son and your son is not you.

I won't say that your wrong about your post above, because
clearly, i'm considered a baby in the lord, and need the mature
more but i will say that i just don't understand how this can be.


Going back to the creation story

As i stated earlier, i believe that they were two creations on earth.
The first creation of animals and mankind happen in Genesis 1: 24 - 28

This happen on the sixth day of creation.

24:And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.



25:And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creeps on the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.


26:And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

27:So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28:And God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

The word we are looking for here is obviously earth.

At this time, Gods created animals and men and women and
they were not confined to just a garden in Eden.

God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind".
God said "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth".

God didn't put any of those creations into a garden, he spread them
throughout the whole earth.

These were not your typical farm animals that he created, these were
the wild animals that didn't require any attention from mankind. They
fed themselves and bore and raised their own offspring.

Also notice the plant life he created by reading Genesis 1:29-30
29:And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30: And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creeps on the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

The plant life that God created, did not require any farming at all. Every food
plant created, created it's own seeds that could drop to the ground through
various means and grow a new plant, without the farming skills of any man.

This was to be for food or meat as the bible says, foe every living creature
on the whole earth. No garden mentioned here, God said the whole earth.

Just to point out something, God never told adam and eve to replenish the
earth at no time. At least not in Genesis.

Now, i don't know just how special these first created humans were to God.
I don't know if they were living souls like adam was. All i know is that they
were created before adam and eve.

Now lets go to Genesis 2 verses 1-3
1:Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

2:And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

3:And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

This is just stating that God had ended his creating for a while and he
rested on the 7th day.

Why this wasn't put in chapter one, i'll never know.

Now the question to ask is, how much time had passed from the day
that God rested to the time that he started creating again, I don't
know because the bible doesn't say, so let get right into the creation
on adam and eve.

Genesis 2:4-7

4:These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,

5:And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

6:But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

7:And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Now i'll admit that verse 5 is a bit dicey about no rain on earth yet. If God did
create plants in the first creation, where did they get there water from, unless
there roots reached down into ground wells. We all ready know that water was
created in the beginning, a clouds, air and all but it never rained yet.

Notice also in verse 5 it says: "there was not a man to till the ground".

Then in verse 6, God causes a mist to come up from earth, to water the whole ground.

So now we have irrigation for plants to grow.

Then in verse 7, God creates man again and only one but this time
this man becomes a living soul. He must have been a very special
creation of God for him to become a living soul.

During the first creation of men and women, it wasn't mentioned that
they were living souls, just that they were created.

Now. What does God do next? He creates a special place for this man
call the garden of eden and right away, he places the man in the garden.

God didn't do that for his first creations of men and women. He spread
them throughout the whole earth and told them to be fruitful and multiply
but adam got his own garden area set between 4 river heads.

Genesis 2:8-14
8:And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

9: And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
10:And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was parted, and became into four heads.


11:The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasses the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;


12:And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

13:And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasses the whole land of Ethiopia.

14:And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goes toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

Verse 9 says the God made to grow, every tree that is pleasant to the sight and
good for food but he doesn't say that they create there own seeds. At least seeds
that could just simply fall off the tree and take root.

These trees must have needed a farmer to help them spread their seeds elsewhere to grow
and remember verse 5 "there was not a man to till the ground".

Just by those words, means that God needed a farmer in the garden to help maintain
and grow new trees. Not like after the first creation where those plants created their own seeds
and could grow on their own.

Verse 19
And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them: and whatever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

Remember what Genesis 1:24 said

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so

Beast of the earth were not farm animals and did not need man to help them.

Genesis 2:19
And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field

Beast of the field. These were farm animals that did need man to help them.

After this point God created a woman from adams rib and she lived with
adam, in the garden.

Not once did i seen where God told them to be fruitful and multiple.

Maybe now, you can see where i am coming from. The bible was not written
very well and it is so cryptic, it makes it very hard for the average person
to understand.

