The Bible

[indra]

"It was widely believed that the Earth's potential duration was 6,000 years (4,000 before the birth of Christ and 2,000 after)."

So we're on year 6,001, according to this. Gotta love it when creationists get it wrong over and over.

Melon

Or we'd better get ready to kiss our asses goodbye.

 

[Se7en]

Interesting to note we picked two different ways of expressing virtually the same thing. That may have been at least part of the point of this thread.

even if it wasn't, i'm sure davec will pretend like it was. i know i probably would.

 

[VertigoGal]

That's why I went with the neither overly true or overly false. It has it's good points (so even if they aren't absolute fact, they aren't completely false or errant).

Interesting to note we picked two different ways of expressing virtually the same thing. That may have been at least part of the point of this thread.

hehe, yeah, i wasnt sure what to pick. i believe all the stories are metaphors and didnt really happen. (well, actually there are some historical events, but i mean the ones where "god" intervenes in some way...i probably selected the wrong answer)

however, i dont think there's anything errant about loving thy neighbor, et al

 

[melon]

Interesting, is this something to do with Manicheaism the early Christian heresy?

Forms of "Demiurge" exist in both Christian and non-Christian tradition. The idea is present in Gnosticism and Manicheaism, along with Platonism and Hindu Vedic tradition.

Some Gnostics, in particular, referred to the "Demiurge" (separate creator of the universe and humanity from the worshipped Deity) as "Yahweh" from the Old Testament, versus the loving God of the New Testament. Catharism (the "Albigensians" of the 10th century France) believed in an evil Demiurge that they equated with Satan.

Christian heresies generally equated the Demiurge with evil, whereas non-Christian tradition often believed it to be a benign Deity that was more interested in universe creation than being involved with our active lives. This may have contributed to Deism, which believed that God created the universe, but had long abandoned us and no longer interferes with the active universe.

Melon

 

[financeguy]

Gnostics, yes, the Light and the Dark. Thanks for that explanation Melon. These ideas I find intriguing from the smatterings I have read on them and I may research them in more detail at a later date.

Now if I can just find the nearest Manichean church....

 

[-macphisto-]

Mostly true due to human meddling

 

[melon]

Now if I can just find the nearest Manichean church....

Sure. Find your nearest Roman Catholic Church. St. Augustine's "conversion" from Manicheanism is wrought with the irony that he actually is the one responsible for bringing a lot of Manicheanist theology into Christianity.

Actually, that's not entirely fair. His theology has become increasingly irrelevant since the Protestant Reformation and the Second Vatican Council. I personally cannot stand the man, though. He's the one mostly responsible for Catholicism's hatred of sex and history of misogyny. He also fuelled anti-Semitism, calling Jews "the enemy of the Christian Church."

Melon

 

[financeguy]

Sure. Find your nearest Roman Catholic Church.

Hell no!

 

[melon]

Hell no!

Actually, here's the closest modern equivalent of Manicheanism that still exists:

http://www.essenes.net/

In keeping with Manicheanist theology, it is a mesh of all the world's major religions.

Melon

 

[financeguy]

The Manicheist Revival!

 

[Rono]

*Mostly true due to human meddling, but only partly God-given

 

[DaveC]