I'm gonna start a thread titled "Do You Find That You Repeat Yourself?" You can see where it's going...
Doesn’t yours? You stated at one time that you’re a humanist and as such, those values have to influence you greatly in your interaction with the residence at the home.
You caught me. My real name is Thomas Alva Edison the 6th. He was an inventor and I just invented this answer for you. Gotcha, Al
I could name a few Biblical doubters like Sarah, Jacob, Gideon, Barak and yes, even Thomas but the one that is most remarkable is John the Baptist. John had heard all the things that Jesus had done and still doubted that he was “the one”. In no way was John condemned for his doubts but instead the Master sent word back to John via John’s disciples saying (paraphrased) that the lame walked, the dead were risen, the blind healed, the lepers cleansed etc. He provided the evidence John needed in other words which, when we search the scriptures we too have that very same evidence in our hands. All we have to do is to study. God knows we have doubts because we’re made that way. Doubts are supposed to make us search further for the truths we should know and so we do not fall short and believe everything that mankind lays in front of us.
Thank you, Bobby. These things are past my understanding. But might we not also include Jesus Christ himself ... "Father, Father, why has thou forsaken me?"
Doubt? Not really Dwight. Please do review Psalm 22 and you’ll find the context by which Jesus was speaking. Jesus knew the scriptures well and anyone who was also familiar with the Psalms, particularly the Jews of the Sanhedrin would know why Jesus quoted that piece of scripture. It’s a beautiful but disturbing read.
I just finished reading it ( I hadn't ever read it before ) and I agree, it is beautiful and disturbing. It's probably not entirely appropriate to find it self-referential but I found verse 15 to be a near-perfect description of the dark depressions that have plagued me throughout my life. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
Eli, eli, lama azavtani -- The translation is My god, my god, why have you left me? "El" is one of the many Hebrew words for "god;" the "i" on the end is one of the two ways of saying "my." "Av" or "aba" is "father." I was shocked when I was in Forest Lawn in California and, in one of the pavilions, they actually had this and translated it correctly.
We do notice of course that “left” is a synonym of “forsaken”? Translations being what they are at time leaves us also with the Aramaic to Greek translation of: My God, My God for this I was kept. No matter though, none of it takes away from the positive message of salvation.