The Qur'an

[The_Doc_Man]

The_Doc_Man, lets get something absolutely clear here. You initially ignored post #60 because you recognised the truth

No, I ignored post #60 because I knew you were going to claim something miraculous there. But to me it is just another case of confirmation bias.

I am trying to not be personally abusive, Aziz, but you sound exactly like the kind of overly anxious zealot that makes me fear for my safety. You seem to be out to convert people to a religion that I find hateful in the extreme regarding the way it unevenly treats women (but then claims to be PROTECTING them - from what, I'm not sure.) Your religion cannot stand dissenters and doubters. Your religion has no acceptance of people who are of other religions and no acceptance of people who are homosexual. Since I have a gay daughter, a person I happen to love, I cannot accept the restrictions and condemnation that would be placed on her. Your religion would probably condemn me for apostasy or heresy or something similar. And I should adhere to a religion that hateful? I don't think so.

Do you want to know WHY I reject your exhortations? Because to me they speak of anger - an overweening anger that I would want people of your religious culture to enter the 20th century and, in time, make it all the way to the 21st century. The excesses of exclusionary dogma do no one any favors. It is time to abandon that way of thinking. And I have abandoned it.

 

[Mike Krailo]

On the basis of proving that Jesus believed in One God alone, in His Oneness, as did ALL the Prophets, the verses ARE IN CONTEXT. If your narrative is to twist it to something blasphemous, then that's up to you.

Jesus was born of the virgin Mary unlike any other prophet. It matters not what Jesus believes. It wholly matters what his disciples believed and ultimately what we who have not seen with out own eyes believe.

Matthew, in his Gospel (Matthew 1:22-23), directly connects Isaiah's prophecy to the birth of Jesus Christ. He writes, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' (which means 'God with us')."
Here, Matthew unequivocally states that Jesus' birth to the Virgin Mary was the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy.
The birth of Jesus was a miraculous event, signifying His divine nature and His mission to be "God with us."

That is a very big distinction that God insists you acknowledge, because it is through his only begotten Son's shed blood that any of us have any way to reunite with God at all. Even demons believe and know God exists, that is not the ticket to salvation or a way back to a proper relationship with God. God demands perfection, which is no sin, which none of us are capable of on our own. If you think you are capable of measuring up to God's perfect standard, then you have possibly not examined yourself well enough. Accepting the gift that God gave up his Son for the purpose of saving sinners and all you need to do is accept that gift via belief is all that God requires. Of course, you don't go on sinning as if nothing happened, your life is changed and you begin to grow spiritually. Your love for others should grow exponentially. There is no way for you to begin to achieve this without accepting the gift. Do you harbor any hatred or ill will for those that do not believe in God? Or hatred towards anyone for that matter? We are called to be filled with God's spirit and with that comes a massive amount of love for all who are oppressed, all who don't know what they don't know, and yes, even your perceived enemies. I say perceived, because you have a choice to see others as beings to be loved, indifferent, or (disliked/hated). That doesn't mean you love what someone does or doesn't do, you love them unconditionally in spite of their lost way.

There are a lot of people who consider themselves to be good people and I think that may be true superficially, but when you go deeper into the inner thoughts, there is a lot of evil thoughts that swirl around. Unfortunately, some of these thoughts seem not to be sins at all, but to God they are most definitely sin.

Matthew 5:17-20

Ah, a small portion of the sermon on the mount. And after he rose from the dead and appeared to his followers, he said something much more important. "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Do you know why? The crazy thing is even after seeing the risen Jesus, some still doubted.

The Great Commission​

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Before this all happened and before he was crucified. Jesus said something to his followers they did not quite understand yet.

26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[b] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Now for the big question for you aziz:

Which person in history was born of a virgin and died on a cross to shed his blood for the forgiveness of sins?
Which person was the Son of God to those who witnessed his death and resurrection?

Here's what Thomas had to say about it as he did not see the risen Christ right away like the other disciples did. The man was not easy to convince without some extra proof. Notice he called him Lord and God after seeing and feeling the proof he requested for himself. Now why would he call him Lord and God if he wasn't just that?

Jesus Appears to Thomas

Now Thomas called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails have been, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe.”

