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sc4s2cg said:
xMinionX said:I'm currently in graduate school studying secondary education w/concentration in social studies.
I got to sub for a math teacher a few days ago. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It's nice that math is so cut and dry at the 9th grade level. At least, I thought it was.
rahma said:It's a good idea to cut your teeth in on other areas of the board before diving into GA. It's not a pretty place.
But then again, NCR isn't the happiest place on earth either *shivers*
Lisa0315 said:Okay, that's alot. Let me try to break it down.
Atonement system: Blood sacrifice requirement. OT: Animal without blemish
NT: Christ without sin
Idol Worship: OT: Thou shalt have no other gods before me NT: No change. Icons and the like, I don't believe in, but regardless, they are not intended as idols, but as objects that assist the believer in worship.
Abomination: Incest and Homosexuality OT: Law of Moses NT: Blood of Christ covers it all, BUT, we are to sin no more. We can be delivered and forgiven of these things, but we are NOT to continue in these sins.
God: OT: God of Wrath NT: God of Mercy
The seeming change in God is a little tougher. I do know what you mean by this, and this was one of the things that tripped me up too. However, I think if you go back to Genesis, you will see a Holy and Just God who was equally merciful. In the NT, if you go to the very end, you will see the Merciful God who will become equally Just and full of wrathful judgement. He is the same today, yesterday, and forever.
You are on a journey. Your motivation to get to the truth for your children's sake is admirable, but it is also for you to give you peace and understanding. I will say that I questioned everything for 23 years, and I did not return because my questions were answered. Instead, I had a moment of intense clarity in which I saw myself as God saw me. I spent two days making my decision for or against God. I finally got on my knees and asked the Lord to come into my life. I told Him that I was willing to do whatever, whenever, however. I completely surrendered everything that I was and everything that I had. Believe it or not, answers came after. Not all at once, but slowly but surely, over the last year and a half, I have been given understanding to much of what caused me so much grief in the past.
Really and truly, Christianity is about faith. Once you give over to the Lord, answers will come. You will have peace and you will have knowledge. Read my signature. There is a reason that I chose this one. It bears witness to the answers that I have received once I stopped demanding that I receive answers FIRST.
I will try to help answer your questions, and there are many people here who are far more knowledgeable than I am. However, the most we can do is point you in the right direction. We can bear witness to the wonder and joy that God has given to us, but only God can give you the answers you seek, the ones that will resonate deep into your heart.
Let me tell you this. In the last 18 months, my husband has had two heart attacks, my beloved grandmother has been consumed with Alzheimers, my grandfather passed away, my husband was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, and has lost two jobs due to his illnesses. Yet, I can say with all honesty, that I have had more peace and joy in the last 18 months than in my entire life. Without God, I would have been in a mental hospital by now because no human can endure what I have been through in recent months without the grace of God. He has been my comforter, my assurance, my hope and my joy. I feel as if all of these things have happened for a purpose and many of them, I know will benefit me in the long run. This is the short version, but I am trying to tell you that there is LIFE and hope beyond all human understanding in the Lord. When these kinds of things happen to you, and the presence of God is so near, you can go on, one foot in front of the other, knowing that God will not allow anything to happen that He cannot handle. These things have drawn me ever closer to God. I could shake my fist at Heaven and demand to know "Why!", and yet, the love of God envelops me and shelters me and I know that He is with me through it all.
I pray that you will find the same peace, joy, love and amazing grace that I have found in Christ Jesus.
Lisa
Rae said:So, do you feel the need to apologize, or what?
Don't worry. A lot of the same stuff happens here, since a lot of Christians see this board as an opportunity to "witness" to us evol non-Christians.
Lisa0315 said:Okay, that's alot. Let me try to break it down.
Atonement system: Blood sacrifice requirement. OT: Animal without blemish
NT: Christ without sin
Lisa0315 said:Idol Worship: OT: Thou shalt have no other gods before me NT: No change. Icons and the like, I don't believe in, but regardless, they are not intended as idols, but as objects that assist the believer in worship.
Turbulence said:My understanding, from what I've been reading, is that there were other ways of atoning for sin aside from a blood sacrifice. Also, weren't there really specific rules surrounding the sacrifices themselves? How do you make a leap from an animal sacrifice to a human sacrifice ... I guess that is where I'm having trouble.
Also, how does unblemished equal no sin? Maybe you can help me understand the Christian idea of sin so I can see what you mean, because what I've learned of Jesus, he was quite blemished before he got to the cross ... it seems he received quite a beating first.
Please forgive me if my questions come across as harsh or anything ... I really mean absolutely no animosity ... the Christian beliefs are just something that I have a hard time wrapping my mind around ...
Turbulence said:My understanding, from what I've been reading, is that there were other ways of atoning for sin aside from a blood sacrifice. Also, weren't there really specific rules surrounding the sacrifices themselves? How do you make a leap from an animal sacrifice to a human sacrifice ... I guess that is where I'm having trouble.
Also, how does unblemished equal no sin? Maybe you can help me understand the Christian idea of sin so I can see what you mean, because what I've learned of Jesus, he was quite blemished before he got to the cross ... it seems he received quite a beating first.
