Muslim Beheadings

[bbyrd009]

Now take the sermon on the munt as an example. You believe that Jesus was speaking dialectically?

well, more like the author who wrote the account was, but Parables are an expression of dialectical thinking too, sure! Note the variance in interpretations of Jesus' Parables? Note the RCC literally changing the dictionary definition of "talents" to better comport with their agenda?

That our western minds cannot grasp what He was saying?

yes

Or that our modern interpretation is different to what HIs hearers understood at the time?

definitely, even discounting scribes, and assuming that that one is reading from a Lex or Interlinear, yes.
"Snake" had a diff meaning to them than it does to us, strictly for an easy example. Snakes were not considered "evil" then, and etc, they were considered to be wise. At least i think i got that mostly right...meh, close enough, looks to me. But i could list ten other refs pretty easy i guess; we have just recently done "mountains cast into the sea," and...some other one

 

[bbyrd009]

I guess that in a sense you may be right...but here's the thing. In matters of importance, such as the nature of God...the way of salvation...moral principles...prophecy warning against sin and promising a resurrection from the dead...such teachings such as these, the holy Spirit present in believers can cut through the fog and bring truth as it is in Christ...the way, Truth, and life.

Jeremiah 20:7 You have deceived me, O LORD, and I was deceived ...

https://biblehub.com/jeremiah/20-7.htm
Now I am mocked every day; everyone laughs at me. English Standard Version O LORD, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, ...


dang, i should go back to the world now, sorry, i'll be back!

 

[Naomi25]

He was likely referring to Acts 14:8–13, where the people living in Lystra saw the Apostle Paul heal a lame man, and so they considered Paul and Barnabas to be gods and identified Paul with Hermes and Barnabas with Zeus.

I would have picked up that this what he meant if not for the subtle twists he puts on things, LoL. His exact quote to me was this:
QUOTE="bbyrd009, post: 478901, member: 7326"]then nevermind where you think you are going personally, why is Zeus/Jupiter in our Bibles as our Father

.

He identifies in his profile as a Christian, so the words "why is Zeus/Jupiter in our Bibles as our Father (capitalized)" suggested to me he was saying the Bible says Zeus/Jupiter is our Heavenly Father.

I'm not trying to get him in trouble for saying it. I'm just saying the turn of words he uses sometimes makes me wonder if he is "trying to make me think" or just deliberately messing with my head, LoL.[/QUOTE]

Sure, maybe he was referring to that. Maybe it was poor language usage that makes it seem like hes outright blaspheming. But, I don't know. When you put it together with all the other weird and heretical things he believes...*shrug* I wouldn't put it past him. What I see him doing in our conversations, when he gets "called" on something, is backpedalling pretty severly. He seems to like "it's fine for you to think that", or "I don't really think that, I was just bringing it up" (even after he's argued for it), or even "sure, I'm probably wrong"...but then he keeps arguing for it anyway later on. So, we'll see.
But, it's not up to me or my judgements calls.

 

[Hidden In Him]

Sure, maybe he was referring to that. Maybe it was poor language usage that makes it seem like hes outright blaspheming. But, I don't know. When you put it together with all the other weird and heretical things he believes...*shrug* I wouldn't put it past him. What I see him doing in our conversations, when he gets "called" on something, is backpedalling pretty severly. He seems to like "it's fine for you to think that", or "I don't really think that, I was just bringing it up" (even after he's argued for it), or even "sure, I'm probably wrong"...but then he keeps arguing for it anyway later on. So, we'll see.

Like I was saying, I think the difference is in approach. You and I take theological discussions very seriously. His responses suggest he is approaching it more as a "Devil's advocate"-type antagonist, who throws things out there looking for a weakness. Now there are certain things you will hear repeated, which identify what his biggest problems are with standard Christian viewpoints (like on witnessing to the lost, or that non-Christians even are lost). But for the most part I think he's just rattling people's cages. Not something I have much time or patience for and I've told him so, but to each his own. You just have to understand he has a very different approach to discussing Christian doctrine than we do.

