Let's talk, friends

[outlawState]

-How would you refute my idea that God the Father is both light and dark?

First, "you" are not the final arbiter of God as God is invisible. You must accept that compared to God, and even others well versed in religion, "you" are very limited and inexperienced. Humility is very very important for everyone when it comes to religion.

Second the Old Testament relates to a time and context where the world was ruled by pagans - pagans whose solution to "difference" was to kill and conquer you. The Israelites who came out of Eqypt had to fight not only for their existence, but against infiltration by deceptive pagan gods that were employed to assimilate the Israelites into paganism. The God of the Old Testament was necessarily stern, because if he had not been, Israel and its unique monotheism would never have survived. The way to see the sterness of God is to understand that despite the many Israelite apostasies from God, Israel survived as a nation and a people for nearly 1500 years in the promised land. Without that sterness of God, it would not have been possible.

So objectively the Old Testament God is a God of Light, the light of salavation, which produced in Israel the son of God, who is the true example and image of God. Try to be more humble is the advice I would give to you, and always be ready to learn from people more knowledgeable than you. Above all, don't keep company with the wicked, with gnostics or devotees of man-made philosophies and cults.

 

[Sketcher]

-What is wrong with thinking of everything as a paradox?

It lazily categorizes EVERYTHING as a paradox.

My emotions have really been getting the best of me lately. The best I have ever felt, is when I numbed them out. I couldn't think of a theological justification of this as a Christian, but I might think of some reasoning as an Agnostic.

-Is there a theological justification for a purposeful lack of emotion?

Not really. My emotions get me in trouble, so I try to keep them under control. But if I don't give them some breathing room, I become a cold person. If I become too cold a person, that hinders my ability to love my neighbor as myself.

Also, the Old Testament God was, respectfully, pretty dark. I kind of believe respectfully, He is dark even today. That you can find him in light, but also in darkness.

-How would you refute my idea that God the Father is both light and dark?

When I think of a "dark" character, I think of someone like Wolverine or Batman. God isn't like either of them, God is better than they are. He did some harsh things in both Testaments of Scripture, but he is good. He did what he determined in his righteousness needed to be done. He alone has the right to avenge, so when he does that, he is still good. We do not have the right to avenge, so when we do that, we are not good. If this seems harsh, remember if you own an item - let's say, a computer - you have the right to overclock it to your heart's content. If I come over and overclock it for you without you asking me to do that, you have the right to be angry with me because I wrongly altered the way your computer works and increased the risk of a problem with it if I didn't do it right, all without your permission. As property belongs to the one who owns it, morality belongs to God.

 

[Left]

The overclocking a computer scenario is funny as I want to get into IT.

I'm figuring some things out now that I didn't know before. I still retain some of the beliefs I posted, but not all of them.

 

[Johnnz]

Without trying to promote my beliefs, I will say I still believe in God/Jesus and the beliefs regarding salvation - but I no longer consider the Bible of great importance other than to deliver said message. I'm also very careful of my beliefs. To me, this basically makes me Agnostic - and I am one now for other reasons as well.

Here is what I now believe. I once met someone who said that everything was an infinite. Well I say, everything is a Paradox.

Paradox is our human response to things beyond our full comprehension. More mature people can live with paradox , but some never get beyond dogmatic binary thinking.

My emotions have really been getting the best of me lately. The best I have ever felt, is when I numbed them out. I couldn't think of a theological justification of this as a Christian, but I might think of some reasoning as an Agnostic.

Our emotions are part of being fully human. Post Reformation with its Greek influences creeping in, emotions were wrongly seen as inferior to intellect. We see Jesus expressing emotions quite openly.

Also, the Old Testament God was, respectfully, pretty dark. I kind of believe respectfully, He is dark even today. That you can find him in light, but also in darkness.

There are many places where we see God as very much other than dark. But the limitations of the human mind require God to reveal himself. That gap was most fully bridged in Jesus. "If you have seen me you have seen My Father."

As you can see... now I am just believing whatever I want to believe.

This is why we seek a reasonable understanding of the Scriptures as a record of God's coming to humanity and communicating with us. This then gives us the content for what we come to believe.

-What is wrong with thinking of everything as a paradox?

Paradox is fine, but not everything is paradox.

-Is there a theological justification for a purposeful lack of emotion?

None whatsoever
-How would you refute my idea that God the Father is both light and dark?

The physical nature of our universe, created by God, gives us day and night, light and dark.

John
NZ

 

[ChristianFromKazakhstan]

Without trying to promote my beliefs, I will say I still believe in God/Jesus and the beliefs regarding salvation - but I no longer consider the Bible of great importance other than to deliver said message. I'm also very careful of my beliefs. To me, this basically makes me Agnostic - and I am one now for other reasons as well.

