Dear Dan,

It is useless to try to understand the bible through a modern mindset.

If the bible were to be written today, then of course it would be written differently, but it was written thousands of years ago, before the world became obsessed with objective facts and evidence, which we now take for granted in a similar manner for example as angels and daemons were taken for granted earlier.

The world is the world, no doubt, but the importance or significance attached to it, is a human trend, all in the mind. In itself, other than what man assigns to it, the world has no importance (no "importance" or "significance" particle was ever detected by science!).

I fully agree with the original verse from proverbs which you quoted - "Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge", though the word used in proverbs is not "fear", but "Yir'ah", a word that can be deliberately understood on three different levels: the lowest is 'fear', the middle is 'awe' and the highest is 'seeing [the Lord]'. It also used the word "chochmah" - 'wisdom', rather than knowledge. Wisdom is much more profound than information and knowledge.

Yuyutsu,
"Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge". You accept the scripture but say that in the ancient Hebrew the word fear could mean 'fear', 'awe' or 'seeing' the Lord. The word translated as 'knowledge' could possibly mean wisdom.

"For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them." Now for this scripture, how many ways can this be interpreted? I don't want to be sarcastic, but do you think the ancient Hebrews couldn't count to six? The message contained in these sections seems inherently clear.

Words can only be stretched so far.

Go ahead and kill me......I have a BCC cancer.....2 years on.....what are going to do..kill me twice........you all still have a global problem....with or without.

Science has always been my love....and it always will.

Like lve always said........toworrow is where your minds should be..

Now Iam not dead yet.....i dont know what to say

DAN/quote..<<..Words...can only/be\stretched..so far.>>

CAN/..I..TAKE THECHALLANGE..

yu/new quote..<<..."Fear of the LORD
is..the foundation/of\..true knowledge".>>>

WHAT/IS\THE......FOUND,ATION../OF\...BAD KNOW-LEDGE?
the know*ledge......./4 THOSE\..WHAT HAVE..NO EAR..[*4*]..FEAR

<<..You accept-the scripture..but-say that
in..the ancient Hebrew..the word..fear/could mean\'f*hear-SENSE/',>>

THERE ARE/MANY/FEARS;..my bigger fear\is/the damage/
i do/do..unto..other/its..like issuing/a\check/with your mouth.that can be collected./at call[anytime;..in the next after/life-time.

now..do i..fear wisdom/or knowledge;..no\as angels/have ways..of getting need/to know\to those/needing..to know/tHOSE..NOT KNOWING\.DONT NEED TO,

I DO.STAND..IN..'awe'..OF THOSE/WITH.FLOWING FONTS
OF tried.and true wisdom..knowing is like/people.knowing sports scores/its knowing/but.its not/.know'ledge...[even though/yet again..we feel awe/they\can recall.any of that knowing

so i .fear/not god/but what\me knowing/of god may-do/hurtfully to other..i...stand in awe/of/and everyone=is unique/own hands/own eyes/own face..fingerprints/smell/taste/loves/hates/hopes/dreams/companionship/faiths/lusts..tastes/i fear....knowing/yet fear not wisdom

i wish/to see wisdom/cause im sick/of\seeing knowing

the seeing/is like/a\holographic plate/to see his creations/is to look upon him/look....into any face/he IS IN.. THE EYE/looking right back[its sad/i cant look\at anyone

as<<..for 'seeing'..the Lord...The word
translated..as...'knowledge'..could possibly/mean wisdom.>>

KNOWLEDGE/NEEDS BE APLIED/SUPPLIED/BY\WISDOM
yet.we cast pearl/before\whine.

now/ben..:..
but..first..ONE DAY..[FOR GOD]..IS-NOT/LIKE\.A DAY;.FOR MAN
lets go back/to/when/big-bang/;,,time-began.

deep/dark-void/timeless\
this the first darkness/plus the first day=the first 'day'[as in a stage]..see that the big bang created time/but vastly distorted time.recall our time is the measures/of a day/of a moth..years/in the time..before/time..god measured his time/progression/by the cOmpletion/of the stages called daze..

[really you/had to-be there]/LOL\
much...like the\afterlife/is one\long day..the post/big-banG/satan fall/created change/gods*days.are measured by change[just/Like we have the.*dark-ages/god has\the first day/..etc

<<."For in six days/stages..the Lord\SATAN/..made the 1/sun,[suns]
2/the earth[planets[,the sea-waters][flora,...and everything in /fauna/*them."...

THINK/BEN/WHAT/YA\GOING T0..TELL A HOLY-MAN/....WAY BACK WHEN
we\had food/plants[FIXTURES]..;.before god//created/life/..[FUNGABLES]

<<....Now for/this scripture,....how\many ways
can this.be interpreted?>>>

well/god"said":"...'sort/of\dont leave room to debate
your saying;.god didnt said?..[thats sad]

<<..I don't want to be sarcastic,...>>
i dont/mean\to,..be..but what do you say to fisure-men/or sheeple?

<<...but do you/think.....the ancient Hebrews
couldn't count..to six?>>THE ANGELS/THE DEMONS/.its about essentials

i think god.created daze/.....like=these/days
but why?

<<..The message contained...in these/sections\seems inherently clear.>>

i like to think.....so/
we have..let there be light
they have...a big bang

we have eve/they have the 6 lucies/
we have noah/and his sons

they HAVE THE MAN/CREATION-STORY
[ALIANS/created;men..lol

[but who created/these alians]
SATAN-CLAUSE?.santa claws/THE\estar rabbit..

.

Dear George,

.

You wrote :

« I do not understand how you relate the distinction between public and private revelations (a heavily theological terminology to distinguish between what a Catholic/Christian MUST and CAN believe which doesn’t make sense if you do not believe in God) to metaphysics as such »

I was camparing your reference of “metaphysics” to the Rev. Saunders’ “philosophy of religion”. Indisputably, the two terms are different. Nevertheless, metaphysics considered in its broadest sense of “anything that lies outside the realm of the physical sciences” covers much the same ground as the philosophy of religion. Both attempt to offer an explanation of how and why anything at all, and mankind in particular, exists in the world.

Metaphysics and religion are related, therefore, because religion often attempts to provide a metaphysical understanding of existence.

I admit that it is stretching the point a bit to accommodate the comparison but I do see a parallel between the two couples : evidence/evident (philosophy of science) and public/private (philosophy of religion of the Rev. Saunders).
.

You noted :

« … no mention of the word “evidence” in Rev. Saunders’ article … »

That is correct. I was not suggesting that “evidence” was interchangeable with “public”, nor that “evident” was interchangeable with “private”. Each couple remains inseparable and each couple applies in its own particular realm and not in the other realm: philosophy of science and philosophy of religion.

What I see as common between the two couples, each in its particular realm, is that the intellectual concept is the same in both cases. If the essence of the concept were to be extracted and expressed as a “couple” common to both realms, objective/subjective comes to mind.
.

You then remarked :

« You could find “evidence” for things which would convince a mediaeval thinker but not a contemporary scientist, and vice versa. »

True, but the concept of “evidence” remains constant. It is our vision of the world which has evolved.

Evidence derives from the Latin evidentem/evidens (perceptible, clear, obvious, apparent), which derives from videre (to see).

.

Its nice to see both are educated and with wisdom.


Kat