realmarkeology

Like many of you, one of my earliest fears was that Jesus was a pyromaniac who was going to burn my house down with my cat inside. No? Just me? That's Not unusual because I've been different most of my life. The Bible has a lot of weird and controversial passages that no one has been able to agree to for the past 2000 years. Believers and atheists are able to tell the same basic version of the story that everyone agrees to. Adam & Eve. Noah. Joseph. Women's hair and the angels. The Resurrection and miracles.  Each of us decides to believe what our understanding, interests and personal experiences have been.  If God is "god" and all of this matters, shouldn't he have been a little more clear, literal or forceful so that there wouldn't be all of the conflict and confusion that continues to this day? That's a fair question.  The following thought experiment reflects the 42 years of my own faith, the near loss of that faith, and the search for a non-ri...

There is an Almighty God from whom all is made. Jesus is there unique son of God. Salvation is only possible because of him. There was a heavenly council of 'elohim' which is simply a spiritual figure. To humanity, they would be a 'god'. They have no power other than what is given. The modern concept of Satan is extremely incomplete and over simplified. Who we would think of as "Satan", the ultimate overlord of evil, is likely Shemyaza, so I use that as a frame of reference only.  Don't worry the details yet. Listen to the story. Shemyaza was the firstborn and was closest to God. He had been given  ultimate authority over the entire earth and it's creatures.  At that time, there was a "heavenly council" made up of the "children of heaven" (we would today identify as angels and demons). They were responsible for accomplishing the vision of God, there Almighty, the Creator. They oversaw all within the earth. It was a sudden, rude and...