asimpleman

Thank you Eleanor I am learning and you teach me much ( almost put mush ha ha) You do enlighten me to new ways of looking, but this does not imply the the truth (not to imply that you are lying iether). Just my point of view. I have not been trained to think as you do. Everyone sees things in their own perspective or blurred vision in this world due to original sin. I ask people this question... When can we see farther in the daytime or the nighttime? What would your first answer be? I not only read the scriptures I pray them and sing them and live them to fullest I can as the simple man I am. I trust god completely with my entire life. My whole life is a single prayer unto god and I ask Him to bless my faulty attemps to follow His will for me. I understand that we all have our own gifts' but that I do not wish to drink the poison cool aid. I personally have to ask these questions of those who make the claim that they speak for God. I can read all I want that does not mean that I will interpret the same as someone else. I see this with every study group, if the Holy Spirit is speaking to each and every of us and telling what the meaning of what we read is saying who has the right to tell someone else they need correction? Can there only only be one Truth? Why do we need teachers? If there were no teachers there would be no false teachers to worry about. If there are to be teachers, who decides if I am qualified to do so and where does their authority come from and how do they prove that have this authority? My answer to the day or night question: At night i can see billions of miles into the stars and in the day just short distance. When things seem the darkest we see God's light and love if we only look. I was hoping to find different answers here at this site but I get the same responses at most of these sites. I will leave you be as the scripture tell us to and pray for as I will for you to the Lord our god and may we meet one in His True kingdom. Thanks again and Peace be with you

If you read the book of Luke, he tells you when Jesus was born. I do not wish this to come across as being rude ,but not in any version of any bible that I have read does it State a specific date. signs yes / dates no. I have heard the the us Navy has in the past tried to recreate the constellations back to that time period to see if the was ever a such thing as a star of Bethleham. I do not for the outcome though. Peace be with you

What different Bibles are you referring to? Is there a any specific teaching in the Bible about which you have a question? Until you can be a little more specific about a particular issue in the Bible, your general questions cannot be answered satisfactorily. Unless the book of Tobit contains something essential that is not found anywhere else in the Bible, it is not an issue. That's why you need to be more specific about an issue, so the "different" Bibles can be examined to see if, in fact, they even differ on it. Would you please give a specific example of one of those situations so we can start with something concrete and go from there? Thank you Eleanor I see it as a very specific issue in it'self to ask why a whole book can be removed by someone and not be told by who's authority they were acting on and how they received this authority? If a person or persons can edit the bible at their disposal, I ask what else can and or do they edit? A Douay Rheims contains the book of Tobit and a King James does not and yes it is very impotent if someone can edit the bible to their licking. Can I personally remove something from the bible because I feel as though it is covered elsewhere in the bible? Why or why not? As I stated before I am a christian and I am only a simple man trying to seek the truth? I am not a solo scriptura type of person. I find god in all of his creation. some tell it is only in the Bible. so I ask which one and why that one? I ask the same of those who teach. From where do you receive Authority teach others if I can read it for myself and if I have the Holy Spirit teach me what it means? There can only be one Truth, but it can be applied in many different situations, but still only one meaning and one truth. I can only give what I receive and pass on what i have been taught so I need to ask these questions. Thanks again and Peace be with you

Dave says to try ( or test ) the spirits. That's what I do, I ask the questions others do not and they'll tell me to read it for myself or to pray but none ever answer my questions directly. Why? Eleanor says to ask a more direct question of the Bible. I am doing so to determine which Bible is the correct one to use. I can not be more direct in asking. What is the Truth and who has the True Authority to oversee what we are given as the Truth and how is it given to them. As I stated before I do not wish to be misled and follow some one else who may be mistaken. I asked about the book of Tobit and why it is not in some Bibles and who had the authority to remove it and why and where did they receive this authority? If the Holy Spirit had chosen it to be in the bible in earlier versions why not now? It may not be important to others, it is for me. I like answers because someone made a choice that effects us all. I do not mean this to be harshly in any manner, but someone changed the bible and it seems as though no one cares to ask why? I can quote the scriptures all day, that does not mean that others with interpret it the same as I do and there bible may word it differently. I come across this situation all the time. For myself these are very important questions before we can agree on what the Truth is. Thanks again and Peace be with you

The actual date of Christ birth is unknown ,but it is believed by some that He was born when the yearlings where born. The Traditional date of December 25 was chosen to compete with the Pegan worship of the Winter celsious. The pegans where going to celebrate on that day anyway so why not something about the True God? The same was done for All hallows eve and other Pegan holidays, our ( Holy Days ). So who determines these traditions and where does the authority to so come from and why do we follow them? Peace be with you

Thanks for your replies. What I am asking so as not be mislead by faulse teachers and to receive the truth is how do we know who is telling us the truth in today's world ? Not all can be telling the complete truth or their wouldn't be soooo many different churches out their or sooo many different teachings and we would all be in agreement. Is it not possible for people to misinterprate what they read ? or for someone to preach a partial truth? Not that they would do so intentionally, yet there are some that do so as with someone like Jim Jones. I do wish to drink the cool aid is what i'm saying and do not wish for others do so iether. About the Bible and the books contained in it, some Bibles contain more books than others. One example is the book of Tobit. WHO had the Authority to take the book out the Bible and from where or whom did they receive this authority to do so? If it was seen as acceptable and good before it was removed why is it no longer good if it was from God and was taught as Truth by the Holy Spirit? As for translations from one language to another who oversees it being done? Who makes sure the editors do not make mistakes? I mean one changed word can make a huge difference in meaning. Example... is Jesus THE Lord or is Jesus A Lord ? THE Lord can be taken as the one and only. Where as A Lord can be taken as one of many. Example... The words "for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever and ever" are not a part of the original prayer that Jesus taught. The were the inspirations of the translator. There can only be One Truth. Everyone can not be right. Their are no gray areas as I've been told in my past. After the apostles had left this world who and or how is their Authority and how has it been passed down? or are we on our own? Some tell me that all we need to do is pray and read the scriptures for ourselves and that the Holy spirit will teach us. If this is true then why do need preachers to tell us what the bible says? THANKS AGAIN. Peace be with you