Eight days later, His disciples were once again inside with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Purpose of John’s Book

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

 

[Pat Hartman]

from what, I'm not sure

From other Muslims as is confirmed by their proclivity toward ra** which is a crime of hatred and its practice authorized by the Qur'an.

 

[Galaxiom]

Jesus was born of the virgin Mary unlike any other prophet.

Rational conclusions cannot be reached though comparisons of mythology.

Which person in history was born of a virgin and died on a cross to shed his blood for the forgiveness of sins? Which person was the Son of God to those who witnessed his death and resurrection?

None of this is recorded in history.

There are no contemporary accounts of Jesus from the time when he was supposed to be a person of note, let alone accounts of what supposedly happened to an obscure couple in barn in Bethlehem decades earlier, much less making the connection between the events. The gospels were written much later and their authorship is unclear.

The fact that otherwise rational people can take such nonsense seriously is testimony to the effectiveness of indoctrination of children.

 

[conception_native_0123]

friend

friend?

 

[aziz rasul]

others testified... like the spirit.

This would be a contradiction as Jesus stated that he was a Prophet and that the Father was the only true God. Prophets don't contradict themselves. You also gave no biblical reference.

 

[aziz rasul]

But to me it is just another case of confirmation bias.

The explicit and accurate Qur'anic verses do indeed confirm biological facts.

I am trying to not be personally abusive

I think you are. I have no way threatened you on a personal level, so your comments are unwarranted.

unevenly treats women

For Muslim men and women,- for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in Charity, for men and women who fast [and deny themselves], for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allaah's praise,- for them has Allaah prepared forgiveness and great reward.
Qur’an 33:35

Your religion cannot stand dissenters and doubters.

Well you have been doing just that and no one has stopped you, although you will be judged in the Hereafter. Since you don't believe in God, that shouldn't matter to you.

Your religion has no acceptance of people who are of other religions

Well Islam IS the ONLY TRUE religion followed by ALL the Prophets. Obviously, God is not going to say that we should follow a FALSE religion, is He? That would make no sense. For God to tell us to follow the TRUE path and we will be rewarded as such but if we follow the FALSE that's OK as well. That would be a contradiction.

and no acceptance of people who are homosexual

So why have western countries outlawed homosexuals\hetrosexuals from publicly committing sexual acts and punish them. In fact why do western countries outlaw any acts of indecency by hetrosexuals and homesexuals.

I am trying to not be personally abusive, The_Doc_Man, but if a family member has committed a crime in your country, then you should report it. You don't corruption to spread, do you?

Your religion would probably condemn me for apostasy or heresy or something similar.

Your false accusations towards me are a real concern. If you had your way, you would probably lock me up or deport me. And I should adhere to such hate and pent up anger? I don't think so.

It is time to abandon that way of thinking. And I have abandoned it.

If you could but see when they are made to stand before the Fire and will say, "Oh, would that we could be returned [to life on earth] and not deny the signs of our Lord and be among the believers."
Qur’an - Surah al-An’aam (Cattle) 6:27

Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds.
Except the Companions of the Right Hand.
In gardens they will ask one another
Concerning the guilty:
“What led you into Hell Fire?”
They will answer: We were not of those who prayed
“Nor were we of those who fed the poor;
“But we used to talk vanities with vain talkers;
“And we used to deny the Day of Judgment,
“Until there came to us (the Hour) that is certain.”
Then will no intercession of (any) intercessors profit them.
Qur’an - Surah al-Mudathir (The Cloaked One) 74:38-48

Those who denied Our signs and the meeting of the Hereafter - their deeds have become worthless. Are they recompensed except for what they used to do?
Qur'an 7:147

 

[Mike Krailo]

This would be a contradiction as Jesus stated that he was a Prophet and that the Father was the only true God. Prophets don't contradict themselves. You also gave no biblical reference.

By far, the most frequent name Jesus called himself was “Son of Man,” recorded over 100 times in the gospels. Other names were also mentioned below.

