AJ Philips.

I feel like you just say assertions to put the other person on the defense. Make them explain themselves when you've barely explained yourself, and sometimes even less explained your complaint.

1). What did I say that you count as untrue. (Don't be lazy. Actually say what your critizing.)

2). The sermon on the mount is a mixed bag? Go ahead, explain what you mean?

3). The bible is unreliable? Is this coming from you or from archeological finds that give credit to events within the bible? It's a nice assertion, but please give something to provide how either the bible failed you; it's teachings failed you, or in archeological finds it has been proven wrong. From where I stand it's very reliable.

(Continued)

As for good verse perfect. We live in world where everything is relative. Some even argue there is no good or bad, but that those are speculative concepts that don't really matter or they change from person to person and (same difference as not mattering) can't be forced from one person to another. (To those I'd just say read the newspaper.)

Put it another way. We know bad, we know evil. We know what is wrong. In fact we have a scale of bad to worse to way worse. We can say "at least it's not like ________," when we try to make the best of a sitution or when we defend ourselves or another person's wrong actions.

But no one is actually really good. Some are just a bit on the opposite side of the spectrum where we recoginize that they are above average on a sliding scale of good qualities.

For the moment forget about perfect and focus on just being good. They say that power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. I would disagree. If a person who is trustworthy holds power, then that power is trustworthy hands.

The failure in that power corrupts is that people all have weaknesses that enough power can shine a spotlight on our faults. People are already corrupt, but don't have the means to show their anger, their greed, their laziness, or any other fault without consequences. Having power removes that and our faults have oppurtunity to shine.

It's an unfortunate reality. No one is good. Some are kind, very kind. Some are responsible. Some are humble and put others first. These are all good qualities, but they are not alone. It's a sad truth. If I'm wrong please make my day and say how it's untrue. Finding out how this is a misconception would make my day.
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Toni Lavis. Do you have any teachings of Jesus you would like to discuss

To Alan B.

[Can the universe think or create?

Well you and I can and we are an integral part of this universe or unified energy field.]

What a wonderful observation and thought. There is a whole philosophy about how the universe reacts to our thoughts. But outside of believing in God, I've never heard someone say the universe can think.

Very refreshing thought. Thankyou.

To Peter.

In your article you said:

[The Son in the Trinity denotes the historical experience of both Israel and the Church and is the starting point for all speech about God.]

That's a pretty deep thought. Can you unpack that thought? Or at least go into more detail.

Not_Now.Soon,

I’m doing the best I can with the limited words we’re afforded. Rationing posts is a skill that someone like myself needs to acquire in order to defend one’s ideas on an overwhelmingly conservative forum.

<<I feel like you just say assertions to put the other person on the defense. Make them explain themselves when you've barely explained yourself ...>>

I’m sorry if you feel I put you on the defensive. My goal is, instead, to use what little word count I have to voice my opinion such that others may query me further on the points/claims they’re interested in. If I went into great detail on every point that I made, then I would run out of words and posts, bore people, and probably waste a lot of my own time, too.

<<What did I say that you count as untrue.>>

I don’t think I claimed that anything you had said was “untrue”, only that you had made assertions for which you had not provided any evidence.

<<The sermon on the mount is a mixed bag? Go ahead, explain what you mean?>>

I did. It’s a mixed bag of both good advice and bad advice. If you want to know specifically what I think is bad advice, then I will be happy to expand on that.

<<The bible is unreliable?>>

Yes, it is unreliable evidence for a divine Jesus.

<<Is this coming from you or from archeological finds ..?>>

Both. The archaeological accuracies are not evidence for a divine Jesus any more than the existence of New York is evidence for Spiderman.

<<... please give something to provide how either the bible failed you; it's teachings failed you, or in archeological finds it has been proven wrong.>>

Whether the Bible, or its teachings, failed me (whatever that means) is irrelevant. Incidentally, what archaeological findings are you referring to?

As for your discussion regarding ‘good’ versus ‘perfect’, I can only go back to my ‘computer’ analogy: things (including people) can be good despite not being perfect. I don’t see how you’ve contradicted this.

//Do you have any teachings of Jesus you would like to discuss//

Very well then, if you're to be so insistent that I quote scripture:

The Infancy Gospel of Thomas

Chapter 3
1 The son of Annas the scribe was standing there with Jesus. Taking a branch from a willow tree, he dispersed the waters which Jesus had gathered.
2 When Jesus saw what had happened, he became angry and said to him, "You godless, brainless moron, what did the ponds and waters do to you? Watch this now: you are going to dry up like a tree and you will never produce leaves or roots or fruit."
3 And immediately, this child withered up completely. Then, Jesus departed and returned to Joseph's house.
4 The parents of the one who had been withered up, however, wailed for their young child as they took his remains away. Then, they went to Joseph and accused him, "You are responsible for the child who did this."

Chapter 4
1 Next, he was going through the village again and a running child bumped his shoulder. Becoming bitter, Jesus said to him, "You will not complete your journey."
2 Immediately, he fell down and died.
3 Then, some of the people who had seen what had happened said, "Where has this child come from so that his every word is a completed deed?"
4 And going to Joseph, the parents of the one who had died found fault with him. They said, "Because you have such a child, you are not allowed to live with us in the village, or at least teach him to bless and not curse. For our children are dead!"