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Miscellaneous Doctrine
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27.1 God told Adam & Eve to "replenish the earth." This is puzzling-unless there were people before them, the term "replenish" would be nonsense. The earth had not yet been plenished to be in need of "replenishing."
"…God said unto [the first man & woman], Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth…" Gen 1:28
God told Noah and his sons to replenish the earth. "Replenish" here clearly meant to replace those humans which were destroyed in the flood, and then some, not to populate humanity into misery through overcrowding, starvation, disease, subsistence living, and tyranny. Besides, God said this to Noah and his sons, not to mankind in perpetuity. Prohibition against birth control for this reason doesn’t wash.
"And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth." Gen 9:1
God’s order to Jacob was limited to propagating "chosen people."
"…be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee…" Gen 35:11
God also told the sea creatures and birds to "be fruitful and multiply," but you don’t hear anti-birth-control zealots demanding the end to the castration of animals. As a matter of fact, most of ‘em are probably in favor of having pets neutered.
"Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth." Gen 1:22
27.2 What did the 6th commandment (Ex 20:13; Deut 5:17) really mean? This is critical to the civilized concept of war, self-defense, and police power.
"Thou shalt not kill." [King James, Revised Standard, New American, American Standard, Jerusalem, Lamsa Version] Does this include anything but humans?
"Thou shalt not murder." [New English, New American Standard, New International, New World Translation, Today’s Engl. Version, Masoretic Text]
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27.3 Since God created everything, including evil, God was responsible for the world’s condition. Why was mankind held to task for it?
"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…all things were created by him and for him." Col 1:16
"…God, who created all things." Eph 3:9
"…for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." Rev 4:11
"Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made…" Jn 1:3
"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things." Isa 45:7
"Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and evil come?" Lam 3:38
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27.4 If God was everywhere at once, why was he continually moving about?
"Where can I go from our Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" Ps 139:7-11
"But the Lord came down to see the city…" Gen 11:5
"I will go down and see what they have done…" Gen 18:21
"Then Abraham approached [the Lord]…" Gen 18:23
"…the Lord is about to pass by." 1Kgs 19:11-12
"When my glory passes by…until I have passed by…you will see my back; but my face must not be seen." Exod 33:22-23
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27.5 Does following Jesus lighten the load; or will one still be punished, disciplined, and burdened with ordeals?
"Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Mt 11:28-30
"In the world ye shall have tribulation." Jn 16:33
"The Lord disciplines the person He loves and punishes every son whom He receives." Heb 12:6
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27.6 Was all scripture inspired by God or not?
"All Scripture is God breathed…" 2Tim 3:16
"That which I speak I speak it not after the Lord…" 2Cor 11:17
"…I speak this by permission, and not of commandment…But to the rest speak I, not the Lord." 1Cor 7:6-10
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27.7 God’s covenant was with Abraham, but since Abraham was the father of many nations, why did the Hebrews alone claim to be the chosen people?
"As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations…I have made you a father of many nations…I will make nations of you." Gen 17:4-6
"…and I will make [Ishmael] into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year." Gen 17:20-21
"I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring…for I will make him into a great nation." Gen 21:13,18
27.8 If a mere man died on the cross, nothing was accomplished, since a man’s death can save no one. If God died, then we have a contradiction, since God cannot die.
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27.9 First-century Judaism had no concept of a dying and rising Messiah.
If resurrection doctrine was so critical to Christianity, how come it was so common in the Bible?
"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." 1Cor 15:14
"…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile." 1Cor 15:17
"That if you…believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Rom 10:9
"…the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life…and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city…" Mt 27:52
"The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived." 1Kgs 17:22
"When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life…" 2Kgs 13:21
Woman: "I saw gods ascending out of the earth…And Saul perceived that it was Samuel…" Samuel said to Saul: "Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?" 1Sam 28:13-15
"…the boy lay dead on the couch…The boy…opened his eyes." 2Kgs 4:32-35
"…Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus." Lk 9:28-30
"…a dead person was being carried out…The dead man sat up and began to talk." Lk 7:12-15
"[Jarius] daughter just died…[Jesus] took the girl by the hand and she got up." Mt 9:18-25
"The dead man [Lazarus] came out…" Jn 11:43-44
"[Tabitha] became sick and died…She opened her eyes, and…sat up." Acts 9:37-40
"…he…was picked up dead. Paul [revived him]. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said, ‘He’s alive!’" Acts 20:9-10
Jesus’ resurrection was less interesting than some other occurrences in the Bible.
