BibleStudent100

I would be interested in the collective wisdom of the group. I too have noticed a growing trend of activities that are much more social, than Bible-based located at churches. For example, in the parking lot there are hay rides, petting farms, face painting for children, food being offered, etc. I know that these social offerings are a way to entice others to attend church, but I wonder how much seems Biblically reasonable. In other words, what seems like a balanced approach? How far should Christians go to make church appealing?

Dr. Wood has a fascinating analysis on gnosticism, a belief system to which some apostates subscribed, such as Hymenaeus and Philetus: "Reject empty speeches that violate what is holy, for they will lead to more and more ungodliness, and their word will spread like gangrene. Hy·me·naeʹus and Phi·leʹtus are among them.  These men have deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are subverting the faith of some (2 Timothy 2:16-18). Gnosticism, which focused on claimed superior knowledge through secret revelation and boasted that they were the correctors of the apostles; this belief intertwined philosophy, speculation and pagan mysticism with apostate Christianity, arguing that all things physical were evil and that the physical world was a prison. Therefore, the “creator god” of the OT was actually a lesser god who was opposed to the various perfect gods. One with true “knowledge” understood this “secret” and sought release from physical existence, because what is "real" is not real. In any event, gnosticism is all about you. Enlightenment makes you feel good and it appeals to your pride. It makes people look down on the unenligtened. Gnosticism is similar to conspiracy theories surrounding the current pandemic. Reality is not what it seems, 'we're told as we are being lied to. Enlightenment not only can save us, it makes us fell so much smarter than others who just accept what the government tells them. Conspiracy theories feed on the ego; it's as if other people could just be enlightened like I am! Are there any other angles of thought on this matter?

The answer to this question is very simple: the Bible is silent on this issue, and so we just don't know. The clue is found in Genesis 1:1:: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” So when was the "beginning"? That answer is unknown. Then the creative days begin after the heavens and earth were already created.

Thank you for sharing these thoughts, but I did not realize that Paul told his conversion story three times, but yes he did: Acts 9:3-8 Acts 22:6-11 Acts 26:12-18 Even though the thread went in different directions, I would like to go back to an original thought of yours: why would Paul tell how his conversion occurred three different times? I would be interested in the views of the contributors in this forum. My thoughts are that by telling the story more than once, he could inject additional clarifying points (e.g. in one version a voice is heard, but in another version, that voice is speaking in Hebrew); it could also be that he was retelling the story three times for emphasis, as that story is powerful: the transformative power of conversion, especially of those who work against God. And now, with your thought that a person's personal word that is verbalized carried more weight than the person's word in print (opposite of today, wherein anything legally important must be written) could be why Paul told his conversion story three times. Very fascinating and thank you for sharing

Thank you for sharing these thoughts, but I did not realize that Paul told his conversion story three times, but yes he did: Acts 9:3-8 Acts 22:6-11 Acts 26:12-18 Even though the thread went in different directions, I would like to go back to an original thought of yours: why would Paul tell how his conversion occurred three different times? I would be interested in the views of the contributors in this forum. My thoughts are that by telling the story more than once, he could inject additional clarifying points (e.g. in one version a voice is heard, but in another version, that voice is speaking in Hebrew); it could also be that he was retelling the story three times for emphasis, as that story is powerful: the transformative power of conversion, especially of those who work against God. And now, with your thought that a person's personal word that is verbalized carried more weight than the person's word in print (opposite of today, wherein anything legally important must be written) could be why Paul told his conversion story three times. Very fascinating and thank you for sharing

