Quote from: revtonynewnham on October 01, 2012, 09:20:32 AM
Hi
A true Christian is someone who can say - and mean "Jesus is Lord". It's as simple and as complex as that - think about the implications of that word "Lord". "Jesus is Lord" is probably the earliest Christian creed.
That said, it's easy to try and ignore the miracles - but theologically, the virgin birth was necessary, as was the resurrection. I regard them as non-negotiable - even if they can't be explained by science. I also disagree about the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 and it's partner miracle, the feeding of the 4,000. I think they are miracles of creation - the people had been out for longer than anticipated - although the "sharing" explanation does make a valid moral point.
For clarification, the Levites were descendants of Levi - one of the original tribes, and served as workers in the temple, a branch of the family stemming from Aaron formed the hereditary priesthood of Israel. Pharisees were, as Wikipedia puts it:- " were at various times a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews during the Second Temple period beginning under the Hasmonean dynasty (140–37 BCE) in the wake of the Maccabean Revolt." Some were scribes (i.e. teachers & enforcers of the law) - and they in general, didn't like their somewhat privileged position challenged - at least as they appear in the Gospels.
Every Blessing
Tony
Dear Tony,
I don't regard the Virgin Birth as remotely necessary, and the evidence is distinctly iffy. It is also a re-working of an older religious idea....possibly Indian? The Ressurection makes sense in either an actual or a philosophical way, so it needn't be a mircale.
As for feeding miracles, I once bought a wand, which didn't do what it said on the box. I threw it to one side as a twelve year old, but later ressurected it as a baton. Since then, I've had a magical control over people.
So it's true....mircales are everywhere.
Best,
MM