Our tongues of fire

Something to always remember….

Read On…

Mosaic Laws and Torah and do they change?

This post is a carry over from a forum that I am on.

Paladin and I were discussing OT Laws and wanted to know if I could spot any glaring problems.  I asked him to clarify since I didn’t want to assume anything.  He agreed and provided me this example:

Paladin wrote:

Examples: The death penalty is seemingly suitable for men having long hair, for children not obeying their parents, for cursing your parents, for (men) not being circumcised, for eating bloody meat, for girls not being virgins when wed, working on Sundays etc etc. Again, it’s not exactly very nice thing or considered of particular high moral standards to kill people for trifling matters like these.

This is my [Chris] response proposing two different ways to approach the issue.

Chris wrote:

To get the proper understanding of this (for me, you and any others reading this) we can do 1 of 2 things:

1.) We can look at it through the lens of today, with our current belief systems, individuality, progress (or lack of), our laws and personal belief systems.

That doesn’t seem the appropriate way to get the correct view of the scriptures we’re working with, does it?

OR

2.) We can go back in time and try to put those laws into context and then work forward.

I [Chris] submitted that option #2 would be the correct method…

Paladin Responded:

Interesting  except heres a problem. The laws from God are still the laws from God After all if God is unchanging then his laws should be good from the outset not obviously flawed.

See the problem is God is supposed to be eternal timeless and so on. But now looking at laws supposedly from God Time is suddenly a factor. So you have to explain that one.

I want to thank Paladin and the others for contributing.  This is not a “win/lose” conversation.  It is an honest, ongoing conversation between two (primarily) individuals who are openly and honestly discussing concerns/questions/comments regarding scripture.

Pondering Predestination

I’ve been pondering predestination.

I don’t like the idea and I freely admit it.

Something unique struck me today as I was working on a study of 2 Samuel 24, and 1 Chronicles 21.  (David’s census and the punishment of Israel).

I was pondering the construct of time and what it means and I believe (perhaps incorrectly) that God opened up my mind so to speak regarding time and predestination.  I know that may sound arrogant, but I don’t mean it that way, or in any mystical way really.  I just don’t want to take credit for my thinking if God planted the idea…I hope that makes sense.

Read on if interested.

Question: Why is faith in God Bad?

I posed this question on a board that I am a member of and wanted to copy a reply I received there and my reply.  The words in bold are the original reply and my reply to it.

I’m hoping that it will move on here and remain easier to follow.

Really Pondering Belief

Belief is a strange phenomenon amongst humans (perhaps animals too if I had the time to research it)

Belief per Merriam-Webster:

1: a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing
2: something believed ; especially : a tenet or body of tenets held by a group
3: conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence

Have you ever really pondered belief?  That we cannot separate our lives from belief?  That we are hardwired to believe? That we cannot live without it?