Certainly.
There is no dimension of love in the legalistic pharisaic view of the torah.
The sadducees' view of political expediency and the zealots' view of revolt completely missed the point.
The essenes' view of spirituality, though the nearest, also fails because they reject the world wherein salvation was supposed to proceed in.
Of course not!
It shows that a profound change of heart is the prerequisite for profound change (an action necessarily emanating from the mind) -- something that was thought of to be impossible previously.
Tell me, is it easier to make bread and fish appear to multiply (something that an illusionist could do with his eyes closed) or to make hundreds of people change their hearts and share their food reserves to strangers in the middle of nowhere????
And while you're at it, you might want to say exactly which of the two is a miracle.
What are you talking about?????
Prior to christianity, the one thing that most people fear, something that constitutes radical and irreversible evil, is death. People therefore fear it.
What christianity teaches is that death ceases to be the radical and irreversible evil -- jesus being our 'guarantor' to this truth by his death and resurrection. And because death itself has become powerless against us, christianity proclaims to all who would care to listen -- BE NOT AFRAID..
That is precisely why I'm not a gnostic, if you haven't noticed this little fact by now. No need for esoteric knowledge ritually bestowed in some dark cave.
One only need to look at the workings of nature and the mind to see the creator's self-revelation. To this end, the thoughts of scientists as well as philosophers serves me well.
The church I attended teached it ad nauseum. So did the catholic school I went to.
What goat-herder church did you attend, hmmm?
Of course they do, one way or another. Unfortunately for you, the majority of christians live their faith quietly. In this regard, I am envious of them.
I never mentioned 'dimension of love' even once????? Even in the homosexuality thread, the abortion thread, and just about any thread I cared to post in?????
Hmmmm.
That's because you never read humanae vitae after all the times I told you to. It's right there.
Now, whose fault is that, eh?
You would know this is a lie if only you would spend an hour every week to attend church -- preferably catholic since I can't speak for other churches.
To point out the fact that you are ignorant about the things you pretend to criticize.
Certainly, if you just know them.
But what if you LOVE them? Wouldn't you go out of your way to tell this person that he is forgiven? How far would you go? Multiply that to infinity and you would have scratched the basic idea of what I'm talking about here.
Oh, and it was jesus' will to be crucified, him being the third person of god. And it was entirely his will that he did not climb down the cross, despite the taunt.
Of course it makes me feel better to know that, no matter how horrible I have been, I'm still within the bounds of grace and forgiveness. Now, it is simply a matter of admitting my failings -- an immensely easier exercise under the circumstances.
In fact, dr who just told me what I think is irrelevant. Somehow, I needed an anonymous person on-line to remind of it.
And what stupid logic led you to believe that, eh?
How can god be responsible for the actions of individuals imbued with FREE WILL?
Does god's foreknowledge of your action make him responsible?
Hmmmm.
Correct.
Therefore, the bible isn't blasphemous.
Duh?
Nope.
An education on basic facts and logic is enough.
That is why they're called MYSTERIES.
You are supposed to be contemplating on these mysteries while praying forumla prayer (in catholicism, that's the mind-numbing rosary -- every school day for 11 years in my case), either joyful, sorrowful or glorious mysteries, depending on the day.
