i apologize for the swearing... nothing winds me up faster than people who do not respect my wishes on my threads.
I think that the only answer that is available to defenders of the bible if they are not allowed to quote scripture is;
'I DONT KNOW why god didn't make it a simple thing'.
'I DONT KNOW why he had to make it so mysterious and open to interpretations'.
The simple fact is guys, that if he had made it simple and easy to understand then it would result in what he claims to want; nobody to die. That he chose to make it like a tossed salad implies that he did not intend it to be understood by the 99.9% of earths population.
If it is a case of 'asking' for holy spirit after wading through 2000 odd years worth of writings, then he must have known that only about 0.1% of the world might actually work that little detail out out and get it = not intended for mass understanding
If it is a case of god going 'here i am, hear i am, come get my holy spirit' then he also has done a pretty lame job of handing it out to those that have not sought him as again it seems only about 0.1% of the population seems to have 'got it' = not intended for mass understanding.
Not intended for mass understanding = not intended as a guidbook for mankind.
Now, scripture aside, what is your logic then to show that it is a book that is meant for mass understanding as guide to life and a detailed plan of the ages to rectify Adams sin and 'vindicate gods name' while killing billions in the process if an extremely small percentage of the world can benefit from it?
What logic do you have to explain why it is a book full of visions, allusions, mathematics, prophecy, symbols and other strange concepts rather that, lets say, a simple brochure explaining in easy to understand language why things are the way the are, what he plans to do about it and when he plans to do it?
After all, the Watchtower society, the adventists and all the others of their ilk claim to be able to produce such literature, why not god?
oz
edit; its late... i'm off to bed