Good Morning R: Please correct me if I misinterpret the intent of your question, but you are asking why do snakes have venom that is poisonous to animals (and humans) if animal life were originally created to be vegetarians? Some who espouse the theory of evolution speculate that animals designed especially to kill other animals for their existence derails the idea of creation; after all, animals and humans were originally intended by God to live in peace and harmony. Regarding snake venom, please note this quotation I found regarding how some animal poisons may seem to be only for protection or killing: “In some cases we know that poisons play a role in the functioning of the body of the animal which manufactures them. In many instances this may be the real raison d’être of the venoms, quite apart from any protective value. The poisonous spittle of snakes, for example, has work to do in the digestion of the snake’s food.”—Marvels & Mysteries of Our Animal World, by The Reader’s Digest Association, 1964, p. 259. When the planet reverts to its original paradisaic conditions, all animals and humans will dwell together in peace and harmony and one species, animal and human, will prey upon themselves: 6 The wolf will reside for a while with the lamb, And with the young goat the leopard will lie down, And the calf and the lion and the fattened animal will all be together; And a little boy will lead them. 7 The cow and the bear will feed together, And their young will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the bull. 8 The nursing child will play over the lair of a cobra, And a weaned child will put his hand over the den of a poisonous snake. 9 They will not cause any harm Or any ruin in all my holy mountain, Because the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah As the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11: 6-9)

Hi One Opinion: You are referring to the concept of “theistic evolution,” which basically states that God must have used evolution in some way to create life. This theory further states that God pre-programmed the universe to develop in such a way that living things inevitably evolved from lifeless chemicals and eventually produced mankind. There are some iterations, such as that once the process started, God did not interfere in this process, while others believe that God occasionally stepped in to move the process along. There are some points to consider; the first one is that Jesus himself accepted the Creation account as fact: “Did you not read,” said Jesus, “that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will stick to his wife, and the two will be one flesh’? So that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has yoked together let no man put apart.”—Matthew 19:4-6. If Jesus could believe in the Bible’s version of Creation, that alone is good enough for me! Jesus’ disciples likewise believed the Genesis account of creation. For example, Luke’s Gospel account traces Jesus’ genealogy all the way back to Adam. (Luke 3:23-38) If Adam were a fictional character, at what point would this genealogical list have turned from fact to myth? If the rootstock of this family tree were mythological, how firm would that have made Jesus’ claim that he was the Messiah, born in the line of David? (Matthew 1:1) The Gospel writer Luke said that he had “traced all things from the start with accuracy.” Clearly, he believed the creation account in Genesis.—Luke 1:3. Additionally, the apostle Paul’s faith in Jesus was linked to Paul’s trust in the Genesis account. He wrote: “Since death is through a man, resurrection of the dead is also through a man. For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:21, 22) If Adam were not literally the forefather of all mankind, the one through whom “sin entered into the world and death through sin,” why would Jesus have needed to die to undo the effects of inherited sin?—Romans 5:12; 6:23. In short, to undermine belief in the creation account in Genesis is to undermine the very foundations of the Christian faith. Evolutionary theory and the teachings of Christ are incompatible. Any attempt to marry these beliefs can only give birth to a weak faith that is prone to being “tossed about as by waves and carried hither and thither by every wind of teaching.”—Ephesians 4:14.

Many of God’s servants are in situations that involve personal suffering. To list in what ways we suffer would be to create a list that would hardly end. Our suffering continues because God has not yet destroyed the wicked and brought about the foretold restoration of mankind, but we should not become embittered, because we can see such situations as opportunities to have a share in proving the Devil a liar. We can be strengthened to continue resisting the Evil One if we keep in mind the appeal: “Be wise, my son, and make my heart rejoice, that I may make a reply to him that is taunting me.” (Proverbs 27:11) Satan, the one who taunts God, charged that if people suffer material loss or physical affliction, they will blame God, even curse him. (Job 1:9-11; 2:4, 5) We bring joy to God's heart when, by our loyalty to him in the face of hardships, we show that such is not true in our case.

Wingnut, what are your thoughts about singing in a building, something very common in your church and in mine? It is only logical that as we sing, we expel more droplet laden air that could be COVID infected into the room's atmosphere. Additionally, physical spacing is virtually impossible in a church setting. In my church, we are simply using remote conferencing software programs. Thus, we still meet without having to run the risk of causing others in our physical vicinity to become ill. I am reminded of the Israelites, who were commanded to build a safety parapet wall around their flat roofs to prevent accidents: "If you build a new house, you must also make a parapet for your roof, so that you may not bring bloodguilt on your house because of someone falling from it (Deuteronomy 22:8).

