Posts by EdenOne

12

Is science a tool, or a source of philosophy?

by EdenOne in

is science simply a powerful tool, or must it also dictate adherence to strict secularism?.

science must not impose any philosophy, any more than the telephone must tell us what to say.

- gilbert keith chesterton.

EdenOne

Is science simply a powerful tool, or must it also dictate adherence to strict secularism?

“Science must not impose any philosophy, any more than the telephone must tell us what to say.” - Gilbert Keith Chesterton

Sure, in theory most science lovers will agree with that. But, as we all know, many science champions will readily dismiss theists - even though many among these also embrace science - as "anti-intellectuallists". Is this fair? Isn't this also some sort of belief system in the tale that science has all the answers? What's your opinion?

Eden

22

My Lecturer booby-trapped me - Patterns of Authority in Early Christian Communities

by fulltimestudent in

i have a 2500 word essay due next tuesday, so i shall be invoiced until then.

and, i already have been turned upside down.. even though there are set topics for the main essay, it is possible to negotiate for an essay on a subject of personal interest.

i'd been thinking about the development of leadership in the early christian congregation, so i asked my lecturer, if i could write on that.. he asked me for a brief outline of what i was thinking, so i reviewed my early thoughts - that jesus primarily had left no clear instructions (because he was expecting divine intervention and the restoration of the kingdom), but he had trained his disciples in missionary work - which i interpreted to mean that jesus expected his own ministry to continue, to provide the judean people with continued guidance, modelled on what he (jesus) had done.. but as christianity developed (and the expectations of jesus remained unfulfilled) a different model developed and i wanted to explore the model we see developing in the nt (think pauline) and where that model came from and then transformed into the monarchial model with bishops.. .

EdenOne

I'm reading a monumental work on the history of Christianity:

"Christianity - The First Three Thousand Years", by Diarmaid MacCulloch.

Very interesting reading, although obviously a perspective of a non-believer. I'm troubled by the shortage of cross references to other scholarly works, though. Nevertheless, a recommended reading so far.

Eden

99

New development in my life

by EdenOne in

jw
friends

no longer a ms ........................... can't give details atm, for it might be a dead-giveaway and it ain't quite over yet.

but, it really taught me one thing: if you're trying to fade or stay in, trust no one.

and i mean no one.. eden.

EdenOne

All I will say for now is that this is all the more surprising as the "close person" I have mentioned before that turned me in to the elders was precisely my wife.

Eden

99

New development in my life

by EdenOne in

jw
friends

no longer a ms ........................... can't give details atm, for it might be a dead-giveaway and it ain't quite over yet.

but, it really taught me one thing: if you're trying to fade or stay in, trust no one.

and i mean no one.. eden.

EdenOne

Yadda

99

New development in my life

by EdenOne in

jw
friends

no longer a ms ........................... can't give details atm, for it might be a dead-giveaway and it ain't quite over yet.

but, it really taught me one thing: if you're trying to fade or stay in, trust no one.

and i mean no one.. eden.

EdenOne

Thank you Kate.

We have more family "in", and I won't pursue getting them "out" - I'll just let our example influence them, if they allow for that.

For me, the important ones to free were those in my own household. Accomplished!

Of course, we now expect plenty of peer pressure from family, friends, elders and whatnot as we're quite "visible" in our circuit.

Eden

99

New development in my life

by EdenOne in

jw
friends

no longer a ms ........................... can't give details atm, for it might be a dead-giveaway and it ain't quite over yet.

but, it really taught me one thing: if you're trying to fade or stay in, trust no one.

and i mean no one.. eden.

EdenOne

Happy news ... my beloved wife is OUT of the cult !!!

weeeeeeee!!!!!

More details coming soon, when it's safe.

In the meantime, my sincere thank yous for Barbara Anderson and Paul Grundy - you have been intrumental in this surprising turn of events.

Eden

74

7 Reasons Why Babylon the Great was Jerusalem

by Tiresias in

authors david chilton (1987) and james stuart russell (1878) propose that the revelation is primarily a prophecy of the destruction of ancient jerusalem by the roman armies.

the revelation is jerusalem's armageddon (mountain of assembled roman troops).

i see the revelation as a war siren warning the first century christians of the imminent destruction of the city.

EdenOne

Tiresias,

I have never read the authors you've mentioned. When I dig into research, I try to be as free as possible from any external influence other than my own thinking. [In my view, this protects me from biased research] Only after I come to my conclusions I peer it with other authors, and may make minor adjustments if I think they're in order, or simply scratch my entire work if I think someone else has already disproved me beyond rebuttal.

In any case, my own secular work and also family issues have kept me away from any sort of serious research lately.

Eden

74

7 Reasons Why Babylon the Great was Jerusalem

by Tiresias in

authors david chilton (1987) and james stuart russell (1878) propose that the revelation is primarily a prophecy of the destruction of ancient jerusalem by the roman armies.

the revelation is jerusalem's armageddon (mountain of assembled roman troops).

i see the revelation as a war siren warning the first century christians of the imminent destruction of the city.

EdenOne

I agree with the OP.

Babylon the Great is Jerusalem ... The beast is Rome.

All is in the past already.

Eden

99

New development in my life

by EdenOne in

jw
friends

no longer a ms ........................... can't give details atm, for it might be a dead-giveaway and it ain't quite over yet.

but, it really taught me one thing: if you're trying to fade or stay in, trust no one.

and i mean no one.. eden.

EdenOne

Watch this space ... developments have been under way ....

Eden

280

the flood, mammoths, elphants, and food.

by Crazyguy in

my question is since it looks as though mammoths were alive after the flood and we know elephants are then how much food was needed to feed just these four animals for the time they were on the ark.

also was the ark, 500 feet long, big enough to hold the amount of food needed for just these 4 animals.. .

.

EdenOne

Read Jonah 4:11: - "And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left--and also many animals?"

Read Psalm 36:6 - "Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals."

Read Psalm 145:9 -"Yahweh is good to all. His tender mercies are over all his works."

Read Deuteronomy 25:4 - "You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing."

The writers of the OT portrayed Yahweh as a creator God who cares even for the well-being of his animal creatures. One of the reasons given NOT to destroy the city of Nineveh was the amount of innocent people and animals in it. Now, a caring Almighty God who would be keen in cleansing the earth from wicked humans surely could find a way to selectively erase them from existence without causing worldwide havoc and killing unimaginable numbers of animal lives in the process, would he not?

Eden