what if it is Noah's Ark

Quote from stu:

Truth, fact, actuality, matters not?

for something that is happening right now? maybe. for something that may or may not have happened thousands of years ago? not usually.

the value of the story isn't in the writing, it's in the reading. this was the great insight of the ancient jewish sages - torah is a living document because the holders of torah are themselves living and ever-changing.
 
Quote from Turok:

Not as the story is told, no.

I'll start a quote: Gen 6:7
>And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have
>created from the face of the earth; both man, and
>beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air;

The basic answer to your basic question:
A god that I would respect would at a minimum not decide to drown all the innocent creatures he had created because of the "ungodliness" or "wickedness" or "evil" nature of man. His statement smacks of him losing his temper frankly and along with it his sense of reason.

Well, that is what I was going to point out: I simply trust God that this situation was exactly as it says and of course you guys do not. (Of course, you guys don't believe in the text in the first place, but you know what I'm saying I think.) I could go on about that, but again I don't see the point...
 
Quote from Turok:


The problem we have here Shoe is that you will pick and choose (and this is your right) which parts of the story you believe are literal and which ones are figurative and create a story of your own.


Yes, this is always the problem with discussing the Bible. Often, there are a couple of ways of interpreting a passage of text (esp. with Hebrew where the vocabulary was so limited). I will, of course, choose the one that matches both science and what I know of God. You guys, and perhaps you'll disagree, tend to choose the one that supports your view of God.

And, as always, we end at an impasse at this point. But in my opinion, it is expected: with both the supernatural and faith tossed out, agnosticisim becomes the only rational position.
 
Quote from stu:

1. The word in Genesis 1 translated "heaven" is the Hebrew word "shamayim" and likewise the word translated "earth" is "erets".

What is weird is we have done all this before in the 666 devils thread, but you seem incapable or reluctant to recognize or discuss anything you have said which is contradictory or just plain wrong.

Genesis(1:1) Bereishit bara Elokim et hashamayim ve'et ha'aretz.
In the begining God created the heavens and the earth. NOT "heaven" as you say.

After all this time you still have not explained where your "erets" is in the Hebrew ??

Put together with conjunctions and articles, this phrase, according to Hebrew scholars, can only mean one thing: everything. My understanding is that it has no alternate translations.


According to what Hebrew scholars ?? You made that up right? , just threw it in didn't you ?? You decide what the Hebrew scholars can only mean, even though the Hebrew scholars actually say words which do not mean what you say they do !!

You concede that your mis-translation and misinterpretation of this text has no alternative translation...including the correct one !!!

From that YOU conclude that your translation and interpretation of the Word of God must be right, even though it says something else. and for you...end of matter. Common sense, actuality, rational discussion, for you... shuts off !!


Genesis (7:19) Vehamayim gaveru me'od me'od al-ha'aretz vayichusu kol-heharim hagevohim asher-tachat kol-hashamayim.
The waters were very powerful over the earth, and they covered all the high mountains which were under all the heavens.


I have shown you in Hebrew words, idiomatically translated correctly to English words - in meaning and context - what the Word of God states, but YOU say God doesn't mean what he says !!

So anyone who calls themselves christian, who say they follow the Word of God, gives themselves the right to translate the Word of God into anything they want, and then tell anyone else they want, that THEIR translation or interpretation is the correct one. Not God's.

2. When there are two interpretations possible, let Scripture interpret Scripture. There are many places including Isaiah, Job, John and Colossians where God is clearly stated to have created the universe, i.e. the whole cosmos.

Scripture contradicts itself.

To "let Scripture interpret Scripture" is to let the blind lead the blind.
But what you want is worse yet....let your translation and interpretation of scripture interpret scripture.
This is so far away from scripture as to make what is already absurdity turn into utter incoherence.

The problem, stu, is that there are two possible interpretations of the text and you are completely ignoring mine as if it did not exist. Of course, you're entitled to your own opinion and yes I admit your interpretation is one possible interpretation. But the fact is that my interpretation is possible as well.

I agree with Turok's post and approach - see above. If we keep going with this, we'll end up in a WWF match over ancient Hebrew which really isn't germaine to the the discussion anyway...
 
Quote from damir00:

i don't know if the story is or isn't based on historical events. what i do know is the story has value regardless of its historical basis. in general, myths and legends are more powerful than history class.

Gotcha. Didn't know where you were coming from...
 
Shoe:
>I simply trust God that this situation was
>exactly as it says

No Shoe, you do not trust it "exactly as it says". You have demonstrated this so clearly in your posts on this thread that I am amazed that you can now make that statement with a hint of seriousness.

You trust it only by proclaiming some "onlys", "everys", "alls" and "wholes" as valid and others as invalid. Hardly "exactly as it says".

JB
 
Quote from TradeForChrist:

What a great debate!It is through questioning our faith that we strenghthen it.God does not want blind faith,He wants strong faith.

We could always pray for you to piss off
 
Quote from TradeForChrist:

Just as long as you pray,for it is in talking to God that we become closer to him.


Can anyone explain this character who created the world, can do absolutely anything he wants, NEVER TALKS BACK?
 
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