Me again, but not mr-know-it-all, sorry if I come across that way. I just know what works for me but it may not work for you. I asked the same questions you do in search of the real truth and try to learn from others experiences and observations plus what I've seen in my life. In your life you will find what works for you and what doesn't. I don't care if your an athiest or a religious person, It does not affect my life in any way. I was only going to share my observations with you since you felt compelled to share yours and Mr Dawkins with us. Good luck to you Martin and I wish you the best in your quest for the truth. Asking questions is the first step in that search but listening is also part of it. HCT Out
that isnt what i am saying, i am commenting on your statement: "perhaps Richard Dawkins will offer to be your guide as you appear to think he has all the answers" i do not think he has the answers. i know exactly as much as he does. both of us are not claiming to know anything. we are claiming that religious people do not have any more answers than the rest of us. dawkins is not telling anyone any answers, he is telling them that the answers they have are obviously false. fair enough. now you are getting a bit patronizing, but yunno, that happens sometimes.
OK, I'm game. Here are his actual words. "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." (Luke 11:9-13 NAB) Has every Christian asked and received? Have they found every thing that they sought? Has every door been opened? Did Jesus lie? The standard response is that Jesus was speaking metaphorically or that he "really means" that those requests that are considered worthy by God will be received. Others maintain that only those persons who have lived a truly holy life will be granted all their prayers. But those are added words--Jesus did not say that. So, couldn't martin technically argue that Jesus was not telling the truth if every Christian's prayer has not been answered?
He could, but the Christian would just say God does answer all prayers, just not in the way we would expect sometimes.
I am a deistic evolutionist which means God created the universe and everything in it, but He did it through evolution. There is sufficient evidence to show that human beings evolved from a non-human creature. The evidence suggests this: Due to climatic changes the rain forests of Africa dwindled and gave way to broad grass-covered savannahs. A specie of chimpanzee-like creatures who had inhabited the trees now found that there were not enough trees to provide sustenance. In order to find more food, they had to come out of the trees and make a dangerous trip across the savannah to other trees. They found that by standing upright they could see greater distances and avoid natural enemies. In time they developed the ability to walk upright. This freed their hands for other uses, such as making tools and weapons. Weapons allowed them to hunt which meant meat now became a part of their daily diet. Meat, with its high protein content, lead to a larger brain. So the evolution of the human species began when that small creature climbed down from the trees and began to walk upright. This is what the evidence suggests and I believe the evidence is strong enough to hang your hat on. Technically, I suppose it remains in the realm of theory, but the theory is so strongly supported by physical evidence that it is becoming harder and harder to refrute it.
How do you edit a post? I tried to correct a typo on my last one by clicking on edit, making the correction and then clicking on "save." It didn't stick.
My opinion, Jesus was addressing prayer concerning spiritual needs instead physical needs and wants. After all, the Christian belief is that the physical is only a speck in time, therefore, the spiritual is what is important, and it seems to me that the model prayer Jesus outlined immediately before the text you posted deals with spiritual needs. The metaphor was used in 11 - 13, by putting it in terms of the physical, which people would have a better understanding of. Verse 13 closes with the reference to the Holy Spirit, which obviously leads us back to the spiritual. Just the way I see it.
Sometimes edit gets stuck and doesn't respond. Just back out and try again, but refresh the thread again first, your edit might have gone through without telling you.
This seems entirely reasonable. It harkens back to the arguement I have with those who maintain that the Bible is flawless, inerrant, and contains no contraditions. Much of what Jesus said is in the form of parables, short fictional stories to illustrate a point, which are also easy to remember in an oral tradition among illiterate people. I think much of the bible is parabolic in nature and should not be taken as the literal truth. The moral message is what is important.