It funny that i'm only at the first 2 chapters of the bible and already, things
are so messed up. It's like either God or the writers of Gods word, could not
get their stories straight.

From what i get from this is God did make plants and animals in the first
creation. He also made men and women. Every living creature at this point
were plant eaters. That would explain all the self seed bearing plants.

I don't believe those humans were that special to God. For him, this was
just a average thing that he could do. These may even have been the
gentiles, mentioned in the bible.

Are gentiles a soulless people? I don't know.

What-ever day it was that God created adam, it was after God rested.

God decides that he wants a special type of man, a man that is more
in tune with God. So much so that this man could walk and talk
with God in a close up and personal way.

So he creates this man (adam) and he becomes a living soul. He places
his prized man in a special garden, already prepared for him.

Adam and eve were probably the first jews in the world and the bible
mainly is dealing with the jewish people.

[Beren]

God is the Creator and creation within and without. Omnipresent and omnipotent and omniscient.
Humans think from a level very limited, narrow short sighted.

A brain game right?
When one comes at the crossroad of misunderstanding and else, it`s best to trust in God-Love-Higher power...then when some time pass by-answers are suddenly revealed and question answered with one AHAaaaa!!! Of course! and such...

[thunder24]

Im sure this has been brought up, but i didn't feel like reading all thirty pages...forgive me...

how many of you , can read and speak the original language of the book you are discussing....better yet, how many of you can read and speak the language of the many books you are discussing?

If you can not, what are you discussing? If you can, where is the thread you started to clarify all the mistranslations that cause the chaos of philosiphing that which you apparently can read in its original form. If you take Berens signature to heart.... then what the hell are y'all discussing?

peace

[humanalien]

Omnipresent

present in all places at all times

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omnipresent


omnipotent

1 often capitalized : almighty 1
2 having virtually unlimited authority or influence <an omnipotent ruler>
3 obsolete : arrant

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omnipotent


omniscient

1 having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight
2 possessed of universal or complete knowledge

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omniscient

None of those words says anything about being two different
entities at the same time.

Omnipresent is the only word that comes close but it basically
say everywhere at the same time.

You can not be the father and your own son at the same time
in my understanding of God but maybe we all do not know and
understand God completely. We really don't know what kind of
powers that God has.

This is what makes understanding the bible, so difficult. You
would think the God would make things very simple so that
we don't misinterpret his words.

In this day and age, you really can't trust a minister, preacher
to tell you the truth because they are only retelling you what
they learned in bible college and i know they aren't teaching
the true meaning of the bible because they are only retelling
what they were taught. Bible college is just an assemble line
any more. Get them in and get them out and take their money
before they leave.

One has to have a very close relationship with God, in order
to know the secrets that the bible contains. Reading the bible
alone will not do anyone any good as you can tell by my
confusion with it. I'm not as close to God as i would like to be
and as a result, i'm stumbling through the bible wondering, how
can this be or that can be true.

When we first come to God and accept him as the one and only
true God and when you accept that Jesus died on the cross for the
sins of the world, we are but babies in christ, not knowing anything.

We are to take baby steps, when learning Gods word and that is
what i'm trying to do by starting right at the beginning but even
then, i'm finding what i feel are flaws, right from the start.

We are taught about only one creation of man in church as children
but now that i'm grown up and up in years, i'm seeing two separate
creations of not only man but animals and plants to.

Come on now. These are only the first 2 chapters in the bible and
i can't get past them because of the flaws in the stories.

I'm not bashing God because i truly do believe in God and Jesus but
the bible seems to be less than truthful. There is no wonder why the
world is in such turmoil over religion. None of then are correct.

That is my honest opinion about religion and if i offended anyone then
i am truly sorry. I just can't help how i feel.

Good plants produce good plant food but i'm not seeing the goodness
in religion, i'm sorry. It's tearing people apart.

How can we as babies in christ, ever hope to learn anything when every
word, every meaning, in the bible is so cryptic? Why did God finally rest
from all his creations starting in chapter 2 of genesis when that should
have been put at the end of chapter 1? It's the simple stuff that is tripping
me up. It's like the bible is intentionally trying to misdirect people.