 

[Naomi25]

ha, i wish lol.
So fwiw reading Scripture dialectically anyone can do, but that doesn't mean i get all of the inferences yet, by any means.
Sorry if i inferred otherwise

So, basically, when you read the bible, you don't read it as a Christian, you read it as a book of philosophy, trying on it's 'pearls of wisdom' to see if it fits your world view. If it doesn't, you toss it, or twist it and move on to the next.
No wonder your views are so messed up.

basically yes, to all of it; as i said, it makes it worse, not better
but i think i'm being pretty clear that imo all i have is an o

Well. Wow. No, no...don't be humble. It's not like you didn't just outright agree you think we should be bowing before your intellect.
I wonder? Do you realise that you're not half as smart as you think you are? It could be because my husband truly is very bright, but when I can muddle my way through your language mires, I find your arguments are usually so full of holes they could double for a shower head.

well, you might see that any writing style will be received differently by different people, right, so it seems to me at least that my choices then become to condemn you for your lack of hearing, condemn myself for my lack of communication skills, or apologize sincerely and recognize that i can in fact speak differently to different people, or "become all things to all people," and start learning how to do that despite my past preferences.

so i am still learning this "hearing" thing too, i mean it isn't as though you hadn't given me plenty of clues that i was not being "all things to all people" in my posts, huh; so i appreciate it, and i'll try harder at this ok

While I appreciate the olive branch...I feel I must point out...using "becoming all things to all people" in this context in not correct. Paul uses this when he is speaking about his desperate desire to win people to Christ, not just as a handy hint on how to "win friends and influence people".
This is why reading the bible just as a philosophy book, or what have you, rather than reading it with it's true heartbeat in mind -the salvation of mankind, will lead you astray.
The bible is NOT a hand book. It is NOT a philosophy book. It is NOT a book of wisdom that will lead to a more fulfilling life...outside of Christ.
It's sole purpose is to teach us about God...the ONLY God, who has a very distinct plan and purpose for mankind. Who has acted and still acts with purpose, and demands we do the same.
If you attemp to read scripture outside of this understanding, you will get puffed up on stupid wisdom sayings and "holier than thou" morality sound bites, but not see a single bit of life transformation. In other words: it will be useless.

ah, well i thought at the time that the Q "what could God tell you about your kids that you do not already know as a mother" would tie those together; meaning you understand that one of your kids speaks...uses English differently than another, but you understand them both, right, or maybe you don't really "understand" a certain one, but you at least recognize that they are Si...speaking a different language than you?
this is verifying for me, so i appreciate the witness here. This is about my 3rd time around this track lol, and for what it's worth i've tried a couple different things, just asking questions, speaking as generally as possible, a few other things.

Alright: first, oh, my goodness! Yes, God can tell me heaps about my kids! For those who have kids, then, sure, you DO know heaps about them, but there's still plenty that baffles you. And that's because they're people. People are extremely complicated, and only God knows what's in mens hearts, right? And, as relationships grow, it helps to have God in "the mix" to help those relationships along.
Secondly, none of what you just put above was at all obvious in your original post...not at all. So, you see, you really must put these things down, or people just can't know what you're thinking or meaning.
It's not always immediately, or naturally obvious to people that they NEED to go into these details. Both my kids are autistic, and they ALWAYS launch into a story half way in. They're getting better at stopping, going back to the start, and putting all the details in, but it wasn't natuarally obvious to them that everyone needed that other information. After all, THEY knew it, so why didn't we?
Just go back, and as frustrating as it might be to you, and even though it takes more time, just plot it all out. You'll probably find your conversations go better for it.

 

[Naomi25]

"after you literally die" being understood there, right Naomi?

Not that I can see what this has to do with what the bible has to say about the salvation of mankind, but:
Are you perhaps, not planning on "literally dying"? Do you see that as an option?

exactly! So now you can imagine how they feel, see?

No, I don't.

why can't i be both

I don't think you want to joke about this. The bible has some pretty harsh words about those who deceive his people.

awesome, that is just what i was going for Naomi.
Determinists seeking Death More Abundantly here, we are now on equal ground, see, we both have a Resource to argue from, and we're surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, right.

