Simple question?

Quote: Dalex64

Who watches god create the universe?

The same people who watch UFOs or watch miracles being performed or watch prayers being answered.
Can you just imagine if the blatherings of L. Ron Hubbard are ever transferred onto clay tablets and found in rubble sometime in the future? One recent contestant on Naked and Afraid thinks she had sex with the Incubus, another firmly believes he had an encounter with Bigfoot, half the state of New Mexico believe they were taken aboard a UFO and examined. With luminaries like that, no wonder there is a belief in religion and all these events depicted in the Bible.

Quote: FrGamble

What would cause Satan with full knowledge of God and His eternal plan to reject heaven and an all-powerful God?

That's hard to say, without full knowledge of the mores, the prejudices, the biases, the goals, the values and the intentions of the author(s) of the fictional work. Unlike the Aeneid, for example, which we know was Roman historical propaganda through and through, deeply embracing of the classical Roman virtues.

But in fiction you can paint the enemy however you like. Homer would have you believe the Trojans were a bunch of cowardly wimps, except for Hector, while the Greeks (aka Mycenaeans) were all powerful warriors afraid of nothing. But if so, then how come the blasted war lasted over a decade? Shouldn't Achilles and Ajax alone been able to take on the whole of Ilium, plus Hector, in a couple of hours?

Quote:

What is the old saying, "I'd rather rule in Hell then serve in Heaven."

The one thing Juarez ever got right was saying "I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees." How would you know Satan and his pals did not prefer freedom over serfdom?

Do you know how many subject peoples rebelled against conquering empires? Pretty much all of them at one time or another. Do you know how many evicted their overlords for any length of time? Very few. Do you know how many rebellions were deterred by these facts? Almost none.

Quote: Evenbob

I give as much credence to the story in the NT as I give to the Jack and Beanstalk story.

Jack and the Beanstalk? How does that parable go?

Quote: Fleastiff

Jack and the Beanstalk? How does that parable go?

It's interesting, the tale is 5000 years
old, pre dates the OT by thousands
of years. It's about a boy who steals
ill gotten treasure from a giant and
ends up killing the giant by cutting
down the beanstalk as the giant is
chasing him.

It's a moralistic story, thousands of
years before Moses gave us the 10
Suggestions. It was told word of mouth
until it was finally recorded a few
hundred years ago. Beauty and the
Beast is also 5000 years old. They
come from an area that spans India
to Scandinavia and have nothing to
do with the Middle East or wandering
desert nomads.

FrGamble,

Everyone would still have a choice if God made a dramatic appearance and told the Islamists they were wrong for killing non-believers.

Is there any reason to not do so if he is a God of love?

(Other than he doesn't exist, which would be my answer)

Quote: rxwine

FrGamble,

Everyone would still have a choice if God made a dramatic appearance and told the Islamists they were wrong for killing non-believers.

Is there any reason to not do so if he is a God of love?

(Other than he doesn't exist, which would be my answer)

What is more dramatic than Jesus' appearance on Earth? He is crying out to them in their hearts, in every Christian religious leaders from the Pope on down. There are even many Islamic religious leaders telling these people they are wrong. I wonder why you think some miraculous appearance of Christ would stop the killing?

Quote: FrGamble

What is more dramatic than Jesus' appearance on Earth? He is crying out to them in their hearts, in every Christian religious leaders from the Pope on down. There are even many Islamic religious leaders telling these people they are wrong. I wonder why you think some miraculous appearance of Christ would stop the killing?

When Jesus appeared on Earth and got crucified you said it had the greatest single effect of anyone. Now you say a personal appearance is pointless?

Look what happened when Moses got a personal message of 10 commandments.

And so forth.

Even the devil had his best effort showing up to beguile Eve into eating the forbidden Apple.

Quote: rxwine

When Jesus appeared on Earth and got crucified you said it had the greatest single effect of anyone. Now you say a personal appearance is pointless?

Look what happened when Moses got a personal message of 10 commandments.

And so forth.

Even the devil had his best effort showing up to beguile Eve into eating the forbidden Apple.

You are biblically illiterate. You should not make factually incorrect posts about what the bible or other posters say. Shame on you.

Quote: pew

You are biblically illiterate. You should not make factually incorrect posts about what the bible or other posters say. Shame on you.

Quote:

According to the Book of Exodus, Mount Sinai (Hebrew: äø ñéðé, Har Sinai) is the mountain at which the Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God. In the Book of Deuteronomy, these events are described as having transpired at Mount Horeb.

FrGamble has previously pointed out how Christianity has infected everything. The laws of many lands. Infected is my word; pretty much same thing though.

Same point with Jesus message spreading across the world from the Resurrection. He's made similar arguments.

Quote:

Now the serpent Rev. 12.9 ; 20.2 was more subtile than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 
but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 
for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.Now the serpent Rev. 12.9 ; 20.2 was more subtile than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

I used a little hyperbole with pointless, but he is giving the usual deflection on God not doing anything visible.

If you can answer better than FrGamble on anything give it a shot. It's why I never ask you. I didn't know you were a bible literacy expert. Where'd you get your training?

I'm not an expert. It says serpent, not Satan. Moses came down from the mountain with the ten commandments (the Law) and the Jews went right on disobeying (sinning) the Law. God's presence didn't do much for them. Gambol said Christ's return wouldn't stop the killing. I'm sure he would say it will have a huge effect though.