God has a plan. An observation and a question.

Gary O' said:
I have heard that
I've pretty much stayed with the KJV for that reason, and it's held closer to Hebrew and Greek translations
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All the newer (Protestant) versions are truthful to the word as well! The KJV is flawed because it is based on more recent manuscripts than the original ones. I am not taking anything away from the majesty of this version. I couldn't imagine the Psalms, or Corintians 13, in any other version.
 
Free will or a (in some cases) positively reinforced free will? As I recounted in another thread, I turned to God in desperation one night, praying for the first time in my adult life: God if you're there help me, and found myself unexpectedly in a pure light, that was also pure joy and love! Was it minutes? Was it longer than that? I have no idea except that the feeling was incredible!

I have never been happier and more joy filled in my life, then or since then!

Here comes the amazing thing I was guided to my wife's Bible, which I had never before picked up and read. As a matter of fact, I sneered at all the fools who believed in superstitions like that. After all, we were more enlightened than that.

Gods belonged to our more superstitious past!

And got a clear inner command to go to the Bible and read 1st Peter (my memory failed me when I last told this story! It wasn't James)

Now remember, here I was, glowing from this unexpected, supernatural intervention and I read this in 1st Peter:

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice!"

It fit my situation so perfectly that it changed my life. Later on the passage talks of suffering but that was not what I was meant to see that day! I call myself a Christian Agnostic because I don't believe many of the things my more conservative brothers and sisters believe, but I will always acknowledge that Jesus is Lord! Not from superstition but because of what He did that night!
 

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chic said:
How do you feel about the title "God has a plan"?:unsure:
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I do believe that God has a plan, as a born & bred Lutheran that concept is ingrained into my psyche. Some say that having eaten the Forbidden Fruit in the Garden of Eden was when humans broke away from what apparently was an idyllic, robot-like existence and tumbled into the free will chaos in which we now live. I firmly believe that God did not intend for us to be programmed robots in the first place, some people believe that the Serpent(the Devil) caused our downfall. All of these ancient ideas were put down in writing by mortal men.
Anyway...
I don't blame God for the bad things that happen in life, I don't expect God to swoop in like some comic book super hero and 'save the day". I thank God for the good in life.
And do you think His plan should be shared with us so we could cope better with life's slings and arrows?
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IMO God's "plan" is for us to love our fellow humans and the animals we are blessed with having, treating all fairly and with kindness. All the World's religions teach similar "codes of conduct", or as I like to think- the guide to better living. That's god's Plan.
 
chic said:
I've become an agnostic now too
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I think it is a little sad, if there really were a God with a plan, and an afterlife I think things would be more interesting.

However it is hard for me to believe anything with no scientific or tangible basis, not even close. I know some people feel it deeply, but I don't, never really have. Believing something because millions of others do or because my ancestors did for 1,000+ years isn't very convincing.

Who knows, I'd be happy to be proven wrong... but think that is pretty unlikely.
 
Jamala said:
What you got is what is written by numerous sources in the Bible. Does not mean those verses are authentic.
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PeppermintPatty said:
Totally messing with you. 😂
I don’t know anything about the Bible
I’ve just always wanted to do that. ☺️
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You can read too though, right? 🤷‍♀️
How do I know any of the sources are authentic
I don’t, hence the post above?
 
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Nathan said:
Some say that having eaten the Forbidden Fruit in the Garden of Eden was when humans broke away from what apparently was an idyllic, robot-like existence and tumbled into the free will chaos in which we now live.
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This is why product testing is necessary before some cockamamie invention is released without a clue whether the thing is going to work or not.
 
Alligatorob said:
I think it is a little sad, if there really were a God with a plan, and an afterlife I think things would be more interesting.

However it is hard for me to believe anything with no scientific or tangible basis, not even close. I know some people feel it deeply, but I don't, never really have. Believing something because millions of others do or because my ancestors did for 1,000+ years isn't very convincing.

Who knows, I'd be happy to be proven wrong... but think that is pretty unlikely.
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I hope we're both wrong but something has lead us to this point in life and this decision. It was over a year ago that I posted the question originally so it shows how much things have changed in such a short space of time. I still believed at the time, but no longer.
 
Never gave it much thought and I also never elevated myself to the point of KNOWING if there is a God, or not. Have to assume that I'm not as bright as some of our posters.

