[Knillagrarp]

I have a high IQ and I believe in the second coming of Christ. What does that make me?

Either an anomaly or a fibber.

[pinawinekolad]

For me, it's a matter of faith. It's the humbleness required to understand that there are things we don't know and that there are greater things at work.
.

I understand there are things humans haven't figured out yet, and schemes larger than we are at work... but that doesn't logically support the idea that Jesus will have a second coming. It leads me to think "how can I come to understand and explain the things we haven't figured out yet?"

Why do you chose to place your faith in the idea of a second coming of Jesus, rather than the inquisitive nature of man? Asking questions leads to answers... what does faith in a second coming lead to?

~just curious

[Xbcofega]

I gave myself to Jesus once. He never called me again.

[VastDrura]

^^snip it

[RIjdrVs3]

snip it

Wrong thread. Try again.

[heltduell]

You'd get more seconds dates if you snipped it, I mean.

[gueremaisse]

I understand there are things humans haven't figured out yet, and schemes larger than we are at work... but that doesn't logically support the idea that Jesus will have a second coming. It leads me to think "how can I come to understand and explain the things we haven't figured out yet?"

Why do you chose to place your faith in the idea of a second coming of Jesus, rather than the inquisitive nature of man? Asking questions leads to answers... what does faith in a second coming lead to?

~just curious

The second coming isn't some random belief that I constructed myself but is detailed in the Bible. I believe the Bible is true, therefore I believe the second coming is true.

The better question is why do I believe the Bible is true? You'd really have to read it first before we can have that discussion....or at least the Gospels anyway.

[addifttiest]

The better question is why do I believe the Bible is true? You'd really have to read it first before we can have that discussion....or at least the Gospels anyway.

Ok, I'll ask (and I have read he Gospels): Why do you believe it is true?

[aliceingoogs]

I don't think that delicious and cooling ice cream cakes from Carvel can be made partisan. If they can, I don't want to live in that world.

Maybe they can't be made partisan- yet- but Lindsey Lohan can get her Carvel "Black Card" revoked for gross overuse. And her mom will call the cops about it. So make of that what you will/can.

Carvel revokes Lindsay Lohan's Cookie Puss pass | NJ.com

[oB8LI2kP]

Ok, I'll ask (and I have read he Gospels): Why do you believe it is true?

x2

[Zptmsemk]

This sucks I'll be dead before 2050! wasn't it 2012 last week. Its hard to keep up.

[alex_loudermilk]

The better question is why do I believe the Bible is true? You'd really have to read it first before we can have that discussion....or at least the Gospels anyway.

I've read the Bible a few times, and studied it in depth. That's precisely the reason I don't believe it's true. That said, there is a lot of truth to be had there. Unfortunately, most of that truth is lost in the noise of those who insist that the creation and flood myths are factual, and that the drug-addled ramblings of Revelations are divine prophecy.

[perhilzit]

Maybe they can't be made partisan- yet-

You know better than that. I know of at least three PSers who would, upon receiving a Fudgie the Whale Cake, say, "There goes the neighborhood!" and move out.

[cakaeroryrere]

You know better than that. I know of at least three PSers who would, upon receiving a Fudgie the Whale Cake, say, "There goes the neighborhood!" and move out.

Hahah - "My neighbors are eating Carvel late at night and the cops won't come...."

[tropicana]

Hahah - "My neighbors are eating Carvel late at night and the cops won't come...."

You should have called whaleservergirl. She would rescue that whale cake.

[NumsAmenniams]

LOL! But that could also be a Gulf Coast whale...I wonder if the Fillet O Fish is going to start tasting oily?

[Dyslermergerb]

First thing to be said, is that faith is a matter of just that. If it’s purely an intellectual discussion, it’s really a discussion of historical theories and possibilities of the supernatural.

I believe Jesus is God. He is fully man and fully God. His coming was a necessary part of redeeming the world. His life, death, and resurrection, binds together the relationships of man’s fallen nature, his inability to follow the law (no matter how good the person is), and how a person can be made worthy to be in God’s presence. He guides my life and is my hope for all things to come.