I apologize for getting so fired up but i really want to learn about God in the
bible but i keep running into stumbling blocks. This worries me because if
i'm stumbling on the easy stuff then i'll probably read right over the harder
stuff and never know that i didn't understand it.

I pray to God for guidance and understanding and i pray that God might
send me a ministering angel to teach me but i think that God has closed
the door on me. I don't know what i did to get him so angry with me but
now he won't answer any prayers that i ask.

[Beren]

Posted by humanalien (here)
Omnipresent

present in all places at all times

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omnipresent


omnipotent

1 often capitalized : almighty 1
2 having virtually unlimited authority or influence <an omnipotent ruler>
3 obsolete : arrant

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omnipotent


omniscient

1 having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight
2 possessed of universal or complete knowledge

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omniscient

None of those words says anything about being two different
entities at the same time.

Omnipresent is the only word that comes close but it basically
say everywhere at the same time.

You can not be the father and your own son at the same time
in my understanding of God but maybe we all do not know and
understand God completely. We really don't know what kind of
powers that God has.

This is what makes understanding the bible, so difficult. You
would think the God would make things very simple so that
we don't misinterpret his words.

In this day and age, you really can't trust a minister, preacher
to tell you the truth because they are only retelling you what
they learned in bible college and i know they aren't teaching
the true meaning of the bible because they are only retelling
what they were taught. Bible college is just an assemble line
any more. Get them in and get them out and take their money
before they leave.

One has to have a very close relationship with God, in order
to know the secrets that the bible contains. Reading the bible
alone will not do anyone any good as you can tell by my
confusion with it. I'm not as close to God as i would like to be
and as a result, i'm stumbling through the bible wondering, how
can this be or that can be true.

When we first come to God and accept him as the one and only
true God and when you accept that Jesus died on the cross for the
sins of the world, we are but babies in christ, not knowing anything.

We are to take baby steps, when learning Gods word and that is
what i'm trying to do by starting right at the beginning but even
then, i'm finding what i feel are flaws, right from the start.

We are taught about only one creation of man in church as children
but now that i'm grown up and up in years, i'm seeing two separate
creations of not only man but animals and plants to.

Come on now. These are only the first 2 chapters in the bible and
i can't get past them because of the flaws in the stories.

I'm not bashing God because i truly do believe in God and Jesus but
the bible seems to be less than truthful. There is no wonder why the
world is in such turmoil over religion. None of then are correct.

That is my honest opinion about religion and if i offended anyone then
i am truly sorry. I just can't help how i feel.

Good plants produce good plant food but i'm not seeing the goodness
in religion, i'm sorry. It's tearing people apart.

How can we as babies in christ, ever hope to learn anything when every
word, every meaning, in the bible is so cryptic? Why did God finally rest
from all his creations starting in chapter 2 of genesis when that should
have been put at the end of chapter 1? It's the simple stuff that is tripping
me up. It's like the bible is intentionally trying to misdirect people.

I apologize for getting so fired up but i really want to learn about God in the
bible but i keep running into stumbling blocks. This worries me because if
i'm stumbling on the easy stuff then i'll probably read right over the harder
stuff and never know that i didn't understand it.

I pray to God for guidance and understanding and i pray that God might
send me a ministering angel to teach me but i think that God has closed
the door on me. I don't know what i did to get him so angry with me but
now he won't answer any prayers that i ask.

God does answer but we often like kids put our hands over our ears. You answered your own question here by your sentence : "I am not as close to God..."
This is the key my friend. Get close. Often people think that they have to pray on a certain way or do some ritual to get close to Creator. But remember that God is everywhere in all time and space, so do anything that your soul inclines you to do so you will get to be close to God (at least in your own understanding).

When you do not understand , maybe you`re not ready yet. Still draw close to Creator because answers will come as they come when one is ready for them.
Love is the key.