The Bible’s view is so abundantly clear: No race is superior to another “[God] made out of one man every nation of men to dwell on the entire surface of the earth.”—Acts 17:26. Acts 10:34, 35 states: “God is not partial, but in every nation the man who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” For this reason, nobody can rightly consider one race to be superior to another. Jesus set the standard for Christians when he said to his disciples: “All of you are brothers.” (Matthew 23:8) He prayed that his followers be united and be “perfected into one,” not divided or segregated.—John 17:20-23; 1 Corinthians 1:10.

Hello Lady: Thanks for sharing this bit of sad news. A LOT of us are going through similar situations as we provide care for our relatives who are suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's disease or other serious mental problems resulting from the aging process. My mother-in-law, who is 93 years old, lives with us and she is deep into dementia and my mother cares for my father who, although 11 years younger, is even deeper into dementia caused by a stroke five years ago. In my mother-in-law's case, she sometimes becomes psychotic and sees what is not there and it is scary and upsetting to have to witness this "bizarre" behavior. Also, it is disconcerting at times to have to be the main care providers and then to have to deal with our own family's challenges. There is no good answer in having to deal with family who suffer from a variety of issues resulting from aging. As a kid growing up in the 60s and 70s, I don't really remember dementia much, as most men would die early from smoking or heart attacks. But now, we live longer and so dementia and related conditions are more common now. Anyway, I subscribe to a Bible based magazine and in one of them, I came across a couple of insightful paragraphs in an article about helping loved ones who suffer from dementia and I include them below: Alzheimer's sufferers often say things that are incorrect. For example, they may say that they are expecting a visit from a relative who has long been dead. Or they may hallucinate, seeing things that are only in their mind. Is it always necessary to correct an AD sufferer for expressing an inaccurate viewpoint? “There are parents,” explains Robert T. Woods in his book Alzheimer’s Disease—Coping With a Living Death, “who cannot stop themselves correcting their children every time they mispronounce a word or make a grammatical error. . . . The result is often a resentful or withdrawn child who finds that efforts at self-expression are stifled, not rewarded. The same may happen to an AD sufferer who is constantly corrected.” Interestingly, the Bible advises with regard to the treatment of children: “You fathers, do not be exasperating your children, so that they do not become downhearted.” (Colossians 3:21) If children become exasperated through constant correction, how much more will an adult! “Remember that the patient is an adult who has known independence and achievement,” cautions the ARDA Newsletter of South Africa. Constant correction may not only exasperate an AD victim but also cause him to become depressed or even aggressive. A lesson can also be learned from Jesus Christ that will help those dealing with the limitations of AD sufferers. He did not immediately correct every mistaken viewpoint of his disciples. In fact, he sometimes withheld information from them because they were not yet in a position to grasp it. (John 16:12, 13) If Jesus showed consideration for the limitations of healthy humans, how much more should we be willing to adapt to strange, yet harmless, viewpoints of a severely sick adult! Trying to make a sufferer see the truth of a particular matter may be expecting—or demanding—more than he is capable of. Instead of having an argument, why not keep quiet or tactfully change the subject?—Philippians 4:5. At times, the most loving thing may be to seem to go along with a sufferer’s hallucinations instead of trying to convince him that they are not real. For example, an AD sufferer may become disturbed because of “seeing” a wild animal or an imaginary intruder behind the curtain. This is not the time to try to reason logically. Remember that what he “sees” in his mind is real to him, and his genuinely felt fears need to be quelled. You may need to check behind the curtain and then say, “If you ‘see’ him again, please tell me so that I can help.” By acting according to the patient’s view, explain Doctors Oliver and Bock in their book Coping With Alzheimer’s: A Caregiver’s Emotional Survival Guide, you give him “a sense of mastery over the frightful, and frightening, apparitions that his mind conjures up. . . . He knows that he can depend on you.”

What a great song this was and a monster hit at that time!

