Opinionated2

Is human secularism for real? Why do many Australian women sleep around and then murder the fruit of their womb. Is it true that you are related to the apes? Maybe this explains why these men and women act like animals. Don't any secularist question their textbooks that are so contradictory that they need continual revision and omission? Why are so many secularist so closed minded and full of idiotic dogma as you have displayed?

Hi,
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CSK

Wow Runner, did you attempt to divert the discussion?

What have I asked that isn't biblical?

Why does Jesus directly contradict man's concept of the Trinity in John 14: 28 ..... "I am going to the Father for he is greater than I" I didn't say it Runner, it is in your bible. Jesus said it!

If Christians follow Christ and Christ said this - why doesn't this prove the Trinity a wrong teaching? Can Christians choose to ignore such an explicit statement?

So who do you follow Runner Jesus OR man? Are you a Christian or a Manian? You can't be both, now can you?

And please enlighten me as to who was Jacobs father? Is Matthew 1:16 Jacob begat Joseph or is Luke 3:23 Joseph was the son of Heli correct? Which verse is the infallible one?

If this is God's infallible word then is something wrong?

If the genealogy of Joseph, as listed in Matthew 1:16 where Joseph's father is said to be Jacob, and, in Luke 3:23 where Joseph is listed as the son of Heli appears different, which one is right? Please inform me so that I might understand.

Is Christianity a religion of truth? Would Jesus want our churches to be preaching his word or man's guesses? How can they ignore the scripture they claim is infallible? Does this make them fibbers?

Why doesn't Deuteronomy 22: 23-24 and Deuteronomy 22: 28-29 worry Christians? Why would God punish the woman for being raped by making her marry her rapist? Why would God consider it reasonable for the father to accept 50 pices of silver for such a horrid crime?

Runner I only ask these questions so that the truth might be told... Are you scared of the truth?

I look forward to the knowledgeable Christians here helping me answer these tough questions. Paul's letter to the Colossians 4:5-6 addresses how you should answer non-believers - I love studying the Bible don't you?

Interesting question here, Opinionated2.

Others have already pointed out that it is unfair to assume that all Christians are the same, so I won't go down that path. I will say, though, that within the many denominations and quasi-Christian sects, different aspects of the Bible are emphasised. In many years of Catholic schooling, and many more of Catholic Church attendance, I have found a particular focus on the New Testament. The doctrine, or rule, that is most commonly referred to (in my experience) comes from John 13:34. "I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you shall also love one another."

Obviously, I'm not speaking for the experience or beliefs of all Christians or, indeed, of all Catholics. I am just saying that, within the Christian world, there are those who find this piece of advice particularly important. My old school and my church work closely by this principle, dishing out "love" through charity, community work and a development of understanding across faiths and even among those who have no religion. In my senior religion classes, I spent more time learning about Buddhism than I did about Catholicism; our fundraising projects were committed to causes considered important by the students, whether they had Church affiliations or not.

As for the Trinity question, I don't think you'll find too many Catholics who can explain that one. I will offer a suggestion, but note that it is only conjecture and is made without reference to the original text in its original language. I know nothing of the original Greek and, I concede, it is possible that the Greek was a translation from an earlier text in another language. I don't know if you have been involved in translation work of any sort, but if you have you'll know that a change of words often brings with it a subtle change in meaning.

Anyway, the concept of the Trinity as I have been taught is one of a single God who is manifested in three forms: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The whole is greater than any of the three components, as it is a unified body. Jesus was the physical manifestation of God in the form of a human being. He came with most of the flaws of a human - He even shows weakness that is, perhaps, unbecoming of a God: first, when he suffers the agony in the garden and, again, on the cross ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?").

Jesus' emancipation from His human body at the point of His death enabled Him to return physically to the other components of the Trinity - in particular, to the Father, whose greatness was at no point hampered by the imposition of humanity. Thus the Father is even greater than Jesus.

Like I said, this is only conjecture. Who knows what the original writers intended when they pieced this together? I am sure many will shout my interpretation down, but they can prove themselves no more right OR wrong than me. I hope this helps, anyway - even if all it does is to convince you that Christians are mad and will go to extraordinary lengths to justify their beliefs. What makes sense to me may not make sense to anyone else.

Is runner for real?