Proverbs chapter 3
My son, forget not my law; but let your heart keep my commandments. For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to you. Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them about your neck, write them upon the table of your heart. So shall you find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and of man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health unto your navel, and marrow for your bones.
23 He went up from there to Bethel. As he was going up by the way, some youths came out of the city and mocked him, and said to him, "Go up, you baldy! Go up, you baldhead!"
24 He looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Yahweh. Two female bears came out of the woods, and mauled forty-two of those youths.
2 Kings 2:23-24
That's aside from the old standbys like most of Song of Solomon and large sections of Leviticus (which is hilarious despite itself).
Originally posted by XanthosNZYes, isn't it great how the bible is so consistent.
23 He went up from there to Bethel. As he was going up by the way, some youths came out of the city and mocked him, and said to him, "Go up, you baldy! Go up, you baldhead!"
24 He looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Yahweh. Two female bears came out of the woods, and mauled forty-two of those youths.
2 Kings 2:23-24
That's ...[text shortened]... most of Song of Solomon and large sections of Leviticus (which is hilarious despite itself).
1 Corinthians chapter 13
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not, love does not vaunt itself, is not puffed up. Love does not behave itself unseemly, it does not seek not her own, it is not easily provoked, it thinks no evil. Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but whether there be prophecies, they will fail, whether there be tongues, they will cease, whether there be knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect is come, then which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see thorugh a glass, darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part; but then will I know even as also I am known. And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Originally posted by whodeyI pray daily that a female bear will savage you.
1 Corinthians chapter 13
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow al ...[text shortened]... o I am known. And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Originally posted by XanthosNZWho are you praying to ? You dont believe in God.
I pray daily that a female bear will savage you.
Anyway, heres mine :
Matt 25 -
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Originally posted by Rajk999Good one. It reminds me of James 1:27
Who are you praying to ? You dont believe in God.
Anyway, heres mine :
Matt 25 -
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats ...[text shortened]... .
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world"
Genesis 15
1After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
Some translations treat this differently, but when I read this the first
time it struck me that no matter what God gives us in this life or the
next, nothing is greater than our relationship with God. God Himself is
our exceeding great reward. It has been my favorite verse of scripture
for over 25 years.
Kelly
The temptation to give a flippant answer here is very strong. But even as an atheist, I do have a favorite passage from the bible. The story of the Adultress, from the Gospel of John. The problem is that biblical research has indicated that it may not have originally been in John, and is probably a later addition. But putting that question aside momentarily, I will nominate it:
John 7:53-8:11
53Then each of them went home, 1while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. 3The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, 4they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ 6They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ 8And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ 11She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’
A very powerful and moving piece of literature, if nothing else. It also encapsulates what I consider to be the finer aspects of christianity. It calls to mind the reaction of the Amish community in response to the mass school killing there recently. Rather than being one of condemnation, their reaction was one of forgiveness. They extended their forgiveness to the killer's family, invited them to spend time in their community, and set up a fund for them at a local bank. Remarkable. If there is any nobility to be gleaned from christianity at all, it is in that gesture. Mainstream christianity would do well to take a cue from the simple Amish and preach a little less fire and brimstone and a little more compassion.
Originally posted by rwingettUnfortunately, mainstream Christianity has its collective mouth SuperGlued to the teat of political power, far too worried about 'hot-button' topics such as abortion, gay marriage and keeping HRC out of office to be concerned with anything so 'secondary' as walking a quiet life of peace.
Mainstream christianity would do well to take a cue from the simple Amish and preach a little less fire and brimstone and a little more compassion.
Great choice for a favorite Scripture passage, rwingett. Thanks for the timely reminder.