You have no idea what's is going on, do you? You think this is just about words, and points, and people watching on, and seeing who scores best?
Man...if you get this stuff wrong, your soul is in danger. And you're pleased because you think you may have scored a point, or some such ridiculous thing? Don't you get that I don't give a toss? What I'm arguing for is God's truth, not my own. I think it's essential that what the bible says is represented truthfully, not because I'm a tight-wad who HAS to be right, but because this is life-changing, soul on the line, future of mankind, eternity type of stuff. We get one shot at this, and if we get it wrong, it's a long time to pay for it.
But sure, see it as a mind game, a place to argue. It's not like any of it really matters, right?

 

[Naomi25]

well, that can certainly be inferred from a certain pov, with English scribes helping out, sure; i don't mean to say otherwise. But we have gone over this "witness" thing before, who would be calling you to account for the hope that is in you, after all, Naomi? The way it is pitched to us those would be strangers, right, maybe acquaintances, people we are "witnessing" to? But see how that will not hold up in court?

What?

no, sorry, could you give an example? ty

Well, how about that Christ isn't coming again at the end of the age? The bible out right says it, but you don't like it, so you wave your hand and says it means something else. What about your insistence that Christians aren't supposed to take the gospel to all nations, making disciples of all men? The bible outright says that too, but for some reason you don't like that, so nope, it has to mean something else, in some other language or from some other scribe. Or what about what you told HIH? That Christians shouldn't be bringing up sin? Pointing it out to others? For goondess sakes man! Have you even read the bible? One can't even come to Christ unless he confesses his sins, repents of them and then is forgiven. One can't very well do those things unless one is made aware of one's sins, can one?
Again and again, things you say don't add up with scripture, or even sense. But, twist, twist, twist, away you go. You don't seem to care when actual scripture is presented, so you clearly don't have a very high regard for the nature of God's aseity and therefore the authority of his word; the right he has to hold that authority over us.

 

[amadeus]

Like I was saying, I think the difference is in approach. You and I take theological discussions very seriously. His responses suggest he is approaching it more as a "Devil's advocate"-type antagonist, who throws things out there looking for a weakness. Now there are certain things you will hear repeated, which identify what his biggest problems are with standard Christian viewpoints (like on witnessing to the lost, or that non-Christians even are lost). But for the most part I think he's just rattling people's cages. Not something I have much time or patience for and I've told him so, but to each his own. You just have to understand he has a very different approach to discussing Christian doctrine than we do.

@bbyrd009

He may in fact take a devil's advocate approach, but it works well for me as on many things it seems to me I agree with him more than I do with the "standard Christian viewpoints" you mention. This little forum at best only scratches the surface in the process of hopefully awakening people within Christian groups/churches or individual outside of those. Most church goers [those who attend] will never be seen on an Internet Christian forum. They will never hear the opposition to their foolish ways and many even of those who are here sometimes here very little as I see it. I could be wrong on this but it is what I see.

This is his point and he makes it better than I can by his sometimes short cryptic and/or abrasive comments and/or questions. Believe it or not, that is his gift from God even though he may not recognize it in himself. God is sifting through believers, and/or would be believers, separating those who only fill space from those who really love and want whatever it is that God wants. God speaks through @bbyrd009 so often and yet so often people who cannot hear will in their lack of understanding call him an unbeliever or a scoffer or a hypocrite. Some perhaps have put him on "ignore" for real on this forum. He may not sometime the best answers, or sometimes even any answer, but he seeks them wherever they may be and sometimes, it seems, at a high cost to himself. That is what I see in him. I wonder if anyone else here sees anything like that in him.

I am being honest when I say that sometimes he eludes me with his words, his questions, his doubts or his knowledge. Yet, I continue to look forward to the times when he confirms something for me or shows me something that I had previous seen or understood. I do tire of hearing from some the same old stories and/or arguments about the same questions repeatedly as if none had not already happened before. @bbyrd009 really does not ever fall into that category.

