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Thanks, earl. I've been a big fan of Smith's since college.

That's funny . . . I always though Eve chose Adam . . . ;)

I agree. It is important because of its truth. Not because of who wrote it.

Bultmann's argument is much more compelling to me and better supported than the "appeal to authority" approach - especially given the track record of the authorities appealed to (Iraeneus and Eusebius). The internal evidence strongly supports Bultmann's theory that the so-called "Gospel of...

That has nothing to do with the days of creation. To apply that way is nonsense, unless you substitute 1000 years for every use of "day" in scripture. Moreover, the line in 2 Peter is a simile. Notice the word "like" in there. It's not superfluous. In any case, did Jesus rise on the Sunday...

My opinion is that the original version of what we now know of as the "Gospel of John" was originally written by Cerinthus and then reworked by Iraeneus to conform more with orthodoxy and to respond to the Gospel of Thomas. I highly reccomend Elaine Pagels' "Beyond Belief" on the subject of...

Close-mindedness is not unique to Christians, though it tends to be more pronounced in general with religions of "The Book." We all distrust what is different from us and it is a difficult process to listen to what someone else is saying - especially if you've grown up in a culture that...

Could "day" also mean 14 lunar months? How about .121685 nanoseconds? What would be the purpose of writing a scripture using words that have a different meaning to everyone but the author without ever explaining the meaning you intend by the terms?

It appears to me to be midrash in the sense that the Passion and Ressurection appears to be particular parts of the Old Testament rewritten as a new interpretive story - creating a "historicization" of prophecy (maybe unintentionally).

Here's a question for everyone: Does the truth you find in the Bible depend on proof and prophecy fulfillment? If so, proof of what, and why?

The longer this list gets, the more I see midrash rather than prophecy fulfillment.

Look in the mirror. What you see is what you get.

Unless, of course, the story was written with the prophecies in mind . . . . . . just living up to my name. :)

With the cruel irony being that when the meaning of the metaphor is lost, it will eventually be understood literally and often have assigned to it the very opposite of its meaning.

I believe there are as many manifestations of God, or the Absolute, or Allah, or Brahman, or the Tao (or whatever you want to call it), as there are consciousnesses to manifest to. Even if there is one right answer that could be expressed in human ideas and words, we would never "understand"...

How do reconcile a fear of "morality" with statements about what a person should or ought to do or should not or ought not to do? In short, what is the sense of obligation that drives your should? To improve oneself? Isn't that to play out the fear and self-judgment that is the antithesis...

It's hard to believe this one is real, but it is. http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/10/09/robertson.state/

Pat Robertson on the "700 Club" on May 6, 1985:

How is that fundamentally different than any other "morality"? From what do you derive this sense of obligation to reign in your egoism? Isn't this just another way of being an "improver of mankind"?

It's hard to imagine in this day of paparazzi and dirty politics, any person managing to appear to live up to the expectations for the moshiach.