From: ksand@apple.com (Kent Sandvik)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: I'm God.
Date: 27 Sep 92 20:47:09 GMT
Followup-To: talk.religion.misc
Organization: Apple

In article <69019@hydra.gatech.EDU>, rpitts@emperor.gatech.edu (Richard
Pitts) wrote:
> In article <ksand-230992121004@wintermute.apple.com> ksand@apple.com (Kent Sandvik) writes:
> |> Did you check the scriptures where it tells us there is one God?

> |...ever read the ten commandments??
> 
> Yep, what is your point?

Sigh, you asked if I have checked the Bible where it tells there's only
one God, and I said, yes it's defined in the ten commandments. Do we
have communication problems?
 
> Additionally, the NT tells us that there is one God - the emphasis in 
> both the OT and NT is that God (Jehovah, Creator of the Universe, etc.)
> has a selected people and these people are to honor HIM.  The OT is
> full of references to OTHER GODS, for that was what a lot of Israel's
> problems were - they kept leaving God to worship pagan gods

And it maybe also explains this statement from the Bible:

GEN 1:26  And God said, Let *us* make man in our image, after our likeness:
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of
the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

I guess it's open to discussion, but if God addresses someone on the same
level, it's either a question of beings on the same level as God, or 
other spiritual beings that are not part of the creation. 

Another question is why we have a God with the name of Elohim, and one
with the name of Yahweh, and one with a name that humans can't even utter.

> No - and I can't say I have an all comprehensive explanation of the
> Trinity, but the difference lies in the distinguishment of God and
> person/face.  God is one in essence/purpose, but He has revealed 
> himself to us as The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.  None
> of these three revelations of God is said to be the only God by itself,
> but it is said that God is one.  A little perplexing, yes, but that
> is how God has revealed himself to us.  

It is more than perplexing, this is what Thomas Jefferson said about
the issue:

        "It is too late in the day for men of sincerity to pretend they
     believe in the Platonic mysticisms that three are one, and one
     is three; and yet that the one is not three, and the three are not
     one.  But this constitutes the craft, the power and the profit of
     the priests."

                              - Thomas Jefferson
                                to John Adams, 1803

>> |
> |Same is true of how we look at the stars in the sky, you know those were
> |defined 2000 years ago as a form of a nice facade for humans.
> 
> Kent, I think you have some confusion on you numbers here.  2000 years???

OK, let me say ancient cultures, style Babylonian, that's more than
2000 years. However I think we shouldn't argue about the people of
Israel being aware that those spots are actually other suns.
 
> |Note my words, progress will kill ancient belief systems.
> Which ones?  Progress in what area?

Science, social structures, common sense, religions. Note, I would have
been burned as a witch and heretic 400 years ago. It's a sign of the
progress of humankind. I don't think you could question that.

Cheers,
Kent

Example of common sense, part 1:
Reporter: What would happen if science discovered some fact
          that contradicted Buddhist doctrine?
Dalai Lama: The doctrine would have to change.
-------------------
Kent Sandvik (UUCP: ....!apple!ksand; INTERNET: ksand@apple.com)
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