 

[brakelite]

What @bbyrd009 is, or often can be, is a prick to our egos. We do often think we have all our ducks in a row, actually, I'm from NZ so let me change that a bit... Sheep in a row and one comment from him scatters the sheep and we have to start again. What he is doing, I think, is trying to get us to understand that we will always have something new to learn. Where I disagree with him is that he philosophises that truth changes because I'm his dialectic view Biblical truth/doctrine isn't absolute, so therefore is under constant change... Is fluid.
I disagree because once truth is established, it cannot change except as one perceives it. But the perception grows, it learns, but the basic truth remains the same because it is bound up in a God who doesn't change. It offends him when people say they have the truth. That what they believe cannot change. In one sense he is right. We are all on a learning curve and growing in our faith and we have quad zillions of years to grow and even then more to come. God is infinite as is everything He offers us... For us finite mortal brings to pontificate TRUTH is in Byrd's mind arrogance.
Helen said on another thread that what she believes regarding Universal salvation is for her, the truth, and she will continue to believe that until such time God shows her otherwise. I believe the same on many points. I stand on what I believe currently, without rejecting the possibility, nay even the fact, that I have more to learn on any given topic.

 

[Naomi25]

@bbyrd009

He may in fact take a devil's advocate approach, but it works well for me as on many things it seems to me I agree with him more than I do with the "standard Christian viewpoints" you mention. This little forum at best only scratches the surface in the process of hopefully awakening people within Christian groups/churches or individual outside of those. Most church goers [those who attend] will never be seen on an Internet Christian forum. They will never hear the opposition to their foolish ways and many even of those who are here sometimes here very little as I see it. I could be wrong on this but it is what I see.

This is his point and he makes it better than I can by his sometimes short cryptic and/or abrasive comments and/or questions. Believe it or not, that is his gift from God even though he may not recognize it in himself. God is sifting through believers, and/or would be believers, separating those who only fill space from those who really love and want whatever it is that God wants. God speaks through @bbyrd009 so often and yet so often people who cannot hear will in their lack of understanding call him an unbeliever or a scoffer or a hypocrite. Some perhaps have put him on "ignore" for real on this forum. He may not sometime the best answers, or sometimes even any answer, but he seeks them wherever they may be and sometimes, it seems, at a high cost to himself. That is what I see in him. I wonder if anyone else here sees anything like that in him.

I am being honest when I say that sometimes he eludes me with his words, his questions, his doubts or his knowledge. Yet, I continue to look forward to the times when he confirms something for me or shows me something that I had previous seen or understood. I do tire of hearing from some the same old stories and/or arguments about the same questions repeatedly as if none had not already happened before. @bbyrd009 really does not ever fall into that category.

Ok. It could be a serious case of us not "getting" him. It could be that he has a unique way of looking at the world that should be appreciated.
And it could be that such "gifts" would serve a purpose, both here, and beyond.
However, what I feel I must question, both about him and about your "agreeing" with him, is the blatant heresy and apparent outright blasphemy he has come out with.
He outright admits that he doesn't see Christ as returning; that the bible doesn't teach it. He outright admits that he doesn't believe in the Trinity, that we are foolish to do so. He says we shouldn't talk about sin, or tell others about Christ. He outright admits that the bible does not hold what we could call absolute truth...meaning that it is only a book we can plumb for wisdom or various insights we wish to take on board, or discard at will: as he has apparently done.
Worse: he says that "Zeus is in our bible as God". Now, he didn't elaborate on that, and I don't think he needs too; any way you cut it, it doesn't look good, or at all biblical.
So...my question to you is this: if this guy is wise, if he is understood, if he is being "used by God"...shouldn't he actually believe in God first? And by that I mean...the God the bible actually teaches us about, rather than a sort of amalgamation of ideas and philosophies that he's put together, all sort of bound by ideas he's decided are valid: some from scripture, but usually out of context and some from...goodness knows where.
It's all good and well to say this guy might reach "beyond this board"...but reach people with WHAT? Seriously? WHAT does this guy believe that we can ACTUALLY label as Christianity??

