by jimwalton » Mon Jun 02, 2014 11:42 am
Well, it seems to me first of all that your idea is premised on a false assumption the concept of Yahwistic monotheism evolved as other social constructs. The cultures of the ancient Near East were cosmopolitanly polytheistic. The gods of those cultures operated in a pantheon, and decisions were made in divine assembly. The Israelites, in distinct contrast from the nations around them, insisted that there was only one God, that he was not part of a pantheon, and there was no divine assembly for consultation and/or action. There was to be no thought of pantheon or consort. He does not function as the head of a pantheon with a divine assembly. In short, he works alone. YHWH’s power is absolute, not distributed among many divine beings or limited to the will of the assembly.
> Does God claim to appear to modern humans?
"By the end of my first year in medical school, God had given me a vision and three dreams, the second of which was the most powerful. In it I was standing at the threshold of a strikingly narrow door, watching people take their seats at a wedding feast. I desperately wanted to get in, but I was not able to enter, because I had yet to accept my friend David's invitation to the wedding. When I awoke, I knew what God was telling me, but I sought further verification. It was then that I found the parable of the narrow door, in Luke 13:22–30. God was showing me where I stood." (
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/201 ... ml?start=2)
> Does God do something physically observable?
"There are credible reports that Heidi Baker heals the deaf and raises the dead." (
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/201 ... bique.html)
> Gods that say they will do something that can be observed within a generation?
Of which generation is Jesus speaking in Mt. 24.34? And of what events was he speaking? Many feel that he was speaking of the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in 70 AD, in which case it came true. Many feel also that the prophecy has a secondary referent and fulfillment, being the generation that sees the tumult of the end times which will then also see the second coming of Christ.
> Gods that live in the forest, lake, ocean, mountain, or anywhere easily accessible to man?
Hm. The God of the Bible never lived in a forest, lake, ocean or mountain.
> Gods that hear appeals and give actual verifiable results?
I can tell you one. My son, at 19 years old, had a debilitating stroke. Yeah, a stroke. He was in the hospital, fighting for his life, and the doctors were pessimistic. He only spoke in garbles, and the prognosis was grim. We arrived at the hospital that evening, and he could barely function. He was totally incoherent and incommunicative. Early early the next morning, our church gathered to pray, as did people around the world (thanks to the Internet). When we arrived in his room at 9:00, he sat up and said, "Hi, Mom. Hi Dad." I kid you not. Are there medical explanations? Possibly. Are there spiritual explanations. Easily. And yet this is not an isolated story. Many people tell such stories. I only relate this one with confidence because I was there and saw and heard it.
> The only god that could survive the treacherous environment of the human mind
I would say, in contrast, that the only God who could survive the environment of the human mind and the reality of life is the God is who there, who is grounded in truth, has been repeatedly evidenced by historical events, and who continues to work in people's lives and change hearts.
> Your concept of god is not actually true
Dead. I worship a God of history and of life, a God who is there and who intervenes and life and is active in the life of people.
Well, it seems to me first of all that your idea is premised on a false assumption the concept of Yahwistic monotheism evolved as other social constructs. The cultures of the ancient Near East were cosmopolitanly polytheistic. The gods of those cultures operated in a pantheon, and decisions were made in divine assembly. The Israelites, in distinct contrast from the nations around them, insisted that there was only one God, that he was not part of a pantheon, and there was no divine assembly for consultation and/or action. There was to be no thought of pantheon or consort. He does not function as the head of a pantheon with a divine assembly. In short, he works alone. YHWH’s power is absolute, not distributed among many divine beings or limited to the will of the assembly.
> Does God claim to appear to modern humans?
"By the end of my first year in medical school, God had given me a vision and three dreams, the second of which was the most powerful. In it I was standing at the threshold of a strikingly narrow door, watching people take their seats at a wedding feast. I desperately wanted to get in, but I was not able to enter, because I had yet to accept my friend David's invitation to the wedding. When I awoke, I knew what God was telling me, but I sought further verification. It was then that I found the parable of the narrow door, in Luke 13:22–30. God was showing me where I stood." (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/january-february/christ-called-me-off-minaret.html?start=2)
> Does God do something physically observable?
"There are credible reports that Heidi Baker heals the deaf and raises the dead." ( http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/may/miracles-in-mozambique.html)
> Gods that say they will do something that can be observed within a generation?
Of which generation is Jesus speaking in Mt. 24.34? And of what events was he speaking? Many feel that he was speaking of the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in 70 AD, in which case it came true. Many feel also that the prophecy has a secondary referent and fulfillment, being the generation that sees the tumult of the end times which will then also see the second coming of Christ.
> Gods that live in the forest, lake, ocean, mountain, or anywhere easily accessible to man?
Hm. The God of the Bible never lived in a forest, lake, ocean or mountain.
> Gods that hear appeals and give actual verifiable results?
I can tell you one. My son, at 19 years old, had a debilitating stroke. Yeah, a stroke. He was in the hospital, fighting for his life, and the doctors were pessimistic. He only spoke in garbles, and the prognosis was grim. We arrived at the hospital that evening, and he could barely function. He was totally incoherent and incommunicative. Early early the next morning, our church gathered to pray, as did people around the world (thanks to the Internet). When we arrived in his room at 9:00, he sat up and said, "Hi, Mom. Hi Dad." I kid you not. Are there medical explanations? Possibly. Are there spiritual explanations. Easily. And yet this is not an isolated story. Many people tell such stories. I only relate this one with confidence because I was there and saw and heard it.
> The only god that could survive the treacherous environment of the human mind
I would say, in contrast, that the only God who could survive the environment of the human mind and the reality of life is the God is who there, who is grounded in truth, has been repeatedly evidenced by historical events, and who continues to work in people's lives and change hearts.
> Your concept of god is not actually true
Dead. I worship a God of history and of life, a God who is there and who intervenes and life and is active in the life of people.