Ehrman has done a lot of valuable popularizing of critical scholarship. I've enjoyed many of his books, especially when I first left the church. I am disappointed by his own resolute rejection of a nonhistorical Christian origin. In debates he has shown a real lack of objectivity IMO. Even if the current proposals prove to be incorrect the research has value in understanding Christians origins. For me it's an object lesson in the need to continue the open minded humility it took to free my mind from Fundamentalism.
peacefulpete
JoinedPosts by peacefulpete
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Dr. Bart Ehrman
by truth_b_known indr. bart ehrman is a bible scholar who wrote such books as misquoting jesus: the story behind who changed the bible and why and how jesus became god: the exaltation of a jewish preacher from galilee.. i found this interview with dr. ehrman fascinating.
notice are about the 23:35 time stamp one example of many problems with errors in the bible and its many translations.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8evuuadoey.
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Review of Wallace's Grammar
by Wonderment inreview of daniel b. wallace’s greek grammar.
daniel b[aird] wallace is professor of new testament, and author of greek grammar beyond the basics, a work first published by zondervan corporation in 1996. his work has since become a standard work in the intermediate koine greek field and has been translated into half a dozen languages.
it is said two-thirds of bible colleges today that teach the subject use the textbook.
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peacefulpete
Debates about how to interpret John 1:1 will rage on forever among sects of Christians. Clearly the author meant the Logos had all the attributes and qualities of the God his readers were previously worshiping due to being from God. On top of that he says the Son/Word created everything. Moderns without familiarity with late mystic Judaism and early Gnostic theology impose a literal/temporal perspective upon the text.
The Logos and Wisdom concepts were fully developed by the time of this writing wherein the great God used emanations OF HIMSELF to do his will. They were not 2 or 3 individuals they were one but they seemingly acted separately. The Pleroma. This was a philosophical solution to questions about how God acted remotely. He no longer need to leave heaven and walk on earth as less sophisticated theologians had assumed previously. This evolved into a trinitarian view of God that retained the same idea but polished the gnostic edges off.
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“Hanging the earth upon nothing”
by FFGhost infor those of you not up to speed on the latest jw trends, one of the key scriptures the jws are using in field serve-us lately is job 26:7, wherein the writer describes the earth as “hanging upon nothing”.. this text is used to indicate the bible’s “reliability”.
the reasoning goes something like this:.
“see, centuries ago, people thought the world was flat, or was resting on elephants or turtles, or some such nonsense.
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peacefulpete
Peacefulpete: You are quite mistaken here.
Strongs says..............
chug: a circle -- circle, circuit, compass. Is 40:22
"sits above the circle of the earth...spreads heavens like a tent"
The imagery of a tent spanning over a coin shaped flat earth is much easier to imagine than a tent over a ball. Sitting above the earth also fits this flat earth model better. Why would god sit above the north pole (which they did not know existed) to see the people of the earth? at best he would see the northern hemisphere.
dur: a circle, ball.....Is 22:18
He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball (Dur) into a large country...
Obviously both words can mean, round, all around, circle, circuit. However the same book uses dur when the author wishes to describe a ball. It's all not really worth arguing about and no one would feel the need to if believers didn't keep repeating the same tired old canards they had been told and accepted unquestioningly.
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Crypto Prophetic dreams
by peacefulpete ini stumbled upon this blog.
i wish it was a joke but it seems to be for real.
this blogger seems completed enchanted by this young leather jacketed hipster pastor that has dreams from jesus about crypto currency among other things.
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peacefulpete
I stumbled upon this blog. I wish it was a joke but it seems to be for real. This blogger seems completed enchanted by this young leather jacketed hipster pastor that has dreams from Jesus about crypto currency among other things. Of course you can subscribe.
My kneejerk reaction was "what idiot would believe that?", then I remember believing in talking snakes and donkeys and satellites being signs in the heavens. Pot calling kettle black.
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“Hanging the earth upon nothing”
by FFGhost infor those of you not up to speed on the latest jw trends, one of the key scriptures the jws are using in field serve-us lately is job 26:7, wherein the writer describes the earth as “hanging upon nothing”.. this text is used to indicate the bible’s “reliability”.
the reasoning goes something like this:.
“see, centuries ago, people thought the world was flat, or was resting on elephants or turtles, or some such nonsense.