1. Son of Man
2. I Am
3. Life
4. Bridegroom
5. Gate
6. Good Shepherd
7. Light of the World
8. Lord/Teacher
9. Messiah/Christ
10. Vine

Do any of these names conjure up the image of a prophet to you? That's not to say he didn't also have the role as prophet and others seen him as a prophet, but in addition he had the role of high priest and more importantly king. Remember, they mocked him while he carried his own cross calling him the king of the Jews. Maybe not what the Jews originally had in mind, but he did what God's holy spirit told him to do without fail and fufilled God's mission. In doing God's will, God has forever glorified him and given him all authority. There is no prophet that has been given all authority by God. No other.

The angel Gabriel told Mary that Jesus “will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32–33). This is great for believers, not so great for those that don't.

 

[aziz rasul]

Jesus was born of the virgin Mary unlike any other prophet. It matters not what Jesus believes. It wholly matters what his disciples believed and ultimately what we who have not seen with out own eyes believe.

Jesus (peace be upon him) was born of the virgin Mary (peace be upon her). Agreed.

Right graciously did her Lord accept her: He made her grow in purity and beauty: To the care of Zakariyah was she assigned . . .
Qur’an - Surah al-`Imraan (The Family of `Imraan) 3:37

And Mary the daughter of 'Imraan, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (her body) of Our Spirit (Ruh); and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout (servants).
Qur’an – Surah at-Tahrim (Banning) 66:12

The similitude of Jesus before Allaah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: “Be”. And he was.
Qur’an - Surah al-`Imraan (The Family of `Imraan) 3:59

Adam was created without a Father or Mother unlike any other prophet.

Here, Matthew

Exactly, whoever Matthew was. It's what Jesus says in the bible, that I am interested in, not what the gospel writers say.

The birth of Jesus was a miraculous event, signifying His divine nature and His mission to be "God with us."

There have been many miracles. We don't say when those Prophets who produced miracles by God's command as did Jesus did, were divine.

It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Injil (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion (of judgment between right and wrong).
Qur’an - Surah al-`Imraan (The Family of `Imraan) 3:3

109. One day will Allaah gather the messengers together, and ask: “What was the response ye received (from men to your teaching)?” They will say: “We have no knowledge: it is Thou Who knowest in full all that is hidden.”
110. Then will Allaah say: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favour to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the Holy Spirit (Gabriel), so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Injil and behold! Thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and thou breathest into it and it becometh a bird by My leave, and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! Thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when thou didst show them the clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: 'This is nothing but evident magic.'
111. “And behold! I inspired the disciples to have faith in Me and Mine Messenger: they said, 'We have faith, and do thou bear witness that we bow to Allaah as Muslims”.
Qur’an - Surah al-Ma’aida (The Table Spread) 5:109-11 See also 3:49, Acts 2:22;10:38

his only begotten Son

Jesus never claimed this, but he did say he was a Prophet, which you seem to be ignoring. I wonder why?

God demands perfection, which is no sin,

I disagree.

“Say: O ‘Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Qur'an 39:53

Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Qur'an 25:68-70

If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden, We will remove from you your lesser sins and admit you to a noble entrance [into Paradise].
Qur'an 4:31

Those who associate partners with God or reject God and die in that state e.g., Christians, Hindus, etc. will enter HELLFIRE for ETERNITY.

Ah, a small portion of the sermon on the mount.

But an important one, which you seem to ignore as it fits your blasphemous narrative.

Which person in history was born of a virgin and died on a cross to shed his blood for the forgiveness of sins?
Which person was the Son of God to those who witnessed his death and resurrection?

No one.

54. And (the unbelievers) plotted and planned, and Allaah too planned, and the best of planners is Allaah.
55. Behold! Allaah said: “O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection: Then shall ye all return unto me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute.
56. “As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help.”
57. “As to those who believe and work righteousness, Allaah will pay them (in full) their reward; but Allaah loveth not those who do wrong.”
Qur’an - Surah al-`Imraan (The Family of `Imraan) 3:54-7 See also 3:90.

157. That they said (in boast), “We killed Messiah Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allaah”; - but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not: -
158. Nay, Allaah raised him up unto Himself; and Allaah is Exalted in Power, Wise; -
Qur’an - Surah an-Nisaa’ (The Women) 4:157-158 See also John 20:17 and Matthew 27:46

 

[aziz rasul]

Do any of these names conjure up the image of a prophet to you?

