|
|
#1
03-16-2006, 10:34 AM
|
|||
|
|||
Interesting email response Part II
The next chapter of email between my friend and I....
If you missed the first one ----------------------------------------- I wrote: I appreciate your feedback. > >1. Is it not possible that a supreme being would create creatures that would >evolve? When you see shows on TV that have fossilized skulls from >different eras dating back thousands of years, is it not feasible that >God created all creatures from a primordial soup and evolved them into >the creatures they are today? > >2. Since the bible is written by man, could not the >bible be the start of where man started recording everything? Started >at the time where they were sophisticated enough to >journal their thoughts and record history? How would this theory hurt >the Christian religion? > >3. Is it assumed that the Bible (written by man), could not have made any >errors or assumptions? (Men make many errors and assumptions) Is it >possible for the Christian God to be real, yet man has made errors in >the Book that explains Him? ---------------------------------------------------- He responded: Great questions. Really. Very good. 1. If you remember the first email I sent, I said that I used to believe exactly what you just said -- that God created creatures that evolved. And if it turned out that was true, that would be just fine with me. So, yeah, in a way, it is possible. The only problem is there's mountains of evidence (that would take more than an email or two to talk about) that says that it didn't happen that way. Remember that we have millions of fossils of all major phyla (groups of species) and ... still no "missing links" (some close calls turned out not to be transitional). And how you get from "primordal soup" to even one functioning protein molecule is pretty much impossible. 2. First, if you're talking about what the earth was like before humans and all that -- yeah, scientists are still all over the place about that one. We just don't know. As to the Bible. Adam and Eve didn't write anything down. Writing wasn't invented until much later. Moses wrote down the Torah (the first five books of the Bible); the first book is Genesis, which traces the history of the world and man up until that point. Moses was around 1500 B.C. -- which, in the scheme of things, wasn't that long ago. He was explaining to the Jews who they were and where they came from (remember they were Egyptian slaves at the time). 3. I used to think that the Bible was just a bunch of stories -- some historical, some not. Turns out I was wrong. The Bible is actual history, written by over 40 people spanning over 1400 years. And it is God-inspired -- meaning men wrote the words but God is the true author. This is another long, long conversation. We could get into equidistant-letter-sequencing codes and all types of cool Biblical study, but the one thing that validates the supernatural authorship more than anything else is prophecy. The Bible is the only book we know of that consistently predicts the future with 100% accuracy. About 30% of the book is prophecy. And some of the details that have been predicted are downright scary. I could susbstantiate this is you want, but it's a really fun topic to study. Anyway, people have been trying for centuries to point out inconsistencies, false names or dates or places, and errors in the Bible ... and one by one, each argument has failed -- largely thanks to archeology. What IS sometimes erroneous, however, is our human understanding of God's word. Sometimes our interpretations have been -- or are -- wrong. That is definitely true. That's why there are so many different versions of Christianity -- interpretation of the details. But just because we misinterpret a text doesn't mean the text is wrong. A Jerry Springer "final thought": if God can design supernovae, geological cycles, DNA, and the human brain with over a billion different synapse connections ... He can write a freaking book and make it accurate. The Koran, on the other hand, is full of errors ... but that's a whole other conversation. -------------------------------------------------- Thoughts? MDoranD 
|
|
#2
03-16-2006, 12:41 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: Interesting email response Part II
Just so you're clear about the kind of person you're dealing with:
1)Your friend believes the bible is a literal history. 2)He believes that Adam and Eve were the first humans. 3)He believes that Moses wrote the first 5 books of the old Testament. Then he makes these statements: "We could get into equidistant-letter-sequencing codes" -- ie. Your friend is a nut who believes there are "secret" messages hidden in the Bible's text. "The Bible is the only book we know of that consistently predicts the future with 100% accuracy." -- I have no idea what he's talking about here. If by "future" he means "events described in the bible that were predicted to occur *earlier* on in the bible", then I guess it meets his criteria. "Anyway, people have been trying for centuries to point out inconsistencies, false names or dates or places, and errors in the Bible ... and one by one, each argument has failed -- largely thanks to archeology. What IS sometimes erroneous, however, is our human understanding of God's word. Sometimes our interpretations have been -- or are -- wrong. That is definitely true. That's why there are so many different versions of Christianity -- interpretation of the details. But just because we misinterpret a text doesn't mean the text is wrong." -- In other words, sometimes archaelogy proves that events in the bible actually occurred, and he believes that this proves that the Bible is an accurate description of history. However, in the next breath he says that when archeology proves that events described in the bible did not occur, it is only because the "word of God" was misinterpreted. How very convenient. This makes it impossible to debate with someone like this. The bible is right, unless you prove it's wrong, and even then it's right. "if God can design supernovae, geological cycles, DNA, and the human brain with over a billion different synapse connections ... He can write a freaking book and make it accurate." -- Except when the book isn't accurate, but that's the fault of humans, not god. But since God can do all of the other things that your friend attributes to him, couldn't he ensure that the humans writing the bible wrote it accurately? Or is this beyond the power of god? "The Koran, on the other hand, is full of errors ... but that's a whole other conversation." -- Your friend and Pat Robertson have a lot in common. I repeat my assertion that you need to find new friends.
