Having the last word doesn't mean your argument is stronger. The words will speak for themselves. So like I said, if you want me to reply to that I'm willing to do it and then reply to one more after that, so you can still have the last word if you like.


Reading Bible passages and interpreting them is what, in part, caused me to form these ideas in the first place. I'm aware that context matters, but for some reason those articles remove those verses from their immediate context and then try to fit them in within the context of the entire Bible, because in their more immediate context (i.e. the passages in which they occur) they contradict widely-held ideas about God.

One more example came to mind while I was writing that. On the topic of free will, when Jonah said "No thanks, I don't want to" and God had other plans, Jonah's free will was taken from him and he was imprisoned (in a fish/whale for three days) so that he would have to obey. It's like telling a child they can go outside and play with whatever toy they want, but if they pick the wrong one, grounding them and sending them to their room.


Ready for the real mind blower? I've been going to church every Sunday and also going to two Bible studies a week (one of which is in the hour or two before the Sunday service).

That is what I respect about you, not many people would be so open minded.

I did come up with something new about the story in 2 Kings. I went to a site and posted it on there and said that the youths may well have been 20+ years old which means they have a brain to know what they are doing. Secondly ridiculing a prophet of God is the same as ridiculing God himself. The punishment fitted the crime, you aren't going to mess with someone like that now are you? Isn't it awesome knowing that he wants you to join his side?

Just the same as if somebody is badmouthing and insulting your wife, they are also at the same time insulting the husband.

No matter what man does, he will never be good enough in the sight of a holy God.

Therefore, Jesus did it for us by taking on sin on the cross & rising from the dead.

God is within; not external.
Be the master of yourself.

This post was edited by IGPD on Aug 4 2011 09:48am

So let's say they were 20+ years old. "Some" doesn't ever mean as many as forty-two. People got mauled that had nothing to do with the insulting. And as I may have mentioned elsewhere, if the original text of the Bible was written to mean people in their mid-20's, then surely an omnipotent deity would have kept His book, which is supposed to be inerrant, from being mistranslated as "children."


No they aren't. That's silly. If I were to insult you, that doesn't mean I would simultaneously be insulting anyone in your immediate family at the same time. That's not how insults work.

I'm sure you've heard the old story at School where somebody says to a fellow male student that they want to bang their sister and the boy gets offended and a fight breaks out. At the same time if you are insulting and badmouthing someone for being a Christian that also means that you think that way to the Lord himself. The Lord knows this and feels insulted and will take action against you.

Besides you've skipped the entire point. The almighty God, the creator of the Universe can do whatever he wants. If he wants to destroy the whole world right now he can do that because he is God. Have you read the book of Job? Job asked God what the deal was and God replied that he is an almighty God, he can do whatever he wants. Job wasn't there when God made the world. Job's reply was that he can't answer to that.

if you really beleive its ok to kill someone , because they called a prophet names , or that its ok to hit someone , because you dont like what hes saying about your wife , then the message of jesus went right over your head

And some guy wanting to bang my sister is not an insult to me. If anything it's a compliment to her. A fight breaks out because I don't think that guy's worthy of my sister. It has nothing to do with insulting me.


An all-loving god would not kill wantonly just to prove a point, especially since in the Old Testament they didn't have the idea of an eternal Heaven and Hell like we have today. Our idea of heaven and hell came about long after the book of Job was written down.

So if there is a creator of the entire world, then sure it can do whatever it wants. But that creator would necessarily not be all-loving if it is unjust in its application of punishments.