[b said:
Quote[/b] (Arkanjel @ Aug. 17 2004,11:52)]You know im sorry for being stupid here Dark Virtue, but please tell me EXACTLY what interpretation/version/translation you have. If you really do the research you will find that almost ALL the translations have been changed or corrupted from their original conception. The one thing we DO have to look back on is the Dead Sea scrolls. Also the one translation that has stayed most true to the scrolls is the KJV. Plus we could also get into all the extra-biblical books like the apocrapha. None of us were there to hear the words come out of the mouths of the prophets or the apostles or from Christ Himself. Therefore all we have to go on really is FAITH. Afterall that is all christianity really is, isn't it? FAITH in that which we have not seen or heard. Faith that Jesus is the true Son of God sent to save us all from ourselves. In all actuality this whole discussion about hell is really irrelevant. I dont try and study what hell is like or gonna be like, why? CAUSE IM NOT GOING THERE! Why waste my time with that which does not concern me? The area that I have studied most is prophecy, and the fact that it is being fulfilled in our daily headlines. Anyways, I really would like to understand your take on things Dark Virtue, it sounds as if you have done a great amount of homework and that is something that should be commended.
In Christ,
Gabriel
Don't feel stupid, I wasn't inferring that you were. When I do Biblical research I don't rely on any single version of the Bible. As you said yourself, ALL translations have been changed or corrupted from their original conception. And there's the problem, laid out by yourself. There is NO original conception, the canon that you use has been written, edited, translated and compiled by MAN. You can argue that it is the word of God all you want, but it always comes down to Man. The Bible is the creation of Man.
So you have to rely on Faith, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1, KJV). And yes, I agree with you, Christianity, ALL religions, come down to Faith. But what do you have Faith in? Faith in Christ? Faith in God? Faith in the Bible? I'm sure you might have had Faith in Santa Claus at one point, but how did that turn out? God cannot be proven, but the Bible, now that is something physical that you can concentrate on. But if you're going to have Faith in the Bible, at least be sure of the Bible. KNOW what's in it. Know it inside and out. Just because someone reads the Bible doesn't mean they understand it. They don't know its history at all. I doubt that you can sit there and tell me that you truly understand the book that you base your entire Faith upon.
You say that you don't try and study hell because you're not going there. That's a huge cop out. That's like saying you refuse to acknowledge Satan because you follow God. You can't have one without the other. No light without darkness, no heat without cold, no evil without good. So let me ask you this. If you're not going to hell, I'm assuming that you intend on going to heaven. To follow your logic, I will assume that you have researched heaven. Can you tell me what heaven is like? Where in the Bible does it describe this place that you go after death?
It's interesting that you say you've studied prophecy most. Prophecy is one of the most difficult concepts to understand Biblically. Let me brush up on my prophecy and I'll get back to you on that.
Thank you for seeing that I've actually done some thinking on this subject. I like to think I know what I'm talking about
BTW, my name is also Gabriel