Short reply to retain the mystique! Question: Why should you never trust an atom? Drummm Roll . . . . . . . . .for dramatic effect . . . . Answer: Because they make up everything.
Alex, Why would any people write such a terrible account of their own foundation as a nation? If the Hebrews were never slaves in Egypt? Why would they make it up? And why would an entire nation of people accept the historical accuracy of that history for centuries if they knew full well that it was all a lie? Since they would have lived through these periods and knew for a fact that it never happened. Why is there also such extensive evidence on the ground that supports the written history? If they were going to make up their own history out of nothing, why make themselves appear to be weak, sinful, even rebellious toward their own God? Even rejected and killed by their own God for the atrocities they committed. How did they pull this off over centuries as people lived and died, generations came and went. And how do you get so many different authors over centuries to conspire together to tell failure after failure of their leaders and people? Wouldn’t their own leaders do everything they could to destroy these self incriminating records? And why would they even want to leave such a record of their failure to their own children? Especially if it was all fantasy, fable, and made up anyway?
I don't know, you are presenting as the expert so why don't you tell me. And when you are finished perhaps address my second question. Alex
Actually Seti don't bother. I have enjoyed using your thread for a rant and in the course of trying to help you, had the benefit of reading the well supported history , however other than a passing amusement there is nothing for me here and so must abandon my rant and pursue something useful to me. I have become bored from your lack of meaningful input. Alex
Nothing does not exist (hence God's non-intervention policy.) If there is nothing, there will be nothing forever (something cannot come from nothing.) Therefore, with nothing (non-interventionism) comes everything. Every being that is non-intervened has everything. "He's no Father..."-Marshall Mathers. Without such guidance and justice we are prone to sway into sin. But surely that is not the whole explanation. I wonder how simple non-intervention can produce such hatred? I suppose the answer is that non-intervention does NOT produce hatred, it merely provides the POTENTIAL for such things. With everything comes the possibility to choose love, rather than hatred. With everything comes CHOICE: should we wish to do nothing, we may choose that also. The answer must be that we are at least given a choice of how to act.
Actually, thank-YOU SetiAlpha6. Everything (does that mean ALL of us?) also means we can do ANYTHING. We have a choice. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Incidentally, can anyone think of anything greater than everything? I had a similar problem with, "forever" and I concluded that the only thing greater is, "forever and EVER." Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
The only thing better that anything and everything is those two things perfectly. That was the problem with the angel of omniscience, why Lucifer fell, that ALL things included hell, that was until we found out hell was nothingness and ALL things was perfect and GNOSIS was saved. Now we deal with transgressions (hate, sorrow, and anger) together.
I suppose nothingness could be considered, "Hell." Dying being a certainty and passing into the afterlife without any chance of returning. ALL (al or ali) IS perfect. I cannot think of ANYTHING greater... That is of course unless we traverse into NOTHINGNESS and are as was, "in the beginning." Death being a certainty... etc. But should you travel into nothingness, there is no-one above you (you are without guidance and advice.) Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! The trouble with everything is tantamount to eating from the tree of knowledge: once seen it cannot be unseen. But yes, I believe everything is the future. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! "It's the future, I've tasted it."-Brian Potter, Phoenix Nights.
That's the whole point of the story. They were in a really bad place and God rescued them. There isn't. Why do you avoid discussing your so-called "evidence"? Again, that's the whole point of the story - that they were not worthy but God in His infinite mercy saved them anyway. Of course not. It's the whole basis of their religion. Hint: It's the whole basis of their religion.
Yes, there really is a lot of extremely detailed and accurate evidence! Literally tons of evidence! I mean, if you were to try and actually weigh it all. Which I doubt! You are certainly correct, I have presented only a little bit of it so far. Do you want to see more so you can review it for yourself? There is no need to take my word for anything. I sincerely ask that you not do that.
You may have presented but you haven't discussed. We don't need to see more of the same. We need you to discuss what has already been presented. For example: why on earth would the Israelites go all the way to Saudi Arabia on their way to Palestine? And what on earth has a rock in Saudi Arabia got to do with the existence of God? Show us the logic.
Am I allowed to refer to the ancient Hebrew historical accounts? Like the Book of Exodus? For example?
You have two problems here: 1. You can show that the "evidence" kinda sorta coincides with the Bible but that doesn't mean that the sites in Saudi Arabia are the only sites that kinda sorta coincide with the Bible. And you're still stuck with the detour to Saudi Arabia not making any sense. 2. Even if your "evidence" coincided exactly with the Bible (and it doesn't), that does nothing to prove the existence of God. The truth of Exodus has nothing to do with the existence of God.
The Exodus account claimed that God actually came into our history, and performed a number of supernatural miracles in a relatively short period of time. The claim in the text is, of course, that these were real acts of God that took place in time at real locations. And according to this text, they happened in a particular order, as the Hebrews traveled through the area. As you might agree, an approach simply that it cannot be true, or that God cannot exist, from a preexisting bias, would be an extremely unscientific approach to the problem. But also, no one wants to believe made up fairy stories either! Right? So it would hopefully take a lot of evidence to ever convince the skeptic! Which is a thing I do understand and actually love! I do not claim proof, only that evidence exists for the Exodus, and that evidence also exists for some of these miracles still on the ground in Saudi Arabia, and in other locations as well. You must, of course, evaluate the evidence for yourself. Or not, if you so wish. Is all that OK for a start?
Treasure Island claims that Long John Silver existed. That is not evidence that Long John Silver existed. Claims of supernatural events in Exodus make it less likely to be true. I start with the idea that the Exodus account might be true. But as I keep telling you, even if the Exodus account is true, that says nothing about the existence of God.