by doinmypart 473 Replies latest jw friends
Tec, i dont mean to overwhelm you since i see others are asking the same thing, but you say "consume in fire" then say you dont know what it means....
So where did the expression come from? Why use it if you dont know what you are saying? Have you asked your lord for clarification?
I LOVE it when xians slip into and out of metaphors/allegories at will, trying to untangle the literary bird's nest known as the Bible.
Take the serpent, in everybody's favorite bedtime story of Adam and Eve: the serpent is literal in the beginning when we're told he was God's craftiest creation; then it speaks, and talking animals stretches anyone's credulity (unless you grew up like me, watching "Mr Ed"). So then it's shift into metaphor mode, and it becomes a proxy for Satan. Great!
Serpent then shifts back into literal snake when their current behavior is explained as the result of God's curse (eg why it travels on the ground, doesn't have limbs, eats dust (which isn't really the case, but who's going to know THAT, aside from field biologists, who are probably evolutionists anyway!)).
Then we bypass figurative and go into the high-gear of prophecy mode, where Gen 3:15 is cited as the first prophecy pointing to the redemption of Jesus ("He will bruise you in the head, they will bruise Eve's offspring in the heel").
Huh, I'd think that last bit actually works taken at face-value, as a literal truth, AKA non-prophecy: if you step on a real-live venomous snake like a rattler, he'll likely will bite you in the foot! But NOPE: if a literary device can be stretched into a prophecy, then so be it.
VERY CONFUSING STUFF: it's wonderful there's so many "inspired, AKA God-breathed" servants willing to help me understand it all!!!
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Heh-heh, there's a hilarious video on YouTube by NonStampCollector pointing out the sheer impossibility of Noah's Ark, if only based on the number of species that need to be "saved":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_BzWUuZN5w
He's also made a deadly-accurate video where a modern-day Xian (who could be a JW) time-travels to Jesus' time just so he can "help" Jesus avoid being misinterpreted:
dear watersprout...
you said: "Now Myelaine on the other hand with her viper tongue :S Had emails and all sorts off her saying I worship the devil nad i'm not a Christian and my faith is all wrong blah blah blah."...
interesting...your "lord" doesn't have any problem with you telling an outright lie
love michelle
Michelle, has anyone ever pointed out that you are a passive aggressive hate mongerer?
If not, you are.
Lots of genuine Atheist love ANGUS
Well, hopefully that clarifies... if not, then it will have to wait until I am home. I am driving back in about an hour and it is a good 6-7 hour drive. - Tammy
I hope you have a safe and comfortable journey.
Since you asked no it doesn't answer anything at all.
Why not have a go at describing in a simple and literal way with no metaphors, exactly what future event you had in mind when you wrote...
The only people my God consumes in fire are those who specifically ride out against those who belong to Him... to destroy those He has promised to protect.
I like the idea of taking metaphor and breaking it down to its literal meaning. Metaphor is a somewhat artitistic technique, and I don't think it is appropriate to communicate important details. Metaphor is open to a great deal of interpretation.
So what does it mean--specifically---literally. Metaphor allows us to keep ideas vague and questions unanswered yet still able to believe.
Consume with fire. What does this mean? Will fire shoot from the sky and burn those riding out What are they riding? Where are they riding? Who are they destroying? Are all these victims in one place? A compound? How do they intend to destroy them? With guns? Or have they frozen thier bank accounts?
And if we don't really know what it means---then why would we have faith in such a statement--in something vague and unanswered? Metaphors and common meanings also change across time and cultures. What may seem a flattering metaphor in one place and time becomes an insult when moved. (What was the Shulamite maiden called---in effection---that sounds just awful to modern ears).
Yeah. Breaking down metaphor with some literal understanding seems very important. Especially when discussing such weighty issues.
Gentle bump for tec, hooe you make it home safe and sound :)
If you are all hearing from the same source....why would you hear different things? still thinking
I didn't say that we hear different things... I have no idea what any of the other body members hear... If I read something I disagree with I go to Christ and He explains it...watersprout
Actually....yes you did.
If we do hear different things that we talk about it like adults and not what Myelaine does and condemn everyone to hell ...watersprout
Do I still get to go to heaven or whatever your particular reward is or will I be destroyed? Or hasn't your god explained that to you yet?still thinking
The only people my God consumes in fire are those who specifically ride out against those who belong to Him... to destroy those He has promised to protect. tec
And exactly how do people destroy those he has promised to protect? And how will he destroy them?
One does not have to know Christ (or think that they do not) in order for Him to know YOU...tec
For goodness sake...if I say your christ is NOT real...(not that he may not be real) how exactly will this imaginary entitiy know me? Does that put me in the 'to be destroyed' category?