There are lots of books that are intellectual debates on why the notion that Jesus was actually God is a more reasonable assumption than him being otherwise. A few examples would be things such as:

1) Fulfillment of messianic prophesy in the Old Testament
2) The “Crazy, Liar, Or God” argument. The gist of it is that since Jesus was leading people from the historic Jewish faith and countered the scholars at the time, if he’s lying he was basically a cult leader probably no better than David Koresh. He can’t be a wise man, great philanthropist, etc. but not be God if he was a liar or a nut.
3) The conversion of St. Paul. Paul (then Saul) was a great scholar of the Torah and a leading persecutor of the early Christians. On his way to Damascus to round up the Christians there, he came out at the end of the road as a believer in Jesus, and proceeded to spread the Good News throughout the Mediterranean, establishing the early churches. He did the equivalent of the 911 hijackers deciding to land the plane, reject Islam, go back to the Middle East, start establishing Christian churches and ultimately end up in prison for professing Christ. Why?
4) The apostles of Jesus all went hiding after the crucifixion for fear they would be rounded up and killed as well. They were demoralized as their leader and whole way of life was now dead and lost. Then for some reason they mobilized, all went out and were killed, persecuted, or imprisoned for their faith. Why, if there was no resurrection?

These are just snippets of things I've read and not meant to be some grand thesis of the defense of Christianity. A person becomes a Christian, not accepting facts of some historical record, but by accepting Jesus and becoming filled with the Holy Spirit.

If that’s some weird hocus pocus to some people on here that’s fine, but it certainly doesn’t make me a stupid person.



Edit: Just so it's clear, I have no prediction for timing of the second coming - it could be 2010, 2050, or 3000 as far as anyone knows.

[77chawzence]

First thing to be said, is that faith is a matter of just that. If it’s purely an intellectual discussion, it’s really a discussion of historical theories and possibilities of the supernatural.

No, I think its more a discussion of how people come to believe what they believe. For example you said ...

The second coming isn't some random belief that I constructed myself but is detailed in the Bible. I believe the Bible is true, therefore I believe the second coming is true.

The better question is why do I believe the Bible is true? You'd really have to read it first before we can have that discussion....or at least the Gospels anyway. You say you believe in the 2nd coming because you believe the Bible. So we asked why you believe the Bible & you went to to explain why you believe Christ is God. Unfortuneatly, you claim to believe that because...





1) Fulfillment of messianic prophesy in the Old Testament I'm not going to bother with the rest because you've already lost me. You believe in the 2nd coming because you believe the Bible & you believe the Bible because... its says so in the Bible.


If that’s some weird hocus pocus to some people on here that’s fine, but it certainly doesn’t make me a stupid person.
. Its doesn't make you stupid but it doesn't make you appear very rational either.

[anaisdannyxys]

I've read the Bible a few times, and studied it in depth. That's precisely the reason I don't believe it's true. That said, there is a lot of truth to be had there. Unfortunately, most of that truth is lost in the noise of those who insist that the creation and flood myths are factual, and that the drug-addled ramblings of Revelations are divine prophecy.

Yes, to some extent.

The real question isn't "is the bible true?" but rather, "how true is the bible?" If you study the history of the book, you learn that the text we read today is very unreliable, at least where the new testament is concerned. Even if you believe it's inspired by God, the messages have been processed, filtered and handled by humans, and their handprints are all over it:

Hundreds of different variations, sometimes directly contradicting each other. Errors made in translation. Some books suppressed, other included to achieve a desired effect. Other details changed or left out, either intentionally or unintentionally. The list goes on.

Hence the question. Some may be true, but how much? Certainly not all of it, and that's the important part. Anyone who says they believe in the bible, yet don't allow for the influence humans have had on it, is deluding themselves. Burholme, I don't know if you fall into that category, but I hope not.

[Zzvukttz]

The real question isn't "is the bible true?" but rather, "how true is the bible?"

If I had written that sentence, I'd punch myself in the nuts really, really hard. Maybe a couple of times.

Hence the question. Some may be true, but how much? Certainly not all of it, and that's the important part. If you reduce the Bible, the Tao, the Bhagavad Gita or whatever to their historic or factual accuracy, and ignore all the ideas those books contain, you're ignoring the important part. Indeed, the human influence on those books are precisely what give them their value--their ideas.