Good morning LadyKay: I have always thought these words of King David to be of comfort: “I was once young and now I am old, but I have not seen anyone righteous abandoned, nor his children looking for bread.”—Ps. 37:25.

Thank you for sharing these thoughts friends, as my own father is within just a couple of months of life remaining, this all hits close to home. We read/study/preach the gospel, but there are times when life crashes down on us and we have to apply the scriptures like never before. So timely...

Thank you Lady Kay for the update. As was discussed in the earlier posts, when humans are under physical stress, caused by trauma, infection or any other outside force, the still-active brain, even if one is near death, recalls and forms images under the stresses of the near-death experience. These impressions are then interpreted by some patients as glimpses of life after death. We continue to marvel how powerful the brain still is and how believable the hallucinations can be.

Good morning bc: In your post, you highlighted the word "marks," so you may be referring to the Greek word "stigmata;" if this is the case, these marks could be the physical marks and scars from the many abuses that the Apostle Paul's fleshly body suffered because of his Christian service, all of which would testify to the authenticity of his claim as a faithful slave belonging to Jesus (2 Corinthians 11: 23-27). Or he may have had reference to the life he lived as a Christian, displaying the fruitage of the spirit, carrying out the work of his Christian ministry.

I sense that your question is comprised of two parts: Part 1: Lying in general is evil. Afterall, the father, or originator, of lying is Satan the Devil. (Joh 8:44) His lie conveyed by means of a serpent to the first woman Eve ultimately brought death to her and to her husband Adam. (Ge 3:1-5, 16-19) That first lie was rooted in selfishness and wrong desire. All other malicious lies uttered since that time have likewise been a reflection of selfishness and wrong desire. Part 2: While malicious lying is definitely condemned in the Bible, might there be exceptions (e.g. an undercover cop) when a person could lie? Biblically the answer is yes. Sometimes, individuals are not entitled to the truth. Jesus Christ counseled: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, neither throw your pearls before swine, that they may never trample them under their feet and turn around and rip you open.” (Mt 7:6) That is why Jesus on certain occasions refrained from giving full information or direct answers to certain questions when doing so could have brought unnecessary harm. (Mt 15:1-6; 21:23-27; Joh 7:3-10) Evidently the course of Abraham, Isaac, Rahab, and Elisha in misdirecting or in withholding full facts from nonworshipers of God must be viewed in the same light.—Ge 12:10-19; chap 20; 26:1-10; Jos 2:1-6; Jas 2:25; 2Ki 6:11-23.

It is true that some believe that praying for financial stability (e.g. home ownership) may be out of bounds of what would be considered as appropriate prayer material; after all, the contents of a person’s prayers must please God and the supplicant's requests cannot run counter to righteousness and to God’s revealed will, including the teachings of God’s Son and his inspired disciples. (Joh 15:7, 16). Still, asking for a home (i.e. house) could be in line with God's will as one could use that extra "freedom" of home ownership in the clear as an opportunity to enhance and enlarge one's spiritual contributions for the sake of others.

Neighbor, I teach at the high school and college level in California and yes, international students bring in a lot of revenue for schools, both private and public at all levels, as international students pay so much more than do students who are residents of the states in which they live. But this is part of a bigger and newer idea that appears to be sweeping across America: become more dependent on ourselves for our pharmaceuticals and PPEs and our cell phones, etc and less dependent on China to produce them. I am totally fine with bringing more manufacturing back to the US, just expect to pay higher prices for these items as Americans simply can not work for the wages that the Chinese work for. If you want manufacturing of goods to return, then expect to pay more for them! That is the price to pay for the security of knowing that our products are American made and I hope that Americans fully understand this trade-off.

