@philokalia said
Two issues:

Christ & God are co-eternal. The Son and the Father have always existed, and Christ has always been immortal. Christ's death was about being the final sacrifice - the great atonement for all the sins of the earth, which purifies us and enables us to live lives that are ritually themselves clean and pure. He frees us from the bindings of sin, and giv ...[text shortened]... receive their just deserts, right? What about this would preclude God's timeless love for humanity?

👍

@fmf said
Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. Give to everyone who asks you, and if someone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

This is an example of textural ...[text shortened]... Rome in order to undermine and de-fang the militant and rebellious Hebrews in that eastern province.

Or is it the word of God?

And not this> "~ supporting the hypothesis that the setting up of Christianity decades after Jesus's death, largely at the hands of Roman operative Paul who wrote most of the New Testament, was a kind of psyop-writ-large by the imperial regime in Rome in order to undermine and de-fang the militant and rebellious Hebrews in that eastern province."

@josephw said
Or is it the word of God?

And not this> "~ supporting the hypothesis that the setting up of Christianity decades after Jesus's death, largely at the hands of Roman operative Paul who wrote most of the New Testament, was a kind of psyop-writ-large by the imperial regime in Rome in order to undermine and de-fang the militant and rebellious Hebrews in that eastern province."

Unlikely.

@josephw said
Or is it the word of God?

And not this> "~ supporting the hypothesis that the setting up of Christianity decades after Jesus's death, largely at the hands of Roman operative Paul who wrote most of the New Testament, was a kind of psyop-writ-large by the imperial regime in Rome in order to undermine and de-fang the militant and rebellious Hebrews in that eastern province."

For those who look at only natural reasons for everything, the supernatural is something they reject out of hand, no explanation is required, it is done before consideration could occur. Even if something is right in front of them, any explanation no matter how flimsy will do, or the topic can simply be ignored all together as not important. Anything is preferred to them than considering the supernatural is possibly true and be presented as possible. To even concider anything of that nature be true opens the door for them all being possible. So many of the rejections offered are done so with a scoffing rejection due to worldview compliance is required, that alone is enough, not the evidence itself.

@kellyjay said
For those who look at only natural reasons for everything, the supernatural is something they reject out of hand, no explanation is required, it is done before consideration could occur. Even if something is right in front of them, any explanation no matter how flimsy will do, or the topic can simply be ignored all together as not important. Anything is preferred to them t ...[text shortened]... ng rejection due to worldview compliance is required, that alone is enough, not the evidence itself.

Anything is preferred to them than considering the supernatural is possibly true and be presented as possible.

I see you have responded here to something I posted, albeit you are addressing your comment to someone else and you have referred to me as "them".

As is so often the case, you are misrepresenting me. I HAVE, of course, considered that "the supernatural is possibly true".

For you to contend that I have not requires you to pretend that you didn't read or understand any of the 1,000s of posts I addressed to you spanning more than a decade.

@fmf said
Anything is preferred to them than considering the supernatural is possibly true and be presented as possible.

I see you have responded here to something I posted, albeit you are addressing your comment to someone else and you have referred to me as "them".

You know you’ve made a good point or asked a good question when kellyjay does this.