Funky writes:
it's hard to see how you could call someone reasonable or intelligent if they based their beliefs on anything other than the available evidence.
The Gosple accounts provide plenty of evidence, the problem is that you already before looking at the account have rejected them. For you the problem is deeper than the intellect which for the most part your a pretty sharp guy the problem with you is in the heart. Your not nutral you have presuppositions that are due to a sinfull heart. I'm just here to undermind your presuposition and point out that they are unintellegable in regaurds to Christ and his gosple.
Funky asks a good question:
But what's the difference between presupposing the existence of Jesus (and all that goes with it) and presupposing the existence of Allah, or Luke Skywalker, or the Invisible Pink Unicorn?
Jesus has manifested himself through out human history through his covenant people From Adam to Noah, to Abraham and his desendence. This is demonstraded through out the acount of redemptive history. Islam as you inquire was a 7th centery psudeo christian herecy that came from the Arabian penincula. The Islamic concept of Allah does not exest because Allah is a fabracated god made up by evil sinfull hearts. The Koran is a fake made up book just like the book of Mormon it has NO redemtion or even a made up story of redemtion.
Sirona on her take on Acts writes:
I agree that God does not live in temples built by hands.
This also incudes our imaganations of what god is like. Man can only know God through His revelation and not in thier inward imaganed formulation.
The knowlage of God comes from God and not from man. God is transendent.
Sirona posts:
About giving proof by raising from the dead, there are many stories of gods incarnate who are killed and then raised from the dead. Why should I think yours is any different?
1 Kings 18:20-35 Demonstrates that all false gods are absolutly nothing and non-exsistant and the true Jehovah God is absolutly the one true and ONLY living God.
God or Baal on Mount Carmel 20 So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel.
21 Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people did not answer him a word.
22 Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal's prophets are 450 men.
23 "Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it.
24 "Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, He is God." And all the people said, "That is a good idea."
25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."
26 Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, "O Baal, answer us." But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made.
27 It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened."
28 So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them.
29 When midday was past, they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD which had been torn down.
31 Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Israel shall be your name."
32 So with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed.
33 Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood.
34 And he said, "Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." And he said, "Do it a second time," and they did it a second time. And he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time.
35 The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.
BTW: my spelling does suck, sorry
OMT: Panthiesm is a works salvation pathiesm has no consept of Grace. You guys are legalists and moralists just like the WT
cheers,
jr
