I am sorry to hear about your lovely wife, I hope she makes a full recovery and soon- and thanks for choosing my post to answer, even though it was so long.
I bet that has been done 999,999 thousand times out of a million........there is no movement to drop the words.
The rick dude is the one that said the prayer at Obama's inauguration. It was solely Jim of whom I speak. I always thought Tammy was a good hearted person. I am so glad your brand of Christianity is above those charlatans. I have respect for that.
I only care about Jesus' actual words and they were all full of parables and metaphors. I think the birth and resurrection stories are not literally true, and probably the flight to Egypt isn't either. I could go on, but I won't.
That was Paulianity and never came out of Jesus' mouth!
I find Paul the main source of those things that Jesus did not teach. He was just the first Pat Robertson, after all, he claims God spoke to him...I can only enjoy the Jeffersonian Bible.

You are so kind and fair in so many ways, it is only in this argument about those 2 words, that I feel really prickly towards you. If I ever needed a detail man as an editor or something, I'd call on you. Except you do misspell words even though I am sure you have a spell check.
Graham (thx for reminding me of his name) is a fundamentalist and believes in that mythical place known as hell. He has condemned homosexuals to hell- as though he knew what Jesus thought, because Jesus never said anything about the glbt community. Then, his son is even worse. I'd rather listen to Reverend Wright! I care passionately about human rights and want to see the glbt community given full human rights before the end of my life, just as I saw happen in the civil rights issues of my youth.

If the pedophilia scandals in the Catholic church had been addressed from the beginning, with all such priests sent to a monastery where they could never be near kids again- Then when word broke, they could say, they are living a life of prayer, way out in the wilderness-And if ratzinger had not been chosen pope, ....... Then I would consider the Pope as emblematic of Christianity. Oh wait! Warts and all, he IS emblematic of Christianity! So are ALL those Charlatans- I regard all that with horror. They are whited sepulchers, all. I have spent some time trying to think of someone who would be emblematic. Jeeze, I forgot Jim Jones and David Koresh!. I can't think of a positive example who is well known, who is a positive emblem of a good Christian. To me the most Christian-behaving fellow on the current scene is the Dalai Lama!

. Yes, I do think it is a myth because of the so called miracles. God does not break his own laws and neither the IC nor the Resurrection has any foundation in the Laws of the Universe. Those laws can't be broken in this universe, except in fantasy tales of magical happenings. I do actually believe in the teachings that came down to us from Jesus directly; I just don't believe in all the trappings with which superstitious people like Paul surrounded his teachings.
Yeah. Give them the benefit of the doubt.

I saw that definition and refuted it, because IP is not envious. His distaste alone is not jaundiced, he was barely hostile- for IP, that is. In fact I think he was just poking you, pushing your buttons, because that is his style (at least I think so)

I do find it fascinating, however, that you seem utterly fixated upon the desire to try to discredit me, rather than simply attempting to advance your own counter-arguments...[/QUOTE]I am sorry you see it that way. I have come to respect your nitpickiness and perseverance as a style in your posts; both powerful tools in a debate; but they are annoying after awhile, even irritating. I have this pesky habit of getting bitchy when irritated, instead of realizing the irritation is not really about me; it is a reaction and one I could avoid, if I took a few minutes to chill out, myself. I did that, so i hope you find this post less contentious- or tendentious (great word, huh?)

I have a feeling that you could be fascinating to talk to about your Christian scholarship ; you show signs of being an able Christian Apologist, and you have sorted through a lot of chaff to come to your present distillation/understanding of Christianity.

Consider me done. I hope your wife is improving. I have been married for 45 years and we have been through my illness, as well. I can deeply empathize with that. Good Day, Sir.

__________________

Thank you.

Again, thanks.

I did just that. (And I did--eventually--notice that I had transposed two letters in the word, meant, so that it appeared as "menat." But I discovered it too late to edit it.)

And I, too, apologize if I have seemed annoying. That was not my intention. But sometimes I am not at the top of my game. And the same is probably true of us all.

Thank you.

I never attended divinity school; but in the 1970s--when I was attached to an ultra-fundamentalist church--I began studying theological matters on my own. This sometimes distressed the elders of the church, since I did not march in lockstep with the proponents of Accepted Doctrine; but I tend not to ask others' permission to use my own mind.

Thank you, Xolo.

I congratulate you for your lengthy marriage! (We will be celebrating our silver anniversity--that's 25 years--this coming December.)

Although we differ on many theological matters, I see no point in my continuing to elaborate upon them. I am unlikely to change your mind on these matters, just as you are unlikely to change mine.

Best wishes.