tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929118264557347645.post4449669769090078731..comments2023-11-02T05:05:42.681-05:00Comments on Reformed Seth: New Rasmussen poll: Fewer people believe in the resurrection since last easterSethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13248559361975013834noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929118264557347645.post-49259719845602252792017-03-21T19:23:19.394-05:002017-03-21T19:23:19.394-05:00How are the group appearances of Jesus to the firs...How are the group appearances of Jesus to the first Christians any different from the group appearances of the angel Moroni to the first Mormons?<br /><br />https://lutherwasnotbornagaincom.wordpress.com/2017/03/21/shocking-parallels-between-mormonism-and-early-christianity/Garyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02519721717265344702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929118264557347645.post-39144309983490651052016-02-20T16:24:02.480-06:002016-02-20T16:24:02.480-06:00Were Jesus' disciples capable of differentiati...Were Jesus' disciples capable of differentiating between a vivid dream and reality?<br /><br />In the Gospel of Matthew, an angel appears to Joseph twice, once to tell him that he should go ahead and marry Mary, even though she is pregnant (not by him), and then again a couple of years later to warn him of Herod's plan to kill Jesus and that he should take the family to Egypt. The author of Matthew tells us that both of these "appearances" occurred in dreams.<br /><br /> The question is: Did Joseph believe that God had sent a real angel to him to give him real messages?<br /><br /> If first century Jews were truly able to distinguish dreams/visions from reality, why would Joseph marry a woman who had been impregnated by someone else just because an angel "appeared" to him in a dream? If first century Jews knew that dreams are not reality, Joseph would have ignored the imaginary angel and his imaginary message. For Joseph to go through with his marriage to a pregnant Mary was a very rare exception to the behavior of people in an Honor-Shame society. His act of obeying an angel in a dream is solid proof that he believed that the angel was real and the message was real.<br /><br /> And if Joseph understood that dreams are not reality, why would he move his family to a foreign country based only on a dream?<br /><br /> And how about Paul's dream/vision? Paul saw and heard a talking bright light in a dream. Paul saw the men accompanying him to Damascus collapse to the ground with him...in a dream. Paul reported that these men also saw the light but didn't hear the voice...or heard some kind of noise but didn't see the light...in a dream....depending which passage of Acts you read.<br /><br /> So it is obvious that first century Jews were just as likely to believe that a dream is reality as some people do today! People have been seeing angels, bright lights and dead people for thousands of years...in their dreams...and have believed that these events are reality.<br /><br /> So the fact that four, anonymous, first century books contain stories of people "seeing" dead people and even "seeing" large groups of people "seeing" dead people, should come as no surprise.<br /><br /> They were vivid dreams. Visions. Nothing more. Garyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02519721717265344702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929118264557347645.post-69600348552904435462013-04-05T08:01:38.384-05:002013-04-05T08:01:38.384-05:00Me too. Me too. Sethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13248559361975013834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929118264557347645.post-1577502473934639282013-04-04T19:23:42.386-05:002013-04-04T19:23:42.386-05:00I would think belief in a bodily resurrection woul...I would think belief in a bodily resurrection would be important, given that the context is Paul is speaking of a bodily resurrection, and Christ experienced a bodily resurrection. Tonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04232209481041145155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929118264557347645.post-81904297155932591302013-04-04T08:20:34.168-05:002013-04-04T08:20:34.168-05:00I agree. If Christ hasn't been bodily raised f...I agree. If Christ hasn't been bodily raised from the dead then the whole thing is a sham, smoke and mirrors, and doesn't need to be followed. I don't want a part of anything like that, which is why I was hesitant to be a Christian theist in the first place. <br /><br />Can we even say that if Christ's resurrection was just spiritual (like some denominations say - I think Copeland and Joyce Meyer say that correct?) then trusting the message of Christianity would be in vain still? Sethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13248559361975013834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929118264557347645.post-66894954669632781042013-04-03T21:55:37.661-05:002013-04-03T21:55:37.661-05:00Another thing about the Lady of Fatima visions: mo...Another thing about the Lady of Fatima visions: most of the people there said they saw the sun moving about - as far as I know, only the girls said they saw the Holy Family. Some people there even said they didn't see anything happen (and I read long ago that some people claimed they saw what amounted to a UFO). As pointed out, this was just a vision, not a tangible person. There's a difference between claiming to see the sun dance about and eating and dining with someone risen from the dead.<br /><br />Also, I think those Christians who deny the resurrection need to throw out their Bibles and stop going to church on Sunday:<br /><br />And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. [1 Co 15:14]<br /><br />If Christ hasn't been raised, then the Christian faith is not worth getting involved in. Scripture itself says that.Tonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04232209481041145155noreply@blogger.com