The following do.
Qur’an 4:171-2, Qur’an 5:75, Qur’an 61:6, Mark 6:4, John 6:14, John 7:40, John 9:17, Matthew 21:10-11 and Matthew 15:24.

Jesus (peace be upon him) the Maseeh.
Qur’an 3.45, John 1:41, John 4:25-26, John 10:24

 

[aziz rasul]

its practice authorized by the Qur'an.

You seem to have a lot of PENT UP HATE towards Islam but provide no Qur'anic evidence. Accusing the Qur'an of the allowance of ra** is a serious charge. I would have expected some references, otherwise it's just your opinion, which doesn't amount to much IMHO.

People of all faiths and none do bad things but you target Muslims only! Shame on you.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

The explicit and accurate Qur'anic verses do indeed confirm biological facts.

But they do not confirm the existence of Allah. THAT is the direction of confirmation bias that I meant.

In fact why do western countries outlaw any acts of indecency by hetrosexuals and homesexuals.

We don't outlaw acts done in private between consenting adults. Many of the Middle Eastern nations outlaw just being a homosexual, whether practicing or not.

Well you have been doing just that and no one has stopped you, although you will be judged in the Hereafter. Since you don't believe in God, that shouldn't matter to you.

(A) No one has stopped me because in the USA, we have legal safeguards regarding freedom of speech, freedom of/from religion, and a few other freedoms. (B) We actually agree on something. Since I don't believe in a deity, the idea of a deity's judgment means nothing to me.

If you want to know what I actually believe, look in Ecclesiastes, starting in chapter 9, where it talks about the dead. The Old Testament describes death as a simple form of non-existence. No thought, no memory, no sensations, no awareness. I didn't exist 80 years ago and I won't exist 80 years from now. (More precise limits to be determined later.) Neither of those statements bothers me.

Your false accusations towards me are a real concern. If you had your way, you would probably lock me up or deport me.

I would neither lock you up nor deport you unless you had committed a crime worthy of such treatment. You asked me about family members but it applies to everyone. You would believe that if someone "has committed a crime in your country, then you should report it." I accuse you of following a religion that claims to be loving... but if you look more closely, that love only applies to other members of your religion. That is my only real accusation. Do you or don't you follow Islam? The rest of my comments are about Islam and its treatment of outsiders.

Well Islam IS the ONLY TRUE religion followed by ALL the Prophets.

True religion? Not if you believe that Muhammad was a drug user who wrote his beliefs after some crazy drug trips and not actually a holy person. And your statement is also not correct in historical context. The prophets who precede the time of Muhammad didn't follow Islam. They were either Christian or Jewish. Those who preceded the existence of the Qur'an cannot possibly have followed it. And finally, talk to followers of the Church of Latter Day Saints, who follow the time of the Qur'an. They believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet who led them to their beliefs which differ from those of Islam. So not ALL of the prophets. And if you choose to disbelieve in the validity of Joseph Smith as a prophet, don't get bent out of shape if we disbelieve the validity of Muhammad. We have a saying, "Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander."

for men and women who fast [and deny themselves], for men and women who guard their chastity,

Men seem to deny themselves less than women, since Islam allows a man to have four wives but a woman cannot have four husbands. When an Islamic man DOESN'T deny himself and violates a woman physically, she needs four witnesses. But when an Islamic man wants to condemn a woman for adultery, he doesn't need four witnesses. Yep, even treatment.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

People of all faiths and none do bad things but you target Muslims only! Shame on you.

Perhaps because I have seen the Muslims of the group from Hamas as they committed unspeakable acts of hatred against innocent children, as they hide behind civilians, as they hide in hospitals and then claim war crimes when the Israelis come after them. And other Muslims support them. When people of supposedly good character support others in the commission of one war crime after another, am I supposed to turn away and not see the horrors they inflict in the name of Allah? If this is what Allah allows, then do you wonder why I condemn Islam?

I have no shame in realizing that there are elements of Islam that are so violent that there is no living with them. I also know Muslims who were and are peace-loving people. But I am continually amazed that people who claim to love peace don't step in and curtail Hamas and Hezbollah and any other hate-filled groups like them.