Please forgive me if my questions come across as harsh or anything ... I really mean absolutely no animosity ... the Christian beliefs are just something that I have a hard time wrapping my mind around ...
Lisa0315 said:Further testimony and promise of the Christ: Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac, but God provided at the last minute a ram to sacrifice in Isaac's stead. Through this act of faith, the line of Abraham through Isaac became the Holy line in which the Messiah would come. This is also a symbolic display of the love of God for man. Rather than allow us to pay the penalty ourselves, and our children pay the penalty, God provided a substitute.
Lisa
MyLittleWonders said:Hey Lisa,
Can you give me a bit more background into the Christian teaching surrounding Abraham and Isaac? Does the church teach that Isaac represented some type of "offering" to G-d, that G-d later replaced with an animal? If so, doesn't it beg the question of why another life (Jesus in this case) wasn't switched with that of an animal? It's interesting, from what seems the Christian perspective, that the order of events went from animal (Garden of Eden) to man (Isaac) to animal (Temple period) back to man (Jesus).
From my perspective (not that you asked), the events surrounding Abraham and his "sacrifice" of Isaac was more of a test of faith for Abraham. G-d had promised Abraham that his descendents would number the stars in the sky, yet for Abraham this wasn't looking too promising. Then, came Isaac (sorry for the Muslim posters that might read this ... I'm going strictly from a Judaic/Christian perspective ... not including Ishmael in this ). Suddenly Abraham could see G-d's promises coming true. Then, G-d calls Abraham to make an offering of Isaac (though it never technically says to "kill" Isaac, which is interesting as well).
Genesis 22:2 - "And He said, 'Please take your son, your only one, whom you love - Isaac - and go to the land of Moriah; bring him up there as an offering upon one of the mountains which I shall tell you.'"
Genesis 22:12 - "And He said, 'Do not stretch out your hand against the lad nor do anything to him for now I know that you are a God-fearing mand, since you have not withheld y our son, your only one, from Me.'"
What I see is G-d telling Abraham, "Listen, I'm going to make your descendents as numerous as the stars." Then, after Abraham has Isaac with Sarah, he sees G-d promise taking shape. After that G-d tested him in the sense that He wanted to see that Abraham still believed G-d even if He told Abraham to offer his son to G-d. Abraham followed through with the preparations, and G-d was pleased. He stopped Abraham from doing anything else (not lifting his hand against Isaac), and told Abraham that he had proven himself a G-d fearing man.
My confusion is the Christian use of this event to somehow give credence to the sacrifice of Jesus? Maybe I'm missing something here ... but I'd love some insight from you.
Turbulence said:Here's the issue I have with idol worship being forbidden in the OT and then the worship of Jesus in the NT. From my perspective, God is ONE, as stated in the OT. But, then with the NT, we also have God is Jesus? From the sounds of the Nicene Creed, there seems to be 3 Gods within one "essence". To me, that is polytheism, which would then lend itself to idol worship ... no longer are you worshipping only the one God of creation ... does that make sense from my perspective? To me, it's not just statuary and paintings that constitute idols ... it's anything that would take you from God Himself ... by making Jesus God as well, well ... that's just plain confusing how 1+1+1 = 1 (remember, I'm a math teacher ... I know that 1+1+1 = 3).
MyLittleWonders said:First of all, welcome to CF Turbulence ... cool name! Andon your quest to get 100 posts ... good luck!
MyLittleWonders said:Hi Lisa,
First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Secondly, I'm not Jewish, though I walk next to them in that I support their beliefs and feel they have a special place with G-d. So, really you are just discussing these topics with a mere gentile.I appreciate your concern, and realize that you wouldn't know if I were Jewish or not unless I told you.
MyLittleWonders said:Finally, though, is what I believe G-d wants most from us. This is from King Solomon's speech at the dedication of the Temple:
1 Kings 8:46-50 - "'When they sin against You - for there is no man who never sins - and You become angry with them, and You deliver them to an enemy, and their captors take them captive to the enemy's land, faraway or nearby, and they take it to heart in the land where they were taken captive and they repent and supplicate to You in the land of their captors, saying, "We have sinned; we have been iniquitous; we have been wicked," and they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who had captured them, and pray to You by way of their land that You gave to their forefathers, and [by way of] the city that You have chosen and [through] the Temple that I built for Your Name - may You hear their prayer and supplication from Heaven, the foundation of Your abode, and carry out their judgment, and forgive Your people who sinned against You, and all their transgressions that they transgressed against You, and let them inspire mercy before their captors, so that they will treat them mercifully.'"
What G-d desires most from us is a repentant heart, prayers for forgiveness ... He forgives those who call on Him regardless of a "blood atonement." A blood atonement was ONE way of making atonement, and it was only available WHILE the Temple was still standing. But, we have evidence from the Tanakh (OT) that there were other means by which one could make atonement in the Temple without need for blood.
I can address the rest of your comments that I quoted in another post.
May G-d bless you as you journey towards Him!
Lisa0315 said:Abomination: Incest and Homosexuality OT: Law of Moses NT: Blood of Christ covers it all, BUT, we are to sin no more. We can be delivered and forgiven of these things, but we are NOT to continue in these sins.
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