What's up everybody!! I had a busy week, so sorry I couldn't get back sooner!
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M*W: Good morning, Jim. It's good to see you again!
Well okay look--what must you do before you have faith in the Bible as this is clearly written in Scripture? Please answer me M*W or SkinWalker since both of you have read in detail and comprehend the truths of Scripture.
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M*W: I'm not sure I understand the question. I believe the bible is allegory written as prose, poetry, drama, and maybe even musical theatre. I've read, but I can't remember where, that the Book of Job, for example, is the oldest book of the bible and was written as a tragedy and performed on ancient stages. With that said, I want to mention that the bible was NOT written in chronological order, but I suspect you knew that.
Another point I want to make is that the story of Noah and the Ark was to have occurred before the story of creation with A&E in the GoE. We're just so used to seeing these mythological stories in the order we've been taught them, but again, it's not chronological order.
Most people who believe the bible, believe it to be written as literal truth, but this is not so. I interpret the bible entirely different than maybe even SkinWalker, so the answers you get from each of us may be entirely different. Atheists don't interpret the bible in the same way that christians would interpret it. (Obviously). After years and years of research, I interpret the bible as a major astrological calendar, at least the NT. I have read the OT, but my study has focused on the NT, so I don't feel educated enough to begin discussing the OT. And, I am for the most part alone in my interpretation. I see the astro-theological side of the interpretation. I would venture to say that I believe most atheists would not agree with me on this.
So, I don't think I can answer you question with the answer you are looking for. The bible probably means something different to everyone who reads it. We are not all of like mind. The only way I can believe anything in the bible is astro-theologically. That's what makes sense to me. That's how I understand it.
I am looking for one clear simple answer--one word in fact. Unless you do this you will never have faith in the Bible. (That pretty much gives you the answer.)
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M*W: If I am understanding the question, I think you're looking for one must be "spirit-filled" to interpret scripture. Even so, what is "spirit-filled?" How can one determine if they are truly "spirit-filled?" What? Are they supposed to get the same exact interpretation of the bible if they are "spirit-filled?" My question to you, then, would be the "gifts of the spirit," how can one determine the gifts of everyone interpreting the bible? Are there any variations to the gifts per individual? It's just so subjective. When you sit in your church with the congregation, and you look around at everyone... how do you know who's spirit-filled and who is not? There is no way you can know what is going on in the efficacy of their being. This would require a judgment on your part. Sure, you can make that judgment, but is that the honest thing to do?
What difference does it make to you, personally, how SkinWalker and I interpret the bible? It shouldn't make any difference to you unless you're trying in some devious way to convert our beliefs to yours. You must understand, Jim, that I have already been where you are now. I've already received all the appropriate sacraments. I have taught christianity to multitudes, but I'm not there anymore. I read the bible backwards and forwards, and now it means something entirely different than what christianity purports to teach. This is where my disagreement comes in. It's not what it seems. The story the bible is telling is STILL mythological, in other words, the whole premise of the NT is not what it appears to be to christians and others. I cannot change what I've come to believe, and that is that the NT is an astro-theological calendar. The stories are told as if Jesus were god, but in reality, Jesus is the Sun, and all things written around the central character, Jesus, is astro-theological and mythical.
If you cannot answer this simple question--and there is only one answer--you do not know the Bible as you claim and your whole work is in vain.
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M*W: I'm not sure what the answer is that you're looking for, but I gave you the most honest answer I have.
P.S. Because you have refused to do this--you do not have faith. And that is exactly what the Bible says. Isn't that interesting?
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M*W: Faith is not something you can judge in another. Understanding the bible has absolutely NOTHING to do with 'faith.' That's a christian trick, telling people that they won't be able to understand the bible unless they have 'faith.' Faith is so subjective. When I was a christian, that's what I believed, and that's the old phrase that I used to try to convert someone else... they had to have 'faith' that the bible was true. I can tell you first-hand that I still have 'faith' in the NT, and I believe the 'faith' I have in it leads me to the understanding that it is an astrological chart with Jesus and his disciples as characters representing astrological figures of the zodiac. I know this is not the asnwer you were looking for, but it's the only answer I've got for you.