We have crazy groups here, too, but in the USA we TRY to at least keep them from going rogue on us.

 

[Isaac]

Rational conclusions cannot be reached though comparisons of mythology.


None of this is recorded in history.

There are no contemporary accounts of Jesus from the time when he was supposed to be a person of note, let alone accounts of what supposedly happened to an obscure couple in barn in Bethlehem decades earlier, much less making the connection between the events. The gospels were written much later and their authorship is unclear.

The fact that otherwise rational people can take such nonsense seriously is testimony to the effectiveness of indoctrination of children.

The contemporary accounts are collected and we call them the Bible.

the fact that people began to focus on certain historical writings and attach religious meaning to them takes nothing away from their veracity as historical writings. Jesus was raised from the dead and seen by many. If you become a Christian, you'll become sure, as Christ becomes evident in your life. Believe me, there's a reason all the Christians are telling you "it's real". Because it is. Believe them. If they were making it up Christianity would be a tiny cult of 10 people, 9 of whom would come out of the cult and be on Dateline NBC the next year.

 

[Isaac]

Jesus was born of the virgin Mary unlike any other prophet. It matters not what Jesus believes. It wholly matters what his disciples believed and ultimately what we who have not seen with out own eyes believe.


That is a very big distinction that God insists you acknowledge, because it is through his only begotten Son's shed blood that any of us have any way to reunite with God at all. Even demons believe and know God exists, that is not the ticket to salvation or a way back to a proper relationship with God. God demands perfection, which is no sin, which none of us are capable of on our own. If you think you are capable of measuring up to God's perfect standard, then you have possibly not examined yourself well enough. Accepting the gift that God gave up his Son for the purpose of saving sinners and all you need to do is accept that gift via belief is all that God requires. Of course, you don't go on sinning as if nothing happened, your life is changed and you begin to grow spiritually. Your love for others should grow exponentially. There is no way for you to begin to achieve this without accepting the gift. Do you harbor any hatred or ill will for those that do not believe in God? Or hatred towards anyone for that matter? We are called to be filled with God's spirit and with that comes a massive amount of love for all who are oppressed, all who don't know what they don't know, and yes, even your perceived enemies. I say perceived, because you have a choice to see others as beings to be loved, indifferent, or (disliked/hated). That doesn't mean you love what someone does or doesn't do, you love them unconditionally in spite of their lost way.

There are a lot of people who consider themselves to be good people and I think that may be true superficially, but when you go deeper into the inner thoughts, there is a lot of evil thoughts that swirl around. Unfortunately, some of these thoughts seem not to be sins at all, but to God they are most definitely sin.


Ah, a small portion of the sermon on the mount. And after he rose from the dead and appeared to his followers, he said something much more important. "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Do you know why? The crazy thing is even after seeing the risen Jesus, some still doubted.

Before this all happened and before he was crucified. Jesus said something to his followers they did not quite understand yet.


Now for the big question for you aziz:

Which person in history was born of a virgin and died on a cross to shed his blood for the forgiveness of sins?
Which person was the Son of God to those who witnessed his death and resurrection?

Here's what Thomas had to say about it as he did not see the risen Christ right away like the other disciples did. The man was not easy to convince without some extra proof. Notice he called him Lord and God after seeing and feeling the proof he requested for himself. Now why would he call him Lord and God if he wasn't just that?

Testify!

Islam brings people in by fear or force. Christians become joyously filled with meaning, direction, love.
People convert FROM islam TO christianity by the hundreds of thousands every year. The opposite does not happen. There is a reason.

 

[Galaxiom]

The contemporary accounts are collected and we call them the Bible.

The New Testament was not contemporary with the supposed existence of Jesus and its authors are unknown. There is zero evidence that it is any more than a complete work of fiction designed to claim that the prophecies of the Old Testament had been fulfilled. There are no verifiable accounts of Jesus until fifty years later.

The stories of people coming back to life are far fetched. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and there is none.

None of these things happen in modern times. Ask yourself why this god only revealed himself to ancient Hebrews and has never been seen since.

I don't expect you to accept these facts because you have too much invested in your faith.