 

[Naomi25]

What @bbyrd009 is, or often can be, is a prick to our egos. We do often think we have all our ducks in a row, actually, I'm from NZ so let me change that a bit... Sheep in a row and one comment from him scatters the sheep and we have to start again. What he is doing, I think, is trying to get us to understand that we will always have something new to learn. Where I disagree with him is that he philosophises that truth changes because I'm his dialectic view Biblical truth/doctrine isn't absolute, so therefore is under constant change... Is fluid.
I disagree because once truth is established, it cannot change except as one perceives it. But the perception grows, it learns, but the basic truth remains the same because it is bound up in a God who doesn't change. It offends him when people say they have the truth. That what they believe cannot change. In one sense he is right. We are all on a learning curve and growing in our faith and we have quad zillions of years to grow and even then more to come. God is infinite as is everything He offers us... For us finite mortal brings to pontificate TRUTH is in Byrd's mind arrogance.
Helen said on another thread that what she believes regarding Universal salvation is for her, the truth, and she will continue to believe that until such time God shows her otherwise. I believe the same on many points. I stand on what I believe currently, without rejecting the possibility, nay even the fact, that I have more to learn on any given topic.

This is really well put, and I love it.
On your point that perhaps in bbyrds mind, our 'pontificating' truth is arrogance in opposition to God's infinite nature....it might well be arrogance if we attempted to speak this truth solely on our own. But when we are using God's own words, and God's own truths, shouldn't that mean something else? Bbyrd says that the Bible HOLDs no absolute truth. How can that be true if it is God's word to us? God lied? Nothing in it that God said was worthy to be considered absolute in truth? It was only mostly truthful? That doesn't make much sense to me!
I don't think we'll ever come close to fully knowing God, or all of his truth, even after an eternity. But I think that now, it's one of the reasons it's so important to try and stick to scripture closely. What's there IS from God. And our God doesn't lie, which to my mind, means that it is true.

 

[Hidden In Him]

@bbyrd009

He may in fact take a devil's advocate approach, but it works well for me as on many things it seems to me I agree with him more than I do with the "standard Christian viewpoints" you mention. This little forum at best only scratches the surface in the process of hopefully awakening people within Christian groups/churches or individual outside of those. Most church goers [those who attend] will never be seen on an Internet Christian forum. They will never hear the opposition to their foolish ways and many even of those who are here sometimes here very little as I see it. I could be wrong on this but it is what I see.

This is his point and he makes it better than I can by his sometimes short cryptic and/or abrasive comments and/or questions. Believe it or not, that is his gift from God even though he may not recognize it in himself. God is sifting through believers, and/or would be believers, separating those who only fill space from those who really love and want whatever it is that God wants. God speaks through @bbyrd009 so often and yet so often people who cannot hear will in their lack of understanding call him an unbeliever or a scoffer or a hypocrite. Some perhaps have put him on "ignore" for real on this forum. He may not sometime the best answers, or sometimes even any answer, but he seeks them wherever they may be and sometimes, it seems, at a high cost to himself. That is what I see in him. I wonder if anyone else here sees anything like that in him.

I am being honest when I say that sometimes he eludes me with his words, his questions, his doubts or his knowledge. Yet, I continue to look forward to the times when he confirms something for me or shows me something that I had previous seen or understood. I do tire of hearing from some the same old stories and/or arguments about the same questions repeatedly as if none had not already happened before. @bbyrd009 really does not ever fall into that category.

I don't know, Amadeus. Some of these things you say may be partially true (not convinced they are), but as I was saying, both Naomi and I are theologians. We take the word of God seriously, and expend great energy debating the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments in order to come to accurate interpretations. Both of us are actually open-minded, but we need to see PROOF, solid proof from the word of God before either will be convinced. Byrd doesn't do this. He keeps throwing posts at you - vague, bizarre, either poorly substantiated or completely unsubstantiated and sometimes downright heretical and borderline blasphemous posts - yet when you try to get him to support them, he side-steps you on a continual basis with even more vague, bizarre, scripturally unsound posts to avoid engaging in a serious analysis of the word and citing scripture to prove his case.

Add to this that he labels himself a "Groper" in his avatar, and uses an image of Calvin smiling, which suggests he is deliberately messing with people's minds half the time (and this would make sense of why he appears to make very, VERY little attempt to communicate to others clearly). When he is seriously discussing things he gets insulting, by comparing others to Neo-NAZIs who hate others and want to see violence come to them... It's not "ministry" to me in any way, as I was telling you; his "groping" turns into false accusation and character assassination when he gets cornered, and if you ask him to retract the insults to restore a friendly spirit to the conversation he will double-down on it and add to it...