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peacefulpete
Much like the fellow looking up and seeing no strings holding up the earth so the man who uses the idiom "circle of the earth" is someone looking around. The land around us is always a circle.
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Watchtower Double Speak
by Vanderhoven7 inon eternal life.
"none of us are in position to earn god’s gifts, least of all to earn the gift of life.
but we can show ourselves worthy of the gift of eternal life by … dedicating ourselves to jehovah and then proving faithful to that dedication.” (the watchtower, august 15, 1952, p. 485).
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peacefulpete
It's an ancient Christian oxymoron. "Free gift" with lots of strings.
We are told to freely forgive others as we have been forgiven. Am I doing that if I require repentance and conformity to my will from others?
The book of James was written precisely because the author thought he had a solution. Freely forgiven IF you do the right works and have correct beliefs which you would have if you truly appreciated the free gift. Chicken or the egg type of logic.
Or stated another way: I gave my wife a "gift" trip to Paris, she only had to work for the money to buy the tickets which she would do if she really wanted to go.
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Is most of the promotion of creationism, not just that by the WT, charlatanism?
by Disillusioned JW inis most of the promotion of creationism, not just that by the wt, charlatanism?.
https://www.fullmoon.nu/sources.bak/chapter%2010/part%202/gish%20exposed.html [which has an article called "creationism: bad science or immoral pseudoscience?
- (an expose of creationist dr. duane gish)"] says the following.. 'a look at the "scientific" creationist movement and a close examination of the tactics of a well-known and influential creationist will reveal that the creation "science" movement gains much of its strength through the use of distortion and scientifically unethical tactics.. .... with the facts explained and the lawsuits won, scientists declared victory and returned to their labs and offices.
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peacefulpete
Yes there are scientists who are Christians, Hindus, Muslims, racists, ghost hunters, bigfoot believers etc. The issue is not whether such folks are involved in some type of science, but are their personal conclusions scientifically drawn. I know a medical doctor who believes in reincarnation. I would consult her for advise about a rash but not put much weight to her religious upbringing regarding what happens after death.
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Is most of the promotion of creationism, not just that by the WT, charlatanism?
by Disillusioned JW inis most of the promotion of creationism, not just that by the wt, charlatanism?.
https://www.fullmoon.nu/sources.bak/chapter%2010/part%202/gish%20exposed.html [which has an article called "creationism: bad science or immoral pseudoscience?
- (an expose of creationist dr. duane gish)"] says the following.. 'a look at the "scientific" creationist movement and a close examination of the tactics of a well-known and influential creationist will reveal that the creation "science" movement gains much of its strength through the use of distortion and scientifically unethical tactics.. .... with the facts explained and the lawsuits won, scientists declared victory and returned to their labs and offices.
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peacefulpete
Jane Goodall, (one of the Trimates aka Leaky's angels) is a devout Christian.
Jane would be surprised to learn that. She is definitely not a "devote Christian". She does feel a need for a supernatural intelligence that can be experienced in nature and somehow guided evolution. Her feelings in this regard are not arrived at scientifically but instinctively, (she has said her Congregational upbringing shaped her in profound way.) She was a good choice for the assignments with primates because she was able to patiently endure hardship and carefully record what she saw. She took real risks that some would regard as foolhardy but made it through. She's a wonderful woman and activist who has and continues to do good things for people and animals but anyone is free to disagree with her feelings about supernaturalism.
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The Korah Story Composition
by peacefulpete ina perennial favorite of the wt, and other hierarchal churches, is the infamous korah rebellion tale of numbers 16. the story has been a subject of debate for many many years.
how did korah die?
did his family?
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peacefulpete
Kindly natured people wish to find some way to dismiss the shear barbarity of passages like this. Reading chapts. 16&17 today certainly doesn't endear anyone to this deity. It's all about fear and threats.
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Was / Is God biased ? prejudiced against certain Peoples / Tribes or Nations ?
by smiddy3 inlet me explain :.
after the creation account of the bible, tribes of people and nations began to form and spread around the land.. god first chose noah and his family to protect them as he destroys all others in the flood.. and he ticks off everyone in babel ?
and then he favours abraham and his descendants as the nation of israel culminating in the jewish lineage to jesus the son of god.. he has never had any dealings with any other people`s or nation isn`t that some form of favouritism ?
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peacefulpete
Perhaps you're recalling Deut 7:7 : Least not last.