 

[Isaac]

The New Testament was not contemporary with the supposed existence of Jesus and its authors are unknown. There is zero evidence that it is any more than a complete work of fiction designed to claim that the prophecies of the Old Testament had been fulfilled. There are no verifiable accounts of Jesus until fifty years later.

The stories of people coming back to life are far fetched. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and there is none.

None of these things happen in modern times. Ask yourself why this god only revealed himself to ancient Hebrews and has never been seen since.

I don't expect you to accept these facts because you have too much invested in your faith.

Actually tons of miracles still DO happen, that's why it's more rational to accept it as Truth. My own family and I have seen a number of miracles - they do happen in modern times.

50 oh my - that's nothing. If it was 50 years give or take from an Egyptian mummy you would take it as gospel truth, pun intended.
It's only a bias against Christianity or the Bible that prevents you from operating under the exact same standards in this case.

Ask yourself why Jews believing in Jesus under the Romans at that particular time may not have published works for all to see advertising themselves during the first few years..

 

[Isaac]

The mere fact that out of all people who don't believe in miracles, 90% of them wouldn't believe it even if they saw it tells you a LOT about the mental state of those people. It means that once we have decided something is not real, we won't believe even when/if we see it, we'll assume we're hallucinating or dreaming - which is actually far less rational than believing it once observed.

Rationality goes out the door with a negative assertion bias just as much or more than you believe it does with my positive assertion/belief.

 

[Mike Krailo]

God is a person but exalted above all others and is the source of all life and love. Jesus is a person and God's only begotten son that executed God's will on earth in it's entirety and without fail and has been now given all authority over all those that come to know him and follow his very clear example. All of this was prophesied in the scriptures before any of it actually happened but don't get hung up on it. The prophets before Christ and after are persons that have become spiritually mature and had deep connections with God on a personal level. All the humans on the planet are persons of various degrees of spiritual development and God would like to have a personal relationship with all that seek him out to improve their spiritual development. If you like science, math, astrophysics, or some other study that interests you, that's great. All of that is needed for technological advancements in the world, but we are not meant to stay here forever. This is just a learning ground to develop spiritually and eventually go on to do much greater things in eternity. Once the limiting nature of our current bodies are removed, it becomes obvious how important the spirit is. If you only see yourself as a body that lives for a span less than a hundred years, you will have no hope for the future and no desire to grow the spirit.

If you haven't figured it out yet, personal relationships are what we all love to have with those that love us the most. Who doesn't want to be loved? Same with family's, loving your spouse and children are really important. Any relationships with others outside the family can be just as enjoyable when there is an affinity between them. If not, all you can do is love those that need loving. There are no shortage of people that need Gods love. All the love that there is in the world comes directly from God and not any individual person. Your ability to do good comes from God the Father. Without his love, you got nothing. A nothing is really scary when you do a deep dive into it. If you don't know God and and love someone, that love still comes from God whether you are aware of it or not. We are all living in the grace of God and by his grace we have life. But not all are spiritually awake or have spiritual maturity. Those that reject the one who gives life and love will have very little to give others. Sure they have some by default, but not much. The benefit to being created in the image of God is that you do have some love to give by default. The spiritually mature, have a tremendous amount of love to give. It's not about religion. The Pharisees liked to flaunt there religion around like a badge of honor, but that is not love. They were missing the point of it all.

So God is a person. The difference with God is that he is transcendent in his wisdom, he has endless amounts of love, and is the source of light in his kingdom. It's not sun light, its God light, and anyone that experiences this light first hand will come to know how desirable it is be in that light and be loved in way that you can not possibly imagine here on earth. The key ingredient to reaching out to him from where we all are now is faith. That is the only necessity for the connection to be made. If you want an internet connection, you have to pay an internet provider, but making that connection with the creator of all that there is only takes the faith of a mustard seed to start the process. Ask him all that you wish to know and he will reveal it to you.

 

[Isaac]

its God light, and anyone that experiences this light first hand will come to know how desirable it is be in that light and be loved in way that you can not possibly imagine here on earth. The key ingredient to reaching out to him from where we all are now is faith.

Amen - bears repeating.