I thought people said Jesus changed rulesabout killing kids?

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leejosepho
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15 Jan 2010, 10:34 pm

KazigluBey wrote:
... the text says ... Elijah cursed them (or called a curse--depending on translation) ...


Nice clarification.

Sand wrote:
That the bears found wicked children delicious ...


Who said they did?

Sand wrote:
... what eagles or monkeys or salmon were eating that day without any religious instruction.


Who said they had none?


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Sand
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15 Jan 2010, 11:14 pm

leejosepho wrote:
KazigluBey wrote:
... the text says ... Elijah cursed them (or called a curse--depending on translation) ...


Nice clarification.

Sand wrote:
That the bears found wicked children delicious ...


Who said they did?

Sand wrote:
... what eagles or monkeys or salmon were eating that day without any religious instruction.


Who said they had none?


In other words you're saying the bear's consumption of the children is not connected with the fact that the kids were nasty to the prophet. Do you really think the Bible is written in such a scatterbrained manner? That seems likely considering all the rest of the text.



leejosepho
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16 Jan 2010, 8:49 am

Sand wrote:
In other words you're saying ...


The words I have written say what I mean: Who said the bears found the children delicious?


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KazigluBey
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16 Jan 2010, 8:59 am

Sand wrote:
In other words you're saying the bear's consumption of the children is not connected with the fact that the kids were nasty to the prophet.


I would say they are (though indirectly); however, to be truly honest, there simply isn't enough text to this story to do anything more than make presumptions. Most would presume by the initiation of a curse, on part of Elijah, that God is directly responsible for the bear's attack (Note: theists AND atheists are both guilty of this). It is reasonable to consider the possibility that these children were just a nasty group and moved from tangling with a bald fellow to tangling with two bears in some manner--with of course, deadly results.

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Do you really think the Bible is written in such a scatterbrained manner?


Scatterbrained? No. I would suggest it is written in a somewhat incomplete manner--in the sense that much detail is often lacking. Sadly, people are prone to inserting what seems plausible to complete it.



leejosepho
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16 Jan 2010, 9:11 am

KazigluBey wrote:
Sadly, people are prone to inserting what seems plausible to complete it.


How do we know it even needed something to complete it?

In any case, imagination is a poor substitute for factual answers.


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Sand
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16 Jan 2010, 10:09 am

leejosepho wrote:
KazigluBey wrote:
Sadly, people are prone to inserting what seems plausible to complete it.


How do we know it even needed something to complete it?

In any case, imagination is a poor substitute for factual answers.


I too would like to have more solid facts but it amounts to wanting to nail down a history several thousand years old which has been the foundation for all sorts of grotesque fantasy perpetrated by numerous organizations and individuals with very forceful personal and special interests. It doesn't look possible.



leejosepho
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16 Jan 2010, 10:18 am

Sand wrote:
I too would like to have more solid facts but it ... doesn't look possible.


Sure, so we have to be very cautious with mere imagination lest we end up contributing even still more to the "all sorts of grotesque fantasy perpetrated by numerous organizations and individuals with very forceful personal and special interests" you have mentioned.


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Sand
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16 Jan 2010, 10:36 am

leejosepho wrote:
Sand wrote:
I too would like to have more solid facts but it ... doesn't look possible.


Sure, so we have to be very cautious with mere imagination lest we end up contributing even still more to the "all sorts of grotesque fantasy perpetrated by numerous organizations and individuals with very forceful personal and special interests" you have mentioned.


Or at minimum concede that winnowing out the truth from the fantasy is impossible.



leejosepho
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16 Jan 2010, 10:56 am

Sand wrote:
Or at minimum concede that winnowing out the truth from the fantasy is impossible.


Personally, I would prefer removing the fantasy (chaff) from the truth! And, that is what I try to do with Scripture. Some things there can safely be taken literally, but other things must be heard differently. Yet either way, adding confusion is never helpful.


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