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  1. dcyates

    1 Kings 18:27 and the Bible Babble Buffet Versions

    I'm not sure I understand your point, BP. The overarching intent of the verse is to record Elijah's mocking of the priests of Baal, with the obvious implication being that a god who is evidently so preoccupied as to be unable to answer his priests is quite obviously no god at all. That comes...
  2. dcyates

    Most Accurate Bible Translation

    My mistake; it was in fact derived from the RSV. Several Bible scholars of a more theologically conservative bent recognized both the high level and superior scholarship behind the old RSV translation, but were at the same time a bit concerned with the more liberal elements (both theological and...
  3. dcyates

    Most Accurate Bible Translation

    It all depends on what you want emphasized. If you're looking for as literal a translation as possible (where the translators have tried to find as close an equivalent English word for each and every Hebrew and Greek word), one can hardly get more literal (short of an interlinear) than the NASB...
  4. dcyates

    Calling All Calvinist/Reformed Christians!

    Sorry for the delay in my response. Why not? All sorts of difficulties are inherent in translating any document from one language into another -- and this is especially so when that document was written in an ancient language some 2,000 years ago from within a very different culture and...
  5. dcyates

    Calling All Calvinist/Reformed Christians!

    Yeah, that's where I was sent FROM. (AFTER first having been sent there by a mod, btw.) But as far as this is concerned, I'll say here what I said there. (And I'm perfectly calm as I type this, so please be kind enough to read this in the spirit in which it's intended.) When it comes to my...
  6. dcyates

    Calling All Calvinist/Reformed Christians!

    Lol! I remember reading an old book called "Mama Toto." It was about all the various and diverse folk traditions and superstitions that surround childbirth all over the world. Much of it had to do with predicting the sex of the forthcoming baby. "If the first meal you ate after finding out you...
  7. dcyates

    Calling All Calvinist/Reformed Christians!

    I suppose it depends. To what extent do any of us know what our reactions will be ahead of time? There are, of course, many factors involved. As far as 2 Kings 20 is concerned, I think YHWH was genuinely moved by Hezekiah's tearful prayer for his life. No problem. I hope I've sufficiently...
  8. dcyates

    Calling All Calvinist/Reformed Christians!

    Lol! Sorry. If this is indeed the case, then why use such inaccurate, not to say, even deceptive language? As for Romans 9.17 (and practically the entire chapter for that matter), let me begin by confessing that I'm always uneasy whenever I see somebody drawing a theological conclusion based...
  9. dcyates

    Calling All Calvinist/Reformed Christians!

    But strangertoo, what does the rest of this verse say? The verses preceding v. 6 speak of God bringing his judgement against the people of Israel. But then God clarifies the situation: "But because I, YHWH, do not change, you sons of Jacob will not be destroyed." So what's being communicated...
  10. dcyates

    Calling All Calvinist/Reformed Christians!

    Only because I was told to. God foreordained that he would change his mind here?!? Does that honestly sound logical to you (or anybody)? Furthermore, if God foreknew that he was going to change his mind concerning Hezekiah's death, doesn't that show considerable cruelty on his part? God: "Get...
  11. dcyates

    Does man's faith merit or earn his salvation?

    Assuming for now that the exact same people perish in either "system," do you not see a difference between people perishing because they freely and of their own will rejected the message of the gospel, and those same people perishing because God had essentially chosen them for damnation? I...
  12. dcyates

    Calling All Calvinist/Reformed Christians!

    Thanks. Apparently I'm in desperate need of rescuing.
  13. dcyates

    Calling All Calvinist/Reformed Christians!

    How do Calvinists interpret texts like 2 Kings 20.1-6, Jeremiah 3.6-7, and 18.7-10 (just for a few examples) in light of their "classical" position regarding God's perfect and complete foreknowledge?
  14. dcyates

    Does man's faith merit or earn his salvation?

    This ends up being a distinction without a difference, Eddie, because, according to the doctrine of predestination, while it's true that out of our ignorance we shouldn't "give up on anyone," technically, God already has, since he hasn't predestined certain people for salvation (which just...
  15. dcyates

    Calvinist Doctrine: Biblically Warranted?

    Just who the heck do you think you are, Patrick?!? How dare you insinuate that I'm "swine"! I'm a child of God redeemed in the blood of Jesus Christ and indwelt by his Holy Spirit. You don't like my theology? Fine. Counter it. Argue against it. Show me where it's wrong using Scripture. But...
  16. dcyates

    Calvinist Doctrine: Biblically Warranted?

    [staff edit] All I did is ask the question: "How do Calvinists interpret texts like 2 Kings 20.1-6, Jeremiah 3.6-7, and 18.7-10 (just for a few examples) in light of their "classical" position regarding God's perfect and complete foreknowledge?" And all I've done since then is insist -- to the...
  17. dcyates

    Calvinist Doctrine: Biblically Warranted?

    Uhh, are you kidding, Hammster? You "try again." As in, reading the text again: "Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the...
  18. dcyates

    Calvinist Doctrine: Biblically Warranted?

    And I've already countered this "answer." First of all, it isn't an answer to the question of the OP. Second, you've attempted to address my question by poorly interpreting another text altogether. (Even the fact that Samuel would spend all night crying out to God obviously indicates his...