Is the Holy Bible the timeline for mankind's existence?

*cue the twilight zone music*

 

Right.

So I believe that light existed long before the earth I am a fool?

 

I am waiting for your enlightening response 4HouseMen

 

response to what?

 

No.

The Bible stated that light was created before the earth, in the first "day".

BTW, I don't believe the earth is only 6000 years old. When Bible said" To God a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years lika a day". It is just a figure of speech. It could mean "To God a day is like a billion years and a billion years like a day.

 

When you load up a book with too many "figures of speech", what you have is fantasy. Personally, I believe the Bible was written by old men with too much time on their hands, too much sun and not enough air-conditioning, and too many flagons of bad wine.

 

How do you know it's just a figure of speech and that the author's didn't mean the figure literally?

 

It's not a figure of speech. the Earth is young. if it was old you'd see more than enough destruction and despotism in the Earth. None of the pristine things you see today, no order, not division of lands by borders. think more like Mad Max beyond thunderdome. IF the earth was that old. but it's not.

 

I think you're refferring to Harry Potter.

 

It is clear as day to those who can read.

 

So it is metaphorical? What parts are metaphorical and what parts are not?

 

post it again. I tend to ignore your drivel unless it's something I can rip apart in a nanosec.

 

It is in a very neat and easy to read quote box just for you.

 

That really depends on the passages and books you are reading. The Church relies on over a thousand years of scholarship from our Church fathers and Church tradition to understand the Bible. To read it in a vacuum with just ones personal knowledge and experiences is in my opinion a bad way to grasp the Bible. Because then you are missing all of the thought and accumulated knowledge that Christiandom has garnered during its existence.

Sola scriptura is something that the protestants added that frankly was never meant to be a part of the Church. They try to force their limited view of the scriptures into a legalistic form. When in reality they should be looking at it from a more metaphysical or theological form. The west took out much of the mysticism and soul of the scriptures when they tried to codify everything. In way they have tried to fit God into a small box thus placing limits on the unlimited essence of the creator of the universe.

 

However the issue is that you are still relying on people to understand the nature of god.

I do not believe a God is going to allow its nature to be interpreted, misrepresented, and misinterpreted in such a way.

You are so many denominations within any given faith, even in Christianity, that I can very easily view to entire belief as relative and in a fluid type state.

 

Example.

I attended two churches with my ex girlfriend.

A more liberal pastor does not belief that Christianity is the only way. He says that Jesus being the embodiment of love shows that his words "I am the only way" is to be taken as "love is the only way to God. Any love based system will bring you to God, not just Christianity.

A more conservative pastor says that Christianity is the only way, and anyone who doesn't accept it rebelling (laughable) and will suffer for their choices.


Two very different modes of thought centered around the exact same verse. The faith is relative, there is no sense believing that one mode is the only correct way.

 

You are correct, as flawed creatures we cannot fully understand the divine. But what we can do is do our best to make an informed decision based on what has been revealed. Then we can combine that with the traditions of the Church and imploment those thoughts as a unified Church. The greatest tragidy of the Christian faith was when the Roman CHurch broke from the rest of us. When that happened it was like a pebble striking a window. The cracks grew and grew just as the Church has fragemented over and over. In my view it was the greatest day for Saten when that happened.

 

Eh.... I do not believe that it was a "great day for Satan". I believe it was just people disagreeing and going their own way. If not the Catholics, than someone else.

If it were the absolute divine word there would be little room for disagreement. The whole thing is relative anyway.

 

Your Pastor is a FOOL.

This Pastor is a vague idiot.

Your problem is you attend two churches that are headed by two moronic heathens. I suggest you find another church. One that understands the Bible and what it's message is.

 

A message of acceptance and he is a fool.

Amusing.

No True Scottsman Fallacy anyone?

 

It was a terrible day becuase then the body of Christ was fragmented. It has lead to many false beliefs and also horrible actions by those that believe they are following Gods will. Examples would be witch burnings, the inquisition, and the wars between Roman Catholics and Protestants.

 

Eh, again, to say the body of Christ was fragmented is still putting too much weight on the dynamics and interactions of human beings.

I do not believe that human beings would have the ability to fracture a divine institution, however they can certainly fracture human institutions.

 

In some circumstance, I find it true. Especially true in the understanding of how old of the earth from many American Christians. Honestly, I don't begin to learn the Bible in America. I don't grow up with their understanding of the Bible. I am Chinese, I first learn God and Jesus were in China. I am still reading Bible in Chinese much more than in English. It is not a problem for my church mate and me in China to understand that "thousands years" scripture is figure of speech or metaphorical. I don't know if this is the language problem that affect our different understanding. But if you tell Chinese Christians that the earth is only 6000 years old because the Bible say so, I assure you that they will be in shock as when I first heard that from American Churches. How wrong they can be? How behind and blind they are! how illogical on how they interprat the Bible! They take the words literally and claim it is truth and try to force that on other people, what's wrong with them?

However, just mis-interprat a few scriptures doesn't mean they are not God's people, God would disappove of them totally. No, God still love them. I didn't make a commitment and baptize when I was in China even though I went to church. I was observing. It's when I came to America and finally make a commitment and baptized. Why? Because American churches have very strong of God's spirit presence, the Holy Spirit, espectially in the South. When God's spirit is presence, you know you are allright in this church.

So, even though the western churches took out much of the mysticism and soul of the scriptures when they tried to codify everything, they are in faults, but I can tell you, God still love them. I think as long as they lead people back to God and Jesus, God would still approve of them.

But just keep in mind that don't believe 100% what the churches say, study on your own, have your own informed views and pray a lot for God to give you the wisdoms. I am still caution about what churches teach even though I know God still love them.

And I also think there are no churches can interprat the Bible 100% correct, no matter they are in the west or the east. 90% would be fine with me. Utimately, I let the Holy Spirit to lead me.

 

The most important thing for Christians is that have a personal, intimacy relationship with God, love him, trust him.

It is Christian's personal responsiblity to grow beyond relying on other people to understand him. When you have such relationship, how other people mis-interpet him, mis-represent him won't matter.

God will always be the target of mis-interpet and mis-represent, but as long as you keep searching, he will always lead you to the truth, to the true nature of him.

 

If you are serious in searching the true nature of God, these two pastors won't matter at all. Because you would keep searching on your own and eventually you would find a good pastors or obtain the true answers on your own.

You give up too easily. Can you not read the Bible on your own?