|
|
#3
03-16-2006, 03:28 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: Interesting email response Part II
Truly I would keep humouring your friend. There may be some occasions for a laugh at his depends.
I am afraid that whereas the first part gave some indication, the second part, this latter e-mail, confirms that the dude is a complete moran. [ QUOTE ] The only problem is there's mountains of evidence (that would take more than an email or two to talk about) that says that it didn't happen that way. [/ QUOTE ] I hope he doesn't attempt to send more e-mail to "justify"! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] [ QUOTE ] Remember that we have millions of fossils of all major phyla (groups of species) and ... still no "missing links" [/ QUOTE ] Yeah? That's because many missing became/become unmissing. LOL [ QUOTE ] Adam and Eve didn't write anything down. Writing wasn't invented until much later. [/ QUOTE ] Who? [ QUOTE ] The Bible is actual history, written by over 40 people spanning over 1400 years. [/ QUOTE ] History huh??? Maybe your friend should have some conversation with an historian, to better understand what history is supposed to be. [ QUOTE ] The Bible is the only book we know of that consistently predicts the future with 100% accuracy. [/ QUOTE ] ??? [ QUOTE ] Anyway, people have been trying for centuries to point out inconsistencies, false names or dates or places, and errors in the Bible ... and one by one, each argument has failed -- largely thanks to archeology. [/ QUOTE ] Do a quick search on the net... you will find that many have not failed. Enough said, statements that are totally unsubstantiated, preaching falsehoods at its best. Altough your friend may say that your questions are good, really good, the same cannot be said of his answers.
|
|
#5
03-16-2006, 04:10 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: Interesting email response Part II
[ QUOTE ]
All of what your friend wrote in #3 is lunacy. Next time ask your friend if Gods book is accurate why does it flat out contradict itself so many times. [/ QUOTE ] His friend already supplied the answer [ QUOTE ] "What IS sometimes erroneous, however, is our human understanding of God's word. Sometimes our interpretations have been -- or are -- wrong. That is definitely true. That's why there are so many different versions of Christianity -- interpretation of the details. But just because we misinterpret a text doesn't mean the text is wrong." [/ QUOTE ] I believe that a few of the Christians in this forum have made the same circular argument: "The bible is always right, unless it's wrong, and then it's right because it's our interpretation of it that is wrong."
|
|
#6
03-16-2006, 06:21 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: Interesting email response Part II
[ QUOTE ]
However, in the next breath he says that when archeology proves that events described in the bible did not occur, it is only because the "word of God" was misinterpreted. [/ QUOTE ] He doesn't say that. Name one case where archeology has proved an error in the Bible.
|
|
#7
03-16-2006, 06:30 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: Interesting email response Part II
|
|
#8
03-16-2006, 06:44 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: Interesting email response Part II
|
|
#10
03-16-2006, 07:36 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: Interesting email response Part II
[ QUOTE ]
What the christian fundamentatlist doesn't want you to know [/ QUOTE ] What the atheist fundamentalist doesn't want you to know.
|
 |
|
|
Linear Mode
