A matter of choice....

[Kira Light]

It means he had human qualities.



Sexual energies are always in motion. A person may or may not choose to express them through a specific physical action.



Lust is about dehumanizing someone - not being attracted to them. If it were the latter, all of us would be lusting every day. Or be in denial about it.



It's wholly and continuously reliable. Using a level to pound a nail - and failing - doesn't mean the level was unreliable. It means we misunderstood the nature of the level.

I believe that we are all lusting every day and that was exactly His point! He also equated feeling anger or hatred to someone is like murdering them!

You have an odd view of lust in my opinion. To lust after a person is not to be attracted, but to dehumanize... Not computing.

 

[Kira Light]

By looking at everything in creation - including the Bible. It all has His signature. And then using the gift of discernment He created us with. And refining the process over time by being both teachable/impressionable and observant of the consequences of our actions.

Or - instead of attempting to know a thing - you can just decide about it.

So we somehow use all of creation to understand morality? I'm sorry but this seems amazingly reckless in a fallen and corrupt world. How do we really know which parts of nature are still pristine like God really made them? I am guessing nothing is as it was made. All things changed by sin in this fallen world.

 

[Kira Light]

fair enough.... though you have used some terms that are in need of defining i.e. what is good, what is evil, and how would you know? Is it possible that some have thought they were doing good, but in fact it was evil... just some questions that popped up, don't feel pressed to answer them....

If you aren't going to use the Bible to figure out good and evil you are pretty much out of luck. As soon as good and evil become subjective they cease to exist.

Also, it strikes me that Jesus responded a lot of the time by quoting scripture. Did he not realize that the Old Testament was a fallible work from the minds of a lot of random dudes? Or did he just know which parts he could trust because He is... well.. God.

 

[StormyOne]

So we somehow use all of creation to understand morality? I'm sorry but this seems amazingly reckless in a fallen and corrupt world. How do we really know which parts of nature are still pristine like God really made them? I am guessing nothing is as it was made. All things changed by sin in this fallen world.

How do you arrive at that conclusion.... or let me ask this, when God created the animals, specifically lions, tigers and bears, do you think they were created as they are now, with fangs, and carnivorous, or differently? What do you base your conclusion on.... Human skin has the built in capability of repairing itself, were we created like that or is that ability a result of sin? Lastly, do you think that in a pre-sin world anything died?

 

[StormyOne]

If you aren't going to use the Bible to figure out good and evil you are pretty much out of luck. As soon as good and evil become subjective they cease to exist.

Also, it strikes me that Jesus responded a lot of the time by quoting scripture. Did he not realize that the Old Testament was a fallible work from the minds of a lot of random dudes? Or did he just know which parts he could trust because He is... well.. God.

Just because someone said Jesus said it does not mean He actually did say it.... now the question you must ask yourself is this, how did we get the bible, how was it formulated, who decided what would be included or excluded, and how was that determination made.... until those questions are explored we have to pause before continuing in this tangent....

 

[Avonia]

I'm sorry but this seems amazingly reckless in a fallen and corrupt world.

Well, we don't have to guess on this one. When people act unselfishly and for the good of humankind, things go well. When they act selfishly, things go poorly.

Unfortunately, people throughout history acting "in accordance with the Bible" have perpetrated all manor of atrocities. This is true of people "guided" by other sacred/religious texts as well. The Qur’an being one example.

Having said that, the Bible is a perfect guide - but we use it imperfectly.

 

[Avonia]

To lust after a person is not to be attracted, but to dehumanize... Not computing.

Lust is a selfish act. It doesn't take the other person into account. Being attracted to somebody doesn't mean you lust after them.

 

[Kira Light]

Just because someone said Jesus said it does not mean He actually did say it.... now the question you must ask yourself is this, how did we get the bible, how was it formulated, who decided what would be included or excluded, and how was that determination made.... until those questions are explored we have to pause before continuing in this tangent....

If you don't believe the 4 gospels then I kind of boggle at what you're doing here. You don't find the Bible to be trustworthy.

If you can't trust the Bible's account of the life and teachings of Jesus, how can you even be a Christian? What Jesus do you follow? How did you learn about him and how do you know your sources are better than the Bible?

 

[Kira Light]

Lust is a selfish act. It doesn't take the other person into account. Being attracted to somebody doesn't mean you lust after them.

Lust is defined as intense sexual desire or appetite. There is a relatively fine line between attraction and this.. at least for a man..

 

[Kira Light]

Well, we don't have to guess on this one. When people act unselfishly and for the good of humankind, things go well. When they act selfishly, things go poorly.

Unfortunately, people throughout history acting "in accordance with the Bible" have perpetrated all manor of atrocities. This is true of people "guided" by other sacred/religious texts as well. The Qur’an being one example.

Having said that, the Bible is a perfect guide - but we use it imperfectly.

You seem to want to water down or distance yourself from this perfect guide a little bit by saying you have to take the whole world into consideration first before you can believe something in the Bible.