Questions lead to God and God leads to ask more questions in order for us to become more intimate with Him. Is God ALL TRUTH ? What I am asking more directly is can there ever be more than a single truth about any one thing? I understand that we can apply a single truth to many different things, but can there be more than one truth about any one thing.? What would exist if nothing else existed? If we say say emptyness or empty space, that would still be something. Even if we were to make a claim of any kind how would we know if it were a true statement? The answer is even if nothing (even the emptyness of space) there would still be one thing that exist and that one thing would always be TRUTH. Iether a thing is true or it is false. So something must have always existed and that one thing is TRUTH. Truth is not a conception or and idea or a term we use. Truth is a SOMEONE not a something and that someone is a God. Therefor only one Truth can exist about a single thing at any given time , If I choose to change a thing or alter it, does not change the fact that what was first was not true in it's first state. I only changed the true state of the first thing and made it something else or a new truth of it's own. It may be a distorted state of the original none the less , but not the original truth from which it originated. My point here is that not everyone in this world can be telling us the Truth. They may may give us their point of view of a truth that they believe and that from their understanding they see it as truth. How can we determine what is actually the Truth that comes from God and not a persons personal interpritation of a truth? I believe that word of God became flesh (Jesus). I also believe that that the ORIGINAL WRITERS of the Bible were inspired by God (the Holy Spirit). I believe God and the writings in the Bible to be true, but who's interpritation or translation do we accept as truth. The writing or books of the Bible was not compiled into a single book until 386 AD. What was used before 386 AD? The original writings were not written in English, So who was inspired and or how was this authority of God given to the person or persons that made the translations? I ask that you look in the first few pages of your personal Bible and tell me who wrote it, or copied it,or who translated it whatever the case and then tell me who the editor or editors were. Now ask yourself, who and or where their authority to do so comes from and or if personally they were inspired by the Holy Spirit? How was and is this AUTHORITY given to do so? How can theses persons prove it? I personally do wish to be mislead to believe or follow follow false teachers. Who had the Authority to take out some the original books that existed in Bible for nearly 1500 years. Then we have have do ask what are the Traditions we are keep that Paul stated we are to keep? This implies that there is another way to know God's will for us along with the writings. Even after it put together how many copies were available and to who were they given to? To whom and how were they distributed? Peace be with you

Question lead to knowing God and God leads us to more questions. these two are quite common. why did God do anything in the first place. The most direct answer is LOVE. God is ALL TRUTH. God wished to share His love so He chose to Create, not just us but everything. The heavens ,Angels......and so forth. We were created to be co-creators in His plans for his creation. Go forth and maltiply. We were made perfect and with a Free Will. what is Love if it given freely? Man kind chose to Sin ( to miss the mark) at some point and we all suffer it effects. God created us as physical beings with flesh and blood. Blood in times more before ours was seen as the source of life and ones spirit. This why God forbade Man to drink the blood of animals , because it was believed that by drinking an animals blood one could consume it's spirit and power. This why the wages of sin is death and our bodies die and blood dries up , only a true blood sacrifice was acceptable in the Old Testament and had to an unblemished animal for the atonement for man's sins. This required a free will act on their part but not the animals. God asked Abraham how much do you love me and was ask to sacrifice his son. God knowing Abraham's response provided an alternative. In Moss's time they would use a goat at times and lay all their sins apon the goat and send into the wilderness to die and their sins with it. This is where we get the term scape goat from. God in His infinite wisdom told Adam and Eve that He would provide a way for mankind the ability to enter into His kingdom again. As we know only the clean can enter God's presence and that the sins of the flesh require a pure and clean blood sacrifice and that God Himself, Loves us sooooo much, that he chose to lower Himself,to become our flesh and blood, to offer Himself as the pure blood sacrifice as the way back. God's free will choice. Therefor we must Consume His most precious physical Body and Blood in order to have His life in us. Just as the Hebrews had to consume all of the Lamb. We will continue to sin of our own free will again and again and Jesus has provided a way to deal with as well. Peace be with you

Simply... What does it mean where it says faith without works is dead ?

Read St.Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica .You can find it at newadvent.org He has great explanation in detail to your answer.

God is ALL TRUTH ! Why do we reject the truth when we choose to sin? IF we the children of God choose to reject His truth when we sin how can we expect those children who are lost come to know Him ? We are called to live our lives according to His words of Truth and Love so others may know Him through our examples. We are called to be Christ to them. In other words live out our faith. Make your life and everything you choose to do today and everyday a PRAYER to God. Smile and mean it. Take up our crosses as our lord did and God will give us the strength and will to carry on as He did for His Son. We are to share His love with everyone and even more so with our enemies. This may not be with direct contact in certain situations where we are in danger,but it can be done by simply praying for those who do us harm (again as our Lord did). Be merciful and God will judge us with His Mercy not ours. Through these examples of Love we can convert the world !