Underneath it all, Amadeus, I think he plays too many games. And in the midst of game-playing he does more than simply "question" orthodox Christian positions; he vilifies them. And as Naomi pointed out, that can have serious implications spiritually speaking.

I mean him no disrespect, and don't dislike him, and I truly hope he is seeking to become more than the nominal Christian he admits himself to be. But if so, I have to say that I think he's going about it the wrong way.

 

[Helen]

His responses suggest he is approaching it more as a "Devil's advocate"-type antagonist, who throws things out there looking for a weakness. Now there are certain things you will hear repeated, which identify what his biggest problems are with standard Christian viewpoints (like on witnessing to the lost, or that non-Christians even are lost). But for the most part I think he's just rattling people's cages.

I think you are understanding him somewhat. Yes, he is here to rattle cages.
I sure hope that with the kick back he has generated here that @lforrest does not ban him!!...
As Amadeus has said , "He 'gets' bbyrrd"
I 'get' bbyrd , Braklite 'gets' byrdd, some do, some just get irritated because he doesn't conform to anyones box.

As for witnessing.. I believe you will find that Mark ( bbyrd009) witnesses to many people...many more than I do! He just does not do it in 'the' conventional way.
He has said openly in posts that he feels he is here to cause people to really think about what they believe.
If you said it is black...he would argue that it is white..BUT if you said it was white, he would argue that it is black...to make you think.

Like Amadeus has said...he has learned much from him, and I too have been made to think twice before I come out with some standard cliche.
He would be a loss to this site if he were banned or suspended.
I hope his honesty hasn't got him into deep water.
When the chips are down...'he knows in whom he has believed.'

I think that I can honestly say I have read all of his almost 20000 posts..well at least 19000 of them
He never reveals much of what he believes ( when he is challenging for the fun of it) ..but he is not that anti-scripture or anti-bible person that he may appear to be. He just wants people to “think”.
He is just not a cookie cutter Christian, neither is he an unbeliever, neither am I , neither is mjrhealth... we are just not people who have elevated the written word to the forth person of the Godhead, like some have!!
That really annoys people.

As for "witnessing" I too, agree ... in truth the Church has made a big mess out of it. Most of it is distilled down to the wonderful message of - " Believe in Jesus or go to hell". Really loving, and a really good "New News Gospel "
I am sure Father God is horrified at what the Church has done in his name.

Oh whoops Chris...so sorry...I got on my soapbox here.
I just got nervous when I saw the lforrest said that Mark was "in trouble already"
If he gets dumped off, then so should many of others of us too..those who also do not live in neat Christian boxes.

Love and hugs...Helen

 

[Pisteuo]

Well said Helen and Amadeus.

 

[Helen]

Well said Helen and Amadeus.

Oh I forgot you...you also 'get' Mark ( bbyrd009 )

 

[Nancy]

He was likely referring to Acts 14:8–13, where the people living in Lystra saw the Apostle Paul heal a lame man, and so they considered Paul and Barnabas to be gods and identified Paul with Hermes and Barnabas with Zeus.

I would have picked up that this what he meant if not for the subtle twists he puts on things, LoL. His exact quote to me was this:
QUOTE="bbyrd009, post: 478901, member: 7326"]then nevermind where you think you are going personally, why is Zeus/Jupiter in our Bibles as our Father

.

He identifies in his profile as a Christian, so the words "why is Zeus/Jupiter in our Bibles as our Father (capitalized)" suggested to me he was saying the Bible says Zeus/Jupiter is our Heavenly Father.

I'm not trying to get him in trouble for saying it. I'm just saying the turn of words he uses sometimes makes me wonder if he is "trying to make me think" or just deliberately messing with my head, LoL.[/QUOTE]

Ditto, lol.