Here is what I now believe. I once met someone who said that everything was an infinite. Well I say, everything is a Paradox.

My emotions have really been getting the best of me lately. The best I have ever felt, is when I numbed them out. I couldn't think of a theological justification of this as a Christian, but I might think of some reasoning as an Agnostic.

Also, the Old Testament God was, respectfully, pretty dark. I kind of believe respectfully, He is dark even today. That you can find him in light, but also in darkness.

As you can see... now I am just believing whatever I want to beieve.

-What is wrong with thinking of everything as a paradox?

-Is there a theological justification for a purposeful lack of emotion?

-How would you refute my idea that God the Father is both light and dark?

Numbing? What situations bring you to numbness?

 

[_-iconoclast-_]

It lazily categorizes EVERYTHING as a paradox.


Not really. My emotions get me in trouble, so I try to keep them under control. But if I don't give them some breathing room, I become a cold person. If I become too cold a person, that hinders my ability to love my neighbor as myself.


When I think of a "dark" character, I think of someone like Wolverine or Batman. God isn't like either of them, God is better than they are. He did some harsh things in both Testaments of Scripture, but he is good. He did what he determined in his righteousness needed to be done. He alone has the right to avenge, so when he does that, he is still good. We do not have the right to avenge, so when we do that, we are not good. If this seems harsh, remember if you own an item - let's say, a computer - you have the right to overclock it to your heart's content. If I come over and overclock it for you without you asking me to do that, you have the right to be angry with me because I wrongly altered the way your computer works and increased the risk of a problem with it if I didn't do it right, all without your permission. As property belongs to the one who owns it, morality belongs to God.

Hello.

Darkness is the absence of light. The light is a natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible. God cannot be dark as this would suggest an absence of light - God is not connected to the dawn either. God cannot be divided against Himself and God is not dual good and evil.

John 1:5 “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Luke 1:79 “to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

John 12:46 “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”

Psalm 18:28 “For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.”

John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life

First John 2:9 “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.”

Ephesians 5:8 “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”

To understand God and christian doctrine you need the Bible. The reason why you seem confused is because you have thrown the bible away. The saying of Jesus have been intergal to Christianity since Jesus first opened His mouth. Christianity is a faith based religion meaning you have to actively seek God. The onus is on you to make the effort and you will be rewarded by having a relationship with Him.

Mat 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

If you want to pass a school test you dont throw your reading material away and you dont look for the answer in your self.

You dont study economics to pass a chemistry test.

God is like a nuclear reactor. Throw away the manual and you could be at peril

Sin is disobedience to God.
Sin = bad = darkness ie absense of obediance to God.

An agnostic believes he can not know anything about the nature of God or the existance of God. Jesus says otherwise. You can have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit and it is never to late to change your mind.

Why be unsure when you can be sure.

 

[Sketcher]

Hello.

Darkness is the absence of light. The light is a natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible. God cannot be dark as this would suggest an absence of light - God is not connected to the dawn either. God cannot be divided against Himself and God is not dual good and evil.

John 1:5 “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Luke 1:79 “to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

John 12:46 “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”

Psalm 18:28 “For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.”

John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life

First John 2:9 “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.”

Ephesians 5:8 “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”

To understand God and christian doctrine you need the Bible. The reason why you seem confused is because you have thrown the bible away. The saying of Jesus have been intergal to Christianity since Jesus first opened His mouth. Christianity is a faith based religion meaning you have to actively seek God. The onus is on you to make the effort and you will be rewarded by having a relationship with Him.

Mat 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

If you want to pass a school test you dont throw your reading material away and you dont look for the answer in your self.

You dont study economics to pass a chemistry test.

God is like a nuclear reactor. Throw away the manual and you could be at peril

Sin is disobedience to God.
Sin = bad = darkness ie absense of obediance to God.

An agnostic believes he can not know anything about the nature of God or the existance of God. Jesus says otherwise. You can have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit and it is never to late to change your mind.

Why be unsure when you can be sure.

Were you trying to address anything I said, or were you simply building off it? What I said doesn't contradict the verses you quoted or the perfect morality of God in any way.

 

[_-iconoclast-_]

Were you trying to address anything I said, or were you simply building off it? What I said doesn't contradict the verses you quoted or the perfect morality of God in any way.

Hello.

Actually that was for theory of forms

 

[Sketcher]

Hello.

Actually that was for theory of forms

Ah. Since you quoted me, I got confused since quotes are typically reactions to the person that was quoted.

 

[_-iconoclast-_]

Ah. Since you quoted me, I got confused since quotes are typically reactions to the person that was quoted.

Wow so I did. Please ignore that