Studying the diverse African cultures with their unique world views and languages takes a lifetime at least, but in general, many Africans self-identify more with their tribe than with their sovereign nation. In other words, citizens of South Africa are more Zulu or Xhosa than South African. To a degree, this is understandable as the national government was imposed by European colonialism and its subsequent governmental and societal structures was top-down and did not require nor want any involvement from the people. In short, many Africans and Middle Easterners connect much more with their tribe (tribalism) than with their country, which frequently creates much strife and conflict. In the US, we don't see as much tribalism, since people who live in Arizona identify more as Americans than Arizonans and people who live South Dakota identify more as Americans than as South Dakotans, HOWEVER, we are beginning to see American "tribalism" crop up as people begin to create affiliations with their politics, socio-economic statuses, religions, distrust of elected leaders and now even disbelief in what medical experts say, that the US could be walking down a pathway similar to what Africa has been experiencing for decades.

Good morning Dennis: You have interesting thoughts, but the trend of identifying a country's citizens has been going on for decades. Granted, there may be some more monitoring resulting from the COVID 19 virus, but these would be addenda (e.g. certain occupations may require vaccinations and tracing [that could involve home "invasion"], such as being a teacher [my occupation] or working in the health care field, etc.), but already we have been in a mode whereby we are "controlled and suppressed" to one degree or another: Passports will be required for domestic flight starting in October (i.e. driver's license is no longer allowed) CCTV cameras are becoming more commonplace High quality cameras now on doorbells that have surprisingly wide angles (these could be monitored--we'll probably already are by governmental agencies) Facial recognition software High Tech companies monitor our computer clicks (just as Google is right now) In short, A New World Order has already been here for decades, but in general, the masses don't care. Remember Edward Snowden and his shocking revelations? People cared for a little while, but now, people have just accepted that this type of growing surveillance by big government and big business as normal... People have been warned, but most view it as a normal part of living in an advanced society.. surveillance

It does not seem reasonable to conclude that wearing face masks in public is an non-Biblical act. Even the Israelites were told by God to take preventive care regarding their health, as Biblical statutes regarding diet, disease, quarantine, and treatment of dead bodies reveal a knowledge of facts not appreciated by worldly men of medicine until thousands of years later. God’s law regarding animals unclean for eating would protect the Israelites while they traveled. It would safeguard them against trichinosis from pigs, typhoid and paratyphoid from certain kinds of fish, and infection from animals found already dead. In all, the Law helped God’s people to distinguish between what was clean and unclean, pure and impure, citing about 70 different things that could render an Israelite unclean and these laws touched on physical hygiene, diet, and even waste disposal. Such laws provided remarkable health benefits!

So many here are of the belief that this mark of the wild beast is literal; my understanding has always been that the mark is more figurative. After all, in Ezekiel’s vision a man with a secretary’s inkhorn was commissioned to go through Jerusalem and to ‘put a mark on those who were sighing and groaning over all the detestable things that were being done in the midst of it.’ This action on their part showed that they were righteous persons belonging to God, and therefore worthy of preservation at the time for the execution of God's judgment. The figurative mark on their forehead testified to that fact.—Ezekiel 9 On the other hand, in John’s vision persons receiving the mark of the wild beast on their forehead or on their hand were in line for destruction. The mark on the forehead publicly identified them as worshipers of the wild beast and therefore as slaves to it and so would be be opposers of God and the mark on the hand would logically signify active support of the wild beast, as the hand is something being used to accomplish work.—Revelation 13 Can someone explain the reasoning behind an interpretation of these marks that reflect a more literal interpretation? Many thanks!

This is a multi-faceted thread, but it should firstly be answered with candor and we start with this question: Who needs to be on guard against misusing power? Just about everyone! In nearly every human relationship, there are situations where one person has the advantage over others by reason of wealth, learning, physical strength, position, physical charm, and so forth. The greater the advantage, the greater the temptation to use it selfishly. Why? Because “the inclination of the heart of man is bad from his youth up.” (Genesis 8:21) Yes, the imperfect human heart is “treacherous,” deceitful, or devious, and of evil bent.—Jeremiah 17:9.

Good point--we saw the virus start in one place and then spread like, well a virus. I think we can all agree that the virus is pretty much everywhere and if a second wave starts when the weather cools down, a second wave could have multiple starting points and spread like, well a virus emanating everywhere from everywhere. Add in another smaller wave of the regular winter flu and we have some interesting times!