quote:
How can you know this with such absolute certainty?
Because the human imagination can imagine impossible things. The imagination is amazing and still mysterious.
From
Message 197:
Straggler writes:
The Christian conception of Christ is as a genuinely divine and miraculous being. Born of a virgin not by some quirk of biology not yet discovered but simply by the will of biblical Yahweh. This Christ being is neither derived from nor subject to any laws of nature and can perform acts which are inherently inexplicable in any material terms (i.e. miracles).
Jesus was subject to the laws of nature. He grew in the womb for the normal period of time, he was fed and trained as any other child. He grew as any other child. He consumed food and drink, he bled when injured, and he died.
Have you ever noticed that we tend to make sure our supposedly supernatural beings can't "take us out" or "take over"? Achilles heal so to speak. There is always something to limit their interaction or take over.
Given the supposed character of Jesus and his goal to get people to stop sinning, there's nothing stopping him from returning in physical form and continuing to teach in each new era if he is truly not bound by the laws of nature.
In reality he's bound by the imagination of man.
Exaggeration is a part of story telling. Natural results can be exaggerated into miracles. The stories of the miracles were written over 40 years later. Miracles can be added to aid in the point of the story.
When someone writes of a miracle how can anyone explain them in material terms? It's a writing, there isn't any "material" to investigate.
Supposedly Buddha's ability to walk on water was due to intense training in meditation.
Buddhism and Miracles
So walking on water isn't considered impossible for humans by Buddhists.
Walking on Water - Christ and Buddha
Buddha is not considered a supernatural being by his followers.
quote:
What I dispute is your degree of certainty.
I've witnessed man's imagination at work.
Two people, at the same time, experience an encounter with a store clerk. One depicts the encounter as uneventful and the other depicts a rude and obstructive clerk. I've viewed this type of situation many times. Some people like to embellish.
Our minds can imagine things that are "contrary to the known laws of nature". But IMO, even those imaginings are inspired by what we have seen and what mankind wishes to do.
We see birds flying.
Water bugs walking on water.
Fish swimming underwater.
Hummingbirds and dragonflies hover.
We are inspired by the real world around us.
Some are never satisfied with what is and imagine more.
As long as these beings are bound by human imagination, it isn't possible for them to exist in reality. If they existed in reality, imagination isn't necessary.