Recent content by Deborah_

In Biblical times, bodies were initially placed in tombs, then (after a year) when only the bones were left, they were placed in a box (an ossuary). Somehow I suspect that's not what your friends are thinking of! Personally, I don't think the manner of disposal of bodies makes much difference...

This was an issue much discussed in the early church. It was decided that the value of the sacraments (including baptism) didn't depend on the moral worth of the person performing them. Which is just as well. Who would decide whether a sin was gross enough to invalidate all a minister's...

It's a parable. It's not actually about money, but about serving God (in any capacity). We're all sinners. Holiness comes gradually, and progress is often embarassingly slow. But we are forgiven sinners.

From what I've read, the brother hadn't witnessed the incident and believed what the murderer had told him. Which is understandable - but the police have no excuse.

Jesus isn't saying that we must hate our families, but that they may well hate us because we believe in Him.

The object of fasting is to suppress the desires and demands of the body. It's part of spiritual warfare. Yes, it enables us to focus more on God (perhaps by releasing time that would otherwise be spent on shopping, cooking and washing up) - but it also strengthens us spiritually. When combined...

I used to think the same way, when I was a young Christian 50 years ago. My husband still holds to that. But society has been changing in all that time. Nowadays, most people who make an affirmation (rather than swearing an oath) do so to call attention to the fact that they don't believe in...

You're shooting down your own argument here And yet you can't answer any of my points

But if they (these imaginary people who were out to destroy Christianity) didn't change every verse and passage mentioning Christ's blood, there was no point in them even changing one! It hasn't altered the overall message of the New Testament by one iota. It hasn't stopped Christians who use...

But what if that was what Paul originally wrote? It could be argued that adding the bit about the blood does no harm (because it is true). But it isn't necessary to his argument, and so removing it again also does no harm. And then to claim that the new Bibles "remove the blood" is (1)...

It is indeed through Christ's blood that we have redemption and forgiveness. But if the new Bibles have "removed" the reference to Christ's blood, what alternative method do they put forward? Colossians goes on, "God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him [i.e. in Christ], and...

My Bible omits nothing. If I want to read the extra stuff, it's all there - either in small print, in a footnote, or elsewhere in Scripture.

What's the difference?

That's nothing unusual for manuscripts of that length. There are, for example, whole books missing in places - but nobody thinks that those books aren't part of the canon. I'm not into the finer details of textual criticism but the decisions made are not arbitrary or subjective. Many of the...

Bibles are translated from a text based on all manuscripts, compiled by textual experts (just as Erasmus compiled the Textus Receptus). Now ALL manuscripts have variations - but there are well established principles for deciding which is closest to the original.