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Most of what you have read here so far has been from people who have accepted the bible as the sole Word of God. What you are doing is questioning the blind faith of the majority of Christians.
From my belief, and from the way I have been led by the spirit, the Bible as we know it today is NOT God's total word. the first thing that jumped out of me was "How can an entity or Spirit be so must the "Great I am" and be contained in a mere 66 books in a Bible? In a world where just one fundamental economics text is three times as long. Where the body of work for something as mundane as repairing an automobile consists of volume after volume, each describing a specific model or a specific problem.......yet the crowning work of the Creator has, as an instruction manual, 66 "Books" that is supposed to apply to billions of people.
I found this discrepancy to be significant.
I then realized that there were other "books" that espoused many of the same teachings, and some that taught other things. So I began looking at just who it was that assembled the Bible, who it was that decided what books were included and what weren't. And I learned that virtually every major name in the history of the Christian Church, beginning with Paul, "had an ax to grind" and a vested interest in what was being disseminated to the people.
And I then realized that "True" instruction came from the Holy Spirit. At that point I decided that the Bible was a document, couched in true teachings, but with an agenda that was designed to support obedience to the state and to the royal/priestly hierarchy. I began analyzing the verses, the history, the stories, the teachings of both the books IN the Bible as well as the books that were not considered canon. And the common thread between the teachings of Jesus between the Canon and non-Canon books is apparent.
What Jesus taught.......the true faith He preached can be found in the Bible. It is a teaching of love. It is a teaching of compassion, of charity of generosity to our fellow humans.
The real truth is, we don't need a Bible. That books make it easier to understand some of what Jesus taught is undeniable.....but it is the relationship with God that Jesus taught. Paul, Apollos and so many others of the "founding fathers" of the church taught how to apply the principles of love, compassion, charity and generosity........as they applied to the times in which they lived. but it was frequently a message of obedience to authority. Remember, Jesus taught us to give to Caesar that which was Caesar. He took no positions on political issues.......and this was at a time when Jerusalem was in near open rebellion against Rome......a few short years after Jesus Josephus was hunted down as a Zionist, and Jerusalem was burned and sacked......but throughout that turmoil Jesus remained silent on political issues. He continued, during that time of turmoil, to preach peace and love....yet he recognized that the very act of teaching peace would cause strife......and he warned his disciples about that as well.
So study everything you can find about Jesus, about the church, about the truth. But bring what ever is taught against the Holy Spirit in you, and ask "Is this in the Character of Jesus? Is this the way Jesus would respond to this?" The adage that says WWJD is such a profound concept, because regardless of what situation arises, simply asking WWJD in ANY situation is going to give you the Spiritual Christian answer.
Most of what you have read here so far has been from people who have accepted the bible as the sole Word of God. What you are doing is questioning the blind faith of the majority of Christians.
From my belief, and from the way I have been led by the spirit, the Bible as we know it today is NOT God's total word. the first thing that jumped out of me was "How can an entity or Spirit be so must the "Great I am" and be contained in a mere 66 books in a Bible? In a world where just one fundamental economics......................
: smack::s mack::sm ack::sma ck::smac k: Ooooooouch.......
I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly
If I may, I would like to suggest a book that has been well researched by a true scholar.
New Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell. This book will not only give you plenty of information but the means to check that information as well.
If I may, I would like to suggest a book that has been well researched by a true scholar.
New Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell. This book will not only give you plenty of information but the means to check that information as well.
Fundy, you cant fly so dont jump.
But I believe...I believe, the Holy Spirit is leading me to believe.......who are you to question my walk with God- Isn't it enough to just let the Spirit guide me???!!!!!
Who is to say they are not Gods word that had not been added to the canon?
The Books of the Old Testament have generations that track the blood line of Christ from Adam.Maybe the others don't I have not read all of them.Has any of you?The Apocryphal books are not the only ones I am only talking about.what about the others?Does God's word go against itself,does God change his mind on what he wanted us to know? I think not.Man thinks he can dictate what should or should not be, that includes what he feels should be known.As I said I will pray for understanding and wisdom in this area,has any of you?B
How about this, Don't read any of those books just the bible and while doing this if you feel the Spirit moving you to go back to those books then who am I to question. Just my humble opinion
Most of what you have read here so far has been from people who have accepted the bible as the sole Word of God. What you are doing is questioning the blind faith of the majority of Christians.
