The bible tells a story in Acts of a man and his wife who are slain by the Holy Spirit for deceiving God. In the story a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sell a property but instead of giving the full amount to Peter they keep a portion for themselves. Peter confronts the … Continue reading
Category Archives: Rethinking Christianity
Why do we want go to Heaven?
I read a post today written by the Unknown Buddhist, Pass the Hamm’s. It is an entertaining post about residents in a retirement home discussing what it will be like in Heaven. Will there be Hamm’s beer? If not, why go? And other such musings. But what stuck with me was the questions about what … Continue reading
Are Christian Martyrs Proof of the Resurrection?
I have read a few posts this week that defend the doctrine of Jesus’ resurrection by stating that a physical bodily resurrection must have occurred because it would take something extraordinary and miraculous to cause the apostles and Christian followers to come out of hiding and boldly express their belief in a dead messiah, and … Continue reading
The Evolution of Satan
A main staple of Christian doctrine is the spiritual warfare for the human soul between God and Satan. Satan is presented as an evil angelic being ousted from heaven and doomed to an eternity in the realms of hell, kept company by disobedient and unrepentant human souls. I was taught this doctrine as a Christian, … Continue reading
What is Sin….Really?
In the Gospel of Mary, Jesus explains what sin is. The scripture reads: Peter said to him, since you have explained everything to us, tell us this also: What is the sin of the world? 26) The Savior said there is no sin, but it is you who make sin when you do the things … Continue reading
Thoughts on the Doctrine of Penal Substitution
Most Christians that I know pledge their faith within the doctrine of penal substitution. It basically teaches that Jesus willingly received Gods punishment for sin so that sinners could be saved by the virtue of Christ taking their place on the cross. This doctrine implies that God is so wrathful that he demands satisfaction before … Continue reading
Rethinking Christianity
Many of the posts I write are categorized in my blog category, “Rethinking Christianity”. These writings are due to my curiosity about how Christianity became the theology that it is and what would it have been if it had not be influenced by the Greeks (Hellenization), Paul (Pauline Christianity) and Constantine (pagan infusions). Would it … Continue reading
Seeing Jesus as a Humanist
Before I begin the post I should say that I am aware that “humanist” is a label being used by many atheists these days. I am using the word “humanist” in reference to its original definition as someone passionate to advance human agency and advocate social justice. When I think about social justice, I often … Continue reading
I Am = God
And I said ye are gods, ye are all children of the Most High. My last post was sharing how I choose to define God. At the close of the post I wrote “God = I am and I am = God”, which may deserve a further explanation of my thoughts. To start I will … Continue reading
I Am that I Am…..What is God?
The bible provides the story. Moses asks God for his name. God responds, “I am that I am.” Whether we believe that Moses actually saw God or chewed on something like peyote and hallucinated, this story tells us that what he saw or thought he saw was beyond his ability to describe. He did not understand … Continue reading