I also can't, with any degree of certainty, tell you what the weather'll be like tomorrow, without relying on the TV forecast. Kind of envy those among us that have the ability to KNOW things !;)
 
chic said:
I hope we're both wrong but something has lead us to this point in life and this decision. It was over a year ago that I posted the question originally so it shows how much things have changed in such a short space of time. I still believed at the time, but no longer.
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Can you elaborate a bit about what made you change your mind? Not that I’m trying to change it back or influence your decision. I’m just curious what made you change your mind. If it’s something you don’t wish to share, I shall respect that.
 
DaveA said:
Never gave it much thought and I also never elevated myself to the point of KNOWING if there is a God, or not. Have to assume that I'm not as bright as some of our posters.

I also can't, with any degree of certainty, tell you what the weather'll be like tomorrow, without relying on the TV forecast. Kind of envy those among us that have the ability to KNOW things !;)
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"because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don't know we don't know."
- D. Rumsfeld, responding to a reporter asking "What the Hell were you thinking?"
 
Alligatorob said:
However it is hard for me to believe anything with no scientific or tangible basis, not even close. I know some people feel it deeply, but I don't, never really have.
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'Feel' it?
I'm not into feeling
There is a joy, however
and a peace

I've stated this a few times now;

If one is sincerely searching for the truth in the bible
Study the prophecies
Especially in Daniel and The Revelation
Pinpoint accuracy
Covering thousands of years

But.....
One must study with a prayerful heart

and if you can't bring yerself to do that
Then pray for a prayerful heart

Otherwise, yer just floundering

Alligatorob said:
Believing something because millions of others do or because my ancestors did for 1,000+ years isn't very convincing.
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I've never been there either

As for now, this society?
Look around

One doesn't need to be a biblical scholar to see what's happening
And devolving rather rapidly

Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly
 
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Gary O' said:
'Feel' it?
I'm not into feeling
There is a joy, however
and a peace

I've stated this a few times now;

If one is sincerely searching for the truth in the bible
Study the prophecies
Especially in Daniel and The Revelation
Pinpoint accuracy

But.....
One must study with a prayerful heart

and if you can't bring yerself to do that
Then pray for a prayerful heart

Otherwise, yer just floundering
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Thanks for the thoughtful answer Gary, I appreciate it.

My first reaction was to brush it off with some comment on vague predictions. But then I realized I have never read Daniel or Revelations so that wouldn't be very respectful. So I will give it a try, not sure when or how long it will take, but I will try. I am not sure what you mean by "a prayerful heart", would an open mind be good enough? Hard for an agnostic to honestly do much praying.

When you say "Daniel and The Revelation" are you referring to this book? Would it be a good place to start?

https://www.aplib.org/audio/en/pion... the Revelation/Daniel and the Revelation.pdf
 
Some of the greatest minds that have graced our planet have been debating the existence of God and any plan for thousands of years, without any consensus, so it's highly likely nothing will be determined here. One major flaw in the debate is no one can agree on the concept of "God", or what is meant by that term.
Is God a person, an entity, a spirit, an energy, a cosmic consciousness, the universe, or nature, or something undefinable? It is a nebulous concept at best, that has way too much baggage associated with it. Whether you believe "God" is any of the above or not, is mostly a matter of faith and subjective experience that has been interpreted.
 
Alligatorob said:
I think it is a little sad, if there really were a God with a plan, and an afterlife I think things would be more interesting.

However it is hard for me to believe anything with no scientific or tangible basis, not even close. I know some people feel it deeply, but I don't, never really have. Believing something because millions of others do or because my ancestors did for 1,000+ years isn't very convincing.

Who knows, I'd be happy to be proven wrong... but think that is pretty unlikely.
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It might happen to you some day, @Alligatorob! I remember standing on the quarterdeck of the Haida (a destroyer) during our compulsory Sunday services, looking at all the heads bowed in prayer! Mine pridefully and scornfully up: "What a bunch of fools!" and look at the direction my life took some years later! So, you never know! :)
 
PeppermintPatty said:
My Bible was stolen, is this a good version of Daniel King James Version chapter 1? I would like to read it also.

https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Daniel-Chapter-1/
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Good luck with your reading, PP! I had a splitting headache when it came to passages like the one you quote, and mainly stuck to the New Testament. The Old Testament is mostly Jewish history and prophecy for Jewish people, even though we shouldn't shun it entirely since it does contain prophecies regarding the Messiah! And some of the Psalms are breathtakingly beautiful! However since it was compiled from four different oral sources it contradicts itself quite frequently! Start your King James with Matthew 1, verse 1, you'd be better off! :)
 
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