So WHY did God create Man and the Universe?

When Christ said "I am the Truth,... and the way and the life" he also said Truth would set you free.

Rev King used this Truth to do just that.

 

..."god"...?
You believe in what God?

Do you believe the OT God, or Trinity in the NT,... or some other defined concept for god?

 

Sorry, but I don't recall it that way at all.

I recall the images (black and white) on tv of blacks and whites getting fire hosed, riot police going rioting, of thousands marching in solidarity, of spontanteous protests all over the country. I recall the carnage of viet nam and americans seeing black soliders fighting and dying along side white soldiers in an integrated armed forces (forced integration tho it was to begin with). The times they were a changin'.

 

He doesn't reference scripture.

 

Yes... and what is your point. Jesus is giving salvation formulation in his sermon and that sermon is all about works.

The Golden Rule has zero to do with faith and everything to do with doing what God commands = works.

 

I believe in God. When I met God he did not mention his name nor did we have a long conversation.

So, I do not know the name of this God or what this God is thinking in relation to various earthly issues as Fundamentalist Christians claim.

What God do you believe in ?

 

I am not saying that we should not contemplate things such as heaven or believe on an individual basis that some writings of man hear and there may have been inspired.

What I am saying is that it is dangerous to give an individual or group in society power, or them make laws, on the basis of. "I know what God thinks"

On the same basis, having people living in some fairy tale delusion that "the rapture" or some such thing is coming soon is also counter-productive to making "this world" a better place.

Who cares about the environment -the rapture is coming soon anyway so we do not need to worry about the future.

 

The subject matter references scripture.

 

I am talking about quoting scripture or at least referencing the passage referred to.

He did not address the scripture I posted.

 

You never mentioned "quoting" scripture.

 

For most it is not necessary to mention what is blatantly obvious.

 

I believe in God, but make it a general rule to run away as fast as I can from those who think they know the answer to this question!

 

But seemingly there is such a need for you.

 

Then you do not believe Christ was Truth, personified for us as the image of Reality which wsired Truth in its wake?

That leaves you believing lies, then...?

 

My point was that the Torah had ALREADY told the Jews that love thy god and neighbor was what was required.

Jesus ADDED the idea that by Truth people would be able to see they did or did not accomplish this task.
Christ said that sacrifices that paid for bad behaviors was unsatisfactory, because the people still behaved sinful afterwards, merely pay off in more sacrifices and not changing.

America went to church but maintained the Jim Crow still, until they saw the truth.

 

Right,...
You were just like the other people Paul meet, who did not know their God but pretended they did.

When Christ said, "I am the Truth,... and the way and the life" he was informing us that the God of the Bible is almighty "Reality," which sires Truth as its son as it unfolds.

Truth is the image of Reality, too.
That forms the Trinity.
We recognize Reality as we discover Truth for ourselves.

We know Truth which we call Christ to know the God called Reality.

 

When and where did that meeting take place? How was God dressed? Was God like the many portrayals that have been made by various artists through the centuries? Was He tall, short, lean, fat? Did He actually have a white beard?

 

Haven't we beat this dead horse a few times already? I see the Bible as a book written by man, for man, and contains nothing but mans interpretation of God. I will not follow the Bible because IMO in following the Bible I would only be following another's interpretation of God. Things become even more convoluted when the reader interprets the interpretations of the authors.

I believe I do not have the answers... and if you interpret that as me believing in a lie, then that says more about you than anything else.

 

A need for what ? You are the one that can not seem to answer simple questions in relation to our claims.

You claim the HS interprets scripture for you. Is this interpretation from God.

I assumed that this was obvious but then you said that your interpretation was not a form of speaking for God.

So lets clarify ... Is your interpretation from scripture from God, or not ?

 

I am not sure where you are getting this stuff from and how it relates to the central point.

The central point Dave ... Jesus gave a salvation formulation ... that formulation was based on works.

Nothing you have said addresses or changes the fact that this is the salvation formulation that Jesus gave.

 

We have been down this road before. You keep stating the same thing over and over again but you do not support it. I know that this is "Your Story" and it is a nice story but it has no basis in biblical reality.

"I am the Truth" I speak the truth and my message represents the truth
"I am the way" My message is "the way" the path to salvation.

- - - Updated - - -

He did not have an "appearance" as such. It was more of a presence

 

"mention what is blatantly obvious."

My claims are not your claims and your claims are not mine. You still have not provided a link to a posting where I allegedly stated what you are accusing me of saying. Try being 'truthful' for a change. Nuff said on this posting.

 

"pres·ence (przns)n.1. The state or fact of being present; current existence or occurrence.
2. Immediate proximity in time or space.
3. The area immediately surrounding a great personage, especially a sovereign.
4. A person who is present."

Nuff said on this posting.

 

If you having nothing to say is enough for you ... Nuff said

 

It is "nuff said" in pointing out that you are seemingly using terminology of which you are not knowing the meaning.