Atheist Frendly Q&A

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A simple question about theology would be?

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I don't want these answered here, but I was thinking of the following questions:1. When Joshua asked for a longer day, why did he aske God to stop the sun? Shouldn't he have asked God to make the Earth stop spinning?2. Why is the Nativity story different in each of the Gospels?3. Why was the gnostic movement quelled early in the development of the christian religion?Like I said, I don't want those answered here. I am just giving you an idea of the type of questions that might be appropriate for a theology/christian thread.

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A question to you.....in the Old Testament, there was a prophet named Daniel, who in one instance experienced the need for immediate aid, and while he was still asking for help, an angel appeared to grant it.
What kind of science did the angel use to affect his purpose?

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Theology ain't my thing. Science is. I would be happy to answer your science questions but I will leave the theology questions to others.

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I think this thread is better reserved for theological questions rather than issues relating more to Bible scholarship.

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I agree. The only question I was really curious about was the third one dealing with gnosticism. I guess I could ask a follow up question. Is gnosticism heretical within the christian faith? I remember that one of the Pauline letters dealt with gnosticism, but I forget which one.The first question (Joshua's Long Day) could be couched in terms of how literally the Bible should be read within the confines of Christian Theology.The second question (different nativity stories) could be how Jesus's birth is important to christian theology. If it isn't too important, then the historical accuracy of the nativity accounts would not be a problem.

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If the various philosophies and religions of the world are approached in this manner it becomes possible to concentrate on the similarities instead of the differences. The goal becomes one of finding commonality. The result is often that you gain an understanding of the message and tolerance for the medium.

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Firstly, I deeply respect the religious convictions of everyone here, or lack thereof. My statements are always made in this light.He's not exactly one of the greatest philosophers of our time, but I really liked Louis L'Amour as a young adult. His autobiography is quite amazing and sheds a lot of light on his stories. He is, by no means, a great literary mind but he seems to be the model for the average Joe. His philosophy was that different religions were all paths leading to the summit of the same mountain. This isn't exactly an original philosophy, but it seems to be equivalent to the view you are espousing.To me, this philosophy seems to remove divinity from religion. So my question is whether divinity or morality plays a larger role in theism? I could also phrase it as "is it moral because it is derived from divinity, or is it from divinity because it is moral?" To strike a little closer to home, is the christian moral system bankrupt without a Resurrected Christ, or is the morality portrayed in the New Testament independent of the divinity of Jesus? To put it into evolutionary terms, are commonalities between religiously driven morality a case of convergent evolution or only possible through direct interaction with a deity? You don't have to answer everyone of these questions, I think they are all closely related.

Jar is a theist. I am sure others will chime in soon. You have to remember that the ratio is a bit skewed on this site.

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1. Joshua's question is logical for someone who saw the sun come up on one side of the horizon and go down on the other. Knowledge of a spinning earth came later.

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Totally agree. It was really more of a baited question. It relates to geocentrism vs. heliocentrism and the accuracy of the science found in the Bible. I see nothing wrong with your answer, either biblically or theologically.

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Matthew is most likely telling the nativity accurately, having been around Christ for about three years.

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Again, it was more of an practice question. Just a quick comment, I would think that Mary would be a better source, but that is just me.

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3. The quelling of any movement is a political issue, not a biblical one. The Bible does not say 'thou shalt stop the gnostic movement', it says 'thou shalt love the Lord and your neighbor as yourself'. I have seen no exceptions to that mandate.

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The question about gnosticism was really my only honest question. I was under the impression that it was a theological issue as well as a political issue. I am pretty ignorant of the early history of the christian movement, but from my understanding there were quite a few divergent and geographically isolated sects in the early church. The RCC seemed to win the early power struggle until the Protestant Movement. Also, Paul's letters seemed to be an attempt to bring all of those far flung sects of christianity into one movement. Am I on to something, or am I blowing smoke?

Thanks for the reply jar.I think the following answered my questions just fine:

Very informative post. Thanks jar.

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A gardener does not weep when one of his flowers dies, why would god care about the petty affairs of humans?

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A devoted pet owner DOES cry. I know I am answering these questions from the wrong side of the fence, but I think the answer is quite obvious. In the Bible, we humans are described as the "Children of God". The Bible sets up the relationship between God and humans, and that Bible says that God looks at us like a Father looks at his Children. Even Jesus told of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, furthering the description of this relationship.