Ray writes:
But validity is not and was not the issue (nice try at bait and switch). The issue WAS your assumptions contrary to what Text says.
The validity is always the issue.
The text does not say that God reveals himself as a person. The text talks about God as a person (specifically a male warlord that even enjoys wine and grows angry and changes his mind). You are assuming that God reveals himself as a person.
I will stress again that envisioning God as human was *very* common at that period and in the surrounding region. This is not a "counterfactual supposition" but supported by evidence. What is a supposition is that the creator of the universe great and small would carry on like a human.
iceage writes:
Do you believe the Bible should be placed above any analysis and questioning?
Ray writes:
Of course not. I believe the Bible stands or falls based on what it says.
But you do. You got your undies in a knot because I would suggest that the most likely reason that the OT represents God as a human is because that was the norm for the time and period and not immediately believe the "textual evidence".
Ray writes:
OTOH, your kind says what it says does not mean what it says = corruption. It means what it says and what it says is either true or false. Same for the Koran.
"Your kind".... "atheist philosophy"... "remember that Iceage is an Atheist"
It is sort of a EVC goodwin's law that when your defenses disintegrates to the hurling of labels - you lose. As soon as you do, we know you have hit the bottom and you nothing else to offer.
Ray writes:
I have shown that it is not reasonable or logical or common sense, but Atheist corruption of the Bible.
Where? Please demonstrate where? Where have you presented any evidence that it is logic or common sense to assume that God reveals himself as a person or that the use of several different names points to the complexity of God?
The only thing you mentioned is "textual evidence".
Ray writes:
Give me honest Atheists like Richard Dawkins, Crashfrog or Brian Johnston of Scotland. I'll take these persons any day. They say the Bible is wrong and do not attempt to corrupt what it says.
Not believing in that the bible is factual or the word of God does not equate to atheism. Keep that mind.
I am not corrupting anything!