From my belief, and from the way I have been led by the spirit, the Bible as we know it today is NOT God's total word. the first thing that jumped out of me was "How can an entity or Spirit be so must the "Great I am" and be contained in a mere 66 books in a Bible? In a world where just one fundamental economics text is three times as long. Where the body of work for something as mundane as repairing an automobile consists of volume after volume, each describing a specific model or a specific problem.......yet the crowning work of the Creator has, as an instruction manual, 66 "Books" that is supposed to apply to billions of people.
I found this discrepancy to be significant.
I then realized that there were other "books" that espoused many of the same teachings, and some that taught other things. So I began looking at just who it was that assembled the Bible, who it was that decided what books were included and what weren't. And I learned that virtually every major name in the history of the Christian Church, beginning with Paul, "had an ax to grind" and a vested interest in what was being disseminated to the people.
And I then realized that "True" instruction came from the Holy Spirit. At that point I decided that the Bible was a document, couched in true teachings, but with an agenda that was designed to support obedience to the state and to the royal/priestly hierarchy. I began analyzing the verses, the history, the stories, the teachings of both the books IN the Bible as well as the books that were not considered canon. And the common thread between the teachings of Jesus between the Canon and non-Canon books is apparent.
What Jesus taught.......the true faith He preached can be found in the Bible. It is a teaching of love. It is a teaching of compassion, of charity of generosity to our fellow humans.
The real truth is, we don't need a Bible. That books make it easier to understand some of what Jesus taught is undeniable.....but it is the relationship with God that Jesus taught. Paul, Apollos and so many others of the "founding fathers" of the church taught how to apply the principles of love, compassion, charity and generosity........as they applied to the times in which they lived. but it was frequently a message of obedience to authority. Remember, Jesus taught us to give to Caesar that which was Caesar. He took no positions on political issues.......and this was at a time when Jerusalem was in near open rebellion against Rome......a few short years after Jesus Josephus was hunted down as a Zionist, and Jerusalem was burned and sacked......but throughout that turmoil Jesus remained silent on political issues. He continued, during that time of turmoil, to preach peace and love....yet he recognized that the very act of teaching peace would cause strife......and he warned his disciples about that as well.
So study everything you can find about Jesus, about the church, about the truth. But bring what ever is taught against the Holy Spirit in you, and ask "Is this in the Character of Jesus? Is this the way Jesus would respond to this?" The adage that says WWJD is such a profound concept, because regardless of what situation arises, simply asking WWJD in ANY situation is going to give you the Spiritual Christian answer.
your words have added another confirmation to my pathway. thank you for them. and the CREATOR of all this.
I am awake now. Thank you. EYES OPEN WIDE! I still believe I can fly though
(Sorry I have been working mad overtime so I am getting loopy)
04-02-2009, 03:54 PM
2K5Gx2km
n/a posts
I encourage you to read those other 'books' - like 'The Gospel of Thomas' - in order to see how completely and utterly different they are, there is no comparison to the NT Gospels. It lacks any historical clues or any narrative form. You could read the 'The Gospel of Thomas' in about 10 min. - 114 suspossed sayings of Jesus, suspossedly given to Thomas. Yet it was written in the 2nd century (prob. late 2nd cent.) and preserved in a 4th century Coptic mss and 5 fragmentary Greek mss dating to appox. 200 A.D. and we are suspposed to think this represents the true gospel of Jesus. Some of them parralell the sayings in the NT which means that it borrowed them from the existing NT - more specifcally prob. Tatian's Diatessaron written around 175 A.D.
See Nicholas Perrin, 'Thomas: The Fifth Gospel?," Journal of The Evangelical Theological Society 49 (2006): 66-80 and 'Thomas and Tatian: The Relationship between the Gospel of Thomas and the Diatessaron' (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2002).
All these works were rejected for for the most obviouse reason that they were not written by the Apostles nor do they agree with their theology.
But I believe...I believe, the Holy Spirit is leading me to believe.......who are you to question my walk with God- Isn't it enough to just let the Spirit guide me???!!!!!
That's about as rude as it gets.
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I am awake now. Thank you. EYES OPEN WIDE! 
