Oxnard Hamster wrote:
: A happiness based on reality?
No, un-reality.
: The Bible is noted for its historical accuracy, and not just by JWs.
The Bhagavad-Gita is also noted for its historical accuracy by some. The questions are, by whom, and on what basis?
The Bible is certainly quite accurate in much of its historical data. But so what? So are historical novels, like the works of James Mitchener. Historical accuracy is necessary for it to be the Word of God, but is not sufficient.
Furthermore, unless one takes many liberties with the Biblical texts, one must stretch some of them virtually to unrecognizability in order not to conflict with known facts. Genesis is a case in point.
: I live in Kansas, and I've heard they have found shark bones around here. That means at one time, it had to be underwater(Noah's flood). \
Nonsense. No recent shark bones have been found in Kansas. If you think they have, then do provide references. "I've heard" is not sufficient. Fossil shark bones, and teeth such as from the 20-meter-long Megalodon, have been found in Kansas, but they are from the ancient Cretaceous period and are more than 65 million years old. Here's one reference: http://www.elasmo.com/frameMe.html?file=paleo/fauna/ks_cret.html&menu=bin/menu_fauna-alt.html
Your reference to Noah's Flood indicates that you're a Young-Earth Creationist and believe in so-called "flood geology" (do correct me if I'm wrong). But there is no evidence whatsoever in favor of "flood geology", and a gigantic amount of evidence against it. The "evidence" put forward by self-styled "flood geologists" like Henry Morris and George McCready Price is pure make-believe. Many good websites, and solid geology and other science books, show just where the claims of these people are grossly wrong. In many cases, not only are they wrong by accident, but by design.
: As for why God answers some prayers and ignores others, I can't answer that fully.
Nor can any other Bible believer. That's why ex-JWs like me put no stock in such claims. We've tried and tried to get responses from God, but to no avail. What are we? Chopped liver? And please don't put forth stock answers about this -- we've heard them all.
: I do know that Jesus did warn his followers that they would be persecuted and ridiculed. He never promised them a rich, American dream lifestyle.
Irrelevant to the question of why God appears to answer trivial prayers but demonstrably does nothing about important issues.
: Maybe the people who prayed to God and won the lottery was just chance.
Not "maybe".
: As for the concentration camps, the Nazis were eventually defeated and exposed at the Nuremberg(sp?) trials, were they not?
Yes? And of what benefit was that to the ten million people the Nazis directly killed?
"Lord, Lord, please save me!"
"Ok mon! I'll save some others in a few years after I've let you die. Aren't I special?"
AlanF
