CNN: Actually, that's not in the Bible

[AsburySkinsFan]

That is one difference between Catholics, Protestants and Jews who all observe the ten commandments... They just list them in different order and they subscribe to different verbage.
And for a religion such as Christianity where people historically have been executed and wars have been fought over the smallest discrepencies of belief I was just saying it's noteable...

IMO the numbering is irrelevant as long as the content is consistent.

I brought up the parable of the Talents told by Jesus because I always thought it was interesting. It is a parable which I took to support the phrase... ":god helps those who help themselves" as listed in the original post. The guys who prospered are praised the guy who broke even and lost nothing is called wicked.. He didn't loose anything, but is still called wicked for not investing his money.

The problem is that the two that were praised were praised not because they turned a profit but because they were faithful in doig the job that was assigned to them. The whole parable is about being faithfully serving God until God's return. The parable itself is the 2nd of three parables to the same effect: Parable of the Bridesmaids, Parable of the Talents, Parable of the Sheep and Goats. Matthew aces all three of these in the same discourse where Jesus is answering his disciples about the signs of the end of days where he tells them that no one knows the time of the return as such Jesus' disiciples are to be faithfully doing the work of God until the return.

All about the context.

[skinsgirl26]

a billion Bible references to prove I was "wrong"

I guess I should have said that people aren't going around screaming I BELIEVE IN FIVE GODS.

:shrug: I'm pretty sure if you follow the Bible , you aren't supposed to believe in more than one God. Of course, there "are" other gods, but those are the ones others believe it (not trying to phrase that in such a way that others will be offended). Basically, the quotes say that you should refuse other religions' gods and only believe in the one true Lord.

I'm really not sure if you are being serious or not because it's pretty basic knowledge that Christians only believe in God...and do not acknowledge any other gods...

But thanks for your response...

[AsburySkinsFan]

I guess I should have said that people aren't going around screaming I BELIEVE IN FIVE GODS.

:shrug: I'm pretty sure if you follow the Bible , you aren't supposed to believe in more than one God. Of course, there "are" other gods, but those are the ones others believe it (not trying to phrase that in such a way that others will be offended). Basically, the quotes say that you should refuse other religions' gods and only believe in the one true Lord.

I'm really not sure if you are being serious or not because it's pretty basic knowledge that Christians only believe in God...and do not acknowledge any other gods...

But thanks for your response...

Something that may help in this discussion is a change of a word, instead of saying "believe in one God" or "believe in other gods", maybe it would be more accurate to say, "worship one God". The commandment "have no other gods before me" was about trying to fill up the throne room of God with other gods. Think about what gods would look like all lined up on a mantle over the fireplace, God doesn't want them in His presence. This also came to pass that God/YHWH becomes understood as the "one true God".

[Koolblue13]

Regularly posting in the tailgate over time can be like combat. Sometimes you just start shooting at anything that moves "out there", and other times you get moments of freezing up where you can't respond.

I saw the date. Saw your comment and the bump too. Had no idea what you were on about and decided the OP was humorous enough for me to take a crack at before going to work. Is that worse?

[Jumbo]

I saw the date. Saw your comment and the bump too. Had no idea what you were on about and decided the OP was humorous enough for me to take a crack at before going to work. Is that worse?

I didn't even notice you.

I don't know about using "worse", but I'll say "no."

You usually post like you're responding to something in an alternate reality, anyway.

[Koolblue13]

You usually post like you're responding to something in an alternate reality, anyway.

First of all, try reading some of your posts. Second, the sky is awesome in my world. :p

[China]

First of all, try reading some of your posts. Second, the sky is awesome in my world. :p

I don't know, having the sky "breathe" might freak me out a little bit.

[Koolblue13]

yeah, that's weird alright.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Something that may help in this discussion is a change of a word, instead of saying "believe in one God" or "believe in other gods", maybe it would be more accurate to say, "worship one God". The commandment "have no other gods before me" was about trying to fill up the throne room of God with other gods. Think about what gods would look like all lined up on a mantle over the fireplace, God doesn't want them in His presence. This also came to pass that God/YHWH becomes understood as the "one true God".

It should also be noted that if you read the Old Testament, particularly the books of Moses, there is a movement from "There are other gods and we worship this one....to there are other gods but ours is the greatest....to there is only one God....." The Bible never explicitly says there areother gods, but there is an acknowledgment that othere people exist and they worship other gods and those gods might have some power.

[AsburySkinsFan]

It should also be noted that if you read the Old Testament, particularly the books of Moses, there is a movement from "There are other gods and we worship this one....to there are other gods but ours is the greatest....to there is only one God....." The Bible never explicitly says there areother gods, but there is an acknowledgment that othere people exist and they worship other gods and those gods might have some power.

I would agree with everything here.

[Koolblue13]

I never knew the bible talked about other gods. Interesting.

[AsburySkinsFan]

I never knew the bible talked about other gods. Interesting.

Never in a positive manner; Ashera and Ba'al are among the leading gods discussed mostly in terms of the prophets calling the people to abandon the worship of them. Moloch is another, child sacrifice by the early Canaanite clans are usually the one's dabbling here.

[19Skins72]

Dammit Jumbo, now I can't get People are Strange out of my head. >.<

[Koolblue13]

Never in a positive manner; Ashera and Ba'al are among the leading gods discussed mostly in terms of the prophets calling the people to abandon the worship of them. Moloch is another, child sacrifice by the early Canaanite clans are usually the one's dabbling here.

So, a God only exists if people give worship to it?

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

I never knew the bible talked about other gods. Interesting.

There is also an interesting little story in Acts 17 about Paul in Athens.

16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[a] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[b]

29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others

At this point, Christians believed that their God was not only the only God but would judge everyone whether they were Jew, Christian, or Pagan.

---------- Post added November-29th-2012 at 03:15 PM ----------

So, a God only exists if people give worship to it?

Well, from a Christian perspective, no other gods exist. There is only one. The Jews evolved into that view before the Christians ever existed as well.

The Romans and Greeks did not believe this. Hence, the "Unknown God" in Paul's story.