I barely have any idea what we are talking about anymore, but I think your point about taking this world into consideration and somehow weighing it against the Word of God just makes me a little uncomfortable. Just not sure how to trust anything else.

 

[Kira Light]

How do you arrive at that conclusion.... or let me ask this, when God created the animals, specifically lions, tigers and bears, do you think they were created as they are now, with fangs, and carnivorous, or differently? What do you base your conclusion on.... Human skin has the built in capability of repairing itself, were we created like that or is that ability a result of sin? Lastly, do you think that in a pre-sin world anything died?

I believe sin brought death into the world. It is nothing I ever have thought much about much. You really think animals were killing each other in the garden of eden? Seems odd that it would be the lovely peaceful place and you'd have lions devouring Eve's pet birds or dogs...

 

[StormyOne]

If you don't believe the 4 gospels then I kind of boggle at what you're doing here. You don't find the Bible to be trustworthy.

If you can't trust the Bible's account of the life and teachings of Jesus, how can you even be a Christian? What Jesus do you follow? How did you learn about him and how do you know your sources are better than the Bible?

LOL..... it only boggles your mind because you have never considered it... One thing is certain, God does not equal the bible, nor the bible God... as such it is quite possible to have a relationship with The Creator and understand the limitations that the bible presents.... You believe the bible to be "reliable" yet you have never researched how it came into existence..... The bible has a purpose, but not the one that people traditionally give it.... Additionally, before there was a bible, how did people come to know of God? You do understand that the bible is a fairly recent book, and that it has not always been available to the common person...

 

[StormyOne]

I believe sin brought death into the world. It is nothing I ever have thought much about much. You really think animals were killing each other in the garden of eden? Seems odd that it would be the lovely peaceful place and you'd have lions devouring Eve's pet birds or dogs...

You have avoided some basic questions and I am not sure why... perhaps you aren't ready for this part of the discussion? There are bacteria that are devouring other bacteria within your body, not to mention the human body is shedding "dead" skin cells all the time... do you think that this only started to occur after sin? Or have you not really thought about the life cycle of things?

 

[Kira Light]

LOL..... it only boggles your mind because you have never considered it... One thing is certain, God does not equal the bible, nor the bible God... as such it is quite possible to have a relationship with The Creator and understand the limitations that the bible presents.... You believe the bible to be "reliable" yet you have never researched how it came into existence..... The bible has a purpose, but not the one that people traditionally give it....

Are you a Christian? I know Islam and Mormonism both claim the Bible is unreliable. They had some new prophets write their own books to add to it and clarify it. What's the deal?

 

[Kira Light]

You have avoided some basic questions and I am not sure why... perhaps you aren't ready for this part of the discussion?

The skin and fang questions? How does one prepare for that part of the discussion? You are asking me to engage in pure speculation here and I don't see where it gets us.

 

[StormyOne]

Are you a Christian? I know Islam and Mormonism both claim the Bible is unreliable. They had some new prophets write their own books to add to it and clarify it. What's the deal?

I don't know what the deal is because I am not a Mormon, nor a Muslim..... weren't you the one earlier concerned with labels? LOL.... I am adventist, probably not your typical adventist, and you probably find that a bit disconcerting....

 

[StormyOne]

The skin and fang questions? How does one prepare for that part of the discussion? You are asking me to engage in pure speculation here and I don't see where it gets us.

Not speculative at all..... either we were created with the ability to heal, or we were not.... IF we were created with the ability to heal, that means that some of our cells die.... if we were not then you have to show me where the change occurred....

One other thing..... you understand that it was possible for Adam and Eve to die even if they had not sinned right? Remember the reason for expelling them from the garden? So they would not have access to the tree of life.... so then even if they had not sinned, if they had stopped eating from the tree of life they would have died.... or had you considered that?

 

[Avonia]

I am not a Mormon, nor a Muslim

Maybe so . . . but what about a Mandaean, Maliki, or Mevlevi? If you are a Mevlevi, you are in good company - Rumi.

 

[Kira Light]

I don't know what the deal is because I am not a Mormon, nor a Muslim..... weren't you the one earlier concerned with labels? LOL.... I am adventist, probably not your typical adventist, and you probably find that a bit disconcerting....

Well to be fair I was being called a bigot with no common sense or something along those lines, and I did say have at it.

I don't see how guessing at your religion applies any labels to you but if you want to believe me a hypocrite then you are welcome to.

I don't find anything disconcerting about a atypical Adventist. I am mildly curious about what parts of Adventism you still like, but I hesitate to even ask.

 

[Kira Light]

Not speculative at all..... either we were created with the ability to heal, or we were not.... IF we were created with the ability to heal, that means that some of our cells die.... if we were not then you have to show me where the change occurred....

One other thing..... you understand that it was possible for Adam and Eve to die even if they had not sinned right? Remember the reason for expelling them from the garden? So they would not have access to the tree of life.... so then even if they had not sinned, if they had stopped eating from the tree of life they would have died.... or had you considered that?

/facepalm