Elijah didn’t die at all, he went straight to heaven. 2Kgs 2:11
Enoch never died…but went straight to heaven. Gen 5:22-24
Melchisedec had no father, no mother, no beginning, and no end of life…remains a priest forever. Heb 7:3
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27.10 In Catholic doctrine, the Eucharist involves the transubstantiation of bread and wine into Jesus’ actual flesh and blood, literally and physically. (Ott, 370) This is unwarranted, since Jesus took bread and wine from the table and offered it as it was he didn’t take pieces of himself and transform them into bread and wine. Even Peter said they later ate and drank "with" him, not of him. Therefore the offering was clearly meant to be symbolic.
"…Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take eat; this is my body.’ And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’" Mt 26:26-28
"…even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead." Acts 10:41
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27.11 Why would God have dwelt in Hell?
"…if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou [God] art there." Ps 139:8
27.12 Expiation; removal of guilt by atonement. Where does this leave the concept of punishment in Hell?
"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" Rom 3:25
"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." 1Jn 2:2
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1Jn 4:10
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27.13 Eve shouldn’t be blamed for original sin, because she was created after God ordered Adam not to eat of the tree. Eve was faced with a choice: either listen to a talking serpent or listen to some naked Bubba she’d just met. Eve can’t have known that she was doing evil if she hadn’t yet eaten of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Neither Eve nor Adam had the knowledge or experience to make a responsible decision. It may have been a mistake, but she can hardly be blamed for an error big enough to damn all mankind forever. How come God didn’t stop her, if he was so doggone powerful and omniscient?
If mankind was damned because of this paltry sin, why wasn’t mankind even more severely and continuously damned for all the other, even more serious sins in the Bible and in the present?
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it…" Gen 2:17
"…God…made he a woman…" Gen 2:22
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27.14 The serpent cannot have been Satan. John said the devil was incapable of telling the truth, but the serpent’s promise to Eve was confirmed by God.
"And the serpent said…For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Gen 3:4,5
"And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil…" Gen 3:22
"Ye are of your father the devil…He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him…" Jn 8:44
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27.15 Paul clearly sanctioned marriage in the clergy, monogamy anyway; and priests were permitted to marry in the early Roman Church. Higher clergy weren’t bound to celibacy until the 4th century, CE. This was commonly ignored until strict enforcement in the 11th century, CE.
"A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife…" 1Tim 3:2
"…ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee…the husband of one wife…" Titus 1:5,6
Peter, the first Pope, was married.
"And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever." Mt 8:14
27.16 Forgiveness of Sins. Blood sacrifice was required.
"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." Heb 9:22
Blood on body and clothing to sanctify the soul. Ex 29:20,21, 24:8
Young bullock for wickedness. Lev 4:13-19, 9:8-22, 4:13-35, 8:19-24, 16:15-19, 14:25
Ewe, lamb, goat, kid, turtledoves, or pigeons for sin. Lev 5:1,2,6-9, 16:15,16
Ram. Lev 8:19,20-24
Bullock and ram for peace. Lev 9:18-24
Lamb. Lev 14:25
Goat to bear a nation’s iniquities. Lev 16:21,22
Bull, heifer, goat for purifying the flesh. Heb 9:13,14
Even human sacrifice was useful.
"…the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1Jn 1:7
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27.17 The Bible mentioned the "thousand years" only in Revelation 20. The millennium supposedly began either at Jesus’ birth or shortly after his ascension thirty-some years later. In 525 CE, Dionysius Exiguus miscalculated the birth date of Jesus which we call "year one" AD or CE. We now know that the Nativity would actually have occurred between 8 BCE and 4 BCE according to Dionysius’ calendar. This means that the end of the millennium would have been between about 993 CE and 1030 CE, but nothing globe-shattering happened. This website went on-line in 2001... nope, I reckon it's not this time either.
However, this interpretation is flawed, since the Bible clearly said that during the millennium Satan would be out of commission sealed up in the bottomless pit. To my recollection, no historical period has ever been decreed to be free of Satan’s evil influence. Since Augustine, the Catholic Church has suppressed this literal millenarianism in order to assure the church’s day-to-day influence.
"And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw…the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison," Rev 20:2-7
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