 

[Nancy]

ah, well as long as you are trying to "counter" a dialectic approach i'm not sure what might help, sorry.
Tbh i would just put me on ignore? Or ask for explanations that would pin me down, is what i would do i guess

I must say Mark, you sure do put my gray matter to good use, and I would love to know what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to you, personally... ♥

 

[Nancy]

One thing we can cleave to when reading scripture which may counter the dialectic approach bbrd sees, is to hold Jesus as the absolute focal Truth in all scripture. The center and hub about which the spokes of our reasoning and our limited understanding of the thought processes of the writers may be conveying...Jesus never changes...the same yesterday, today, and forever.
@bbyrd009 Naomi isn't alone trying to grapple with your posts. I love the challenge you present, but I gotta confess I give up more times than I can claim to grasp fully the direction you are coming from...let alone going to. I am sure you and I would have a very interesting conversation in person...but I think there might need to be an interpreter...or even someone who can sign?

Yer a poet, did you know it?

 

[amadeus]

What @bbyrd009 is, or often can be, is a prick to our egos. We do often think we have all our ducks in a row, actually, I'm from NZ so let me change that a bit... Sheep in a row and one comment from him scatters the sheep and we have to start again. What he is doing, I think, is trying to get us to understand that we will always have something new to learn. Where I disagree with him is that he philosophises that truth changes because I'm his dialectic view Biblical truth/doctrine isn't absolute, so therefore is under constant change... Is fluid.
I disagree because once truth is established, it cannot change except as one perceives it. But the perception grows, it learns, but the basic truth remains the same because it is bound up in a God who doesn't change. It offends him when people say they have the truth. That what they believe cannot change. In one sense he is right. We are all on a learning curve and growing in our faith and we have quad zillions of years to grow and even then more to come. God is infinite as is everything He offers us... For us finite mortal brings to pontificate TRUTH is in Byrd's mind arrogance.
Helen said on another thread that what she believes regarding Universal salvation is for her, the truth, and she will continue to believe that until such time God shows her otherwise. I believe the same on many points. I stand on what I believe currently, without rejecting the possibility, nay even the fact, that I have more to learn on any given topic.

Good understanding, I believe, which amounts to agreement with Paul here:

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." I Cor 13:12

Where @bbyrd009 catches people is when they claim in effect to already have the "face to face" which Paul did not claim for himself. For some it may obvious by how they express themselves but for others...?

Perhaps a person may have a "face to face" vision here and now, but who but another person with an equally clear vision would be able to see it and confirm it?

Jesus, I believe, saw already the face of God, but we can believe that more easily perhaps because of who think or believe or know that Jesus is. But who among us really sees Jesus as well as that? Does the "through a glass darkly" also speak of how well we see Jesus?

 

[amadeus]

Ok. It could be a serious case of us not "getting" him. It could be that he has a unique way of looking at the world that should be appreciated.
And it could be that such "gifts" would serve a purpose, both here, and beyond.
However, what I feel I must question, both about him and about your "agreeing" with him, is the blatant heresy and apparent outright blasphemy he has come out with.
He outright admits that he doesn't see Christ as returning; that the bible doesn't teach it. He outright admits that he doesn't believe in the Trinity, that we are foolish to do so. He says we shouldn't talk about sin, or tell others about Christ. He outright admits that the bible does not hold what we could call absolute truth...meaning that it is only a book we can plumb for wisdom or various insights we wish to take on board, or discard at will: as he has apparently done.
Worse: he says that "Zeus is in our bible as God". Now, he didn't elaborate on that, and I don't think he needs too; any way you cut it, it doesn't look good, or at all biblical.
So...my question to you is this: if this guy is wise, if he is understood, if he is being "used by God"...shouldn't he actually believe in God first? And by that I mean...the God the bible actually teaches us about, rather than a sort of amalgamation of ideas and philosophies that he's put together, all sort of bound by ideas he's decided are valid: some from scripture, but usually out of context and some from...goodness knows where.
It's all good and well to say this guy might reach "beyond this board"...but reach people with WHAT? Seriously? WHAT does this guy believe that we can ACTUALLY label as Christianity??

As I see it, it is not my place or the place of anyone here to render a final judgment against him. Your very stand here supports what he questions to a T. He is a heretic? Then so am I as some of the things you condemn in him are also in me. Be content with that if it makes you feel better. Let us leave it there, for ultimately only God's judgment makes a difference.