Welcome Editions
I know you're working on the Koran presently, but whenever you get around to it, could you please analyze the whole satan = lucifer thing. I heard paradise lost is the first book to equate the two. You pretty much stated that the snake in the garden wasn't either, so who were these entities and what did they do? Like in Jobe, it's like satan walks up to god, and gets him to torture someone for a stupid bet, so are they like buddies or something. I hear the whole god vs satan thing was absorbed from Zoroastrianism. I also heard that the fall of lucifer was something added way later, and what of the demons?
Also, where do christians get the idea of free will from? The bible sounds pretty deterministic to me. You really can't have this in a world governed by an all seeing god, prophets and destinies. The whole "good news" thing seems to come out of left field. The Calvinist who believe only a select are saved, and the universalists who believe all are saved seems to be the only ones who can back up their claims.
If you want to do a vid, and have nothing better to talk about, explain why the gospel of John is not considered part of the synoptic bibles, both historically and with self-apparent flaws if possible. As well as for what it means to remove it from the christian doctrine, for example it seems to most heavily enforce the whole trinity idea of all the gospels.
Indeed, the Gospel of John is the ONLY Gospel to propose the idea that Jesus was God incarnate. At one point in one of my videos, "What Was Jesus?", I make the point that you can't find any passage in the synoptic Gospels that justify a Triniatrian view.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OccFtEz6_rQ
As for Lucifer, AFAIK he's only mentioned once in the old testiment, about how the morning star is fallen. He seems to be mentioned in passing. If he's supposed to be a central character in this whole drama, I'd expect him to get a lot more screne time.
I nave read several comments about Lucifer being the title of a Babylonian king munch in the was the French King Louis XIV was called "The Sun King" and this being clearer in the original Hebrew. Even in the English translation Isaiah 14:4 says "That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased" and reinforced in Isaiah 14:16: "They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee,
saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake
kingdoms"
Even if you discount this you run into a headache when you realise Lucifer means "morning star" because this is the title used to decribe Jesus himself.
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise (Lucifer) in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:19)
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star (Lucifer).
Furthermore Lucifer is a Latin name not Hebrew (which is HYLL) appearing in the 4th century Latin version of the Bible. It is a klugde amoung many kludge to give the deceptive impression that the Bible is supposedly consistant.
I've been keeping an eye on Christian videos, and none of them have ever heard of this synoptic thing. The fact the John is sort of an add-on may be a small part of many vids, but no vid on youtube every really goes into explaining this. I think someone should explain why John is not a synoptic Gospel.
A theoretical bullshit video I just watched made a very good point about demons. Humans are said to be special because they possess free will. Unlike god's first creations the angels, angels who rebelled became demons. How could they rebel when they don't have free will?
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Devil
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Lucifer
One of the explinations given for Satan's fall is that he had the divine equivalent of a nervious breakdown.
Accoring to this oral tradition when God first made the Angels he commanded the Angels to only bow< down to Him.Everything was fine until God made Man and commanded the Angels to bow down to His new creation.
Unable to reconsile these two conflicting orders from God Satan and several other Angels had the equivalent of a mental breakdown and attacked God. In short Satan rebelled against God NOT out of pride but because he went insane.
Makes more sence than the oral tradiciton that Satan was God's most perfect creation until he made Man.
The only problem with that argument is the Bible says absolutely nothing about "free will". Go ahead and do a word search. You won't find it. In fact, the Bible has numerous verses that talk about the "elect" who are predestined to be saved.
The concept of free will is among many ad hoc additions to Christian theology that have nothing to do with Biblical teachings. These are more the result of tradition rather that scripture.
How about a skeptic bible study class on the Book of Revelations? I've just started reading God VS. the Bible, and haven't got to anything about that yet. So, how about it John? I'd like to hear your ah, how shall we say, "interpretation" of it. After Ezekiel, I find it the weirdest book in the bible. I laugh at how seriously it is taken by evangelists and authors.
My interpratation of Revelation:
*ahem, ahem*
Some guy was pissed about Rome's occupation of Judea, ate some mushrooms and had a trip filled with sanctimonious bile toward the Romans in which he envisioned bloody divine retribution.
Yep, that's about what I think too.
Hi. Newbie here, raised Christian but now agnostic. Anyway, I just wanted to comment on one thing:
"The only problem with that argument is the Bible says absolutely nothing about 'free will'. Go ahead and do a word search. You won't find it."
The term "freewill" actually is in the Bible 17 times: http://cf.blueletterbible.org/search/translationResults.cfm?Criteria=freewill&t=KJV&sf=5
Of those, 16 are referring to freewill offerings and the other to making a freewill trip to Jerusalem, not freewill in eternal destinies, but one could make an argument that you can't make a freewill offering or trip if you don't have a free will. Regardless, though, a word search does turn up results.
Other than that, though, the Christian concept of freewill is based mostly on comparing verses saying that God wants all to be saved and Jesus died for the sins of the whole world with verses saying that not all will be saved, as well as verses saying that we are responsible for our actions, and thus concluding that we have to have a free will.
Of course, there are also the verses referring to God choosing his elect. All in all, the Bible appears to be a confusing mess on the matter of divine election and human responsibility.
That's my two cents, anyway....