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To me it brings forth the concept of discernment. It also calls into mind the concept of sacrifice of less important things. Lastly, the idea of focus or singlemindedness. The story encourages me to discern the true worth of things. Then, I must strive for that which is truly important. I...

I will avoid enlightening you about "deplorable Americans" in this political context for fear of sustaining a political track. I don't understand the rest of your post other than an attempt to bait me into an argument with a mod. So I will simply say you've misconstrued my post and leave it at...

I think Muslim people will respect Christianity more if they see fewer pieces of American-made military hardware pointed at them and their children. Our subsidy of cooperative dictatorships is also deplorable. What does this have to do with the topic? Well, the US Government's immoral foreign...

I enjoyed reading this thread. There is a lot of insight on these boards. Here is my view. It's not meant to be argumentative, but merely a sharing of what I see. Please be patient with me. When I read these verses I'm struck by the simplicity of it. This simple story encapsulates so many...

There could many choices. Perhaps a more useful question might be: "To what degree do you take Genesis 1-3 literally?" with multiple options varying by degree...or something like that. My answer would be "God provided the material that makes up the Universe and the laws that function within...

Dreams are something of a specialty for me. God has had angels come to me and prophecy in dreams. I was once warned about a priest in my Church leading others away to form his own -- and he did. Likewise, I've had my share of bad guys make themselves known in dreams --> I usually wake up...

Re: Is the biblr currupted. You either see God and His influence in the events of the Bible, or you don't. The epistemological snipe hunt get you nowhere. Christianity is not an academic exercise. The value of the Bible is its value TO YOU and your spiritual path. If you don't have one, the...

I am free, as for the mechanics of it, you'll want to constantly re-evaluate and deepen your mental model of the spiritual ecosystem. When the Centurion asked Jesus to have his son healed Jesus said he'd get to it. What did the Centurion say? Basically he said: "Oh, no need. I know that if you...

Why does it have to be a matter of infallibility at all? Why can't it just be the sincere writings of people as they saw it happen? Why can't the power of God working through sincere people doing their best be testimony enough? I find beauty and truth in all the scriptures as well. But to...

Yes. I think this is a matter of great faith as opposed to a forced interpretation that every word was co-written by the Creator. I would add that the more we look for manifestations and blessing from God in our own life, the less important it becomes to glory in the lives of deceased heroes.

I think a willing mind makes many things possible. No, you cannot "download" your spirituality into someone else. But you can teach certain internal inquiries and techniques that can help someone find their own.

My wife and I have had at least two occasions where we were simultaneously dreaming the same scene. We even had conversation and interactions that we began to act out in a semi-wakened state, until we both woke up completely and wondered how incredible it seemed. One time we were definitely...

You are a troll. Go away.

This is a common misunderstanding, in my opinion. Yes, the need for sacrifices ended. But there is a bigger matter involved than any of this. When Christ died, the veil to the Holy of Holies was supernaturally torn. This was not merely a divine attempt to dramatize the moment. The main point...

There is no such verse. The problem with your query is that man's (often violent) nature taints scriptural interpretation in every religion. Furthermore, every Christian picks and chooses from the Bible, and the Old Testament most of all. Some will say that Christ is the fulfillment of the...

This is not my favorite verse (for I have none, the whole thing is beautiful) but it is an unconventional and interesting pick. 2 Samuel 20: 21 That is not the case! But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, called Sheba son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand...

Editing

As for getting inspiration from the violent verses, you may recall...The American Indian, The Congo, Rampant Imperialism of the 18 & 19th Century, The Crusades, The American Slave trade, and the many horrors in which christian nations did not intervene due to lack of interest (ie, no religious...

I was wrestling with this issue once upon a time. I had a dream and in it a voice said to me "Beliefs are monsters all their own." This clarified the point I was looking for. A belief is sort of a necessary evil because in the physical world there are many things we cannot know. While we...

I am returning to a more Christian spirituality, personally, after a 10 year hiatus. One of the things that turned me off (and now affects me upon my re-introduction) is dogmatism. As I understand it, the Bible is fairly clear on the idea that we are not perfect. And if we are not perfect...